Well, here we are at the end of another year. And what a year it’s been. Before we look forward to 2009, I thought that I’d list some of the most interesting moments in Athens music this year.
1) Athens, GA water supply creates fertile year
Everybody and their brother’s bands released records this year. Here’s the list of releases from Flagpole.com. This does NOT include all the re-releases, singles, and basement tapes circling around town.
* 16 Tons: Live at the Melting Point
* Andrew Heaton: A(n) Simulated Complaint
* American Cheeseburger: Split 7″ w/ Canadian Rifle
* An Epic at Best: The Spelling Sounds EP
* Athens Boys Choir: Bar Mitzvah Superhits of the ’80s, ’90s and Today
* The B-52s: Funplex
* Bambara: Bambara
* Birds+Wire: Sandford’s Drive
* Randall Bramblett: Now It’s Tomorrow
* Blue Flashing Light: The Mayor of Five Points
* Cars Can Be Blue: Doubly Unbeatable
* Cinemechanica: Rivals EP
* Cloak and Dagger Dating Service: The Set a Fire EP
* Dead Confederate: Wrecking Ball
* Deaf Judges: All Rise
* Don Chambers + GOAT: Zebulon
* Divided Like a Saint’s: Divided Like a Saint’s
* Drive-By Truckers: Brighter Than Creation’s Dark
* Liz Durrett: Outside Our Gates
* Elf Power: In a Cave
* Elf Power/ Vic Chesnutt: Dark Developments
* The Empties: The Empties
* Folklore: Carpenter’s Falls
* Future Ape Tapes: Fuck the Future
* Future Ape Tapes: DNA Super*
* Spencer Frye: Life in the Mirror
* Gay Africa: Pizzae!
* George W. Bush Cover Band: Hits from the Oval Ranch
* Ham1: The Underground Stream
* Harvey Milk: Life…The Best Game in Town
* Lefty Hathaway: Fleas, Flies & Fodder
* Christopher Henderson: Dancing Skeleton
* The Inflatable Orchestra: The Inflatable Orchestra Vol. 1
* The Instruments: Dark Småland
* The Jersey Barrier: Steady Pace in the Slow Lane
* Killick!: The Amplifucker
* Adam Klein: Western Tales and Trails
* Kuroma: Paris
* The Lolligags: Out of Perversity Join Hands
* Lullwater: Faithful Sinners
* Marriage: II
* Modern Skirts: All of Us in Our Night
* Ken Will Morton: King of Coming Around
* Ken Will Morton: Devil in Me
* Mother Jackson: Soundtrack to Your Damnation
* Odist: Odist EP
* Of Montreal: Skeletal Lamping
* Packway Handle Band: Packway Handle Band
* Pegasuses-XL: The Antiphon
* Pride Parade: Descendants
* Quiet Hooves: No Mare O’Mine
* R.E.M.: Accelerate
* Richard Sherfey and All God’s Children: The Drunken Gospel According to Richard Sherfey and All God’s Children
* Ruby Isle: Night Shot
* Russian Spy Camera: Mutiny in the Kitchen with Knives
* Sleepy Horses: Golden Light
* Solstice Sisters: The Rest of the Year
* Ben Stevens: The Acoustic Sessions
* Steve Tyrell: Back to Bacharach
* Subrig Destroyer: Subrig Destroyer
* Timmy Tumble: The Prynce of Ypsilanti
* Tishamingo: The Point
* TwentyNine: 29
* Twin Tigers: Curious Faces, Violet Future
* The Visitations: Girls Aliens Food
* The Warm Fuzzies: The Bubblegum EP
* Allison Weiss: Allison Weiss and the Way She Likes It
* The Whigs: Mission Control
* Marty Winkler: Under Your Heart
* We Versus the Shark: Dirty Versions
2) Widespread Panic joins the Georgia Music Hall of Fame
The boys from Panic were inducted into the Hall in a very…interesting ceremony. Watching it on television, the whole thing seemed really stuffy until WP got up and played. All the Athenians in the crowd (and there were a lot) ran down to the front and started dancing.
3) The Live Shows
From Athfest’s dozen or so venues to the release parties for Modern Skirts and Dead Confederate to even R.E.M.’s show in Atlanta, you couldn’t ask for much more than this. Our bands went touring all over the place, bringing Athens to the world.
4) Rest In Peace
We lost several community members this year and two very influential people in the music realm. Guitarist Danny Esposito and Mark Mytrowitz (Microwave) from R.E.M. died this year and are sorely missed. I can’t say that I ever had the pleasure of meeting either gentleman. I wish I had.
5) WUOG Moves after 36 Years
If you’ve read the blog any, you know about how hard this hit most of us at the station but I think we sent it off well. You can check out www.wuog.org for our last day on air and the Mike Mills Birthday DJ Sledride To Hell, both streaming now.
So here’s to a year of music and mayhem. Predictions for 2009 coming up soon!
blueshades
athensmusicjunkie.com 
A whole year and somehow, I never saw this! Thank you so much for acknowledging my husband, Danny Esposito. He was not only a brilliant guitarist, but was funny and well loved by many people. He was my life; he was everything to me. Thank you also for acknowledging Microwave. He was an acquaintance of ours and a great guy, really nice and very professional with his work. Now that I know about your blog, I'll try to remember to keep an eye on it. Thanks!
– M. Esposito