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JANUARY 6, 2010 · VOL. 24 · NO. 1 · FREE

A Tribute to Vic Chesnutt p. 13 · Remembering Vic: Reflections from Friends, Fans and Collaborators p. 14

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pub notes Troubled Troubadour Perhaps because he was such a significant figure—in the music world and in our local world—Vic Chesnutt’s death highlights like an infra-red snapshot many stress points in our collective life.

Coming when journalists were taking a holiday, the news burst in confusion. Editors on vacation and communicating by text messaging and email tried to determine how he died and in fact if he was dead. They had at their fingertips the capacity to announce the terrible news instantaneously online but didn’t know what to say. Others rushed online anyway with pronouncements based on hearsay, tweets, blogs—only to print retractions later or actual apologias for the new way of news-gathering, i.e., put it out there and wait for somebody with facts to correct it. Vic’s death threw light on the turmoil through which information is filtered as it rushes on out unedited.

Vic’s depression and apparent suicide also wrote an ironic codicil to our own local government’s lawsuit against Nuçi’s Space, headed, perhaps, toward the state’s highest court.

Our local government has thrown its legal power behind the charge that our community’s unique program, founded for the very purpose of aiding musicians and helping them cope with depression, should not qualVic’s loss reverberates ify for a vital property tax exemption. Vic was beyond through our village, the help of Nuçi’s Space, but that sanctuary has aided echoing among the hundreds and helped many musicians avoid what hapissues that define pened to Vic. our time.

The fact that Vic faced a crushing load of debt for medical treatment shot yet another flare over the field of battle where health care is embroiled. If our Congressman Broun and our Senators Chambliss and Isakson can justify Vic’s situation as the way health care ought to work, then they’re on the right track in voting to deny coverage to millions more like him.

Vic’s long struggle reminds us again that depression is real, widespread and deadly and that we all need better to understand it, for we never know whom it may strike. As his friends and fellow musicians recount in the following pages, in spite of his long fight against depression and his crippled body, Vic lived an incredibly full life that puts all us more able-bodied beings to shame and remains an example of how much more we all can do. His life, like his death, teaches us lessons we all can ponder with profit.

And of course Vic’s death, like his life, spotlights the Athens music community, those fellow travelers united by their will to coax from sound some semblance of a livelihood. As they gathered to pay tribute to Vic, they had the look of veterans, not based so much on whether they have made it, but in the shared knowledge of what it is to launch long tours in bad vans, endure rote jobs until practice time, lack amenities other people enjoy, lean on drugs and alcohol and tobacco, face small crowds, drag heavy equipment, suffer bad record deals and, finally, earn respect, sometimes grudging, from those who have been through it all, too, who know that it’s not often glamorous but that when it’s right, it’s better than anything else in the world. Vic was a prince in this aristocracy of Athens music, and his passing reminds us that he and others like him are local treasures who light up our town whether or not we notice the glow.

Vic personified that funky Athens known all over the world for its music and for its way of life ever threatened by the developers of sameness. His words call us to an appreciation of eccentricity that is true to its own vision, eternally resistant to bland certitude. Vic’s music is accessible, as he was accessible, never too big to continue playing in town, always glad to hang out with his friends, flashing the bright wit that throws him among the best writers and musicians Georgia can claim.

Vic’s loss reverberates through our village, echoing among the issues that define our time. But mainly Vic’s death dramatizes the fragile fabric of friendship and the tenuous connection that holds us to life. His genius of mind and spirit writes large the struggles we all undergo to survive, to be somebody, to do something worthwhile before the music stops.

Pete McCommons editor@flagpole.com

THIS WEEK’S ISSUE: News & Features City Dope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Athens News and Views

Remembering Vic Chesnutt with purpose, and a shiny new parking meters story.

Athens Rising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 What’s Up in New Development

A few suggestions for reviving Mayor Davison’s idea of a “green SPLOST.”

Arts & Events Miscellany . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Out and About Around Athens

January, a month of beginnings, is also a time of goodbyes.

Grub Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Tiger Beat

White Tiger Gourmet’s BBQ pork sandwich is an in-town favorite.

COVER DESIGN by Kelly Ruberto featuring a photograph of Vic Chesnutt

by Mike White

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Music Vic Chesnutt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 1964–2009

Athens loses one of its greatest talents.

Remembering Vic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Reflections from Vic Chesnutt’s Friends, Fans and Collaborators A collection of special memories of Vic around town and on the road.

CITY DOPE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 CITY PAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 CAPITOL IMPACT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 ATHENS RISING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 MISCELLANY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 GRUB NOTES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 MOVIE DOPE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 MOVIE PICK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 THREATS & PROMISES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS. . . . . . . . 11

VIC CHESNUTT OBITUARY. . . . . . . . . . . . 12 A TRIBUTE TO VIC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 REMEMBERING VIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 RECORD REVIEWS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 THE CALENDAR!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 BULLETIN BOARD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 ART AROUND TOWN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 COMICS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 REALITY CHECK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 EVERYDAY PEOPLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

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This week at Flagpole.COM

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 Vic Chesnutt Tribute: Photo album and personal remembrances from friends, fans and collaborators

EDITOR & PUBLISHER Pete McCommons ADVERTISING DIRECTOR & PUBLISHER Alicia Nickles PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Larry Tenner MANAGING EDITOR Christina Cotter ADVERTISING SALES Anita Aubrey, Melinda Edwards, Jessica Pritchard MUSIC EDITOR Michelle Gilzenrat CITY EDITOR Dave Marr CLASSIFIEDS, DISTRIBUTION & OFFICE MANAGER Paul Karjian AD DESIGNERS Ian Rickert, Kelly Ruberto CARTOONISTS James Allen, Cameron Bogue, Ian King, Missy Kulik, Josh Nickerson, Matthew Ziemer ADOPT ME Special Agent Cindy Jerrell CONTRIBUTORS Charles-Ryan Barber, Hillary Brown, Jason Bugg, Emerson Dameron, Elaine Ely, Tony Floyd, Jeff Gore, Chris Hassiotis, John Huie, Gordon Lamb, Bao Le-Huu, Matthew Pulver, Jordan Stepp, Jeff Tobias, Drew Wheeler, Kevan Williams CIRCULATION Charles Greenleaf, Harper Bridgers, Jimmy Courson, Swen Froemke, Anthony Gentile WEB DESIGNER Ian Rickert ADVERTISING ASSISTANT Maggie Summers EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Erin Cork MUSIC INTERN Charlie Stafford ADVERTISING INTERNS Melanie Foster, Teresa Tamburello

VOLUME 24 ISSUE NUMBER 1

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city dope Athens News and Views Not How We Hoped to Start the Decade: It’s not for the Dope to eulogize the amazing and confounding Vic Chesnutt; that’s been more than ably done elsewhere in this issue by many who knew him better. I’ll just borrow a phrase from another incomparable and irreplaceable American artist, Duke Ellington, and say that Vic was truly “beyond category.”

And not to belabor a point already made in Pete’s Pub Notes, but the proximity of Vic’s depression-related death to the ongoing struggle of Nuçi’s Space to regain the property tax exemption that has helped keep it in business is a sad serendipity that really must not be ignored. Vic’s family isn’t letting it slide; they’ve asked that donations in his memory be sent to the local musicians’ resource center (as well as to the Shepherd Center, an Atlanta hospital specializing in the rehabilitation of brain and spinal cord injuries).

The Georgia Center for Nonprofits recently filed an Amicus Brief in support of Nuçi’s Space’s with the Georgia Supreme Court, which is considering whether to hear the organization’s appeal.

What’s a New Year Without a New Parking Meters Story?: Visitors to downtown Athens will soon “reap the benefits” of new, credit card- and bill-accepting parking meters, according to an ACC Government press release.

You’ve probably seen these things before in other cities: the impressive-looking, solarpowered units serve eight or 10 parking spots instead of just one; they issue a little paper slip that you display on your driver’s-side dash (unless you forget to return to your car after paying and just shove it in your coat pocket, in which case you get a ticket). The new machines will be installed on Broad and Clayton Streets by Feb. 1, replacing “outdated, irreparable equipment” and making it easier— logistically, at least—to pay (hypothetical, of course) increased parking rates.

State Water Progress: Shortly before Christmas Sonny Perdue’s rad Water Contingency Task Force issued its “final recommendations” for dealing with Georgia’s impending water supply shortfall, and it’s pleasing to note that these include a somewhat greater Right Place at the Right emphasis on conservaTime: Tom Crawford’s tion options than had The Georgia Report, previously been communiWe won’t have these parking meters—or as the Atlanta Journalcated by the august body. many of them, anyway—to kick around after Constitution and other Co-chair John Brock, one January. online sources report of the task force’s many at Flagpole’s deadline white dudes, admirably time that Gov. Sonny Perdue is set to name suggests that “we must conserve more water, Athenian Brian Kemp as secretary of state to capture the water we do receive, and control replace Karen Handel, who resigned to faciliour water supplies through progressive water tate her campaign for governor. The appointpolicies.” Brock is the chairman and CEO of ment would give Kemp, who is already running Coca-Cola Enterprises, whose main product, for secretary of state, a tremendous leg up by despite the secrecy surrounding its formula, allowing him to run as the incumbent. Kemp, can safely be said to be composed mostly of a local developer, served in the Georgia State water. Coverage of this and other state waterSenate and ran unsuccessfully for state agrirelated issues by former Dope Ben Emanuel culture commissioner. Shaking hands with the on the blog Georgia Water Wire is, once more, governor is often a shorter path to elective highly recommended. office than shaking hands with the voters.

[Pete McCommons] Dave Marr news@flagpole.com

Paul Broun, Jr.’s Krazy Korner Congressman Broun hates Social Security and Medicare.

What’s to like about them? They only encourage laziness among the elderly. Grandpa can’t grip a mop handle, flip a burger or two?

Greatest Generation, my foot.

Frontal assaults on Social Security, like the younger Bush’s attempt to sell it to Wall Street, have always fallen flat, with the bleeding hearts droning on about dignity and honor for our elders. But conservative strategists since Ronald Reagan’s time have always held an ace in the hole: the covert assault on social programs by decimating their funding sources, i.e. tax revenue. It’s known as the “starve the beast” tactic: as tax revenues plummet due to an almost religious devotion to tax cuts, it can then be warned that the social programs dependent on those funds are going broke. As starvethe-beast veteran and Paul Broun campaign contributor Grover Norquist confessed, “I don’t want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.” Really, who doesn’t want to strangle grandma’s dignity in her waning years?

Broun’s plan to covertly wreck Social Security—a program he calls “unconstitutional”—is a halving of Social Security and Medicare taxes under the guise of ’stimulus,’ outlined in his JOBS bill (HR 4100). The move would drain billions from the nation’s most popular social programs and further the conservative project to Wall Street-ize our security where it’s most vulnerable. [Matthew Pulver]

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 6, 2010

city pages State Transportation Goals Changing, Says GDOT Planning Dir.

day of doing the whole loop around Atlanta has come and gone,” Long believes, although there are “pieces” that might get built—like a section in Gwinnett county “that has a lot of logic behind it”.

John Huie U.S. Route 441 through Athens is seen as a major future truck route to connect the port at Savannah with points north while avoiding Atlanta traffic, Georgia Department of Transportation officials say. Routes like 441 and U.S. 84 (a southern route from Savannah that runs near the Georgia/Florida line) are “important missing links” for truckers, GDOT Planning Director Todd Long tells Flagpole.

Local nonprofit community resource group ACTION, Inc. is moving into the new year “There’s a huge push by the trucking industry to complete the widening of U.S. 84 from El with a push to distribute $1.2 million in fedPaso, TX all the way to Brunswick,” says Long, eral stimulus grant money to small-business who was appointed as Governor Perdue’s man entrepreneurs in a 10-county area. The money at the GDOT in the summer. will be dispersed as matching funds to qualified applicants with incomes of less than 200 But do trucks pay enough taxes to cover such road-widenings? Long will say only that percent of federal poverty guidelines who “freight drives jobs… If you get a lot of prodwant to start their own businesses, as well uct coming through into your state through as low- or no-interest loans for existing busifreight, you’re going to have nesses to create new jobs. businesses and logistics The funds, part of last How do you balance companies that pop up,” year’s American Recovery like Target’s distribution money spent on roads and Reinvestment Act, were center in Savannah. awarded to ACTION, Inc. in with public transit?

And how do you balance April, but were only released money spent on roads with by the Georgia Department public transit? “There’s a mix. You can’t sit of Human Services in November, seven months here and just compare apples to apples,” he into the 18-month window the organization says, because “the cost sometimes of these has been given to spend them.

Former Athens-Clarke County Mayor Gwen transit projects is so much… The reason O’Looney, who was hired to manage the grant we don’t have commuter rail yet is it’s so programs by ACTION, Inc., is especially excited expensive.”

But the Georgia Regional Transportation about the grant’s provision for Individual Development Accounts, which will assist Authority (which runs buses to help reduce cash-strapped participants in the local “underair pollution in the 13-county “nonattainground economy” to climb into the mainment” area around Atlanta) carries 10,000 stream. “I’m talking about the woman braiding riders a day between Atlanta and its suburbs, hair in her kitchen and the guy who collects Long says. And buses are big users of HOV grease from restaurants to use for biodiesel,” lanes, which GDOT plans to expand to HOV/ who long to establish legitimate, stable busiHOT lanes: high occupancy toll lanes, which nesses but lack the available resources to do any driver can use for a monthly fee, he says. so. The IDAs funded by the grant will match Where GDOT once aimed to provide a “conthese entrepreneurs’ savings in order to reach gestion-free car ride,” Long says, “now the their start-up goals more quickly, and ACTION better term is, let’s have a ‘reliable trip’”—a will provide business term that could include training and assistance transit or HOT lanes.

“The path back to a with licensing and other “The express buses from the suburbs to Atlanta stronger economy is going initial costs.

“The major objective are very well-received. to be people working…” is to create stable jobs In fact, there are a lot and small businesses,” of people here in our O’Looney says, and to provide aspiring busibuilding that ride the buses, and they just nesspeople with “the potential for growth rave about them.” in a job with real dignity and passion.” And But “the gas tax in Georgia, by law, can O’Looney contends that the benefits of the only be spent on roads and bridges,” he grant programs will be reflected back to the says—not on buses, for instance, or sidewalks. The state legislature could change that; community, as well: “The path back to a stronger economy is going to be people working,” “however, if you gave us the flexibility to use she says. that gas tax for all modes of transportation, it One of the challenges in making the projwould be diluted so much it wouldn’t be worth ect work will be getting the word out that anything… We don’t have enough money now the funds are available, and O’Looney thinks a to build the roads we need, much less diluting grassroots approach will work best. She hopes it further on these other alternatives.” And while every community and legislator has road to get news of the programs “into the flow of conversation” in highly trafficked community projects they’d like to see built, “in the last establishments like barber shops and beauty couple of years, there’s been a lot of basically parlors. In the meantime, those interested in telling people ‘no,’” Long says. “There’s not applying for the programs can call or drop in enough money to do all the projects.” Athensto the ACTION, Inc. center in their community. area legislators have said they expect a stateThe phone number for the Athens office is wide sales tax for transportation projects to (706)546-8293. pass this year.

And will Atlanta ever get an outer loop, or Dave Marr news@flagpole.com has public opposition killed such a road? “The

Community Group Seeks Entrepreneurs for Stimulus Program

capitol impact They’re Back in Town The General Assembly is back in session as of Jan. 11, but it’s going to be very different this year when our lawmakers gather under the Gold Dome. The change will be most evident in the Georgia House, where Glenn Richardson will no longer be picking a fight every time he picks up the speaker’s gavel. It just won’t be the same without Richardson losing his temper as he accuses Gov. Sonny Perdue of “baring his backside” or dares Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle to “stand up and be a man.”

The likely new speaker, Rep. David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge), tends to be quieter and calmer in dealing with his colleagues. He’s a conciliator, not a fighter. There is not much to fight over. The recession has forced the governor to cut state spending drastically, and lawmakers will have to whack another $400 million from the budget to keep it in balance.

Ralston has already said there won’t be any tax increases adopted this session to pay for new programs or government services, a stance the Republican majority will surely uphold. That means no new money for local schools, after a period when Perdue and the legislature have already cut state formula funding to public systems by a combined total of nearly $2 billion. That also means no money to start building all those reservoirs that will be needed to supply Atlanta and North Georgia if a federal judge’s order to cut off access to Lake Lanier by 2012 remains in effect.

After fighting for the past two sessions over a special sales tax for highway construction, the House and Senate may finally be able to agree on legislation authorizing counties in urban areas to call a joint referendum on a one-penny sales tax for road projects. If that special tax should pass, it won’t generate nearly enough revenue to pay for all the improvements that are needed in the state’s transportation systems. The money from that new tax also would not start rolling in for

two or three years—and those transportation improvements are needed now.

If there’s no money in the budget and most tax increases are a forbidden topic of discussion, how will our lawmakers occupy their time during the 40 days they are in Atlanta?

Even with the big issues off the table, they’ll always find little things to fuss over.

Sen. Judson Hill (R-Marietta) and Rep. Calvin Hill (R-Canton) have filed legislation that would declare the health care reform bill making its way through Congress to be “unconstitutional” and would prohibit the federal government from enforcing its mandates on Georgians.

I’m sure those measures will inspire some eloquent speeches on states’ rights when they come up for a floor vote, but the sponsors are in for a deep disappointment. The issue of which side prevails in this type of dispute—the federal government or the states—was decided about 150 years ago during the unpleasantness called the Civil War. There are some diehard legislators who want to eliminate any remaining restrictions on firearms in public places and make it legal to take guns anywhere, even into schools and mental institutions. Now that’s a great idea: put firearms within reach of adolescents and mental patients. I’m surprised the General Assembly didn’t pass that one years ago.

The bottom line is, you shouldn’t expect much from your legislators this year. There’s no money to spend on the problems that are really holding the state back, which means they will spend most of their time arguing about the silly stuff. In other words, it will be a typical legislative session.

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Tom Crawford tcrawford@capitolimpact.net Tom Crawford is the editor of The Georgia Report, an Internet news service at www.gareport.com that covers government and politics in Georgia.

JANUARY 6, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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athens rising

miscellany

What’s Up in New Development

Out and About Around Athens

Green Ideas: In the preliminary listing of proposed projects for SPLOST 2011, Mayor Heidi Davison’s idea for a green SPLOST seems to have gone by the wayside. How does this grab-bag of projects meet that criterion? Talk of a new jail and Classic Center expansion have dominated the conversation lately. What does a green jail look like?

I have to ask: What company will invest in this community if we aren’t actively investing in ourselves? Are other cities in Georgia leaving us in the dust by building oft-maligned “quality-of-life” projects like greenways and rail-trails? In comparison with

Look at Lumpkin Street for a local example of a step in the right direction.

For the Schools, By the Schools: How about the proposed Eastside library: can it be made more useful to the community? Sure, the building will meet the LEED standards Athens already follows, but right now the idea is to dump it in Southeast Clarke Park, where most patrons would have to drive to get to it. I’d like to see this building nestled right in front of the new Gaines Elementary, helping to create an urban, walkable streetscape.

Having four schools—the old and new Gaines Elementaries, Hilsman Middle and Cedar Shoals High—within walking distance of a public library could help reduce crime and alleviate symptoms of poverty by keeping kids off the street and produce a more educated workforce.

Trails as Transit: It might be nice to have a long greenway that extended to the more rural parts of the county, but that would serve a relative few Lumpkin Street serves as a good model for future innovations people for the distance and wouldn’t in street design. tie into the greenway’s greater benefit of connecting students to campus and our paltry three-and-a-half miles of greenway workers to jobs as an alternative to drivtrails, there are nine miles in Macon, seven in ing. We need to think about these trails as Augusta and 12 in Columbus. Richard Florida’s the transit systems they are, and any bike theory of the “creative class,” first published lane improvements should be coordinated to in 2002, isn’t without its detractors, but its feed into and fill in the gaps of the greenway influence on urban policy has been substansystem. This system should be dense, intertial. Quality-of-life amenities, which Florida connected and fibrous, not long, linear and suggests will attract creative workers, have gangly. The more people on bikes and on foot, quickly become the bare minimum for a comthe fewer cars on the road, which burdens that petitive American city. If we aren’t engaging system less. It’s cheaper to build a bike trail in the forward-thinking projects of years ago, than another lane on a major street. are we likely to get forward-thinking investment from the private sector? Maybe we could Smart Parks: In planning public parks, we court some of those coal plants proposed for ought to consider walkability, and whether other parts of Georgia instead. or not creating more driving destinations will worsen Athens’ air quality issues. Sandy Creek Put It Together: So how do we shape this set Park isn’t accessible, and tax money would be of disparate SPLOST projects into a cohesive better spent on Dudley, Bishop or new neighand sustainable whole which ultimately isn’t borhood pocket parks. People in the ‘burbs are a budget-breaker either? The good news is going to drive the same distance either way, that “green” projects often have cheaper oper- so why not plan our parks so that at least ational costs than projects without that level some people can walk to them? of design. One key will be to make projects multi-functional so that we get more bang Think Value: Most of the projects laid out so for our buck. far are worthwhile (with a few glaring excepCan a tree improvement program, safe tions) and will benefit Athens in some way routes to school, pavement improvement, or another. Although there isn’t much money stormwater improvements and bicycle to go around, the austere budget climate may improvement projects all be combined in one in fact produce more substantial and richer cohesive approach? In Seattle, they can: the projects than otherwise might be the case. award-winning Natural Drainage Systems proThe best designs often come from extreme gram uses an innovative street design which constraints, and let’s hope that will be the narrows streets, slowing traffic, while providcase here as well. ing more space for onsite stormwater management through rain gardens and bio-swales.

Kevan Williams athensrising@flagpole.com

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 6, 2010

Here Is a Stretch: Every new year arrives with a rhetoric of loss—weight loss, that is. If you have made the obligatory annual shapeshifting vows, find a workout in Athens that feels better for your body, your mind and your community spirit than a treadmill trek. Support local businesses and find communities of students at smaller, independent exercise establishments, where wellness trumps weight.

Rachel Bailey

Making Art Work: Public art is an easy one to roll into other projects. We already do a good job with the art bus stops, and bus stop improvement is on this list of proposed projects.

A sculpture garden might be a more appropriate project around the Lyndon House than the proposed formal garden, especially considering historic formal gardens are full of non-native and sometimes invasive species. And as for the proposal for signage and wayfinding improvements around town, let’s have artists make signs instead of the usual highway fare.

Losing It: January, a month which serves as a symbol of beginnings, is also a time of goodbyes. We may have trouble conjuring nostalgia for 2009, a year of financial collapse and frustrating politics, but everyone, it seems, is thinking about how to let go. This week The New York Times offered advice on how to retire and how to expire; my favorite films of the season, A Single Man and Up in the Air, deal with losing people and jobs, respectively; and with some recent national news, we must wave adieu to hopes that Obama’s first year would return the country to a secure, united footing of recovery.

Last week we said goodbye to a year, a decade (for some young folks, the only memorable one) and a local legend. For the many who knew and loved Vic Chesnutt, 2010 has begun on a very low note. Local education is losing a great leader with John Osborne’s resignation as principal of North Oconee High School. And Flagpole is losing two talented folks (and I, two wonderful friends), with city reporter and “Everyday People” writer Jeff Gore off to South America and photographer Rachel Bailey headed to Atlanta.

lovely room, a very lovely instructor (Sarah Schmitt was mine) and vigorous isolated movements will have you looking up. Have a private lesson on classic and revamped Pilates machines, which enhance the basic floor routine with increased resistance and a (pleasantly) medieval aesthetic. If floors and gadgets do not get you going, get on the ball, literally, with “Balance on a Ball” classes.

For more variations on Pilates, drop

by Balance Pilates and Wellness Studio.

Amanda Martin’s students rave about her healing powers; she ran a successful Brooklyn studio before moving to Athens, where she teaches classes for every level and offers classes focused on osteo, postpartum and prenatal concerns. January is the perfect time to get on Balance, as the studio will offer a four week “Healthy Habit” program with weekly nutrition classes, group walks and Pilates classes.

Weighed Down?: Active Climbing is a huge and hugely impressive space, and owner Adrian Prelipceanu hopes it will become even more navigable in coming months with improved routes and upstairs amendments.

As a coach, Prelipceanu could not be more helpful, eager or inspiring. Begin with a harness or boulder on increasingly difficult walls. Soon, you may be climbing on the ceiling. Bring kids (or drop them off!) for “Family Night,” bare your inner Amazon at “Ladies Night,” or see some pros at work at “Climbers Night.”

n

Latin 101?: Channel Shakira in Zumba at the Botanical Gardens; a certified instructor will offer weekly classes through February.

Zumba, a hot workout trend, brings together aerobics, dance and sexy Latin tunes.

Seeking Balance?: More arm strength and a bit more strength of will set you flying, spinning, flipping and hula hooping in a beginAdrian Prelipceanu helps a student at Active Climbing. Yoga Is Everywhere: ner’s workshop at Before dropping by a Canopy Studio. Get a class, consider your fitness level, your finanleg up from teacher demonstrations, an ornate cial commitments and whether exercise is meswing set-up and more practiced classmates. time or a communal activity. Power vinyasa Go with a friend, or trust a stranger to spot at Athens Power Yoga is a heated, aerobic, you; opt for thicker pants to avoid back-ofno-nonsense practice. Both Vastu Yoga and the-knee bruises; and arrive early to watch Rubber Soul are donation-based and volunimpressive teen rehearsals. teer-taught, allowing teachers to instruct in their favorite styles (Vastu offers “Yoga XL for Modern Sensibility?: In liberating and playthe Larger Body,” and in Rubber Soul’s “Punk ful (if challenging) adult dance classes at Floorspace, find women, music and moves you R**k Yoga,” Cal Clements [yes, he’s back!] might ask you for your rock star name and let would like to know better. A modern dance class begins with a floor warm-up; by the end, you jump around between poses). These are just a few places that I visited personally. For you will be leaping and turning across the more information on these and other classes, miniature studio. Whether you are rediscovercheck out our Bulletin Board pages or look ing a childhood hobby or trying dance for the at our online Calendar. first time, you will feel completely comfortable with Laura Glenn, a warm, enthusiastic, Happening Next Week: Catch nationally approachable teacher. Movement classes for acclaimed poet Terrance Hayes at Ciné (1/14) children ask kids to get creative with their and “Hogaku: New Sounds of Japan 2010,” bodies and minds. a musical showcase of traditional Japanese instruments: UGA Ramsey Concert Hall (1/15).

Tummy Troubles?: Pilates is all about the core, and it is the best workout you can get lying Elaine Ely misc@flagpole.com down… well, maybe. At Studio in Athens, a

grub notes

at the same time!

Tiger Beat

fuzzy hats, gloves and scarves

Resolutions: No doubt many of you have resolved, after a New Year’s Eve spent boozing and a holiday season devoted to cheese and meat products, to consume more raw vegetables in 2010, in which case it’s quite possible you might find yourself eyeing Saladworks (265 E. Clayton St.). There’s certainly plenty you can order that’s reasonably healthy, although a.) many of the salads do or can contain meat, and b.) you will pay for the privilege. It’s not that you don’t get a decent amount for your dollar. The portion sizes are huge. Even the big dude who joined me for lunch seemed barely able to finish his Nuevo Niçoise (romaine, iceberg, radiattore, tuna, tomatoes, hard-boiled egg whites, olives and green beans), which was pretty good and pretty nutritious.

Possibly the best option on the menu in terms of tastiness and nutrients for your buck is the White Fields, which combines spring mix, tofu, white beans, mushrooms, avocado, roasted corn and sunflower seeds. Still, $7-plus for a salad, especially one that doesn’t promise organic or local ingredients, stings a bit. Saladworks also offers soups (not bad but also pricey), sandwiches called Focaccia Fusions ($8) and big cookies, and encourages the impulse buy of bottled drinks on your way to the counter. The interior is clean, modern and sleek, but the whole place seems like it might be better suited to midtown Atlanta. The restaurant offers online ordering and delivery and is open for lunch and dinner every day. It takes credit cards but not AmEx. Responses: After all the impassioned comments in favor of the BBQ at White Tiger Gourmet (217 Hiawassee Ave.), I figured I should really go back and check it out, especially as I now live around the corner. Well, fine. It’s pretty tasty. Ken Manring has changed his recipe significantly since he operated a BBQ cart downtown, and the results are much more impressive. The BarB-Rella, a sandwich of smoked pork topped with mozzarella, is a little bizarre, the pork really needs to be pulled more and the texture is uneven, but the flavor is really good, without too much smoke, and the vinegar sauce soaks the Luna ciabatta roll beautifully. Is it better than Butt Hutt? It’s different. More visits will be required, and it’s going to be difficult not to order the hamburger on those visits instead of sticking to my ostensible purpose, for that was the real find. I’m not sure I’ve had a better burger in Athens. It’s not too thick, it’s not complicated at all, and it’s totally worth an extra trip to have plenty of cash in your pocket for. Griddled to give the meat a gorgeous beefy, crackly crust, it’s cooked medium and rightly so, simply dressed and just the right size to let you get everything in …a sandwich of a mouthful. Sure, I love the smoked pork topped burger at The National, but this is different, more American, with mozzarella… and you wouldn’t dream of taking a knife and fork to it.

White Tiger continues to keep weird hours (Tuesday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., plus “Night Tiger” on Fridays from 6 to 8 p.m.) and only take cash, plus the prices are, much like the above restaurant, a bit steeper than one generally wants to pay, but in this case (small business, commitment to local produce, better product), the extra bucks aren’t as hard to lay out.

What Up?: Yoguri, the brand-new Korean frozen yogurt shop where Cookies & Co. was, at the corner of Clayton and College downtown, is open in the upstairs, serving four flavors (plain, pomegranate, mango and dark chocolate) of the nutritious, smooth, delicious treat. The owners are still debating on what to do with the downstairs space. Due to open on Broad Street (on the block that abuts Thomas Street) is another Asian dessert operation, SunO Dessert, which deals in a shaved ice concoction topped with fruit, fruit syrup, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and more, such as cornflakes. SunO has a location in Duluth and one in Norcross, if you want to sample the stuff ahead of time. Red Rooster, on Broad, closed some time ago, to little notice. Yo Spicy Mexican Restaurant on Baxter Street has also shuttered. And the vacant space in the Homewood Hills Shopping Center, on the Westside, that was most recently DePalma’s, looks like it may be occupied by a restaurant called Toshiro, despite a lot of rumors about a third location of Five Star Day Café.

Hillary Brown food@flagpole.com

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movie dope Some releases may not be showing locally this week.

2012 (PG-13) German disaster taskmaster Roland Emmerich (Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow) destroys the entire world in his newest lowest-commondenominator blockbuster. 2012 uses the conspiracy-theorist wet-dream of the Mayan calendar’s predicted Earth expiration date—Dec. 21, 2012—as the springboard for the biggest disaster picture ever. This audacious, awful flick makes Emmerich’s last cinematic sermon, The Day After Tomorrow, look downright documentarian and artful.

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUEL (PG) More Alvin, Simon and Theodore as the Chipmunks go back to school and face off against the lovely Chipettes—Brittany, Eleanor and Jeannette. The famous voices of Justin Long, Jesse McCartney, Anna Faris, Christina Applegate and Amy Poehler are sped up until they are indistinguishable, which is more than you can say for Jason Lee, Zachary Levi (“Chuck”) and David Cross.

Director Betty Thomas has seen better days (The Brady Bunch Movie and Private Parts).

ANTICHRIST (R) Love him or hate him, filmmaker Lars von Trier (Breaking the Waves, Dogville) likes to make a splash. His latest, a psychological horror torture porn drama, split Cannes but has failed to generate much buzz in the real world. A couple (Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg), grieving the loss of a child, head to a cabin in the woods to save their marriage. But what was bad soon becomes worse.

I’m always excited about new output from von Trier, so you can imagine how intrigued I am by his version of a horror flick.

AVATAR (PG-13) See Movie Pick.

THE BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS (R) Acclaimed director Werner Herzog’s latest foray into mainstream movie-making stars Nicolas Cage as a corrupt detective in post-Katrina New Orleans investigating

the murders of five immigrants from Senegal. Herzog claims to have not seen the original version starring Harvey Keitel. [Cotter] BLACK DYNAMITE (R) Another homage to blaxploitation, Black Dynamite stars co-writer Michael Jai White (Spawn) as the titular hero who must avenge his brother’s murder and right neighborhood wrongs all the way to the White House (James McManus plays Richard Nixon himself). I kind of hope this movie actually makes it to Athens.

Winner of the Seattle International Film Festival’s Golden Space Needle Award for Best Film. With Arsenio Hall and “In Living Color”’s Tommy Davidson.

THE BLIND SIDE (PG-13) A rich white couple, Leigh Anne and Sean Touhy (Sandra Bullock and likable, easygoing Tim McGraw), take in Big Mike, an African-American giant given up on by most of Memphis. They turn his life around; he eventually earns a scholarship to Ole Miss. He doesn’t really do anything to change their lives, although the movie insists that he does.

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS (PG) When inventor Flint Lockwood (v. Bill Hader) devises a machine that delivers food, on order, from the heavens, the town of Chewandswallow rejoices. Kids will too, as Judi and Ron Barrett’s 1978 children’s classic comes to life on the screen. Parents, especially those who had to sit through July’s G-Force, won’t be disappointed either. The animation resembles every other high profile CG feature, but the 3D is top-notch.

COUPLES RETREAT (PG-13) Writers Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau and Dana Fox also star in this lazily glued-together sitcom collage of misunderstandings about sex, massages, et cetera and platitudes about the hard work it takes to maintain the two-way street of a relationship.

CRAZY HEART (R) Jeff Bridges is being positioned for his fifth Academy

Award nomination for his portrayal of hard-living country music singer Bad Blake. After a string of bad marriages, alcoholic Bad gets one last shot, thanks to a younger woman, journalist Jean Craddock (Maggie Gyllenhaal). He also begins to mentor up-and-coming country music sensation, Tommy Sweet (Colin Farrell). Robert Duvall also stars in filmmaker Scott Cooper’s directorial debut, adapted from the novel by Thomas Cobb.

CRAZY ON THE OUTSIDE (PG-13) Tim Allen’s directorial debut sounds like a comic remake of 2008’s wrenching I’ve Loved You So Long. Allen stars as Tommy, a recent parolee who moves in with his sister (Sigourney Weaver)

Cow-tipping extravaganza! and her family. How does the fam explain Tommy’s absence to grandma?

They tell her that he’s been in France, naturally. The rest of the cast—Julie Bowen (“Modern Family”), Ray Liotta, J.K. Simmons, Jeanne Tripplehorn (“Big Love”), Kelsey Grammer and Jon Gries (Napoleon Dynamite’s Uncle Rico)—is funny, if a bit TV heavy.

DARE (R) Three high school seniors—aspiring actress and good girl Alexa Walker (Emmy Rossum, The Phantom of the Opera), her best friend Ben Berger (Ashley Springer, Teeth) and bad boy Johnny Drake

M OVIE L ISTI NG S

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Garbage Dreams (NR) 7:00 (Th. 1/7)

BEECHWOOD (706-546-1011)

Beechwood movie times are only accurate through Jan. 13.

Visit www.flagpole.com for updated times.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (PG) 12:50, 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, 9:30 Avatar (PG-13) 3:00, 9:20 Avatar 3D (PG-13) 1:00, 4:30, 8:00 Blind Side (PG-13) 1:10, 4:10, 7:00, 9:45 Did You Hear About the Morgans? (PG-13) 1:50, 4:20, 7:10, 9:50 Invictus (PG-13) 6:30 It’s Complicated (R) 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 9:50 Nine (PG-13) 1:20, 4:20, 7:25, 10:00 The Princess and the Frog (G) 2:45, 5:00, 7:15, 9:35 Sherlock Holmes (PG-13) 1:00, 3:15, 4:00, 6:15, 7:00, 9:10, 9:55 Up in the Air (R) 1:45, 4:45, 7:30, 10:00

CARMIKE 12 (706-354-0016)

Carmike 12 movie times are only accurate through Jan. 13.

Visit www.flagpole.com for updated times.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (PG) 12:30, 2:40, 4:50, 7:00, 9:10 Avatar 3D (PG-13) 12:00, 1:00, 3:30, 4:30, 7:00, 8:00 Avatar (PG-13) 12:00, 3:30, 7:00 The Blind Side (PG-13) 1:25, 4:20, 7:10, 10:00 Did You Hear About the Morgans (PG-13) 1:45, 4:35, 7:10, 9:45

8

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 6, 2010

(Zach Gilford of “Friday Night Lights”)—become embroiled in an intimate, complicated relationship.

The trailer looks kind of CW-y. With Ana Gasteyer, Rooney Mara, Sandra Bernhard and Alan Cumming. Directed

by Adam Salky. Nominated for the coveted Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

DAYBREAKERS (R) The trailer for this techno-horror film intrigues. In the future, mankind is on the verge of extinction; vampires rule the day… er, night. Facing a dwindling supply of blood, vampires seek a solution.

Meanwhile, a rogue researcher (Ethan Hawke) assists a covert band of vamps seeking to save humanity. Daybreakers

Invictus (PG-13) 4:15, 10:00 It’s Complicated (R) 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:50 The Princess and the Frog (G) 12:35, 2:50, 5:05, 7:20, 9:35 Sherlock Holmes (PG-13) 1:00, 1:30, 4:00, 7:00, 7:20, 10:00 The Twilight Saga: New Moon (PG-13) 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:50 Up in the Air (R) 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 9:50

CINÉ (706-353-3343)

The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (R) 7:00, 9:30 (no 9:30 show Su. 1/10) (starts F. 1/8) Fantastic Mr. Fox (PG) 5:00 (starts F. 1/8) (add’l times Sa. 1/9–Su. 1/10: 3:00) Red Cliff (R) 4:30 (ends Th. 1/7) The Road (R) 7:30, 9:45 (no 9:45 show Su. 1/10) A Serious Man (R) 5:15 (ends Th. 1/7) The Hurt Locker (R) 7:00, 9:30 (new times F. 1/8: 4:45)

GEORGIA SQUARE 5 (706-548-3426)

Georgia Square Five movie times are only accurate through Jan. 13. Visit www.flagpole.com for updated times.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (PG) 5:10, 7:45, 9:55 Couples Retreat (PG-13) 7:30 Fantastic Mr. Fox (PG) 12:45, 7:50, 10:05 Law Abiding Citizen (R) 4:35, 7:35, 10:10 Paranormal Activity (R) 5:15, 10:15 Where the Wild Things Are (PG) 5:20, 7:40, 10:00

is the second film from the German Spierig Brothers, whose Undead caused quite the genre stir way back in 2003. With Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill.

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS? (PG-13) Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker play the Morgans, an unhappily married city couple relocated to the wilds of Wyoming after witnessing a murder. One can imagine they will rekindle their love affair once they have left behind the hustle and bustle of city living. Writer-director Marc Lawrence also helmed the Sandra Bullock vehicles, Miss Congeniality and Two Weeks Notice (which also starred Grant). With Sam Elliot and Mary Steenburgen as the local lawman and his gun-toting wife.

AN EDUCATION (PG-13) Teenaged Jenny (Carey Mulligan) comes of age in the 1960s suburban London upon the arrival of David (Peter Sarsgaard), a playboy nearly twice her age. Mulligan is winning raves and positioning herself on the shortlist of potential Oscar dark horses. Director Lone Scherfig also helmed Italian for Beginners and bestselling novelist Nick Hornby (High Fidelity and About a Boy) adapted the memoir by Lynn Barber. Winner of the Dramatic World Cinema Audience Award, Cinematography Award, as well as a Grand Jury Prize nomination from the Sundance Film Festival.

FANTASTIC MR. FOX (PG) A lock for a Best Animated Feature nomination come February, the first family film by Wes Anderson is also the most genuinely appealing and possibly most human feature the Oscar-nominated auteur has ever dreamed up (with the help of Mr. Roald Dahl, of course).

Mr. Fox (v. George Clooney) used to raid henhouses until his wife, Mrs. Fox (v. Meryl Streep), asked him to find a safer line of work immediately after announcing that she is preggers.

Cut to two years later. Mr. Fox works for a local newspaper he refers to as a rag and is not happy. His son, Ash (v.

Jason Schwartzman) is “different.” Mr. Fox feels poor living underground, so he buys a house in a tree that happens to be located in a bad neighborhood for foxes, according to his financial advisor, Badger (v. Bill Murray).

Like a hirsute Danny Ocean, Mr. Fox schemes one grand, final heist, and soon his overzealous plotting has angered three mean local farmers and uprooted the entire adjacent animal kingdom. Anderson has crafted—quite literally as the animation is primarily accomplished via stop motion—a glorious storybook world. Most of his previous films have all given off a sort of adult fairy-tale vibe, as if his stories all originated in some giant book of Fables for Ironic, Quirky Grown-Ups. In style, tone, music, voice and verbiage, Fantastic Mr. Fox broadcasts on the same frequency as Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums. If one did not like Anderson’s quirky, seriocomic liveaction films, one has just cause to dislike his animated one. However, Fox’s animated world is much more modly fun than the sad real one inhabited by the children of Royal Tenenbaum or Max Fischer. A lot of commotion will be made over hipster directors like Anderson and Where the Wild Things Are’s Spike Jonze making family films.

I adored both filmmakers’ attempts to provide a family-film product that lacked the homogeneity often referred to as Disneyfication. Both films retain the distinctive eccentricities of their creators, literary and cinematic.

GARBAGE DREAMS (NR) 2008.

Mai Iskander documents the lives of three teenage Zaballeen boys growing up as Egyptian “garbage people.”

But globalization affects everyone, including professional trash traders.

Winner of awards from the Bermuda International Film Festival, International Documentary Association, Lone Star Film & Television Awards, and a nation-hopping tour of film fests from Nashville to Ojai to Phoenix to Rhode Island to Vail to Woodstock. Part of the ACC Library’s iFilms series.

GENTLEMEN BRONCOS (PG13) Science-fiction author Ronald Chevalier (the excellent, Emmynominated Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords, the band and the TV program) battles plagiarism charges leveled by a teenage writer, Benjamin Purvis (The Forbidden Kingdom’s Michael Angarano), homeschooled by his eccentric mother (Jennifer Coolidge). Napoleon Dynamite director Jared Hess tries to recover from his poorly received sophomore effort, Nacho Libre. Cowritten

by Hess’ wife, Jerusha. With Sam Rockwell and producer Mike White.

THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS (PG-13) Inconsistent but always imaginative visionary Terry Gilliam (Brazil, 12 Monkeys) was dealt a blow when Doctor Parnassus star Heath Ledger died early last year. Scrambling to fill Ledger’s shoes, Gilliam cast several different actors—Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell—as transformations of Tony.

The film’s overlooked plot involves Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) attempting to save his 16-year-old daughter (Lily Cole) from the deal he made with the devil, Mr. Nick (Tom

Waits), years earlier. I have no idea what to expect from this film.

INVICTUS (PG-13) Recently freed, newly elected South African President Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) attempts to unite his divided country through the sport of rugby. Along the way, he enlists national team captain Francois Pienaar (a beefed-up Matt Damon) in his quest to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup. In the trailers for Freeman’s third teaming with director Clint Eastwood (the almost-an-octagenarian’s fifth film in five years), I am having trouble seeing Mandela and not the Oscar winning actor.

IT’S COMPLICATED (R) Writerdirector Nancy Meyers (Something’s Gotta Give) returns from The Holiday for another age-appropriate romantic comedy. Divorced Jane (Meryl Streep) embarks on an affair with her ex-husband, Jake (Alec Baldwin), currently married to the younger woman for whom he left Jane. The titular complications arrive in Adam (Steve Martin), an appealing architect Jane is also wooing. The R rating signifies a decided maturity in Meyers’ latest.

With Rita Wilson, John Krasinski (“The Office”), Hunter Parrish (“Weeds”) and Lake Bell. l LEAP YEAR (PG) Amy Adams jumpstarts 2010 as Anna, who has worked tirelessly for four years to get engaged to her boyfriend, Jeremy (Adam Scott). When he jets off to Dublin for business, Anna decides to join him and avail herself of an Irish Leap Day tradition, wherein women are encouraged to propose on Feb. 29. A teeny hiccup in her travel plans strands her in Wales, where innkeeper Declan (Matthew Goode) offers her a ride and maybe so much more.

THE LOVELY BONES (PG-13) Oscarwinning visionary Peter Jackson’s long-awaited adaptation of Alice Sebold’s bestseller finally comes to the screen. While the sumptuous trailer is jaw-dropping, advance word cannot quite make up its mind. Young Susie Salmon (Atonement Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan,) watches as her family (Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon and Rose McIver) falls apart in the aftermath of her unsolved murder. With Michael Imperioli (“The Sopranos”) and Stanley Tucci as Susie’s neighborly killer.

ME AND ORSON WELLES (PG13) Director Richard Linklater’s latest stars Zac Efron and Claire Danes as two actors cast opposite one another in Orson Welles’ 1937 staging of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Efron plays aspiring actor Richard Samuels who falls for his older costar, Sonja Jones (Danes). The Oscar-nominated Linklater (Slacker, Dazed and Confused, School of Rock) loves to keep audiences guessing, but will anyone outside of his true fanatics want to see his first period piece since the 1998 Western, The Newton Boys?

THE MESSENGER (R) Films about the Iraq War still have not proved popular with audiences, but I’m Not There screenwriter Oren Moverman is testing the waters with his directorial debut. A soldier (the buzzy Ben Foster) struggles with his conscience after falling for the widow of a fallen officer.

Woody Harrelson has been getting some positive pub. Winner of the Silver Berlin Bear and the Peace Film Award from the Berlin International Film Festival and two Best Film prizes from the Deauville Film Festival.

NINE (PG-13) Adapted from the Tony award winner based on Fellini’s brilliant 8 1/2, Nine stars a singing, dancing Daniel Day-Lewis as Guido Contini, a critically acclaimed Italian director surrounded by beautiful women—his wife (Marion Cotillard), his mistress (Penelope Cruz), his muse (Nicole Kidman) and an American journalist (Kate Hudson) as well as the memories

of his mother (Sophia Loren) and a whore (Fergie)—and stuck in a major creative rut. The big numbers by the ladies, especially Fergie, Cruz and Cotillard, are sexy Broadway showstoppers; the rest of the film, directed

by Rob Marshall, is pedestrian and tedious. I’d have much rather spent the afternoon rewatching Fellini’s masterpiece.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (R) Micah and Katie (Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston) think their new house is haunted. Micah buys a fancy new camera to record the unusual things that go bump in the night. After a tedious 10 minutes or so, the movie reels you in like a marathon of “Ghost Hunters.”

With the help of a psychic, Micah and Katie discover the entity is not a ghost but a demon, and it is not the house that is being haunted. It is Katie.

Paranormal Activity updates Robert Wise’s The Haunting with a modern technological savvy, and the film’s simplicity—two people, a camera and a haunted house—is never its flaw.

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG (G) An updated retelling of The Frog Prince, The Princess and the Frog boasts Disney’s newest addition to their Princess brand, the first AfricanAmerican Princess, Tiana. After years of pale Pixar imitations, animation needed a hand-drawn refresher, and who better to provide it than the studio that started the genre 72 years ago?

THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE (R) Fifty-year-old Pippa Lee (Robin Wright) begins to quietly have a nervous breakdown after her much older husband (Academy Award winner Alan Arkin) moves them from New York City to a retirement home and has an affair with a younger woman.

Filmmaker Rebecca Miller (The Ballad of Jack and Rose) adapts her own book for her fourth feature. With Mike Binder, Winona Ryder, Maria Bello, Keanu Reeves, Blake Lively, Robin Weigert (“Deadwood”’s Calamity Jane), Julianne Moore and Monica Belluci.

RED CLIFF (R) During the Han Dynasty, two rival warlords, Sun Quan and Liu Bei, pool their resources to combat power-mad Prime Minister Cao Cao, who seeks to take over both men’s kingdoms. Director John Woo’s return is a triumph. The most expensive Asian production of all-time is also the number one domestically made film in China. Woo himself edited the twopart epic into two and a half hours for America’s short attention spans. Winner of five Hong Kong Film Awards.

THE ROAD (R) As universally acclaimed as Cormac McCarthy’s postapocalyptic novel is (even Oprah loved it!), a certain amount of critical disappointment in its cinematic adaptation is to be expected. Director John Hillcoat’s film looks and sounds authentic in its oppressive grey skies and cracking, dying world. What is lacking is the intense emotional resonance of McCarthy’s sparse prose. As the man (Viggo Mortensen) and his boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) encounter cannibals, desperation and pure evil, they cling to one another as they seek the coast and hope. Joe Penhall’s adaptation is credible, adding a bit more clarity to the causes (some sort of nuclear disaster) without subtracting any of McCarthy’s desperation. Still, the man’s optimism, so long as his son lives, that the future must be better remains as amazing on the screen as on the page.

Mortensen and young Smit-McPhee confidently carry the film on their evermore emaciated shoulders. Hillcoat and Penhall should have jettisoned the boy’s constant cry of “Papa.” He sounds like a Russian waif rather than a vaguely modern American child. No, The Road is not as great a film as it is a book, but the screen companion does not embarrass its older, more accomplished sibling.

THE ROOM (R) The Room, from baffling “auteur” Tommy Wiseau, hits the trifecta; it’s a crappy cult classic.

Opening with a discount font and a tinkly piano score that could be at home in a period piece set in 15th-century Spain, The Room promises Skinemaxlevel titillation. It does not quite deliver.

Johnny (writer-producer-director-starcharlatan Wiseau) is engaged to Lisa (Juliette Danielle), who embarks on an affair with Johnny’s “best friend,” Mark (Greg Sestero), for no apparent reason, which may be why she constantly reminds him (and us) that she loves him. The Room might be the “Mona Lisa” of bad movies; its greatness lies in its mysterious smile, which a laughing Wiseau trots out at the oddest moments. Sold on the nullifying claims that it “is an electrifying black comedy” with “the passion of Tennessee Williams,” The Room has no identity.

The chronic humor is unintended and often a result of the “passionate” dramatics. The film is less well-shot and well-lit than the super-soft-core pornography it pretends not to be. Wiseau treats (and by treat, I mean tortures) us to several sex scenes (or just one, as the footage appears to be recycled) that spotlight the do-it-all filmmaker’s rancid bodybuilder physique. Yet it is Wiseau himself who makes this horrible movie so damn entertaining. The legend of his quixotic performance will only grow. The inexplicable laughter, the Mickey Rourke-ish monstrousness, the weird teen petulance combine into a compellingly watchable performance.

When Wiseau is not in The Room, which happens more often than one would think (or want), he is missed.

Fortunately, his enterprising spirit is a constant through his horrendous writing and incompetent direction.

A SERIOUS MAN (R) The Coen brothers’ latest black comedy is as autobiographical and Jewish as the fraternal duo, raised by college professors in Minnesota, have ever gotten.

College physics professor Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) tries to be a serious man. He winds up being more of an intimidated, infuriated man.

His wife, Judith (Sari Lennick), wants a divorce. Actually, she wants a “get,” a ritual divorce that will allow her and her new boyfriend, touchy-feely widower Sy Ableman (Fred Melamed), to remarry in the faith. Facing tenure at what appears to be a local community college, Larry has his morals compromised by a Korean student, Clive Park (David Kang), looking for a better grade. Larry’s gun-toting neighbor, Mr. Brandt (Peter Breitmayer) keeps encroaching on the property line. His son, on the verge of his bar mitzvah, and teenage daughter constantly fight and pester their dad for money. Larry’s brother, Arthur (Richard Kind), rarely comes out of the bathroom and when he does, he winds up in the hands of the law. What is a serious man to do? A Serious Man perfectly blends what the Coens’ love and do best, bleak humor and existential dilemma. Their unfamiliar cast helps tremendously. Gone is the showy, silly mugging of Burn After Reading’s superstars. The hilariously sad life of Larry Gopnick unfolds with a realism, slyly cut with trademark Coen surreality, easier to believe than anything they have produced since Fargo.

Joel and Ethan Coen elicit the proper performance in each and every scene.

As beautifully shot as any of their previous collaborations with eight-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins, A Serious Man starts with what might be their best, most literary script.

SHERLOCK HOLMES (PG-13) The world’s greatest detective has not been on the case for a while. Thankfully, his latest investigation entertains like great, disposable blockbuster cinema should.

Holmes (the never disappointing

Robert Downey Jr.) and Dr. Watson (a game Jude Law) must stop evil Lord Blackwood (an underutilized Mark Strong) from taking over the world through some sinister, supernatural means. A criminal love interest (Rachel McAdams) exists for the great private dick, but the real affection is the bromantic bond between Holmes and Watson. Sparks fly between Downey and Law; they make a great couple.

This new Holmes—misanthropic, depressed and singularly brilliant— owes a lot to House; it is not hard imagining Hugh Laurie stepping into Holmes’ familiar deerstalker and tweed.

Watching a Guy Ritchie movie (he of the laddish gangster Brit-flicks Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch) is like sitting for someone else’s amusing, exhausting three-toseven-year-old. You’re pleasantly worn out from all the running and jumping, yet you’re ready for some peace and quiet when the kid goes home.

A SINGLE MAN (PG-13) Strong word of mouth precedes Tom Ford’s drama of an English professor, George (Colin Firth), who tries to go about his normal life after the death of his partner. The cast includes Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, Ginnifer Goodwin and Nicholas Hoult (About a Boy). Filmmaker Ford fascinates; as a fashion designer, he turned around Gucci. By next year, he could potentially be a multiple award winning writer-director.

THAT EVENING SUN (PG-13) An aging farmer (Hal Holbrook) escapes the nursing home only to find another family living in his old homestead.

Holbrook may be from Ohio, but much of the cast—Ray McKinnon, Walton Goggins, Carrie Preston and Holbrook’s wife, Dixie Carter—are true Southerners. I’ve only read one novel, Twilight, by author William Gay, upon whose short story this film is based; it was a doozy. Winner of the Jury Award for Best Narrative at the Atlanta Film Festival as well as prizes across the Southeast (Birmingham, Memphis, Nashville, Sarasota) and at SXSW. THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON (PG-13) All Twilight hating aside, the second cinematic installment of the four-part series bests the first film, even with less of Robert Pattinson’s Edward—a loss tempered by the promotion of the mostly shirtless Taylor Lautner. Twilight true believers will have no trouble loving the follow-up as much, if not more than, its predecessor. Those not inducted into the ever-expanding cult will wonder what all the fuss is about.

UP IN THE AIR (R) See Movie Pick.

THE YOUNG VICTORIA (PG) Emily Blunt, who wowed in The Devil Wears Prada, stars as youthful monarch, Queen Victoria, in the turbulent early years of her reign. Rupert Friend stars as her enduring love, Prince Albert.

Blunt has already been nominated for a British Independent Film Award for Best Actress, and the overly British cast of familiar faces (Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent and Mark Strong) is particularly well-built. JeanMarc Vallée directs a screenplay from Oscar winner Julian Fellowes (Gosford Park).

YOUTH IN REVOLT (R) Teenage trailer park resident Nick Twisp (current indie icon Michael Cera) really wants to lose his virginity to his dream girl, Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday).

As one of his multiple plans, Nick invents a bad-boy persona, Francois Dillinger, with a sweet ‘stache. In the past, director Miguel Arteta has teamed with Mike White (Chuck & Buck and The Good Girl)—although he was not with this project. With Steve Buscemi, Jean Smart, Zach Galifianakis, Fred Willard, Ari Graynor, Ray Liotta, Justin Long and the great M. Emmet Walsh.

LIVE with PRIZES!

PRIZES!

Drew Wheeler

JANUARY 6, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

9

movie pick Loving the Alien AVATAR (PG-13) Better films have been released this year (this decade even), but no better movie experience will be had than with Avatar, especially for the lucky ones who see it on the biggest screen in the most dimensions. All the technological advances made during this decade were leading to this movie, this moment. Avatar may tell a familiar story, but its fantastical creatures and seamless integration of CGI and 3D look unlike any film you have ever seen.

On a remote planet, a paraplegic marine, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), is promised the use of his legs if he helps the Corporation relocate a race of blue warriors, the Na’vi, whose home is located atop the planet’s richest supply of unobtanium.

Jake takes control of a Na’vi/ human hybrid, infiltrating the aliens to learn their ways, but falls in love with them, particularly the chief’s daughter, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), instead. Now Sully must lead the Na’vi against the space marines led

by General Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), a scarred hulk of a military man. With the general, James Cameron and actor Lang have created the richest bad guy in some time.

Cameron is thought of as a filmmaker more obsessed with technology than story and character. Often overlooked is what a

sentimental a filmmaker he is and has always been. Look beyond Titanic. Aliens was ostensibly about a neglectful mother making up for lost time with a surrogate child. Terminator 2: Judgment Day concerned the reconciliation of an estranged mother and son, who was also looking for a father figure in a muscle-bound

cyborg sent from the future by his future self.

The Abyss and True Lies dealt with the difficulties of marriage. At heart, Avatar is about the spiritual bond between all the creations of Eowa, Pandora’s deity, as well as the John Smith/ Pocahontas love affair of Sully and Neytiri. Apparently, Cameron used his decadeplus absence well, putting his thumbprint on the 2000s at the last possible moment.

Drew Wheeler

movie pick Catch This Flight Books? Clothes? Dinner? Music? Jewelry? Shoes?

You really CAN have it all.

10

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 6, 2010

UP IN THE AIR (R) Up in the Air, the latest charming comic drama from Jason Reitman (Juno), begins with the delightfully choreographed dance of the frequent flier: tiny luggage is packed with maximum efficiency; rolling luggage handles are clicked into place; tickets are picked up from a kiosk; security is breezed through with brief delay; planes are boarded. The steps are repeated at the destination.

Graceful frequent flier Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) does this dance a lot. His permanent address is whatever airport, airplane or hotel room he is currently occupying. He hops from destination to destination, firing employees for their cowardly employers, and he executes his job George Clooney as nimbly as he flies.

But then, Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick), a young Cornell grad, revolutionizes firing with technology.

Why ship a couple of dozen people across the country to accomplish a task they could do via teleconference? It will save the company millions, which excites Ryan’s poorly bearded boss, Craig Gregory (Jason Bateman), and will permanently ground Ryan in Omaha. He’s less thrilled than Craig.

However, Ryan has recently met Alex (Vera Farmiga), a potential love—dare I say

a soulmate—in a hotel bar. They share their “travelers’ scars” and fall promptly into bed.

After a weekend spent at his little sister’s wedding, the confirmed bachelor begins to rethink what he’s packed in his backpack, a visual metaphor he uses at speaking engagements.

With its topicality, Up in the Air is definitely the movie of right now. Its tastefully shot exit interviews might hit too close to home for some recently downsized viewers; and pulling for the guy paid six figures to professionally sack people might be too much to swallow. Yet Reitman and his co-scripter Sheldon Turner rarely dwell on the ramifications of Ryan’s dirty job. Most of the people he fires may not be fiscally better off, but they have families— spouses, children, a home—to go home to.

Lest you infer this film is a winter downer, Up in the Air is as smartly funny a film as I have seen this year. Reitman writes and directs with equal intelligence. The addition of Clooney giving his most natural, lived-in performance to date is an invaluable boon. Up in the Air is one of those rarest of cinematic breeds; flawless is not a term I use frivolously.

Drew Wheeler

Andrew Dies

threats & promises Music News And Gossip First of all, I want to sincerely wish all of you a happy 2010. Heaven knows we need it.

The chilly first weeks of each year often feel like a holdover of the end-of-year slowdown from the previous month but, as is nearly always the case, there’s plenty of stuff to lure you out of your house. Get tempted below…

Inexpensive in Any Case: Eureka California is streaming its entire new album, Eureka California Is Dead, online, and according to member Jake Ward the album is also for sale for, “…like three or four bucks, maybe even five. I haven’t figured all of that out yet…”

So, there ya go. Ward reports the album, which is as big sounding as it is packed with

n

Eureka California well-crafted guitar pop, was completed for a total cost of around $18. Don’t be fooled by the album’s title; Eureka California is very much a band alive. Keep your eyes peeled for live dates as last week’s show at Flicker occurred during our time off here at Flagpole.

Start streaming over at www.myspace.com/ eurekacalifornia.

Two Doors Down: Kenosha Kid is taking up residency at the Flicker Theatre & Bar, as opposed to Farm 255, this month for myriad reasonable, no-fault reasons. So, remember the location when looking for your jazz fix.

The band will play the next three Mondays (Jan. 11, 18 and 25) from 9 p.m. to midnight.

Not for Long: The mysterious and intermittent Athens label Furlined Records has made its latest compilation available as a free download for a limited time. So limited, in fact, that I have no idea when this opportunity will end. But, it seems, neither does the label. So, for about “a month or so” you can head over to www.cargocollective.com/furlinedrecords and grab it. The 11-track album features tracks from Untied States, The Launch Codes, Mandy Jane & the Jaws of Life, Jumping Through Fiery Hoops, Timber and more.

And Since We Mentioned Them Already…: How would you like to know that you helped local band Timber release its new album? Well, pard’ner, such an opportunity exists as of this moment. The band has set up a fundraising effort over at Kickstarter.com. A pledge of $10 gets you a copy of the album, and higher increments get you even more. The band’s goal of a mere $1,000 is totally do-able, too, so you could even think of this as a way of pre-ordering the record if that makes you feel better. Just head to www.kickstarter.com and search for “Timber.”

Back in the Saddle: The Charlie Garrett Band will return to the stage Friday, Jan. 15 at the Melting Point. The band is preparing to record its next album at the newly updated Full Moon Studio, which is now owned by Garrett.

Bandmember Jay Rodgers (Kite to the Moon) was instrumental in updating the studio, and all signs point to a solid new record. But, you know, the band’s previous recordings sound pretty good, too. The songs available for online streaming are packed with influences such as The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, all those classic rock bands that use organ swells, etc. You’d think that this type of rock and roll, due to its longevity and popularity, is easy to crank out, but you’d be wrong. Those facts actually make it harder to create something memorable and worthwhile. Garrett, however, makes it seem easy.

Dig ‘em at www.myspace.com/ charliegarrettmusic.

Like a Gol’ Darned Miracle: One of the best surprises I could have asked for came to me a few days before Christmas. I received an anonymous email that contained a two-line message and a link. The link was to a MySpace page, and on that page was streaming content: the entirety of the cassette tape Misanthropic by long-lost Athens band Cordy Lon. Led by bassist/organist/guitarist/vocalist David Levitt, original owner of the Downstairs (where The Rye Bar is now located), Cordy Lon was the bridge between Athens’ folk-rock scene, its janglerock scene and its dark-art/post-new-wave scene. In short, perfect. Sure, I’m gushing, but I seriously cannot convey how much this band meant to me circa 1989–1991.

Cordy Lon formed in 1986. I still own my copy of Misanthropic but haven’t played it in years for fear of it disintegrating. Now, I don’t have to. The rest of the core trio were Rob Zimmermann (drums) and Beth Hale (cello). (Bassist Donnie Young and violinist Mamie Fike appear on this recording, too.)

I don’t often like to speak in terms of the past because I pretty much always think the best stuff is always happening no matter what came before. However, this is a piece of Athens music history that is incredibly meaningful to me and one I am so damn glad I was here to experience. Absorb it all at www.myspace.com/cordylon.

Freebie!: The hardest working band in Athens, Dead Confederate just wrapped a tour through Europe, and now the group is offering up a free download of its new, self-released live album, Dirty Ammo. You can grab it at www.dirtyammo.com. The tunes were recorded at the EARL in Atlanta back in May and feature four original tracks plus two covers—Elliot Smith’s “Roman Candle” and Officer May’s “Smoking a Minor.” Although free is nice, it would be even nicer if you opt to throw in the optional dollar which will go toward the Georgia Theatre’s reconstruction. There are also vinyl copies of the record for sale and a sexy t-shirt. You can say thanks at the CD release show at Tasty World on Thursday, Jan. 7. [Michelle Gilzenrat].

Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com

The Carolina Chocolate Drops An Education in the String Band Tradition

It

began in 2005 as a rumbling, a shuffling or a whisper across the Southeastern U.S. festival and club circuit—something about a rollicking good time and dusky old songs plied straight off of your grandfather’s vintage 78 collection played in that old-time tradition by three young African Americans. Suddenly the distant noise and hubbub turned into a buzz and the group finally had a name—The Carolina Chocolate Drops—and they were becoming a well known act outside of the banjo-and-biboveralls sect. Now the Chocolate Drops are ready for their collective close-up with a new album on Nonesuch Records, and the group is celebrating by doing nothing new, according to the band’s multi-instrumentalist Dom Flemons.

“It feels like we’ve struck a chord with the people who listen to us, so it’s easier for us to do our thing and not feel pressured to try anything different,” he says.

The same-old same-old for the Carolina Chocolate Drops is a whirling and high-energy mix of songs—traditional and contemporary— done in the long and nearly forgotten AfricanAmerican string band tradition, and it’s exactly what listeners will find on the band’s major-label debut Genuine Negro Jig. This formula makes for a great live show, and a living, breathing history lesson of sorts for a genre of music long abandoned on a dusty shelf next to other Smithsonian field recordings. For Flemons, the responsibility of educating audiences while still putting on a performance is an everyday occurrence for the group.

“We try to tell people about each song, about where it comes from and some stylistic things as well, but mostly we try to educate people about the African-American string band tradition by just playing,” says Flemons.

But the Chocolate Drops’ repertoire isn’t limited to old-time standards about cows on fire and fields in heat. The band received attention (and YouTube views) earlier in 2009 for its rendition of “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops),” originally performed by Blu Cantrell.

“[Carolina Chocolate Drops singer] Rhiannon [Giddens] brought that tune into the group. She had heard it, and we just plugged it into our sound like we would any other song. There wasn’t too much thought about it,” Flemons says.

Covering Dallas Austin-penned R&B jams and Tom Waits songs on Genuine Negro Jig may not seem like a band just quietly going along, but the songs don’t stick out as crossover attempts. Instead the songs work with Genuine Negro Jig’s arsenal of “lover scorned” anthems and tales of down-home heartache.

Despite the major label, the contemporary covers and big-league buzz, The Carolina Chocolate Drops don’t seem destined to fall into the domain of self-parody or trapped in a Weird Al Yankovic-style career path because of their steadfast dedication to their roots.

“There’s no additional pressure in being good,” says Flemons about playing string band music. “There’s a normal pressure of being a good group. I think we just want to create good music and present it in an authentic fashion. So, there’s no pressure… we are just informed about our history, and it helps us to do things the right way,” says Flemons.

The “right way” translates incredibly live, where The Chocolate Drops really thrive. They tease, pander and provoke. It’s old-time music played the way it should be by people who honor the tradition without putting it on too high of a pedestal. The Carolina Chocolate Drops are battling on without sacrificing anything that stoked the word-of-mouth flames to a five-alarm buzz.

Jason Bugg

WHO: The Carolina Chocolate Drops, The Solstice Sisters WHERE: The Melting Point WHEN: Friday, Jan. 8 HOW MUCH: $15 (adv.), $20 (door)

JANUARY 6, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

11

Carolyn Berk

Vic Chesnutt 1964–2009

F

ollowing a long and conscious struggle with depression, Vic Chesnutt died on Dec. 25, 2009 after overdosing on prescription muscle relaxants days before in an apparent suicide. The songwriter was in a coma on life support at Athens Regional Medical Center before passing, and numerous friends and family were with him when he died.

Chesnutt was an Athens fixture and a songwriter with an elusive nature—any attempt to pin down his music to one category proved futile. His writing acknowledged the darkness and pain possible in life, with wry puns and wordplay peppering his humanely poetic lyrics.

James Victor Chesnutt was born on Nov. 12, 1964, in Jacksonville, FL and raised in Zebulon, GA by his adoptive parents James and Miriam Chesnutt. Chesnutt drove his car off the road when he was 18, and the accident resulted in partial paralysis; he used a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He moved to Athens in the mid ‘80s and started performing

with The La-Di-Das, before quickly moving into the solo realm with his folk-inflected songs.

His landmark first two albums, Little and West of Rome, were released in 1990 and 1991, and he recorded and released 14 additional albums over the years. The constantly evolving and collaborating Chesnutt had recently hit a creative peak, releasing in late 2009 both At the Cut and Skitter on Take-Off, two divergent albums recorded with members of Fugazi and Godspeed You! Black Emperor as well as Jonathan Richman, respectively. Last year he worked with Elf Power for their collaborative album Dark Developments and enjoyed an extensive tour with the band this year, both here in the States and abroad.

Chesnutt had a regularly scheduled slot at the 40 Watt Club in the late ‘80s, and would often improvise within his own songs, stretching out choruses, changing tempos and playing with his idiosyncratically elastic vowel pronunciations. Over the years he toured

extensively and shared stages with the likes of R.E.M., Patti Smith, Lou Reed, John Cale, Victoria Williams, Giant Sand, Allen Toussaint and many others. His last public performance was at the Central Presbyterian Church in Austin,TX, on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009, wrapping up a weeks-long tour with the At the Cut band.

News of Chesnutt’s condition became public on Christmas Eve. It was an anxious time for Athens as news spread haphazardly due to the holiday season and nature of the Internet—online news sources quoted Twitter posts which were referenced on Facebook pages, and erroneous online posts added to the confusion.

A memorial service was held at Bridges Funeral Home in Athens on Sunday, Dec. 27. The standing-room-only crowd was well above 200 strong; filmmakers Jem Cohen and Peter Sillen spoke; so did friends and musicians including Elf Power’s Laura Carter, Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous, Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto and The Dashboard Saviors’ Rob Veal.

R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe read a poem, as did Lambchop frontman Kurt Wagner. Chesnutt was buried in his hometown in Pike County, GA. Despite international recognition, Chesnutt never seemed entirely comfortable with acclaim. “I guess the very emotional nature of my songs attracts emotional people, and they become quite, um, emotional. They come up to me after shows and I don’t know what to say to them. I don’t want to be an asshole or anything, but I think I do my best communicating alone in my room when I’m writing songs,” he said in a 1998 Rolling Stone article.

But Chesnutt was no stranger to appreciating art, and he devoured literature, painting, music and more with an insatiable appetite and keenly perceptive eye. His lyrics referenced high art as well as gutter realities, and he could (and would) carry on for hours in bars, onstage and on his front porch in

the Cobbham neighborhood about politics, criticism, cinema and more… Chesnutt both despaired for and adored humankind and all of its messy byproducts. Ever the irascible, unpredictable personality, he never hewed close to any one line of ideology. Though he staunchly opposed conservative politics, he never spared the left for its failings.

Chesnutt had attempted suicide in the past and spoke more openly about it recently. In an NPR interview recorded only two months before his death, he told host Terry Gross that the song “Flirted with You All My Life,” one of the more moving songs on At the Cut, was essentially a break-up song with the idea of taking one’s own life; he had decided he wasn’t ready or willing to die anymore.

In 1990 Vic Chesnutt married Tina Whatley Chesnutt, who frequently played bass on his recordings; he is also survived by his sister Lorinda Crane and nine nieces and nephews, including local songwriter Liz Durrett.

Chesnutt’s family has requested that any memorial donations be made to Shepherd Center (specializing in treatment and rehabilitation for spinal cord injury), 2020 Peachtree Rd. NW, Atlanta, GA, 30309 or Nuçi’s Space (Athens’ non-profit health and music resource center), 396 Oconee St., Athens, GA, 30601.

Kristin Hersh also has a page set up to receive donations for Chesnutt’s family (http://kristinhersh.cashmusic.org/vic/).

To close Chesnutt’s memorial service in Athens, Neutral Milk Hotel songwriter Jeff Mangum performed “Independence Day,” one of Chesnutt’s earliest songs. “In 1991 I moved to Athens, Georgia in search of God,” Magnum remembers, “but what I discovered instead was Vic Chesnutt. Hearing his music completely transformed the way I thought about writing songs, and I will forever be in his debt.”

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 6, 2010

Chris Hassiotis

I’m Not ot a Victim ict

FRI. FEB. 5

SAT. FEB. 6

A Tribute to Vic Chesnutt

THU. FEB. 11

Packway Handle Band CD Release Party

Bob Marley Birthday Bash featuring

Wrong Way The Wailers Family Man’s 40 Year Anniversary Tour

FRI. FEB. 12

FRI. JAN. 8

DJ Rich Rock’s

“Winter Heat”

featuring Travis Porter Ben McCormick

SAT. JAN. 9

LFO Yeah!!!

DubStep Throwdown

MON. JAN. 11

“You could be a great preacher.

But you’re doing the opposite of that.”

—Vic Chesnutt, paraphrasing his adoptive parents, on NPR’s “Fresh Air”

T

ake a regular pop song, swap out “baby” for “Jesus” and you’ve got a gospel song.

(You should also kill the low end.) On “Flirted with You All My Life,” from his riveting 2009 album At the Cut, Athens singersongwriter Vic Chesnutt did something like that. Except that he swapped out “baby” for “death.” Throughout his career, Chesnutt was ruthlessly vulnerable, shockingly frank about selfishness, loneliness, depression and the little guy’s dubious place in the overall scheme.

But he trumps himself on At the Cut, particularly on this “breakup song with death.” On this album, augmented with stinging arrangements courtesy of Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto and the Montreal chamber-rock ensemble Thee Silver Mt. Zion, he embraces his own paradox and rejects all possible exits. Together with “Grim Augury,” his contribution to the storied Danger Mouse/ Sparklehorse/ David Lynch undertaking Dark Night of the Soul, it shows us an artist in epic defiance of entropy. Elsewhere on the album, Chesnutt calls himself out as a “coward,” which maybe a lot of us should try.

But let the record show that, as an artist, the man had nuts the size of Gibraltar.

Needless to say, this makes his death, on Christmas 2009, all the more painful to contemplate. While it could have been a survivor’s anthem, “Flirted with You All My Life” can now be most easily interpreted thusly: Don’t bother crashing the Choir Invisible. Eventually, you’ll be drafted.

“I don’t remember the whole day, really. I was so drunk. It’s quite a cliché, really.”

—Vic Chesnutt, on NPR’s “Fresh Air” Born in Jacksonville, FL and raised in Zebulon, GA, Vic Chesnutt was adopted, although he never put too fine a point on it.

He learned guitar from his (adoptive) grandfather, who taught him to transpose “Sweet Georgia Brown” into every key available and instilled a technical rigor that left undisputed artistes such as Picciotto and Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner in awe of his ingrained ability.

If you’re going to speak your truth, you need to spend years learning to back it up. And Vic did.

When he was 18, Vic drank too much and ran his car into a ditch. Alcohol can soften misanthropy, bring woozy revelations… or

fuck your life up but good. That day, Vic crapped out. Despite his reluctant acceptance of the sleazy faith-healers brought in by his evangelical (adoptive) parents, he ended up in a wheelchair. A heavy adjustment for a kid who was already pretty dark.

The accident certainly helped shaped Chesnutt’s artistic vision, but it couldn’t have done it alone. Vic was always a skeptic and a realist (a “sub-realist,” even), intellectually honest to the point of simultaneous sadism and masochism. He had no path around disaster, only through it.

“I don’t deserve the sweet relief of death yet. Because I haven’t accomplished my tasks.”

—Vic Chesnutt, on NPR’s “Fresh Air” We are loathe to speak ill of the dead. In some cases, the dead suffered untold indignities while living, and picking on them, now that they can’t hit back, is just mean, so let’s say nice things. (A certain one-gloved pop-star eccentric comes to mind.) In others, the artist’s death, and our forced acceptance thereof, can reveal new, awe-inspiring dimensions of the artist’s work. Vic Chesnutt is one of the latter cases.

Vic was an artist who never gave an inch.

He OD’d on drugs. He was an alcoholic. He was depressed. Suicidal, even. America’s hopelessly tangled health care system killed him.

Bullshit. Vic Chesnutt is dead. He has become part of the mystery he sang about all his life.

Keep your pat interpretations—like his music, Vic’s death is not a puzzle to be solved, but a blunt, unapologetic reality to be accepted. As an artist, Chesnutt farmed hope on the most forbidden terrain. A quadriplegic since age 18, he rejected every manifestation of pity.

Physically cut off from the odd, jazzy guitar chords he had loved, he rendered his worst nightmares as simple “folk” songs. Michael Stipe took notice, and, in an Outliers kind of way, Vic found “success.”

But if there’s any lesson to learn from his life and death, it’s the acceptance (embrace, even, perhaps) of no-shit honesty and, with it, a mutual respect for infinite complexity.

For most of us, that’s an understandably hard row to hoe. We have to act normal around the colleagues and in-laws, don’t you know, and all this reality/mortality biz is just, you know, exhausting, in the long run. So let’s give some dap to Vic Chesnutt for having the balls to do that work full-time.

Goodbye, you weird bastard. You will not be replaced.

Emerson Dameron

T8r(tot) CD Release Party

THU. JAN. 14

Kite To The Moon

SAT. FEB. 13

FRI. FEB. 19

Lord T and Eloise G.L.O.W.

Glow in the Dark Party with Wild Kard, Fresh and E.C.S.T.A.C.Y. Music

WED. JAN. 20 THU. JAN. 21

MON. FEB. 1

LowDown Comedy Show Mama’s Love Free Lunch Dirk Quinn Band

“Waka Winter Classic”

Battle of the Bands for Wakarusa Festival THU. FEB. 4

Larry Keel

and Natural Bridge with Special Guests

Big Gigantic

Nosaj Thing

Daedelus • Gaslamp Killer The Jogger WED. MAR. 3

Emancipator (1320 Records)

SAT. MAR. 27

Pnuma Trio Break Science

Deaf Judges

SAT. JAN. 16

LAST SHOW EVER!!!

Two Fresh

SAT. FEB. 27

“Wild Rumpus” Party FRI. JAN. 15

Dark Meat

THU. APR. 8

Ana Sia

Female DubStep from SF FRI. APR. 9

SAT. APR. 10

Dead Prez & Kidz in the Hall

THU. APR. 14

Shpongle (Twisted Records)

and Prometheus THU. FRI. APR. APR. 22 23 SAT. APR. 24

New Earth Day Festival 706.543.8283

227 W Dougherty St. Downtown Athens Open Mon-Sat 5pm-2am All Shows 18+

Zoogma EP3 • LSDJ

H.E.R. Hip Hop Festival featuring

Advance Tix available at Schoolkids Records 706-353-1666 and online at www.newearthmusichall.com

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JANUARY 6, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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Remembering Vic Reflections from Vic Chesnutt’s Friends, Fans and Collaborators

Frank Hamrick

Laura Carter, Elf Power: You set my standard for cool And through amazing conversations You’ve made me work to be smart and dynamic.

In the best ways.

You are the funniest motherfucker I’ve ever known.

Except for Curtiss.

Y’all are tied.

But that’s the top and anyway you brought us together.

You brought so many people together.

I’ll always be grateful and keep you strong in my heart. You are the coolest.

I love you.

Jim Willingham and Jacob Morris, Ham1: We had the privilege of backing up Vic for a short tour in southern Spain in the summer of 2008. It was an odyssey of sorts: three plane rides and a long bus ride from Seville to Malaga which, because of a delayed flight and a missed connection, totaled over 39 hours.

We were all grizzled, grumpy and strained.

On a 10-hour layover in Oporto, Portugal, we found ourselves climbing up a treacherous cobblestone street ascending to an immense Romanesque cathedral. Vic was wincing and grimacing as Sugi deftly negotiated the hill.

He must have been in great physical discomfort, being jostled with every push, but he never complained. That hill was incredibly steep, the road was insanely uneven and ancient, strung-out prostitutes and honking European cars were passing by—but Vic didn’t want to turn around.

On that and other tours, some days it seemed like nothing was going right.

Everything was in turmoil around the shows— booking, guarantees, jackass sound guys, illness, fatigue, hangovers. But then we would get onstage. Vic was so talented he could carry the show, no matter what. The joy and anguish in his music was so great, it was almost otherworldly being onstage with him.

It was transformative. We learned so much from him about music, performance, and life that we never could have learned anywhere or from anyone else.

Vic was always generous, genuine, kind and unapologetically honest. He was a master storyteller as well. He told us about a night when

Vic Chesnutt and Benjamin Dickerson

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 6, 2010

he was on a solo tour and his van broke down in the middle of rural Virginia. He had no money or way of finding help. Then a roughlooking hunter stopped and offered to get him a mechanic the next day and a place to stay for the night. Having no other choice, Vic rode with the fellow to his trailer up a windy dirt road. He went inside and asked him if he had a phone and anything to eat. “I only eat deer meat,” was the man’s ominous response.

He had no phone but sure enough, he had a fridge and freezer full of deer meat and—as Vic saw to his horror when he went to use the bathroom—a skinned deer carcass bleeding out in the shower. The mountain man offered him some deer meat, which Vic declined, and then showed him photos from his father’s funeral. During the night as Vic slept on the couch, the man went to the slaughterhousebathroom to relieve himself, releasing a waft of what Vic said was “the most God-awful stink” he had ever smelled in his whole life.

The rest of the tour we often found ourselves roaring with laughter when someone quoted the hunter’s litany of “I only eat deer meat.”

While he was obviously an amazing storyteller, Vic was just as captivating as a

performer. Every movement, gesture, and note was tattooed with his personality. Sometimes Vic would crane his head back in an explosive cathartic moment of a song, hollering out his lyrics like an angry baby bird crying for worms. We told him this and he seemed to embrace this idea of himself as an angry baby bird! On all the tours we backed him he was always determined, brave and calm—much more so than any of us. He had a biting sense of humor that could cut through any bad situation, make us laugh, and release tension.

Once, Jim told Vic that he was the godfather of rock in Athens. Vic shrewdly responded, “No, I’m the creepy uncle!”

Deirdre Sayre, longtime friend: In 2007 Georgia and the rest of the Southeast were in the midst of a seemingly apocalyptic drought. Everywhere we drove the earth was scorched, the rivers were low, and the trees were dying, and I saw it firsthand as I travelled to Nashville, to Asheville, to

how much I enjoyed seeing him play his last show at the 40 Watt. How the whole time I wished the performance would never end.

I’d always wanted to see him play with “the Canadians.”

They were majestic.

I saw Vic a couple of times in the week before he died. I knew he was sad, but I never thought it would conclude like this. I believed he was ready to keep creating the best music of his career.

There are so many things I would have said had I known. That’s the way it always is, I guess. It’s hard to accept that we’ll never have another conversation, or that he’ll never come to my house, or that I’ll never ever see him again in his. It’s heartbreaking to think that I’ll never again see him play.

It’s like a huge crater has hit our street.

So long, Vic, it was good to know you. I love you, and will always miss you.

Chris McKay · concertshots.com

Charlotte and to Atlanta with Vic, his niece Liz Durrett, and my husband Chris’ band (at the time), Ham1, who were supporting Vic (and also Liz) on the American leg of the North Star Deserter tour.

Vic, Liz and Ham1 played awe-inspiring shows. Transcendent. The type of emotive experience that can’t be put into words. I thrilled at watching Vic and the band perform “Glossolalia,” “Marathon” and “Debriefing.”

I chilled to “Everything I Say,” “Over” and “Fodder on Her Wings.” I laughed my ass off at “You Are Never Alone,” with its panaceas of Valtrex for herpes, Prilosec for indigestion, organized religion for generalized discontent.

Seeing Vic play made living life sweeter.

That fall Vic toured Europe with the group his friends here shorthanded “the Canadians.”

Soon after he came back into town, Vic and Tina, Ham1 and Andrew Rieger came over for dinner.

When in town, they came over often. It was easy—we were neighbors—Tina rolled Vic up the street. That night, Vic had three helpings of black bean chilaquile. “Where are you putting that?” Chris laughed. Inevitably, the topic rolled to the drought, and to our governor, who, instead of creating regulations to protect watersheds, had recently held a prayer meeting asking God for rain on the capital steps.

“Blasphemy!” I complained.

“You don’t even know the half of it,” Vic whined. “When I was in France it was all over the radio.”

“You’ve got to be kidding.”

“No, it’s true. Everyone was talking about how our governor prayed for rain,” he bellyached. All of us were laughing.

“So, you mean that when people in other places think about us here, they think we’re all praying that God will do something about the drought?”

“Yes! You don’t even know. All the guys in my band were making fun of me.” More laughs all around. “They were even calling me,” he paused in mock outrage, “Jesus Boy.” A huge burst of laughter from everyone there. Both my husband and I were in the middle of sipping our drinks. We spewed liquid across the table.

“It was terrible!” he whined. But it was funny. And it was fun having friends that could make the best of an atheist being forced to live in a theocracy.

By 2009, the drought passed, and Vic had released three killer albums within the past two years. The last one, At the Cut, was dark and amazing in the same thrilling Southern Gothic way as North Star Deserter, and I listened to it constantly. I thought the lyrical framing of “Flirted” was genius.

When Vic came over last month, he was subdued, but we had a good time. I told him

Jimmy Hughes, Elf Power: Vic could fly. I’ve seen him do it. Anytime there was a set of stairs or a stage we had to lift him up onto, while we would hoist him, he would stick his elbows out and flap away as he elevated. This always made me smile. It made him smile, too. If we had to carry him in public, he also thought it was funny to look at us and say, “Who are you people? Where are you taking me? Help!” I feel fortunate to have spent so many happy days with Vic. I think it was his sense of humor, so much like my own, that made us click and become such quick friends. He was an intelligent man who could hold his own in a conversation about anything with anyone, but he also had a fondness for crude humor and wasn’t afraid to chuckle at childish nonsense.

Over the past couple of years, we shared several months of amazing adventures, the kind of days that seem like dreams. We walked together at night along the beach in Oregon.

We traversed the Swiss Alps in the middle of winter. We jammed karaoke at a hotel bar. We feasted like kings. We played music together in some of the best venues in the world. Vic always managed to surprise me, too. One late night, I ran into him randomly in Athens and asked him if he wanted to go to the Secret Squirrel with me, and though I didn’t really expect him to say yes, he did. Another time in Ravenna, Italy, Eric and I were walking around the town in the early morning, assuming that Vic was still asleep, and then we suddenly see Vic being pushed around by a fan from the night before. Apparently this fan had offered to take him on a tour of the city and Vic got up early and took him up on the offer.

Andrew Bird and Vic Chesnutt I will always remember Vic as a sweetheart who was funny and witty and passionate. It constantly impressed me and inspired me to watch him rock a guitar. I feel grateful that I got to hang with Vic in his element. Only he could trust me enough as a guitarist to demand a guitar solo out of me unannounced in the middle of a live set. “Give us a nasty one, Jimmy!” he would say. And I wouldn’t even question it. He kept calling for it night after night, even if the solo was bad the night before. And I have never seen anyone capture a crowd, whether with humor or drama, like he could. Downtime in a set was his plaything. A heckler was his plaything. Sometimes, when we brought him onstage, the house music would go down and there would be 5–10 long minutes of awkward silence because Vic still needed to plug in and get situated. We would offer to communicate to the soundman to put the music back up, but Vic would say no, and embraced the awkwardness, addressing the audience with humor. He’d say, “Where’s the muse-gik” meaning “music” but saying it in a funny childlike accent. Then he’d talk and joke with the audience while he tuned and got comfortable. By the time he played the first note, he had already warmed up the crowd. He was a poet and a self-proclaimed diva, a great entertainer and a loving friend.

I love you, Vic. I hope that I was able to give you enough laughs and good times to amount to even a fraction of those that you gave me.

Derek Almstead, Elf Power: The thing I miss most about Vic, more than the magic of playing his songs, is the conversations. Like me, he was an atheist raised in the backwoods, a distinctly irreverent breed.

His perspective meant a great deal to me, and I was deeply fascinated by his stories of

artistic self-discovery in the midst of that upbringing. On tour, I stayed up later and allowed myself to get drunker than usual every night just to talk and listen. He was my new friend and hero. Laughing and worrying about the extremes of political belief and delusion, the evil brilliance of Dick Cheney, constant critical analysis of shitty music and great music, The Beatles, endless recommendations of favorite literature, recounting scattered personal histories and formative Athens experiences and, hell yeah, jokes and jokes and jokes, on and on and on. They’re conversations I’m still having.

Curtiss Pernice, longtime friend and collaborator: This past summer, I traveled through Vic’s hometown, Zebulon, in Pike County GA. I’d heard him talk about it many times, but I’d never seen it for myself. Passing through, I remembered some of the stories Vic had told me about growing up there: the days spent fishing, walking through the woods, listening to the radio, generally just being a kid in a small rural town in the 1970s. I passed his high school and, in front of that, Ruth’s restaurant, a place that appeared in one of his songs (“Only one thing in that song is true,” he once told me). I looked for his old house (though I wouldn’t have known it if I’d seen it) where, as a little boy, he broke a piece off of his grandfather’s guitar while dragging it out from under the bed. He later inherited that guitar, a beautiful old Gibson. On the occasions that he recounted the story of how he damaged the instrument, he would point to the place at the F-hole, just below the high E string, where there was a small piece of wood glued back into place. He would hold the fractured guitar up into the light for me to observe and say, “And you can still see it, right here.” k continued on next page

JANUARY 6, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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continued from p. 15

Traveling at 35 miles an hour, you pass through Zebulon in about five minutes. Some houses, an old store, the school, more houses and you’re gone. It reminded me of the small town where I’d grown up, halfway across the country. Vic and I were about the same age, so I felt like I had a pretty good idea of what it was like to be a kid there at the time. What I could never know is the amount of courage and guts it must have taken to pursue his dreams, despite barely surviving an accident that cost him his mobility and much of his independence. Growing up in Zebulon, could he have seen his future somehow? He had those years to get ready for his life ahead.

Maybe that little town prepared him.

I’ll miss Vic and I’ll miss playing music with him and being his friend. But I’ll remember the stories and songs he left here, enough to fill another lifetime. Lots of years have passed and now he’s among them.

year. Vic was notorious for making up really nasty, sexually obscene songs at soundchecks to lighten the mood. I thought he’d hold back at Carnegie Hall, but he came through with a particularly profane spontaneous ditty that night, much to our delight. I miss him so much and I’m so glad we had a chance to create music together and travel the world together.

Carolyn Berk

VIC

Richard Fausset, former Editor of Flagpole:

Chris Sugiuchi, longtime friend and collaborator: Some memories of Vic in no particular order: Almost dropping Vic‘s chair when I was lifting him onto the stage for the first time because I thought he was having some sort of arm seizure… he was “flapping [his] wings” to “make [himself] lighter.”

Being at a hotel in Spain the night before a Porsche convention—there were about 20 beautiful women who were training to be models for the car show. I told Vic that he should go talk to them. He said, “Oh, yeah sure, let’s go.” I grabbed his chair and started to wheel him over there, and he started panicking and telling me to turn around. The women must have been done for the night because they all turned and started our way in a line. I just stopped and motioned for them to continue and as they passed Vic they smiled and a few said “hello” in heavily accented English. He had the most adorable look on his face; that was the only time I ever saw Vic in a situation where he looked terrified!

Vic got off stage after a show and started saying how much the show sucked. My wife said, “No way, Vic, I thought that was a great show” to which Vic replied, “Of course YOU thought it was a good show. I’m a PROFESSIONAL! I’m not going to let people down who came out to see me.”

Vic always had to have a special boarding Jimmy Hughes

Vic Chesnutt and Elf Power

procedure for airplanes due to his disability.

I learned that the U.S. is actually far ahead of most of Europe in taking care of folks with access problems. Anyhow, at the Lisbon, Portugal airport we had to raise hell to get them to assemble a crew to properly load Vic on the plane. The airport personnel insisted that we leave Vic by himself at the security gate and proceed on through to the concourse. As we were walking away Vic starts yelling “Mama, Mama” in this creepy little

kid voice and looking around. The Portuguese cops looked at us and back at Vic, and he just kept repeating “Mama, Mama” over and over again. I was so sure we were going to get cavity searches for this. I swear I could still hear him yelling as we were entering the plane. He shows up about 15 minutes later with a big grin on his face being rolled down the aisle by a crew of very confused looking stewards.

Andrew Rieger, Elf Power frontman: I became a fan of Vic’s music when I was still in high school in the late 1980s, so when we became friends and decided to collaborate on an album together I was thrilled. Vic wanted a spontaneous reaction on our part to his songs, so he would play us a song, we’d run through it a few times, record it and move on. I would ask him if I could take home demos of the songs to practice and come up with parts, but he wouldn’t allow it. Following the album’s release in the fall of 2008, we toured all over America and Europe and had some amazing adventures. I saw Vic talk his way out of getting arrested for shoplifting in a gift shop in Madrid; I watched him sing karaoke to Randy Newman’s “Short People” in a hotel bar at an Econolodge in Lawrence, KS to the hoots and hollers of several drunken yokels; we watched sea lions cavorting and howling in an underground sea cave in California; we played with John Cale, who we both love, at a festival in Holland; and we played Carnegie Hall together earlier this

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 6, 2010

“And, what was even more exciting, she felt, too, as she saw Mr. Ramsay bearing down and retreating, and Mrs. Ramsay sitting with James in the window and the cloud moving and the tree bending, how life, from being made up of little separate incidents which one lived one by one, became curled and whole like a wave which bore one up and threw one down with it, there, with a dash on the beach.”

I’m not going to apologize for a highfaluting snatch of Virginia Woolf, because Vic had an uncompromising modernist streak, mostly in his language and his storytelling. It was, of course, the modernism—his mash-up of high and low, his atheism, his predilection for skinny-dipping in the stream of consciousness—set against a clutch of simple cowboy chords that was one of his great defining traits.

No one was as good at nailing what Woolf called the little separate incidents lived one by one: the salesman sitting in his breakfast nook, flipping through a saucy book, browsing for a bit of titillation. The new town, reeking of lumber, patrolled by rookie police.

The English crow, fat and hungry, picking at a carcass.

Or the narrator in “Where Were You”: he was was at home watching the bright bug lamp flicker, while she was doing up the dim, dim 40 Watt. He went to her restaurant and found himself crying in his humus.

Some of those early lyrics described a certain Athens with great precision. But it wasn’t surprising when the songs resonated with so many people who’d never cried into a plate of humus on Prince Avenue. They were caught up in the big, curled wave that Vic also had command of, at least in his art. He could do oversized emotions—a sweeping statement, a crashing chorus—as effortlessly as any big stadium group. He also tended to undermine the grandeur with an intentional bathos, a downshifting from the sublime to the ridiculous, that reminded you how close those two usually are in real life, although Vic was smart enough to know that they don’t necessarily negate each other.

These are some of my favorite Vic Chesnutt moments. Deep into the song “Big Huge Valley”—an ecstatic, visionary hymn to America that betrayed his love of Whitman—he drops this line: “And the oil is pumping up out of the dirt/ yeah, those virile dinosaurs continue to squirt.” I don’t think I’ll ever stop laughing at these weird gems, though the laughter is scarce this week.

There’s a relationship beyond fandom that can feel more intimate than a friendship. The big curling wave that bore me up is dashed.

Daniel Hutchens, Bloodkin frontman: Those of us who showed up in Athens during the ‘80s are starting to feel our age.

A few years back we lost Porn Orchard’s Ted Hafer, back in 2002 we lost Bar-B-Q Killers’ Laura Carter and Widespread Panic’s Michael Houser, and earlier this year Pylon’s Randy

Bewley, among others. Also this year we lost three members of the extended Widespread Panic family; Forrest Vereen, Wayne Sawyer and Denise Jordan. Now on Christmas day, we heard that we’ve lost Vic Chesnutt, who by nearly universal consent amongst the Athens music community, was the best of us. In the ‘90s Vic [achieved] wider exposure with the release of Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation, an album featuring a variety of bands and solo performers, including R.E.M., Soul Asylum, Cracker and Madonna, performing covers of Vic Chesnutt songs. The album benefited the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, a non-profit charity benefiting professional musicians unable to afford medical care (Vic would continue to speak out about health care reform, and struggle with health insurance problems, for the rest of his life.) In ‘96 Vic also had a cameo appearance in Billy Bob Thornton’s film Sling Blade. These events amped up Chesnutt’s career, and he went on to release 17 albums, by my count, including collaborations with musicians and writers such as Widespread Panic, Lambchop and Van Dyke Parks, who famously wrote the lyrics for The Beach Boys’ Smile… When Vic released Little in 1990, well, a lot of walls came down for a lot of people who heard it, including me. It reaffirmed a whole universe of possibilities as far as songwriting… And across all the years since, Vic put out so many great records. I mean not one of them was a notch less than great, and his artistry certainly grew and deepened over the years. His most recent releases, At the Cut and Skitter on Take-Off, truly contain some of his best songs ever, and

“Flirted with You All My Life,” a kind of lovesong to death, is particularly overwhelming given current circumstances, but my personal favorite remains Little. Of course my opinion has everything to do with the romanticized memories, the time and place that record came into my life, but if Vic had never written another song after “Isadora Duncan,” I think he would have left behind a perfectly respectable artistic legacy.

Well I dreamed I was a-dancing with Isadora Duncan in a silver café It was a café that was not at all near here…

The simple, aching beauty of the melody, the stripped-down-next-to-nothing production that held the jewel-like lyrics in a kind of bas-relief spotlight… it just made me happy to hear. Not that the songs were necessarily “happy” in subject matter of course, but they were executed with such precision and craftsmanship and care, I remember thinking, “Yeah, it’s possible… it can be done, after all… despite all the obscenities perpetuated by the music business, maybe you can just say ‘fuck all that’ and pursue your art.” It was a liberation, and it was plain gorgeous fun, getting a good buzz on as sunset approached, spinning that piece of vinyl over and over, making decisions about which rock show to attend downtown later that evening… it’s a cool memory, from a cool little crossroads of my youth.

Thanks, Vic, for providing the soundtrack to that memory, and so many others. U

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record reviews through surrealistic illusions. Drums are often synthesized but nonetheless sustaining and unpretentious. In fact, this EP is gorgeous.

Recommended for fans of Marietta/ Atlanta duo Private Lessons. Top to bottom perfection. I hope I don’t soon hate this band.

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Pelican needn’t lift another finger to prove that it’s one of today’s most expressive heavy bands. But this fourth album by the Chicago instru-metal quartet drives the nail that much deeper with its broadest display of melody yet, making their balance of power and grace that much more miraculous.

This record manages to be both crushing and beautiful with neither quality undermining the other—an impressive feat in itself. With heavyweight help from guests like Greg Anderson (sunn O)))), Aaron Turner (Isis), Ben Verellen (Helms Alee) and Allen Epley (The Life & Times, Shiner), they stretch postmetal deep into territory that’s moody, widescreen and even narrative.

The shimmering epic “Glimmer” shines like a triumphant force of nature, “The Creeper” gets nasty with plodding, stoned-out grooves, and “Ephemeral” deftly peppers dope bits of head-banging riffage into an ocean of swooning introspection.

Cinematic and approachable, this album mines a bold range of moods that most of their peers would neither dare nor prove capable of. With an enormous sense of drama and unfolding, What We All Come to Need is an accomplishment of composition and movement.

Bao Le-Huu

FORMER GHOSTS Fleurs Upset the Rhythm The surprising thing about this intensely intriguing congress of Freddy Ruppert (This Song Is a Mess but So Am I), Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu) and Nika Roza (Zola Jesus) is that they’ve managed to create an album that’s more clear-eyed and salient than any of the individuals’ main gigs, save perhaps for Xiu Xiu. Slabbed with reverb, their electronic music is trembling and thick.

Despite being highly conceptual, the songs are shattered masterpieces with heart-swelling melodies in shards large and whole enough to move the listener on an intuitive level.

With all their yearning and glitches, highlights like “Us and Now” and “Mother” sound like forlorn ‘80s synthpop ballads washed in acid. And the blared pining of Roza’s voice breathes crestfallen glory into the minimalism of “In Earth’s Palm,” “The Bull and the Ram” and “This Is My Last Goodbye.”

Fleurs is astoundingly soulful for music that’s both electronic and experimental. This is the sound of love put through a high-tech wringer. It’s a daring, coherent and outstandingly original work of avant-pop.

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Small Black is a quartet based in Brooklyn/ Long Island working in the ‘80s-inspired synthpop genre populated by buzz behemoths like Vampire Weekend, Yeasayer and Animal Collective. Incidentally, this is, in some direction, a leading edge in humankind’s sonic adventure. A succinct physical analogy related to sculpture: the genre itself is like a certain type of stone; artists create unique pieces from the same medium. The difference is the use.

Small Black wields a masterful chisel. Found upon this recording are further installments in the synthesizer spaceout movement, treated here with modest distortion and emotive reverbheavy vocals. It’s as if the lyrics are pulled from the vocalist’s throat with an invisible rope. I actually consider this singing (as opposed to melodic oration). Bass lines are reliable, direct and funky, leading the five tracks capably

18

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 6, 2010

Awesomelies like the word “awesome.”

It strives for cute but comes off as annoying. It’s a shame, too, because the bass and drum loop is pretty great.

The repetition works better on the closing track “We Win.” The chant lasts for most of the two-minute song, inviting everyone to sing, hum or tap along.

The Awesomelies’ Make Way falls firmly in the middle of the spectrum with no big missteps and no incredible standouts. Make Way is like bubblegum that has lost its flavor after too many chews; it’s good for a while but you’ll want something a bit more substantial later.

Jordan Stepp

MAPS Turning the Mind Mute For this anticipated follow-up, Maps principal James Chapman has purged nearly every bit of shoegaze and rock from his sound, departing the dream-pop impressionism of his much lauded debut for the more articulated sound of majestic late-‘80s synth-pop.

Even though he pretty much says that this album was influenced by drugs, the heavy-lidded gauze of before is supplanted by sharp sonic definition.

Chapman still produces lush, tasteful textures despite a shift in palette.

Lovely, star-flecked songs like “Valium in the Sunshine,” “The Note (These Voices)” and “Chemeleon” float by fluidly like effortless intergalactic travel. But the album’s finest moments are the fantasy-filled M83 flourishes of “I Dream of Crystal” and particularly “Turning the Mind,” which unfolds like the sunrise into a cathedral.

Absent the infinitely seductive haze, this album can be downright conventional at times. And though it may not be as innovative, it is immaculately crafted and capable of angelic heights.

If anything, the sumptuous retrofuturism here is a reminder that electronic pop can be done with orchestral sophistication.

Bao Le-Huu

THE AWESOMELIES Make Way Independent Release A band that calls itself The Awesomelies has a lot to live up to, unless it’s being ironic, in which case the joke doesn’t make much sense.

The Awesomelies aren’t awesome but they’re not that bad either.

Make Way is eight tracks of short, boppy pop rock full of repeated choruses and phrases. You’ve got the boy/ girl vocals, really groovy bass lines, peppy keyboards and a danceable drum beat that borders on surf-rock.

“Like You’re Awesome” has the potential to drive you insane with the sheer amount of times they sing the word “awesome.” We get it. The

JUSTIN EVANS The Owls & the Hounds Cowboy Angel Music The fine art of songwriting is a hard one to perfect, but it seems that all the best songwriters have busted hands, bruised hearts, broken faith, and bar tabs that they can’t pay. Justin Evans covers all this territory and more with

a grin in his voice and a small bit of twang in his guitar on his new record The Owls & the Hounds.

You can practically visualize Evans knocking the dust off his well worn boots in some bar. His Western blues sound meshes well with his storyteller’s eye for detail. While the lyrics do sometimes cross the line into overdone tropes, there’s far more good than bad to be found. When a line hits, it hits with a sledgehammer of emotion.

Evans then brings some jazz and blues in the form of a saxophone on “The Heart of San Francisco.” The combination of sax and Western guitar works better here than on “The Heart of New Orleans” which adds some ragtime piano to the mix. Both are great examples of Evans’ gruff vocal style.

His voice does get a bit melodramatic at times (see “Song for Maria”) but his lyrical quality makes up for most overdone vocal sins.

Local favorites Clay Leverett, David Blackmon and Lera Lynn are also along for the ride, adding special touches here and there that really make the album shine. The Owls & the Hounds is part of Adam Klein’s new record label Cowboy Angel Music. It fits in perfectly with Klein’s own work in the Americana genre. If you’re looking for a good entry into that particular world, Evans may just be your ticket to the Pearly Gates.

Jordan Stepp

JELLO BIAFRA & THE GUANTANAMO SCHOOL OF MEDICINE The Audacity of Hype Alternative Tentacles In his first full-time working band since the Dead Kennedys, the countercultural icon reemerges with a jaw-dropping degree of focus, cohesion and determination. With cover art satirizing the Obama “Hope” poster with a portrait of Biafra as a maniacal Satan (by Shepard Fairey himself), Jello’s back on his game and attacking American entropy with renewed vigor.

The melodic psychosis of the Kennedys is in here. And of course there’s that voice, which rings with more clarity than it has in years. But having been inspired by The Stooges’ performance for Iggy’s 60th birthday, there’s plenty of proto-punk rock dirt under its nails, slowing the hardcore pace just enough to give the music some real brawn and nastiness.

Solid straightforward hardcore numbers like “Clean as a Thistle” and “New Feudalism” abound. But the true virtue of this album lies in fresh forays like the thuggish rock grooves of “The Terror of Tinytown” and “Panic Land,” and the slide-revving, cock-swinging Southern rock of “I Won’t Give Up.” This is a convincing, memorable batch of songs with a ragingly clear sense of sonic and lyrical vision.

Kicking with octane and muscle, Biafra’s auspicious new vehicle is a model of artistic fitness.

Bao Le-Huu

the calendar!

WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK

Deadline for getting listed in the calendar is every FRIDAY at 5 p.m. for the issue that comes out the following Wednesday. Email calendar@flagpole.com.

Tuesday 5 PERFORMANCE: Open TOAD Comedy (Flicker Theatre & Bar) A unique open mic experience. The audience gets to pelt the performers who go over their six-minute time limit with foam rocks. Performers get in free but must sign up by 8 p.m.

8:30 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/ flickerbar KIDSTUFF: Children’s Storytime (ACC Library) For children ages 18 months to 5 years. Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m., Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Family Afternoon at the (Described) Movies (ACC Library) Showing Finding Nemo.

Film features a non-intrusive narrative track for visually impaired viewers. Bring the kids! 3 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Read to Rover (ACC Library) Beginning readers in grades 1–4 read aloud to an aid dog. Trainer always present. 3:30–4:30 p.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 GAMES: Locos Trivia (Locos Grill & Pub) All three Athens locations of Locos Grill and Pub (Westside, Eastside and Harris St.) feature trivia night every Tuesday. 8:30 p.m.

FREE! www.locosgrill.com

Wednesday 6 EVENTS: Canine Cocktail Hour (Hotel Indigo, Phi Bar & Bistro Courtyard) Drink and food specials for you and your (well-behaved, friendly, non-aggressive, vaccinated) dog(s)! Every Wednesday evening.

5–7 p.m. www.athensdowntownhotel.com KIDSTUFF: Children’s Storytime (ACC Library) For children ages 18 months to 5 years. Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m., Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Cupcake Club (Rocksprings Neighborhood Center) Meet with your fellow cupcake compatriots and collaborate on the design for a different themed cupcake every Wednesday! 10–11:30 a.m. $1. 706-613-3603, www.accleisureservices.com KIDSTUFF: Eatin’ with the Critters (Sandy Creek Nature Center, ENSAT) Bring a sack lunch for an hour of learning about our world and the animals that inhabit it. For ages 3–5 with an adult. Call to register. 11 a.m.–noon, $0–$13 (scholarships available). 706-613-3615 KIDSTUFF: Wildcard Wednesday for Teens (ACC Library) Up next: Duct Tape Design. Craft a wallet or create a water-resistant phone case.

Ages 11-18. 4 p.m. FREE! 706613-3650 LECTURES & LIT.: Word of Mouth (The Globe) Monthly open poetry readings begin! Every first

Wednesday. 8 p.m. FREE! 706-3534721 GAMES: Game Night (Alibi) Develop coordination, tolerance and grace through beer pong and blind draw darts. Every Wednesday with Corey. FREE! 706-549-1010 GAMES: Movie Trivia Night (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Where movie trivia meets performance art.

Hosted by “It Boy” Jeff Tobias and sponsored by Vision Video. Prizes!

Sign up at 8 p.m. Trivia fun starts at 8:30 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ flickerbar GAMES: Poker Tour (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) Texas Hold ‘Em every Wednesday. 7:30 p.m. 706354-6655 GAMES: Sports Trivia (Beef ‘O’ Brady’s) Every Wednesday. 8:30 p.m.

FREE! 706-850-1916 GAMES: Trivia (Willy’s Mexicana Grill) Every Wednesday. 8–10 p.m.

FREE! 706-548-1920 GAMES: Trivia (Blind Pig Tavern) Think you know it all? 9:30 p.m.

706-548-3442 GAMES: Trivia Wars (283 Bar) Chris Creech hosts general knowledge trivia with different themes each week. Check the Facebook group “Trivia Wars!” for weekly updates and online question of the week.

8:30 p.m. (sign up) 9 p.m. (game starts). FREE! 706-208-1283

Thursday 7 EVENTS: Live After Five (Hotel Indigo, Phi Bar and Bistro) Get a headstart on your weekend with live music from Kenosha Kid frontman Dan Nettles and enjoy wine tastings while you’re at it. Thursdays, 6–8 p.m. $12 (wine tastings). 706546-0430, www.athensdowntownhotel.com KIDSTUFF: Homeschoolers Chapter Book Review (Madison Baptist Church) Elementary schoolage homeschoolers gather at the library to read a book together and talk about it. Every Thursday. 1 p.m.

FREE! 706-795-5597 MEETINGS: Oconee Rivers Audubon Society (Sandy Creek Nature Center, ENSAT building) Learn about and discuss local wildlife with your fellow bird watchers and nature enthusiasts. This month, Dr. Ron Carroll, professor in UGA’s Odum School of Ecology, discusses “Global warming consequences for the Georgia coast and for neotropical migrants.” New members welcome!

Ages 13 and up. 7–9 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3615, www.oconeeriversaudubon.org MEETINGS: Spanish Group (1000faces Coffee, 588 Barber Street) All-level Spanish conversation group. Informal, welcoming and fun! Every Thursday.

7–8:30 p.m. FREE! 706-534-8860, www.1000facescoffee.com

Friday 8 EVENTS: Sixteen Candles (Daddi’s House) Point and laugh or laugh and cry at one of the greatest high school tragicomedies of all time. 7 p.m.

FREE! 706-797-2035 EVENTS: Farmers’ Market (Flora Hydroponics, 195 Paradise Blvd.)

The Sacred Earth Growers Co-Op sets up a newly established yearround farmers’ market. Organic meat and dairy vendors, produce venders, local artisans and more help to make this an exciting new addition to your weekend. 2–7 p.m. FREE! 706-353-2223 EVENTS: Hottest Girls in Athens Contest (Club Chrome) Hey ladies, think you’ve got what it takes? The winner takes home a $1,000 cash prize! 9 p.m. $7. 706-543-9009 ART: Opening Reception (White Tiger Gourmet Food & Chocolates, 217 Hiawassee Ave.) For “Morning Gravy,” an exhibit featuring photography by brothers Hudson and Rand Lines. 6 p.m. FREE! 706-353-6847 ART: Opening Reception (Lamar Dodd School of Art, Gallery 101) For an exhibit featuring large-scale acrylic paintings from the New York studio of longtime Lamar Dodd School of Art faculty member Jim Herbert. Reception Jan. 8. 7 p.m.

FREE! http://art.uga.edu PERFORMANCE: Alejandro Crawford (Go Bar) AthensBrookyln poet and multimedia performance artist performs with custom software and his “Vonome,” a piano that plays video instead of musical notes. He’ll be backed by local DJ Immuzikation. 11 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar THEATRE: Grease (Oconee County Civic Center) Join the Pink Ladies and the T-Birds for the Oconee Youth Playhouse’s presentation of the everpopular 1972 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. Jan. 8 & 9 and Jan. 15 & 16, 7 p.m. $14 (students & seniors), $12 (kids Jan. 10 & 17, 3 p.m. $16 (adults), 12 & under) www.oypoysp.com/playhouse

Saturday 9 EVENTS: Eight Legged Freaks (Daddi’s House) David Arquette and Scarlett Johansson elude giant nuclear-fortified spiders in an Arizona desert town in this 2002 comic horror film. 7 p.m. FREE! 706-797-2035 EVENTS: Adoption Day (Pet Supplies Plus) Local animal rescue organizations bring their pups out for a chance at finding a forever home. Love connections made every Saturday! 11 a.m.–3 p.m. 706-3530650 EVENTS: Dancefx Open House (Dancefx) Check out the newly expanded schedule, studio and

Amy Jenkins’ video still “Audrey Superhero” is part of the ATHICA exhibit “Nurture,” which opens Saturday, Jan. 9. store and register for fall classes. 10 a.m.–3 p.m. FREE! 706-355-3078, www.dancefx.org EVENTS: Farmers’ Market (Flora Hydroponics) The Sacred Earth Growers Co-Op sets up a newly established year-round farmers’ market. Fresh produce is available again! 2–7 p.m. FREE! 706-3532223 EVENTS: Open House (Athens Montessori School) Take a tour and learn why Montessori education may be right for your child. 2–4 p.m.

FREE! 706-540-8490, www.athensmontessori.org ART: Opening Reception (ATHICA) For “Nurture,” an exhibit featuring video and photography by Amy Jenkins which explores the intimate, yet universal, issues of parenting and breast-feeding. 7–9 p.m. FREE! www.athica.org PERFORMANCE: Comedy Show (The Office Lounge) Free laughs and drinks with friends! 8 p.m. FREE! 706-546-0840 THEATRE: Grease (Oconee County Civic Center) An Oconee Youth Playhouse production. See Jan. 8 Theatre. Jan. 8 & 9 and Jan. 15 & 16, 7 p.m. $14 (students & seniors), $12 (kids Jan. 10 & 17, 3 p.m. $16 (adults), 12 & under) www.oypoysp. com/playhouse KIDSTUFF: Kids’ Clinic at Lowe’s (Lowe’s, Old Epps Bridge Rd.) Kids love to learn how to construct birdfeeders, book ends, bat houses and more! Held every second Saturday

of the month. 10 a.m.–noon. 706613-1100 KIDSTUFF: Princess Book Party (Oconee County Library) Everyone knows that princesses love tiaras and jewels and stories about themselves. Get dressed in your royal finest and come listen to princess stories Saturday morning!

Registration required. 11 a.m. FREE! 706-769-3950 KIDSTUFF: Second Saturday Storytime (Sandy Creek Nature Center) Join Center staff for nature stories. 2:30 p.m. FREE! 706-6133615 KIDSTUFF: Winter Craft Daze (Sandy Creek Park) An afternoon of craft activities in tune with the season. Ages 5–12. Call to register. 3–4 p.m. $3. 706-613-3631 LECTURES & LIT.: “An Approach to Design” (Lyndon House Arts Center) Sabiha Mujtaba, artist and instructor at Highland Woodworking in Atlanta, speaks about her custom wood furniture and art pieces. 9:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3623 MEETINGS: Athens Area Democrats Breakfast (Trumps on Milledge) The featured speaker for today’s breakfast is Clarke County Schools Superintendent Dr. Philip D. Lanoue. The reservation deadline was last week, but a few extra chairs will be available for those who would like to hear the morning program but have not made breakfast reservations. 9 a.m. $14. 706-543-1480, 706-247-3558*

Sunday 10 EVENTS: Free Dance Day! (Dancefx) Try out any of Dancefx’s regularly scheduled Sunday dance classes for free! Choose from ballroom, contemporary, jazz, tap, hip-hop and more! Full schedule available online. 706-355-3078, www.dancefx.org EVENTS: Healthy Habits Open House (Balance Pilates and Wellness Studio, 160-1 Tracy St.) Meet with instructors and learn about the studio’s various offerings, including nutrition classes, group walks and Pilates classes. 3–4 p.m.

FREE! 706-546-1061, www.balancepilatesathens.com EVENTS: Kirtan (Vastu School of Yoga, Chase Park Warehouse) Lend your voice to this ancient form of devotional chanting performed in the traditional “call and response” form with live drumming and harmonium.

7–9 p.m. FREE! 561-723-6172, vastuyoga@hotmail.com THEATRE: Grease (Oconee County Civic Center) An Oconee Youth Playhouse production. See Jan. 8 Theatre. Jan. 8 & 9 and Jan. 15 & 16, 7 p.m. $14 (students & seniors), $12 (kids Jan. 10 & 17, 3 p.m. $16 (adults), 12 & under) www.oypoysp. com/playhouse OUTDOORS: Hiking 102: Raven Cliff Falls (Sandy Creek Park) Learn basic hiking techniques, map

k continued on next page

JANUARY 6, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

19

Eat. Drink. Listen Closely.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6

THE FUNKY BENEFIT for DJ ROMEO COLOGNE

of the Sound ELECTRIC Details Coming Soon!

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8

CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS w/ SOLSTICE SISTERS Tickets $15 adv. • $20 at the door

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9 Georgia Theatre Benefit

KINCHAFOONEE COWBOYS

Tickets $12 adv. • $15 at the door

TUESDAY, JANUARY 12 Terrapin Tuesday Bluegrass featuring

CURLEY MAPLE Tickets $3 • $2 Terrapin Pints

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13

ZOSO

THE ULTIMATE LED ZEPPELIN TRIBUTE Tickets $10

THURSDAY, JANUARY 14

THE LAST WALTZ ENSEMBLE Tickets $8 adv. • $10 at the door

SATURDAY, JANUARY 16

HOLMAN AUTRY BAND Tickets $7 adv. • $10 at the door

SUNDAY, JANUARY 17 American Idol Season 5 finalist

ELLIOTT YAMIN MATT BRODEUR opens

ALL AGES SHOW! • Music at 7:30pm Tickets $15 adv. • $18 at the door

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20 GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

LEO KOTTKE

Tickets $35 adv. • $40 at the door

THURSDAY, JANUARY 21

TROMBONE SHORTY AND ORLEANS AVENUE Tickets $12 adv. • $15 at the door

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22

MOUNTAIN HEART TOWN MOUNTAIN

Tickets $15 adv. • $18 at the door

THURSDAY, JANUARY 28

MOTHER’S FINEST

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

Tickets $25

COMING SOON 1/23 - THE HUSHPUPPIES 1/25 - BOB HAY AND THE JOLLY BEGGARS: ROBERT BURNS CELEBRATION 1/29 - SUPERCLUSTER, MAGNAPOP, FLASH TO BANG TIME 1/30 - THE SWINGIN’ MEDALLIONS 2/4 - TAB BENOIT 2/6 - OWL CITY with LIGHTS & DEAS VAIL (SOLD OUT) 2/13 - FRANCINE REED 2/17 - BRANDI CARLILE, AMY RAY’S ROCK SHOW LOCATED ON THE GROUNDS OF 2/27 - DIRK HOWELL BAND 295 E. DOUGHERTY ST., ATHENS, GA

706.254.6909

WWW.MELTINGPOINTATHENS.COM

FOR TICKETS & SHOWTIMES OR CALL THE BOX OFFICE 706.254.6909

20

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 6, 2010

reading and more. Transportation provided. Bring a sack lunch and water bottle. Ages 10 & up.

Registration required. $20. 706613-3631 MEETINGS: Antarctica Expedition Informational Reception (Call for location) The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UGA is organizing a trip to Antarctica, South Georgia Island and the Falkland Islands in January of 2011. The focus of the trip is to develop an understanding of the Antarctic environment and the adaptations plants and animals undergo for their survival.

6 p.m. FREE! 706-549-7350, olli. uga.edu GAMES: Full-Contact Trivia (Allen’s Bar & Grill) Sports-themed rules with diverse categories. 9 p.m.

FREE! www.allensbarandgrill.com

Monday 11 KIDSTUFF: Bedtime Stories (ACC Library) Every Monday. 7 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Infant Storytime (ACC Library) Nurture language skills.

10:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 GAMES: “20 Questions at Transmet” (Transmetropolitan, Downtown) General trivia. Topics include sex, music, movies, science, history and much more. Check the Facebook Group “20 questions at Transmet” for weekly themes and the online question of the week. Every Monday. 8:30–10 p.m. FREE! 706613-8773 GAMES: Ping Pong (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Get your paddle ready for a riveting round of table tennis. 4–8 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ flickerbar GAMES: Pool Tournament (Alibi) Win prizes every Monday! 8 p.m.

FREE! 706-549-1010 GAMES: Team Trivia (Beef ‘O’ Brady’s) Get a team together and test your knowledge. Every Monday!

8:30 p.m. FREE! 706-850-1916 GAMES: Texas Hold ‘Em (Fat Daddy’s) Bring your poker face for a game of Hold ‘Em. Turbo game at 9 p.m. 6 p.m. 706-353-0241 GAMES: Trivia (Alibi) Every Monday!

9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 GAMES: Trivia (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) Every Monday with prizes!

Sign up at 7:30. 8:30 p.m. 706354-6655

Tuesday 12 EVENTS: Family Fun Night (Lay Park) Bring a potluck dish and compete to see whose family is the most fun. Hula hoop contests, sack races and a free-throw contest will determine the ultimate champion. 6 p.m. $1/person. 706-613-3596 EVENTS: Fuad Elhage (Casa Mia) Tango dancing! Bring a partner or make a new friend. 8 p.m. FREE! 706-227-4444 KIDSTUFF: Children’s Storytime (ACC Library) For children ages 18 months to 5 years. Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m., Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 LECTURES & LIT.: AfricanAmerican Authors Book Club (ACC Library, Small Conference Room) January’s title is Jezebel.

Newcomers welcome. 5 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 GAMES: Locos Trivia (Locos Grill & Pub) All three Athens locations of Locos Grill and Pub (Westside, Eastside and Harris St.) feature trivia night every Tuesday. 8:30 p.m.

FREE! www.locosgrill.com

Sunday, Jan. 10 continued from p. 19

Wednesday 13 EVENTS: Canine Cocktail Hour (Hotel Indigo, Phi Bar & Bistro Courtyard) Drink and food specials for you and your (well-behaved, non-aggressive, vaccinated) dog!

Every Wednesday. 5–7 p.m. www. athensdowntownhotel.com PERFORMANCE: Mundanish Comedy Show (Tasty World Uptown) Featuring Jarrod Harris from Comedy Central’s Live at the Gotham. 8 p.m. $5. www.myspace. com/tastyworlduptown KIDSTUFF: Children’s Storytime (ACC Library) For children ages 18 months to 5 years. Tuesdays, 9:30 a.m., Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 KIDSTUFF: Cupcake Club (Rocksprings Neighborhood Center) Meet with your fellow cupcake compatriots and collaborate on the design for a different themed cupcake every Wednesday! 10–11:30 a.m. $1. 706-613-3603, www.accleisureservices.com KIDSTUFF: Wildcard Wednesday for Teens (ACC Library) Up next: Taboo Jr. This game day may be more challenging (and, naturally, more fun) than you expect. Ages 11–18. Space is limited. 4 p.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 GAMES: Game Night (Alibi) Develop coordination, tolerance and grace through beer pong and blind draw darts. Every Wednesday with Corey. FREE! 706-549-1010 GAMES: Movie Trivia Night (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Where movie trivia meets performance art. Hosted by “It Boy” Jeff Tobias and sponsored by Vision Video. Prizes! Sign up at 8 p.m. Trivia starts at 8:30 p.m.

FREE! www.myspace.com/flickerbar GAMES: Poker Tour (Buffalo’s Southwest Café) Texas Hold ‘Em every Wednesday. 7:30 p.m. 706354-6655

GAMES: Sports Trivia (Beef ‘O’ Brady’s) Every Wednesday. 8:30 p.m.

FREE! 706-850-1916 GAMES: Trivia (Willy’s Mexicana Grill) Every Wednesday. 8–10 p.m.

FREE! 706-548-1920 GAMES: Trivia (Blind Pig Tavern) Think you know it all? 9:30 p.m.

706-548-3442 GAMES: Trivia Wars (283 Bar) Chris Creech hosts general knowledge trivia with different themes each week. Check the Facebook group “Trivia Wars!” for weekly updates and online question of the week.

8:30 p.m. (sign up) 9 p.m. (game starts). FREE! 706-208-1283 * Advance Tickets Available

Down the Line LECTURES & LIT.: “Hogaku: New Sounds of Japan 2010” 1/15 (UGA Ramsey Concert Hall) Hogaku Journal editor Takafumi Tanaka delivers a lecture on Japanese music preceding the performance. 7 p.m.

FREE! 706-542-4400 PERFORMANCE: Hogaku: New Sounds of Japan 2010 1/15 (UGA Ramsey Concert Hall) A musical showcase featuring the best of traditional Japanese music. Catch performances on instruments like the chappa, the taiko drum, the koto and more. 8 p.m. FREE! 706-5424400 EVENTS: Miss UGA Scholarship Pageant 1/16 (UGA Hodgson Hall) UGA women compete for $1,500 in scholarships and prizes. The winner will move on to the Miss Georgia Pageant later this year. Tickets available at Tate Center cashier window and Performing Arts Center box office. 7 p.m. $10 (UGA students), $15 (non-students). 706-542-8074* OUTDOORS: Naturalist Walk 1/16 (Sandy Creek Nature Center) Learn about winter happenings in the the woods when you join SCNC staff for a walk around the property. 10–11 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3615

EVENTS: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service 1/18 (Lyndon House Arts Center) Celebrate Dr. King’s legacy by volunteering to work on different local service projects in the morning and then celebrate in the afternoon at LHAC with live music, variety shows, poetry readings and hands-on art activities.

9 a.m.–3 p.m. 706-613-3623, www.

AthensMLKDay.org.

LECTURES & LIT.: Talking about Books 1/20 (ACC Library, Small Conference Room) This month, members will read and discuss E.L. Doctorow’s The March. Newcomers welcome. 10:30 a.m. FREE! 706613-3650 EVENTS: Wine Dinner 1/21 (Casa Mia) Featuring Catena Wines. Call about the special menu! $50, 706227-4444 ART: Reception 1/22 (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) For “Tutorial: Artworks by OCAF Art Instructors.” 6–9 p.m. FREE! 706769-4565, www.ocaf.com LECTURES & LIT.: “The Shape of Words” 1/23 (Oconee County Library) Award-winning international author Brian Jay Corrigan leads a day-long seminar on the art and process of fiction writing. Registration is required. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. FREE! 706-769-3950, www.clarke.public. lib.ga.us/oconee.html ART: Mental Health Benefit Artist Reception 1/24 (Ciné Barcafé) Reception for artists participating in the 20th Annual Art Auction to benefit Mental Health America of NE Georgia. FREE! www.athenscine. com, www.fightthestigma.com PERFORMANCE: Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra 1/24 (UGA Hodgson Hall) A program of majestic Russian musical works. 7:30 p.m. $25–$30. 706542-4400, www.uga.edu/pac THEATRE: The Shape of Things 1/26 (UGA Fine Arts Building) A UGA Drama Department production.

Jan. 26–30, 8 p.m. Jan. 31, 2:30 p.m. & 8 p.m. $10 (adults). $7 (seniors and students). 706-542-2838

Wednesday, January 6

Battle of the Bands Benefit for Nuçi’s Finals!

40 Watt Club Ah, the Battle of the Bands. Why not just call it “The Great Rock and Roll Ponzi Scheme?” Hey, high school kids! Sell 25 tickets 2009 winners: The Pencil Thin Reefer Band at 10 bucks a pop to all of your buddies, and you may win a chance to advance to the semi-finals! But could this questionable concept be made to work for the forces of good? In this case, it is so. How, you ask? By removing the dangling carrot of Guitar Center gig bags in favor of good old-fashioned bragging rights, recruiting just-for-fun cover bands made up of employees at various local businesses, and putting all of the proceeds toward the venerable cause that is Nuçi’s Space.

So, for example, last year’s winner was an almost unconscionably bizarre Jimmy Buffet tribute consisting entirely of bartenders, doormen and sound guys from the Caledonia Lounge. This year’s first round came and went in December, and the second, uh, that is to say final round, is this week. Based on reports from last month’s showdown, it sounds like it’s going to be kind of incredible. Espresso Royale Caffe’s stage-packing performance (all 11 staff members) featured an a cappella rendition of Beyoncé’s perennial classic “Single Ladies.” Flagpole went so far as to interrupt a beleaguered staffer at The Globe via telephone during business hours (sorry about that) and was told that their group performs as a “PBRchestra,” which needs to be seen/heard to be believed.

The Caledonia Lounge team will be returning to defend its crown, and teams repping for the UGA Music Business School and Partner Software will be in full effect as well. The total opposite of the usually suspect scenario of a Battle of the Bands, the prize here seems to be having a good time, knowing they’ve helped gain Nuçi’s Space some muchneeded cash, and playing to a packed 40 Watt Club. Kudos go to 40 Watt bar manager Rick Poss for putting together such a great event! [Jeff Tobias]

Mike White · deadlydesigns.com

THE CALENDAR!

KIDSTUFF: Early Release Day: National Geographic 1/27 (Memorial Park) Get involved in a variety of games, international crafts and a pizza party. 12:30–5 p.m. $10.

706-613-3580, www.accleisureservices.com THEATRE: The Wedding Singer 1/27 (The Classic Center) Your favorite Adam Sandler film has finally been adapted for musical theatre!

This Broadway production of The Wedding Singer, directed by Athens’ own M. Seth Reines, is sure to put the “classic” in The Classic Center.

7:30 p.m. $11–$66. 706-357-4444, www.classiccenter.com ART: Curator’s Walk & Talk 1/28 (ATHICA) Curator and ATHICA Director Lizzie Zucker Saltz leads a discussion about “Nurture,” an exhibition which features work by Amy Jenkins and explores societal attitudes about breast-feeding and nonsexual nudity. All ages are welcome.

7–8 p.m. FREE! www.athica.org KIDSTUFF: Parent/Child Workshop 1/28 (ACC Library, Storyroom) For children ages 1–3 and their caregivers. In-person registration is required. Open to firsttime participants. Jan. 28–Feb. 18, 10–11 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 PERFORMANCE: Alice in Wonderland 1/28 (MadisonMorgan Cultural Center) Bits ‘N Pieces Puppet Theater takes you down the rabbit hole in this fullbody and traditional puppet show!

9:30 a.m. & 1 p.m. $5. 706-3424743, www.mmccarts.org EVENTS: Green Life Expo 1/29 (The Classic Center) Featuring seminars and exhibits on environmentally friendly cleaning products, composting, home energy conservation, LEED building and more. Friday focuses on business and industry; Saturday focuses on homeowners and apartment dwellers. Jan. 29, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Jan. 30, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

FREE! www.greenlifeathens.com EVENTS: Henry D. Green Symposium 1/29 (UGA Center for Continuing Education) The Georgia Museum of Art hosts the Henry D. Green Symposium of the Decorative Arts in its fifth year: “Neighboring Voices: The Decorative Culture of Our Southern Cousins.” Following a tour of five historic houses in Athens, Robert A. Leath will deliver a lecture on early decorative arts in the South. Register by Jan. 15. Jan. 29–30. 706-542-4662, www.uga. edu/gamuseum EVENTS: Scottish Celebration and Annual Robert Burns Dinner 1/30 (The Classic Center) The Thistle and Kudzu Scottish Society hosts an evening of traditional Scottish fare, spirited toasts, live music and dancing in celebration of the 251st birthday of Scotland’s favorite son, poet Robert Burns.

6:30–10 p.m. $35. 706-357-4444, www.thistleandkudzu.net LECTURES & LIT.: Winter WakeUp for Writers 1/30 (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) Learn about DIY publishing, working with literary agents and freelancing in today’s climate. Speak with a panel of published and aspiring writers and develop the skills necessary to market a book once published. Fee includes lunch. Register by Jan. 23.

9 a.m.–4 p.m. $70. www.ocaf.com OUTDOORS: 2nd Annual Chilly Dawg 5K 1/30 (Sandy Creek Park) Run or walk your way to the finish on paved paths throughout the park. Proceeds benefit the College of Family and Consumer Sciences Alumni Association and the ARCH Foundation of UGA. 9 a.m. $20.

706-542-3386, www.active.com * Advance Tickets Available

Live Music

THURSDAY, JANUARY 14

Tuesday 5

NUÇI’S SPACE BENEFIT DRIVE

Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 KARAOKE With the singing cowboy.

Buffalo’s Southwest Café 6–10 p.m. $5 (includes lessons). 706354-6655 DINE & DANCE NIGHT Beginners’ and advanced dance lessons every Tuesday from 6–7 p.m. followed by open dance until 10 p.m.

Fat Daddy’s 10 p.m. FREE! 706-353-0241 KARAOKE Huge karaoke dance party hosted by Lynn every Tuesday night.

Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar GEMINI CRICKET This local band has ditched its cutesy kazoo pop in favor of sleazy garage stomps that swagger through the reverb and jangle with ‘60s abandon.

SPOOKY No info available.

TRASHCANS Nate Mitchell of Cars Can Be Blue heads up this garagerock project that’s self-described as “lo-fi, blown-out scuzz punk.”

Wednesday 6 40 Watt Club 8 p.m. $5. www.40watt.com BATTLE OF THE BANDS FINALS Featuring bands made up of employees from The Globe, UGA Music Business Program, Espresso Royal Caffe, Partner Software and returning champs: The Caledonia Lounge. Proceeds benefit Nuçi’s Space. See Calendar Pick p. 20.

Fat Daddy’s 10 p.m.–1 a.m. FREE! 706-353-0241 OPEN MIC Every Wednesday featuring Avery Dylan.

Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar DEAD DOG Frenetic, spunky lo-fi punk delivered with a pop smile.

Little Kings Shuffle Club 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/littlekingsshuffleclub EMILY ARMOND The singer/songwriter behind Sea of Dogs performs her heartfelt folk ballads solo over banjo and guitar.

YE OLDE SUB SHOPPE Local “mountain twee project.”

The Melting Point 8 p.m. www.meltingpointathens.com THE FUNKY BENEFIT FOR DJ ROMEO COLOGNE David Pierce, AKA Romeo Cologne, has been hosting funk and disco dance parties in Athens and Atlanta for more than 15 years.

The Office Lounge 9:30 p.m. FREE! 706-549-0840 KARAOKE Wednesdays with Lynn!

Rye Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/ryebarathens 3 FOOT SWAGGER Local jam rockers who blend high-energy rock with myriad original sounds.

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown THE BORDER LIONS Rock and roll trio that plays ‘70s-inspired songs,

285 W. Washington St. Athens, GA • Call 706-549-7871 for Show Updates

CHEAP DRINK SPECIALS EVERY NIGHT BEFORE 11PM • 18 + UP

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6

BATTLE OF THE BANDS BANDS: PARTNER SOFTWARE ESPRESSO ROYALE CAFFE 40 WATT CLUB CALEDONIA LOUNGE UGA MUSIC BUSINESS PROGRAM THE GLOBE

doors open at 8pm • five dollars

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7

JUSTIN BROGD0N

BLOODKIN CAMP AMPED SHOWCASE doors open at 8pm twenty two dollars and fifty cents adv.*

FRIDAY, JANUARY 15

& 1 STORY TOWN

with THE DECOYS

DREW DAVIS doors open at 9pm • five dollars GEORGIA THEATRE PRESENTS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8 doors open at 8pm twenty two dollars and fifty cents adv.*

CORDUROY ROAD

SATURDAY, JANUARY 16

with THE DECOYS

MADELINE & WHITE FLAG BAND POSSUM JENKINS doors open at 9pm • seven dollars adv.*

SATURDAY, JANUARY 9

Marriage

doors open at 8pm twenty two dollars and fifty cents adv.* All Shows 18 and up • + $2 for Under 21 * Advance Tix Available at Schoolkids Records ** Advance Tix Sold at http://www.40watt.com

YAAL HUSH • HOT BREATH THE JACK BURTON

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Come by and test out the newest Apple products and learn why everyone loves shopping at PeachMac. The blazing fast new iMacs will blow your mind! macs • ipods • software • service • business solutions 1850 Epps Bridge Pkwy • 706-208-9990 • peachmac.com • Athens • Augusta • Now in Macon!

k continued on next page

JANUARY 6, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

21

THE CALENDAR! with styles ranging from beachy to bluesy.

IBILISI TAKEDOWN This Athens band plays energetic Southern rock and sultry blues punctuated by fiddle, harmonica and guitar.

POIEMA Indie folk with a major jam band feel.

Thursday 7 40 Watt Club 9 p.m. $5. www.40watt.com DREW DAVIS Swaggerin’ Nashville country rock.

JUSTIN BROGDON & 1 STORY TOWN Rock vet Justin Brogdon puts a lot of Southern soul into his epic songs, drawing from artists like The Black Crowes and Tom Petty.

His all-American sound owes a lot to his all-star backing band.

Alibi Thursdays, FREE! 706-549-1010 OPEN MIC/JAM Hosted by members of The Rattlers. Open to all musicians.

Farm 255 10 p.m. 706-549-4660 RAND LINES TRIO Rand Lines and fellow trio members, drummer Carlton Owens and bassist Dennis Baraw, play modern and original jazz compositions.

Flicker Theatre & Bar “Man Gave Names to All the Animals.”

8:30 p.m. www.myspace.com/ flickerbar “MAN GAVE NAMES TO ALL THE ANIMALS” Tonight’s show features rotating sets from efren, Patrick Carey (Ginger Envelope), Joe Chambers, Betsy Franck, Adam Klein and David Sturgis. Expect a blend of Americana sounds, with splashes of country, folk and some rock.

Wednesday, Jan. 6 continued from p. 21

Go Bar 11:30 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ gobar “DR. FRED’S KARAOKE” Hosted by karaoke fanatic John “Dr. Fred” Bowers, every Thursday.

Hotel Indigo “Live After Five.” 6–8 p.m. FREE! www. athensdowntownhotel.com DAN NETTLES Celebrated local jazz musician known for his work fronting Kenosha Kid. Performing in the Phi Bar and Bistro in the lobby.

The Office Lounge 8 p.m. FREE! 706-546-0840 KARAOKE CONTEST Thursdays!

Rye Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/ryebarathens DJ KEIS KEIS Hip-hop dance party!

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown DEAD CONFEDERATE With its moody, dark weaving of Southern rock and grunge, Dead Confederate is quickly ascending in popularity across the nation and beyond.

Celebrating the release of a new live EP tonight.

FUTUREBIRDS Local folk-rock collective with a tattered, raspy edge.

Terrapin Beer Co. 5:30 p.m. www.terrapinbeer.com THE MASON JARS Acoustic folk/ blues whose wailing harmonica gives it a 1920s prison blues aesthetic.

Friday 8 40 Watt Club 9 p.m. $7 (adv). www.40watt.com* CORDUROY ROAD Although rooted in classic Americana, with lots of

foot stomping, banjo plucking and pedal steel, The Corduroy Road also has a knack for endearing pop melodies.

MADELINE AND THE WHITE FLAG BAND Joined by her brand-new backing band featuring Jason Trahan (guitar), Jacob Morris (bass) and Jim Wilson (drums), named after her most recent release, White Flag.

Madeline Adams is a prized local songwriter, poignant storyteller and enchanting singer.

POSSUM JENKINS Americana with its roots embedded firmly in a country-western style.

Go Bar 9 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar YO SOY BEAN Nicholas Mallis and Ryan Sedwick sing melodic, emotional acoustic numbers.

11 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar ALEJANDRO CRAWFORD AthensBrookyln poet and multimedia performance artist performs with custom software and his “Vonome,” a piano that plays video instead of musical notes. He’ll be backed by local DJ Immuzikation.

IMMUZIKATION Celebrated local DJ Alfredo Lapuz Jr. mashes up highenergy electro and rock.

Alibi 9 p.m. 706-549-1010 GRIFFIN BAND Playing rock and roll and blues covers and originals. With special guest Mike Rice of Diamond Back.

The Library 9 p.m. $5. www.libraryathens.com SALSA DANCING Come early for the lesson and stay late to flaunt your education on the dancefloor.

Club Chrome 9 p.m. $7. 706-543-9009 BIG DON BAND Real Southern rock featuring soulful vocals backed by smooth, bluesy guitars. Lynyrd Skynyrd would approve.

Farm 255 10 p.m. FREE! 706-549-4660 VENICE IS SINKING With boy/girl vocals, a cinematic jangle and a sweeping, emotional punch courtesy of a viola, Venice Is Sinking’s pianobased torch songs burn bright.

Flicker Theatre & Bar 8:30 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/ flickerbar HOLA HALO “70s keys, dripping guitars and marching band drums” are the specialty of this local band. See Calendar Pick on this page.

LAST YEAR’S MEN Duo from Chapel Hill inspired by ‘60s American garage pop.

RAG No info available.

ROMANENKO Local trio draws from ‘70s pop and folk with a modern rock edge, like Mary Timony fronting the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Friday, January 8

Hola Halo, Romanenko, Last Year’s Men, Rag Flicker Theatre & Bar Hola Halo occupies an interesting niche in the Athens music scene.

Though there are several acts with talented female lead vocalists (another of which is also playing this Hola Halo evening), Hola Halo’s Shauna Greeson, who also plays piano and glockenspiel, might be the most likely of the lot to win “American Idol.” And luckily for you, you’ll have many opportunities to experience this in January, but don’t assume that fact grants you leeway to skip this show. The night is extra celebratory—not only of Greeson’s birth(ish)day, but also of the band’s debuting of new material, which the group will be taking into the studio in the two days following the event. Greeson describes the new record as “a deeper, darker hue of Hola Halo.”

Hola Halo’s earlier work is reminiscent of Pink Floyd or The Doors’ approach to phrasebased psychedelic rock, mixed with some XTC-influenced pop crooning delivered with soul-emptying sincerity and enough low end to blur the periphery. But there are no illusions here—this is a group that has something to prove and knows that the proof is in the performative pudding: expect seamless changes, interesting musical segments and deliberate pronouncement. The group aims for clean, and that word is frequently followed by “fun,” yet when it isn’t, your heart’ll hurt just right. This is a group that Greeson describes as a “band of fine friends that makes [her] proud.”

Don’t dawdle getting there! The aforementioned other band, Romanenko, will be providing sado-masochistio-literate punk rock for those brave enough pay attention. I could write as many words in praise of this act as I did for the headliners, but instead of doing that I’ll just quote Greeson again and call it a day: “Romanenko rocks!” [Tony Floyd]

22

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 6, 2010

The Melting Point 8:30 p.m. $15 (adv), $20 (door). www. meltingpointathens.com CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS Trio of banjo and fiddle extraordinaires carrying on the tradition of string bands from the green hills of the Carolinas. See story on p. 11.

THE SOLSTICE SISTERS Three-part vocal harmonies on a variety of old-time country ballads, ‘40s swing and traditional folk. Dick Daniels will accompany on bass and Lee Hiers will man the dobro.

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. www.newearthmusichall.com DJ RICH ROCK’S “WINTER HEAT” Rich Rock brings the heat on a cold night to get you dancing. Featuring Travis Porter.

The Office Lounge 8 p.m. FREE! 706-546-0840 KARAOKE CONTEST The karaoke finals with Ken! Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ tastyworlduptown EUROTRASH Annual themed party featuring five DJ teams taking turns behind the turn tables.

Terrapin Beer Co. 5:30 p.m. www.terrapinbeer.com TOMORROW PEOPLE Atlanta-based rock and roll band that plays bluesy covers and originals.

WUGA 91.7 FM 4 p.m. FREE! www.wuga.org “IT’S FRIDAY!” Curley Maple and The Corduroy Road will perform on the local radio station’s weekly program. University Cable Channel 15 will also broadcast the show.

Saturday 9 40 Watt Club 9 p.m. $4 (21+), $6 (18+). www.40watt. com HOT BREATH Thrash trio featuring members of experimental local acts Garbage Island and S.V.A. See Calendar Pick on p. 23.

THE JACK BURTON Local punk band featuring former members of departed Athens faves like Hunter-Gatherer, Let’s Surf! and Exit 86.

MARRIAGE Truly unclassifiable local Christian sludge-rock trio.

YAAL HUSH Brand new hard psych band featuring Aaron Jollay on bass and vocals, Drew Smith from on drums, Kemp Stroble on guitar, Kris Deason of Dark Meat on guitar, keys, noise, and Curtis Vorda of Dark Meat on oscillator.

Alibi 9 p.m. 706-549-1010 SMITH FAMILY BENEFIT A benefit show to help London and

Victoria Smith after the loss of their husband/father. Featuring Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs, Lara Johnson, Marti Winkler, David Duran, Michael Steele, Shannon Adams, Byron Dillard and Rollin’ Home.

Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com ADAM PAYNE BAND Payne’s impressively versatile tenor is somewhat reminiscent of Neil Young’s nasal delivery. Payne writes songs with a lot of heart–the kind of tunes that can either make you tear up or laugh out loud.

BEARFOOT HOOKERS This rowdy local band performs funky, goodhumored country.

SHITTY CANDY Local femme punk crew Shitty Candy “throws some bitch punk in your face.” The accompanying Circus Peanuts are the crew of backup dancers going the costumed/burlesque-ish route.

Flicker Theatre & Bar 8:30 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/ flickerbar ACCORDIONS No info available.

AMO JOY! A fun group featuring light-hearted melodies and lyrics with an assortment of oddball instruments like the kazoo and slide whistle.

MELISSA COLBERT You’ve seen Colbert strut her stuff in local bands Creepy and Everybody Everybody.

Don’t miss her always energetic performances and rich, powerful vocals.

KATE MORRISSEY Best known throughout this corridor for her dark velvet voice that stands on its own, Morrissey’s songwriting is literate and sincere, and her conversational live shows come punctuated with an offbeat sense of humor.

Go Bar 10 p.m. 706-546-5609 THE DIAMOND CENTER This group formed in Athens in 2008 with ex-members of Sleepy Horses and Brown Frown, but then relocated to Virginia. Psychedelic folk and gauzy vocals haunt the new release, My Only Companion.

FIRE ZUAVE Dreamy, fun psych-pop based here in town.

12:30 a.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ gobar “LATE NITE DISCO” The house deejay and occasional special guests spin a cool mix of disco, new wave and modern dance tunes.

The Melting Point 9 p.m. $12 (adv), $15 (door). www. meltingpointathens.com KINCHAFOONEE COWBOYS Georgia four-piece country and Southern rock that has kept mostly the same lineup since they were in high school nearly 20 years ago.

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. www.newearthmusichall.com LFO YEAH!!! Tonight’s dubstep throwdown.

Rye Bar 10 p.m. FREE! www.myspace.com/ ryebarathens CATAWBA Local four-piece playing mellow indie rock informed by windswept Americana. Grab a copy of the band’s latest record at this show!

TREES LEAVE Nashville duo offers alt-folk originals and re-woven traditionals via guitar, fiddle and dual vocals.

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown MAMA’S LOVE Young, funky jam band from right here in Athens. The

band’s slogan says it all: “bringin’ it back to the roots while goin’ beyond the bounds.”

THE MODERATE A schizophrenic mixture of rock, punk and country.

Terrapin Beer Co. 5:30 p.m. www.terrapinbeer.com SEPTEMBER HASE Jam rock influenced by the sounds of Nashville.

Sunday 10 Buffalo’s Southwest Café 6:30 p.m. 706-354-6655 GOSPEL REVIEW Every Sunday at Buffalo’s in their big back room.

Kingpins Bowl & Brew “Headbanger’s Bowl.” 8 p.m. $3 (21+), $5 (under 21). www.kingpinsbowlandbrew.com STYGIAN APOTHEGM Local fourpiece that creates heavy-ass stonermetal, drawing on bands like Pantera and Opeth for ideas.

Sky City Lounge & Bulldog Cafe 706-380-7699 KARAOKE (468 North Ave.) Old School Social Sundays begin!

Square One Fish Co. 1-4 p.m. FREE! www.squareonefishco. com SUNDAY JAZZ BRUNCH Rotating local jazz artists play Sunday afternoons on the patio.

Monday 11 Ciné Barcafé 6–8 p.m. FREE! www.athenscine.com OPEN JAZZ JAM Calling all jazz musicians. Now you can join local jazz group Sonny Got Blue every Monday for an open mic jam.

Flicker Theatre & Bar 9 p.m.–midnight. FREE! www.myspace. com/flickerbar KENOSHA KID One of Athens’ most prized and inventive jazz ensembles continues its month-long residency at Flicker, rehearsing new material for an upcoming release. Expect visual treats on the projection screen and inspiring work from guitarist Dan Nettles, bassist Neal Fountain and drummer Marlon Patton.

Go Bar 10 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar AMERICAN CHEESEBURGER Athens four-piece that boasts former members of No!, Divorce and Carrie Nations, delivering rapid-fire, loud and aggressive old-school thrash rock. Jeff Rapier (The Dumps) recently joined as the new singer.

BRAINKILLERS Hardcore band from Boston.

DIET COKEHEADS Band from Gainesville, FL that sounds a bit like old Sonic Youth.

SCAPEGOAT Boston grindcore for fans of Crossed Out and the like.

Little Kings Shuffle Club 8–10 p.m. FREE! www.meltingpointathens.com THE HOOT A monthly event sponsored by the Athens Folk Music and Dance Society, and hosted by Susan Staley. This week features folk rock group efren and slide-guitar-heavy blues duo Mad Whiskey Grin plus many more!

New Earth Music Hall 9 p.m. www.newearthmusichall.com T8R(TOT) Local beatmaster mixes trippy electronic laptop creations featuring dubstep, drum ‘n’ bass and funk. CD Release Party!

Saturday, January 9

Marriage, Yaal Hush, Hot Breath 40 Watt Club While politicians caricature and exploit the image of the working-class family on the regular, it’s good to know that hardworking folks like Clem and Loretta Adams stand in Hot Breath contradiction to what’s typical of the traditional nuclear unit. Perhaps that’s because they take the idea of the nuclear unit to its logical conclusion: explosion. As the guitarist and drummer, respectively, of “anti-missionary, anti-civilization, anti-racist” thrash punk trio Hot Breath, they defy many, if not all, social norms. To wit: the Adamses began dating 10 years ago and formed the band two years later. They discovered each other as neighbors. “He miraculously turned out to be the boy next door,” Loretta says. “She told me she used to play drums, so I hooked her up with some kind of rigged-up kit, and she started thrashing on it, and I knew right then we were gonna do something,” says Clem. After four years of music that Loretta dismisses as “bullshit,” they invited the hyper-enthusiastic Chris Herron to join on bass, and things got more serious. The band was gaining momentum and preparing to take its shit live and then bam: baby. Loretta gave birth in April of 2007 to Nova Adams.

Whereas for most people a child being born would result in guitars becoming wall ornaments, this would not be so for Hot Breath. Anyone who watches these musicians play will know that they are not hobbyists; Clem in particular is a towering inferno of nighpsychotic intensity. A few months after Nova’s birth, the band started playing out. And behold: Hot Breath is a total blast-beat-powered locomotive, halting its careening velocity only for brief moments of power-psych whiplash. It is so, so over the top and really, really great. In the meantime, there’s been a recording brewing as well, an 11-song fulllength blasted out in three days under the watchful ear of Joel Hatstat over at The Bakery.

The material is pretty “balls out” according to Loretta. Clem, what’s the title? “A Maggot’s Reward.” Loretta reports that there’s even a song for their daughter on it: “Supernova.”

Holy shit, this band rules. You wish Hot Breath were your parents. [Jeff Tobias]

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown GERONIMO! Spastic, angular rock from Chicago.

PEACHS Local doom metal band.

Tuesday 12 Alibi 9 p.m. FREE! 706-549-1010 KARAOKE With the singing cowboy.

Buffalo’s Southwest Café 6–10 p.m. $5 (includes lessons). 706354-6655 DINE & DANCE NIGHT Beginners’ and advanced dance lessons every Tuesday from 6–7 p.m. followed by open dance until 10 p.m.

Fat Daddy’s 10 p.m. FREE! 706-353-0241 KARAOKE Huge karaoke dance party.

Go Bar 9 p.m. www.myspace.com/gobar BLACK BARBIE A mashup of punk, electro and pop described as “a little bit hood, a little bit scene.”

PUNK BUNNY Charmingly off-kilter electropop dance tunes.

SHITTY CANDY Local femme punk crew Shitty Candy “throws some bitch punk in your face.” The accompanying Circus Peanuts are the crew of backup dancers.

WITNESS THE APOTHEOSIS New wave/industrial two-piece with heavy and rapid electronic dance beats fused with Depeche Mode-esque vocals and dark, moving cello.

The Melting Point 7 p.m. $3. www.meltingpointathens. com CURLEY MAPLE Fiddler David Blackmon’s progressive old-time

project. He’s joined by wife Noel and Christian Lopez on mandolin and guitar, and Chris Enghauser on bass. New album Shawneetown is out now! Part of the weekly Terrapin Tuesday Bluegrass series.

Tasty World Uptown 10 p.m. $5. www.myspace.com/tastyworlduptown THE DISTRICT ATTORNEYS New local rock started by Drew Beskin in Indiana and recently relocated here. His poppy Americana style is influenced by acts like Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac and The Replacements.

JOKERS AND THIEVES Folk-rock originals and interestingly interpreted covers.

WHIMSICAL MIMBSICALS Featuring TJ Mimbs.

Wednesday 13 Caledonia Lounge 10 p.m. $5 (21+), $7 (18+). www.caledonialounge.com BELLMAN BARKER D.C. four-piece with an Appalachian folk approach to indie rock.

CANDY MALDONADO New local band whose debut EP, Me to Your Right, Like Meteorite, features airy, mostly instrumental numbers punctuated by unpredictable rhythms and jangly guitars.

EASY A No info available.

PONCHO MAGIC Bluegrass sensibilities with country-rock execution.

The multi-part vocal harmonies are the real show, though.

Farm 255 10 p.m. FREE! www.farm255.com LESLIE HELPERT Local singersongwriter Leslie “Serpentfly” Helpert has kept quiet as of late, but when she does pop up she inhabits

each and every one of her jazz-folkblues songs to the fullest. Helpert’s most recent album is Radishes & Cupcakes.

Fat Daddy’s 10 p.m.–1 a.m. FREE! 706-353-0241 OPEN MIC Every Wednesday featuring Avery Dylan.

The Melting Point 9 p.m. $10. www.meltingpointathens. com ZOSO Expect typical Led Zeppelin covers as well as a trip into relative Zep obscurity during the California band’s traditional two-set performance.

The Office Lounge 9:30 p.m. FREE! 706-549-0840 KARAOKE Every Wednesday with Lynn!

Wednesday January 27 at 7:30 p.m.

* Advance Tickets Available

Down the Line 1/14 Bloodkin / Drive-By Truckers (40 Watt Club)* 1/14 Manray / Wedge (Caledonia Lounge) 1/14 Kite to the Moon (New Earth Music Hall) 1/14 The Last Waltz Ensemble (The Melting Point) 1/15 The Decoys feat. David Hood / Drive-By Truckers (40 Watt Club)* 1/15 50:50 Shot / Burns Like Fire / Royal City Riot / The Taj Motel (Caledonia Lounge) 1/15 Deaf Judges / Lord T and Eloise (New Earth Music Hall) 1/16 G.L.O.W. (New Earth Music Hall) 1/23 The Orkids (40 Watt Club)

Call, click or stop by the Box Office e

706.357.4444 • www.ClassicCenter.com 300 N. Thomas St. • Downtown Athens

Productions in the Broadway Entertainment Series are made possible by our sponsors:

®

* Advance Tickets Available

JANUARY 6, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

23

bulletin board DO SOMETHING; GET INVOLVED! Deadline for getting listed in Bulletin Board and Art Around Town is every THURSDAY at 12 p.m.

Email calendar@flagpole.com. Listings are printed based on available space, more listings are online.

ART Call for Artists (Lyndon House Arts Center) Visions of MLK, an annual art show, is seeking submissions of visual art and poetry for 2010’s show, Forever Mightier Than the Sword. Entries should promote MLK Day and may be submitted by Jan. 6. 706-372-5375, underground athens2@yahoo.com Call for Artists (Various Locations) Mental Health America of Northeast Georgia is currently seeking donated art for the 20th Annual Mental Health Benefit which runs Jan. 24–30. 770-633-3513, 706549-7888, www.fightthestigma.com Call for Submissions (Lyndon House Arts Center) Lyndon House Arts Center will accept entries for its 35th Juried Art Exhibition on Jan. 28 (12:30–8:30 p.m.) and Jan. 29 (10 a.m.–4 p.m.). The competition is open to Athens area artists working in all visual media. $20 submission fee (up to 3 works)706-613-3623, www.accleisureservices.com

AUDITIONS Old Time Radio Show (Memorial Park, Quinn Hall) Athens Creative Theatre is holding auditions for its upcoming production in February.

All ages are welcome. Jan. 7, 7–9:30 p.m. 706-613-3628, www.athens creativetheatre.com

CLASSES 12 Weeks to Total Wellness (St. Mary’s Wellness Center) St. Mary’s registered dietitians offer a new health and wellness program with a focus on nutrition. Begins

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Jan. 7. Thursdays, 3–4 p.m. $100/ program, $10/class. 706-389-3355 Abrakadoodle Art Classes (Rocksprings Neighborhood Center) With the holiday season at its close, it’s time for many households to redecorate their refrigerators. Junior artists are invited to create unique masterpieces in various media. Fee covers four sessions and all materials. For kids ages 3–5 years. Jan. 25 & Feb. 1, 9 & 16, 1–2 p.m. $20.

706-613-3603, www.accleisure services.com Active Climbing Family Climbers (Active Climbing) Family bonding time, where kids get to climb with their parents. Please call ahead! Fridays, 4–6 p.m. $10/ person. 706-354-0038, adrian@ activeclimbing.com Adventure Club: Yoga Teacher Training (Rubber Soul Yoga Revolution Studio) A four-month workshop in yoga and life. Develop your own voice and methodology. Jan. 9–May 1. 706461-0262, calclements@yahoo. com, www.rubbersoulyoga.com/ adventure.html Beginning Bellydance for Fitness (YWCO) Have fun and exercise at the same time with this incredible dance form. Tuesdays, noon–1 p.m. Wednesdays, 6–7 p.m.

706-354-7880, natakiya@gmail.com Beginning to Intermediate Pottery (Lyndon House Arts Center) Develop wheelthrowing, glazing and decorating techniques while you make your own unique stoneware! Jan. 14–Feb. 18, 706613-3623, www.accleisureservices. com Bellydancing Class (Five Points Yoga) Two-hour introductory workshop. No experience required.

Jan. 9, 1:30–3:30 p.m. $20. www. athensfivepointsyoga.com

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 6, 2010

Bike Safety Class (Greenway) Keep safe on two wheels! Learn basic safety skills and general bicycle maintenance tips before you cruise down the Greenway and sip hot chocolate (not simultaneously, of course. Safety first!). For kids ages 8–14 years. Jan. 9, 1–3 p.m. $2.

706-613-3615, www.athensgreen way.com Bouldering (Active Climbing) Come and learn to climb without ropes at Athens’ new climbing center! Wednesdays, 5:30–6:30 p.m. $15. 706-354-0038, adrian@active climbing.com Clay Classes (Good Dirt) Weekly “Try Clay” class every Friday from 7–9 p.m. and “Family Try Clay,” Sundays, 2–4 p.m. ($20/person).

706-355-3161, www.gooddirt.net Clay Workshops and Winter Classes (Good Dirt) Now registering for winter clay classes and kids’ out-of-school clay workshops!

See full schedule online. 706-3553161, www.gooddirt.net Climbing for Beginners (Active Climbing) Learn the ropes and develop climbing technique at Athens’ new climbing center.

Mondays, 5:30–7 p.m. 706-3540038, adrian@activeclimbing.com Computer Class (ACC Library) “Mouse and Keyboard Skills.” In the Educational Technology Center. Call to register. Jan. 7, 10–11:30 a.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 Computer Class (ACC Library, Educational Technology Center) Two-part introduction to computers.

Must attend both sessions. Call to register. Jan. 13–14, 10–11:30 a.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650 Computer Class (ACC Library, Education Technology Center) Introduction to Power Point. Call to register. Jan. 28, 10–11:30 a.m.

FREE! 706-613-3650

Rand and Hudson Lines’ photography is on exhibit at White Tiger Gourmet through January.

Computer Classes (ACC Library, Educational Technology Center) Introduction to Word. Call to register. Jan. 26, 10–11:30 a.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 Dance Center Winter Classes (East Athens Educational Dance Center) Registering for adult and children’s classes including Beginning Jazz, Ballet, Tap, HipHop, Praise Dancing and more. $18–$25. www.accleisureservices. com/dance.shtml Ecstatic Dance (Vastu School of Yoga) The Athens Kirtan Collective hosts an evening of meditation through dance and movement.

Fridays, 7–9 p.m. 561-723-6172, vastuyoga@hotmail.com Enamel Bead Making and Beading Basics (Lyndon House Arts Center) Learn a unique enameling technique to make your own spectacular jewelry! 706-613-3623, www.accleisureservices.com Etching for Beginners and Intermediates (Lyndon House) An introduction to intaglio/etching processes using printmaking methods to inscribe images onto metal plates. Learn Xerox transfer, soft ground and aquatint techniques! Call for more info. 706-613-3623, www. accleisureservices.com Fitness Fusion (Healing Arts Centre) Belly dancing infused with yoga and Pilates wisdom. Mondays, 7:30. 706-613-1143 Gentle Yoga (St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church) Bring your own mat or towel and wear loose clothing. Julie Horne, instructor.

Tuesdays, 5:30–7 p.m. $9/class.

706-354-1996 Georgia Spiders Free Workshop (Active Climbing) A two-week workshop for kids who are ready to take climbing to the next level. Call for more information.

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5–6:30 p.m. 706-354-0038, adrian@active climbing.com Getting Started with Genealogy (ACC Library) Genealogy for beginners. In the Heritage Room. Jan. 21, 2–4:30 p.m. FREE! 706-613-3650 Hoop Class (Canopy Studio) This guided hoop dance class helps develop fitness, balance, strength

and flow. All skill levels welcome, but completion of basic hooping workshop encouraged. Fridays, 6:30–7:30 p.m. $15. www.canopy studio.com “How to Properly Price Your Art” (ACC Library) Retired banker, finance and marketing man Lee Nelson wants to teach you how to price and market your work in any medium. Feb. 6, 10–11:30 a.m. $20.

706-486-6808, www.artbiz.biz Jewelry and Metalsmithing (Lyndon House Arts Center) Learn how to create unique pieces of jewelry while learning about various metalsmithing techniques, including piercing, soldering, stone setting, appliqué and inlay. Call for more information! 706-613-3623, www. accleisureservices.com Kids Yoga (Vastu School of Yoga) Children derive enormous benefits from many easy and fun poses.

Tuesdays, 3:30–4:30 p.m. 561-7236172, vastuyoga@hotmail.com Mama-Baby Yoga (Five Points Yoga) For babies 1–8 months old and their grown-ups. Every Monday.

11 a.m. $10. 706-355-3114, www. athensfivepointsyoga.com Mama-Baby Yoga Bonding (Full Bloom Center) Fussy babies and tired mamas welcome! For babies 1 to 10 months old. Fridays, 10:30 a.m. $14/class, $60/6-weeks.

706-353-3373 Meditation (Vastu School of Yoga, Chase Park Warehouse) Begin every day with relaxing meditation. 6–7 a.m. FREE! 561-723-6172, vastuyoga@hotmail.com Meditative Yoga (YWCO) Easy Meditative Yoga for Every Body.

Drop-ins welcome. Mondays and Thursdays, noon; Wednesdays, 7 p.m. $7 (non-members). 706-3547880, www.iriseabove.com Mind Your Muscles (Athens Community Council on Aging) Bring your muscles into focus with a combination of tai chi, yoga and Pilates! Fridays, 3–4 p.m. $5/class.

706-549-4850 Mindbody Bootcamp (Five Points Yoga) Chant, breathe and meditate in this two-week session of daily yoga. Registration required.

Jan. 11–22, weekdays, 5:45–6:45 a.m. $135/2 weeks, $96/any 6 class-

es. 706-355-3113, www.athens fivepointsyoga.com Nonfiction Writing Class (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) Journalist and retired professor Dr. Wally Eberhard teaches a six-week class on “Writing for Money: The Art of Freelance Nonfiction Journalism.”

Begins Jan. 19, $100. 706-7694565, www.ocaf.com OCAF’s Art Classes (Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation) Now accepting registration for winter and spring classes. Sign up for kids’ pottery and poetry classes, adults’ classes in folk art, book-making, oil painting, floral arranging and many more. Full schedule online. 706769-4565, www.ocaf.com Oil and Acrylic Basics (Lyndon House Arts Center) Apply the basic techniques of drawing, image composition, painting styles and color theory to your still-lifes and landscapes. Jan. 14–Mar. 4, Thursdays, 6:30–8:30 p.m. 706-613-3623, www.accleisureservices.com Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Classes (Trumps on Milledge) OLLI, formerly Learning in Retirement, begins registration for the winter semester. Jan. 11, 9:30–11:30 a.m. 706-549-7350, www.olli.uga.edu Pilates Classes (Balance Pilates and Wellness Studio) Offering high-quality instruction in Pilates and overall health. Mat classes and apparatus classes available! Full schedule and information about private lessons online. 706-546-1061, www.balancepilatesathens.com Prenatal Yoga (Full Bloom Center) Get ready for birth and beyond. Every Thursday. 5:30 p.m. $14/class or $60/6 classes. 706353-3373, www.fullbloomparent. com Solar Water Heating Installer Certification (Power Partners, Newton Bridge Rd.) Full day of instruction on how to install the Power Partners Solar Water Heating System. Includes a handson mock system installation. Lunch provided. Jan. 21. $450. 706-3697938, www.completeresources.net Survival Spanish (ACC Library) Instruction in basic Spanish vocabulary and conversation. For ages 18

and up. Now registering! Sundays, 4–5 p.m. 706-613-3650 Tae Kwon Do & Jodo Classes (Live Oak Martial Arts, Chase Street Warehouses) For kids and adults, beginner through advanced.

Mondays–Thursdays, 3:30-8:30 p.m. 706-548-0077, www.liveoak martialarts.com Target Training for Ladies (St. Mary’s Wellness Center) Intense exercise class for women who want maximum fitness results. Runs Jan. 5–31. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6–7 a.m. $75. 706-389-3355 Tech Tips: Wikipedia (ACC Library) Learn how to use and to responsibly contribute to the encyclopedia anyone can edit. Jan. 19, 12:15–1:15 p.m. FREE! 706613-3650 Teen Painting Class (Lyndon House Arts Center) Students will focus on painting and its materials and methods, as well as its history.

Supplies provided. Call for more information! Jan. 12–Feb. 16. 706613-3623, www.accleisureservices. com Teen Yoga (Vastu School of Yoga) Aside from the physical benefits, yoga teaches teens techniques for coping with the unique challenges of adolescence. Thursdays, 6–7 p.m. 561-723-6172, vastuyoga@ hotmail.com Tennis Registration (Bishop Park) Currently registering for tennis classes! Youth and adult classes available. 706-613-3592, www.tennisforlife.net The Artist Within (Lyndon House Arts Center) Students learn to give visual expression to their emotions through drawing and painting activities in a supportive and relaxing environment. Jan. 13–Feb. 17, Wednesdays, 10–11 a.m. 706-6133623, www.accleisureservices.com Winter Classes (Sangha Yoga Studio, Healing Arts Center) Now registering for Bootycamp, Egyptian Bellydancing, Pilates and various yoga methods to suit your lifestyle.

See full schedule online! 706-6131143, www.healingartscenter.com Yoga and Tai Chi (Mind Body Institute) New classes beginning Jan. 10! Visit online for complete listing. 706-475-7329, www.armc. org/mbi

Yoga Classes (Om Town Yoga, 190 Park Avenue) Iyengar certified Yoga instruction for balance, strength, flexibility and stamina.

Mondays, 6:15 p.m. Wednesdays, 5:45 p.m. $10/drop-in. www.athens omtownyoga.com Yoga for Healthy Backs (Vastu School of Yoga) If you are one of the millions of people suffering from back pain, yoga may bring you some relief. Mondays, 4:30–5:30 p.m. 561-723-6172, vastuyoga@ hotmail.com Yoga XL for the Larger Body (Vastu School of Yoga) Plus-size yoga adapts the traditional postures to accomodate your curves.

Thursdays, 4:30–5 p.m. 561-7236172, vastuyoga@hotmail.com Zumba at the Garden (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves comprise this dynamic fitness program. Wednesdays, Jan. 6–Feb. 24.

5:30–6:30 p.m. $10/class, $60/session. www.uga.edu/botgarden

HELP OUT! Become a Mentor (Boys and Girls Clubs of Athens) Volunteer one hour per week to make a difference in the life of a child. Training provided. 706-546-4910, mentor@ athensbgca.com, www.fflife.net Foster an Animal Victim of Domestic Violence (Various Locations) Ahimsa House needs foster homes to shelter pets from abusive situations. 404-496-4038 ext. 713, foster@ahimsahouse.org Teach English as a Second Language (Various Locations) Catholic Charities seeks volunteers to teach adult English classes in the evenings. Ongoing training available beginning Jan. 23. 404-516-7949, vpflug@archatl.com

KIDSTUFF GEN Homeschool Club (State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Garden Earth Naturalist Club for homeschoolers. Meet once a week to learn about pollination, air and water purification, pest control, soil production and recycling through discovery

ART AROUND TOWN ACC Library (Top of the Stairs Gallery) Paintings by Rebecca Brantley. Through January.

ATHICA (160 Tracy Street) “Nurture,” an exhibit featuring video and photography by Amy Jenkins, explores the intimate, yet universal, issues of parenting and breast-feeding. Through February. Reception Jan. 9.

Aurum Studio (125 East Clayton St.) Paintings

by Christine Shockley-Gholson and John Gholson.

Through February.

Ciné Barcafé (234 W. Hancock Ave.) “Soundtrack to Nothing,” a collection of photographs by Christy Bush Fogarino documenting teenagers at rock concerts. Through Jan. 15.

Flicker Theatre & Bar (263 W. Washington St.) Paintings by Andrew Cayce. Through Feb. 1.

Just Pho…and More (1063 Baxter St.) Orchids and wildlife paintings by Sutawee N. Thitaram.

Through Jan. 30.

Lamar Dodd School of Art (Gallery 101) Large-scale acrylic paintings from the New York studio of longtime Lamar Dodd School of Art faculty member Jim Herbert. Reception Jan. 8.

Last Resort Grill (184 W. Clayton St.) Paintings

by Andy Cherewick. Through January.

Lyndon House Arts Center (293 Hoyt St.) “Through Our Eyes: Portraits and Self-Portraits by the Students of Clarke County” highlights the work of local young artists in clay, pencil, paint and fabric.

Through Jan. 20.

Madison-Morgan Cultural Center (434 S. Main St., Madison) In his exhibit “From the Forest to

hunts, environmental games, nature hikes and crafts. Wednesdays, Jan. 6–Feb. 24, 9–11 a.m. $44. 706542-6156 Yoga Sprouts (Memorial Park) Fun, playful yoga for kids ages 2 and up. Now registering! Call for information. Tuesdays. 706-353-3373

SUPPORT Domestic Violence Support Group (Call for location) Dinner begins at 6 p.m. and group at 6:30 p.m. Children are welcome for supper and childcare is provided during group. Call Project Safe hotline at 706-543-3331 for location. 6–8 p.m.

Emotional Abuse Support Group (Call for location) Demeaning behavior and hateful words can be just as harmful as punches and kicks. Childcare is provided. Call Project Safe hotline at 706-543-3331 for location.

Wednesdays, 6:30–8 p.m.

Survivors of Suicide (Nuçi’s Space) Open to anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide. Meets the third Wednesday of every month.

5:30 p.m. 706-227-1515, linda@ nuci.org

RECYCLE YOUR CLOTHES AT CILLIES! No Appointment Needed!

Just bring in your gently used stylish clothing during business hours for one of our buyers to review. They will make you an offer and give you CASH for your clothes!

If we buy over $75 of clothes from you, you also get a FREE Cillies reusable bag!

Please bring in your clothes clean and folded in a bag or box. No hangers please.

175 E. Clayton St. • 706-369-7418

Friend Cillies Athens on Facebook for Additional Savings

ON THE STREET Christmas Tree-Cycling (Call for location) Bring one for the chipper! Call for drop-off locations. Jan. 9, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. 706-613-3501 Emerging Filmmakers’ Shorts Competition (Email for Location) The Athens Jewish Film Festival is now accepting entries in a short film competition.

Deadline for submission: Jan. 12. www.athensjff.org GED Scholarships (Email for Location) The Athens-Clarke Literacy Council is now accepting applications for scholarships for financially needy students who are preparing to take the GED examination. 706-2549877, www.athensliteracy.org Nutrition Consultations (St. Mary’s Wellness Center) Meet with a registered dietitian to find a diet that is right for you! One-hour individual consultations available by appoinment. 706-389-3355 f

COUPON

the Shore,” Michael Murrell’s works in wood, metal and mixed media reflect on ecological issues, endangered species and man’s relationship with nature.

Through Jan. 15.

Mercury Art Works “Terre Verte,” the debut exhibition for Mercury Art Works at Hotel Indigo, features photographs by Rinne Allen and work by various local artists, including Art Rosenbaum, Chris Bilheimer, Mary Engel, Scott Belville and Michael Stipe. Through Feb. 15.

Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation (34 School Street, Watkinsville) “Tutorial: Artworks by OCAF Art Instructors,” an exhibit showcasing the diversity of the Oconee Cultural Art Foundation’s instructors and their unique visions of art. Through Jan. 28. Reception Jan. 22.

Speakeasy (269 E. Broad St.) Paintings by Will Eskridge. Through December.

Strand Hair Salon (1625 S. Lumpkin St.) An exhibit by photographer Beth Thompson features fractal and kaleidescopic photography of some familiar greenspaces around Athens and beyond. Through January.

Transmetropolitan (145 E. Clayton St.) Acrylic paintings by Anna Beth Eason. Through January.

Visionary Growth Gallery (2400 Booger Hill Rd., Danielsville) “Our Way the Only Way,” an exhibit featuring new works by UGA sculpture professor Jim Buonaccorsi and painter David Barron. Through Jan. 15.

White Tiger Gourmet Food & Chocolates (217 Hiawassee Ave.) “Morning Gravy, 2010” an exhibit featuring photography by brothers Hudson and Rand Lines. Reception Jan. 8. Through January.

JANUARY 6, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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comics

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 6, 2010

reality check

Happy

Matters Of The Heart And Loins I have two friends who had been dating for a while now, but just broke up. The girl is like my sister; the guy, I met through her, but he’s nice enough. Now, unfortunately, they work together, so even though they broke up, they see each other ALL THE TIME. Which wouldn’t be a bad thing if they were both mutually over each other…

Anyway, she’s still really, really into him. She wishes they were still dating, and every time they work together it upsets her.

It’s weird, though, he pretty much ignores her outside of work, but when they’re at work together, he talks to her more and flirts with her more than he did when they were dating. It’s messing with her head, and after she gets over the buzz of the fact that he’s flirting with her (who knows, maybe he’ll want to date her again) she goes home and gets more upset.

She’s making herself sick. We (her friends) told her not to date him in the first place, he was just coming out of a long-term relationship, but she did anyway. (To be fair, for a while it seemed like the relationship would work.) Now, though, he’s back to hanging with the girl he dated before her all the time, and it seems like all she ever was was the rebound girl.

Now she keeps coming to me for advice, and I don’t know what to tell her. Should I tell her to follow her heart and try to win the guy back since she wants it so bad (even if I don’t think it will work)? Should I tell her to find another job and move on? Or should I try and tell the guy to lay off with the flirting with her (assuming he doesn’t realize what he’s doing)?

Sometimes it seems like he doesn’t and sometimes it seems like he’s trying to juggle my friend and his ex to make himself happy… I’m trying to be a good friend and be helpful when she asks me advice, but the whole things makes my head spin.

Friend of the Rebound If she were to write to me for advice, I would tell her to get another job and move on. Just telling her what she wants to hear isn’t helping her at all. So, yes, FOTR, be honest with her and try to help her however you can. After all, she’s like a sister to you, and finding a job in this economy is not easy, right? The job of the good friend after a breakup is to try to keep her distracted as much as possible.

Eventually she will probably meet somebody else or at least get used to being without him.

While you’re at it, you can talk to him, too.

Give him the benefit of the doubt (whether he deserves it or not) and assume he doesn’t realize what he’s doing, and tell him very gently and in a non-aggressive way that he should try to leave her alone and let her get over it.

If he gets defensive and pissed off, he may start messing with her on purpose and make things even worse, so tread lightly. You are a

good friend, FOTR, and I hope your friend realizes how lucky she is to have you.

I just recently broke up with my girlfriend.

It was a weird situation to begin with, because I felt like she set up the whole thing. She pursued me (which had never happened to me before), we dated for a while, and I was happy. She’s cute, smart and, to be honest, far more ambitious for her life than I am for my own. After a while, that started to make me uncomfortable; she spent as much time with me as she could, but several of my previous girlfriends had pretty much been with me 24/7, and I honestly didn’t know what to do with the extra time.

Well, with all that extra time, one of my exes started coming around more often when my girl wasn’t home. My girl knew about it, but wasn’t happy, and we got in several fights over it. After a while, my ex started looking better and better, so I broke up with my girlfriend. It crushed her. I felt like a dick, and I was. She avoided me for about a week, but now we see each other pretty often, and I can’t help but wonder if I didn’t make a mistake.

The ex that was hanging around eventually just got on my nerves—we still hang out a little, but I remember why she is my ex girlfriend and not my girlfriend. But the more I see the girl I just broke up with, the more I wish I hadn’t left her. I’m discovering a whole lot I never knew about her, like a pretty sarcastic sense of humor, and it leaves me just wanting to know more. My friends all think I’m the dumbest shit in the world for leaving her and have told me so every chance they get. I can put her out of my mind OK when I’m hanging with friends, but when I’m alone…. I’m jealous of all the guys I see her hanging out with, and yesterday she gave me a hug and I couldn’t help but hang on to her, I didn’t want to let her go.

I don’t know what to do now. Do I follow my gut and try to get her back?

Should I leave it and assume my first action was the correct one? I don’t know if I really care for her still or if this is just jealousy on my part.

Mr. Jealousy

from

IKE&JANE (706)850 1580

This song is as worn as any Zeppelin track at any classic rock station in America, MJ. You get in a relationship with a girl you think is too good for you (and you’re probably right), you get freaked out, you do things to sabotage it, the inevitable breakup comes, and only then do you realize how cool she was.

Idiot. The only thing you can do is find her, tell her how you feel, tell her you screwed up royally and you know it, and ask for another chance (and pray that she hasn’t already moved on). Good luck with that.

Jyl Inov Got a question for Jyl? Submit your anonymous inquiry via the Reality Check button at www.flagpole.com.

JANUARY 6, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

27

classifieds

Buy It, Sell It, Rent It, Use It! Place an ad anytime at flagpole.com  Indicates images available at flagpole.com

Real Estate Apartments for Rent $475–525/mo. 1BR/1BA, 2 Blocks to town & campus. Lg. BR, CHVAC, great view of city, ceiling fans, some screen porches. Owner pays water & garbage. Avail. for January 1st move–in. Go to b o u l e v a rd ​p ro p e r t y​ management.com, (706) 548-9797. $450/mo. Alexi Apartments.

1 lg. BR/1BA w/ lg. lv. rm & walk–in closet. Laundry facilities, picnic tables, grill.

1 block off Milledge w/ bus stop. (706) 207-9902, (706) 835-8401.

1 & 2BR apts. All electric.

W/D conn., lg. backyds., carports, close to campus & 5 Pts. Pet friendly. Rent ranging from $450–$575/ mo. (706) 424-0770.

1, 2 & 3BR apts! Move before January 15th & get Jan. rent free! Move after & get Feb. rent 1/2 off! Now pre–leasing for summer and fall 2010. Move in for $99.00! Huge apts, on busline, pet friendly, recycling on site! Call us (706) 5496254. Restrictions apply.

1BR/1BA. All electric. Nice apt.

Water provided. On busline.

Single preferred. Avail. now!

(706) 543-4271.

1BR apt. w/ full kit. & BA. W/D. incl. $400/mo. + $400/sec dep. Avail. now. Won’t last!

(706) 254-2936.

1BR apt. for $475/mo. 2BR apt. starting at $700/mo. 3BR apt starting at $1000/mo.

All close to campus! Howard Properties (706) 546-0300.

2BR/2BA. Prefer professionals, grad students. CHAC, furnished. New construction, safe & quiet. Total electric.

6 mo., school term or 1 year lease avail. $775/mo. (706) 206-3345.

flagpole classifieds Reach Over 30,000 Readers Every Week!

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BASIC RATES* Individual Real Estate Business (RTS) Run-‘Til-Sold** Online Only***

$10 per week $14 per week $16 per week $40 per 12 weeks $5 per week

* Ad enhancement prices are viewable at flagpole.com ** Run-‘Til-Sold rates are for MERCHANDISE ONLY *** Available for individual rate categories only

PLACE AN AD • At flagpole.com, pay with credit card or PayPal account • Call our Classifieds Dept. (706) 549-0301 • Email us at class@flagpole.com

2BR/1BA. Apts avail. 125 Honeysuckle Lane off Broad St. across from King Ave. On busline. GRFA welcomed. Water & trash incl. Central location.

Lease, deposit, references required. $450/mo. (706) 2276000 or (706) 461-2349.

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2BR/1BA newly renovated apt. in ARMC area. Close to Dwntn. Avail. now. Perfect for family & professionals. Central heat/AC, off–street parking. Safe quiet neighborhood. Total electric. $550/mo. (706) 543-4556.

2 Duplex apts each suitable for 1 person or a couple. Avail. now on Oconee Street near Dwntn. Both in converted 1890s house, big porch, & backyard, all appls, some furnishings, pet friendly. Each unit is 1BR/1BA & in excellent condition. $499/ mo. Call Drew at (706) 2022712 or email drewclimber@ yahoo.com.

2BR/2BA apt in East Athens.

Partially furnished. Big kitchen, deck. $725/mo. (706) 614-6947.

2BR basement apt. 180 Moss Side Dr. Great rm. w/ FP. Private entrance. $520/mo + utils. Washer & DW provided.

Call (706) 254-2526 or (706) 227-9312.

3BR/2.5BA townhome off Riverbend. Tons of space!

Finished basement, front porch & back deck. Pool & tennis community. Only $900/ mo. Aaron (706) 207-2957.

4BR/3BA Townhouse. Lg. Family Rm., Great Condition, W/D Conn., Cable, Sec. Sys., 10 min. to UGA, Available Now. 273 Westchester Circle. $800/mo. Owner/Agent, Call Mike (706) 207-7400.

Available January.

Spacious 2BR Dwntn apts.

3 blocks from N. campus.

Out of bar scene. Close to everything. Call Geor ge (706) 340-0987.

Artist studio/garden cottage.

Very private, quiet, lovely setting. Dwntn Watkinsville, walk 1 block to Jittery Joe’s.

Great restaurants, music on the lawn, lg. open main rm. w/ great windows. 2BR/1BA, screen porch, 1200 sq. ft.

Professional/grad student.

N/S, no candles, pets neg. $740/mo. incl. water & all appl.

Avail Dec. 15! Pls. call (706) 769-0205 evening, (706) 2075175. Lv. msg.

Best proper ty in town!

Woodlands of Athens.

3BR/3BA full of amenities.

G a t e d c o m m u n i t y, g re a t specials. Reduced to only $1050/mo. Call Pete (706) 372-3319.

FTX Apartments. Campus & busline within half a block.

Near Milledge Ave. 2BR units.

Pre–lease for Fall 2010. These units are always 100% leased so act now for low rental rates.

Call Stacy at (706) 425-4048 or (706) 296-1863.

Great loft apt. in Bowman. 30 mi. from Athens. 1800 sq. ft.

1.5BA. W/D conn. CHAC, full kitchen, open space. Historic bldg. $550/mo./dep. (706) 498-4733.

In 5 Pts. 815 S. Milledge.

Stained glass windows, beautiful stained wood floors/walls/ceilings. Gas heat/electric air, FPs, heavy insulation, skylights, electric security, storage rm., W/D conn. No pets. Non–smoking.

Studio $523/mo, 1BR $523/ mo., 2BR $682–$792/mo., Stone cottage efficiency $482/ mo. (706) 546-1716.

West Athens, just off Prince. $595/mo. 2BR/2BA apt. Living room w/ FP, eat–in kitchen, deck. High speed internet avail.

Avail. now. (706) 614-6947.

Westside condos.

2BR/2BA, $600/mo.

Eastside quadraplex 2BR/2BA, $525/ mo. 2BR/1BA, $490/ mo. Eastside duplex 2 B R / 1 B A , F P, $ 4 9 0 / mo.3BR/2BA, FP, $650/mo., corner lot. Call McWaters Realty, (706) 549-3222, (706) 353-2700 or cell (706) 540-1529.

Commercial Property $100–$150 Studio spaces.

Great location, cool spaces.

1 block from town. (706) 5 4 8 - 9 7 9 7 , b o u l e v a r d​ p ro p e r t y ​m a n a g e m e n t .com.

1 9 5 P a r k A v e . $750/ mo.3 lg. offices, common area w/ kitchen. Currently used as wellness center.

Great location, great n’hood.

Contact or call today (706) 5 4 8 - 9 7 9 7 , b o u l e v a r d​ p ro p e r t y ​m a n a g e m e n t .com.

5K sq. ft. Building/Warehouse for sale or lease in Crawford, GA. $1650/mo. or $150K. 187 Bunker Hill Rd. On 1.5 acres in Oglethorpe Co. Call Diego (706) 621-1035 or Ken (706) 614-8295. More info: http:// www.kpsurplus.com/products/ view/26553.

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5K sq. ft. Building/ Warehouse for sale or lease in Lexington, GA. $1K/ mo. or $120K. 111, 113 & 115 E. Main St. Call Diego (706) 621-1035 or Ken (706) 614-8295. More info: www. k p s u r p l u s . c o m / p ro d u c t s / view/26554.

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7500 sq. ft. Building/ Warehouse for sale or lease in Winterville, GA. $3500/mo. or $420K. 1459 Hargrove Lake Rd. On 6 acres zoned B1 in Oglethorpe Co. Call Diego (706) 621-1035 or Ken (706) 614-8295. More info: http://www.kpsurplus. com/products/view/25214.

WELCH PLACE

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• Deadline to place ads is 11:00 a.m. every Monday for the following Wednesday issue • All ads must be prepaid • Set up an account to review your placement history or replace old ads at flagpole.com

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FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 6, 2010

3BR Townhomes and 4BR/3BA Townhouse w/ Study Includes Washer & Dryer, Free Wireless and 42” Plasma TV! Call Today for viewing.

706-549-7371

Athens Executive Suites.

Offices avail. in historic Dwntn bldg. w/ on–site parking. All utils., Internet, & janitorial incl.

Single or multiple offices avail.

Call Stacy (706) 425-4048 or (706) 296-1863.

Eastside Offices. 1060 Gaines School Rd. Rent: 1200 sq. ft. $1200/mo., 450 sq. ft., $600/mo. 170 sq. ft., $375/ mo. (706) 546-1615 or www. athenstownproperties.com.

Great business opportunity in Bowman. 1800 sq. ft. bldg. for $650/mo., 575 sq. ft. bldg. for $450/mo. Retail office, hair studio, etc. Great traffic. (706) 498-4733.

Office. Prince across from Navy Sch. 1250 sq. ft. $850/ mo. Excellent condition. Hank Joiner, Joiner and Associates (706) 549-7371 or (706) 540-0725.

Paint Artist Studio.

Historic Blvd area. Artist Community. 160 Tracy St. Rent: 400 sq. ft., $200/mo.

300 sq. ft., $150/mo. (706) 546-1615 or www.athenstown properties.com.

Retail Suites for lease at Homewood Village.

1K–12,500 sq. ft. avail. For more info call Bryan Austin at (706) 353-1039 or visit www. sumnerproperties.net.

Condos for Rent 1688 Prince Ave. 2BR/1BA condo close to Agua Linda.

1.5mi from Dwntn. A quick walk to the farmers’ market! $600/month + utils. Call Cord (706) 363-0803.

2BR/1BA condo. Campus close. Security gate, pool, fitness center. Located at Stadium Village. Excellent condition. $600/mo. or $200/ wk. (706) 206-2347.

Deluxe condo at Berkshire Commons. Lg. split 2BR/2BA, HWflrs., gourmet kitchen, on the busline. Off S. Milledge Ave. $950/mo. Call Joiner & Associates (706) 549-7371.

Rivers Edge. 2BR/2BA totally remodeled. On the busline.

Pool, tennis courts,1200+ sq. ft., screened porch. $600/mo, $600/dep. Avail. now! Call (864) 617-3317.

Duplexes For Rent 2BR/1.5BA. Jolly Lane in Sleepy Hollow Subdivision.

Near UGA, Memorial Park & B i rc hm o re Tr a i l . W /D , DW, CHAC, FP. Avail now. $650/mo. Call April (706) 549-5006, go to www. athenscondosales.com.

5 Pts. Bring your little pooch for the fenced yard & you for the remodeled 2BR/1BA duplex. Near Memorial Park.

HWflrs, new kitchen, W/D. $650 w/ pet, $625 w/o pet.

Sec. dep., no pet fee for 1 pet.

Call Joiner & Associates (706) 549-7371.

Houses for Rent $1250/mo. 3BR/2BA, Huge bonus rm., split floor plan, completely remodeled, vaulted ceiling, granite tops, HWflrs., stainless steel appls., oil–rubbed bronze fixtures, FP. 2200 sq. ft. Big flat yard, private deck. Avail. now. 110 Victory Estates Dr. Owner/Agent. Call Mike (706) 207-7400.



$875/mo. 4BR/1.5BA. Eastside. Lg. kitchen, W/D, workshop, 1–car garage, fenced yard, safe n’hood.

Avail. now. 117 Crossbow Circle. Owner/Agent. Call Mike (706) 207-7400. $875/mo. Blocks from campus.

3 extra lg. BRs, 1.5BA. 12’ ceilings, HWflrs., W/D, CHAC. Avail. now. 127 Elizabeth St. Owner/Agent. Call Mike (706) 207-7400. $925/mo. 3BR/2BA, office, dining room, remodeled, excellent condition, masonry FP, W/D conn., 1700 sq. ft. Lg. wooded lot, new deck, close to the Mall. Avail. now. 420 Cavalier Dr. Call Mike (706) 207-7400.

1BR/1BA. $495-525/mo. overlooking Dwntn & campus.

All electric, lg. BRs, some w/ screened porches, laundry on site. Freshly renovated & priced right. Avail. 1/01/09.

Call (706) 548-9797 or b o u l e v a rd ​p ro p e r t y​ management.com.

1695 W. Hancock. 3BR/2BA. CHAC, W/D, DW, fenced, pets OK, bands OK, HWflrs.

Close to Dwntn. Sec. sys. $650/mo. Avail. Jan 1st.

Call/text (706) 714-4486, email hathawayproperties@ gmail.com.

175 Valleywood Dr. 4BR/2BA. CHAC, HWflrs. Fenced yd.

Pets OK. No pet fees! Cute creek on property. $950/mo.

(706) 254-2569.

2BR/1BA, 15 mins from Dwntn & UGA. Lg. lot in quiet country area. CHAC & W/D incl. No smoking, no cats. $500/mo, w/ $250 dep. Call Mike at (706) 310-9424.

1080 Oglethorpe Ave. City busline. 2BR/1BA + bonus room, laundry room, patio.

Neat condition, great location.

Lawn maintenance possible.

Perfect for 2 grad students/ professionals. Short lease avail. $750–$850/mo. (706) 338-7990, (706) 353-0708.

3BR/2BA historic farmhouse in Lexington, GA. Pls. call (706) 549-6070.

2 Duplex apts each suitable for 1 person or a couple. Avail. now on Oconee Street near Dwntn. Both in converted 1890s house, big porch, & backyard, all appls, some fur nishings, pet friendly.

Each unit is 1BR/1BA & in excellent condition. $499/ mo. Call Drew at (706) 2022712 or email drewclimber@ yahoo.com.

4BR/4BA new houses Dwntn.

Less than 1 mi. from Arch.

W/D incl. Upgrades galore.

Only $1900/mo. Avail. August.

Aaron (706) 207-2957.

2BR/1BA cute cottage w/ front porch. CHAC, near UGA. $800/mo. Avail. now. Also, ask about 2 other houses avail. now. Call (706) 354-1276 or (706) 540-7812.

2BR/2BA new house Dwntn.

Spacious & less than 1 mi. from Arch. W/D incl. Upgrades galore. $1050/mo. Avail.

August. Aaron (706) 207-2957.

2BR/1BA off Pulaski St. 238 1/2 Cleveland Ave. CHAC, W/D, screened porch. $450/ mo. Call/text (706) 714-4486, e m a i l r i c h a rd h a t h a w a y @ gmail.com.

2BR/1BA house. Close to campus/Dwntn. AC, W/D, DW, Pets OK. Fenced–in yard. $700/mo. Avail. now! (706) 296-4034. Email apexsigns@ bellsouth.net.

3BR/2BA. Preleasing.

5 P t s . C H A C , W / D , D W, fenced yd., deck. $450/BR. Call/text (706) 714-4486, email hathawayproperties@ gmail.com.

3BR/1BA. Preleasing.

Blvd area. CHAC, W/D, DW, HWflrs., porch. $750/mo.

Call/text (706) 714-4486, email hathawayproperties@ gmail.com.

3BR/2BA. Preleasing. CHAC, W/D, DW, fenced yd., sec. sys., close to Dwntn & UGA. $825/ mo. Call/text (706) 714-4486, email hathawayproperties@ gmail.com.

3BR/2BA. Extra rooms. Avail.

Jan! Walk to Dwntn. wood flrs., CHAC, DW, W/D, $1200/mo.

Email hello@rwoodstudio.com or call Josh (706) 424-9127.

4BR/2BA. Preleasing. Close to campus. CHAC, W/D, DW, fenced yd., sec. sys. $1400/ mo. Call/text (706) 714-4486, email hathawayproperties@ gmail.com.

Nor thside 2BR/1BA, lg. lot, $600/mo. Hospital a re a 2BR/1BA, carpor t, fenced–in yard, $700/mo.

E a s t s i d e 3BR/2BA. Lg. yd., on dead–end street. $950/mo. 4BR/2BA w/ lg. yd. $1200/mo. 2 or 3BR/1BA w/ screened front porch, $700/ mo. Cedar Creek 4BR/2BA $950/mo. Oconee County 3BR/2BA. Lv. rm. w/ FP, din. rm., double garage, $975/ mo. Call McWaters Realty, (706) 549-3222, (706) 3532700, (706) 540-1529.

Preleasing for fall. 1, 2 & 3BR houses. Close to campus & Dwntn. Call (706) 255-0066.

Houses for Sale

4BR/3BA cottage. Kitchen w/ island & all appls. incl.

DW. Pets OK. Internet avail. $1050/mo. Approx. 1 mi. from campus/Eastside/Dwntn.

Short-term lease avail. RE/ MAX realtor Michelle Watson (706) 614-6947.

1695 W. Hancock. 3BR/2BA lg house. Double lot. CHAC, W/D, DW, wood flrs, sec. sys., fenced, close to Dwntn. $135K. Call/text (706) 714-4486, email hathawayproperties@ gmail.com.

5BR/2BA. Preleasing.

5Pts. $475/BR. CHAC, W/D, DW. 1 block to campus!

Call/text (706) 714-4486, email hathawayproperties@ gmail.com.

1 1 5 H i g h t . Wa t k i n s v i l l e , Ga. $123,889. 3BR/1.5BA. Completely renovated! Call Reign at Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty (706) 5434000, or (706) 372-4166.

576 Whitehead Rd. Small 2BR/1BA. Almost 2 acre lot.

Fenced yard, pets OK. No pet fees! CHAC. A must see! $695/mo. (706) 254-2569.

135 Pineforest. $139,900.

3BR/2BA in Forest Heights.

Call Reign at Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty (706) 5434000 (706) 372-4166.

Best rentals in Athens!

1–5BR houses, apts., condos.

In the heart of UGA/Dwntn/5 Pts. Avail. Aug. Going fast, call today! (706) 3692908 for more info.

3BR/2.5BA. 2–car garage.

2–story, fully updated. 1 acre of land. 1600 sq. ft. New carpet, fully landscaped.

Ready to move in. Eastside, Winterville area. 7090 Hickory Dr. $139,900. Taking all offers.

(706) 742-5082.

Convenient Eastside location.

2BR/1BA. Close to schools & shopping. All appls. incl. W/D. Avail. now. $525/mo. Carole Moon Owner/Agent (706) 540-0472.

Forest Heights. Newly remodeled. 3BR/2BA, custom everything, Nice yd. $1K. (706) 296-1200.

For Sale or Rent. 3BR/1BA in 5 Pts. 176 Habersham Dr. Avail. now! Pets OK. W/D & CHAC incl. $139,900 or $900/mo. Call Calvin (404) 597-6056.

3BR/1BA. Preleasing. Next to Big City Bread. CHAC, W/D, DW, fenced yd., sec. sys. $750/ mo. Call/text (706) 714-4486, email hathawayproperties@ gmail.com.

First month free! 2–3BRs in quiet setting, off the beaten path. Sec. sys. incl.

W/D, DW, priv. deck. Mention this ad & pay no pet fee! ( 7 0 6 ) 5 4 8 - 2 5 2 2 , w w w. dovetailmanagement.com.

3BR/2BA. Walk Downtown. Avail. Jan! Huge organic garden, wood flrs., CHAC, DW, W/D. Extra rooms for studio/office. $1K/mo.

Email hello@rwoodstudio.com or call Josh (706) 424-9127.

Newly renovated 4BR/3BA for rent in ARMC area. W/D, DW, CHAC, screen porch, game room, off–street parking. $1200/mo. Call Vicki at (706) 540-7113 to set up a tour.

708 Aycock. Lexington, Ga. $178,500. 3BR/2BA on 15+ acre Horse Farm. Call Reign at Coldwell Banker Upchurch Realty (706) 543-4000, (706) 372-4166.

Downtown Condo.

1BR/1BA in University Tower.

Approx 720 sq. ft. Across Broad St. from north campus, great view. $89K. Go to www. homesbyowner.com/58149.

Call (706) 255-3743.

January 9 February 28, 2010 Curator: Lizzie Zucker Saltz Guest Essayist: Mary Jessica Hammes

Pre-Leasing $350–$2500/mo. 1BR, 2BR, 3BR, 4BR, & 5BR. Awesome walk & bike to campus & town! Pre–leasing for Fall!

Many historical houses w/ lg. rms, high ceilings, big windows, HWflrs, old–world charm, modern amenities.

Porches, & yds. Pet friendly.

These go fast! Email for list: luckydawg96@yahoo.com.

Opening Reception:

Saturday, January 9th 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. • Free!

➤ continued on next page

Ms Jenkins and her family will be in attendance.

Gallery Hours: Thursdays: 6:00 - 9:00 p.m.

Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays: 1:00 - 6:00 p.m. ...and by appointment

160 Tracy Street

In the Chase Street Warehouses

our sponsors:

Athens Conscious Parent

JANUARY 6, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

29

3BR/2.5BA. 1 mi. to UGA. $1200/mo. 1 yr. old house.

Open floor plan, microwave, DW, W/D conn. Avail. now and pre–leasing for summer 2010. (706) 410-6122.

Female to share 2BR/2BA with great roommate. Rivermill Apts.

5 min to Dwntn/UGA. $353/ mo. Everything incl. except electric & Internet. Avail. now!

Furnished. (703) 338-8042.

Roommates

Look! 2 M/F needed for 3BR/2BA. W/D, DW, FP, deck, fenced yds., garage, cool roommates. $325/mo.+ utils.

10 min. drive to Dwntn. (352) 215-0056.

2 roommates needed for 3BR house. Alps area. W/D, WiFi, $315/mo + 1/3 utils. Avail. now. Grad students pref’d.

Call (864) 550-0148.

Roommate needed ASAP for house off Pulaski St. Screened porch, W/D. Only a 10 min. walk from Dwntn. Only $250/ mo. Call (706) 548-9744 today!

Roommate needed to share a 3BR/2BA home w/ bonus rm.

10 min. from Dwntn. Located in Winterville. 5000 Hickory Dr. Lg. yd., CHAC, W/D, DW, FP. Fridge & stove. No pets. Move in immediately. $475/mo, utils incl. Brian (706) 621-3579.

Room avail. immediately for student. Renovated house right behind ARMC. Biking distance to UGA. Fenced yd.

Pets OK w/ dep. $300/mo. + 1/3 utils. (404) 713-0655.

Rooms for Rent Spacious, furnished BR. Quiet, close to campus, kitchen, laundry privileges. Shared BA, priv. entrance. No pets. M students only. $275/mo. incl. utils. (706) 353-0227. Avail. immediately!

For Sale Furniture Pillowtop Queen Mattress set. Never used. Still in factory plastic. $260. Full size mattress set. Never used. Still in factory plastic. $160. (706) 769-1959. Delivery avail.

Tables, chairs, sofas, antiques, clothes, records & players, retro goods, & more! Cool, affordable furniture every day.

Go to Agora! Your favorite ever ything store! 260 W. Clayton St., (706) 316-0130.

Miscellaneous Come to Betty for vintage quilted Chanel bags, just in time for Christmas! On the corner of Pulaski & Clayton, next to Agora. Open 1pm– 4pm daily. (706) 424-0566.

Music Equipment Ampeg Bass cabinet. 4 10” & 1 15” speakers. Beat all to hell & sounds great! Considering par tial trade for smaller cabinet. $500. Call (706) 296-4034.

Gibson Explorer, black w/ black pick guard. Like new, case included. $850. Call Scott at (706) 207-5117.

Instruction Advertise in Flagpole! Call (706) 549-0301 for details.

30

FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ JANUARY 6, 2010

Athens Piano School.

P re m i u m P i a n o L e s s o n s Guaranteed. All ages & levels welcome from beginners to advanced.

Discounts for families & UGA students. Visit www.

AthensPianoSchool.com or call (706) 549-0707.

Athens School of Music.

Instruction in Guitar, Bass, Drums, Piano, Voice, Brass, Woodwinds, Strings, Banjo, Mandolin, Fiddle, & more.

From beginner to expert.

Instrument repairs avail. (706) 543-5800.

Music Services Fret Shop. Professional guitar repairs & modifications, setups, electronics, precision fretwork. Previous clients incl.

R.E.M., Widespread Panic, Cracker, Bob Mould, John Berry, Abbey Road Live!, Squat. (706) 549-1567.

Looking for a fun, classy alter native to the typical wedding band? If you are looking for “YMCA” then Squat is not your band. If you want Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, & salsa, then visit w w w. s q u a t m e . c o m / weddings. (706) 548-0457.

Wedding Bands. Quality, professional bands. Weddings, parties. Rock, Jazz, etc. Call Classic City Entertainment. ( 7 0 6 ) 5 4 9 - 1 5 6 7 . w w w. classiccityentertainment.com.

Featuring The Magictones— Athens’ premiere wedding & p a r t y b a n d . w w w. themagictones.com.

Services Computer Brand new Desktop PCs. High quality, low prices.

3GHz dual–core, DVD–RW, 2GB RAM, Win7. $400!

Professional PC/Mac/Laptop repair, service, maintenance.

Virus? Slow? Crash? Call!

(706) 424-2195.

Jobs Full-time Sales Reps needed!

Looking for confident, self motivated, well spoken people. Starting out at $8/hr. + commission. Experience necessary. Call Kris (770) 560-5653. Weak people need not apply!

Opportunities Does your daughter have symptoms of bulimia nervosa? Has your daughter injured herself on purpose?

Researchers at the University of Georgia Psychology C l i n i c a re c o n d u c t i n g a treatment study for teens w/ symptoms of bulimia nervosa & deliberate self harm. Open to teenage girls age 16–18. Receive $300 upon completion of study! For more info, pls email the Eating, Drinking, & Personality Research lab at the University of Georgia at bnstudy@uga.edu, or call (706) 542-3827.

Ear n $75-$200/hr. Media Makeup Artist 1 wk. class.

D e t a i l s a t h t t p : / / w w w.

Awardmakeupschool.com, (310) 364-0665 (AAN CAN).

Free Advice! We’ll help you choose a program or degree to get your career & your life on track. Call Collegebound Network Today! (877) 8922642 (AAN CAN).

Now hiring! Companies desperately need employees to assemble products at home.

No selling, any hours. $500/ wk. potential. Info at (985) 646-1700 dept. GA–3058.

Teach English Abroad! Become TEFL certified. 4 wk. course offered monthly in Prague. Jobs avail. worldwide. Lifetime job assistance. Tuition: 1300 Euros. http://www.teflworldwideprague. com, info@teflworldwideprague. com (AAN CAN).

Part-time Looking for PT driver. Must have drivers license & vehicle.

(706) 338-1086.

Mystery shoppers earn up to $100/day. Undercover shoppers needed to judge retail & dining establishments.

No exp. req’d. (800) 743-8535.

Vehicles Motorcycles For Sale. 2007 250 Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle. Black w/ red flames. Like new, only 14 mi.

Reduced $2K firm. Call (706) 788-3160.

everyday people KEITH ANDERSON, JEWELER It may come as little surprise that Keith Anderson is a jeweler, seeing that he comes from a family of them. His parents and his brother all have made careers out of the trade, and his sister has spent much of her life in the jewelry business as well. Keith moved to Athens in 1978 and immediately started doing what he knew: repairing jewelry. After his client base grew beyond retailers like Kay Jewelers, he opened his own storefront in 1985 and began making custom pieces.

Keith’s expertise is “stone setting,” or, in other words, fitting diamonds or other precious gems—some as small as one millimeter in diameter—into carefully constructed “nests” on the surface of rings and necklaces. I spoke with Keith at his shop, TK Anderson Designs, on a wet, chilly December morning.

Flagpole: How much time, on average, do you put into your custom pieces?

Keith Anderson: It can vary. I’ve put hundreds of hours into some pieces. And I’ve made things that only take a couple hours. Some customers’ll come in with a drawing all ready. And some customers come in with no idea. So, it varies.

FP: Could you briefly explain to me the process of making a ring from scratch?

FP: What does your Dad think of the business you have now?

KA: He loved the fact that I enjoyed doing the same things he enjoyed. I really took it to a different level because he went to school as a watchmaker. In those days, that was a huge business. But he enjoyed tinkering, and I got more into the jewelry and metalwork and into the design aspect. He loved the fact that I actually designed jewelry.

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FP: Did you grow up wanting to be a jeweler, or were you carried into the profession by that momentum that had been building since you were 12?

KA: When I was in school, in college, I could [always] get a job at a jewelry store… I was going to school in Statesboro, Georgia Southern, and they had a jewelry and metalwork department in the art department. So, that kinda got me started in making jewelry… they closed that department [while I was in school], so I moved up to Athens.

FP: So, what did you end up getting your degree in?

KA: I have “some college.” [Laughs.]

Charles-Ryan Barber

FP: How has the economic situation affected your business?

KA: It’s affected us all… for example, I used to have a lot of clients in the real estate business that aren’t as gung-ho for jewelry now.

FP: Where are you from?

KA: Blue Ridge… in the north Georgia mountains.

MON. TUES. WED. thurs.

FP: How was it growing up in Blue Ridge?

KA: Heavenly. It was great… just being in the mountains, a simple life…

I grew up riding a dirt bike everywhere, almost every day. I started riding dirt bikes when I was 12, also.

Just rode the mountains all the time. You could go anywhere on old logging roads, just up in the woods.

KA: There’s a lot of ways to go about making a ring. You can take a bar of metal—gold, platinum, silver, whatever you’re using—and basically make it into a circle and you have a ring… in that process you can do a lot of forming and forging… and then you can weld different pieces to it, you know, settings for stones or whatever designs that you come up with.

That’s [called] fabricating.

But then casting is something that gives you a lot of freedom to carve, in wax, any kind of form, and then you can cast that [form] into metal. It’s called “lost wax casting.” You carve that original model in wax and then you put it in like a sleeve of metal—kind of like a soup can, open-ended, it’s called a “flask”—and then you fill that with plaster-of-Paris-type material; it’s called “jeweler’s investment.” Then you melt the wax out and you have the [plaster-encased] cavity. That’s where they get the “lost wax” term. And then you force the molten metal into that cavity; I use a centrifuge.

FP: Can you hurt yourself doing this?

KA: It’s a pretty safe job. You might burn your fingers by touching something hot. There’s definitely ways to hurt yourself, but I try to avoid the caustic chemicals and that kind of thing… [If I use them] I have exhaust fans pulling the fumes away from me.

FP: How did you get into making jewelry?

KA: My Dad’s a jeweler. And I grew up around the retail jewelry business, started doing bench work when I was 12… running the torch, sizing rings, fixing things.

FP: If you had the power to change Athens instantly, what would you do?

KA: Oh, wow. I wasn’t here a week, and decided that I’d park my bicycle. We need bike paths… everywhere. Bike paths should take priority over any new construction in Athens.

FP: What do you think of Athens overall?

KA: I love Athens; for me it’s a big city, ‘cause I’m from a small town. I’m not interested in living in Atlanta, you know, that’s too big… I love the music scene in Athens; you can’t get that anywhere else.

FP: Care to tell of any specific local bands that you like?

KA: Kenosha Kid—they’re great jazz. I love Widespread [Panic]. Strawberry Flats, they do covers of ’60s and ‘70s music.

They’re great. John Keane… and, of course, The B-52s, the Pylons and all those bigger names. Oh, and I can’t forget the Randall Bramblett Band. I’m probably their biggest fan, next to Randall’s wife!

FP: What do you like to do when you’re not working?

KA: I’ve been working a lot lately, but when I’m not working I love to canoe and fish and hike, being in the woods, just being outside. Since my work’s inside, I try to get outside every chance I get. I listen to a lot of music. I’m on a dart team— love my dart team.

FP: Ever made a jewel-encrusted dart?

KA: Not yet!

Jeff Gore

JANUARY 6, 2010 · FLAGPOLE.COM

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