|
|
|
|
|
|
| Around Town |
 The Steeple and Train Tracks
394 Oconee St. at Wilkerson Street
In 1980, R.E.M. regularly rehearsed and eventually performed its first gig in history at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church located at 394 Oconee St. Almost 30 years later, all that remains is the church steeple, but it remains iconic in its own right. Just around the bend, high above the foot and auto traffic below hangs another type of transportation: the abandoned train tracks pictured on R.E.M.’s “Murmur” album cover. – Sami Promisloff
 Athens Ciné
234 W. Hancock Ave.
Box Office opens 4 p.m. daily
Bar-Café open 5 p.m. daily
A town so supportive of the arts would be incomplete without a movie theater within walking distance. Athens Ciné Bar-Café is a relatively new but incredibly long-awaited addition to the Athens community. Featuring a snack bar with fine wine and beer, two stadium-seated theaters and a warehouse-style lab space, the institution started by University of Georgia professors and local creative visionaries houses the best of contemporary independent cinema, experimental film, and the occasional cult classic midnight show. On Mondays and Tuesdays, theatergoers can also dine on gourmet tapas and imported wines from newly minted restaurant The National right next door to complement their movie passes. – Sami Promisloff
Nuci’s Space
396 Oconee St.
Athens might be one of the most renowned college towns in the country, but within these city limits are the open arms of a warm and supportive community. At its center is Nuci's Space – a nonprofit organization manifested in a resource center and climate-controlled space specifically established to support the physical, emotional and professional well-being of the local music community. Nuci’s is undoubtedly the most widely supported organization in the Athens area, celebrating the life of former University of Georgia student Nuci Phillips through offering rent-free practice spaces, periodic health care, mental illness awareness programs and support groups at low to free cost to the creative community. The landmark organization is currently rumored to be developing on a national level and expanding to like-minded music towns such as Omaha, Seattle and New York City in the near future. – Sami Promisloff
Music Business Program
The University of Georgia Terry College of Business
The music business-minded mode of Downtown Athens has finally found a way to creep onto campus just across Broad Street. Officially launched in 2006, the University of Georgia's prestigious Terry College of Business now features an Interdisciplinary Certificate in Music Business that scholars can pick up no matter their major. In addition to a small amount of well-rounded core course work, students get a chance to seriously sink their teeth into the local music business by completing internships, breaking into teams to produce showcases in the fall, and promoting local music through a student-run record label in the spring. Started by Grammy award-winning songwriter Bruce Burch, guest lecturers for the program have included members of Widespread Panic, R.E.M. manager Bertis Downs, Atlanta-based producer Dallas Austin, and revered record engineer John Keane who teaches students workshops from his professional ProTools manual on a regular basis. – Sami Promisloff
 Rubber Soul Yoga
675 Pulaski St., Suite 1400
Need a place to relax and increase your flexibility without overstretching your budget? All you have to do is join the revolution – the Rubber Soul Yoga Revolution. Located in Athens' historic Normaltown district, the multipurpose yoga studio was started in 2006 by Cal Clements – an adjunct literature professor, experimental playwright and effervescent local personality (who can also be seen on stilts in R.E.M.'s video for "Shiny Happy People"). In the studio's space, Clements stages theater productions, teaches acting, houses a small library of various books, and runs a regular schedule of yoga classes led by experienced instructors for the price of suggested donations only. Within the community, Rubber Soul is the growing cornerstone where creativity and a healthy constitution collide. – Sami Promisloff
 Athfest
Named a Top 20 Event by the Southeast Tourism Society for three consecutive years, The 12th annual Athens music and arts festival will take place June 18 through 22 in the historic downtown area. With two outdoor stages to feature mostly local talent (of which there is plenty) and almost every indoor club participating in nighttime shows, music begins in the early afternoon and continues until the wee hours of each morning. In the shadow of the mainstage sits the artisan market where local artists set up a village of tents to show off home-grown work to the passersby. Kicked off each year by Flagpole Magazine’s Music Awards to crown the best local achievement of the year, Athfest is one of the most anticipated and inviting weekends of arts and music in the Southeast. – Alec Wooden
 Twilight Criterium
Before finals cast their doom over this college town, there's one last hurrah for the city as a whole. The Twilight Criterium is an annual event that literally stops traffic. The nationally recognized bicycle race through the blocks of downtown Athens was one of the United States' first nighttime races in 60 years time when it started in 1980. Residents and restaurants take it to the streets and bikes whiz past as the sun sets well into nighttime. Crowds upwards of 30,000 people are comprised of amateur and professional racing fans from around the world alongside the local population, and the party is a legend as the years continue to fly by. – Sami Promisloff
|
|
 |
|
|
|
This section's contents are produced entirely by student journalists, brought to Billboard.com by UWIRE, the leading provider of student-generated content. UWIRE aims to identify and promote the brightest young content creators and deliver their work to a larger audience via professional media partners such as Billboard.com. Visit UWIRE.com to learn more. |
|
 |
|
- Amherst, Massachusetts
- Athens, Georgia
- Austin, Texas
- Bloomington, Indiana
- Iowa City, Iowa
- Lincoln, Nebraska
- Los Angeles, California
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Nashville, Tennesse
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
|
|
|
This town profile was produced entirely by student journalists from The Red & Black, the leading news source for the University of Georgia community. You can learn more about the individual student contributors by visiting their profiles on UWIRE.com:
Text: Sami Promisloff, Alec Wooden
Photos: Sami Promisloff
Video: Jason Miller of Eikon
|
|
|
Contact Us 
