Morgan County Citizen: Barefoot and Playin'

Lifestyles in Morgan County

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25, 2008

THE MORGAN COUNTY CITIZEN

“the band is like a dysfunctional marriage between four guys.”

- jon tonge

bearfoot

’ n i y pla and

AWARD - WINNING LOCAL BAND TO TAKE MADISON STAGE THURSDAY

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tuck somewhere between rock and roll and outlaw country (that’s not the kind on the radio, mind you; they don’t subscribe to that) with blues-ish undertones, the sticky, gritty-as-a-bar-room-floor-on-a-Friday-night phenomenon that is The Bearfoot Hookers is best consumed with a flask of moderately priced whiskey, or a cold six-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon.

There’s a reason they bill it as “Beer Drinkin’ Gospel.”

And, in the interest of fair warning, the Hookers are coming to Madison – Thursday, August 25, to be exact, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Round Bowl Springs Park, directly behind Madison Markets – as part of the Madison Summer Concert Series, sponsored by Madi-

STORY BY KATHRYN PURCELL

son Main Street.

But they aren’t here by chance. Half the band is tied to Morgan County in one way or another and the others, well, they’re guilty by association.

Guitarist and vocalist Ty Manning teaches

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PHOTOS BY ANGELINA BELLEBUONO

STICKY, GRITTY ROCK AND ROLL Clockwise from top: Band members (left to right) Ty Manning, Mark Durfield, Jon Tonge and Shawn Collins take a break from their music.

The band performs during AthFest 2007. They have won a Flagpole Music Award in 2006 and again in 2008. The band has been a regular participant in the Graham Parsons Guitar Pull in Waycross. The band’s local faction poses.

See HOOKERS Page 2C

Columnist: “Reduce, recycle and reuse for the next generation”

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eeting present needs without compromising the ability to meet future needs. For example, not using the last drop of milk on your cereal (just because you stumbled into the kitchen first) so your sister can have a cup of milk for breakfast (for she refuses to drink anything but dairy or Coke before 8 a.m.). Taking time to be considerate saves a lot of morning strife.

Sustainability is forethought ensuring plentiful resources either for family breakfast or the Earth for

Jamie Miles COLUMNIST

your great-grandchildren’s, great-grandchildren. By loose calculations my greatgrandchildren’s greatgrandchildren will arrive in year 2148 and I will be 185years-old. And in desperate

need of face lift – or maybe a face to lift? Yes, we all will be gone by 2148 and what will have become of Madison’s beauty and resources?

This Saturday, the Madison-Morgan Cultural Center, Madison-Morgan Conservancy, Church of the Advent and Hunkerdowns present Madison’s first Sustainability Expo from 10 – 3 p.m. at the Cultural Center.

Find all sorts of locally grown produce at the Farmer’s Market on the lawn. Pick up some tomatoes, peppers along with delicious Georgia produced relishes and jellies and some of Ellijay’s first apples.

Stroll through the Hall gathering great ideas to make changes in the way we do things today – to ensure plenty for generations to come. Solar power, recycling, sustainable forestry and landscaping, water conservation and many others.

The Echoes of Eco puppetry show in the auditorium at 10:30 a.m. is a free performance for all ages featuring giant puppets emphasizing the importance of protecting the land and its creatures.

Implementing little changes like channeling precious rainfall from a downspout into a rain bar-

rel or hundred-gallon underground reservoir. A yard planted with drought resistant foliage. Remembering to bring reusable shopping bags into the store, rather than left behind on the car seat. Reduce, recycle, reuse and readjust thinking.

Recently my daughter and cousin blissfully played all afternoon. I assumed caring for imaginary Gameboy dogs. Called to dinner, they presented the fruit of their play to grandparents: a detailed recycling plan (in triplicate). Our current recycling plan features Mom checking all the trash cans for absent-mindedly dis-

carded Gatorade bottles and plastic Oreo sheaths. I do a lot of search and rescue feeling guilty seeing recyclables thrown out. I’m envious of the excitement and passion that motivate this younger generation.

As caretakers of Madison, we need to take our job seriously. Get excited about cutting waste, eating the fruit of our soil and planting seeds for the next hundred years. Let’s readjust our actions toward the bounty we inherited only through grace. Like leaving a little milk in that recyclable jug, it’s just the polite thing to do.

N EWS & F EATURES

HOOKERS art at Morgan County High School; guitarist and vocalist Mark Durfield is an engineer at Madison-based Sovis; and bassist Jon Tonge owns Dog Ear Books. Drummer Shawn Collins, pianist Scott Nicholson and guitarist Marcus Thompson complete the whiskey-soaked outfit.

“The band is like a dysfunctional marriage between four guys,” Tonge said.

The Hookers began in the summer of 2003, when a friend of Tonge’s, also the owner of an Athens bar, needed a band for a party he was throwing. Tonge and Manning put the band together and, deciding that they liked the outcome, the Hookers formed and immediately began work on their first CD – “Sweet Pickle Grits,” a compilation of 12 original songs recorded at Durfield’s house.

“We ripped out all our CD cases, put in covers and sat around and wrapped the CDs,” Tonge said, of the upstart operation.

After serving time playing at some of the less popular Athens venues, the “Beer Drinkin’ Gospel” phenomenon caught on and the Hookers played a rigorous schedule across the state throughout the next year.

“The first two years were busy years,” Durfield said.

“We played over 40 shows per year.”

This spurred them to record their second CD, “Life at the Bar,” in 2004.

The CD is another compilation of original songs, as well as a cover of Robert Johnson’s “Me and the Devil Blues.”

Following the release of this CD, the Hookers began playing the Southeast, from

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college towns in Georgia to Alabama and Florida.

The album furthered the popularity of the Hookers at home. “‘Life at the Bar’ did a lot for us,” Durfield said. “We worked with a lot of the right people and, through word of mouth, we got a lot bigger.

That cemented our place in Athens.”

At the same time, however, Athens music critics weren’t quite sure what genre of music the Hookers fell under.

“We were called a funny country band for a long time,” Durfield said. “It took recording ‘Life at the Bar’ to change that for good.”

More importantly, though, the music scene began to take notice. The Hookers were named one of the “Bands to Watch in 2005” by Athensbased Flagpole Magazine and the track “Beggar’s Prayer” from “Life at the Bar” was chosen as part of the 2005 AthFest Compilation CD. “By the middle of 2006, they couldn’t ignore us anymore,” Durfield said.

The Bearfoot Hookers were awarded the Flagpole Music Award (which is based on fan votes) in the “Country, Americana, Roots Rock” category in 2006, and the track “I’d Rather Two-Step (than Twelve-Step)” was included in the 2006 AthFest Compilation CD. The band continued to play shows throughout the Southeast, picking up current and honorary members along the way.

Additionally, the song “Rain Don’t Stop the Trains” was part of the 2007 AthFest Compilation CD – Volume 2.

This year, the band was again honored with a Flag-

pole Music Award, this time in the “Country” category.

“I think the difference this time [with the Flagpole Music Awards] is that all the other bands [in the “Country” category] with the exception of one is considered popular country,” Durfield said.

“I didn’t know we had as many fans as we did,” Tonge said.

Whether it’s the fact that they’ve won two Flagpole Music Awards or that they can turn out a crowd, though toothless at times, The Bearfoot Hookers do have fans – in Morgan County, Athens and all over the Southeast.

They agree that they best show they’ve played was at the Georgia Theatre for an AthFest Release Party. Other favorite Athens spots include the Caledonia Lounge and Tasty World.

As Tonge and Manning are from Waycross, they always get a good reception when traveling down to South Georgia to play a show.

The most interesting show thus far, according to Durfield, Tonge and Manning, took place in Tallahassee, Fla., and involved line dancing, karaoke and arriving to find a septic tank truck that fell into the nearby river.

“We should’ve known that was not a good omen,” Tonge said.

The Hookers are more than ready to play Thursday night, as many local friends and co-workers often talk about wanting to see them perform, but can’t make the shows.

“It’s cool because a lot of people down here can’t get to the places we play,” Tonge said.

“I think it’s cool that the people we work with finally get to come see us,” Manning

said. “My kids are all excited about it.”

They also want to assure those who may be concerned that they’ve made the music, well, appropriate for the family atmosphere that the Madison Summer Concert Series typically attracts without losing what appeals to their typical crowd.

“The only thing that will change is some of the words,” Durfield said.

And it seems that Morgan County is ready.

“I had someone tell me they were coming to see me play before I even knew we were playing,” Manning said.

All of that said, this Thursday night in Madison brings with it the “Beer Drinkin’ Gospel,” according to The Bearfoot Hookers.

And a possible Armageddon. So, bring your own beer.

MORGAN COUNTY CITIZEN “Beer Drinkin’ Gospel,” according to The Bearfoot Hookers (or at least their Web site, www.thebearfoothookers.com): ...But alas, the men had no songs to write except simple nursery rhymes about the goings on of the creepy crawlies.

They became bored and began to dabble in narcotics. God saw this and was not pleased. So He thought, “What can I do to keep these two idiots out of trouble?” And then He had an idea and said, “I’ll make a woman and she will be beautiful and smart and provide wholesome entertainments for the men.” And so, God created woman. And He was pleased. And the two men were very pleased. And it didn’t take long before the men were in competition for the affections of the woman. Nor did it take the woman long to figure out that all she had to do was tilt her head and smile and the two men would do anything she asked. God saw this and said, “They are hopeless. I’m outta here.”

So, as the competition between the men grew, and as the woman expertly played them against each other for her own benefit, the men became melancholy. It was then that they discovered the blues. And then some guy invented electricity and some other guy made a guitar that plugged into a really loud amplifier and rock and roll was born.

And then six guys realized that if they got on stage in a bar and played some songs about crazy women and booze, they got to drink for free. And so The Bearfoot Hookers were formed. And the rest is history.

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September 25, 2008 Page 2C

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Fun Fam For th e ily Thi entir sY ear e !!

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Come See What’s New at the Morgan County Fair !

Tuesday, Sept. 30- Saturday Oct. 4 Hours : (Tues - Fri) 6:00-10:00 (Sat)1:00-Midnight Located at Morgan County Fairgrounds at Lions Club Rd and Fairgrounds Rd Children Admitted Free Tues-Thurs with School Coupon · Adults: $3.00 · Children: $1.00 Same Fun Rides For All Ages · Same Fun Midway Games All-Day Ride Passes Available Tuesday - 4-H Photography , Arts & Crafts and Poster Contest - Madison Area Lamb and Goat Show Wednesday - WDDK Dock 104 Broadcasts Live - Madison Area Commercial Dairy Heifer Show Thursday - WMOQ Broadcasts Live - 4-H Bake-Off Contest - All goodies open for public tasting

· In Our Exhibition Hall The Newton Hayride Square Dancers Come Visit Our Exhibits Showing Off Morgan County’s Finest Youth Organizations