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

Blog posts by Gabe Vodicka, Editor

Hey, Here's a New Kishi Bashi Video

Blog: Homedrone

World-renowned, Athens-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kishi Bashi is currently on a tour that spans the majority of the continental U.S. Sadly, there's no local date yet announced, but we can hope? Or, we could just cry.

To give us some solace in our time of sadness, Kishi Bashi has debuted a music video for "In Fantasia," the striking, seven-minute closer to last year's Lighght.

By Gabe Vodicka | January 21, 2015
On the Road with Chief Scout, Heyrocco and Concord America

Blog: Homedrone

An excellent if unholy triumvirate of local and regional rock and rollers—Chief Scout, Heyroccoand Concord America—hit the asphalt last Friday for a two-week tour up and down the Eastern seaboard, and the bands will be filing periodic updates with Flagpole from the road.

By Gabe Vodicka | January 19, 2015
Athens Power Rankings for the Week of Jan. 19

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: Laura Thigpen

Reptar

By Gabe Vodicka | January 19, 2015
UPDATE: AthFest Submission Period Now Open for Outdoor Stage, Compilation Album

Blog: Homedrone

Photo Credit: Photo courtesy of AthFest

AthFest Educates has formally opened the submission period for bands interested in performing on one of the outdoor stages at this year's AthFest, which takes place June 26–28.

By Gabe Vodicka | January 19, 2015
Reptar Signs to Joyful Noise, Releases 7-Inch, Album Coming Soon

Blog: Homedrone

Photo Credit: Photo via Facebook

Big news today from the Reptar camp: The local electro-pop group announced it has signed with Joyful Noise Recordings—the label has also been home to fellow Athens acts of Montreal and Kishi Bashi—and that its long-awaited full-length follow-up to 2012's Body Faucet is on the way, with details to be revealed soon.

In the meantime, the band is offering up a limited-edition 7-inch release featuring two songs not on the upcoming LP: "In Through the Eyelids" and "Delusional."

Buy the EP here. Watch a video celebrating the signing announcement below:

By Gabe Vodicka | January 14, 2015
Vote For Your Favorite Athens-Music Beard

Blog: Homedrone

Flagpole's winter-themed issue, "Warm Your ATH Up," hits stands next Wednesday, Jan. 21, when it will surely be a balmy 70 degrees outside and ruin everything we've worked weeks to create. But first, we need your help.

We've nominated six local musicians who boast some of our favorite beards in town, and we're looking to you to pick your favorite of the bunch.

By Gabe Vodicka | January 14, 2015
The Strokes, Neutral Milk Hotel, Wilco, Pixies to Play Shaky Knees 2015

Blog: Homedrone

The lineup for this year's installment of Atlanta's Shaky Knees Festival has been announced, and it's a doozy. Along with festival faves The Strokes, the list features reunited indie titans Pixies, alt-folk godfathers Wilco and our own Neutral Milk Hotel.

By Gabe Vodicka | January 14, 2015
Flagpole Premieres: Cult Fluorescent, 'Fiel'd' Video

Blog: Homedrone

Songwriter Brad DeMatteo, who writes and records lovely minimalist pop tunes as Cult Fluorescent, is in the midst of a move from Massachusetts to the Classic City. "I'm basically moving to Athens for a change of scenery," he tells Flagpole. "It might sound too simple, but that's the truth. I want to put myself and my music in a new environment."

To help welcome DeMatteo to town, we're pleased to premiere a brand new video for "Fiel'd," the airy last track from Cult Fluorescent's recent full-length, I Had No Patience: No Patience.

Stream the video, directed by Michael Bucuzzo of experimental film collective SurreaLux, below:

By Gabe Vodicka | January 13, 2015
Tonight in Athens: Ona, Semicircle, Waste Layer

Blog: Homedrone

Photo Credit: Max Nolte

Ona

Several recommended shows to keep you warm tonight in the Classic Cold-Ass City:

By Gabe Vodicka | January 9, 2015
Watch Mothers' Kristine Leschper Get Her Hair Chopped Off at Athens AMP

Blog: Homedrone

The spookiest salon ever.

As we reported last month, the second installment of Athens AMP, a collaborative series involving artists, musicians and performers, took place at Flicker Theatre & Bar Wednesday evening. The show featured a special set from local folk outfit Mothers titled IN THE EVENING I AM FORGOTTEN.

Mothers' Kristine Leschper was joined by musicians and performers Matt Anderegg, Drew Kirby, William Kennedy, Taber Lathrop, Jack Blauvelt, Remember Watts and Tyler Leslie. For the grand finale, a masked figure approached and began cutting Leschper's hair while she sang.

Check video of the performance below:

By Gabe Vodicka | January 9, 2015
Alabama Shakes Announce Georgia Theatre Shows Jan. 30 & 31

Blog: Homedrone

By Gabe Vodicka | January 8, 2015
Athens Power Rankings for the Week of Jan. 5

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.

Muuy Biien. What scamps!

By Gabe Vodicka | January 5, 2015
Hear New Music From The Goons, Kissing Booth, Monsoon

Blog: Homedrone

Kissing Booth

The concert calendar has slowed to a crawl these last few weeks of 2014, but a bunch of local bands are gearing up to release new albums in the coming days and weeks. Get a taste of three recommended recordings below:

By Gabe Vodicka | December 30, 2014
Wunderkindred Brings ATH to ATL Jan. 3

Blog: Homedrone

If you're looking for post-New Year's action in the metropolis to our west, look no further than Le Maison Rouge, where several Athens-based groups participate in what's being billed as a cross-cultural exchange.

The Jan. 3 concert, dubbed Wunderkindred, is the brainchild of former Athens artist and musician Kerry Jones.

The show, a collaborative effort with Atlanta-based arts organization Dashboard Co-Op, features local artists The Dream Scene, Black Paradise, Mouser, Muuy Biien, Shade and Yung Yang, as well as Jones' own Atlanta/Brooklyn-based group, Phoenicians.

Writes Jones of her vision for the event:

By Gabe Vodicka | December 22, 2014
Michael Stipe, Neutral Milk Hotel Bid Farewell to 'Colbert'

Blog: Homedrone

Last night, "The Colbert Show" wrapped up its nine-year run with a final, star-studded episode that featured a massive singalong of Vera Lynn's "We'll Meet Again." The choir featured our own Michael Stipe (who was also on the show earlier this week, being sold for a quarter at a yard sale), as well as Randy Newman, Patrick Stewart, George Lucas andbasically everyone else ever.

More below.

By Gabe Vodicka | December 19, 2014
Listen to The Dream Scene's Christmas II

Blog: Homedrone

Forget Black Messiah: Athens just got its own musical Christmas present in the form of a long-awaited surprise release from local avant-pop outfit The Dream Scene.

If you're unfamiliar with Javier Morales' excellent 2009 collection of lovingly warped holiday tunes, go check it out. I'll wait.

…

Good, you're back. Wasn't that awesome? What's that? You want more? Well, pilgrim, you're in luck: Yesterday, Morales unveiled a sequel to Christmas.

By Gabe Vodicka | December 17, 2014
Nuçi's Space Extends Reconstruction of the Steeple Deadline

Blog: Homedrone

Photo Credit: Jason Thrasher

Last month, Nuçi's Space launched the "Reconstruction of the Steeple" Indiegogo campaign to refurbish the St. Mary's steeple—the site of R.E.M.'s first gig—and to help fund the nonprofit resource center's programming for 2015.

As of today, the crowdfunding campaign has raised over $128,000—a whopping sum, but well shy of its $250,000 goal. Since it met the halfway mark, though, Indiegogo has agreed to extend the fundraising deadline past its initial Dec. 13 date to Jan. 2, says project manager Marc Tissenbaum.

By Gabe Vodicka | December 16, 2014
Hear a Song From of Montreal's Upcoming Album, Aureate Gloom

Blog: Homedrone

Photo Credit: Ben Rouse

News came down yesterday that of Montreal, the long-running, shape-shifting Athens-based indie-pop project helmed by songwriter Kevin Barnes, will release a new full-length Mar. 3 via Polyvinyl.

Aureate Gloom will feature the same core cast of musicians as last year's Lousy with Sylvianbriar— Clayton Rychlik, Bob Parins, Bennett Lewis and JoJo Glidewell—though if single "Bassem Sabry" is any indication, Barnes and company have ditched the garage-rock of that record in favor of a strange, stripped-down dirty-disco sound.

Stream "Bassem Sabry" below:

By Gabe Vodicka | December 10, 2014
Monsoon Plays Flagpole's Parade of Lights Float Thursday

Blog: Homedrone

Monsoon

The annual Downtown Parade of Lights is tonight (Thursday, Dec. 4), and like always, you can count on the Athens Music Scene float—a co-production of Flagpole, the 40 Watt Club and AthFest—to bring the serious holiday jams.

This year, we've got local punks Monsoon set to kick 'em out from atop the moving stage, which rolls out at 7 p.m. from the corner of Dougherty and Pulaski streets and continues around the downtown loop.

By Gabe Vodicka | December 4, 2014
B-52s' Kate Pierson Announces Solo Album, Drops Video

Blog: Homedrone

Photo Credit: Monicanation/Wikimedia Commons

She may be a New York City gal these days, but Kate Pierson will always be known as an Athens music legend, having co-founded the B-52's in the Classic City way back in 1976.

Aside from her work with the legendary new wave outfit, Pierson has stayed busy with a steady stream of collaborations over the years. And yesterday, Pierson announced that she will release her debut solo album, Guitars and Microphones, which features contributions from Australian singer Sia (who shares songwriting duties) and The Strokes' Nick Valensi, on Feb. 17.

By Gabe Vodicka | December 3, 2014