You are browsing the archives of 2007 June.

The Honor Roll

From - The Flagpole

Saturday, June 16 @ Tasty World

Downtown Athens isn't particularly friendly to music fans under the age of 18, but with the CD release show for its debut self-titled EP, local emo band The Honor Roll's looking to remedy that shortcoming by catering to the under-represented with an early
Caged Juliet Photography

all-ages show.

"Honestly, especially in our genre, we have a lot of younger fans," says Honor Roll vocalist Donny Roll via email, "and it's not fair to them not to be able to see us since they aren't old enough to drink. Bottom line, Athens is a college/ party town, so clubs NEED to sell alcohol to make money. [I'm] not saying that's a bad thing, 'cause God knows we love to party just as much as the next band. But there are also [high school-age] kids around here who never get a chance to play at places downtown… I think an all-ages venue with high-school street teams would do well here."

Allison Weiss, also on the bill with her backing band The Bandits, agrees. "High-school kids are some of the most dedicated fans a band could ever have," she says. "They'll come to every show and cheer you on with no shame. Athens is a college town, so I think it's just assumed that the majority of people attending shows will be of-age. And that's probably true. But I wish there were more opportunities to play all-ages shows like this. I've got a lot of fans who would be willing to drive over an hour to come to a show, but they can't even get into the venues, so they don't bother."

Today's all-ages show costs $6 and starts early, at 5 p.m., with the bands wrapping up by 8:30 p.m. in time for a later show. And take note, show-goers - it's a no-alcohol show, so even if you're over 21, you won't be able to get a drink; the intoxicating effects of youthful enthusiasm will have to do.

Chris Hassiotis

Brantley Gilbert said that when he was 14, he once snuck out to play a bar, and as he was singing a Travis Tritt song, his mom walked in. Now Gilbert has opened for country stars such as Sara Evans and Tritt himself.

The Jefferson, Ga., native, who recently joined three other musicians as the Brantley Gilbert Band, will play Athens' Georgia Theatre Friday.

Brantley Gilbert Unplugged:

Courtesy TSJ Multimedia

BRANTLEY GILBERT

Gilbert's manager, Ken Fulghum, described the band's music as "country with a rock spin."

Before forming his new band, Gilbert worked and traveled around playing with singer-songwriter Corey Smith, also from his hometown of Jefferson.

"(Corey's) my mentor and main inspiration," said Gilbert.

Gilbert followed Smith around for three years after Gilbert was in a bad car wreck. He said that after the accident, he decided to pursue a career as a musician instead of as a marriage counselor.

The car wreck impacted not only his life but also his music. Gilbert said that one aspect he wanted his audience to gain from his music and shows is that life can be very short and everyone should take advantage of every second.

"If you're gonna live, do something with it," he said. "Make it great."

Another important facet of his music is the culture of his hometown. He said everything about his songs is somehow linked to Jefferson.

"It's knowing the roads where the cops aren't - my music is this town," Gilbert said.

His first album was titled "A Modern Day Prodigal Son" and chronicled a large part of his life.

According to Fulghum, one of its songs, "Grits," was recorded by Chris Cagle.

Fulghum also said that Gilbert was recently offered a recording contract by Warner Chapel and that the deal should be worked out within the next few weeks.

When asked about the upcoming contract, Gilbert said he was pretty simple and that although he would be fine with a record deal, he would be just as fine without one.

Hear Brantley On The Georgia Music Podcast