Oh, man, there's just no room for an introduction this week. So, what am I doing? Somebody stop me…

You Sling Me Right Round, Baby, Right Round: Longtime Athens musician Kai Riedl is the mastermind behind what he hopes will make Athens a springtime destination for national touring acts. His newest project, Athens Slingshot, is to be a two-night music and arts festival spanning three downtown blocks. The root idea is to catch touring artists on their way to Austin for SXSW, but the event is a bit more ambitious, with plans to host industry talks and art installations and exhibits. Athens Slingshot is scheduled for Mar. 8 & 9, 2013. Performances will happen at the Georgia Theatre, 40 Watt Club, the Caledonia Lounge, Flicker Theatre & Bar, Farm 255, Go Bar and Little Kings Shuffle Club. Musicians wanting to perform at Athens Slingshot are encouraged to apply now. The deadline is Dec. 18, and you'll be notified if you've been selected by Jan. 10. Visual artists may submit work, too (Nov. 15 deadline). All pertinent information and contact details are available at athensslingshot.com. I know firsthand how difficult and stressful such organizing can be—and always is—so I tip my hat to everyone involved with this project and wish them the absolute best.

Come on in My Kitchen: A very special and intimate show featuring William Tyler and local national treasure Art Rosenbaum (and coordinated by Athens Provisions) will happen Sunday, Nov. 18 at New West/ Normaltown Records' newly christened 399 Meigs St. space. Gifted guitarist and new Merge signee Tyler is thus far best known for his work with other artists (Silver Jews, Lambchop, Charlie Louvin, etc.), while Rosenbaum is known worldwide for his decades of field recordings, visual art and unwavering dedication to the folk arts. His boxed set Art of Field Recording Volume I: Fifty Years of Traditional American Music Documented by Art Rosenbaum won the Grammy for Best Historical Album in 2008. His mix of traditional and old-time music is a treasure and a treat, and he's not to be missed. Capacity for this show is limited to 60 people, and tickets are available for $10 via williamtyler.eventbrite.com.

Lara Oshon shows some skin, just 'cause.

Stay Quiet Awhile: Atlanta native Lara Oshon moved to Athens from California a few years ago and has been quietly plying her songwriting craft here. Her stock in trade is gentle piano and vocal pop à la Carole King and Carly Simon. Of course, those are easy touchstones—Oshon's lyrics aren't nearly as brutal as those artists' can be, and she seems to have a more intensely felt spiritual side. Her new album is titled I Will Sing: Live at Sangha, because it was recorded at the Sangha Yoga Studio inside the Healing Arts Centre. In a press release for the album, Oshon says, “The word Sangha means 'community' in Sanskrit, and these songs are meant to create connection—to our own hearts and to each other. In a live show, there’s a heightened sense of relationship between singer and audience. It’s intimate, authentic, unforgettable. That’s what my music is about.” That's way more hippy-dippy than anything I'm generally comfortable with, but there's no denying there's an audience for this type of thing in Athens. To wit, Oshon will celebrate the release of the album at Hendershot's Coffee Bar on Wednesday, Nov. 7. There are lots of tracks available for streaming at soundcloud.com/laraoshon, and you can get the full scoop over at laraoshon.com.

Roll the Credits: The 48 Hour Film Project has invited all Athens bands to participate in what's been dubbed the “48 Hour Music Video Project.” Registration costs $220, for which each band is teamed up with a filmmaking crew who will produce a music video. On Saturday, Nov. 10 the completed videos will be screened on the lawn at Atlanta's Atlantic Station, and the featured bands are invited to perform, too. The videos will also run on Xfinity for a couple of months, and there are a few other bonus-type things that are fully explained over at 48hourfilm.com/atlanta/48mvp. The music videos will be shot the weekend of Nov. 2–4. In the interest of saving everyone a bit of time, I already advised the event's coordinator that I've yet to meet an Athens band that has $220 to spend on anything (Tunabunny alone could make, like, 150 videos on a budget like that!) but that I'd pass the word along to see if anyone was interested. So, that's exactly what I just did.

Cowboy Up: The quickly conceived solo album by Matt Hudgins is done. All totaled, it took less than two months to write, record, fund and manufacture and, honestly, he's kind of knocked it out of the park. Titled Better Days Are Coming, the album is a full-on diary of tragedy, heartache, desperation, desolation and, at times, glimmers of hope. If you miss the first release show for this album (Go Bar, Nov. 5) don't worry. Hudgins plays another one soon. He'll break your heart all over again at the Caledonia Lounge on Friday, Nov. 9.