This post is brought to you by the letters R, E, and M. And by the number 69.
One of the advantages of working in a library is the insane amount of information you have access to. Believe it or not, not all knowledge has been converted to the web. And some of these books in your local catalog are completely out of print or very rare. Case in point, Concert and Chaos: A Documentary of the Athens Music Scene Volume 1 by Jimmy Davidson.
I ran across this book while bored out of my mind and surfing the virtual catalog for something interesting. Lo and behold, there it was. I had no clue it existed. But apparently Mr. Davidson took the gargantuan task of documenting Athens music on. I should probably stress that trying to make a complete record of Athens music via book is really not possible. It’s outdated by the time you finish writing it. Which is why a project like AthensMusicFamilyTree is a bit more plausible.
Yet I really loved flipping through this little curiosity. It’s a heroic attempt at trying to capture a moment in time via the bands that played around circa 1989. There are a few major bands left out but the bands included are some favorites of mine and a ton I’ve never even heard.
Each entry begins with a list of bandmembers and a discography followed by a band history as told by the band itself. There’s some great quotes in here, including one from Ted Hafer. When asked if he could change Athens in any way, he replied, “Elect Michael Stipe mayor.” I can see the bumper stickers now.
I won’t give away all the bands in the book but some that really stuck out were Gypsy Cab Company, the New Invincibles, and Billy James. I (heart) Billy James. There’s a lot more obscure and not so obscure bands in here. Since there’s only two copies I see in the system, I’m sending this one back next week. But make sure to check it out, it’s an interesting snapshot of a moment in Athens music.
athensmusicjunkie.com 