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  Marc Maron Interviews David Lowery on 'WTF'

  Blog: Homedrone

  

  Photo Credit: Jason Thrasher

  If you’re a regular listener of Marc Maron’s WTF Podcast, you know the acerbic funnyman is quite the vinyl record collector. Those tuning in to the show's latest installment learned that Maron is also quite the fan of Athenian and MBUS lecturer David Lowery, he of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker fame.

  On the latest episode of Maron’s podcast, Lowery says his experience teaching in UGA’s music business program has inspired him to pursue a doctorate in higher education. Unsurprisingly, the conversation turns to Lowery’s sustained critique of file-sharing and the pitfalls of digital music royalties for artists.

  By Dan Mistich | October 30, 2014

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  Q&A With Neal Casal of Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Playing Georgia Theatre Thursday

  Blog: Homedrone

  
  

  Photo Credit: Matthew Mendenhall

  Chris Robinson Brotherhood

  You're apt to be familiar with at least one project Neal Casal has been involved with over the past decade or so. At the moment, he’s taken up lead guitar duties for the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, who play the Georgia Theatre Thursday, Oct. 23. Flagpole caught up with Casal to discuss what it’s like to be asked to play in high-profile bands and the similarities of working in different media.

  By Dan Mistich | October 22, 2014

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  Behind the Scene: Mokah and Knowa Johnson

  Blog: Homedrone

  Welcome to Behind the Scene, a monthly series where Flagpole and DTproductions  profile the people who work offstage to make Athens music matter.

  

  Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones

  Knowa and Mokah Johnson present at the 2014 Flagpole Athens Music Awards show

  WHO: Mokah and Knowa Johnson

  WHAT THEY DO: Athens Hip Hop Awards co-founders; hosts, Athens Hip Hop Industry Night and Open Mic at Max, first Saturdays starting Nov. 1

  WATCH: 

  By Dan Mistich | October 14, 2014

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  Walter Martin Cancels Normaltown Hall Show

  Blog: Homedrone

  

  Photo Credit: Matt Barrick

  UPDATE: Walter Martin's show Wednesday at Normaltown Hall has been canceled, per the venue.

  Walter Martin, best known for his bass work with indie giants The Walkmen, has taken to performing in homes instead of rock clubs in support of his whimsical new solo record, We’re All Young Together. Although his stop in Athens is at Normaltown Hall instead of someone’s cozy den, it was also organized through Undertow Music’s Living Room Showsinitiative.

  Flagpole caught up with Martin to discuss what it’s like to perform so close to his audience, his star-studded new album and the status of his band.  

  By Dan Mistich | October 7, 2014

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  Live Review/Photos: Tweedy at Georgia Theatre, Friday, Sept. 19

  Blog: Homedrone

  

  Photos by Randy Schafer

  “Will it be worth it?” asked several of my friends in anticipation of Jeff Tweedy’s appearance at the Georgia Theatre Friday night. Given that the Wilco frontman and his son, Spencer, would be performing in support of their not yet released solo-record-that’s-not-quite-a-solo-record, Sukierae, I wasn’t sure I could give a straight answer to folks on the fence about paying $50 to attend the show.

  By Dan Mistich | September 22, 2014

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  Q&A With Caleb Caudle, Playing Georgia Theatre Monday

  Blog: Homedrone

  

  North Carolina native Caleb Caudle is no stranger to Athens, having made several stops in town during long tours across the country. This time around, he plays the Georgia Theatre rooftop’s Americana Monday series in support of his new record, Paint Another Layer On My Heart, which includes contributions from Americana sweetheart Lydia Loveless and members of American Aquarium. 

  By Dan Mistich | September 15, 2014

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  Behind the Scene: R.E.M. Manager Bertis Downs

  Blog: Homedrone

  Welcome to Behind the Scene, a monthly series where Flagpole and DTproductions  profile the people who work offstage to make Athens music matter.

  Welcome to Behind the Scene, a monthly series where Flagpole and DTproductions  profile the people who work offstage to make Athens music matter.

  

  Photo Credit: Jason Thrasher

  WHO HE IS: Bertis Downs

  WHAT HE DOES: Lawyer and manager, R.E.M.

  WATCH:

  By Dan Mistich | September 4, 2014

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  Behind the Scene: Jason Thrasher

  Blog: Homedrone

  Welcome to Behind the Scene, a monthly series where Flagpole and DTproductions  profile the people who work offstage to make Athens music matter.

  

  WHO HE IS: Jason Thrasher

  WHAT HE DOES: Owner, Thrasher Photo

  WATCH:

  By Dan Mistich | July 24, 2014

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  Live Review: Wildwood Revival at Cloverleaf Farm, Saturday, July 19

  Blog: Homedrone

  

  I’ve been skeptical of summer music festivals since Bonnaroo 2004, when I was gifted the most horrendous sunburn you could imagine. The sound is usually never on point for outdoor stages, either. Call me crazy, but I’m just not fond of sweating it out while also not being able to hear a band that well. 

  By Dan Mistich | July 23, 2014

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  Live Review: Neko Case at the Georgia Theatre, Tuesday June 24

  Blog: Homedrone

  

  Photo Credit: Jason Creps

  Accompanied by a five-piece band that featured Kelly Hogan’s exceptional voice and Eric Bachmann’s adept guitar and keys work, Neko Case and company tore through a range of songs at the Georgia Theatre, drawn mostly from her past two records. Before I go any further: Let it be known that Case’s band is tight, though not in the overly-polished, “let’s replicate the record note-for-note” manner. The playing was confident throughout the set, everything finely calibrated even when the moods of the songs swayed from drowsy to frantic.

  By Dan Mistich | June 25, 2014

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  AthFest in Review: Five Eight, Drivin' N Cryin'

  Blog: Homedrone

  

  Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones

  Drivin' N Cryin'

  There may not be a better up-the-gut rock band in Athens than Five Eight. Having been around for two-plus decades, the band remains as tight as ever, offering up chunky riffs behind Mike Mantione’s manic songwriting. After blasting out of the gate with “Magnetic Fields,” from Five Eight’s eponymously titled album, the band roared through a few songs from their forthcoming release. “Palace Estates” sounded especially refined, due in no small part to the guitar chops of Sean Dunn and the low end being held down by bassist Dan Horowitz.

  By Dan Mistich | June 23, 2014

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  AthFest in Review: Breakfast of Champions, Tia Madre, David Dondero

  Blog: Homedrone

  

  Photo Credit: Gabe Vodicka

  Christian Lee Hutson

  For the second year in a row, the Breakfast of Champions day party, hosted by New West and Normaltown Records, was a real hit. Word must’ve gotten around that free tacos and beer were being slung, because there was a sizeable crowd in attendance as long as I was present.

  After accompanying the always endearing Ruby Kendrick for a few songs, Christian Lee Hutson brought what he called his “parade of bummer hits” about growing up, getting sober, and things going terribly wrong. Something of an amalgam between Mark Oliver Everett of Eels and Hank Williams, Hutson’s croon was especially exceptionally palpable on his heartbreaker tune “No Apologies Please.”

  By Dan Mistich | June 22, 2014

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  AthFest in Review: murk daddy flex, David Barbe and More

  Blog: Homedrone

  

  Photo Credit: Mike White

  murk daddy flex

  Although their sound at the Theatre was bassier than usual, Roadkill Ghost Choir ripped through a set of songs culled from their forthcoming LP, In Tongues, due later this summer. The band managed to produce dark sounds with a ton of reverb with the help of Dead Confederate keysman John Watkins. Roadkill also offered a stripped down (but still electric) cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire,” from Born in the USA. I unabashedly love that song, and while Roadkill’s cover was passable, it was still just too bright for the room. 

  By Dan Mistich | June 21, 2014

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  Behind the Scene: AthFest's Andy Whitehead

  Blog: Homedrone

  Welcome to Behind the Scene, a biweekly series where Flagpole and DTproductions  profile the people who work offstage to make Athens music matter.

  

  WHO HE IS: Andy Whitehead

  WHAT HE DOES: Marketing director for AthFest Educates

  WATCH:

  By Dan Mistich | June 12, 2014

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  Behind the Scene: Colm O'Reilly & Roger Levine

  Blog: Homedrone

  Welcome to Behind the Scene, a biweekly series where Flagpole and DTproductions  profile the people who work offstage to make Athens music matter.

  

  Photo Credit: Porter McLeod

  Colm O'Reilly and Roger Levine

  WHO THEY ARE: Colm O’Reilly & Roger Levine

  WHAT THEY DO: Sound engineers at the Georgia Theatre

  WATCH:

  By Dan Mistich | May 28, 2014

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  Behind the Scene: Drew Vandenberg

  Blog: Homedrone

  Welcome to Behind the Scene, a biweekly series where Flagpole and Dirtty Toe Productions profile the people who work offstage to make Athens music matter.

  

  By Dan Mistich | May 6, 2014

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  What's Ahead for Behind the Scene?

  Blog: Homedrone

  

  Cartter Fontaine films luthier Scott Baxendale at work for an episode of Behind the Scene.

  When Cartter Fontaine from Dirtty Toe Productions and I set out to conduct the first few interviews for our aptly-titled blog series, Behind the Scene, we weren’t sure how they would turn out. We’re used to covering musicians here at Flagpole, but when our editor gave us the go-ahead to pull back the curtain, we were grateful for the opportunity if unsure how to approach it exactly.

  We love writing about bands, but there’s another story to be told about our town’s scene, and we hope our series contributes meaningfully to this telling. At first, it was a work in progress; usually, we would show up to speak with one of our subjects and tell them that we were in the midst of an experiment to figure out how to best profile some of Athens music’s finest offstage supporters.

  More after the jump.

  By Dan Mistich | April 22, 2014

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  Live Review: The Zombies at Georgia Theatre, Thursday, Apr. 17

  Blog: Homedrone

  

  Photo by Mike White

  I was a bit worried for the Georgia Theatre when I arrived to the venue Thursday night. It seemed unnaturally empty when I arrived at the beginning of Pat Sansone’s solo opening set. Although best known as the multi-instrumentalist of Wilco and for his "side project" with fellow Wilco-er John Stirratt, The Autumn Defense, Sansone’s resume is extensive. (I once met Sansone at the Hideout in Chicago and we chatted about his work on Ryan Adams’ Heartbreaker before I bought him a beer and left to tell my friends that I just nerded out with a member of Wilco.) In other words, the dude’s got cred, and it’s no surprise that The Zombies picked him to open their current tour. Sansone made his gratitude very vocal, taking some of his time to thank The Zombies on a few occasions.

  More after the jump.

  By Dan Mistich | April 21, 2014

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  Behind the Scene: Scott Baxendale

  Blog: Homedrone

  Welcome to Behind the Scene, a biweekly series where Flagpole and Dirtty Toe Productions profile the people who work offstage to make Athens music matter.

  

  By Dan Mistich | April 8, 2014

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  Q&A with William Tyler, Playing Green Room Wednesday

  Blog: Homedrone

  

  Photo Credit: Will Holland

  Nashville-based guitarist and songwriter William Tyler has done time in indie rock's trenches, as a member of such critically acclaimed groups as Lambchop and Silver Jews. In 2010, he stepped out on his own with Behold the Spirit, a stirring collection of instrumental music steeped in the folk ethos of American Primitivism but also kissed with psychedelia. Another full-length, Impossible Truth, followed last year. On Apr. 29, Merge will issue a three-song EP, Lost Colony.

  Flagpole spoke with Tyler in advance of his show Wednesday at Green Room.

  By Dan Mistich | April 7, 2014

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