Hello, people. I hope everyone enjoyed their AthFest weekend and associated activities. While you're re-hydrating and treating your sunburns, it'd probably be a good idea to catch up on the ongoing scene by catching some shade and reading this page. I made it just for you. So, look below for the haps...

Welcome Aboard: This week marks a changing of the guard here at the ol' Flagpole music department, and I'd like to take a moment to welcome Gabe Vodicka aboard as our new music editor. He first came to Athens in the middle of the last decade, played in several bands—including Long Legged Woman and Erutrevo—and then moved away. Now, he's back and at the helm of everything you'll experience in the music section. He's a heck of a good guy and thoroughly knowledgeable. I've been happy to know him as a friend in the past and am glad to welcome him as a new colleague. He can be contacted directly via [email protected].

And Thanks for Everything: After the above paragraph, it'd only be appropriate to say a hearty thanks to exiting Music Editor Michelle Gilzenrat Davis. She's leaving this position to begin law school at UGA in the fall, so she'll still be around town. Hopefully, everyone will get hip to this and make a mental note not to file verbal complaints with her—see above paragraph—when she has a rare moment to go outside in between hitting the books. She's been fabulous to work with, and I can't sing her praises highly enough. Good luck, Michelle!

Supercluster

Grandpa Would: The debut album from The Welfare Liners is due out Sept. 18. The old-time group recorded the album, High on a Hilltop, at member Russ Hallauer's Ghostmeat Studio in Watkinsville, and the album will come out on Hallauer's Ghostmeat Records label. The album’s mastering was handled by Andy LeMaster at Chase Park Transduction. You can download a song (“That's What She Said”) from the record over at www.thewelfareliners.com. That's also where you should check for information on the band's rumored Kickstarter campaign, which I've been told about but could not find hide nor hair of as of press time.

Upper Cuts: Two tracks from the new, upcoming full-length album by experimental hardcore proprietors Muuy Biien are available over at muuybiien.bandcamp.com. I mean “experimental” in the best sense of the term. That is, pushing the boundaries of a form, not simply wanking around, flexing supposed dexterity. It’s titled This Is What Your Mind Imagines, and the two songs available (“Uncle Tony” and “Fallin' Out [Reprise]”) are a nice aural apéritif. Go listen to them.

Two Sides of the Same Coin: Band of stars Supercluster released a new single last week. The A-side (“Things We Used to Drink”) features vocals by member Kay Stanton (Casper & the Cookies), and the flip side (“Memory of the Future”) has vocals by Hannah Jones (New Sound of Numbers). The melodies for each were created by Vanessa Briscoe Hay and fleshed out by the entire band. The 45 RPM, 7-inch vinyl record has national distribution behind it, so you should be able to grab it easily at your favorite record store. You do still have a favorite record store, don't you?

Sweep Out the Ashes: Athens musician William Chamberlain has shut the door on his three-year-running band Vestibules. The band played its final show last week at the Flicker Theatre & Bar during AthFest. If you'd like to pick over their bones, just visit www.reverbnation.com/vestibules for songs, photos, etc.

Fangs for the Memories: Careful listeners might have noticed a bit of Athens in the season premiere of HBOs "True Blood." Local songwriter Ken Will Morton had his song "Devil In Me," from his 2008 album of the same name, appear in the episode. I haven't personally seen the episode in question, so I can't tell you when it appears, so you're on your own there. For ongoing information concerning Morton and his happenings, see www.kenwillmorton.com. You can also fill your home or office all the live long day with streaming Morton tunes courtesy of kenwillmortonmusic.bandcamp.com.