Athens Music Scene
By Eric Leighton
Athens NEWS Writer
March 13, 2008
Oh my! Not only are you and I getting tired of me being tired of winter, I am getting real tired of the cynicism that pervades our electoral system.
In a society that can keep track of your net worth down to the penny, why do we have so much trouble with counting votes?
It seems as though this Ohio primary went through mostly OK, but I must admit to being downhearted about this election cycle.
I knew it was going to happen, but I kept my hopes up as to the integrity of people and their commitment to the sanctity of the Vote. Boy, am I a putz.
I predicted that McCain voters all over the state were going to vote for Hillary in the election so that their guy would have a better chance at winning in November. I was floored that there was a fellow on the front page of this newspaper who not only admitted to voting this way, but he also gave his name. For shame, for shame.
I cannot properly express my outrage at this practice. I can expect that this is what’s going to happen for the rest of the primaries, too. It used to be that in Ohio you could only vote for your registered party in the primary race.
Now they let you choose which ballot you want. I suppose that would be something we can thank Ken Blackwell for.
I just think that this kind of dishonesty is unconscionable and adds to the already corrupted system of voting.
Then there are the Democrats, completely screwing the pooch again. To punish Florida and Michigan for moving their primaries up, the Democratic Party decided not to let the votes count and were not going to let the states seat any delegates at the Democratic National Convention.
Way to disenfranchise voters, DP. Now they are going to have to have a re-vote because the race is too close. Why can’t they just count the ones already cast?
I say stop this crap. It is too stupid for me to continue ranting about. It’s making me cynical, and I despise that. I tell you where the real money seems to be: the Campaign Industry. I think we could settle the national debt with what these fools are spending on their campaigns.
Hey, at least John McCain picked an ABBA song for his. Maybe he’s going the way of Reagan already…
Lots of great music to “soothe the savage breast” this weekend (and yes, it is “breast,” not “beast” as it is so often wrongly quoted). Let’s pretend we are at Austin’s South By Southwest and hit a bunch of shows.
Speaking of SXSW, our own Southeast Engine is down there this week, and drummer Leo has promised to send something to The Athens NEWS on a daily basis.
The first one should be in today’s paper, and after that, the SE Engine SXSW Diary will (hopefully) appear as breaking news on www.athensnews.com as Leo sends the entries in.
Casa Cantina
Tonight the Casa has an Organic Laugh Night with laughs by the bushel. Featured comedians are: Sumukh Torgalkar, Justin Golak, Mark Lucas, Corey Baxter and Travis Irvine.
Friday night Silo Circuit is having a CD Release Party. The disc has been a while in the offing, and I’m sure that the results are dandy. The title is “Reclamation Day” for this thematic album that’s “based around a town/country divided by war and other god-awful s***.”
Catch them and their gypsy punk along with good buddies Woody Pines and the Lonesome Two.
Saturday night offers up an All-Male Revue to raise money for InterAct. Look for some interesting g-string wearing dudes.
Jackie O’s
Tonight you can learn how to hide your inner gringo during Merengue Night with Juan Soto.
After Hours returns to Jackie O’s on Friday night. Last week’s show got snowed out, so they’re chomping at the bit to hit you up with their brand of rock and roll.
The Selecter Reggae Band throws down the bass to get your spring sprung at Jackie O’s on Saturday night.
Monday, St. Patrick’s Day, starting very early in the day, Jackie O’s lets loose your inner-leprechaun. Irish food and music will go all day long with The Boys of the Hock & Friends beginning at about 6 p.m. and rolling on through the night.
The Athens Irish Dancers will do two shows, at 6:30 and at 9, and a good time will be had by all on the day when everyone is Irish.
The Union
Tonight the Union has a Film Fest Benefit featuring October Fist, Balloon People and Disconnection, which involves “dj/tape loops/noise/fun.”
Friday night the show begins at 9 with the acoustic folk of In Love With Last Night followed by Go Analog!, both from Lancaster, Ohio. To Kill or Cure hits you with their progressive West Virginian metal complemented by Cleveland’s gloom-metal Forged in Flames. The Dead Will Rise at 1 a.m. Be scared, be very scared.
Saturday night, the fantabulously rocking Wheels on Fire will rage your beast with their buddies Casual Future and the cool-sounding Eva Destruction & the Ohio Country Outlaw Band.
I believe this crew to be comprised of BJ, Jennie, Charles Cook, Matt Box and more. I have a good feeling about these folks.
19 South
Tonight, The Revulvas bring their all-gal punk rock back to 19 South for a night of unabashed craziness.
The Liarbirds come down from Milwaukee and show you their super-tight and fast chops.
They’re in the middle of a tour. El Fabuloso adds their mystique to complete the evening.
The Jazz Cream Assassins continue their weekly assault at 19 South, as do all of the other weekly DJ’d events.
Unitarian Fellowship Church
Steve Zarate will add music to the Community Food Initiatives annual dinner on Saturday evening. If you like sustainable growing practices, stop up and mingle, say 6-ish.
Smiling Skull Saloon
Every Thursday night Andie Walla hosts an Open Stage at the Skull. Stop in and do something why dontcha?
Baker Center Theater
The Tailwinds are the new creation of hard-rocking Attila Horvath. They will be hawking Attila’s album “Bike Rock” and bringing out their distortion pedals for the ride home. This show is tonight.
Blue Gator
Jazzam slides in from Pittsburgh Friday night to hip you to their integrated mish-mash of jammy tunes.
The Ordinance delivers ROCK on Saturday night; not for the weak of liver.
Ohio University
Mark Snyder is performing his eclectic compositions somewhere at OU tonight. Keep your ears peeled for where this talented composer and performer might be playing, because I sure couldn’t figure it out.
Rhapsody - Nelsonville
Duo-Glide is pulling a two-nighter Friday and Saturday at the Rhapsody Restaurant in Nelsonville. In addition to Dale Kulchar, you can listen to Chad Dodson.
Court St. Grill - Pomeroy
The inimitable Blitzkrieg pulls out all of the stops, like they usually do, to lay down the true soul of rock and roll on Saturday night. They never disappoint.
Dale Kulchar hosts the Open Stage at the Grill every Tuesday night.
All this and more, I’m sure, if you can just get off the floor and out the door, and if you are not too poor for a short pour or four. Toodles.
Editor’s note: In news related to the Athens Music Scene, a former Athens band, The Story Of, is receiving buzz for its appearance at Austin’s South by Southwest this week. The Austin Chronicle included The Story Of as one of its Wednesday “sleepers” for the four-day music festival, in a blurb by Chronicle writer Greg Beets:
“This Ohio-to-Austin quintet isn’t content to let melodic indie-pop aspirations languish in the living room. The Story Of’s intricate, would-be anthems are girded with universal themes of struggle and redemption. Though 2007’s The World’s Affair stretches thin in spots, few bands have the temerity to reach so far in the first place.” — TS
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