The Buzz
By Matt Toledo - 5/16/2002
Serra Hussain, OU grad and ex-bass player for the Athens based grrl punk band Jet Lucas will be returning to town on May 31st with her new band "In the Black Hearts of Men" Her new band reportedly blends elements of Jet Lucas with elements of the well known indie-punk band, "At The Drive In"
Local music promoter Tim Peacock found out first hand how the Immigrating and Naturalization Service (INS) is cracking down on immigration post 9-11. He recently booked Andy Irvine, a legendary traditional Irish folk musician, at O'hooleys. However, the show had to be canceled because the work visa was never sent, even though he was approved for the visa some time ago.
Local emo-rock band "The Story Of" has made a big splash in this small town in a very short time. They are currently enjoying buzz-band status at the Union. ACRN general manager Jeremy Gordon plays bass for the band that found some of it's members via the AMN musician listings. If you like 90's emo rock bands like "Sunny Day Real Estate" then try to check out "The Story Of" before they leave Athens. The band is attempting to move to Columbus this summer. If it works out, Columbus will inherit yet another quality Athens import like Guest, Pretty Mighty Mighty, Orchestraville, and so on. If they can't find jobs in cowtown then Athens gets to keep the band to themselves. Either way, it's a win-win situation.
Graduation claims yet more local bands? Loesha the Swan Goddess's guitarist may decide to split town after this academic year is done. Loesha the Swan Goddess plays a uniquely bizarre blend of 70's rock riffs and contemporary lo-fi. Check out loesha.com for their next gig. META is more than likely calling it quits as lead singer, songwriter, studio owner and WOUB 1340 general manager Ryan Weitzel will be leaving town for parts unkown. META also featured ADR fiddle player Will Perkins.
The Blue Gator and The Swindlefish Saloon will soon be joining the digital age. Local bass player and web designer Roman Warmke and his company, Eden Marketing, will be creating web sites for both venues. Eden Marketing has also designed sites for Fur Peace Ranch, Jack Casady, Hot Tuna and Athens' most popular folk-rock band, Stella.
Palmerfest without live music? This years fest was basically a celebration of drinking. Imagine the CI or the Greenery, but on a whole block. Only a few houses on the block attempted to feature a live band on their porch or in their living room. Is this the future of Palmerfest? The reason for the lack of bands can be blamed on the recent housing boom in Athens. Apartments complexes are springing up around Athens like weeds. And just like weeds, they are overtaking our town's open spaces. The large yards used to host Palmerfest in the past have been gobbled up by construction. The city was willing to shut down Palmer Street for $5,000. It was too steep a fee for the organizers of the event.
Speaking of beer. Buffalo Wild Wings in Athens will start up "Greenery Night" in Athens. Their advertisement in the Athens News states that it will be "The Cheese... like you remembered it." Quarter drafts, brain stompers, test tube shots, and even Eric Putnam will be there to provide entertainment. This all brings up the question, will they be serving to minors? Because, honestly, besides the nasty bathrooms downstairs, that is the main thing I remember about the old Greenery. Or rather, didn't remember. 10 pounds of my "freshmen 15" more than likely came from beer calories at the old Greenery. I even snuck my little sister into the old Greenery during sibs weekend. She was 16 at the time. It's amazing the owners of that place didn't wind up in jail.
On a sad note, 12 year old Pentax SF1 camera died last week. Nearly all the pictures on this site were taken with my trusty Pentax I bought it in 1990 with money I made mowing lawns in suburban St. Louis. It stopped rewinding about a year ago. In order to change a roll of film, I had to go into the bathroom, stuff a shirt under the door to stop light from getting in, and then rewind the roll by hand. Last week, my camera's shutter stopped working. This means that I can't take pictures of local bands until I get a new camera! Help me out, and take more pictures of local bands. I pay for film development. If you have a digital camera, I can burn your pictures on to a CD for you to keep as payment for your services.
