Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city–county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about 70 miles northeast of downtown, and is a satellite city of 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.
James Victor Chesnutt was an American singer-songwriter from Athens, Georgia. His first album, Little, was released in 1990, but his breakthrough to commercial success did not come until 1996 with the release of Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation, a charity record of alternative artists covering his songs.
Kindercore Vinyl is a vinyl record pressing plant based in Athens, Georgia. It began as an independent record label, founded in 1996 by Ryan Lewis and Daniel Geller to help create a unified music scene of Athens. After the dissolution of the record label, Lewis and Geller partnered with Cash Carter and Bill Fortenberry to revive Kindercore as a vinyl pressing plant. Kindercore Vinyl is the only vinyl pressing plant in the state of Georgia.
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, and The B-52s, and several long-time indie /rock hip-hop 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.
AthFest is a free annual music and arts festival in Athens, Georgia, first held in 1997. The festival spans three days in the downtown area during the summer, and planning for the event begins in November. Jared Bailey founded the festival to promote the music of Athens, Georgia; he was formerly of the free alternative weekly Flagpole and the influential early nightclub the 40 Watt Club. In 2009, AthFest became the 501(c)3 non-profit AthFest Educates, which seeks to advance high-quality music and arts education for local youth and the Athens community through direct support of school and community-based programs and events, including an annual music and arts festival. In 2010, AthFest Educates started the annual AthHalf Half Marathon as an additional fundraiser.
Athens, GA: Inside/Out is a documentary film about the mid-1980s music scene in Athens, Georgia, U.S.
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 Packway Handle Band is an American bluegrass quintet, originating as a part of Music of Athens, Georgia in 2001. The band is known for tight three- and four-part vocal harmonies, extensive and progressive original material, off-the-wall covers, and energetic performance dynamics around two tightly-spaced condenser mics. Fans of the band include bluegrass traditionalists and those who say they don't usually like bluegrass.
Co-Balt is the second studio album by the Athens, Georgia-based band brute., a collaboration between guitarist Vic Chesnutt and the members of Widespread Panic. It was released seven years after the band's debut release, Nine High a Pallet, on April 9, 2002. The night of the release, the band played their final live concert at The Tabernacle in Atlanta, Georgia.
Liz Durrett is an American singer-songwriter born in Rome, Georgia and now based in Athens, Georgia.
The Athens Institute for Contemporary Art (ATHICA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) contemporary art gallery in Athens, Georgia, United States.
Scott Stuckey is an American filmmaker and record producer from Washington D.C.. Stuckey is best known as the creator of the cult TV show Pancake Mountain, as well as his work with singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt.
C'mon, Accept Your Joy! is the debut album of Athens, Georgia-based power pop band Chris McKay & the Critical Darlings. According to Flagpole Magazine, "There’s a vague but strong taste of Cheap Trick’s “Surrender” in its muscular smiling power-pop, and that’s always a selling point." The University of Georgia paper Red and Black declared the disc as sounding like "the Clash or some other music from that time."
Five-Eight is a band from Athens, Georgia, USA.
Reptar is an American band from Athens, Georgia founded by members Graham Ulicny, Ryan Engelberger (bass), William Kennedy (keyboards) and Andrew McFarland (drums).
WPLP-LP is a radio station licensed to Athens, Georgia, United States that airs an alternative rock format. The station's slogan is The Sound of Athens. The station was started by Paul Francis and began as a not-for-profit, grassroots station. The station operates from the Fred Building on College Avenue in downtown Athens. The station plays limited commercials. The station is known for encouraging local music and musicians by asking for submissions of local music and playing the song of the winner of the Athens Area High School Battle of the Bands.
Athens Tango Project is an Argentine tango music band founded in 2012 in the city of Athens, Georgia by Laura Camacho, a Double bass musician from Buenos Aires, featuring Monique Osorio on vocals, John Phillips on drums, John Cooper on violin, and Matt M Vu, David Marcus, on piano. The extended lineup includes Keiko Ishibashi, Franziska Brunner, Teresa Grynia, Curran Pendergrast, Bill Oglesby, Daniel Allen, James Perkins, Jaime Antonio Cardenas Espana, Serena Scibelli, Fernando Deddos, and Ricardo Hurtado.
FLUKE Mini-Comics & Zine Festival is an annual comic festival in Athens, Georgia, United States, focusing on alternative comics, minicomics, zines, underground comics, and graphic arts. Initially held in January, the event has been set in March or April since 2006. FLUKE aims to maintain a smaller environment than other, larger comic conventions. Initially held at the now-defunct bar Tasty World, the festival has taken place at Athens' 40 Watt Club for many years. It has been considered a premier destination for alternative comics in the Southeastern United States.
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.
Patrick Dean was an American cartoonist and illustrator from Rome, Georgia.
