Blog Topic: Flagpole Premieres

Homedrone: Flagpole Premieres: Nicholas Mallis, 'Artificial Irrelevance' Video

By Gabe Vodicka | March 26, 2019 12:24pm

Photo Credit: Ben Rouse

Local songwriter Nicholas Mallis traffics in the sort of crisp, easy guitar-pop that can just as easily soundtrack a midday Hendershot's hang as a post-Go Bar A.M. comedown. Bright and tuneful but with enough existential angst to keep things from turning too florid, Mallis' music nods to his soft-rock forebears while remaining rooted in Classic City strange.

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Homedrone: Flagpole Premieres: Cortez Garza, 'The Low Vibe' Video

By Gabe Vodicka | March 25, 2019 10:42am

Athens singer-songwriter Cortez Garza plans to follow up his latest full-length, last year's reflective, revealing The Low Vibe, with a new EP next month. In the meantime, he's wrapping up a trilogy of videos for songs off the previous record by dropping a clip for The Low Vibe's twangy title track, which we're happy to premiere today.

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Homedrone: Flagpole Premieres: Adam Klein, 'Dog Days'

By Gabe Vodicka | February 21, 2019 11:09am

Guitarist and songwriter Adam Klein is an Athens roots-music trailblazer, as evidenced by his seven-album discography, which started with 2006's Distant Music and continues with Low Flyin' Planes, a new LP out Mar. 1 on Klein's label, Cowboy Angel Music.

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Homedrone: Flagpole Premieres: Curt Castle, If I'm Here at All Album Stream

By Gabe Vodicka | February 8, 2019 11:42am

Photo Credit: Rose Egle

As the bassist for voguish local eclecto-pop outfit Reptar, Ryan Engelberger specialized in bubbly rhythms and spirited melodies. With Semicircle, he helped craft thoughtful arrangements that were delivered in hushed tones.

Now, as Curt Castle, he has found a satisfying middle ground, mining pathos from pop on his debut, If I'm Here at All, which is out today on True Blue Records. To coincide with the release, we're pleased to provide a stream of the new LP in its entirety.

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Homedrone: Flagpole Premieres: Grand Vapids, 'Dead Syllables'

By Gabe Vodicka | January 18, 2019 9:35am

Photo Credit: Alec Stanley

Believe it or not, it's been four whole years since the release of Guarantees, the impressive debut album from Athens mood-rockers Grand Vapids. That record, which Flagpole's Andy Barton called "an album of sheer beauty, featuring a dense wall of guitars and a chugging rhythm section," received praise from regional and national outlets and established the foursome as a Classic City band to watch.

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Homedrone: Flagpole Premieres: Kenosha Kid, '04 How Would It All Fit?' Video

By Gabe Vodicka | December 14, 2018 11:26am

As the leader of Athens band Kenosha Kid, guitarist Dan Nettles has spent well over a decade exploring the cosmic intersection of jazz, post-rock, jam and improv composition. Despite the headiness of Nettles and crew's approach, the results are eminently approachable and frequently thrilling, as on last year's smoky, funky Outside Choices.

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Homedrone: Flagpole Premieres: 2018 Wild Rumpus Mixtape

By Gabe Vodicka | October 23, 2018 9:03am

This weekend, the Wild Rumpus Parade and Spectacle returns to downtown Athens for a 10th annual edition, inviting Athenians of all stripes and all ages to dress up, howl at the moon and celebrate Halloween for a good cause. (See The Calendar for a full schedule of events.)

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Homedrone: Flagpole Premieres: Georgia Dish Boys, 'Birds So Blue'

By Gabe Vodicka | October 19, 2018 10:25am

Athens band Georgia Dish Boys' sound is familiar yet unorthodox, a viscous blend of alt-country twang, noise-rock squall, outsider folk and Southern gothic allure. On last year's Get Gone, the group led with massive rock hooks and showcased frontman Seth Martin's laryngitic yowl.

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Culture Briefs: Flagpole Premieres: Athens Rising, Excerpt Seven: AthFest

By Gabe Vodicka | October 16, 2018 2:00pm

Photo Credit: Athens Rising

AthFest Educates Vice Chair (and Flagpole Publisher) Alicia Nickles.

The first full-length documentary in a planned series "that aims to celebrate the creative class in the Classic City," filmmaker James Preston's Athens Rising: The Sicyon Project chronicles Athens' multifaceted arts and music scenes, with an additional focus on dance, food, comedy, theater, festival culture and more.

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Homedrone: Flagpole Premieres: Gumshoe, 'Amorosa'

By Gabe Vodicka | October 16, 2018 8:51am

As an outlet for songwriter Andy Dixon's sundry creative impulses, Athens band Gumshoe has found itself exploring everything from twangy Americana to soulful stomp to angular indie rock. With his latest album, The Governor's Brother—out Nov. 16—Dixon gets deep, dark and disillusioned as he processes the 2016 election and its unsettling aftermath.

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