July 2008
the newsletter for Nuçi’s Space, a nonprofit musicians’ support/resource center
CARPE DIEM O
ne of my fondest memories of Michael is the two of us sifting through dozens of cassette j-cards, looking at lyrics and trying to come up with something brilliant to use as our senior quote in the high school yearbook. It was Spring 1991 and just a few months before CDs became the preferred method of listening to music. We were in 5th period Chemistry and it was an unusually relaxed day. Our collection of cassettes included music from Led Zeppelin, R.E.M., U2, The Cure, The Church and many others. Michael was very well liked in high school. The jocks liked him because of his athleticism. His accomplishments on the track team earned him a scholarship to a small college in west Georgia. All the girls liked him because he was fit, good looking and had an incredible sense of humor. The music snobs, myself included, liked him because he sought out and listened to great music. We shared tapes of bands that couldn’t be found at the Wal-Mart in our rural Georgia town. We dubbed songs off of college radio or drove an hour into Atlanta to buy “exotic” music at Wax N Facts. Michael and I shared a favorite movie together as well, “Dead Poet’s Society.” Most people connected to him because of his openmindedness, kind heart and willingness to do almost anything for his friends. As we looked through our cassettes, searching for the perfect lyric to use as our senior quote, I stumbled upon what would become my choice. R.E.M.’s “World Leader Pretend” seemed to be fitting since I was headed to UGA in Athens, GA in just a few months. “This is my world And I am the world leader pretend This is my life And this is my time I have been given the freedom To do as I see fit It’s high time I’ve razed the walls That I’ve constructed.” Michael gave his approval of my choice. With my quote found, we both continued the search to find something for him to use. After graduating from high school our small group of friends started to move in different directions. Despite the 2
nuçi’s space by
Bob Sleppy
hour drive between our new college homes, Michael drove to Athens most weekends during our freshman year to hang out, bar-hop and watch live music. By April 1992 the weekends became quite routine. We had talked to Michael on Monday and he planned to make the usual trek to Athens for the upcoming weekend. However, we received a phone call Thursday morning from a parent telling us that Michael had been in an accident. The details we received were incoherent, sketchy at best. We were only told he had been camping and an accident occurred. Michael was dead. After his funeral, Michael’s mom met with some of his close friends and shared with us that Michael’s death appeared to be a suicide. Although they were not aware of any signs of depression, Michael did leave a note expressing his pain and apologies to his family. Knowledge of this brought to surface a mix of emotions that I struggled to understand for many, many years. It wasn’t until my own struggles with depression surfaced, and through help at Nuçi’s Space, that I began to fully comprehend the pain, hopelessness and decisions Michael endured alone. With only few minutes left in class, still sifting through obscure cassettes and lyrics, Michael suddenly stops my search and says, “I’ve found it!” The cassette he held in his hand was from a very obscure band, most likely a cassette we bought in the clearance section at Wax N Facts or some other “indie” record store. He read them aloud, “Saw a film yesterday All about the fabulous disaster Reminded me of you, us together, me alone forever But, I don’t mind the cold.” Although I don’t know what sparked his sudden connection to these words, I now feel a connection to them as well. As I pulled out my high school yearbook to re-read Michael’s senior quote while writing this, I came across his “chicken scratch” message to me written on our last day of school. It simply says, “Bob, Carpe Diem! Your friend Michael.” It’s with this discovery I hear Robin Williams voice, as John Keating in “Dead Poet’s Society”, declared to his students, “Carpe Diem, lads! Seize the day! Make your lives extraordinary!” Thank you Michael, I plan to do just that.
396 Oconee Street Athens, GA 30601 706.227.1515 space@nuci.org www.nuci.org
Newsletter Contributors
Bob Sleppy Alyssa Bernstein Will Kiser Laura Ford Josh White Photos
Will Kiser Design & Layout
Larry Tenner
Recent Donors
Nuçi Phillips
Memorial Foundation
Board of Directors
Ben Roberts Linda Phillips Peter Phillips Sally Speed Bruce Burch KP Devlin Patterson Hood Rebecca Hood Heather Malcom Bill Orr Stephanie Sharp Matt Justus Emerita
Virginia Ellenberg Jan Barstow Legal Counsel
J. Mike Lavender, Jr. Timmons, Warnes & Anderson, LLP
Bjornsson, Thorarinn Bryan, Philip Cofer, Philip Coggins, Kim Daily Groceries Co-op DBT Recording, Inc. Dowling, Ed Earlove Earth Fare Market & Cafe Fancher, Peter Fuchs, Danielle Georgia Music Hall Of Fame Griffith, Kim & Ben Hensley, James R. Okey & S. Frances Herman Goldman Foundation
Heyman, Martha Huckaby, Hank Jackson EMC’s Operation Round Up Keane, John King, Matt R. Kiser, Will Lee, John Lester, Bill Lococo, Michael Malik, Robert & Jennifer Meyer, John Nelson, Don & Phyllis Osborn, Madelyn Priest, Neal & Patricia Raw Talent Inc. Robbins, Jay & Mary Ann Schmidt, Paige
Scott, Tom Soileau, Jeff & Sheridan Starrs, Chris Stephenson, F.J. & Sharon Tanner, William Zankel, Ken & Anna
In Memory of Ted Hafer Chapman, Theresa R. Flurry, Amy & Alan Ralston, Lila Raque, David & Susan Lynn Todd
In Memory of Danny Esposito Alder, L. Elizabeth Bell, Sr., Lucy S. & Daniel L. Boyles, James W. & Sandra Jot ‘Em Down Store, LLC
In Memory of James Ford Ford, Bruce & Lisa Stewart, Sharon & Bill
In Memory of Gary Lee Frenkel Frenkel, Neal & Lauri In Memory of Adam Devine Smith, M. Rex
In Memory of James Norris Compton Jr. Lesemann, Linda S. In Memory of A. Nuci Phillips Cymerman, Jeremiah McCarthy, Frances
Camp Amped Powered by Jackson EMC Nuçi’s Space has recently received a $2,500 grant from the Jackson EMC Foundation Board that will allow young local musicians to attend Camp Amped, Nuçi’s Space’s summer music day camp taking place this July 7–19. The Jackson EMC Foundation Board assists worthy community causes in Athens-Clarke and surrounding counties with funds provided by members of Jackson EMC through its Operation Round Up program. A limited number of students will be receiving scholarships to attend Camp Amped
2008 through the generous help of sponsors including the Jackson EMC Foundation Board, the UGA chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota, and The Grammy Association. Nuçi’s Space also wishes to thank caring private sponsors Anna & Ken Zankel and Mr. Kim Coggins. Because of these caring sponsors, Camp Amped will continue as an opportunity to nurture musical talents, help young people find their own creative voices, and build confidence under the guidance of some already established musicians.
Left to right: Bob Sleppy (Nuçi’s Space Executive Director), Laura Ford (Camp Amped Coordinator), Johnny Fowler (Jackson EMC Foundation Board Representative), Linda Phillips (Nuçi’s Space Founder) and Ben Roberts (Nuçi’s Space Board President)
Are You Ready to Rock!?!? For the past few months, we have been gearing up for Camp Amped 2008, Nuçi’s Space’s second annual summer day camp for 11–17 year old musicians. The 2008 campers will be instructed and mentored by some of the best musicians in Athens, including Carl Lindberg, Dan Nettles, Joel Byron, Claire Campbell and Ben Mize. There are lots of exciting activities in store for this year including a trip to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in
Macon, a professional recording session, visits from some very special guest speakers
Mark Your Calendars! We are pleased to announce that the date for the 5th Annual S.P.A.C.E. Race has been set. The 5K for Suicide Prevention, Awareness and Community Education will take place on Saturday, October 4, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. The race will be followed by live music and activities in the Memorial Hall Ballroom. Online registration for runners and phantom runners is available NOW at www.nuci.org/spacerace. If you would like more information about the S.P.A.C.E. Race, please contact Alyssa Bernstein at alyssa@ nuci.org; if you are interested in volunteering for the S.P.A.C.E. Race, please contact Will Kiser at will@nuci.org; or if you are interested in sponsoring the S.P.A.C.E. Race, please contact Bob Sleppy at bob@nuci.org. Nuci’s Space will also be holding its 8th birthday party at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 4, and we look forward to seeing you there!
David Hill wraps up Imagine Something Tour David Hill is a local musician and UGA student who recently played 21 cities in 7 days across the US and Canada. What makes his high mileage tour even more unusual was that he took the mission of Nuçi’s Space along with him. Hill
and a Grand Finale rock show where campers will get to perform the material they have learned during Camp Amped. The Grand Finale concert will be held at 7:00 p.m. on July 19 at Nuçi’s Space, and it is free and open to the public. Please come out and show your support for the next generation of talented Athens, GA musicians! You can expect a complete wrap-up of Camp Amped 2008 in the next issue of Right Side Glows.
solicited pledges and donations for Nuçi’s Space in the name of suicide prevention and depression awareness—all while fulfilling his life-long dream of touring the country and playing music. David is also a documentary filmmaker who taped every step of his trip—and now he’s faced with editing together almost 20 hours of footage. Hill finished up the tour here at Nuçi’s Space on Sunday May 18th. For more on the tour— check out David’s website at www.imaginesomethingtour.com
NVR SAY NVR Campaign Supports Nuçi’s Space Nuçi’s Space has hooked up with the Never Say Never Campaign to help raise money as well as spread our mission of suicide prevention. The Never Say Never Campaign (NVR SAY NVR) is built around a unique t-shirt line whose designs are inspired by a particular cause. When supporters purchase an item, proceeds are donated to a charitable, non-profit organization that represents the cause. The NVR SAY NVR suicide prevention shirt has a Nuçi’s “ç” printed on the right sleeve. Printed on the inside of the shirt is a story about one person’s struggle with suicide and how Nuçi’s Space helped them get back on their feet. For more information about the NVR SAY NVR campaign visit their website at www.nvrsaynvrcampaign.com
Active Volunteers
Sandra Baumgaertner McKenzy Bailey Kristen Berg Tawhid A Bhuiyan Deborah Chasteen Jayne Clamp Joey Clark Lesley Cobbs Fred Galyean Gabriela Garcia Yasine Honerkamp Bill Hussey Nicole Jones Brittany Kimball Brian Kumm Shaun Lewis Adam Moulter Ellen Mundy Joan Musselman Louis Pelot Adam Poulin Ashley Renier Tyler Robertson Lynne Seymour Marc Seymour Will Smith Abe Tamison Catherine Thomas Julia Thomas Chisolm Thompson Bonnie Turner Danielle Tyree
Freshman P.E.P.! nuçi’s space Staff
Alyssa Bernstein Chris Byron Laura Ford Will Kiser Terrance Medina Dan Nettles Bob Sleppy Kane Stanley
Summer Intern
Josh White
During a brainstorming meeting a couple months ago, Bob asked me to think back on my own experiences as a college student and use them for inspiration on a new project. This challenge triggered a whirlwind of memories, specifically of my freshman year at Indiana University. I experienced so many new emotions during that life-changing year, and I remember feeling very alone on such a huge campus. I did some research on the University of Georgia’s incoming freshman class and saw that we have around 5,000 new students entering UGA this August, all of whom will be experiencing the same lonely feelings I felt during my first year of college. I began to view those students as 5,000 opportunities to raise awareness about the mission of Nuçi’s Space. We are now in the planning stages of Nuçi’s Space’s Mental Health Peer Education Program, called Freshman P.E.P for short! Throughout this process we have been working closely with some critical allies on the UGA campus: Dr. Alan Campbell (Vice President of Student Affairs), Dr. Ralphel Smith (Assistant Director of Housing), Dr. Chuck Zanone (Associate Director and Educational Outreach Coordinator at the Health Center’s Counseling and Psychological Services
by
Alyssa Bernstein
department). These individuals have been incredibly supportive of the program, and Nuçi’s Space is excited about bringing Freshman P.E.P to life with their help. The mission of P.E.P is to be an educational task force promoting positive emotional wellbeing among freshmen at the University of Georgia. The Peer Educators will engage freshmen in various programs in the residence halls that will specifically speak to their generation about depression, suicide and related mental health issues. The Peer Educators will help their peers create support networks throughout their first year of college and beyond. The freshman students will be trained on topics ranging from public speaking and group facilitation skills to identifying stress vs. distress in their friends. Following their training they will work on developing presentations for the residence halls and will be available for the Resident Assistants to use as an educational resource. We are feeling great about the future of the program and the idea of adding 5,000 new members to the Nuçi’s Space family! If you would like more information about Freshman P.E.P., please contact Alyssa Bernstein at alyssa@nuci.org.
Nuçi’s Space Customer Survey Results are in In-house surveys we conducted in spring 2008 gave us some great feedback from Nuçi’s Space customers. Most visitors knew our mission and were familiar with our counseling referral program. Respondents also overwhelmingly said that they would refer a friend to Nuçi’s Space for counseling if needed.
“Did you know that Nuçi’s Space provides obstaclefree treatment for musicians suffering from depression and other such disorders?” 79 % answered yes 13 % answered no 8 % no response
We learned how survey participants discovered Nuçi’s Space, what services they used the most and the least, and what they liked about the Space. They also gave us some good, honest criticisms on things they’d like to see changed. Our customers’ openness and valuable insights supplied us with fresh ideas on how to better serve the Athens community, ideas that we’re already putting into motion.
“If you had a friend who was depressed, would you refer him/ her to Nuçi’s Space for counseling?” 72 % 7 % 11 % 10 %
answered yes answered no answered maybe no response
AthFest Wrap-up Nuçi’s Space hosted a three-band showcase on June 20th as part of the 12th annual AthFest celebration. Our show featured Atlanta band It’s Elephants opening for former Athenian Zach Hinkle’s latest project Cherokee. Closing out the night was The Winter Sounds—a band that calls Athens home, but that played over 250 shows across the nation in 2007. Along with Nuçi’s Space, 14 other local venues hosted over 180 bands—most of them from Athens—during the weekend-long event (June 19–22). Many of those local bands utilized our rehearsal rooms to get ready for the festival including: Elf Power, Dark Meat, Don Chambers + GOAT, Morning State and Hayride. Down at the Main Stage on Washington Street, Nuçi’s Space volunteers ran an information table. Volunteers passed out brochures, signed people up for our email listserv and answered questions about Nuçi’s Space.
Nuçi’s Story Project The Uzupis Theatre Company is conducting preliminary interviews for an upcoming documentary about singer/songwriter Nuçi Phillips. Brandon Deyette, artistic director of the theater company, is looking to interview individuals, families, friends or groups that have been affected by Nuçi’s death and the impact that Nuçi’s Space,
Pride Parade
as well as Linda Phillip’s creation of Nuçi’s Space, has had upon the community. Uzupis is also looking for people who would be interested in volunteering for this project in any capacity. For forms and details check out www.uzupistheatre. com Please contact Brandon Deyette at info@ uzupistheatre.com or call 706.296.8947 for more information.
Tibbetts St. Festival For the second year in a row, local musician and band manager Ryan Hetrick is organizing a street festival in honor of Nuçi’s Space. All proceeds from t-shirt sales, vender spots and sponsorship of the event will benefit the nonprofit mission of Nuçi’s Space. The Tibbetts Street Festival will also feature some of the most prominent bands in Athens—and is free and open to the public. The festival takes place August 17th on Tibbetts Street close to downtown Athens. Featured bands include: A. Armada, Cinemechanica, and Sleepy Horses. Attendance at last year’s street festival was estimated at over 800 and this year’s lineup is even bigger. If you’d like to volunteer or are interested in becoming a sponsor of the Tibbetts Street Festival, please email Will Kiser at will@nuci.org For more information see: www.Tibbetts Street.blogspot.com or www.nuci.org
Recent Benefit Shows April 18, 2008
Hope For Agoldensummer Joanie Musselman John Youngblood and Greg Woodward B-side Revolutions
May 10, 2008 Pride Parade Rockinwood Mass Solo Revolt
May 24, 2008
Jason Jones & The Stick ‘Em Ups Bicycles & Gravel Radiolucent
Would you like your advertisement here? If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of Nuçi’s Space’s Right Side Glows newsletter, please contact Bob Sleppy at bob@nuci.org
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nuçi’s space 396 Oconee Street Athens, GA 30601
right side glows the newsletter for nuçi’s space, a nonprofit musicians’ support/resource center