Athens is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Downtown Athens lies about 70 miles (110 km) northeast of downtown Atlanta. The University of Georgia, the state's flagship public university and an R1 research institution, is in Athens and contributed to its initial growth. In 1991, after a vote the preceding year, the original City of Athens abandoned its charter to form a unified government with Clarke County, referred to jointly as Athens–Clarke County where it is the county seat.
The Olivia Tremor Control is an American psychedelic band from Athens, Georgia. The band's main line-up consists of Will Cullen Hart, Bill Doss, Eric Harris, John Fernandes, and Peter Erchick. The Olivia Tremor Control's music combines indie rock and neo-psychedelia, taking influence from psychedelic pop bands of the 1960s, such as the Beach Boys and the Beatles.
Love Tractor is a band from Athens, Georgia, founded in spring 1980 by guitarists Mark Cline and Mike Richmond, and bassist Armistead Wellford, students at the University of Georgia. Like The B-52's, Pylon and R.E.M., Love Tractor has been lauded by critics and music historians as one of the founders of the Athens, Georgia, alternative rock scene. Love Tractor toured extensively and recorded six critically acclaimed albums, consistently topping the college and alternative charts. Love Tractor was particularly known for their instrumental rock.
Tanghetto is an Argentinian neotango and electronic tango music project created and led by musician and producer Max Masri. Winner of the Gardel Award and five times nominated to the Latin Grammy Awards. It's based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Pylon was an American new wave/post-punk band from Athens, Georgia, United States. The band's danceable sound, a blend of new wave, post-punk, jangle pop, alternative rock and funk rock, influenced the Athens music scene and the 1980s American pop underground. AllMusic wrote that Pylon's "role as elder statesmen of the alternative rock explosion is unassailable".
Flagpole Magazine, often abbreviated to simply Flagpole, is an American alternative newsweekly that focuses on the cultural, liberal scene of Athens, Georgia, and its surrounding communities. Athens is known in Georgia and nationally as the home of the University of Georgia. It was founded by Jared Bailey and Dennis Greenia in 1987 and is currently edited and published by Pete McCommons, who joined the publication in 1993. Publishing under the banner "Colorbearer of Athens, Georgia," Flagpole covers local events like the Wild Rumpus Halloween Parade, AthFest Music Fest, and the Athens Twilight Criterium. The publication covers politics, art, theater, movies, books, food, local comics, and advice columns in Athens and surrounding areas.
Bertis Edwin Downs IV is an American entertainment lawyer. He provides legal counsel for the rock band R.E.M., later also assuming management duties after the departure of original manager Jefferson Holt. He is usually credited simply as the band's "Advisor".
The music of Athens, Georgia includes a wide variety of popular music and was an important part of the early evolution of alternative rock and new wave. The city is well known as the home of chart-topping bands like R.E.M., Widespread Panic, The B-52's, and several long-time indie rock groups. Athens hosts the Athens Symphony Orchestra and other music institutions, as well as prominent local music media, such as the college radio station WUOG. Much of the modern Athens music scene relies on students from the large University of Georgia campus in the city. The University sponsors Western classical performances and groups specializing in other styles.
Athens, GA: Inside/Out is a 1986 documentary film about the mid-1980s music scene in Athens, Georgia. The film has been described as "the definitive portrait of the city's world-renowned music scene."
David Barbe is an American musician and producer/engineer from Athens, Georgia and director of the Music Business Certificate Program at the University of Georgia. He is chief of Chase Park Transduction studio in Athens. Barbe is known for his work as a songwriter, singer, guitarist, and bass guitarist in Sugar, Mercyland, and Buzz Hungry, as well as solo performances. He has produced nearly every album by the popular country rock band Drive-By Truckers, and has worked as producer and engineer with Son Volt. He has an all-star solo band in Athens called the Quick Hooks.
The 40 Watt Club is a music venue in Athens, Georgia. Along with CBGB, the Whisky a Go Go, and selected others, it was instrumental in launching American punk rock and new wave music.
Ravenstone is an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia in 1971 by Butch Blasingame, Dwight Brown,, Michael A. Simpson,, Ralph Towler and Bill Wilson. A popular group in the southeastern United States during the early 70s, the band is considered one of the godfathers of the internationally acclaimed Athens rock scene.
Vanessa Briscoe Hay is an American singer for the Athens, Georgia bands Pylon, Supercluster and Pylon Reenactment Society.
Supercluster is a recording project that formed during 2007 in Athens, Georgia. It includes musicians from the Athens, Georgia bands New Sound Of Numbers, Bob Hay & the Jolly Beggars, Casper & the Cookies, Of Montreal, Circulatory System and Pylon, along with Elephant 6 recording artist John Fernandes. Members presently include Hannah M. Jones, Bob Hay, Bill David, Kay Stanton, Bryan Poole, Vanessa Briscoe Hay, Jason NeSmith and John Fernandes. Alumni include Randy Bewley (deceased), Heather McIntosh, Will Cullen Hart and Peter Erchick. Supercluster play what they term "Appalachian Wave." For a brief period they were known as FFFM.
Bob Hay born Robert Donald Hay, Jr. on January 28, 1950, is an American songwriter and the multi-instrumentalist and vocalist for Athens, Georgia projects the Squalls, Bob Hay & the Jolly Beggars, Noogeez, A. Che Why and Supercluster.
Jackson Street Cemetery, also known as Old Athens Cemetery, was the original cemetery for Athens, Georgia and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was in official use as the town cemetery from about 1810 to 1856, until Oconee Hill Cemetery opened. The last known burial was in 1898.
Jason Thrasher is an American photographer with a special focus on musicians. He was honored for his 2017 book, Athens Potluck, as a 2018 Georgia Author of the Year. His work has been exhibited at the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, the Corcoran School of Fine Art in Washington, D.C., the Yerba Buena Arts Center in San Francisco, the Institute of Contemporary Arts (London), the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans and the Atrium Gallery at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta.
Wuxtry Records is an independent record store in Athens, Georgia, that has operated since 1976. Its flagship shop is located at the corner of College Avenue and Clayton Street in downtown Athens, and is the oldest continuously operating record store in the state. The company was founded by Dan Wall and Mark Methe, and has operated several locations over the course of its history. Methe operates a shop under the Wuxtry name in Decatur, Georgia, which opened in 1978. The name also extends to Bizarro-Wuxtry, a comic shop that operates on the top floor of the Athens location, that focuses on rare comics, unusual toys and other novelties.
Jeremy Ayers was an American artist, writer, photographer, and musician. Ayers was a member of the Athens, Georgia, creative community, published three books of photography, and co-wrote songs for The B-52's and R.E.M. In 2021, a newly discovered species of ant was named in his honor.
Linnentown was a Black neighborhood in Athens, Georgia that was destroyed in the 1960s by an urban renewal project of the University of Georgia (UGA) and the city government of Athens. Comprising an area of 22 acres, the neighborhood had about fifty families who were forced out, via eminent domain, to make room for student housing for UGA; the dormitories, Russell Hall, Creswell Hall, and Brumby Hall now stand on the site. UGA associate professor of Geography, Jerry Shannon, estimates that the combination of undervaluing the property at the time of sale and forcing residents into areas "of the city where property values have not climbed as quickly" has cost residents over $5 million of generational wealth.
