• Athens Music Scene

    March 6, 2008

    One of the things I really love about Athens is the sense of community that binds the town. It"s always fun for me when I have bands visiting from out of town and get to show them around and have them dig what we do here. It is a special place.>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    February 28, 2008

    This last week my body went through a period of Global Warming and my soul went through a Long, Dark Night of the Soul. The Creeping Crud that has been passing itself around town found me, apparently as I was writing last week"s column.>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    February 21, 2008

    The sun might be shining, but it"s colder outside than the look I got from my dog when I touched his tongue while he was yawning. We might have had a couple of warmish days to tease and ease us through what is most certainly the longest feeling month there is, but friends it ain"t over yet.>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    February 14, 2008

    I was feeling smug with my fairly substantial woodpile and my squeal-free four-wheel-drive truck as I prepared to leave the farm today. The slush was a bit of a hindrance, and a brief test of the wipers proved that the scraper would be necessary. As I forged through the icy morass, I tugged gently at the wipers to work toward freeing them from their prison. There was a sickening lack of tension in them as they easily broke free and moved toward me a manner that made me say, 'Uh-oh.'>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    February 7, 2008

    People might think it odd that I don"t consume much music. In the various positions I have held - radio DJ, booking agent, newspaper music columnist, musician, etc. - you might think that I listen to a lot of recorded music. I probably should.>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    January 31, 2008

    I have a squeaky belt on my truck. It can be obnoxious. I get scornful looks from some people, and other people laugh at my misfortune. I know I need to change it, but have you spent any time outside lately? It"s either been cold or crappy, often both. The one nice day this week was spent gathering wood to keep the home warm. I simply must prioritize.>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    January 17, 2008

    I got some news the other night that had me crying in my beer, and I wasn't even listening to Hank Williams Sr. In order to confuse the issue, I cite the name of one of my favorite childhood books, "Hop on Pop." It appears as though the hop bubble has popped, or, due to the lack of hops, we will have to drink pop. What am I talking about? Always a fair question...>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    January 10, 2008

    As a naturalized citizen of Athens, I know a number of you are experiencing the culture shock that always comes when the students return after six or so glorious weeks of their absence. I say culture shock, but it is really more of a lack-of-culture shock. College students seem to get more and more obnoxious each year. After so many quiet nights, to walk down the street on Sunday morning to curbs littered with garbage and young, fairly well-to-do white kids yelling at each other across the street for some football-related incident seemed insulting somehow. Bah junebug!>>

  • Athens Music Scene

    December 31, 2007

    First of all, your eyes are not deceiving you. It's not Thursday already. This is a special Monday Athens Music Scene, in honor of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day today and Tuesday.>>

  • 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).>>

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