Athens Music Scene
By Eric Leighton
May 24, 2007
I am happy to announce the birth of a new charitable organization that I intend to spearhead. I feel very close to this particular issue, as I see this problem everywhere I go.
As a musician, I know that fellow musicians occasionally have a hard time making ends meet, and that often we are deficient in pursuing reasonable ends. Sometimes this comes from a lack of knowledge (or heaven forbid, a lack of talent or dedication), sometimes it’s due to lack of funds to buy the proper equipment, and often we just have not seen the musical light that shows us the path that we need to follow.
It is for these reasons and more that I present to you the Foundation for Fingerpicks. If I have my way, never again will some under-funded banjo player have to resort to the nail-ripping clawhammer (why do you think they call it clawhammer? A clawhammer rips out nails), when we all know that they (and we) would be much happier were they to play in the more pleasing three-finger style as made popular by Earl Scruggs, Don Reno and the like.
I will solicit donations from local music stores so that I may have a ready supply of fingerpicks to distribute to this downtrodden lot. Right now we are assembling an Emergency Response Team to go down to the Appalachian String Band Music Festival in Clifftop, W.Va., in August. Volunteers are needed. We will be distributing Roy Clark and Mel Bay Bluegrass Banjo videos, as well as having a crisis intervention tent on-site. Three-finger style practitioners such as Tony Trishka, Ben Eldridge and J.D. Crowe have volunteered to be on hand to aid in this continuing crisis.
In the future, we hope to write grants to have local luthiers work toward retro-fitting open-back banjos with the proper resonating pots that so few beginning banjoists can afford.
We do not discriminate among fingerpickers. We will happily supply underprivileged resonator guitar players with picks as well. It’s just that the banjo players are in such need. It breaks my heart. Thank you for your support of the Foundation for Fingerpicks. Buy some fingerpicks and offer them to a poor struggling banjoist near you.
Casa Cantina
You won’t be square if you go to see Rhombus tonight at the Casa Cantina. Other than that, this is all that I have. I know y’all are leaving town soon but you can e-mail me at eric@circle5.org with any pertinent information about your band so that I waste less ink in this space designed for you.
Friday night Casual Future and friends will rock out the Casa for at least one last time before it’s all over. Stop in and get it shaking.
Sunday night the Casa has a hip-hop, breakdancing extravaganja. The Caution Crew will defy gravity and levity by spinning on their heads and trying not to put the “break” in breakdancing. More musical entertainment will be provided by the Dysfunktional Family, D. Jones, Lady Zen, DJ Barticus, DJ Selfhelp, the hiphop allstar band.
Don’t forget that Rattletrap hangs out every Monday at the Casa (and will be receiving a grant from the FFF soon), and every Wednesday you can check out the talent at the Casa Open Mic.
Jackie O’s
Tonight, The Green Sky Bluegrass Band comes in from Kalamazoo to play their Hartford/Monroe-inspired bluegrass. Sounds like fun to me. The Elijah Aaron Band is a much different beast. Very listenable, smooth, groove-oriented melodic music: good times, feel-good music. I betcha you will dance. These guys are coming in from Boston, so dig in and put out some effort.
Friday night, The Big Ass Rock Canyon Band, which is a bluegrass band that hails from West Virginia and features Ted Harris and a female vocalist, will perform at Jackie O’s for y’all. I know very little (or nothing) other than Teddy usually rounds up the good ones to jam with. Ted Harris and Bubba Borowski will perform for Happy Hour from 7-9 p.m.
The Brevity Thing keeps it long and sweet in their second week of shows. They will be jamming econo on blues-rock, swamp grooves and super jammy jams all night long for you!
The Union
The Paper Machetes hack their way into the Union tonight for some jangly rock and roll along with Casual Future, White Album and Chingar Mimi, all fine up-and-coming rock bands.
Dance or Die might be hitting their end-of-the-quarter momentum, so jump on and boogie tight Friday night.
Saturday night’s show is a benefit for a buddy of ours, Billy Steve Korpi, guitarist for the Austin-based band the Crackpipes – one of my all-time favorites. He has been diagnosed with lymphatic leukemia, which sounds just awful. Getting together to raise some money and good spirits will be The Serfs (made up from members of Geraldine, Dropdead Sons, The Snails, Wheels on Fire and The Dragline Bros.), The Never Evers featuring Tessa Evanosky, The Dragline Bros., and Drive Fast.
Monday night Coltrane Motion brings their break beats and pop-influenced shoe-gaze dance music from Chicago to the Union. The emphasis is firmly on Dance Music. These two fellas seem to get a lot across with just the two of them – and all of their toys. The Arch Villains are there to bring balance to this. These bands are almost diametrically opposed to each other, yet it’s an oddly comfortable pairing. I need to get out more. Men of Gentle Birth seem to be starting this evening out. Sounds like a winner.
Blue Gator
Tonight, beginning at 5 is a fundraiser for the Gathering Place, a safe house/support system for various members of our community. They do good work and counseling there, among other things. They are in need of a cash influx, however, to keep things moving forward; hence, the fundraiser. To aid in the raising of substantial cash, this high-dollar event features great local talent as well as catered food delights from numerous local eateries. Laura Nadeau kicks things off at 5 p.m. followed by The Princes of Hollywood, Danger Will Robinson, The Local Girls, Megan Cameron & Amethyst Stone, and closing up with After Hours who begin at 9:30 p.m.
Hot on the heels of this event, beginning at 11 p.m. Red Dahlia will perform in the opening slot for Black Spyral Dancer’s EP Release Party.
They will be performing new tunes as well as the ones on the EP, so step up and grab up.
Friday night, Kiss Army — “The Coolest Band in the World” — will be upstairs at the Blue Gator making the fire marshal nervous. As you might expect, they are a Kiss tribute band, and they seem to be out of Louisville, Ky. I’m thinking that you might not be able to tell the difference between them and the real deal. Did you know there was a Kiss Coffeehouse in Myrtle Beach? It looks insane – roadtrip!
Baker Center
An Athens Amplified concert is set for the Front Room tonight at 9, which means you can hang out and listen to it on WOUB 1340-AM. They’ve got the wonderful Liz Pahl opening for Columbus power-pop group The Vague.
Bruce Dalzell faithfully fulfills his roll as Open Stage master each Friday, probably only until the summer hits. We’ll see.
Soulful Saturdays happen each, well guess when they happen? All kinds of music to be heard.
Pharoah’s
My buddy John Sands, a poet and a recent graduate of OU, is coming back today so he and the Paranormals can record some music for his upcoming release. He recently moved to New York where he did so well in a poetry slam that he earned a spot on the LouderArts New York City Slam Team and will be flying to Texas for the 2007 National Poetry Slam Championship. Not bad for only being there a few months. If you would like to hear what he is up to, go to Pharaoah’s (ex-hookah bar close to Domino’s) Saturday night where he will perform with Erin Wiles, also a recent graduate and poet who moved to St. Louis. This begins at 8 p.m.
Donkey Coffee and Espresso
Friday night the elusive and on-target band, The Jarts pierce your heart with bluesy numbers that cruise to the beat of a different drummer; well, I mean Bryan Gibson is still the drummer as far as I know, well, you know what I mean.
Saturday’s act was billed from the promoter as a last-ever Vintage Green Show, but an e-mail that just came in from Jakob Wells says it was the last one for the spring, so maybe this is one of those promotional thingies I’m supposed to go along with. Last Show ever – payola in coffee! Anyway, I am told that Vintage Green is in 3 Elliot St. Studio working on a six track EP, so my guess is we haven’t heard the last of him.
Opening Saturday: Adam Torres is a young man who keeps me trying to make up ways to describe his hauntingly beautiful music; music that spills from the dark internal light, illuminating upwards through Hope and Despair. I want to describe how the sound of his voice touches my emotional core and turns me into a joyfully weeping mess at the merest note, but sometimes I just can’t seem to find the words.
Memorial Auditorium
Tonight at Mem Aud they’re having a Concert for Peace, and sometimes you can’t beat a good press release: “Ohio University Combined Choirs will unite in concert with the Symphony Orchestra under the batons of Steven Huang and Peter Jarjisian to present featured works by two British composers — “Sinfonia da Requiem” by Benjamin Britten and “Dona Nobis Pacem” by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Featured soloists are You-Seong Kim, soprano and Brad Huffman, baritone. The combined choirs include Choral Union, Women’s Chorale, University Singers and Singing Men of Ohio.” More or less.
Hocking College Rec Center
Logan’s Of Sorrow will perform a FREE show from 6-8 tonight.
Uncle Buck’s Dance Barn
Uncle Buck’s has a BBQ and Barn Dance Saturday night. The BBQ begins at 3 p.m., and the music and dancing will start about 6 p.m. and feature the 3rd Shift Band. Expect mainly country and bluegrass.
Salaam
Tonight, the Coolville Hot Club will play gypsy jazz for you at Salaam, just behind the bagel shop, up the alley.
Rhapsody
Steve Zarate racks up two nights at the Rhapsody, and that’s a real rib tickler. You can dine and he will serenade you with fingerpicked guitar both Friday and Saturday nights beginning at 6:30.
Hometown Showcase
Saturdays at 10 a.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m. you can tune in local music on WATH 970-AM. Hometown Showcase is the show and this week you can hear the Just For Now Bluegrass Band as well as select cuts from Amy Doner’s recent appearance at Alexander High School.
Court Grill
After Hours will perform at the Court Grill on Friday as a successful follow-up to their St. Patty Day’s bash: rock and roll, original and more.
Saturday night, Mr. Boogieman returns to get the shake out’n yours if you ain’t careful! Seriously bluesy and funky and fun.
That’s about all I can do for us this week. On the P.S. side of things: I am looking for someone, an editor of sorts, who would like to peruse about five years of weekly articles and scan through them for the really good bits.
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