Athens Music Scene
By Eric Leighton
June 19, 2008
OK, folks, it’s just us… for this week anyway. Welcome to summer – Athens style. The best part about it is there seems to be no ebb to the music. That means all you folks who hide out in the hills are due to make your occasional appearances.
A number of festivals are coming up this summer, both here and close by, so keep your ears peeled. The big ones to look for are Ohio Brew Week, which runs from July 14-19, ending in the fabulous Boogie on the Bricks (beer in the streets!); the Big Bend Blues Bash in Pomeroy (July 25 and 26); the Athens County Fair in early August, which is always a highlight (I will make it to the Derby this year! I will make it to the Derby this year!); the always wild O’Betty’s Hot Dog Derby; and of course, the Athens Community Music Fest (Aug. 23), which is a total blowout. So for those of you who think there’s nothing going on this summer, you are sorely mistaken. In fact, check out the top-notch tunes we have in the area this weekend!
Casa Cantina
Tonight The McGovern Brothers get their bluegrass in stride with fine brother singing and a great song selection. Bram Riddlebarger & His Lonesome Band are back in the swing of things, and the Shake ‘Em Ups are coming up from Austin to give you a stir.
Friday night an Ohio Brew Week benefit is planned with the entertaining Ohio Outlaw Country Band, the dramatic Never Evers, and the rocking Wooly Lemons.
Brainbow and Spooktober – both of which are playing on Saturday night – have in common the experience of being odd bands and collaborating with progressive hip-hop artists, Blueprint and Jesty Beatz respectively. You never know who might show up for a cameo …
Rattletrap is still old-timey-ing it on Mondays, and Biester is still at the helm of the Open Stage on Wednesdays.
Jackie O’s
Tonight, Doc Dailey returns to Athens as he and Jess Kauffman embark on a bit of a tour. Both are excellent songwriters and performers, and I’m excited to see what they have in store for us.
Friday night Jackie O’s is happy to host the return of Cranberry Sauce. These guys played around Athens a number of years ago in a variety of bands, and left for sunny California to hit the big time. Now they’re back to jam your faces off. Welcome home boys! Aphrodite’s Hero and The Zou will also perform.
Mondays are still on with the Open Stage, Tuesdays with Celtic Night, and Wednesdays will mainly feature Rattletrap.
The Union
Tonight, The Donnybrooks invade the Union along with the sardonic Midwest Kid and the Sad Bastards.
Friday night Johnny’s Big Hairy Ball makes an, ahem, appearance at the Union. The Makebelieves are making one of their last appearances for a while due to the relocation of Dirty Johnny. The Dropdead Sons will get up and kick you in the teeth, a bunch of other stuff will happen, and it will be cool.
Saturday night, Johnny Wayne Knievel & the Self Righteous Brothers make their debut(?) at the Union. JWK tends to look a lot like Chris Biester on occasion – we’ll see, I suppose. Lots of special guests and whatnot will go on, that’s for sure!
Donkey Coffee
Donkey rips it right from the get-go this summer. Road dog Michael Hurley, who plays Donkey Friday night, has been getting the national attention that he deserves as standard bearer for the Freak Folk movement. He recently signed to Devendra Banhart’s label, Cat Power covered a song, and I heard him on NPR. Go and listen!
J.D. Hutchison, playing Saturday night, is the King of the Athens Music Scene. He has had his songs recorded by K.T. Oslin, Tim O’Brien, Robert Earl Keen and many more — though his own versions are better than anybody’s. I think he is one entertaining dude, and he used to front my favorite bluegrass band of all time – the Hutchison Brothers. If you have not seen him, by God do so!
Poston Lake
When mid-June rolls around every year, so does one of the best little bluegrass festivals in the world, the Poston Lake Bluegrass Festival near Guysville, east of Athens. This year’s fest takes place Friday and Saturday and is headlined by bluegrass legend J.D. Crowe on Friday and bluegrass vocal group of the year IIIrd Tyme Out on Saturday. Also on the bill during the festival, of course, are The Hart Brothers, who put the whole thing on, along with the Dailey Vincent Band, Melvin Goins and Windy Mountain, the Dan Paisley Band and the Southern Grass, and several others.
The festival site has free primitive camping, and refreshments are available. The music starts at noon on Friday and 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. For more information, go to www.thehartbrothers.com.
Smiling Skull
The Skull has its Open Stage every Thursday night starting at 8, hosted by Andie Walla. Come one, come all!
Saturday night the Skull offers you rock ’n roll, featuring The Donnybrooks, The Vibrolas and LAZERWOLFS!
Hookah in the Hills – Logan area
Friday afternoon this three-day festival kicks off at Kaeppner’s Woods near Logan (34018 Sutton Road). The Giant Panda Guerilla Squad begins it all about 2:45, The Paranormals will pepper their performances throughout the night, bluegrass guru Larry Keel & Natural Bridge will shred through a couple of sets, ekoostik hookah will do a bunch of sets, and The Jimiller Band will go Grateful Dead till the sun comes up. There will be fire performances and various fun stuff for your fun.
Saturday begins at 10 a.m. with Yurple Bliss followed by Jazzam, The Zen Tricksters, a kid parade, Garaj Mahal, ekoostik hookah and finishes with Strange Design, a Phish tribute band a la Dark Star Orchestra.
Sunday morning The Paranormals will wake you up at 11 (hopefully); then we will announce the Flag Football game and do our marching band bit at halftime, etc. Hookah will put in a couple more sets and EOTO will finish the night. This band is made up of the percussionist and the drummer from String Cheese Incident.
Court Street Grill - Pomeroy
Bobaflex is back at the Grill Friday night to bring their big, bombastic, bad-ass metal to ring in your head for the next few days.
After Hours will calm the waters Saturday night with good rocking originals and tasty classics.
Rhapsody - Nelsonville
Steve Zarate will fingerpick his way through your gastronomical delights on Friday night in Nelsonville.
Sandstone - Logan
Steve Zarate is back at it but with voice added on Saturday evening at the Sandstone in Logan. They have a killer patio with a grill and everything. This show goes from 5-8.
Uncle Buck’s
Saturday’s BBQ at Uncle Buck’s features a Bluegrass Family Reunion with The Stack Boys - Jim and Allen – Danny Brooks, Jeff Weaver and Todd Sams. To those of you in the know, this looks a lot like the original configuration of The Rarely Herd, give or take a banjo player.
I hope to goodness that you will get out and listen to some music. We need you people! There is fun to be had. See you at the gig!
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