Hi folks! There’s no shortage of something to do in the Spring in Athens so let’s drop the small talk and get caught up on everything!
The better half and I went for a walk this weekend in Dudley Park and I was happy to see the progress that has been made on the replacement for the Murmur Trestle. I looked it up, apparently the Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services Department will host a ribbon cutting ceremony and open the newly completed Firefly Bridge over Trail Creek on Thursday, April 20 at 4:00 p.m. So if you’re not, uh, otherwise occupied on 4/20 at 4…20… maybe come out for some refreshments and a very nice view.
This Saturday at Cine is a special screening of “Carnival” by Jim Herbert. If that doesn’t ring a bell, it might be because the short film was a) created 40 years ago and b) featured the legendary Limbo District heavily and was ready to go after the band had already broken up. Details about the event below:
“This special screening at Ciné will be a night celebrating Jim Herbert’s masterpiece film. The original 16mm master tapes were spotlessly digitized by UGA Special Collections. The audio, originally recorded by Mitch Easter at his soon-to-be-famous Drive-In studio in Winston-Salem, has been remixed by David Barbe and mastered by Jason Nesmith at Chase Park Transduction. Video edited by Ian Cone.
In addition to the remastered “Carnival,” an additional four reels of Herbert’s material from that day will be shown along with uncovered additional studio recordings that Limbo District made between 1981 and 1982. And as if that wasn’t enough, there will be a Q&A with Jim Herbert hosted by Richard Fausett from The New York Times about the film, the band and that particular day. ATHICA will be hosting a pop-up art exhibit in the lobby, where there will be limited reprints of Marlys Lenz Cox’s iconic photos and Bill Georgia’s screened posters. Proceeds to benefit the Chunklet Music Preservation Project, a Georgia based non-profit 501(c)(3). “
If you have not nominated anyone for the 9th Annual Athens Hip-Hop Awards, I’d recommend going ahead and doing it now. If you click THIS LINK, you’ll be sent to their website where you can nominate your favorite local group, club DJ, hairstylist, and more. The awards will be held on June 17th at the 40 Watt Club. Hope to see y’all there!
The Red and Black, the local college newspaper, has THIS ARTICLE about the end of Kindercore Vinyl and the rebrand of the plant as Classic City Vinyl Works. As with everything involving business and locals, I’m sure there’s plenty left unsaid here. Regardless, I’m happy we still have a vinyl plant in town and wish the new owners the best in navigating these strange waters we find ourselves in in the music business.
ATHFEST has announced a few of the headliners and boy, it feels nice to see everything in full swing again. The copy/pasted press release is below. Take a gander to see if your favorites are playing, we’ll see ya here at AMJ again next week.
(Athens, GA) — Athens nonprofit AthFest Educates announced some of the over 100 acts that will play at the 2023 AthFest Music & Arts Festival, presented by Wicked Weed Brewing. The annual fundraiser festival, a showcase of Athens music, art and culture, will take place June 23-25th in downtown Athens and is the 25th year for the popular event. The free outdoor festival includes performances on the Wicked Weed Mainstage (on Pulaski St. at Washington St.), the Hull Street Stage (on Hull St. at Hancock Ave.) and the KidsFest Stage (on Washington St. at College Ave.). The 2023 festival sees the return of the official AthFest Club Crawl, with shows Friday and Saturday nights at local clubs and music venues.
The outdoor stages will feature performances by Family And Friends, Linqua Franqa, Bea Porges, Nuclear Tourism, Hunger Anthem, After Hourz Band, Monsoon, BlackNerdNinja, The Bad Ends, Elf Power, Dayroom, Mack2Tone, Chickasaw Mudd Puppies, Klezmer Local 42, Squallé, L.G. The Heart of the City, and many more. Friday night, the Hull Street Stage area will be host to a Silent Disco with DJ Chiefrocka.
The official AthFest Club Crawl will include shows by Vision Video, Tears for the Dying, Pylon Reenactment Society, Lo Talker, Elijah Johnston, Well Kept, Heffner, Lera Lynn, Deaf Condors, Randall Bramblett Band, Bloodkin, Mercyland, Dodd Ferrelle, Chris Stamey (with Eunice Kang on cello), Jim White, Betsy Franck & Friends, Indigo Sound (JiiG, djbobfish & SHΛKTi SOUND) and more. Purchase of a Club Crawl Wristband gets attendees into all official AthFest Club Crawl venues (subject to capacity and age restrictions). Venues include Georgia Theatre, 40 Watt Club, Live Wire Athens, Hendershots, The Foundry, Ciné, Flicker Theatre, The Globe Nowhere Bar and Paloma Park. Club Crawl Wristbands are now available on the festival’s website, athfest.com.
Lineup announcements for each venue and each day of the outdoor festival will come out on the organization’s social media channels. The full lineup will be announced the first week of May.
AthFest Educates Executive Director, Mary Joyce, said, “We were thrilled to receive over 560 applications to perform at AthFest this year, more than double what we’ve received in the past, even though it did make selections incredibly hard! I think the bands at this, the 25th AthFest Music & Arts Festival, pay tribute to the history of AthFest and the Athens music scene, as well as highlight the new, young, or up-and-coming performers in our town. You’ll be able to enjoy everything from bluegrass to rock to hip-hop to punk to jazz to electronica to Americana, there will be something for everyone at AthFest 2023!”
AthFest Educates is a nonprofit that advances high-quality music and arts education for local youth and the Athens community through direct support of school and community-based programs and events, including the annual music and arts festival. The proceeds from AthFest, and the AthHalf Half Marathon & 5K, fund the organization’s annual grant-making efforts. To date, AthFest has issued over $582,000 in grants to schools and community organizations. More at AthFest.com.
athensmusicjunkie.com 