TRANSCRIPT
It’s a new year and I’m ready with my favorite playlists to hit the road and get my long-awaited live music fix…but wait, not quite yet. Omicron beats me to the venues and sends me off course. Searching for an ember of music in a strangely quiet Athens, Georgia, I stumble upon a freak folk soundscape at Flicker Theater & Bar. Childlike wonder takes over as I’m bewitched by the wild sights and sounds of Cookie Tongue. This truly bonus episode will introduce you to Omer Gal, Cookie Tongue’s creator. He is also a stop motion video maker, puppeteer and simply fascinating. And you’ll meet a mouse; that’s a Concert Cast first! In between sets, we talk with Adam Wayton, the talent buyer at Flicker Theater & Bar who is also in a band called The Pink Stones. He talks about his approach to booking and we hear why Athens is such a popular music town - largely in thanks to historic music venues, DIY places like Happy Top Lodge & Rest, and Nuci's Space . When you are on the other side of this episode, we hope you’ll be inspired to turn off your overly-played favorites and listen for something new.
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Freak Folk Band: Cookie Tongue
Prepare to be transported into a menagerie of sounds with freak folk band Cookie Tongue. As a filmmaker, I appreciated the brilliant execution of the show and as a podcaster I couldn’t wait to interview its creator, Omer Gal. And the dark fairy tale experience comes with a disgruntled mouse! Make sure to watch Cookie Tongue’s Youtube Channel! |
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In front of the infamous 40 Watt Club
Why Athens, GA is a must for Concert Connoisseurs
When exploring new music scenes I'm intent on finding the why. Why do people love certain places for music over others? Sure, you can look at numbers and statistics; ratios that compare the number of working musicians to the number of music venues and percentage of income spent on concerts, but in my experience, it takes just a lot of wandering around and talking to locals to determine why a community is committed to cultivating their concert culture. Here are some of my findings on why Athens has some serious musical vibes: lots of successful bands are born from the area, combined with a culture of fostering genuine talent plus nativity, a charming hallmark found in any college town, in addition to the low cost of living, a handful of DIY spots and a musicians resource center called, Nuçi’s Space helps explain why Athen's is an absolute must place to visit if you love live music.
When exploring new music scenes I'm intent on finding the why. Why do people love certain places for music over others? Sure, you can look at numbers and statistics; ratios that compare the number of working musicians to the number of music venues and percentage of income spent on concerts, but in my experience, it takes just a lot of wandering around and talking to locals to determine why a community is committed to cultivating their concert culture. Here are some of my findings on why Athens has some serious musical vibes: lots of successful bands are born from the area, combined with a culture of fostering genuine talent plus nativity, a charming hallmark found in any college town, in addition to the low cost of living, a handful of DIY spots and a musicians resource center called, Nuçi’s Space helps explain why Athen's is an absolute must place to visit if you love live music.
Flicker Theater: their simple approach to booking - WEIRD WINS
In business for 20 years, Flicker Theatre & Bar is Athen’s premiere small room. Cinephiles and audiophiles rejoice! Adam Wayton and the team at Flicker give experimental bands a chance to play and be heard; the glorious antithesis of AI-generated algorithms. Want to play at Flicker? Email Adam!
In business for 20 years, Flicker Theatre & Bar is Athen’s premiere small room. Cinephiles and audiophiles rejoice! Adam Wayton and the team at Flicker give experimental bands a chance to play and be heard; the glorious antithesis of AI-generated algorithms. Want to play at Flicker? Email Adam!
An Open Road to Listening
In the book, "Every Song Ever: Twenty Ways to Listen in the Age of Musical Plenty" written by my longtime music critic guru, Ben Ratliff, he challenges artificial intelligence (AI) playlists, questions the fundamentals of listening and provides commentary on various aspects of music. Before my revelatory concert experience in Athens, his words, (especially the prologue) were impressionable. After watching Cookie Tongue, the book completely clicked for me, and became gospel. Ratliff's passion for seeking out new music led me to NTS, a platform where people (not AI) generate playlists. Head to http://benratliff.net/ to get your copy.
In the book, "Every Song Ever: Twenty Ways to Listen in the Age of Musical Plenty" written by my longtime music critic guru, Ben Ratliff, he challenges artificial intelligence (AI) playlists, questions the fundamentals of listening and provides commentary on various aspects of music. Before my revelatory concert experience in Athens, his words, (especially the prologue) were impressionable. After watching Cookie Tongue, the book completely clicked for me, and became gospel. Ratliff's passion for seeking out new music led me to NTS, a platform where people (not AI) generate playlists. Head to http://benratliff.net/ to get your copy.
Music heard in this episode
Without being a hypocrite to my above statement, we have curated a companion music mix that consists of both known and unknown bands from Georgia as well as music heard inside the episode. Enjoy!
Without being a hypocrite to my above statement, we have curated a companion music mix that consists of both known and unknown bands from Georgia as well as music heard inside the episode. Enjoy!
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CORRECTION:
The narrator mistakenly said "Asheville Stage" instead of "Asheville Stages" when referring to a Cookie Tongue's performance review written by Michael Poandl. Read his full review here
The narrator mistakenly said "Asheville Stage" instead of "Asheville Stages" when referring to a Cookie Tongue's performance review written by Michael Poandl. Read his full review here