The Athens PopFest schedule has been announced and boy oh boy is this year's a doozy. I've been to the festival the last few years and for the gentile Athens indie-rock way (sometimes I think they might have invented the modern-indie DIY aesthetic) and warm swagger of the town alone it's worth a trip down to popfest it up.
Last year saw the debut of the crowning joy of elitist hipsters everywhere, Black Kids, who played to a crowd of about 30 people at high noon in a place about the size of the Sunset Tavern. Yeah, it's that kind of fortuitous crap that happens each year -- you end up finding a stack of bands no one's ever heard of that have great songs for your next mix tape and you get to enjoy the laid back pace of the hearty festival schedule.
This year the schedule looks mammoth and stretches from Tuesday August 12th to Saturday night August 16th. The organizers have really outdone themselves bringing in heavy hitters like Roky Erickson & the Explosives and Elf Power and mixing in soon-to-be-crowned "Next Big Things" like... well, you never know whose demo will be featured in NME.
Truth be told, there's only one reason I actually want to go.
Sure it's just a half-hour spot on Wednesday night of the fest, but if I could magically transport myself there for that set, I'd trade a year's worth of cursing to see my blessed favorites of the moment/year/decade, Nana Grizol at 9.10p on August 13th. With as amazing as that album is, the set is sure to be super fantastical.
And HELLO! There’s still a headlining spot marked at as TBA on Saturday night of the fest. Let the speculation begin!
The (nearly finalized) schedule:
CINE 8.12.08
8:00 - Fish Schticks
8:35 - Bob Hay & the Jolly Beggars
9:10 - Allison Weiss
9:45 - Titans of Filth
LITTLE KINGS 8.13.08
2:00 - Boy Genius
2:35 - the Hotwalls
3:15 - Amo Joy!
4:00 - Afternoon Naps
4:45 - Nervous Systems (not confirmed yet)
5:30 - Oh Sanders
(Break time!)
8:00 - Supercluster
8:35 - Blondie-Grunt
9:10 - Nana Grizol
9:45 - Hot Pants Romance
10:20 - the Coathangers
11:00 - Whistling School for Boys
11:30 - Judi Chicago
12:00 - Spring Tigers
12:35 - the Selmanaires
1:15 - We Versus the Shark
LITTLE KINGS 8.14.08
2:00 - That's My Daughter
2:40 - Little Birds
3:20 - A Faulty Chromosome
4:00 - Panda Riot
4:45 - Averkiou
FLICKER 8.14.08
6:00 - Night Driving in Small Towns
6:45 - Good Graces
7:30 - Mary O Harrison
CALEDONIA 8.14.08
8:30 - the Ocelots
9:30 - the Besties
10:30 - Twin Tigers
11:30 - Dead Confederate
40 WATT CLUB 8.14.08
8:00 - Patience Please
8:30 - Velcro Stars
9:00 - Bunnygrunt
9:30 - Cars Can Be Blue
10:15 - Great Lakes
11:00 - the Love Letter Band
11:45 - Dark Meat
12:30 - Roky Erickson & the Explosives
LITTLE KINGS 8.15.08
2:00 - Railcars
2:40 - Tendaberry
3:20 - One Happy Island
4:00 - Hat Company
4:30 - Fat Planet
FLICKER 8.15.08
6:00 - Oh Fortuna
6:45 - Noisycrane
7:30 - Gospel Gossip
CALEDONIA 8.15.08
8:30 - Laminated Cat
9:30 - Ham 1
10:30 - My Teenage Stride
11:30 - Violet Vector & the Lovely Lovelies
40 WATT 8.15.08
8:00 - Cryptacize
8:30 - Secret History
9:00 - the Faintest Ideas
9:30 - Ruby Isle
10:00 - the Buddy System
10:30 - the Lolligags
11:00 - Fishboy
11:30 - the Apes
12:15 - Boyracer
1:00 - TBA
LITTLE KINGS 8.16.08
2:00 - Lognhalsmottagningen
2:15 - Bad Animal
3:00 - the Young Untold
3:30 - Bright Lights
4:15 - American Cheeseburger
FLICKER 8.16.08
6:00 - Oh Fortuna
6:45 - Marc with a C
7:30 - Hot Lava
CALEDONIA 8.16.08
8:30 - Sgt Dunbar & the Hobo Banned
9:30 - Thrushes
10:30 - the Sterns
11:30 - Man Factory
40 WATT 8.16.08
8:00 - the Smittens
8:30 - Big Fresh
9:00 - Thee American Revolution
9:30 - Pipes You See Pipes You Don't
10:00 - Andy from Denver
10:30 - Casper & the Cookies
11:00 - Circulatory System
12:00 - Elf Power
1:00 - the Music Tapes
1 ChrisB said on June 18, 2008
Liz - are you going this year? I was planning on my big trip out of town this year being to Iceland Airwaves but with travel being so expensive right now, going out of the country may be a bit steep and this may be more reasonable.
Plus, what I wouldn't give to see the Lolligags and my beloved Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies within an hour of each other on a Friday night!
2 keenan said on June 18, 2008
I have to say I'm incredibly pleased about this year's lineup. Of course, I love my hhbtm favorites (Fishboy, Casper and the Cookies, Andy From Denver, Bunnygrunt, CCBB, LLB, etc), and I'm freaking out that I'm going to get to see the Faintest Ideas and Boyracer. There are tons and tons of bands I'm excited to see this year (Afternoon Naps, the Besties, My Teenage Stride, etc.), but what I'm really looking forward to is being completely blown away by someone I've never even heard of before. That, and the food (Athens is home to some of the best restaurants I've ever been to before). I highly recommend the trip!
3 imaginary liz said on June 18, 2008
I, sadly, don't think I can make it. I have a huge dayjob deadline around that time and can't risk being out of town for it. You should go! It's totally your year to Athens it up. Keenan is right, it is the home of the best restaurants ever. In between band sets it is also a wonderful town to just roam (if you want to, roam around the world). My friend Keith can even give you some B-52s landmarks to check out. There're few things as magical as your first 40 Watt beer.
4 imaginary ash said on June 18, 2008
* The Besties! They played my birthday party last year and for that I love them always! Go see them if you're down there!
* Liz, you say:
Last year saw the debut of the crowning joy of elitist hipsters everywhere, Black Kids...
Hmm, I love Black Kids but would not consider myself an elitist hipster; but then I guess to some folks, anybody who likes indie pop/rock would be qualified as such (I'm looking at you, IndieSucks). Nonetheless, Black Kids deserve the hype!
* Keenan, does that mean you guys are coming back to Boston on an East Coast tour en route to/from Athens? Let me know!
* Dead Confederate Dead Confederate Dead Confederate Dead Confederate Dead Confederate Dead Confederate Dead Confederate Dead Confederate Dead Confederate Dead Confederate Dead Confederate Dead Confederate.
* And finally, ChrisB, don't you know how hot Georgia is in the dead of August? Boston is lovely that time of year...
(Actually I'm lying. It'll be an armpit here then too. Let's go to Iceland.)
5 keenan said on June 18, 2008
Ash, sadly, no. We are all flying in this year (some of us live on other coasts now), for maybe our only show of the year.
And ChrisB, Ash is right. Athens is incredibly hot. Last year the heat index was 117 and it was unclear whether or not it was warmer inside the 40 watt or out, but it was totally worth it.
6 Jon Manning said on June 18, 2008
I just bought my pass last week! Now I have to figure out how to purchase an "affordable" plane ticket and some accommodations.
Personally, I'm most excited for THE MUSIC TAPES! Rumor has it that their new album will be available?? I'll believe it when I see it, could be the reason why he finally agreed to play pop fest this year.
Then also The Bright Lights, Boyracer, Bunnygrunt and the HHBTM crew. So happy to finally catch a bunch of those east coast pop bands that rarely make it out west (some of them never do).
7 imaginary liz said on July 3, 2008
Jon Manning @6... will you be reporting back on your popfest fun?
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