Authors | Flagpole Magazine | Athens, GA News, Music, Arts, Restaurants

Blog posts by Gabe Vodicka, Editor

Flagpole Athens Music Awards Ballot is Live; Watch the Video Nominees

Blog: Homedrone

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones

New Madrid hoists a trophy at last year's awards show.

The 2015 Flagpole Athens Music Awards takes place Thursday, June 25 at the historic Morton Theatre in downtown Athens. As always, the show will feature live music from a hand-selected lineup of our favorite local artists, as well as a special non-music performance to be announced. Plus: Hijinks! Surprises! #BasedHost Tom Visions! And much more!

The awards ballot—as painstakingly assembled by a panel of nine local music-scene movers and shakers plus Flagpole's music editor—is now live, and you can vote right over here.

Check out the list of last year's winners, as well as photos and video of the 2014 awards show, here.

Below, watch the six nominees in this year's Music Video category:

By Gabe Vodicka | May 8, 2015
Stream Two Songs From T. Hardy Morris' Upcoming Album

Blog: Homedrone

Photo Credit: Anna Webber

Athens music fixture and Dead Confederate leader T. Hardy Morris is gearing up to releaseDrownin On a Mountaintop, the full-length follow-up to our favorite record of 2013, Audition Tapes (Flagpole review).

Thus far, the label has made two songs from Drownin available to stream: Last October, we first heard the country-punk single "Painted On Attitude," and this week, Noisey premiered another new tune, the twangy grinder "My Me."

By Gabe Vodicka | May 6, 2015
Watch a Short Documentary on Athens Rapper Ishues

Blog: Homedrone

Photo Credit: Randy Schafer

This week's cover story focuses on Athens rapper and community activist Ishmael Cuthbertson, who performed and recorded under the moniker Ishues in the mid-2000s before leaving the music industry to focus on faith and family.

In preparation for the article, Flagpole writer and photographer Randy Schafer spent time with Cuthbertson and his family over the course of several weeks this spring. To supplement his words and photos, Schafer also put together a 12-minute video documentary, which you can watch below:

By Gabe Vodicka | May 1, 2015
Flagpole Premieres: Dark Meat, 'Thems That Die (Will Be The Lucky Ones)'

Blog: Homedrone

Photo Credit: Jason Thrasher

Vibrant and volatile Athens-based psych-rock supergroup Dark Meat burned brightly and toured hard for several years in the late aughts before its players scattered and the band called it quits. But recently, a majority of members found themselves back in Athens for the wedding of two of their own, and decided to lay down one last jam.

By Gabe Vodicka | April 30, 2015
Athens Power Rankings for the Week of Apr. 27

Blog: In the Loop

Welcome to Athens Power Rankings. In the spirit of sports rating systems, through painstaking analysis, we rank the top movers and shakers in the Classic City each week. Who's hot? Who's not? Find out below.

Photo Credit: Randy Schafer

Ishues

By Gabe Vodicka | April 27, 2015
Flagpole Premieres: Blue Blood, 'Money to Lose'

Blog: Homedrone

Photo Credit: Anne Yarbrough

Hunter Morris

This Is the Life, the debut album by local psych-pop outfit Blue Blood, has been a long time in the making. After several delays, the record is finally set to hit stores tomorrow, Tuesday, Apr. 28 via Atlanta label This Is American Music.

For a taste of what to expect from This Is the Life, check out an exclusive stream of one of the album's standout tracks, the airy, anthemic "Money to Lose":

By Gabe Vodicka | April 27, 2015
Neutral Milk Hotel Plays Orange Twin May 10

Blog: Homedrone

Hold on to your butts (er, beards?): For just the second time since resurfacing in 2013, acclaimed indie-folk outfit Neutral Milk Hotel will play their hometown.

By Gabe Vodicka | April 21, 2015
Donny Knottsville Made a Mixtape Using Only Deerhoof Samples and It's Great

Blog: Homedrone

To say that Athens/South Carolina rapper Donny Knottsville (formerly of Classic City hip hop crews Deaf Judges and Mad Axes) is prolific is to understate his output over the past several months.

First, in October 2014, he hit us with Brainiac Frankenstein, a solid selection of DIY-backpacker jammers that featured Athens musicians like Sienna Chandler and Knottsville's former partner in crime Louie Larceny. In March, he dropped Red Dirt White Light, a sneering, low-end heavy follow-up.

Nearly lost in the shuffle was Hoof Beats, a February mixtape that featured Knottsville rapping over a backdrop consisting entirely of samples taken from the songs of the great Bay Area avant-rock group Deerhoof.

The band recently took to Twitter to congratulate Knottsville on a job well done:

By Gabe Vodicka | April 20, 2015
Watch the Teaser Video for New Madrid's Record Store Day Release

Blog: Homedrone

Since the release of last year's Sunswimmer (Flagpole review), Athens rockers New Madrid have pounded the pavement with a seemingly nonstop slew of tour dates. Now, the group is offering up documentation of their time on the road in the form of a Record Store Day exclusive release.

By Gabe Vodicka | April 15, 2015
Athens Power Rankings for the Week of Apr. 13

Blog: In the Loop

Welcome to Athens Power Rankings. In the spirit of sports rating systems, through painstaking analysis, we rank the top movers and shakers in the Classic City each week. Who's hot? Who's not? Find out below.

Photo Credit: Photo via Facebook

Southern Brewing Co.

By Gabe Vodicka | April 13, 2015
Win Tickets: Langhorne Slim Plays Georgia Theatre Friday

Blog: Homedrone

Photo Credit: Todd Roeth

Americana troubadour Langhorne Slim plays the Georgia Theatre Friday, Apr. 10, and we've got two pairs of tickets to give away.

To enter, tell us why you deserve to go for free in the comments below. We'll choose two winners Friday at 2:30 p.m.

By Gabe Vodicka | April 9, 2015
R.E.M.: Actually, We Were Never Called Twisted Kites

Blog: Homedrone

Photo Credit: Jason Thrasher

Nuci's Space has begun construction on the St. Mary's steeple, a project Flagpole reported on last November, and which was partially funded via an IndieGoGo campaign. As you might expect, media attention has once again been focused on the structure, which famously marks the site of R.E.M.'s first-ever public performance in April 1980.

By Gabe Vodicka | April 7, 2015
Atlanta, Alabama Metal Bands Involved in Fatal Jackson County Crash

Blog: Homedrone

Photo Credit: Photo via Facebook

As multiple news outlets are reporting, at least three people were killed in a car accident early this morning just north of Athens in Jackson County, near the Tanger Outlets in Commerce.

By Gabe Vodicka | April 6, 2015
Kuroma, T. Hardy Morris, We Love Tractor, More Announced for AthFest

Blog: Homedrone

Kuroma

AthFest has announced a few more outdoor performers for this year's festival, which takes place June 26–28.

By Gabe Vodicka | April 6, 2015
Athens Power Rankings for the Week of Mar. 30

Blog: In the Loop

Welcome to Athens Power Rankings. In the spirit of sports rating systems, through painstaking analysis, we rank the top movers and shakers in the Classic City each week. Who's hot? Who's not? Find out below.

Photo Credit: Joshua L. Jones

Slingshot Festival

By Gabe Vodicka | March 30, 2015
AthFest Wristbands On Sale Now, Compilation Release Show Apr. 18

Blog: Homedrone

While Athens prepares for the onslaught of music, art and tech that will comprise this weekend's Slingshot Festival, the organizers of this summer's AthFest have announced that wristbands for the fest's Club Crawl are now available.

By Gabe Vodicka | March 26, 2015
Discounted Slingshot Passes, Day Passes, Single Tickets Now Available

Blog: Homedrone

Photo Credit: Suzy Poling

Holly Herndon

Slingshot, the three-day festival of music, tech and electronic art, happens Mar. 26–28 in Athens, and, in case you hadn't heard, the fest has landed a truly impressive selection of musical talent for its third annual installment.

By Gabe Vodicka | March 23, 2015
Watch Modest Mouse's New Athens-Filmed Music Video

Blog: Homedrone

Pacific Northwest indie rock icons Modest Mouse played a sold-out Georgia Theatre show earlier this month, but that's not the only thing the band was up to during its stay in Athens. The band also used the Classic City as a location for its latest music video shoot; you can stream the resulting clip, for Strangers to Ourselves single "Lampshades on Fire," below:

By Gabe Vodicka | March 21, 2015
Athens Power Rankings for the Week of Mar. 16

Blog: In the Loop

Welcome to Athens Power Rankings. In the spirit of sports rating systems, through painstaking analysis, we rank the top movers and shakers in the Classic City each week. Who's hot? Who's not? Find out below.

Photo Credit: John Kelley

Mark Fox

By Gabe Vodicka | March 16, 2015
Check Out New Music, Video From Dave Marr

Blog: Homedrone

Former Star Room Boys frontman (and former Flagpole City Editor) Dave Marr is hard at work on a new studio album, which will feature his first official new recordings in a decade and a half.

Marr has been been laying down tracks at The Glow Recording Studio with engineer Jesse Mangum, and now he's put together a video, with the help of Atlanta filmmaker Jim Issa. The clip features a rough version of "Thank You," a deep, aching tune from the new record.

By Gabe Vodicka | March 13, 2015