• Athens Music Scene

    December 20, 2007

    Happy Solstice and Merry Christmas everyone! As the year winds its way out, and my wood stove keeps me warm (yeah!), I find myself relaxing into that near coma-like deep relief that happens when there is no one around but us ghost townies. It's so peaceful, calm-before-the-storm-ish.>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    December 13, 2007

    Global climate change, or whatever the politically correct way to say global warming is these days, has not been too much of a drag to me, not with the lack-of-warmth issues I've been dealing with.>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    December 6, 2007

    Today, as I write this, I am a mixed bag of emotions; and as I delve into the past relating to the dates I am concerned with in this week's column, I find interesting links between the years.>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    November 29, 2007

    To say that creativity comes in spurts almost captures it for me. To be more accurate, for me, writing a song comes on like an attack of diarrhea -- all at once and very insistent. My most recent attack - of creativity, that is - hit me Sunday night. I was about to lie down and read, and there was this not-so-subtle thing barging in through my mental doorway: a song. The first line came on so strong that I was squeezing my mental butt-cheeks in a panic trying to find paper and pen whilst keeping the second line from seeping out and sharting in my brain. I hope you aren't eating breakfast. Sorry.>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    November 15, 2007

    There's nothing worse than possessing the overwhelming urge to be clever and the underwhelming ability to be so; and there's nothing better than a quickie - a nap that is. Yes, there are other types of quickies that are useful; oil changes come to mind. A very short set that pays you a lot of money can also be very handy, and a handy can be dandy.>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    November 8, 2007

    I know that winter is pressing upon us. My proof lies in the passing of Halloween, followed closely by the Time Change (no riots in the fall, hmmm ...), and finally the exodus of students for six glorious weeks, peppered with holidays, cold weather and little sunshine; yeah.>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    November 1, 2007

    It's hard for me to grasp that not only will winter be coming very soon, but so too will the students be leaving for all points elsewhere. I find that to be a dandy device that makes winter not so bad, nothing personal. With the passing of the Block Party, things likely will wind down toward the end of the year. It's always hard to believe.>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    October 25, 2007

    Wowee Zowee! What a weekend we have coming at us here! The Halloween season is upon us and we are about to be inundated (and inebriated) with lots of people and music. Let's all play nice together, enjoy the weather, and like birds of a feather, hope to feel better by at least Monday.>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    October 18, 2007

    I penned this little ditty in an attempt to spur my mind into some kind of action -- meditating on the creative process and the all too frequent lack thereof.>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    October 11, 2007

    Do you ever get the feeling that your life is a direct conversation with the All-That-Is? That you are perhaps hearing the voice of God, but that it's not exactly in words, let alone a mode of communication with which you are conversant? I had one of those a couple of weeks ago. I still have not bothered to decipher too much of it - not sure that I'm supposed to. One thing for sure, it got my attention and I have been more aware and happier ever since. It firms up my belief that life can be lived as prayer, but that's a whole other topic. Caution: This tale contains brief nudity and is rated PG - pretty good - by the author.>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    October 4, 2007

    I have been really enjoying the Open Stages lately. It's refreshing to see and hear new musicians -- young, old and of varying experiences -- and watch them blossom. I've gone from being that young Turk standing around chomping at the bit to play to being a host who helps to fine-tune these individuals into better musicians. It's nice to know that I can help direct these folks toward comporting themselves well onstage (and how to not blow up someone's PA system due to negligence).>>

  • The ins and outs of getting your new band a gig at a local venue

    September 27, 2007

    Have you been wondering why your four-piece band still can't get a gig at any decent venue in Athens? You've dropped off your badly recorded cassette tape at every uptown bar but still no one calls. There is a reason and a solution. To separate your band from the rest, here's a few things you can do.>>

  • Louisiana jazz/trad/Cajun band to play at opera house

    September 27, 2007

    The Red Stick Ramblers will play at Stuart's Opera House tonight at 8.>>

  • Mainstay on local rock-music scene is flying the coop for Southern Cal

    September 27, 2007

    Blackcoin, an experimental indie-rock band that emerged on the Athens music scene over five years ago, is playing its last show at Jackie O's this Saturday before relocating to Southern California in November.>>

  • Local bands thrilled to be on bill with The Ataris

    September 27, 2007

    Cult-classic punk-rockers The Ataris make a stop on their intimate, small-venue tour tonight at the Union. According to a press release, the set list will be mostly older songs from their early records, "Blue Skies," "So Long, Astoria" and "End is Forever." Two local bands, Ohio University alums Six Gallery and El Fabuloso, are opening the show.>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    September 27, 2007

    The ups and downs of human existence are a pain in the tush. I suppose that's why the Eastern religions strive for balance. We Americans love our drama and our ecstatic moments. We tend to medicate away the bad things. Since I have run out of my prescription of Repressitol(TM) and the doctor won't give a prescription of Effitol(TM), I guess I'll have to plow through the tough stuff. Oh well.>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    September 20, 2007

    I love the fall - from grace, that is. Nothing like picking yourself up and dusting yourself off and jumping back into the game that is life. I also love the fall - autumn, that is. The heat dissipates and my brain starts to work again. It's nice to remember that my brain is occasionally useful - unfortunately not at times like this when I need to be clever and witty. So it goes, as Mr. Vonnegut would have said.>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    September 13, 2007

    They - the infamous 'They' - say that "tomorrow is another day." I'll agree, like Fri-day. All the days of the week have "day" in them, so I think it's a stupid saying. Where do They get off saying stupid things like that anyway?>>

  • Veteran pop-rock band stops in Athens during tour promoting new CD

    September 13, 2007

    It's not surprising to figure that Robert Schneider has lofty goals for his band Apples in Stereo's records after noticing that on the new CD, "New Magnetic Wonder," he includes a snippet of a song using a new musical scale that he's invented.>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    September 6, 2007

    We here at AMS HQ would like to extend a big hearty welcome to all of the folks just getting into Athens. This here is the Athens Music Scene, a weekly, somewhat entertaining article about the musical options available to you here in Athens and throughout the region. I am a working musician who daylights as a music writer, among other things. My job here is to notify, edify, obfuscate and irritate you into going out to hear live music.>>

  • See more stories   See previous stories