Well, Finally: Longtime Athens musician and all around nice guy Jacob Morris (Ham1, Moths, Patterson Hood) will release his debut album on Dec. 4. Coming courtesy of Athens label Cloud Recordings, Moths was recorded and produced by Loney John Hutchins (Chelsea Crowell, Madeline) in Nashville. Thus far, only one song, "Wet Cigarette," has been made available for streaming, but hopefully it's indicative of the whole album's sound. The track is a muted yet sprightly number with an uptempo backbeat that belies its otherwise solemn demeanor. I really like this kind of stuff. Listen for yourself over at soundcloud.com/teamclermont/jacob-morris-wet-cigarette. Looking forward to hearing the whole record.

New Brutality: Grim Pickins & the Bastard Congregation made its live debut in October during Athens Intensified, but the zoo crew revue is on its way back to the stage as we speak. The band will be playing at Little Kings Shuffle Club on Thursday, Dec. 6 with Gear Jammer and Whomp!. If you miss it then, or want to catch it twice, it'll be at Go Bar on Friday, Dec. 14. Referred to pitch-perfectly as "Black Oak Sabbath" by Athens musician Patrick Ferguson (Five Eight, ex-Music Hates You) the band originated as a barebones acoustic project between Zack Hembree and Scott McNeely. As time went on it got heavier, and now it's a fire-breathing blast of metal, hardcore and bloody country. The full lineup includes Hembree and McNeely along with Parker Bradshaw, Forest Hetland, Brian Neely and Jillian McNeely. The band plans to head into Dawsonville, GA's LedBelly Sound sometime in January with engineer Matt Washburn (Mastodon, Artimus Pyledriver). That same month, it'll hit the road to play Atlanta, Macon and Sarasota and Gainesville, FL. Keep up to date over at facebook.com/GrimPickinsTheBastardCongregation.

Concession Time: As much as it pains me to admit, I have to give it up for the Grateful Dead tribute band (and Futurebirds side project) Bobby's Shorts. Named after the fashion choices of the Dead's Bob Weir, I really can't think of a better or more ridiculously affectionate name. I mean, this kinda kills. So, begrudging kudos to all concerned. Help them spread the disease on Facebook by clicking “like” over at facebook.com/BobbysShorts.

Web-Core: I waited to report on this because I needed to make sure it stayed up for a while, but I can safely tell you now that Kindercore Records has a new website located at kindercore.com. It's a simply laid out site, pretty much blog-style, but clean and highly navigable. The label had a beautifully ambitious site a few years ago that was hacked and destroyed. So, give it a visit and, I dunno, buy something. In other news, Kindercore's Grape Soda released its debut album Form a Sign nationally this month and have pressed up a new batch of LPs on 180-gram white vinyl.

Open the Door: You'll have approximately 48 hours to sleep through your post-turkey tryptophan coma before Magnapop returns to Athens for a very rare Athens performance. The show takes place at the Caledonia Lounge on Saturday, Nov. 24, and it'll share the bill with Five Eight. I swear, y'all will party like it's 1995. Magnapop made solid headway through the rough 'n' tumble waters of 1990s alternative rock land, buoyed by gritty pop hooks and the impeccable Athens rock pedigree of Ruthie Morris and Linda Hopper, but it never really made that jump into stardom. Which means you still get to see the band up close and personal and all those things you really love about live music. If you have any questions, you could consult the never-updated magnapop.com, but you'd do better to just ask 'em in person.

Thank You: In keeping with the spirit of this week's issue and our national holiday, I'd like to mention a few things. I'm not going to get too wildly personal here, so let me say that I'm perpetually thankful for the Athens music scene—the good and the bad. Each week, I'm thankful for Flagpole magazine and the platform it provides for the dissemination of my news and opinions, and the broad leeway I'm given to express those opinions. Seriously, folks, you've no idea how rare that is. And finally, I'd like to thank all of you who read this column faithfully each week, even if you're only looking for your own name. Writing is fine and good, but without readers, it's just an exercise, not an exchange. So, thank you all for that. Aw…