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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

The 40 Watt Club: One of the best venues in Athens!


Let's start with one of the most famous music venues in Athens: the 40 Watt Club. It's not famous for nothing! You can enter this dance club/ concert space with confidence knowing that the floor will almost always be clean enough sit on during the hours before midnight. Even better, it's filled with little tables, couches, bar stools, and other seating options, so that you won't actually ever have to sit on the floor anyway! Best of all, the large stage, raised several feet off of the ground, can be seen from every seat in the house, and it provides ample space for any number of band members to comfortably jam on their instruments or perform their choice of musical acrobatics. The massive speakers on the sides of the stage have also been used on many occasions as props during concerts; I've seen band members lay on them, lean on them, and even leap from them! They issue some quality sound as well, and the microphones provided work quite well too, a most necessary feature. Oh, and bands, remember to bring your hanging signs. This stage was meant to have gigantic band logos draped over the front edge for all to see!

After you partake in a few drinks from the full bar or some water from the cooler, you may have a few more questions. What about the bathrooms, you ask? As promised, here's my review of them. The walls are painted in a sort of graffiti-type style which looks a bit different from the rest of the club. The stalls themselves don't seem as ritzy as the rest of the place, but I must say, they've never been dirty when I've needed to step inside them, so that's a plus.

Once you head back to the dance floor, don't forget to look up! The ever-present Christmas lights add a bit of festive cheer to even the darkest, most screamo bands' performances. Looking to buy or sell some merchandise? Right next to the 40 Watt door, there's a large stand on a raised platform just for that purpose. Oh, and you may even get a chance to visit one of the two backstage hangouts in the club. There's an open one to the left of the stage with a very wide mirror, a pool table, and some video games to entertain you if happen to find yourself with a bit of free time. The other backstage space is located on the opposite side, down a hallway and through another door. This one's got some couches and small tables lining the walls which makes it a cozy little hangout for the band members and their pals.

The 40 Watt Club at a glance:


Ages: 18 to 20 are welcome!
21 and up usually get a cheaper price.

Cost: Varies depending on the band/event

Tickets: Advance tickets are generally available for larger shows online or at School Kids Records located at 264 East Clayton St. in Athens, GA . You can always buy your tickets at the door too!

Venue Website: http://www.40watt.com/

Venue Phone Number: 706-549-7871

Venue location & Google Map: 285 W Washington St, Athens, GA 30601


View Larger Map

Reviews of recent concerts/events at the 40 Watt Club:
Venice is Sinking
Crumbling Arches
Flagpole Athens Awards Show after party

Have any thoughts of your own about this venue? Dying to know something specific that I didn't mention? Be sure to comment below! Also, to read about all of the venues I've reviewed, visit my venues page!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

The 40 What?


Have you ever found yourself wondering about that new music venue in town? How big is the stage? What are the acoustics like? Is it really as clean as their website says it is? Well, introducing the newest semi-regular blog series for Echoreyn of Athens: honest, unbiased articles about what all of the music venues around Athens are really like! Now you'll know if you can (legally) bring your underage pals to your new favorite band's next show. Now even the most inexperienced Athens newcomers will have a reference guide of sorts for all of the places to be (and places to avoid) in this little town!

See, after struggling to find one site that gives a complete account of all of the things I need to know when I'm researching a stage that's playing host to one of my favorites each weekend, I finally threw up my hands in surrender. Hey, if I can't find a site that'll tell me what I need to know, I'll just make one myself! After all, I see quite a few venues as I traverse my way across town in search of new treats for my ears. Why not share my knowledge? Feel free, of course, to chip in with your own experiences in these places, too, as I document my findings! The more info, the better!

Oh, and just so you'll have a link to all of the venues handy, I've added a new blog page too, Echoreyn of Athens: Music Venues. It's empty right now, but every time I add a new venue blog, it will show up on that page as part of an easily accessible guide. Hope this page truly becomes a one-stop guide for all of your venue-related queries!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Athfest 2009: Summing it all up! (until Athfest 2010)


Echoreyn of Athens attends Athfest!

And then, Athfest was over. I've never been to a bigger, more exciting music festival in my life, and I certainly hope that this was the first of many! Wow, to think that in four days I really saw 33 new bands in action fills me with awe. How is that even possible? Well, all I know is that I'm definitely going back again next year!

Now, before I say goodbye and take a weeklong blog-cation, there are a few things I'd like to announce. Don't leave yet! First, I finally caved and got a Twitter account. Yeah, I know what you might think. But see, I've found that it's actually quite useful from a music standpoint since I have access to tons of up-to-the-minute stats on many of my favorite bands and venues on Twitter. So, for links to all of my latest blogs, music-related tidbits, show info, and who knows what else, feel free to follow me: @Echoreyn!



Also, remember to check out the Echoreyn of Athens YouTube channel for tons of concert videos from Athfest 2009, Summerfest 2009, and many more. Oh, and I just posted a new vlog on there that I filmed while in Athens during Athfest. It's filled with concert pictures and footage as well as my reactions to all of the sights and, most importantly, sounds of the festival. You can see it right at the top of this blog!

Finally, I just created an Echoreyn of Athens Photobucket account, so that I could share all of my Athfest pictures with you. I'll be updating it throughout the day, so keep checking back for more. In the future, I plan to post pictures from the other shows I attend as well since I never leave the house without my trusty old digital camera!

And I'll leave you today with a little something for the record books (or my record books, at least).

Echoreyn of Athens' Athfest and coverage by the numbers
  • 34 bands seen in concert (total)
  • 20 blogs
  • 15 concert videos
  • (At least) 9 new bands I'm dying to see again... What are yours?
  • 3 well-worn wristbands
  • 1 Athfest vlog
  • A lifetime of memories (How corny can I get?)
Wow, those numbers are almost ridiculous! Clearly, Athfest 2009 was the stuff of legend. I seriously can't wait for Athfest 2010!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Athfest 2009: Dreams So Real reunites for a satisfying conclusion

Sunday, June 28th 2009
Dreams So Real

Dreams So Real... the event that we stayed in Athens through Sunday evening to see, the one reason that we had a few scuffles with our ride home about our departure time. Yeah, they're that big of a deal. Even more so, because this was their first show together again in over ten years - their much talked about reunion show!

At this point, I should probably mention that, still being an Athens music newbie (scanning the scene with wide eyes for the first time), I wasn't actually aware of their yesteryear fame until I researched bands for my itinerary about a week before Athfest. In fact, to be completely honest, I'd never even heard of them until then. After they passed the myspace test that I applied to every Athfest band and left me quite impressed, I yearned to find out more. That's when I read their Wikipedia page and discovered their dedicated fans across the net coming out in droves to celebrate their reunion. After so many years, how could all of these people still be so excited? There was no doubt in my mind that I had to find out for myself.

By the time the clock on my cell phone read 5:30, hundreds of people lined the streets in anticipation of their performance. The air buzzed with nearly electric enthusiasm as some of their biggest fans waited in the crowd, hidden amongst other soon-to-be fans of the band. Then, just after my friends and I had somehow managed to squeeze our way to the very front, the once-in-a-lifetime show began. Wow. And even more wow. They were, without question, rock at its best. Suddenly, their massive quantity of loyal fans, many of whom were dancing and singing along to all of the songs with their eyes glued to the stage, made sense. This was huge. After a few songs, Randall Bramblett stepped onstage to add a little something extra with his horn, and even later, one of their former members who has since become a part of Sheryl Crow's band, joined in. Star after star! It was all just simply amazing. Seriously breathtaking. Man, I hope they stay together this time! Hey, I can dream, can't I?

For more blogs about Athfest 2009, click here! I'll be updating daily, so be sure to check back often. Also, don't forget to check out concert videos from Dreams So Real, Venice is Sinking, Dead Confederate and many more at http://www.youtube.com/echoreynofathens!

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Athfest 2009: Betsy Franck is worth baking in the sun to hear

Sunday, June 28th 2009
Betsy Franck and the Bareknuckle Band

Sunday morning, just before noon, I laughed my friends awake. Yes, that's right. I woke them up with a bit of soft giggling. Try it! It totally works, and most people forgive you for waking them up because they can't be mad at somebody that cheerful. Yeah. Two hours later, we were rushing through the streets of downtown Athens, hoping to make it to the main stage in time for the opening bars of Betsy Franck's first song. Luckily, we're rather quick when music hangs in the balance, so we actually arrived with time to spare. More time in the hot sun... Yikes! We dodged under Flicker Theatre's awning for some much needed shade as Betsy and the Bareknuckle Band began their set.

Now, generally, blues and southern rock are not my genres of choice, but Betsy has one of those incredibly powerful voices that transcends genre. Her vocal talent is completely undeniable, so much so that I actually braved a few minutes out in the hot sun for a closer listen. Near the end of the set, she invited the Half Dozen Brass Band to join them onstage for a song, and they all ended up spontaneously jamming together for the remaining tunes as well even though they weren't familiar with them. Utterly awesome. This was a group of bands that was truly worth sacrificing our previously uncooked skin to hear.

Next up, the band that reunited just in time for Athfest, Dreams So Real!

For more blogs about Athfest 2009, click here! I'll be updating daily, so be sure to check back often. Also, don't forget to check out concert videos from Dreams So Real, Venice is Sinking, Dead Confederate and many more at http://www.youtube.com/echoreynofathens!

Friday, July 10, 2009

Athfest 2009: Dancing in the streets

The original Dancing in the Streets party

Saturday (late night), June 27th 2009

Blur (not a band, but a club!)

Amidst the deep darkness of night, my posse and I stumbled upon one of the most unexpected and most awesome Athfest experiences. A whisper from another friend had hinted at a supposed dance party at Blur, the club behind Ciné famed for its techno music and drag shows, and as our tally of bands seen was nearing thirty, we decided to take a short break from the standard Athfest fare and check it out. And check it out we did... or at least, we had planned to until we were informed that the entry fee was $10. Well, that was rather steep, especially for poor college students like ourselves! But, you see, Blur has an outdoor component as well, a deck filled with music and clubgoers of all sorts. And you know what that means, right? Time for some dancing in the streets, of course!

This is not the first time my pals and I have opted to spontaneously throw our own party just outside of a venue with an outdoor stage. You may remember back in April when I discovered local 80s cover band, Velvet Runway, for myself while grooving to the tunes just outside of the gate of the Boar's Head Lounge. Every time we do this, it just ends up being even more fun than before! This time around, we actually had several other enthusiastic dancers that we didn't know partying on the sidewalk with us, and several of the club's own patrons even joined us for a few moments as they were leaving. All of the people lounging around just beyond deck's edge stared and smiled at us as we danced, and I think that a few may have even taken pictures of us. It was wild! I fully intend to continue this "party everywhere" tradition.

In fact, let me introduce you to the newest unofficial UGA club: Dancing in the Streets! Hey, why not? It's fun, it's free, and it's an experience you'll never forget! Even the owners of the clubs and the performers generally appreciate it because we actually bring in more business for the venues when we do this by demonstrating just how much fun can be had moving to the tunes that are playing. So, next time you see some people dancing outside of some music venue, don't be shy. Come on and join us! You just might end up having the time of your life!

For more blogs about Athfest 2009, click here! I'll be updating daily, so be sure to check back often. Also, don't forget to check out concert videos from Dreams So Real, Venice is Sinking, Dead Confederate and many more at http://www.youtube.com/echoreynofathens!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Athfest 2009: Of one man bands and deja vu

Matt Kurz One awes the crowd

Saturday (late night), June 27th 2009
Matt Kurz One & The Young Sinclairs

While Love Tractor was rocking out on the Melting Point stage, Matt Kurz One was preparing for his own performance at Ciné, all the way across town. My friends and I knew it'd be a close call, so once Love Tractor hit their final notes, we said farewell to our buddies at the table and rushed over as quickly as possible. Unfortunately for us, Ciné must have been using some sort of superfast clock, so by the time we had arrived, the one man band was just finishing up his set. Luckily, though, we caught his last two songs, and what a sight those were! See, Matt Kurz One has been generating a ton of buzz lately because, in his case, one man band doesn't really mean that there's just one member of the band. Rather, he's the whole band. Yup, that's right. The guy plays one electric guitar with his feet and another with his hands while providing the vocals at the same time. On top of all of this, he also beats the drums with his handheld guitar and presses the keys of his keyboard with a short stick attached to the other end of his guitar. I've honestly never seen anything like it! The end result was quite loud, but the volume didn't stop the audience from crowding around to see just how it was done.

Then, a short time later, a band that hails from Virginia joined us in Ciné's lab to set up for their show. Now, of course, I'd never seen this band, the Young Sinclairs, before. How could I have? And yet, something about them was eerily familiar. Their experimental rock sound wasn't the thing that gave me deja vu. No, their music style was rather unique but wonderfully enjoyable to listen to. So what was it? Partway through their first song, the band members began displaying some real energy, feeling their music and firing up the sleepy crowd. Their wild enthusiasm excited everyone in the room, and nearly all of the audience members wore joyous smiles. And then it hit me. Chris Mckay and the Critical Darlings! That's who they reminded me of. Maybe it was their clothes or their overall look. It most definitely had something to do with their spectacular energy as well. Even my friend Sheila, who has only seen pictures of the Critical Darlings, noticed the connection. Pretty crazy, right? Well, all I can really say is that you know that the Young Sinclairs had to be good. There's no other way they could possibly have reminded me of one of my top favorite Athens bands otherwise!


For more blogs about Athfest 2009, click here! I'll be updating daily, so be sure to check back often. Also, don't forget to check out concert videos from Dreams So Real, Venice is Sinking, Dead Confederate and many more at http://www.youtube.com/echoreynofathens!