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“home.made Might Be Closed, but

Is Cooking Again at Buvez” at flagpole.com.

Local Grassland String Band will be bringing its signature “Amerigrass” sound, crossing generations and genres, to the Georgia Theatre Rooftop on Mar. 28. For more info, visit georgiatheatre.com.

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Angsty Clarke County Commission

DO YOU TRUST YOUR GOVERNMENT? ONE COMMISSIONER THINKS YOU DON’T

By Blake Aued news@flagpole.com

The Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission gathered at City Hall Mar. 19 ostensibly to discuss next year’s county budget, but Commissioner Dexter Fisher had other things on his mind.

Toward the end of the meeting, Fisher made a motion to add a discussion about “community engagement and civility” to the agenda, which passed. He then proceeded to give his colleagues a come-toJesus talk about divisions within the city and the unpopularity of Athens’ elected officials—mainly driven by the murder of college student Laken Riley, allegedly by Venezuelan national Jose Antonio Ibarra, which triggered a political firestorm around federal border policy as well as the local government’s stance on immigration.

“I’m very disturbed by how divided this particular community is right now over things that have happened in our community,” Fisher said. “We as leaders and elected officials need to start the healing process.

“When I talk to people, my constituents… they don’t trust our government. They don’t trust us,” he said.

The commission’s Mar. 5 meeting featured dueling rallies outside City Hall, with one side expressing support for immigrants and the other accusing Athens-Clarke County of being a “sanctuary city” (which local officials contend is false). Pro-Palestine activists have also been urging the commission to pass a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza—another hot-button issue.

“I went home after that meeting feeling defeated, and I actually thought about resigning,” Fisher said. “Because I thought about, how can we continue to operate in this environment when we have a community who don’t trust us?

“On both sides, they don’t trust us,” he said. “We can’t be perfect, but we are not well liked by our community, and we’ve got to do something about that.”

Comparing his work on the commission to his days playing college football, Fisher said the commission should be working as one. Commissioner Carol Myers gently pushed back against that notion.

“We’re not quite a team, because we do represent different points of view at times,” she said. “I think the challenge there is to do so respectfully and thoughtfully.”

Myers asked Fisher for specifics. He cited an email Girtz sent to commissioners regarding the Palestine resolution that one commissioner forwarded to an activist group, as well as disagreements regarding revenue splits within tax allocation districts and Girtz’s discussions with an organization relocating refugees to Athens.

Girtz said the reason he put the TAD revenue splits on the agenda for a commission vote was so the commission could weigh in. And the commission ultimately voted on a 70/30 revenue-sharing agreement that tilted toward East Athens over downtown that was the opposite of what Girtz proposed.

As for refugee resettling, Girtz said that a U.S. State Department-backed group wanted to resettle “a few dozen families”

in Athens, and he sent them a letter of reference. The number of people is small compared to the 1,000 or so who move to Athens every year, and the refugees are vetted by the Department of State and have skills that local employers need, he said.

Still, “I truly believe this will create a problem for us,” Fisher said, asking where the refugees will be housed. “When we bring people in from war-torn countries, we’re dealing with mental health issues, we’re dealing with language issues, we’re dealing with a lot of stuff,” he said. “It’s more than just adding to the people who are coming in.”

Commissioner Jesse Houle owned up to forwarding Girtz’s email about the Gaza resolution. “Anytime someone asks me for something that’s in my inbox, I just forward it, if it’s not attorney-client privilege,” they said. “I don’t feel like that needs to be an open records request.”

Houle added that they felt the mayor acted appropriately in the situations raised by Fisher, noting the 2019 resolution that has caused such a furor lately among conservatives who didn’t notice it at the time.

“We formally said we want to be a welcoming community for people from all over,” Houle said.

Commissioner Ovita Thornton defended Fisher and called for better communication.

“I think he was just suggesting ways that we can do better, because people are talking,” she said.

Earlier, Manager Blaine Williams walked commissioners through the budget process during an annual “big rocks” meeting where officials discuss overarching trends and issues, as opposed to May hearings when they dig into minutia. “A budget, y’all, is really an expression of priorities,” he said. “You have a limited amount of resources. There are so many great things to do, and unfortunately you have to choose between them.”

Recruiting and retaining employees in a tight labor market is a top priority for Williams. Raises last year lowered the ACC government’s attrition rate, and Williams is recommending 4% raises in fiscal 2025 at a cost of $3.9 million. In addition, Williams wants to continue using leftover funds from last year’s budget to address a backlog of maintenance and capital projects like replacing vehicles.

Overall, Williams is projecting a $191 million operating budget for the next fiscal year, up 2.6% from 2024. The property tax digest as of Jan. 1 had risen by 8%, according to early estimates, generating $7 million in additional revenue. Sales taxes that go into the general fund are projected at $37.4 million, up $3.7 million—a good sign for local retailers. Those are the two main sources of revenue for the local government, totaling about three-quarters of the budget.

Eastside Development Debate

Commissioners will vote next week on an Eastside townhouse development on

a site where neighbors have been fighting proposals for more than a decade.

The oddly-shaped five-acre parcel in front of the Green Acres subdivision has been difficult to develop because it lacks access to Barnett Shoals Road. The most recent proposal was for a Kroger fuel center in 2016, according to ACC Planning Department documents.

Now, applicant Frank Pittman has filed plans for 28 two- and three-bedroom townhouses on a cul-de-sac and requested a rezoning from RS-25 (half-acre lots) to RM-1 (multifamily). The commission is expected to vote on the request Apr. 2.

About two dozen residents spoke to commissioners about the development at their Mar. 19 agenda-setting meeting, with many raising concerns about traffic, runoff and students living there, but others in favor of it because of a housing shortage in Athens. Although the developer said the proposal would fill a need for “missing middle” housing—affordable townhouses and small apartment buildings—county planners said it doesn’t fit that label and recommended denial. However, the ACC Planning Commission did not buy the traffic and student-housing arguments and unanimously recommended approval.

Perhaps the decision would be easier, several county commissioners suggested, if the project had a better design. “Right now the Eastside business corridor is covered in fast-food restaurants, curb cuts and asphalt parking lots,” said Commissioner Carol Myers, who represents Green Acres. “Residents just off that corridor have the right to ask for something more than the same old for this property.” She noted that residents have suggested doctor’s offices, assisted living, senior housing or

micro-cottages.

Myers said she doubts that increasing the supply of housing will actually lower prices. But Commissioner Jesse Houle said there is ample evidence that the main driver of Athens’ high housing costs is a lack of supply. “We’ve got to build it somewhere,” Houle said.

Commissioner Melissa Link said Green Acres residents shouldn’t fear a little more density. In neighborhoods like Normaltown and Five Points, “We have fairly dense multifamily garden apartment buildings and here and there a couple of townhome communities, and it fits into the neighborhood just perfectly,” she said. Link did raise environmental concerns, though, noting a lack of greenery and criticizing the development for having too much pavement.

Other items under consideration include requests to build a fraternity house on Wilkerson Street, in what’s left of the Potterytown neighborhood near downtown; a gas station and convenience store on Moss Road; funding for local nonprofits through the new Community Partnerships Program; an updated policy on crosswalk construction; and an additional $100,000 for Family Promise to run an eviction prevention program, which will keep an estimated 35 families in their homes.

How and Where Should Athens Grow?

Athens-Clarke County is gathering public input on a new future land use map that will guide growth for the next 20 years—a period when the city is expected to add about 30,000 new residents. Six more public hearings are scheduled for March and April: Mar. 27 from 6–8 p.m. at Whitehead Road Elementary School; Mar. 28 from 6–8 p.m. at Fowler Drive Elementary School; Apr. 10 from 6–7:30 p.m. at Hilsman Middle School; Apr. 11 from 5:30–7 p.m. at the Heard Park community center; Apr. 15 from 5:30–7 p.m. at the ACC Extension Office; and Apr. 18 from 5:30–7 p.m. at the ACC Library. An online survey is available at accgov.com/surveys. f

Women in Journalism

OVER 100 YEARS OF CRUSADING FEMALE REPORTERS

By Ed Tant news@flagpole.com

March is Women’s History Month, an annual observance of the courage, commitment and contributions of women worldwide. Though American women did not get the right to vote nationwide until 1920, in the last century they have excelled at professions from astronaut to zoologist. In the world of journalism, women have made their mark for decades, and the crusading female reporter is a part of American popular culture.

10 days inside the walls of a New York asylum that she called “a human rat trap.” Her reporting led to reforms in the state’s treatment of the mentally ill. In 1889 she wrote a happier story when, pre-airplane, she traveled around the world in 72 days, beating the record achieved in the fiction of Jules Verne’s classic novel Around the World in Eighty Days

“I was too impatient to work at the usual duties assigned to women in newspapers,” said Bly. “I have never written a word that did not come from my heart. I never shall.”

From 1940–2011, the adventures of “Brenda Starr, Reporter” were featured on the comics pages of 250 American newspapers. Created by cartoonist Dalia Messick, Starr was a glamorous, red-haired reporter who used her looks and street savvy to chase criminals and expose corruption. In the fictional newsroom of The Daily Planet, Lois Lane was a reporter alongside Clark Kent. Though she had a nose for news in her role in comic books, movies and TV shows, Lois never noticed that “mild-mannered reporter” Clark Kent was actually “the man of steel”—Superman.

Television drama entered the newsroom in the series “Lou Grant,” which ran on CBS from 1977–1982. Ed Asner played the part of a gruff editor at a Los Angeles newspaper. Robert Walden was cast as a young reporter with both ego and accomplishments who sparred with his coworker, Billie Newman, an able and ambitious newswoman who chafed at the lingering sexism in newsrooms. “Lou Grant” should be required viewing for journalism classes today.

In real life, women journalists have been role models for all news writers. Nellie Bly (1864–1922) was one of the original muckraking journalists whose work led to muchneeded changes in the Gilded Age. In 1887 she posed as a mentally ill person and spent

Her journalistic contemporary, Ida Tarbell, would agree. Tarbell (1857–1944) was a pioneer of investigative journalism who exposed the rapaciousness of plutocrat John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil corporation. She was a tenacious writer and researcher who said, “Imagination is the only key to the future. Without it, none exists. With it, all things are possible.”

Ida B. Wells (1862–1931) was born into slavery during the Civil War. She earned her greatest fame by exposing the epidemic of lynching in 19th century America. “The people must know before they can act, and there’s no educator to compare with the press,” she maintained.

Nora Sayre (1932–2001) was a prolific writer for newspapers and magazines whose 1973 book, Sixties Going On Seventies, is an insider’s account of the hopes and fears of a tempestuous time in America. Sayre embedded herself in protest marches and rallies, and her accounts from inside those events brought the smell of tear gas and the sight of bloody streets onto the printed page. “There’s no choice but to give the whole picture,” she wrote.

Helen Thomas (1920–2013) was the first female member of the White House press corps. She covered every president from John F. Kennedy to Barack Obama. An Arab American, she angered the George W. Bush administration with her opposition to the Iraq war, and in 2010 she resigned from her post after her comments against the Israeli government ignited a firestorm of protest. “Every president hates the press,” she said.

Molly Ivins (1944–2007) also sparred with Bush, her fellow Texan. “Keep fighting for freedom and justice,” she said, “but don’t forget to have fun doing it.”

Celestine Sibley (1914–1999) was an icon of Atlanta journalism who wrote that “Being a reporter is one of the noblest things you can do in life.”

Here in Athens, Conoly Hester (1934–2021) brought nobility to local journalism during her decades of service at the Athens Observer and the Athens Banner-Herald When she died, longtime local reporter Lee Shearer said that she had “intelligence, courage and heart, and was meticulous in her craft.” Indeed, Hester earned her place as a pioneering journalist in search of truth. f

Your Legislators at Work

SLICED AND DICED: AN EARLY TIMELINE OF LOCAL REDISTRICTING

By Pete McCommons pete@flagpole.com

Author’s Note: In this Mar. 28, 2012 Pub Notes, I found the early chronology of “our” Republican legislators’ manipulations to deprive Athens of representation. Combined with their recent rape of the ACC Commission and their tweaks to make their districts safer, this makes up a longstanding record of democracy denial. Surprising how much they or their predecessors had already accomplished by 2012.

2005: State Senate District 46 encompasses all of Athens-Clarke County, all of Oconee County and part of Oglethorpe County—a loose community of interest which includes The University of Georgia.

2006: The Georgia legislature splits Athens-Clarke County into two senatorial districts. Half of ACC goes into State Senate District 46, which now includes all of Oconee County plus a wide swath of rural Walton County. The other half of ACC goes into District 47, where ACC is a minority part of a large rural district including all or parts of Elbert, Jackson, Madison and Barrow counties. This is done by the Republican legislature to dilute the Democratic vote in Athens-Clarke-County, but Republicans call it a great advance for Athens-Clarke and the University of Georgia. Instead of only one state senator, ACC and UGA will now be served by two state senators, who will also be busy serving their farflung rural districts.

2010: Athens-Clarke County includes two complete State House of Representative districts, one of which traditionally has been the home district of the University of Georgia. A third district includes a small part of ACC and all of Oconee County.

the existing districts. A second committee of local citizens appointed by the mayor determines that the existing districts are not racially discriminatory.

2012: The Georgia legislature overrides the work of the mayor’s redistricting committee and the charter of the unified government, and imposes a totally new 10-single-member-district, jerry-rigged around the residences of the present commissioners, lessening by half each citizen’s representation. The reason given for the takeover by the legislature is that Athens-Clarke County will now be able to elect more minority citizens, including (nonpartisan) Republicans. Local citizens are expected to welcome this power play because all our senators and representatives consider it to be in our best interests. Rep. Chuck Williams is not really in favor of this takeover, but he lacks the

2011: The Georgia legislature carves out a part of Athens-Clarke County and joins it to portions of Oconee, Walton, Barrow and Jackson counties to construct a House of Representatives district having absolutely no community of interest whatsoever except the House speaker’s interest in electing new Republican Doug McKillip. The leftover part of Athens-Clarke is joined to Oconee to form another district.

2011: Athens-Clarke County has, since local citizens ratified its charter in 1990, been governed by a mayor and 10 commissioners from eight single-member districts and two “superdistricts,” each comprising four of the single-member districts. In accordance with legal requirements to redistrict the county after each census, the mayor appoints a committee and the state’s top redistricting consultant to hold public hearings and redistrict the county. Hearings are held during the summer, and in the fall the committee comes up with a redistricting plan that equalizes the populations in

guts to block it by withholding his consent to let it go forward as local legislation. Rep. McKillip pushes it as part of his demonstration of just how much of a Republican he has become. Rep. Keith Heard goes along because he has been gone from Athens for so long he thinks he’d better do something local attorney Ken Dious tells him would be even better for Black people than selling out the Colima Avenue neighborhood for a Racetrac gas station. Sen. Frank Ginn is for it because it’s a minor part of his district, and he’s not really for local control, as he first said he was; and Sen. Bill Cowsert pushes it because the people in the pines of Walton County provided his election margin last time, and he’s got to show them he’s not as much of a city slicker as he looks like in his expensive suits and tassel loafers.

2012: In the July 31 primaries, local attorney Regina Quick is running against McKillip. Local nonprofit director Spencer Frye is running against Heard. Candidates have yet to oppose Williams, Ginn and Cowsert—candidates who believe that “government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.” f

Elizabeth Cochran Seaman, aka Nellie Bly, was a pioneering investigative journalist.

H.J. MYERS

But Cowsert, Ginn, Gaines, Wiedower and Rhodes could care less about your vote. PETE

Commission District 6

By Chris Dowd news@flagpole.com

Editor’s Note: Leading up to nonpartisan local elections and partisan primaries May 21, Flagpole will be publishing features on each of the contested races in Athens.

When Commissioner Jesse Houle decided not to run for re-election, it left an open seat on the ACC Commission in District 6, which covers Atlanta Highway and most of west Athens. Two candidates—Rashe Malcolm and Stephanie Johnson—are now stepping up to fill that gap in what could be the most competitive commission contest this year.

Malcolm and Johnson are both prominent Black women in the community who vote Democratic but otherwise have different backgrounds. Johnson has worked primarily in the public sector during her career, including in the ACC Finance Department and as the ACC internal auditor. Malcolm is an entrepreneur best known for her Jamaican restaurant, Rashe’s Cuisine. Malcolm is also the founding director of two Athens-area nonprofits: Farm to Neighborhood, which seeks to expand access to nutritious and affordable food, and the Culinary Kitchen of Athens, which provides shared kitchen space for local food trucks at a reduced cost.

inside the mall, the larger businesses are gone, but the smaller businesses are still there.”

Johnson also wants to prioritize economic growth, but she’s primarily running on a platform of government transparency and increasing community involvement in decision making. She has expressed concern with some government spending that she considers wasteful, and she’s frustrated by rising tax bills that she feels have been pushed on the community with little notice.

“Many local people just don’t feel comfortable being engaged,” Johnson said at her campaign kickoff event on Mar. 4. “There’s not a lot of communication to bring people out. There are many last-minute decisions that are made that affect people, everyday working people. We have to figure out how to afford [increased taxes] now, after it’s gone up, because the vote has already happened.”

As the chair of the ACC Industrial Development Authority and a member of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors, it’s not surprising that Malcolm’s top priority is economic growth. She told Flagpole that she wants to help the Atlanta Highway corridor become a powerful economic driver again by making it more walkable.

“When Atlanta Highway was vibrant and growing, people worked on Atlanta Highway, we fought to get housing nearby, and we played a lot. We shopped there. We did everything right there in our district, and we didn’t have to go far. We were able to walk out our door and catch a bus, and if we wanted, we could walk. That is something I would like to see brought back,” Malcolm said.

Malcolm might get the chance to realize her vision for Atlanta Highway in this decade. A massive redevelopment of the Georgia Square Mall is on the way that will include greenspace, walking trails, bike lanes and an Athens Transit transfer station. The redevelopment could be transformative for the corridor—not only will it help to increase walkability, but it will also provide some affordable apartments for the area.

Malcolm stressed that promoting and developing Athens’ small businesses should be top priority during this transition. “I would like us to remember that the strength and the backbone of what we’ve been able to maintain in that area has continued to be the small businesses. They are the ones who have stayed and remained loyal to us,” she said. “Even when you go

internal auditor.

Johnson was criticized for poor management skills and low productivity, especially in the later years of her appointment. Johnson’s employees in the ACC Office of Operational Analysis regularly complained about her management style, saying that she was extremely disorganized, spent very little time in the office, often belittled her employees and denied reasonable requests for time off, according to an independent investigation paid for by the ACC government.

ACC Human Resources was unable to take disciplinary action against Johnson due to her status as a charter officer. As Johnson’s employees continued to complain about a hostile work environment, Mayor Kelly Girtz stepped in and placed Johnson on a performance improvement plan in 2019.

The local government has cut tax rates significantly in recent years, and voters approved a larger exemption for homeowners in 2022 that the ACC Commission and state legislators placed on the ballot. Nevertheless, the tax bills many homeowners pay have gone up rapidly due to rising property values determined by market forces. As required by Georgia law, the local government holds three publicized taxpayer bill of rights hearings every year before setting tax rates.

At her kickoff event, Johnson echoed a common sentiment of residents living outside the Loop that they don’t receive a fair share of government resources compared to those in the city center. “District 6 has been ignored far too long,” Johnson said. She said she supports increased infrastructure investment in her district for things like streetlights, sidewalks and road repaving.

Johnson says that Girtz took disciplinary action, not because of problems in her office, but rather out of retaliation for an open records request she filed in 2018. Johnson is currently suing the local government about this supposed retaliation, alleging that Girtz and ACC Manager Blaine Williams discriminated against her. The internal investigation found no evidence for that claim, and the federal Equal Opportunity Employment Commission dismissed a complaint she filed. A federal judge last fall dismissed part of Johnson’s lawsuit while allowing part of it to move forward.

Johnson stayed on as auditor for several more years, but her productivity plummeted after all three of her employees quit or transferred and she did not hire replacements. As the Audit Committee pushed her to complete long-delayed projects, she received another disciplinary action in 2021, which included a plan for monthly check-in meetings with the commission. Johnson failed to attend these meetings, which led to her unanimous termination in September 2021.

Johnson has ample experience in local government. Then known as Stephanie Maddox before marriage, she worked in the ACC Finance Department for over four years before then-mayor Nancy Denson appointed her internal auditor in 2015, a position she held until 2021. She told Flagpole that she hopes to use her “extensive experience and knowledge of how local government operates and how it could better operate to serve our residents in a more profound way.”

Yet, Johnson’s experience may not be the kind voters are looking for. Johnson had a rocky tenure as auditor, often clashing with the chair of the Audit Committee at that time, Commissioner Allison Wright. Wright voted against Johnson’s reappointment as auditor in 2017, along with the late Commissioner Jerry NeSmith. It’s rare for any commissioner to vote against the reappointment of a charter officer such as the

If elected, Johnson would be empowered to vote against Williams’ reappointment as ACC manager, something recently advocated by local Republican Party members. Johnson is supported by a diverse coalition, including anti-government Republicans like former mayoral candidate Mara Zúñiga, and also some leftists who have a similar distrust of the local government. Malcolm, on the other hand, is hoping that the center will hold and that she’ll also have support from voters of both parties.

“We need to get back to listening to each other,” Malcolm told Flagpole. “We really do have more in common than our differences. I’ve been told I can’t take pictures with people who are Republicans. And then if I take pictures with certain Democrats, it will hurt me. That’s just not how I feel about things. We need to get back to thinking about what is best for our community and how to get past our differences.”

Malcolm said she is happy to work with people of all ideologies and party affiliations to make Athens a better place. For example, she worked with Republican state Rep. Houston Gaines on a food truck reciprocity bill which allows food trucks to work in any county in Georgia with only one license. The bill finally passed in 2022 after several years of advocacy. f

Rashe Malcolm

Stephanie Johnson

By Blake Aued news@flagpole.com

Athens-Clarke County Commissioner Jesse Houle is stepping down at the end of the year after a single term representing District 6. Houle—who has a background in organizing and activism—recently sat down with Flagpole to discuss their decision, what they see as dysfunction on the commission and the anger directed at elected officials from the left and the right.

Flagpole: You pretty much had your mind made up that you weren’t going to run again a few months ago. What was your reasoning?

Jesse Houle: I spent most of 2023, honestly, thinking about not running, really wrestling with it. Why? So many reasons. If I could summarize concisely, it became clear to me that this job is unhealthy for me. It just feels at odds with my well-being, my soul.

There’s an element to this job that many people seize on, which is performance or theater. I’ve realized that not only do I not personally enjoy it, I have a really low tolerance for seeing it in others. How that plays out most often in the debates and discussions that we have, when the cameras are rolling, do not include people’s real reasons for doing things. I thought I could be a person in the room who could force people to share their real reasons by asking questions and sharing my real reasons, and I discovered that is not effective. Instead, I get really… anxious and frustrated and exhausted and disheartened, every Tuesday, and sometimes Thursday and Friday, too. It’s just not the way I want to spend another four years of my life.

It was very clear to me that if anyone stepped forward who I felt at least OK about, that I would definitely not [run]. With each passing week, it becomes clearer and clearer to me that I made the right decision. I feel like I’m completing my sentence instead of my term.

FP: You posted a pretty thoughtful statement about Laken Riley’s murder on Twitter [now X] and wound up dealing with a lot of trolls and deleting your account. Did that reaffirm your decision? And how do you feel about the way social media has changed how politics are conducted?

JH: It’s a mix of good and bad. From my perspective, in this role as a public figure, I’m stuck between deciding not to use it at all and forgoing an opportunity to use this tool that lots of people see value in and some people rely on to get their information. I can’t block people. I can’t delete comments. It’s considered a First Amendment violation.

But I was getting death threats. I was getting people wishing death upon my baby. My address is public. I was getting people emailing me screenshots of my family—all this stuff that was vague enough that you can’t go to the police. You know, 99.9% of them are just trolls or bots, or people letting out their frustrations into the ether of the internet, but 0.1% are people with guns looking for a way to cement their legacy as the savior for their cause by murdering a bunch of people.

It’s also wild because I noticed over time that fewer and fewer people were engaging with my social media, even though more and more people were engaging with me outside of it. It was clear that I had built good rapport with all sorts of people from District 6, including people that are different from me, ideologically. I feel like we’ve had real human connections and been able to talk through what we agree on and disagree on, and at least take each other seriously and treat each other respectfully.

FP: Not to both-sides it, but this happens on the left, too. These pro-Palestinian groups have been making a lot of noise lately. Five years ago, you probably would’ve been one of them, so how does it feel from behind the rail?

JH: First of all, what you do matters. Why you do it also matters. I think there’s a big difference between being

angry, swearing or whatever, when you’re trying to stop people from being killed [in Gaza], versus being angry and swearing and asking for [immigrants] to be killed. My experience is that most of what we might call leftist activists are generally saying, ‘Hey, we don’t like genocide, we don’t like war or murder.’ Then, it might be unfair to lump everyone on the right together, but people with these more neoconservative views are saying, ‘Give these people the death penalty and deport them.’ Aggression for the purpose of stoking violence is very different from aggression to bring about peace.

Like, I don’t like that people marched on the mayor’s house. I’m hesitant to critique people’s tactics, [but] I didn’t think that was a good one. I also felt like I understood why they thought it was, but now, looking at this… nightmare circus of anti-immigrant craziness, people on the right will point to the Palestinian folks marching on the mayor’s house and say, ‘We should go to his house, too.’ So it has made me think a lot more about being ultra-careful and ultra-strategic about which tactics we employ.

FP: You gave me the opening earlier, so I’ll ask, who is the candidate you think is at least OK?

JH: In my mind, there is a clear better choice. I will be voting for Rashe [Malcolm]. I also want to be clear that I think both people running are quite different from me in a lot of ways.

Rashe, she’s done a lot of great work for the community for a long time, so I very much trust her heart, and I think she’s a really smart person, and I think she’ll take the job seriously. But she’s not a very political person, so what I don’t know is how she’ll apply that to policy. That ambiguity gives me some ambivalence, but I feel unambiguously that she is the clear better choice.

FP: What’s next for you once you leave office?

JH: More humor. More music. More joy and appreciation. I don’t know. Not this. f

Jesse Houle

Voucher Bill Passes

CRITICS SAY ‘SCHOOL CHOICE’ TAKES MONEY FROM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

By Stanley Dunlap news@flagpole.com

Following five years of unsuccessful attempts by Georgia Republican lawmakers to expand the state’s school voucher program, GOP senators last Wednesday cast enough votes to send the latest version of the controversial plan to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk.

Several Republican House members joined their colleagues in the Senate chamber to celebrate the so-called Georgia Promise Schools Act’s passage by a 33-21 party-line vote. The measure allows families with students enrolled in Georgia’s K-12 public schools to remove $6,500 of state funding provided to local school districts in order to attend private schools or to homeschool.

Critics of the vouchers continued to question whether $6,500 would be enough for cash-strapped families to afford the cost of tuition at many of the state’s better private schools. Sen. Greg Dolezal (R-Cumming) said that $6,500 is close to the state’s median private school cost,

to ensure vouchers are available to students from low-income families and hold private schools accountable by reporting to the state how those students are performing academically. According to the bill, private schools must administer standardized tests to students enrolled in the program. In addition, vouchers will be prioritized for families with household incomes under 400% of the poverty level, amounting to about $120,000 for a family of four.

If signed into law, the promise scholarship vouchers would first be available in the fall 2025 school year. Gov. Brian Kemp said earlier this year that the voucher program was a top legislative priority.

The bill caps the state’s investment into the program at 1% of the Quality Basic Education budgeting formula for K-12 public education, which now comes out to $141 million annually to cover tuition for about 21,500 students.

The program would have a 10-year window before it expires. Any student enrolled in the program when it ends will keep receiving the payments until they graduate from high school.

which should entice parents of students attending low-performing schools to send their children to a private school. According to Private School Review, the average private school tuition in Georgia is $11,893 per year, and tuition in the state ranges from $1,042–57,500.

Dolezal praised the GOP leadership in the House and Senate, as well as Kemp, for fighting to get Senate Bill 233 across the finish line ahead of the Mar. 29 deadline for this year’s legislative session. “I remember my freshman year 2019, when this bill failed on the floor of the Senate,” Dolezal said. “It means the world to me that five years later we united around this tailored bill that we can all agree is a step in the right direction.”

Different versions of so-called school choice proposals failed in recent years as a number of Republican legislators joined the majority Democratic lawmakers to block a plan they contend would divert taxpayer funding crucial to public schools to cover private schools. Several conservative state lawmakers from rural areas in the past have criticized the expansion of a voucher program that local school officials contend will cost them funding that will be hard to cover with local money.

Senate Bill 233’s notable changes this year are intended to address recurring criticisms of voucher programs by attempting

All-You-Can-Eat Brazilian Steakhouse PLUS, ICE CREAM WORTH A DRIVE OUT OF TOWN

By Hillary Brown food@flagpole.com

FLAMA BRAZILIAN

STEAK HOUSE

(1550 Oglethorpe Ave., 706-850-8299, @flamaathens on Instagram): This new Brazilian steakhouse is owned by the same folks who ran Sabor Latino in the same spot. The interior has changed hardly at all, with the same brightly colored pendant lamps, the same random wall of beer steins, the same generic wrapped canvases on the walls, but now there’s a large salad bar and a place to step up and order sliced meats from the sweet young fella who spends a lot of time misting the air of his rotisseries.

through Thursday, 12–10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 12–8 p.m. Sunday.

Sen. Elena Parent (D-Atlanta) compared the $6,500 voucher to a shiny object to misdirect attention away from how the legislature has failed to provide many school districts across the state with the financial resources they need to succeed.

“If you want to talk about real school choice, let’s put our money where our mouth is,” Parent said. “Give every kid $20,000, give $25,000, then we’d actually be talking about real school choice.”

Cobb County Republican Sen. Ed Setzler said the notion of school choice is often exercised by his fellow legislators and many other Georgians who have enough money to attend a strong academically performing public school or be able to afford homeschooling or private school tuition.

“Senate Bill 233 is for those single moms out there working two jobs to keep the lights on who wants school choice for their kids,” he said. “They can’t afford to move to a neighborhood in an area that has a successful public school. They can’t afford to move and sell their house because they’re upside down in their mortgage.”

Sen. Nabilah Islam-Parkes said private schools’ autonomy in choosing which types of students they want to accept likely means many students who might benefit most from being in a new environment would be left behind.

“This bill is a thinly veiled effort to segregate and discriminate, under the guise of choice. Private institutions free to pick their students will inevitably leave behind those who perhaps need the most support, like our special needs kids, our struggling learners,” said the Duluth Democrat. f

Ross Williams contributed to this report, which originally appeared at georgiarecorder.com.

Like most Brazilian steakhouses, Flama is an all-you-can-eat-meat model, hence the preponderance of trucks in the parking lot. For $25 (lunch) or $30 (dinner), plus whatever drinks you want, you can keep going back to the salad bar and the meat window for as long as you like. In practice, that’s not such a great deal for some of us. Let’s start with the best stuff: Sirloin, common as it is as a cut, and lamb are the tastiest, with beef tenderloin close behind. The brisket has some flavor, but it’s too tough and too dry, something that can be said of most of the offerings: chicken wrapped in bacon (roughly nugget-sized chunks of meat that benefits hardly at all from its fatty, salty accent), pork tenderloin, chicken wings and chicken hearts (credit for offering them at all, cooked to order, and just… fine). If you stick to the first three, maybe adding a pork sausage and some grilled pineapple, you might be fairly happy, but if you’re determined to eat a wide variety of the menu, you may be disappointed. The other major feature of the restaurant is its “salad bar,” which deserves those quotation marks. Sure, there’s a tub of Caesar salad, and you can assemble yourself a plate of greens, but it also features ribs (tough and with a sticky, sweet sauce that feels designed to camouflage rather than accent), steak empanadas (not impressive), feijoada (not much more than black beans, and under flavored), decent pinto beans, mashed potatoes (too loose), white rice, a chicken and chipotle stew that’s worth a second helping, potato salad with peas and carrots, a goopy coleslaw, a pile of pães de queijo (small cheesy rolls, sort of like gougères in France), hunks of French bread, compound butters presented in large water goblets, maduros (sweet plantains), fried yuca, acceptable steak fries and loads of sauce options, including guacamole and chimichurri. Again, you can pick and choose your way to an OK meal, but I’d generally be happier ordering something along the lines of a bandeja paisa in a non-AYCE restaurant, getting the variety and making myself overfull, but with a higher batting average and a lower cost.

CAST IRON CREAMERY (35 N. Broad St., in Winder, 470-209-7050, castironcreamery.com): Am I about to encourage you to drive to Winder to get some ice cream? Lord help me, I am. I’ve had Cast Iron Creamery on my list for a while now after hearing it was good, and it turns out it’s more than that. Michael Kakhikina, the owner and founder, worked on the West Coast as a chef after attending the Culinary Institute of America, and he’s got an eye for quality ingredients and a fun sense of how to assemble them.

There’s vanilla and chocolate, but also strawberry malted, a chai latte ice cream that is impressive and pineapple upsidedown cake ice cream that you can also get assembled into an ice cream pie in a cronut-type mish-mash that is delicious. It’s all good. The sorbets are equally impressive, not too sweet, with a beautiful texture and intense flavors. The cucumber-basil tastes like real cucumber and real basil, not like a pale imitation. The mint mojito is lovely and refreshing. The mango tastes like a perfectly ripe fruit. I didn’t even get around to the waffles or the wide array of toppings in apothecary-style big glass jars on shelves behind the ice cream counter: lots of classics like rainbow sprinkles and Oreos, but also pecans, almonds, walnuts, toffee bits, gummy butterflies, coconut and feuilletine (bits of toasted crêpe). Pretty much everything is made in small batches, and the prices aren’t bad ($4.50 per slice of wonderful ice cream pie). Kakhikina’s mom, who runs the shop with him, says they’ve been looking for an Athens location, and it feels like it would be a lovely fit here.

Cast Iron Creamery is open 1–8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 1–9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2–7 p.m. Sunday (closed Monday and Tuesday).

Flama is open 12–9 p.m. Tuesday

WHAT’S UP: Winifer Rodriguez and her family are close to opening the Food Truck Station on Tallassee Road. The plan is to have three food trucks, all owned by the restaurant, set up in the parking lot. Keep an eye on the Grub Notes blog at flagpole. com for the latest restaurant news. f

Sen. Greg Dolezal, the primary force behind SB 233.

STANLEY DUNLAP

/ GEORGIA RECORDER

Flama Brazilian Steak House

SAM LIPKIN

art notes

The 49th Juried Exhibition

LYNDON HOUSE ARTS CENTER PRESENTS OVER 100 ARTISTS

By Jessica Smith arts@flagpole.com

As an anchoring event of the Lyndon House Arts Center’s programming each year, the 49th Juried Exhibition offers a time capsule of the current arts scene in Athens. Reflecting a myriad of talents, styles and ideas, the works span across painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, printmaking, fiber art, metalwork, woodwork and mixed media.

This year’s guest juror was Jen Sudul Edwards, chief curator and curator of contemporary art at The Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC. Challenged with the task of reviewing a total of 722 artworks submitted for consideration by 265 Athens-area artists, Edwards selected 162 works by 111 different artists for the exhibition. In her essay for the exhibition’s catalog, she notes how many of the artworks can be viewed as responses to the state of the world, with observable threads of absurdity and a rediscovery of calming, joyful comforts.

Exhibition. These included 10 merit awards as well as 10 awards representing artist organizations or designated for specific media. Alec Weeks received the Lyndon House Arts Foundation Award for Excellence for his oil painting, “St. Elsa,” a surreal figure whose face appears to melt into drapery-like folds. Abraham Tesser received the Ridley M. Glover Excellence in Wood Artistry Award for “Visible Works,” an exquisite side table with curious mechanisms. Samantha Lee received an award from the Athens Metal Arts Guild for a statement necklace with red enamel accents that take on new meaning with the title “Blood Splatter.”

The Arts Center Choice Award, an honor that extends an invitation to return to the LHAC and present a solo show, was awarded to Jaci Davis for her portrait “Let’s Just Call it a Breakthrough.” Davis, who graduated from UGA’s Lamar Dodd School of Art with a BFA in drawing and painting last year, explores the complexities of having a biracial identity in the South through figure paintings influenced by disrupted realism.

On the cover of Flagpole this week, R.B. Pruett’s portrait “The Painter” nods to the idea of an artist as a conduit. Pruett, who received an MFA in painting at East Tennessee State University after earning BFA degrees in both art education and painting and drawing at the University of Georgia, uses a unique process of “cannibalizing paintings” through which pieces of “failed” paintings are collaged into new works full of layering and texture.

“‘The Painter’ depicts the angst of the artist, and the heaviness of the visions he must carry,” says Pruett. “It is about the difficulty of attempting to make contemporary meaningful art or the frivolity of calling yourself an artist. Self-doubt hovers over him like a cloud. In this painting, the idea of artists as modern day medicine men who are obligated to expose society’s sickness is alluded to. ‘The Painter’ has multiple eyes looking inward and outward at the same time. He has forewarnings of things to come, but nobody looks and nobody wants to listen.”

A total of 20 awards were distributed to recognize artists at this year’s Juried

calendar picks arts & culture

MUSIC | THU, MAR. 28

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country

Georgia Theatre • 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show) • $17 (adv.), $20

After growing up cutting his teeth on the classic rock catalog in Guitar Hero and steeping in the Nashville honky-tonk scene, musician Daniel Donato has stepped up as the next big thing in country and bluegrass. Donato also takes profound inspiration from the jam band improv ethos of acts like The Grateful Dead, even referring to his own fans as DD Heads. He is currently on tour supporting his 2023 album, Reflector, under the moniker Cosmic Country, a name meant to encapsulate the sense of truth and soul that the music conveys. Music journalist Neil Ferguson writes for Glide Magazine, “The hallmarks of a Daniel Donato show include a setlist packed with songs, no shortage of tasteful covers, the occasional guest, and plenty of musical peaks that keep the crowd dancing.”

[Mary Beth Bryan]

MUSIC | FRI, MAR. 29

“‘Let’s Just Call it a Breakthrough’ all started when I felt I was struggling to balance realism and abstract painting,” says Davis. “I needed the figureto-ground relationship to feel more harmonious. I wanted it to seem as though the figure was emerging from once being a part of the space. I was also feeling very down at the time of this painting, I hit a point of mental exhaustion and was trying to come out of that. The title of the piece is a play on the word breakthrough, whereas the figure is breaking through the background, and the piece itself is a breakthrough for me as it helped me begin to find the balance I was looking for.”

Artist talks will be held every Thursday evening through April at 6 p.m. The lineup includes Mark Cooney, Zachary Decker, Sarah Glass and Levon Register on Apr. 4; Peggy Des Jardines, Adam Houston, Vyvyan Hughes, Izzy Losskarn and Erin McIntosh on Apr. 11; Adam Bennion, Frances Hughes, Aaron Joslin and Ethan Snow on Apr. 18; and Nat Blooming, Caitlin La Dolce, Hannah Reynoso-Moller and Alec Weeks on Apr. 25.

The Juried Exhibition will remain on view through May 4, and three additional exhibitions are scheduled to open during its run. On view Mar. 30–May 10, “Linnentown Then and Now: Paintings by Caroline Ford Coleman” is a collection of portraits depicting neighborhood residents displaced by urban renewal. Running Apr. 2–25, the annual juried “Green Life Exhibition” presents student artwork made in response to the prompt “The Climate is Changing, How Can We?” On view Apr. 6–June 15, “Rescue: Waste and Redemption” presents the works of over 20 artists, selected by guest juror Lizzie Zucker Saltz, who transform industrial byproducts into works of art. Check out accgov.com/lyndonhouse for correlated events. f

Kurt Vile and the Violators

40 Watt Club • 7 p.m. (doors) • $35 Kurt Vile’s laid-back indie-rock sound has made him a staple of the genre. The former guitarist of The War on Drugs has collaborated with many other musicians, including a full album with Australian musician Courtney Barnett, 2017’s Lotta Sea Lice. He draws inspiration from a varied set of artists, from the indie sound of Pavement to the folk stylings of John Prine to the primitive style guitar work of John Fahey. Pitchfork writer Daniel Bromfield says that his sound on his newest release, Back to Moon Beach, “consists largely of gold-hued guitar jams,” though this time his perspective “seems less content, less satisfied, less serene” than on his previous works, adding a curious new element to his discography. The show will be opened by Weak Signal, a band from the NYC underground scene. [MB]

EVENT | SAT, MAR. 30

(Gutter Boys) and cartoonist Abby Kacen (Mild Pain), will be hosted at BizarroWuxtry on Mar. 29 from 6–9 p.m. and will feature live comic readings by Eleanor Davis, Pat Rooks, Joey Weiser, David Caldwell, Victor Alpi and more. [MB]

MUSIC | SUN, MAR. 31

Slow Parade

The World Famous • 8 p.m. • $10 suggested donation

FLUKE Mini-Comics Festival

40 Watt Club • 10 a.m.–5 p.m. • $2

The 21st annual FLUKE Mini-Comics Festival cultivates a conversation between comic artists, underground publishers and their enthusiasts. It is a zone of discovery for those interested in mini-comics, zines and independent publications, functioning as a platform for sharing ideas rather than simply advertising or merchandising. The festival will feature material to suit all interests, from children’s works to more serious narratives. Its sponsors include Bizarro-Wuxtry, Inch-High Button Guy, JOKERJOKERtv, Mystic Punks and The Sequential Artists Workshop. Masks are required for all attendees at this year’s FLUKE. A free pre-party for the festival, hosted by podcaster Cam del Rosario

Atlanta-based roots rock band Slow Parade is celebrating the release of its third record, Maybe You’ll Come Around, which was recorded over the course of just three days in order to capture its lushness and twang in their most natural light. This relatively stripped-back album is reminiscent of Harvest-era Neil Young and The Band’s Music from Big Pink, and its characters are intriguingly lackadaisical, “low on gas, incurious of redemption, and probably high on something,” as described by Slow Parade. Its founder, Matthew Pendrick, developed his musical prowess by busking around Atlanta and sharing stages with musicians such as Daniel Romano, CW Stoneking, Israel Nash and T. Hardy Morris, but now seems to have found his artistic identity via Slow Parade. The show will also feature Los Angeles shoegaze act Houston in the Blind and Athens act Bronze Brain. [MB] f

Kurt Vile

“Let’s Just Call it a Breakthrough” by Jaci Davis

Kuroma Releases The Color of Heaven PLUS, MORE MUSIC NEWS AND GOSSIP

By Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com

WELCOME HOME: Parker Gispert (The Whigs) will play a full-band Athens show at Paloma Park Saturday, Mar. 30, and his set will reportedly be filled with both solo and Whigs material. Also on the bill is the brand-new group The Mountain of Youth, composed of Hunter Morris (Blue Blood, Gift Horse), Drew Beskin (District Attorneys, The Sunshine, Broasis), Nick Robbins (Palace Doctor, Velveteen Pink) and Phillip Brantley (Modern Skirts, Terminally Phil). This combination of players is something like a Pro Bowl team of Athens songwriters, so I’m pretty excited to hear what they’ve come up with. Doors are at 8 p.m., and the show is free.

HELLO, AGAIN: This is the first week, probably ever, that two ex-Whigs members have something going the same week in this column. But Hank Sullivant (also of MGMT), who has released music under the name Kuroma since 2007, has a new album out named The Color Of Heaven. All the music was written and performed by Sullivant, and the album was recorded, produced and mixed by Nate Nelson. Within the confines of the record itself, it’s difficult to top the majestic title track, which features a piano backbone that’s both thrilling and percussive. But it’s also nice to relax into the familiar and sweet pop garden that Sullivant is so good at tending (“Rid You”). Mostly, the album is plaintive and thoughtful, and makes for a nice headphones listen. Find this at kuroma.bandcamp.com.

arena-ready pop. The latest of these is Casual Americans. The band just released its self-titled debut album after releasing singles for a few years. Working in a crystalline production environment worthy of The Jonas Brothers or 5 Seconds of Summer while sounding like neither, the band ushers taut melodies through a trove of radio tropes. The effect is such that when listening to the album, it’s easy to think you’ve heard several of these songs before, even though you haven’t. The band is at its best when squeezing out 1970s musical touchstones, such as those on the piano-centric “Hold On,” and comes up shorter when pulling wildcards from the ’90s/2000s, such as opening track “Somebody Famous.” The one track here that stands above all the others is the slightly bitter “Do Better,” and it’s also the most solidly of its time. Find this on streaming services including casualamericans.bandcamp.com, and for more information, please see casual americans.com.

KEEP ON TRUCKIN’, PLEASE: About once a year I start to bemoan in my heart that there’s no new music from Love My Truck Then, nearly without fail, some new tunes show up. A mere handful of weeks ago the duo released a new five-song EP named SnowedInn. Typically, the band has shifted between lightly psychedelic Americana and futuristic electro sketches. This new record finally blends the two into a tasty concoction that feels neither forced nor out of place. Opening with a lullaby of a melody in “Intro,” then immediately dropping into the meditative Daft Punk dreamscape of “Stand,” this thing goes for the emotional throat right out of the gate. By the time it winds through its final track, the electronic jog of “is that pørq?,” it’s not only defined itself but placed another well-earned badge of achievement upon the group. Find this at lovemytruck.bandcamp.com.

INFORMALLY YOURS: If you’ve been paying even casual attention to the Athens scene over the past five years or so, it’s been clear that there’s a new generation of bands that have planted their big pop flag in the ground. Not the underground indie pop or even pop-punk, but huge sounding,

STYLE IS FOREVER: Hiphop ambassador and Athens hero Montu Miller will host a special event titled “Fresh Dressed Like a Million Bucks” at the next instance of Ciné’s Roc Doc Bloc. This happens Saturday, Mar. 30, and the film is 2015’s Fresh Dressed. The night begins at 8 p.m. in the Ciné Lab with a fashion and artist panel featuring BYV_Trubb, Zorae Dunn, LB and Amun-Ra After the panel is a pre-movie performance showcase featuring DJ Kountry setting the mood, after which Farin, Cardynal and Nony1 will perform. The film starts at 10 p.m. and is an exploration of the deep historical ties between hip hop and fashion going back to the 1970s. Ciné’s Roc Doc Bloc also includes Athens, GA: Inside/Out on Mar. 29 at 7 p.m., Bob Dylan: Don’t Look Back on Mar. 30 at 2:30 p.m., Amy on Apr. 5 at 10 p.m., We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen on Apr. 6 at 2:30 p.m., The Elephant 6 Recording Co. on Apr. 6 at 10 p.m. and Jason Isbell: Running with Our Eyes Closed on Apr. 7 at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are available at athenscine.com.

SATURDAY NIGHT’S ALRIGHT: Are you looking for a show that’s got two rock bookends and a folk palate cleanser in the middle?

Well, buster, have I got news for you. On Saturday, Mar. 30, you can catch garage rockers The Grawks with folk-punk Here Be Monsters and sludgy metallers Rosie & The Ratdogs at Nowhere Bar. That should be all the information you need, but before you go I’d encourage you to check out The Ratdogs’ newest single “Peench,” as well as The Grawks’ new music video for the latest single, “Without You,” directed by Erica Strout. You can find the catalogs of all three acts via rosieandtheratdogs.bandcamp.com, thegrawks.bandcamp.com and herebemonstersofficial.bandcamp.com. f

Kuroma

South by Southwest 2024

TURN AND FACE THE STRANGE CH-CH-CHANGES

By Gordon Lamb threatsandpromises@flagpole.com

For the second year in a row, Austin’s formidable and culture-shaping South By Southwest continued to show that while we may be done with COVID, it is clearly not done with us.

The big money, and a large amount of attention, surrounding the nine-day conference seemed to swirl around artificial intelligence, and there were fully 67 different conference events concentrated on AI, including panels, talks and book signings.

Film was still both a priority and highlight for SXSW, although the marketing efforts of specific studios and distributors felt more concentrated and specifically earmarked for individual projects rather than projects as such.

The music portion of the conference was shortened by a full day. Although official live performances did continue through Saturday, Mar. 16, there were no conference sessions that day. Further, there were a minimal amount of music participants in the Exhibition Hall (essentially a trade show) this year, and the ones that did catch my eye were all focused on music produced by generative AI. The one old-school exhibitioner I talked with was Pollstar, which has been the touring industry’s bible for over four decades. There may have been more, but I crawled every row of exhibitioners and didn’t find any.

The economic impact of 2020–2021, a loss Pollstar estimated at $30 billion in 2020 alone, is still reverberating strongly across the music industry even as the huge operators like Live Nation, Spotify and Apple Music are experiencing record profits. They also like to bet on sure things, whereas any traditional arts-focused organizations know well that nothing is assured.

But it’s more than this, though.

In the 2010s, SXSW had reached such dizzying heights of hype and attention that it became one of the world’s most do-not-miss events for both fans and the industry at large. In 2024, a huge amount of music-focused publications, smaller labels and associated ancillary services seemed to remember they had options and decided not to spend advertising and promotional dollars in Austin this year.

Final attendance numbers won’t be released until this fall but, based on last year’s numbers, it is estimated that SXSW drew approximately 300,000 people to Austin. To put this in perspective, that would be about 235% of the population of Athens, but most of the time it didn’t feel that way on the street at all. The only events that experienced non-stop demand and had folks waiting in line for hours were highly anticipated film premiers. For the most part, navigating music showcases was a breeze.

Similar was the talk between John Oates of Hall & Oates (which he made clear is a colloquialism, as they’ve always insisted on being billed as Daryl Hall & John Oates) and Alex Heiche, founder of music financing firm Sound Royalties. Oates talked about how he’s been living in Nashville for a good while, and that particular environment caused him to kick up his game regarding not only songwriting, but playing itself. His music has experienced a renaissance of sorts due to lucrative licensing agreements as well. Oates shares concerns about the presence of artificial intelligence in music, too, and said, “Once the genie’s out of the bottle, that’s it, folks. It’s going to be a very interesting period of time… I’m interested in it, and I hate to be morbid, but I’m old enough to not have to worry about it, ’cause I’m not gonna be around when it takes over.” Even so, he recognized the possibility of a coming flood of fakes, or even well-intentioned tributes, altering the landscape of what we know as catalog artists. “What’s to prevent AI from extrapolating from this incredible body of work and creating new David Bowie songs with David Bowie singing?” Oates asked. “Pretty much nothing can stop that unless there’s either legislation or people just don’t want it to happen.”

Even as attendees listened carefully and attentively to Oates, there was a lot of space left in the room. The major music keynote this year was hosted by The Black Keys, who were in attendance for the documentary This Is A Film About The Black Keys. I didn’t attend this one, though, and it may have been packed for all I know, but evidence from the lessthan-full Oates and other sessions makes me doubt it.

Center had more to do with public exhaustion, or outright disinterest, over Mulvaney as a personality and not any anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment. In some ways, I feel bad for Mulvaney, as I don’t believe they ever desired to be cast in the role of public spokesperson for the entire transgender community. Even a cursory glance across their presence on social media makes it clear: Dylan Mulvaney is in the Dylan Mulvaney business. Which is totally fine and not at all unlike most celebrities and pretty much all influencers. But clearly something was amiss here, and it wasn’t the strong numerical data presented by Walton, the support and advocacy of Robinson, nor the newsroom-education points made by Yurcaba. Literally the only thing I could surmise is that a swath of the public at large, or at least those inclined to attend events like SXSW and pride themselves on being forward-thinking and inclusive, are just tired of Mulvaney, whose appearance was promoted above the others. Everything has a cycle, and celebrities are no different.

Speaking of celebrities, I managed to catch panels with Mark Cuban, Sydney Sweeney, Tim Ferriss and Brooke Shields, but there’s already been more than enough coverage of these folks’ appearances elsewhere, so I’m not going to go into these any further.

That said, there was no controversy with regard to the above mentioned panel. Instead, that came from over 100 bands and musical artists dropping out from their official showcases due to SXSW’s being sponsored by the United States Army, as well as some defense contractors including RTX Corporation, formerly known as Raytheon. While I can imagine that these artists would be against such associations in a general sense, this particular action was undertaken with the express purpose of showing solidarity with Palestine. These included basically all acts from Ireland, including the buzzy Kneecap; Santa Cruz, CA hardcore band Scowl; and Fairfax, VA artist Okay Shalom. Trust me that this is a truncated list, and there were more who boycotted SXSW over these entanglements. Readers are free to agree or disagree with this action, but I can tell you this: Each of these artists has real skin in this game. Especially the overseas artists, many whose visas and travel expenses are paid for by their home governments and could, conceivably, find themselves ineligible for future support. The artists who had already made landfall in Austin before dropping out hurriedly put together alternate showcases, and many wound up performing in a non-official capacity.

I’ve always found a lot of value in the SXSW conference itself, and this year was only slightly different. The talk between A&R veterans Paula Moore and Randy Jackson (you may know him from “American Idol” and the relaunched “Name That Tune”), both now of Greater Than Distribution, was informative and entertaining in a way I’d not anticipated. Jackson is charming and funny, but when he gets right down to it, he makes it clear that nothing in the world we call the music industry matters if it’s not backed up by good songs. It was refreshing, too, to hear each of them reiterate a commitment to artist development, which has basically disappeared in any formerly recognizable form.

The wildest case of overestimating audience demand was the panel hosted by the Human Rights Campaign called “When Beer Goes Viral: The Role of Brands & Media in Fighting Hate.” It featured Human Rights Campaign president Kelly Robinson, deeply creative advertising executive Aaron Walton (CEO of Walton Isaacson), Jo Yurcaba (NBC Out), and trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Given that Mulvaney has been essentially ever-present for the past couple of years, it was not unreasonable to anticipate that this would draw a sizable crowd, and anticipation for it in the weeks leading up to it was strong. But then… nothing. And it’s not to do with anything that was said, as there were multiple cogent and relevant points made across the entire panel, my favorite observations and comments coming from Walton. To me, the rows upon rows of empty seats in Ballroom D (capacity 2,408) of the Austin Convention

However, the net effect on the conference itself and other attendees was basically zero. Outside of a few demonstrations—the one I checked out was woefully under-attended—no one on the street was talking about this at all. However, I did see multiple bands that delivered statements of solidarity from the stage even while still performing at their scheduled, official showcases. There did seem to be some virality to the boycott (i.e. we’re not doing it because so-and-so isn’t doing it, etc.) but, in any case, the artists involved experienced actual financial loss, and when someone is willing to put their money where their mouth is that’s a reason to pay attention.

All the above criticisms and observations aside, SXSW music was still a captivating and entirely worthwhile experience and one I’ve thoroughly enjoyed for many years. I’m not going to break this down day-by-day, so some items will appear out of order from their actual occurrence. Let’s start with the bad, though.

Houston rapper Dende experienced multiple technical problems getting started, and his performance at Palm Door was not only shortened, but suffered from a lack of momentum due to these delays. Ontario’s Pony Girl was listless and unentertaining in nearly every respect. Similarly, Vancouver’s Babe Corner exhibited none of the

Human Rights Campaign Panel

sharp, smart pop of its recordings and left my eyes drooping. Tokyo’s Ako (a子) seems to have a perfectly charming personality, but her faceless, bland pop couldn’t even be saved by her picking up an electric guitar toward the end of her set and trying to really rock it out.

Now, on to the good! The only film I saw all week was the premier of the first episode of “Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story.” Before the screening, the band arrived in a caravan of huge black SUVs, but then approached the huge crowd gathered outside the Paramount Theatre and signed autographs, took selfies, etc. It was easily the most populist moment I saw all week between some bona fide rock stars and their audience. After the screening, there was a brief Q&A among the band, director Gotham Chopra and—wait for it—his father Deepak Chopra. Of all the things I could never imagine seeing was the boys from Jersey onstage with Deepak Chopra. But it happened, and I was there for it.

The Waco Brothers played a dependably blistering set at Palm Door that even included a punchy cover of The Undertone’s “Teenage Kicks.” Austin’s own Tony 22 played an uplifting and joyous set at Stubb’s, and his blend of R&B and hip hop was only made sharper by the inclusion of his acoustic guitar playing which figures prominently in his recorded tunes. Austin’s Pedal Steel Noah, a 16-year-old pedal steel prodigy, was fantastic at Palm Door and also a total surprise in the best way: I went in not having a clue who he was and walked out a fan.

Music education charity

The Give A Note Foundation and talent/marketing agency Artist for Artist joined hands for a damn solid showing at Mohawk.

around a lot no matter its accuracy. Well, Stoner would be an accurate recipient of this tag. She moved only slightly slower onstage than Stevie Nicks in her heyday, and her theatrical, multi-layered and self-described “indie dream rock” was well-received and wonderfully played.

I was so psyched to see Morocco’s Meteor Airlines I could barely get myself to Flamingo Cantina with any semblance of calm. Mostly singing in their native North African Amazigh language, the group’s music was a distillation of American rock music filtered through their own musical traditions. On paper this might not sound like it would work, but it did and, as their set went on, increasingly so. Brooklyn’s Razor Braids has a phone book full of hooks, many of which are subtle and sneak up on you, but were delivered to uproarious applause. Also, the group’s set at Elysium was just chock full of rock and roll stage stances,

their swinging from their gentlest, most delicate tunes, to unbelievably loud and pummeling guitar thunder. It was positively majestic.

Summerland, CA’s Emi Grace was personable and enthusiastic at Palm Door, but her live set was markedly less techy than her recordings. Not so much that the tunes were completely unrecognizable, but close. Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country was tipped to me and, being previously unfamiliar with Donato and his music, I left his show at Antone’s sold on his psychedelic country. And that’s actually a very weak and kind of obvious categorization and over-simplification of his patently American music, which was easily among the most noteworthy surprises I had this week.

I don’t know that I’ve ever seen, or at least not recently, an artist as thoroughly convinced of their own photogenicity than Fool’s Gold recording artist Shallowhalo. The pair, Allyson Camitta and Ezra Tenenbaum, didn’t stop moving and posing for even a moment during their entire set at Elysium. Frontwoman Camitta, especially. But this was part and parcel of their presentation and actually was a strong contributing factor to their overall delivery of the group’s tight, synth-based electropop.

Hosted by Peppermint Patti Collins, who would eventually introduce her husband the legendary Bootsy Collins so he could come out, wave and say hey, this night was just pure joy. Although Collins didn’t perform, he was gregarious and friendly. The utterly legendary Slick Rick did play, though, and his set was tight, full of expected hits, and it was undeniably cool simply to be mere feet from him while he performed.

Athens had a particularly strong showing this year and, while I had to miss their actual performance, I overheard a woman speaking before the set from Pylon Reenactment Society at Cooper’s BBQ, and she said, “I just read a book on Athens music and these guys are, like, one of the founders of that whole scene!” Immediately preceding PRS’s set was the R&B icon Swamp Dogg. Now quickly approaching age 82, Dogg was still full of vinegar and smart comments even while competently plowing through a set of solid numbers backed by his crack team of players. At the New West Records showcase at Antone’s, The Howdies ushered in their particular brand of honky tonk to wonderful reception and, even after going on at 1 a.m., The Pink Stones maintained its reputation as one of Athens most reliable exports. Other specific highlights from New West that night were Luther Dickinson (ex-North Mississippi Allstars) and Nashville’s Emily Nenni.

One of the most wonderful surprises this year, and there were many, was seeing the U.S. debut of Stockholm’s Waterbaby. Set in the spectacular Central Presbyterian Church, I was unprepared for how much her music, sometimes so light it felt like it might float away, would touch me. With only a five-song EP under her belt, her set was not very long but every note of it was memorable and, indeed, special. Michigan’s Brie Stoner was effusively thankful from the stage at Cooper’s BBQ for fashion house Ralph Lauren placing her song “Hungry” in its Spring 2024 collection promotions. It used to be that the word chanteuse got thrown

head banging and other markers that said, “Hey, we’re here to rock you.”

Montreal’s Alix Fernz channeled the best of late 1970s punk à la very early Adam Ant, and his set at Swan Dive was propulsively enthusiastic. He did his best to stay relatively glum looking throughout, but there were definitely a few smiles from him as his audience hung on every note. In similar fashion, Atlanta’s hard punk/goth rockers Psychic Death laid waste to the Chess Club in the middle of the afternoon.

Los Angeles’ producer and composer Johnny Jewel, known for his soundtrack work, was enigmatic and darkly compelling especially as he performed his work which was featured in the “Twin Peaks” revival series complete with his screens displaying poignant clips. I briefly caught Atlanta super producer Jermaine Dupir and Miami’s rap legend Uncle Luke (AKA Luke Skyywalker from 2 Live Crew) when they hosted the release party for the Hulu documentary Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told, and then caught about half a set of Ying Yang Twins. Mostly for this I was corralled smack dab in the middle of a packed backyard at Stubb’s. I didn’t attempt to move closer because, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you absolutely do not try to wiggle your way forward at any rap show in Austin, and presumably all of Texas. These audiences in particular have real territorial behavior, and I’ve seen fights break out over even the smallest of imagined slights.

It was cool seeing El Paso’s Defacto who had not played live in two decades. I never cared about them before, and have never been a fan of the group’s core of Omar Rodríguez-López and Cedric Bixler-Zaval’s other band The Mars Volta. But this show was special and occasionally mesmerizing in its intensity. And speaking of intense, Mogwai blew the figurative roof off the Moody Theatre when they followed. Their whole set was wave after churning wave of

Manchester, England’s Porij played multiple shows this week, but I only caught the one at Valhalla. At the time, they were enjoyable and I was glad to have caught them but afterward, when listening to the band’s recordings, their live show felt less than, and I found myself wishing it had sounded more like their dreamy records.

As a lifelong dance music fan I was completely thrilled to catch the powerhouse bill of Denver’s Kumarion, Prague’s Rido and N:Force at Kingdom. This showcase was presented by “the world’s leading drum and bass festival” Let It Roll. My sole regret was missing Houston’s Reaper who, as best I can tell, played out of the previously announced order and went onstage while I was busy seeing other acts elsewhere.

Italy’s Orion brought her Italo-disco best to the stage at Elysium complete with sharp visuals. So, too, did New York’s Vitesse X deliver her multi-instrumentalist electronic explorations to the same stage. This particular night, though, I was most pleased to catch up with former Athenian Vaperror (Jeff Cardinal) who now lives in Brooklyn. He has expanded his sound quite a bit since being a dedicated vaporwave artist, and now features guest vocals, some live bass guitar, and—at the very end of his set—utterly brutal heavy metal and associated sampled vocals which was quite jarring for those of us not expecting that.

One major overarching thought that kept returning to me was, “This year actually feels like a music discovery festival and not simply a checklist of brands, hype, FOMO, etc.”

Which made me think of all the years of people bemoaning that SXSW had gotten away from its roots. It may not have happened the way it was desired, and it remains to be seen if music industry expenditures will return to their previous highs. But, for now, in my best and most honest estimation, SXSW music is closer to “the old days” than at any point in the past decade.

And as someone who spends a week in Austin each year searching the nooks, crannies, empty bars and clubs, reading every flier possible, and trying my absolute best to see acts I’ve never heard of and will likely never see again, I found myself quite pleased by the way the week shook out and thrilled to have uncovered for myself so much music I didn’t even know was out there. f

Meteor Airlines

TUES 4/2

7:30 p.m.

HODGSON HALL

THURS 4/4

7:30 p.m.

HODGSON HALL

UGA Wind Ensemble presents Ingolf

Dahl’s Sinfonietta

Dahl worked extensively in Hollywood during the golden age of film. Also featuring Ellen Zwilich’s “Bassoon Concerto” with soloist Professor Amy Pollard and the WORLD PREMIERE of “Recuerdos Perdidos” by Sierra Wojtczack.

UGA Symphony Orchestra presents “From the New World” Works of Dvořák

The program includes works by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák including the Carnivale overture, American Suite, and his Symphony No. 9 “From the New World.” (Formerly listed as “French Masterpieces.”)

Concert Band presents “Dragonfly”

University Band presents “From Darkness to Light”

Shared concert featuring Redcoat Marching Band performers. Free performance.

Southern Wind Quintet

The SWQ represents some of the finest instrumental musicianship on campus, featuring graduate students on flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn. Free performance.

UGA Jazz Ensembles I & II

The bands performs music of a variety of styles, including swing, be-bop, Latin, and contemporary jazz. Concerts often feature Duke Ellington, Thad Jones, Frank Foster, Oliver Nelson and more. Free performance.

Faculty and Guest String Quartet

“Levon and Friends”

Levon Ambartsumian, violin, Guest Artist Oliver Yatsugafu (pictured), violin; Shakhida Azimkhodjaeva, viola; David Starkweather, Cello . Free Performance.

Latin American Music Ensemble presents “Años de soledad”

This ensemble, conducted by Iris Marcipar, will feature music from the northwest parts of Argentina that speak to a yearning for connection. Free performance.

Don Gillespie Memorial Concert

The Contemporary Chamber Ensemble celebrates the life of UGA HHSOM Alum Don C. Gillespie, who worked for music publishing house C. F. Peters for 31 years and championed 20th Century composers. Free Performance.

Chinese Music Ensemble

Featuring guest artists Spring Yang, Huang Rong Fu, and Ying Chenas well instruments such as the erhu, guzheng, pipa, and the yangqin. Conducted by Vicki Lu. Free performance.

Flagpole 3-27-E.indd 1

live music calendar

Tuesday 26

Flicker Theatre & Bar

8 p.m. (doors). $10. www.flicker theatreandbar.com

SECOND NATURE Athens-based three-piece alternative rock band whose sound is self-described as “psychedelic beach rock.”

HAIL GAIL Self-described “babes in a band” from Atlanta.

SEVENTH SON New Athens-based indie band.

Hendershot’s No Phone Party. 7 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.com

KENOSHA KID Instrumental adventure-jazz group centered around the rollicking compositions of Dan Nettles and featuring Josh Allen, Seth Hendershot and various guests.

Madison-Morgan Cultural Center

22nd Annual Madison Chamber Music Festival. 7 p.m. FREE! (students), $20. www.mmcc-arts.org

MORGAN COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL

JAZZ BAND The combined jazz band performs under the leadership of directors Jeffrey Rowser and Karisa Seymour.

Rabbit Hole Studios

8–10:30 p.m. www.rabbitholestudios. org

IMPROVS AND ORIGINS Musical experiments, originals and improvisations.

Ramsey Hall

5:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu

GEORGIA BRASS QUINTET

Featuring Philip Smith and Brandon Craswell on trumpets, Jean MartinWilliams on horn, Joshua Bynum on trombone and David Zerkel on tuba.

Wednesday 27

Creature Comforts

Brewery

Athens Farmers Market. 5–8 p.m. FREE! www.athensfarmersmarket.

net

MRJORDANMRTONKS Tommy

Jordan and William Tonks’ collaboration features rootsy guitar picking and paired vocal melodies. (6 p.m.)

Flicker Theatre & Bar 9 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreand bar.com

DR. FRED’S KARAOKE Featuring pop, rock, indie and more.

Georgia Theatre

7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $12 (adv.), $15. www.georgiatheatre. com

LIGHTHEARTED Local alternative folk rock band anchored by the gorgeous harmonies of twin sisters Eliza Lemmon and Gracie Huffman.

Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall

7:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu

CONCERT BAND Ensemble made up of UGA’s most talented nonmusic majors.

UNIVERSITY BAND Open enrollment ensemble that provides fellowship and creative self-expression through large concert band performances.

Hugh Hodgson School of Music

Edge Hall. 7:30 p.m. FREE! music. uga.edu

THE BEST OF CLARINET A recital by the UGA Clarinet Studio.

Nowhere Bar 8 p.m. (music). www.facebook.com/ NowhereBarAthens

THE LOW WHITES New project led by Neal Fountain. LEAH CALVERT Singer-songwriter, fiddler and vocalist who has played with the Zac Brown Band, The Dappled Grays and many others.

Ramsey Hall

5:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu

UGA TROMBONE CHOIR & ENSEMBLES The choir and ensemble performs a wide range of repertoire including arrangements and transcriptions by studio members.

Thursday 28

Ciné 7:30 p.m. (doors), 8:30 p.m. (show). $10. www.athenscine.com

SEVEN YEAR WITCH Rock and roll band from Anderson, SC formed in 2018 by brothers Seth and Spencer Burden.

FORREST ISN’T DEAD Atlantabased alternative and pop band inspired by The Cure, My Chemical Romance and Prince.

SLEEPER CELL Local collaborative recording project.

Georgia Theatre

7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $17 (adv.), $20. www.georgiatheatre.

com

DANIEL DONATO Singer-songwriter who blends the Nashville country style with a spirit of improvisation. He is touring his first full album of original songs.

Georgia Theatre

Rooftop

7 p.m. FREE! www.georgiatheatre.com

GRASSLAND Local seven-piece that describes its music as “Amerigrass,” a mixture of jazz, folk, pop and bluegrass-inspired music. Hendershot’s 8 p.m. $10. www.hendershotsathens. com

BIG BAND ATHENS 18-member Athens band whose swinging tunes consist of cover music from the ’40s to the ’70s.

Hotel Indigo

Live After Five Series. 5:30 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/Aubrey

EntertainmentAthensGA

STRATTON JAMES Georgia singer-songwriter playing originals and covers.

Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall

7:30 p.m. $10 (w/ UGA ID), $35-55. pac.uga.edu

DERVISH Group formed 25 years ago that is now one of the most celebrated bands in Irish music for its striking interpretations of traditional Irish songs.

Live Wire

UGA Tri Delta’s Deltapalooza. 6 p.m. (doors), 6:30 p.m. (music). $30. www.livewireathens.com

PATIO A wild concoction of rock, blues and funk.

MARS HILL Athens band blending rock, post-punk, ska and reggae.

JAMESON TANK A high-energy mix of rock covers and originals led by Jameson Tankersly.

THE ASYMPTOMATICS Postpunky, rather funky indie band based in Athens.

WIM TAPLEY & THE CANNONS

Local alternative, folk-pop song-

writer and his band rooted in Americana and neo-soul sounds.

Madison-Morgan

Cultural Center

22nd Annual Madison Chamber Music Festival. 7:30 p.m. $75. www. mmcc-arts.org

GALVIN CELLO QUARTET With members from China, Brazil, South Korea and the U.S., the quartet brings together new works from diverse cultural backgrounds. Nowhere Bar

8:30 p.m. $10. www.facebook.com/ nowherebarathens

BLUES JAM Bring an instrument and join host Big C and The Moonshynes for an open blues jam. The house band includes Scott Nicholson, Derek Warren, Brent Davenport and Bo Hembree.

Rialto Club

Kevn Kinney & Friends Residency. 7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $15 (adv.), $20. bit.ly/KevnKinneyMarch

28

KEVN KINNEY The Drivin N Cryin frontman performs a set of his solo material for a monthly residency.

ABE PARTRIDGE Gritty folk singer-songwriter and visual artist from Mobile, AL. Southern Brewing Co.

6–10 p.m. www.sobrewco.com

KARAOKE NIGHT Every Thursday evening.

Friday 29

1818 Brewing Company

6:30–9:30 p.m. FREE! www.facebook. com/theluckyjones

THE LUCKY JONES Old school rockin’ rhythm and blues on the patio.

40 Watt Club

7 p.m. (doors). $35. www.40watt.com

KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS Psych-pop musician with his accompanying band from Philadelphia. Athentic Brewing Co. 8–11 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.com

PERRENGUE BRASIL Ensemble recreating the exhilarating sounds of a summer night party in Brazil through samba, bossa nova and more.

Buvez

7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $10. www.facebook.com/buvezathens

ELECTRIC GEMINI Heavy Atlanta trio alternating between slow hypnotic grooves and fast shredding.

NEAT FREAK New five-piece band from Athens.

FOUR FLAT TIRES Punk band from Atlanta.

BEER PISS Athens hardcore punk group.

Ciné

9 p.m. $10. www.athenscine.com

ANCIENT INFANT Athens indiesleaze and gritty rock and roll band. EP release show!

HATCH Psych-tinged garage rock led by songwriter Garett Hatch. Celebrating the release of a new album, Amachi! Flicker Theatre & Bar 8 p.m. (doors). $10. www.flicker theatreandbar.com

DQE Slacker rock band first formed in Atlanta in 1986.

DIM WATTS Psych-folk project led by Jim Willingham (Ham1, Old Smokey).

LEMONMNM Bubblegum pop band from East Point.

Hendershot’s

8 p.m. $10. www.hendershotsathens. com

SPONDEE Improvised electroacoustic duo of Marc Gilley on saxophone and Louis Romanos on drums. Album release show!

LIZ FARRELL Jeff Buckleyinspired vocals accompanied by intricate ukulele and backing band. Normal Bar

7–10 p.m. $10 suggested donation. www.athenspride.org

QUEER KARAOKE Athens Pride Queer Collective hosts karaoke spotlighting queer musical artists and iconic anthems that have shaped the community. Nowhere Bar

9:30 p.m. (show). www.facebook. com/NowhereBarAthens

GROUNDSCORE Featuring Damian Kapcala and members of Frankly Scarlet and Dotline.

Oak House Distillery 3:30–6 p.m. www.oakhousedistillery. com THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ STOMPERS New Orleans style music played by members of The Dixieland Five.

Saturday 30

40 Watt Club

9 p.m. (doors). $16 (adv.), $21. www.40watt.com

INDIE SLEAZE NITE Dance the night away to indie rock, indietronica and garage rock.

Bishop Park

Athens Farmers Market. 8 a.m.–12 p.m. FREE! www.athensfarmers market.net

JIM COOK High-energy solo blues, classic rock and roots music. (8 a.m.)

TRACY & JEFF Jazz, blues and new and old classics from the voice of Tracy Brown and the guitar and harmonica of Jeff Lustig. (10 a.m.)

Boutier Winery & Inn Latin Dance Night. 8–11 p.m. $20. www.boutierwinery.com

WILLIE ZIAVINO & THE COT BAND Atlanta group performing salsa, rumba, merengue and more.

Ciné

Best Dressed Pre-Movie Music Showcase. 9 p.m. www.athenscine.com

DJ KOUNTRY DJ who started out by putting Athens artists on the map through an Athens Cypher series on YouTube and putting out mixtapes.

FARIN Hip hop and reggae dancehall artist who moved to Athens after 20 years in Chicago.

NONY1 Athens rapper and entrepreneur with a dynamic rap style and captivating lyrics.

CARDYNAL Multi-faceted producer, rapper, songwriter and bandleader with a wide range of influences and a hard-to-define but easy to catch on to sound.

Flicker Theatre & Bar Kid’s Matinee. 3 p.m. (doors), 4 p.m. (show). $10. www.flickertheatre andbar.com

THE PG SHOW A campy, creative rock and roll band with songs about topics like veggies and exercise that make kids want to dance. 8 p.m. (doors). $10. www.flicker theatreandbar.com

LO TALKER Lush, intricate and psych-tinged folk rock led by Andrew Shepard (Roadkill Ghost Choir).

ALL GODS New local band playing catchy, melodic post-punk.

TELEMARKET Driving, angular indie-rock band from Athens.

Georgia Theatre

7 p.m. (doors), 8 p.m. (show). $39.50. www.georgiatheatre.com

BLUE OCTOBER Alternative rock band formed in Houston, TX in 1995. Hendershot’s

8 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.com

BICHOS VIVOS Local band playing forró, accordion and triangle-driven country music from Brazil.

The Little Farm in Greshamville

Greshamfest 2024. 1–9 p.m. $20, $30 (VIP). 678-576-9635

SAM BURCHFIELD AND THE SCOUNDRELS The Atlanta-based singer-songwriter plays a set of his folk-pop tunes.

THE MIKE KINNEBREW BAND Atlanta singer-songwriter with a pop take on folk and Americana.

ERIKA JANAE No info available.

Nowhere Bar

9 p.m $10. www.facebook.com/

NowhereBarAthens

THE GRAWKS Punk and garageinfused local rock and roll band.

HERE BE MONSTERS Folk-punk solo act with history-laden lyricism atop melodic guitar wizardry.

ROSIE AND THE RATDOGS Sludgy, hardcore, heavy-psych band based in Athens.

Nuçi’s Space

3:30 p.m. (doors), 4 p.m. (show). FREE! www.nuci.org

CAMP AMPED AFTER SCHOOL

SPRING FINALE #2 Campers show off what they’ve learned. Paloma Park

8 p.m. FREE! www.palomapark.com

PARKER GISPERT Full band performing a mix of songs by The Whigs and Gispert’s solo project.

THE MOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

Hunter Morris leads a new band with Drew Beskin, Nick Robbins and Phillip Brantley.

DJ PHILTHROTTLE Phillip Brantley of Terminally Phil, Modern Skirts and Athens meme fame.

Sunday 31

Oconee Hill Cemetery

7 a.m. FREE! www.firstbaptistathens.

org

TOM GRANUM Joined by a festival brass ensemble from First Baptist Church, Granum will perform at an Easter sunrise service held at the Wingfield Chapel.

The World Famous 8 p.m. $10 suggested donation. www. facebook.com/theworldfamous athens

SLOW PARADE Atlanta-based music collective headed by Matthew Pendrick, who mixes roots, blues and country into his songwriting.

HOUSTON IN THE BLIND Experimental indie rock and shoegaze outfit from Los Angeles.

BRONZE BRAIN Music by Patrick Morales of Mothers and Viking Progress.

Monday 1

Flicker Theatre & Bar

Art Opening for Jill Carnes and Hannah Jones. 6 p.m. (reception), 8 p.m. (music). FREE! www.flicker theatreandbar.com

BILL TAFT Member of W8ing4UFOs, Smoke and The Jody Grind.

DON CHAMBERS Longtime local favorite who delves into pastoral folk and experimental rock with equal passion.

BURLY IVY Parlor psychedelic lounge music featuring Jim Willingham, Dain Marx, Ryan Bousquet and Bryan Poole.

Tuesday 2

Ciné

8 p.m. FREE! www.athenscine.com

KARAOKE WITH THE KING Show off your pipes to the world. Every first, third and fifth Tuesday. Flicker Theatre & Bar 8 p.m. (doors). $10. www.flicker theatreandbar.com

SCHMOOZE Athens alternative rock trio.

THE GRINGOS Covers and originals with a gravelly, powerful voice.

PATIO A wild concoction of rock, blues and funk.

Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall

7:30 p.m. $3 (w/ UGA ID), $15. pac. uga.edu

UGA WIND ENSEMBLE Sinfonietta performing the work of Ingolf Dahl, a prominent German-Jewish composer in Hollywood during the golden age of film.

Ramsey Hall

3:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu

UGA CLASSICAL GUITAR

ENSEMBLE Classical guitar compositions performed by Hugh Hodgson School of Music students. 5:30 p.m. FREE! music.uga.edu

SOUTHERN WIND QUINTET

Graduate chamber music ensemble that represents some of the finest instrumental musicianship on campus.

WUOG

Live in the Lobby. 8 p.m. FREE www. wuog.org

SEX CELL Local alternative band influenced by grunge, garage and indie rock. Visit the station or tune in to 90.5 FM.

Down the Line

4/03 The Humdingers (Creature Comforts Brewery)

4/03 UGA Jazz Ensembles (Ramsey Hall)

4/03 Halogenic, Cam Norton (40 Watt Club)

4/03 Josiah and the Bonnevilles (Georgia Theatre)

4/04 UGA Jazz Combos (Hugh Hodgson School of Music)

4/04 Michelle Moeller (Ramsey Hall)

4/04 Rick Fowler Acoustic Band (Athentic Brewing Co.)

4/04 Alejandro Escovedo, James Mastro (40 Watt Club)

4/04 An Evening of French Masterpieces (Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall)

4/04 The Electric Nature, Magic Tuber Stringband, Joseph Allred, Kelby Clark (Flicker Theatre & Bar)

4/05 Hana Beloglavec (Ramsey Hall)

4/05 Mixed Media Recital (Dancz Center for New Music)

4/05 Country River Band (VFW Post 2872)

4/05 Dylan Gossett (40 Watt Club) f

event calendar

Tuesday 26

COMEDY: Patton Oswalt (40 Watt Club) The well-known stand-up comedian and actor is returning to spread laughs. Mar. 26–27, 7 p.m. (doors). $35. www.40watt.com

FILM: España en Corto (Georgia Museum of Art) This is the 11th anniversary of the two-day festival of awarded short films from Spain. 6:30 p.m. (doors), 7 p.m. (showing). FREE! www.facebook.com/ EspanaEnCorto

GAMES: Lunch and Learn New Games (Tyche’s Games) Come down with your lunch and try out some new games. 12 p.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com

GAMES: Mahjong Club (Winterville Cultural Center) Learn to play the ancient Chinese game of Mahjong. Tuesdays & Fridays, 1–4 p.m. $1. www.wintervillecenter.com

GAMES: Tuesday Night Shenanigans (Southern Brewing Co.) Play board games and arcade games on site, bring your own games or even your D&D group. Tuesdays, 5–10 p.m. www.sobrewco.com

GAMES: Dirty South Trivia (White Tiger Deluxe) Test your trivia knowledge. Tuesdays, 6 p.m. www. facebook.com/DirtySouthTrivia

GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Amici Athens) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.facebook.com/baddogathens

GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Akademia Brewing Co.) Test your trivia knowledge with host Garrett Lennox. 7 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/ ClassicCityTriviaCo

GAMES: Singo! (Beef O’Brady’s) Win gift certificates and prizes at this music bingo night. Tuesdays, 7–9 p.m. www.beefobradys.com/athens

LECTURES & LIT: Edenfield Jurist in Residence Lecture (Hatton Lovejoy Courtroom, UGA School of Law) U.S. Court of Appeals Senior Judge M. Margaret McKeown will discuss her book Citizen Justice. 2 p.m. FREE! calendar.uga.edu

LECTURES & LIT: Women’s History Month Keynote Speech (UGA Special Collections Library) Dr. Kellie Carter Jackson will give a talk called “We Refuse: Black Women and a History of Resistance.” 4 p.m. FREE! willson.uga. edu

LECTURES & LIT: Monthly Book Swap (Athentic Brewing Co.) Browse free books to take home or settle in to read in the front lounge. Donating books is encouraged but not required. 5–10 p.m. FREE! www.athenticbrewing.com

LECTURES & LIT: Mystery Book Club (Bogart Library) Join Dr. Penny Mills to discuss Peter Heller’s novel Celine. 5:30–6:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart

LECTURES & LIT: Author Talk & Book Signing (Avid Bookshop) Garrard Conley will discuss his book All the World Beside. 7 p.m. FREE! www.avidbookshop.com

MEETINGS: Future Land Use Public Input (Creature Comforts Brewery) The public is invited to learn more, ask questions and provide feedback on future land use efforts. 5:30–7 p.m. FREE! www.accgov. com/compplan

PERFORMANCE: Rabbit Box Storytelling: Better Late Than Never (VFW Post 2872) This month’s sto-

rytelling theme is “Better Late Than Never” about stories of redemption, perseverance and breakthroughs. 7–9 p.m. $10. www.rabbitbox.org

Wednesday 27

ART: Tour At Two (Georgia Museum of Art) These drop-in public tours feature highlights of the permanent collection. 2 p.m. FREE! www.georgiamuseum.org

CLASSES: Salsa Dancing (Starland Lounge & Lanes) Join SALSAthens for Cuban salsa lessons that meet a variety of dance abilities, including beginners. Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. (advanced), 7:30 p.m. (beginner/ intermediate). $10. SALSAthens Dancing@gmail.com

COMEDY: Gorgeous George’s Improv League (Buvez) Townie improv that invites you to bring suggestions to help create improv magic. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. $5 suggested donation. www.flying squidcomedy.com

COMEDY: Patton Oswalt (40 Watt Club) The well-known stand-up comedian and actor is returning to spread laughs. Mar. 26–27, 7 p.m. (doors). $35. www.40watt.com

FILM: España en Corto (Georgia Museum of Art) This is the 11th anniversary of the two-day festival of awarded short films from Spain. 6:30 p.m. (doors), 7 p.m. (showing). FREE! www.facebook.com/ EspanaEnCorto

FILM: The 1619 Project (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens) View episodes of the Hulu series “The 1619 Project,” and discuss issues it raises around the consequences of slavery and contributions of Black Americans. 6:45 p.m. FREE! www.uuathensga. org/1619uufa

FILM: Ghastly Horror Society (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Screening of the 2024 horror film Systems Research. 7 p.m. FREE! www.flicker theatreandbar.com

FILM: Silent Films and Cocktails (Hendershot’s) Settle in with a drink for a night of silent film showings. 7 p.m. www.hendershotsathens.com

GAMES: Shadowfist Power Lunch (Tyche’s Games) Come down with your lunch and play Shadowfist. New players welcome. 12 p.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com

GAMES: Classic City Trivia (The Local 706) Test your trivia knowledge with host Garrett Lennox. 7 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/ ClassicCityTriviaCo

GAMES: Water Trivia (Saucehouse) Test your H2knOwledge with waterthemed goodies in recognition of World Water Day. 7 p.m. FREE! www.accgov.com

GAMES: Super Smash Brothers Ultimate Tournament (Wonderbar) Play the newest edition of a modern classic game for a chance to win prizes. 10 p.m. FREE! www. facebook.com/wonderbarathens

KIDSTUFF: Busy Bee Toddler Time (Bogart Library) Join Ms. Donna for rhymes, songs, puppets and a story. 10 a.m. & 11 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart

KIDSTUFF: Parachute Playtime (Oconee County Library) Join the librarians for engaging parachute activities followed by open play. 11 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary. com/oconee

KIDSTUFF: LEGO & Builder’s Club (Bogart Library) Drop in to use LEGOs and other building materials. All ages. 3:30–5:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart

KIDSTUFF: Teen Anime Club (Oconee County Library) Meet with other fans of anime and manga to discover books, shows, movies, snacks, art and Japanese culture. Grades 6–12. 7–8 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.com/oconee

LECTURES & LIT: Book Discussion (Unity Athens Church) Join the group meeting led by Sharon Duncan and Martha Cook to discuss the book A Course of Love. Wednesdays, 10 a.m. FREE! www. unityathens.com

of art history at John Hopkins University, will present on “Plato’s Polychrome Pharmacy.” 5:30 p.m. FREE! art.uga.edu

CLASSES: Free Apple & Android Training Class for the Blind (Multiple Choices Center for Independent Living) A comprehensive seminar is focused on sharing essential skills for seamlessly and efficiently navigating devices. Registration required. 10 a.m.–2 p.m. FREE! 706-850-4025

GAMES: Thursday Trivia (Johnny’s New York Style Pizza) Test your trivia knowledge with host Jon Head. 6:30 p.m. www.johnnyspizza.com

GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (The Foundry) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Thursdays, 7 p.m. www.facebook.com/baddog athens

EVENTS: Comics Reading: FLUKE Pre-Party (Bizarro-Wuxtry) Hosted by Cam del Rosario and Abby Kacen with live comic readings by Eleanor Davis, Pat Rooks and more. 6 p.m. FREE! www.instagram.com/ mild_pain

EVENTS: TEDxUGA 2024: Snapshot (Morton Theatre) An independently organized TED event that highlights the UGA’s community involvement in experiences, research and more. 7 p.m. $15–35. www.tedxuga.com

LECTURES & LIT: Book Party with Gen Z Authors (ACC Library) Teen entrepreneurs Fenley Scurlock and Jason Liaw celebrate the release of Down to Business: 51 Industry Leaders Share Practical Advice on How to Become a Young Entrepreneur. 7–8 p.m. FREE! www.avidbookshop.com

MEETINGS: Film Athens (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Meet and network with others in the filmmaking community (actors, directors, etc.) during happy hour. 5 p.m. FREE! www.flickertheatreandbar.com

MEETINGS: Future Land Use Public Input (Whitehead Road Elementary School) The public is invited to learn more, ask questions and provide feedback on future land use efforts. 6–8 p.m. FREE! www. accgov.com/compplan

Thursday 28

ART: Artist Talk (Georgia Museum of Art) Multi-faceted artist Gregor Turk will discuss his “Welcome” installation of 77 security cameras in the museum’s lobby in the greater context of his work. 5:30 p.m. FREE! www.georgiamuseum.org

ART: 2024 Shouky Shaheen Lecture (Lamar Dodd School of Art) Jennifer Stager, assistant professor

CLASSES: Classic City Squares Dance Lessons (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens) Beginner square dance lessons for singles, couples and children. Ages 12 & up. Thursdays, 2–4 p.m. $5. www.facebook.com/groups/classic citysquares

CLASSES: Boots & Brews Line Dancing (Athentic Brewing Co.) Learn the line dancing basics from hosts Becky and Patty. Fourth Thursdays, 7 p.m. FREE! www. athenticbrewing.com

COMEDY: Comedy in the Cellar (Onward Reserve) This week Athens Comedy presents touring comedian Joe Pettis. Thursdays, 8:30–10:30 p.m. $8–12. www.facebook.com/ athenscomedy

EVENTS: Coffee and Tea at No. 3 (No. 3 Railroad Street) The Friends of the Oglethorpe County Library are hosting a coffee shop featuring beverages for sale, Wi-Fi, games, crafts and creative activities. Thursdays, 8 a.m.–12 p.m. www. oglethorpefol.org

EVENTS: BFK Presents Reading Is Reading (The Foundry) A community-led showcase where five presenters get five minutes each to demonstrate how reading shows up in their life. 6 p.m. (doors), 7 p.m. (show). $15. www.booksforkeeps. org

GAMES: Adult Dungeons & Dragons (Bogart Library) A gaming session for players of all skill levels. Ages 18 & up. 6 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart

KIDSTUFF: Open Play (Oconee County Library) Drop in for bubbles, playtime, children’s music and companionship. Ages 5 & under. Thursdays, 11 a.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/oconee

KIDSTUFF: Homeschool Club (Oconee County Library) Drop in to meet other homeschool families and enjoy an educational topic, a craft and/or game. Ages 8–12. Every other Thursday, 2 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/oconee

KIDSTUFF: LEGO Club (Oconee County Library) Drop in to free build and create, or do one of the fun LEGO challenges. Ages 5–12. Thursdays, 3:30–5:30. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/oconee

KIDSTUFF: Chapter Chat (Bogart Library) This month’s chat will feature City Spies by James Ponti with quizzes, trivia, snacks and more. Ages 8–12. 4:30 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart

LECTURES & LIT: Athens Science Cafe (Little Kings Shuffle Club) Mackensie Minnear presents “Counting the Multiracial Population: How the U.S. Census Perpetuates Misconceptions and Marginalization.” 7 p.m. FREE! athenssciencecafe@gmail.com

MEETINGS: Coffee Hour (Oconee County Library) Drop in to drink some coffee, while supplies last. Thursdays, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/oconee

MEETINGS: KnitLits Knitting Group (Bogart Library) Knitters of all levels are invited to have fun, share craft ideas and knit to their hearts’ content. Thursdays, 6 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart

MEETINGS: Future Land Use Public Input (Fowler Drive Elementary School) The public is invited to learn more, ask questions and provide feedback on future land use efforts. 6–8 p.m. FREE! www. accgov.com/compplan

SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. info@petanque.org, www.athenspetanque.org

Friday 29

ART: Visiting Artist Talk (Lamar Dodd School of Art) UGA alumna Natalie Beall will speak on her work that invents new forms containing traces of functionality and fantasy. 10:30 a.m. FREE! art.uga.edu

COMEDY: Flying Squid Improv: Tricycle (work.shop) Three person improv performed in the round featuring Jade Fernandez, Brittany Brown and Kelly Petronis. 8 p.m. $10. www.flyingsquidcomedy.com

EVENTS: One Night Stand: A Sexuality Powerpoint Party (Revolution Therapy and Yoga) A monthly edu-taiment event with micro talks by experts and enthusiasts about anything within the realm of sexuality. 5:30–7 p.m. $10 donation. www.revolutiontherapyandyoga.com

FILM: Rock Doc Block: Inside/Out (Ciné) Enjoy viewings of documentaries and music videos chosen by Athens musicians with this week’s feature of Athens, GA: Inside/Out presented in 16mm by Heather McIntosh. 8 p.m. $8–11. www. athenscine.com

GAMES: Mahjong Club (Winterville Cultural Center) Learn to play the ancient Chinese game of Mahjong. Tuesdays & Fridays, 1–4 p.m. $1. www.wintervillecenter.com

GAMES: Chess Club (Winterville Cultural Center) Join others for a weekly chess competition. Fridays, 6–10 p.m. FREE! www.winterville center.com

GAMES: Friday Night Initiative (Online: Tyche’s Games) Learn how to play a RPG game with others on Discord. New players welcome. 7 p.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com

KIDSTUFF: Meet & Play (Bogart Library) Drop in for facilitated open play with age-appropriate toys. Best for ages 6 & under. Every Friday, 10:30 a.m. FREE! www.athens library.org/bogart

KIDSTUFF: Fantastic Friday (Bishop Park) An instructor supervises while a parent/caregiver leads their little ones through obstacle courses. Ages 1–4 years. Register online. 10–11:30 a.m. $7.50 (ACC residents), $11.25 (non-ACC residents). www.accgovga.myrec.com

Saturday 30

ART: Family Saturdays: Art Workshop (Lyndon House Arts Center) A drop-in family-oriented series of art projects that are inspired by current exhibitions. 12–2 p.m. FREE! www. accgov.com

CLASSES: Dancefx Community Classes (DanceFX Athens) Explore different styles of dance at different levels with a day full of trial classes. Registration for individual classes suggested. 10:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m. FREE! www.dancefx.org

COMEDY: Comedy Night (Foxglove Plantbar) Performances by a variety of local comedians hosted by Lanny Farmer. 8 p.m. $10. www.foxglove plantbar.com

EVENTS: Breakfast with the Bunny (Memorial Park) Create a take home craft, enjoy a biscuit breakfast and chat with the Easter Bunny. Registration required. 9 a.m. & 10 a.m. $5 (ACC resident), $7.50 (non-resident). www.accgovga.myrec.com

EVENTS: “Adopt a Stream” Workshop (Sandy Creek Nature Center) Join in chemical and macroinvertebrate workshops to learn more about the qualities of clean water. Ages 13 & up. Registration required. 9 a.m.–5 p.m. FREE! www.accgovga.myrec.com

EVENTS: Easter Egg Hunt (Watson Mill Bridge State Park) Bring a basket and participate in a fun filled

UGA alumna Natalie Beall will be giving a Visiting Artist Talk about her paper collages and mixed media wall sculptures on Mar. 29 at the Lamar Dodd School of Art.

LAMAR DODD SCHOOL OF ART

egg hunt. Ages 12 & under. 10 a.m.–12 p.m. FREE! www.gastate parks.org/WatsonMillBridge

EVENTS: FLUKE 2024 (40 Watt Club) The mini-comic festival organized by Athens-area comic artists, underground publishers and their enthusiasts. 10 a.m.–5 p.m. $2. www.flukeisawesome.blogspot.com

EVENTS: Easter Egg Hunt (Memorial Park) Bring a basket and participate in the annual 5 Points egg hunt. Ages 10 & under. 11 a.m. FREE! info@friendsoffivepoints.org

EVENTS: Small Town Saturday (Athentic Brewing Co.) Browse local vendors with live music and food for sale. 2–8 p.m. www.athenticbrewing.com

FILM: Rock Doc Block: Don’t Look Back (Ciné) Enjoy viewings of documentaries and music videos chosen by Athens musicians with this week’s feature of Bob Dylan: Don’t Look Back hosted by Dottie Alexander. 2:30 p.m. $8–11. www. athenscine.com

FILM: Rock Doc Block: Fresh Dressed (Ciné) Enjoy viewings of documentaries and music videos chosen by Athens musicians with this week’s feature hosted by Montu Miller featuring a fashion panel (8 p.m.), pre-movie music showcase (9 p.m.) and screening of Fresh Dressed. 10 p.m. $8–11. www. athenscine.com

GAMES: Board Games (Bogart Library) Meet new friends or make new ones while playing a variety of games. 2–4 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart

KIDSTUFF: Easter Egg Hunt (Mack & Payne Funeral Home) Enjoy holiday-themed games, music, food and fun with age group divided egg hunts. 12 p.m. FREE! www.multiple choices.us

Sunday 31

CLASSES: UGA Salsa Club (UGA Memorial Hall) Learn foundational movements of salsa with no partner or experience required. 3:30 p.m.

FREE! Experienced salsa dancers will learn a new style and more advanced techniques. 4 p.m. $5. www.ugasalsaclub.com/sundayclass

EVENTS: Easter Sunrise Service (Oconee Hill Cemetery) Oconee Hill Cemetery will hold a service with Matt Marston of First Baptist, Athens officiating and music by Tom Granum and a Festival Brass ensemble. 7 a.m. FREE! sharon@ firstbaptistathens.org

FILM: The 1619 Project (Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens) View episodes of the Hulu series “The 1619 Project,” and discuss issues it raises around the consequences of slavery and contributions of Black Americans. 9 a.m. FREE! www.uuathensga.org/ 1619uufa

GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Southern Brewing Co.) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Sundays, 4 p.m. www.facebook.com/baddog athens

SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. info@petanque.org, www.athenspetanque.org

Monday 1

ART: Opening Reception (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Artists Jill Carnes and Hannah Jones will have art on display with live music following the opening. 6 p.m. www.flickertheatre.com

GAMES: General Trivia with Erin (Athentic Brewing Co.) Test your trivia knowledge with host Erin. Mondays, 7–9 p.m. FREE! www. athenticbrewing.com

GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Dooley’s Bar and Grill) Test your trivia knowledge with host Garrett Lennox. 7 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/ ClassicCityTriviaCo

GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (LumberJaxe) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Mondays, 7 p.m. www.facebook.com/baddogathens

GAMES: Team Trivia (Southern Brewing Co.) Test your trivia knowledge with host Team Trivia. Mondays, 7 p.m. www.sobrewco.com

KIDSTUFF: Monday Funday (Bogart Library) Join Ms. Donna for songs, fingerplays, storytelling and STEAM activities. Ages 3–7 years. Registration suggested. 10:30 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart

MEETINGS: Classic City Rotary (Athentic Brewing Co.) The local chapter meets weekly. Mondays, 11:30 a.m. FREE! www.athentic brewing.com

THEATER: On Your Feet! (The Classic Center) The original music is based on the true story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan, who became an international sensation. 7:30 p.m. $25–87.25. www.classiccenter. com

Tuesday 2

CLASSES: iPhone Basics (ACC Library) Learn the basics of navigating your device. 10 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org

CLASSES: ESOL (Bogart Library) Learn or polish your English skills using Mango languages online and in-person basic conversation and vocabulary. 12:30 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/bogart

GAMES: Lunch and Learn New Games (Tyche’s Games) Come down with your lunch and try out some new games. 12 p.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com

GAMES: Mahjong Club (Winterville Cultural Center) Learn to play the ancient Chinese game of Mahjong. Tuesdays & Fridays, 1–4 p.m. $1. www.wintervillecenter.com

GAMES: Tuesday Night Shenanigans (Southern Brewing Co.) Play board games and arcade games on site, bring your own games or even your D&D group. Tuesdays, 5–10 p.m. www.sobrewco.com

GAMES: Dirty South Trivia (White Tiger Deluxe) Test your trivia knowledge. Tuesdays, 6 p.m. www. facebook.com/DirtySouthTrivia

GAMES: Bad Dog Trivia (Amici Athens) Test your trivia knowledge with host TJ Wayt. Tuesdays, 7 p.m. www.facebook.com/baddogathens

GAMES: Classic City Trivia (Akademia Brewing Co.) Test your trivia knowledge with host Garrett Lennox. 7 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/ ClassicCityTriviaCo

GAMES: Singo! (Beef O’Brady’s) Win gift certificates and prizes at this music bingo night. Tuesdays, 7–9 p.m. www.beefobradys.com/athens

LECTURES & LIT: Bogart Bookies (Bogart Library) Pick up a copy of Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore and discuss it with the group. 1–2 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart

LECTURES & LIT: Book Swap (Athentic Brewing Co.) Browse free books to take home or settle in to read in the front lounge. Donating books is encouraged but not required. 5–10 p.m. FREE! www. athenticbrewing.com

MEETINGS: Knot Just For Knitters (Oconee County Library) Bring your own crafting project to work on

while chatting with fellow crafters. Tuesdays, 3–5 p.m. FREE! www. athenslibrary.org/oconee

MEETINGS: Silent Book Club (The Foundry) Settle in with some food and beverages, then enjoy an hour of quiet reading time. Registration required. 6–8 p.m. FREE! linktr.ee/ silentbookclubathens

OUTDOORS: 5K Guided Walk (Dudley Park) Southeast Striders Walking Club leads a round-trip walk from Dudley Park to the Firefly Trail and North Oconee River Greenway. All fitness levels welcome. 9 a.m. FREE! www.southeaststriders walkingclub.org

SPORTS: Classic City Pétanque Club (Lay Park) New players welcome. Scheduled days are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. info@petanque.org, www.athenspetanque.org

Wednesday 3

ART: Curator Talk (Georgia Museum of Art) Kathryn Hill, associate curator of modern and contemporary art, will give a gallery talk about the exhibition “Nancy Baker Cahill: Through Lines.” 2 p.m. FREE! www. georgiamuseum.org

CLASSES: Salsa Dancing (Starland Lounge & Lanes) Join SALSAthens for Cuban salsa lessons that meet a variety of dance abilities, including beginners. Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m. (advanced), 7:30 p.m. (beginner/ intermediate). $10. SALSAthens Dancing@gmail.com

COMEDY: Gorgeous George’s Improv League (Buvez) Townie improv that invites you to bring suggestions to help create improv magic. Wednesdays, 7 p.m. $5 suggested donation. www.flying squidcomedy.com

FILM: Blood Everywhere (Flicker Theatre & Bar) Screening of the 1985 horror film Formula for a Murder. 7 p.m. FREE! www.flicker theatreandbar.com

GAMES: Shadowfist Power Lunch (Tyche’s Games) Come down with your lunch and play Shadowfist. New players welcome. 12 p.m. FREE! www.tychesgames.com

GAMES: Classic City Trivia (The Local 706) Test your trivia knowledge with host Garrett Lennox. 7 p.m. FREE! www.facebook.com/

ClassicCityTriviaCo

KIDSTUFF: Busy Bee Toddler Time (Bogart Library) Join Ms. Donna for rhymes, songs, puppets and a story. 10 a.m. & 11 a.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart

KIDSTUFF: LEGO & Builder’s Club (Bogart Library) Drop in to use LEGOs and other building materials. All ages. 3:30–5:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenslibrary.org/bogart

LECTURES & LIT: Book Discussion (Unity Athens Church) Join the group meeting led by Sharon Duncan and Martha Cook to discuss the book A Course of Love. Wednesdays, 10 a.m. FREE! www. unityathens.com

LECTURES & LIT: Author Talk (ACC Library) Author Elizabeth Barks Cox will discuss her book Reading Van Gogh: An Amateur’s Search for God 7 p.m. FREE! www.avidbookshop. com/event/elizabethbarkscox

MEETINGS: Avid Writers’ Collective (Avid Bookshop) Members critique each others’ pre-submitted writing of all forms. First Wednesdays, 6:15 p.m. FREE! events@ avidbookshop.com

OUTDOORS: ‘Normal’ Run (Athentic Brewing Co.) Join the Athens Road Runners for a 1–3 mile run that starts and ends at Athentic Brewing. Every other Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. FREE! www.athenticbrewing.com f

Exploring A

Sober Sex Life

ADVICE FOR ATHENS’ LOOSE AND LOVELORN

By Bonita Applebum advice@flagpole.com

Hey Bonita,

Now that I’m a year sober, I’ve had the horrible realization I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed having relations with my partner unless it was drug-fueled fun. It’s not really about what they’re doing; I think it’s just them. We’ve been together for years. What do I do?

Anonymous

Hey there Anon,

If sobriety has revealed to you that you’re not actually attracted to your partner, then I’d recommend that you end your relationship if attraction and intimacy are non-negotiable aspects of relationships for you. You’re allowed to need those things to be with someone. I support you going out and finding those things instead of languishing because of expectations. It’s a simple answer, I know, but attraction is a simple issue to me. Either it’s there or it’s not, and the lack of it will wreck a relationship. Go ahead and get it over with now before you’re put in the awful position of having to answer the question, “How long have you felt this way?”

consent is, or that I never asserted myself in terms of my own desires and pleasure. Being drunk made all of that easy to ignore, including ignoring the person I was with at the time. Drunk sex and chem sex are rosetinted glasses for those of us still working up the nerve to put our pleasure first, or at least on the same level as the pleasure of our partner. Honestly, I’m excited for your romantic future—now you have the clarity of mind needed to be intentional in bed and in love. Now you can be present with your partner when you’re being intimate, and that will lead to better sex and deeper intimacy that should hopefully snowball into an even bigger love.

I also want to run this by you: Perhaps that lack of presence never allowed you to really see your partner, and now that you can see them, you don’t want to do the hard work of getting to know them all over again. I believe you when you say that you no longer desire sex with them now that you’re sober, but I encourage you to interrogate that feeling further. Is it really because of them, or are you intimidated by the

I don’t think you have to share exactly what the issue is, though, at least for the sake of your partner’s feelings. You can say that you want to focus on sobriety, or that your druggy past with this partner is hindering your path to staying clean. All of that is true, and, perhaps most crucially, it sounds nothing like, “Now that I’m sober, I don’t find you hot, and it’s possible that I never have.”

I used to need to be intoxicated in order to really “let go” during sex, and speaking with a counselor friend of mine illuminated the issue for me. I was not present during those intimate moments, and I didn’t want to be. Being wasted meant that I didn’t have to accept the fact that I only went after losers who didn’t have a handle on what

Need advice? Email advice@flagpole.com, or use our anonymous online form at flagpole.com/getadvice. hey,

Maybe starting fresh with someone new sounds easier than starting back at one with someone with whom you literally needed to be trashed in order to start undressing. Sharing and intimacy are so much harder to do when you’re aware of the fact that you’re sharing and being intimate. It takes work to get to that natural place of collaboration with a partner, and you no longer have the balm of booze and/or drugs to make it easier. Consider that as you go forward and make your decision, and I promise that the decision you make will be the best one for you. f

bulletin board

Deadline for getting listed in Bulletin Board is every THURSDAY at 5 p.m. for the print issue that comes out the following Wednesday. Online listings are updated daily. Email calendar@flagpole.com.

Art

AAAC QUARTERLY GRANT (Athens, GA) The Athens Area Arts Council offers $500 grants to visual and performing artists in any medium to support specific projects that enrich the culture of Athens. Rolling deadlines are June 15, Sept. 15, Dec. 15 and Mar. 15. Apply online. www. athensarts.org/support

CALL FOR ART (Winterville Cultural Center Gallery) The gallery’s grand opening exhibit will have the theme “New Beginnings: Works About A New Beginning.” Submissions accepted Apr. 1–27. www.winterville ccgallery.com

CALL FOR ARTISTS AND MUSI-

CIANS (Stan Mullins Studio) The Georgia Museum of Art Student Association is seeking artists and musicians for its 8th annual pop-up market. Contact for submission form link. Deadline Apr. 1, 12 a.m. Market held Apr. 27. FREE! gmoa student@gmail.com

CALL FOR COLLECTORS (Lyndon House Arts Center) The LHAC’s “Collections from our Community” series features unique collections of objects found in the closets, cabinets and shelves of Athenians. Email if interested in displaying your collection. shelby.little@acc gov.com

CALL FOR EXHIBITION PROPOSALS (Lyndon House Arts Center)

Artists, artist groups and curators can submit original exhibition proposals for consideration in the arts center’s gallery schedule. Arts can also submit images of their work for consideration in larger group or themed shows. Deadline Apr. 20, 11:59 p.m.. https://www.accgov. com/6657/Exhibition-ProposalForm

EMERGING BLACK ARTIST

SCHOLARSHIP (Athens, GA) The Athens Area Arts Council will award a $500 scholarship annually to one Black artist from a Clarke County high school who is attending, or has been accepted to, a college or university to study the arts. Deadline June 30. www.athensarts.org/ support

JOKERJOKERTV CALL FOR ARTISTS (Online) JOKERJOKERtv is actively accepting proposals for collaboration from visual, musical and video artists and curators living in Athens. Artists worldwide can also submit music videos, short films, skits and ideas to share with a weekly livestream audience. www. jokerjokertv.com/submit

OPEN STUDIOS (Lyndon House Arts Center) Studio members have access to spaces for painting, printmaking, photography, ceramics, jewelry, fiber and woodworking. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. $65/month. www. accgov.com/7350/Open-StudioMembership

art around town

ACE/FRANCISCO GALLERY (675 Pulaski St., Suite 1500) Jason Thrasher’s exhibition of photographs, “Kashi Washi,” documents his return to a specific street corner in Benares, India 25 years after his first visit in 1998. Through May by appointment.

ATHENS INSTITUTE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART: ATHICA (675 Pulaski St.) “Confluence 2: Eastside & Westside” is a pop-up exhibition celebrating National Youth Art Month through works by students in the Clarke County School District. Through Mar. 27.

ATHICA@CINÉ GALLERY (234 W. Hancock Ave.) Christina Habibi shares a collection of large abstract paintings incorporating architectural and structure elements juxtaposed with single words. Through Apr. 25.

BOGUE GALLERY AT ACC LIBRARY (2025 Baxter St.) The 38th annual “Georgia Artists with DisAbilities Art Show and Tour” presents over 50 works by members of GAWD ranging from pottery, painting and sculpture to wood carving, photography and weaving. Through Apr. 21.

CIRCLE GALLERY AT UGA COLLEGE OF ENVIRONMENT & DESIGN (Jackson Street Building) Atlanta artist and National Geographic photographer Peter Essick presents “Work in Progress,” a collection of images offering a bird’s eye view of construction sites. Closing Reception Apr. 17, 4:30 p.m.

CLASSIC CENTER (300 N. Thomas St.) In Classic Gallery I, “Spotlight” features works by painters William Ballard, Jaci Davis and Ella Hopkins. • In Classic Gallery II, Kristin Roberts’ “The Fables” illustrates Aesop’s Fables with detailed works that are both whimsical and dangerous.

CREATURE COMFORTS BREWING CO. (271 W. Hancock Ave.) Asheville artist Jack Snider of Dirt Wolf Dyes presents a collection of vibrant, framed textiles combining traditional and alternative dye techniques. Through March.

DODD GALLERIES (270 River Rd.) “CCSD Youth Art Month Exhibition 2024” showcases creativity and talent of young artists. Through Mar. 31.

FLICKER THEATRE & BAR (263 W. Washington St.) Sam Granger, selftaught artist behind the World Famous SamG Land roadside attraction in Clarkesville, presents bright, often funny paintings. Through March. • Neil Hayden makes mixed media assemblages incorporating found objects. Through March. • Artwork by Jill Carnes and Hannah Jones. Opening Reception Apr. 1, 6 p.m.

GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART (90 Carlton St.) “Nancy Baker Cahill: Through Lines” is a mid-career survey demonstrating the artist’s progression from

PUBLIC ART SELECTION PANELS

(Athens GA) The Athens Cultural Affairs Commission is seeking community members to participate in upcoming public art selection panels. Panels review, evaluate and select from submitted proposals for ACC-funded public art commissions. www.accgov.com/9656/

Public-Art-Selection-Panels

SEEKING ACAC MEMBERS (Athens, GA) The Athens Cultural Affairs Commission is seeking three candidates to fill three-year volunteer positions. The ACAC meets the second Monday of every month at 6 p.m. Application deadline Apr. 14, 11:59 p.m. Tatiana.veneruso@ accgov.com, www.accgov.com/ acac

STUDENT ART COMPETITION

(State Botanical Garden of Georgia) Selected original artwork will be used for items in the garden’s gift shop, such as note cards, T-shirts, scarves and mugs. Students attending ninth grade and above in Georgia (including college students) are eligible. Cash prizes awarded. Deadline Mar. 31. botgarden.uga. edu

Classes

ACCA CLASSES (Athens Community Council on Aging Center for Active Learning) “Qigong for Vitality with Anna DiBella” includes

gentle movements to help improve balance, coordination and the mind-body connection. Mondays, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. $20–25/five week series. “Feel Better Yoga with Elizabeth Alder, CYT” is a slowgoing yoga class for all abilities. Tuesdays, 2:30–3:30 p.m. $20–25/ five week series. abarefoot@acc aging.org

A COURSE OF LOVE (Unity Athens Church) Learn a positive path for spiritual living based on A Course in Miracles. Wednesdays, 10–11:30 a.m. FREE! www.unity athens.com

ART CLASSES (K.A. Artist Shop)

The shop offers a range of fine art classes and workshops for adults, private classes and parties, summer camps, and art clubs for youth. Topics include acrylic, aqua oil, bookmaking, calligraphy, gouache, printmaking, and watercolor. Register online. www.kaartist.com

BACHATA WORKSHOPS (YWCO)

Join TIMBAthens for a bachata workshop led by Terri Ann Feliciano, a founder of Atrevidos Dance Company. Workshops include basic styling technique (1 p.m.), body movement and sensual bachata drills (2:15 p.m.), social combo partner work (3:30 p.m.). Feb. 6, 1–4:30 p.m. $25/workshop. bit.ly/ bachata2024

BLACKSMITHING CLASSES (Greenhow Handmade Ironworks, Washington) A variety of classes include “Basic Tong Making” (Mar. 30), “Forge a Firepoker with Decorative Handle” (Apr. 6, May 11 or June 14), “Forge Grilling Tools” (Apr. 13 or June 1), “Forge a Three Hook Rack” (Apr. 26 or May 25), “Forge

drawing into digital works of art in augmented reality. Through May 19. • “Richard Prince: Tell Me Everything” includes a suite of works based on the joke archives of comedian Milton Berle. Through June 16. • “Decade of Tradition: Highlights from the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Collection.” Through July 3, 2024. • “Kei Ito: Staring at the Face of the Sun” uses photography to examine the intergenerational trauma of nuclear disaster and the possibilities of healing and reconciliation. Through July 14.

GLASSCUBE@INDIGO (500 College Ave.) Zane Cochran presents “Aurora,” a sculptural interpretation of the aurora borealis using 3D geometric figures and lights.

HENDERSHOT’S (237 Prince Ave.) Nirvinyl Album Art presents “Nirvinyl For Sale” featuring vintage album cover art. Through mid-April.

JUST PHO… AND MORE (1063 Baxter St.) Susan Pelham’s collages are inspired by Magic Realism, Surrealism, nursery rhymes, fables and more. Through March.

LYNDON HOUSE ARTS CENTER (211 Hoyt St.) “Soft Trap” is a site-specific installation by Katie Ford created for “In Case,” a new annual series that utilizes the lobby case as an installation space. Through Mar. 28. • Collections from our Community presents Ikla McConnell’s collection of Pyrex casseroles and dishware. Through Apr. 9. • The 49th annual Juried Exhibition features 160 works by 111 local artists. Artist Talks held Apr. 4, 11, 18 and 25, 6 p.m. Through May 4. • “Linnentown Then and Now: Paintings by Caroline Coleman” is an exhibition of portraits telling the story of her family and other Linnentown community members. Reception Apr. 9, 6–8 p.m. On view Mar. 30–May 10.

MADISON-MORGAN CULTURAL CENTER (434 S. Main St., Madison)

“John Lewis Series: Painting by Benny Andrews” features 17 paintings by Andrews depicting the life of late U.S. Congressman John Lewis and the Civil Rights Movement. • In celebration of National Women’s History Month, the gallery shares 13 photographs by Frances Benjamin Johnston (1864–1952) taken in Madison in 1939 of seven antebellum homes and one church as part of the Carnegie Survey of the Architecture of the South. Through May. • Photographer Emily Jenkins Followill shares images that capture an appreciation for the beauty of the past and an eye for the present in “Enhancing History: The Beauty of Land & Spaces in the South.”

MANHATTAN CAFE (337 N. Hull St.) “Concrete Shoes & Neckties: High Art for Low People and Low Art for High People” shares works by Gary Autry, Sam Balling, AM Rodriguez and Jeff Rapier. Through March.

MASON-SCHARFENSTEIN MUSEUM OF ART (567 Georgia St., Demorest)

“Barq’s Root Beer: A History of Design” showcases Barq’s design objects from its earliest incarnation to its most recent rebranding. Through Apr. 2.

Garden Tools” (Apr. 27 or June 8), “Forge a Railroad Spike Knife” (May 3 or May 24), “Forge a Tomahawk” (May 4), “Forge a Spear” (May 31) and “Forge a Bottle Opener” (June 7). Classes run 10 a.m.–5 p.m. www.greenhowhandmade.com/

blacksmith-classes

CLASSES (Winterville Cultural Center) “Chair Yoga” promotes deep breathing, mindfulness and inward listening. Mondays, 9:10–10:10 a.m. $12/drop in. “Botanical Sketchbook” explores drawing techniques like shading, perspective and light. Mondays, 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m. $12/drop in. wintervillecampus@gmail.com, www.winterville center.com

COOKING CLASSES (Athens Cooks) “Sushi and Sake” will be held Apr. 3, 6–8 p.m. $103. “French Bistro Basics” will be held Apr. 6, 6–8 p.m. $103. “Taste of Thailand” will be held Apr. 18, 6–8 p.m. $103. Register online. www.athenscooks. com

PÉTANQUE CLUB OF ATHENS (5 Alumni Dr.) Learn to play Pétanque. RSVP for a free Wednesday introduction. athenspetanqueclub@ gmail.com, www.athenspetanque club.wixsite.com/play

QPR SUICIDE PREVENTION TRAINING (Nuçi’s Space) Nuçi’s hosts free monthly QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention sessions for anyone interested, not just mental health professionals. Nuçi’s also offers free training for businesses and organizations. A public trainings will be held Mar. 28 at 9:30 a.m. qpr@nuci.org, www.nuci.org/qpr SKETCH WRITING WORKSHOP (work.shop) This six-week class covers polishing your writing, creating interesting scenes, giving constructive feedback and collaborating with others. Thursdays, Mar. 28–May 2, $100. www.flyingsquid comedy.com SPANISH CLASSES (Multiple Locations) Casa de Amistad offers

beginning and intermediate GED and ESL classes in-person and online. An eight-week course to learn Spanish meets Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:30–1:30 p.m. $60. www.athensamistad.com

SUPPLY CHAIN AND WELDING

TRAINING CLASSES (Athens

Career Center) Goodwill of North Georgia is offering no-cost job training and support programs. Both programs begin in April. www. goodwillng.org

TRADITIONAL MARTIAL ARTS

CLASSES (Live Oak Martial Arts)

Traditional and modern-style Taekwondo, self-defense, grappling and weapons classes are offered for all ages. Classes in Jodo, the art of the Japanese staff and sword, are held Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7 p.m. Visit the website for a full schedule. liveoak martialarts@gmail.com, www.live oakmartialarts.com

YOGA AND MORE (Revolution Therapy and Yoga) Revolution is a multipurpose mind-body wellness studio offering yoga and therapy with an emphasis on trauma-informed practices. Check website for upcoming classes and programs. Guided Meditation with Sarah Head held Mar. 26, 6 p.m. www.revolutiontherapyandyoga.com

YOGA CLASSES (Let It Be Yoga Studio, Watkinsville) Classes are offered in Hatha, Vinyasa, Kundalini, beginner, gentle and other styles. Check online calendar for weekly offerings. www.letitbeyoga.org

Help Out

SEEKING BOARD MEMBERS

(Sandy Creek Nature Center) Sandy Creek Nature Center, Inc., is seeking new members for its board of directors. Brochures and applications are available online. scncinc@gmail.com, www. sandycreeknaturecenterinc.org/ board-members

OCONEE CULTURAL ARTS FOUNDATION (34 School St., Watkinsville)

“Youth Art Month 2024” features artwork by students in kindergarten through 12th grade attending Oconee County schools. Through Apr. 6. • “Explosive Encounters: Where Paint Meets Thread” features over 20 art quilts by Laura Leiden. Through Apr. 6.

PORCELAIN AND DECORATIVE ARTS MUSEUM (2450 S. Milledge Ave.)

Two new collections celebrating the connection between art and nature include a complete Jasperware tea set from Wedgewood in England and a series of hand-carved coconut vessels.

THE ROOK & PAWN (294 W. Washington St.) Painted wood cutouts by Marisa Mustard. Through Apr.15.

SPACEBALL BAZAAR (130 N. Church St., Bogart) “In Like a Lion” is a group exhibition featuring regional artists. Closing Reception Apr. 6.

STATE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF GEORGIA (2450 S. Milledge Ave) Judy Bolton Jarrett presents “ART and SOUL,” a collection of paintings depicting landscapes and flowers in textured acrylics as well as mixed media works featuring collage techniques. Closing reception Apr. 28.

STEFFEN THOMAS MUSEUM OF ART (4200 Bethany Rd., Buckhead)

“Peace in Our Time: Steffen Thomas Meisterwerke from the Lowrance Collection” shares works collected by Marjorie and Richard Lowrance over the span of 60 years. Through July 23.

UGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER LOBBY GALLERY (230 River Rd.) The new gallery debuts with large-scale paintings from Margaret Morrison’s “Paradigm Shift,” a series created after Morrison began questioning historical aspects of her closely held Mormon faith. Through July 26.

UGA SPECIAL COLLECTIONS LIBRARIES (300 S. Hull St.) “Paving the Road to Progress: Georgia Interstate Highways” traverses the rocky path of the interstate system’s development through maps, reports, correspondence and legislation. Through Apr. 24. • “HBO at 50: The Rise of Prestige Television” highlights some of the groundbreaking programming created by and aired on HBO with items selected from the Peabody Awards Archive. Through May 2024. • “Legacy: Vince Dooley, 1932-2022” celebrates the life and career of the late UGA football head coach and athletic director through photographs and artifacts. Tours held before home games on Fridays at 3 p.m. Through spring 2024. • Developed by James W. Porter, Meigs Professor of Ecology emeritus at UGA, “Sunken Treasure: The Art and Science of Coral Reefs” explores the marine lives of coral through specimens and photographs. Family Day Apr. 13, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Through July 3.

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP OF ATHENS CLEMENTS GALLERY (780 Timothy Rd.) Paul Hartman presents “A Lightmonkey Show,” a collection of photographs. Through March.

Kidstuff

ATHENS FOREST KINDERGARTEN

(Sandy Creek Park) Now enroll ing children ages 3–6. AFK is a cooperative preschool that aims to develop initiative, persistence, interdependence, and empathy. www.athensforestkindergarten.org

FARM CAMP

This all6–12 includes caring for and interacting with the animals, creek time in the woods, outdoor crafts, games, music, artand exploring the farm. Mondays–Fridays, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. during the summer. Register online. www. sweetolivefarm.org

GROUPS AT REBLOSSOM

(ReBlossom) A variety of classes, playgroups and support groups are offered for parents and young children. Topics include birth and breastfeeding, prenatal and parentmaternal mental health and more. Check website for a schedule. www. reblossomathens.com

LEARN TO SWIM

tions) The ACC Leisure Services Department offers swim lessons for children ages 3 and up at Heard Park, Lay Park, Memorial Park and Rocksprings Park including “Swim School” and “Parent/Tot Swim School.” $33 (residents), $50 (nonKinderswim program is offered to fivegov.com/myrec

LIBRARY STORYTIMES

Library) Storytime for preschool aged children and their caregiv ers is offered every Tuesday and Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. www.athens library.org

LUTHEROAD DAYCAMP

Lutheran Church) Camp for rising 1st–6th graders runs June 24–27, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. and June 28, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. www.holycrossathens.com/ lutheroad

SUMMER ART CAMPS

Shop) Art Camps for Promising Young Artists are offered for half or full days Mondays–Fridays during the summer. Activities range from drawing, painting, collage, print making, illustration, calligraphy and character design. www.kaartist.com

SUMMER CAMP REGISTRATION

(Athens, GA) ACC Leisure Services Department offers camps highlight ing art, nature education, sports and theater. Now registering. www. accgov.com/myrec

TREEHOUSE SUMMER CAMPS

(Treehouse Kid & Craft) Camps are offered in a variety of themes including “Camp Swiftie,” digital art group for survivors of domestic

Kei Ito: Staring at the Face of the Sun

REAL ESTATE

APARTMENTS FOR RENT

2BR garage apartment for rent. Pulaski St. HVAC and W/D. $1100/mon incl. water. Avail. August 1. Text or call: 706-588-5252.

HOUSES FOR RENT

House, 3BR/2BA in Normaltown. Central heat/air. Apartment, 2BR/1BA. Furnished. Washer/dryer. Wi-Fi. No smokers, pets. Calls only! 706-372-1505

HOUSES FOR SALE

Looking for a house or a home? Condo or land? Call Daniel Peiken. REALTOR 5Market Realty. Selling in and around Athens for over 20 years. 706-296-2941

FOR SALE

MISCELLANEOUS

Need old papers for your garden? We have plenty here at Flagpole! Call ahead and we’ll have a crate ready for you. 706-549-0301

Business Water Solutions offers the cleanest drinking water available through innovative bottle-less water coolers and ice machines. Call 706-248-6761 or visit www.businesswatersolutions. com to set up a consultation.

MUSIC

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Nuçi’s Space is always accepting and selling used gear and instruments. All profits go toward our mission of ending the epidemic of suicide. Visit nuci.org/rewired.

MUSIC SERVICES

Instant cash is now being paid for good vinyl records & CDs in fine condition. Wuxtry Records at corner of Clayton & College Dwntn. 706-369-9428

SERVICES CLEANING

Peachy Green Clean Cooperative, your local friendly green cleaners! Free estimates. Call or go online today: 706-248-4601, www. peachygreencleancoop.com.

HEALTH

MINDFULNESS RETREAT HOSTED BY MINDFUL BREATH SANGHA OF ATHENS/OCONEE June 6 – June 9 1241 BRITAIN ESTATES DRIVE, WATKINSVILLE GA OVERVIEW: This Retreat will be led by monks and nuns from the Magnolia Grove Monastery in Batesville, Mississippi. Magnolia Grove Monastery is a Mindfulness Practice Meditation Center practicing in the tradition of Plum Village, founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, who was nominated for a Noble Peace Prize by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It is one of three Buddhist Monasteries in the U.S. which practice in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. FEE: $285.00(includes 9 meals). Half of the fee($142.50) is due with registration. To request a registration form, or more information, email Claire Bolton at cbolton08@gmail.com or Becky Lockman at becky lockman@gmail.com.

Advertise your service in the Flagpole Classifieds.

Pain? Depression? Insomnia? Call us today to find out how we can help you using natrual plant medicine. 888-4203848 . Use coupon code “Athens24” for 15% off your first order.

HOME AND GARDEN

Woman-Run Gardening Services: Prep for spring! We offer garden clean-up/ maintenance, invasive plant removal, raised beds, personalized native/edible gardens for home/business and more! Call/Text: 706395-5321.

JOBS

FULL-TIME

A. La Fera is Now Hiring: Licensed Hair Stylist, Fulltime or Part time. Located at 600 Oglethorpe Ave. Great products and beautiful space. Send your resume or portfolio to a.lafera@gmail. com.

Find employees by advertising in the Flagpole Classifieds. 706-549-0301

Athens Bagel Company is seeking awesome early risers to staff the freshly renovated downtown bagel shop! Bakers, cooks, counter staff. Apply online www.athensbagel.com/jobs.

Summer Seasonal (May-Aug) Classic City

Installation: Starting @ $20–25/hr. Assistant Manager and Manager roles performing furniture installation on college campuses. Great benefits, travel as a team w/ food stipend and lodging 100% covered.

Email: caswall@classiccity installation.com or 706-3407694.

PART-TIME

Join a diverse, inclusive workplace and get paid to type! 16–40 hours, Mon–Fri. NEVER be called in for a shift you didn’t sign up for. Must type 55+ wpm. Make your own schedule and work independently with no customer interaction. Starts at $13 with automatic increases. www.ctscribes. com

Flagpole ♥s our advertisers, donors and readers!

White Tiger is now hiring for BOH positions at the Athens and Watkinsville locations! No experience necessary. Email work history or resume to catering@white tigergourmet.com.

NOTICES

MESSAGES

All Georgians ages 6 months & up are eligible for COVID vaccines , and ages 5+ are eligible for boosters! Call 706-3400996 or visit www.public healthathens.com for more information.

Darlene would like to wish everyone a Good Friday and Happy Easter. April Fools!

Get Flagpole delivered straight to your mailbox!

Weekly delivery straight from the source. Makes a great gift! Only $55 for six months or $110 for one year. Purchase online at www.flagpole.bigcartel. com, call 706-549-0301 or email frontdesk@flagpole. com.

by Margie E. Burke