Blog Topic: Flagpole Premieres

Homedrone: Flagpole Premieres: Je Suis France, 'Looking for Someone Like Me' Video

By Gabe Vodicka | October 9, 2019 10:48am

After forming at UGA in the late 1990s, Je Suis France established a reputation as Athens' go-to indie-rock party band, releasing a self-titled 2000 LP and 2003's terrific Fantastic Area—as well as a stream of exploratory CD-Rs that showcased the group's mischievous side—before its members scattered to various corners of the continent.

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Homedrone: Flagpole Premieres: Magnapop, 'Leo'

By Gabe Vodicka | September 20, 2019 11:20am

Co-led by former Oh-OK member Linda Hopper and featuring the estimable songwriting and guitar stylings of Ruthie Morris, Atlanta band Magnapop saw minor U.S. success in the mid-'90s thanks to alt-rock earworms like "Open the Door." But the band has carved out a steady career since, thanks largely to its popularity among European listeners, and on Sept. 27 it will release a sixth full-length—the group's first album in a decade—titled The Circle Is Round.

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Homedrone: Flagpole Premieres: Annie Leeth, 'Sherbet Sky'

By Gabe Vodicka | September 17, 2019 8:46am

With her canny pop-classical hybrid, violinist Annie Leeth has established herself as an Athens-music chameleon, able to slide seamlessly onto experimental and indie-pop bills alike. Since releasing her debut LP, Recurrence, last year, Leeth has continued to fine-tune her expressive, loop-based approach.

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Homedrone: Flagpole Premieres: Future Lives, 'Huckabee' Video

By Gabe Vodicka | September 4, 2019 10:07am

Led by former King of Prussia frontman Brandon Hanick, Athens "spirit-folk" recording project/supergroup Future Lives also features members of Drive-By Truckers and Velveteen Pink, as well as violinist Annie Leeth and pop songsmith Nicholas Mallis, among others.

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Homedrone: Flagpole Premieres: Georgia Dish Boys, 'I Can’t Act (Like I Don’t Feel Good)'

By Gabe Vodicka | May 21, 2019 9:18am

As unpredictable as they are hard-working, Athens band Georgia Dish Boys are set to follow up last year's rocking Nine Song Movie, which blended trashy Crazy Horse riffage with aching alt-folk, with a new LP, Good Country Livin, in July.

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Homedrone: Flagpole Premieres: Partials, 'Walls Fall'

By Gabe Vodicka | May 3, 2019 9:26am

With the release of last year's Glossolalia—one of Flagpole's favorite local EPs of 2018—Athens group Partials established themselves as the thinking-person's party band, blending heady funk and Afrobeat grooves with rich, provocative lyrics exploring themes of technology and isolation.

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Homedrone: Flagpole Premieres: Dope KNife Featuring Linqua Franqa, 'Make Perfect Remix'

By Gabe Vodicka | April 30, 2019 8:43am

Though currently based out of Savannah, rapper and producer Kedrick Mack, aka Dope KNife, has formed a close relationship with the Athens scene over the past couple of years, appearing regularly on local bills and collaborating with local artists.

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Homedrone: Flagpole Premieres: Cicada Rhythm Covers Simon and Garfunkel's 'Cecilia'

By Gabe Vodicka | April 19, 2019 9:42am

Photo Credit: Jason Huffer

Athens duo Cicada Rhythm released one of Flagpole's favorite local records of last year with the electrified Everywhere I Go, a cool and confident album that showcased the roots group's expanded palette. Today, we're excited to premiere another new Cicada Rhythm recording: the group's cover of Simon and Garfunkel's lovelorn pop song "Cecilia."

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Homedrone: Flagpole Premieres: Walden, The Static EP Stream

By Gabe Vodicka | April 4, 2019 4:02pm

Athens four-piece Walden boasts a soaring, radio-ready sound inspired by melody-drenched megastars like U2 and Coldplay. In a testament to its mainstream appeal, the band won the Road to Roo competition in both 2016 and 2017, earning it a spot on the Bonnaroo lineup and a legion of new fans to boot.

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Homedrone: Flagpole Premieres: Ryne Meadow, There Are Clouds in the Sky Album Stream

By Gabe Vodicka | April 2, 2019 8:44am

Singer-songwriter Ryne Meadow, an Athens native, moved to the New York City area a few years back, but a debilatating bout with depression and anxiety during what he dubs the "dark, two-year stint" left him unsteady and uncertain. Returning home, he "set out to create a new set of songs documenting his daily battle with mental health issues," according to a press release.

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