Going Out Of Business Sale!

The recession is hitting Athens like a noo-cue-lar bomb. Big chains and local spots are going under. Most recently, we lost two of Athens favorites: Mean Bean and Zim's. Very sad indeed. Less sad are the losses of Johnny Carino's and Johnny's Pizza. The lesson? Don't open a business with Johnny in the name.
I know it's old news, but here's a story about the closing of Barnett's Newsstand last year, one of our oldest downtown businesses. The bad part is that I don't even know what replaced it.

All music, all the time... for now.

Since we're on the subject of Athens music history, here's a great listing of lots of the historic places to know in town, including Buckhead Beach, Rockfish Palace and the 800 locations of the 40 watt.

www.athensmusic.net/newsdesk_info.php?newsPath=3&newsdesk_id=84



Here's a bit by Deirdre Sayre with some insight to the mid 90's music scene in Athens. Remember Kincaid, the Atomic Music Hall and 1,000 jam bands?
dresugi.googlepages.com/harrycarey



And thanks to Adrian over at http://www.athensworld.com/ for letting me join his team of bloggers! My mediocrity is catching on.

Athens Georgia: Inside/Out

If you haven't seen this mini documentary about the Athens music scene, you need to. It's great to see the old bands (a lot of these people still live in town), but you also get some good footage of Athens scenery in the mid 80's. You might see your house!

1986 documentary of the music scene in Athens, Ga. Features interviews with Peter Buck of REM, members of the B-52's, other figures in the Athen's art scene, and the film's director and editor, Tony Gayton and Adam Wolfe, respectively.

It also features rare early performance footage of REM, the B-52's, as well as other local bands including Time Toy, The Squalls, Pylon, Love Tractor, Flat Duo Jets, Dream So Real, The Bar-B-Q Killers, Kilkenny Cats, and Limbo District.

Music History Walking Tour

Here's a great video of an Athens music history walking tour. Led by some dude named Paul Bouchard, this tour goes to the regular hot spots (the site of R.E.M.'s first show and the "Murmur" trestle) and hits some lesser known but equally awesome sites.

Sky's Place & SEND YOUR PICS!

Here's a writeup about Craig "Sky" Hertwig who once owned Sky's Place, Fifth Quarter and now Nowhere Bar. He's an Athens icon.
http://www.onlineathens.com/stories/012008/news_20080120049.shtml

Also, send your pics of Athens! We need something to look at.

Sons and Steve's

On a sunny day like today, it's hard to drive through Five Points without heading over to what used to be one of the best happy hours, hoping to see that it has been restored to its former glory. For a guy that was a UGA student in the mid 90's, this spot was commonly known as Sons and Steve's. It was actually two restaurants that joined forces in its mug beer specials and outdoor seating to provide an unmatched social experience. I can remember getting off the UGA bus after class and going directly to the counter at Son's to get a mug full of Miller Lite. If it had been a tough day or a great day, I'd commiserate or celebrate with Icehouse instead. By late afternoon, the decks were packed and people were drinking in the parking lot. With matching mugs. By the end of the night, scavengers like myself and my roommates at the time would gather up empty mugs left behind to take back to our apartment at University Commons. (It was easier than washing dishes.) Today, that spot is not the same. A few places have come and gone at the old Son's spot since they moved down South Milledge. And although Steverino's was reopened by its original owner, it still has not reclaimed it's former glory.

Introduction

My name is Matt and I am a 14 year resident of Athens, Georgia. I am also a musician, graphic designer, husband and dad. I went to too many colleges, have had too many managers and been to too many too loud concerts. Most of this has occured during my time in the hometown of R.E.M., the University of Georgia, Zaxby's and (as of this post) Knowshon Moreno. Needless to say, I could wax nostalgiacally about my experiences in this sleepy(?) college town for too long. But that's not what The Book Of Athens is going to be about. At this point, I have a few ideas of how I want to do this thing. But the jist of it is that I want this blog to be a bulletin board for YOUR favorite stories and memories of being, living, working or visiting Athens.
See, the problem is that there's nowhere on the internets to find a living history of Athens that encompasses everything that this town is about. Music, football, bars, school, work. It's all a part of my town and I want to hear everyone's stories.
So, use the comments section, email me, send links and link to me to spread the word about The Book Of Athens: Written by You.