Two years have passed since Maserati last played a show in Athens. It was also when the annual summer AthFest took over downtown with its three-day celebration of local arts and live music. This year, AthFest returns with a lineup boasting a much-anticipated hometown return for Maserati, landing the retro-futuristic ensemble on stage at the Georgia Theatre on Saturday, June 22—just as the weekend of revelry reaches a fever pitch. The years between these local appearances have been a time of affirmation for Maserati. In May, the group embarked on a three-week tour of Europe, entrancing audience ..read more

THRASH ZONE: Athens’ bridge between the worlds of hardcore and thrash, Weaponized Flesh, is releasing its 2022 EP Hurtful on 10-inch vinyl. A release show was originally scheduled for this week but got canceled. Word is, another one is in the works as we speak. Back when this was originally released, I said “this is a five-song punch in the face,” which is an estimation I stand by. Check local stores for this, and keep your fingers crossed that they’ll make it available over at weaponizedflesh1.bandcamp.com. If you need anything else, just bug these guys via instagram.com/weaponizedflesh. Hurt ..read more

This year’s Athens Hip Hop Awards, hosted by Shawty Lo Junior and Larry Gresham, is a celebration of 10 years of Athens hip-hop culture. Founded by United Group of Artists, the ceremony will honor the business owners and influential figures who have made the scene what it is, with voting taking place not only for artists, but for beauty salons, barbershops, restaurants, recording studios, venues and more. Among some of the accolades to be given out for artists are Best Male and Female Hip Hop Artists, DJ of the Year, Hip Hip Video of the Year and R&B Artist of the Year. Special honors will ..read more

Athens very own Forró band, Bichos Vivos, has ventured to Brazil’s Nordeste for Festa São João. Follow along through the band’s tour diary below as members dive headfirst into a world of music, dancing, food and culture.  Sunday, June 2 “Dawn of the First Day” – Entry by Philip Kohnen We have arrived in Brazil!  It took us 36 hours of constant travel until we reached our first rental house in Gravatá. We will be traveling to Caruaru today to a São João Music Festival, and will have a few performances in the next few days. Bichos VivosUpdate: Tuesday, June 4 “Day 2: Monday ..read more

With Gregory Frederick behind the camera, Athens GA Live Music seeks to document local and touring bands gracing stages across the Classic City. Explore the whole archive and subscribe to the channel here. Get up to speed with recent performances below, and remember to check Flagpole‘s music calendar each week to find out about upcoming shows. On Friday, June 2, Shadebeast presented Sacred Bull, Lost Hours (Atlanta) and FNTM (Atlanta) at Flicker Theatre & Bar. On Saturday, June 8, Athens GA Live Music headed over to Danielsville for the Throwdown at The Playgrou ..read more

Athens very own Forró band, Bichos Vivos, has ventured to Brazil’s Nordeste for Festa São João. Follow along through the band’s tour diary below as members dive headfirst into a world of music, dancing, food and culture.  Sunday, June 2 “Dawn of the First Day” – Entry by Philip Kohnen We have arrived in Brazil!  It took us 36 hours of constant travel until we reached our first rental house in Gravatá. We will be traveling to Caruaru today to a São João Music Festival, and will have a few performances in the next few days. Bichos VivosUpdate: Tuesday, June 4 “Day 2: Monday ..read more

Enduring for over 35 years, seasoned garage-rock stalwarts The Woggles have maintained a cult following for their frenzied, fuzzed-out spin on vintage sounds. Time Has Come, a new album released May 31 via Wicked Cool Records, further demonstrates the band’s ability to blend influences of early garage rock, British Invasion, R&B, soul, surf and proto-punk into a singular rock-and-roll sound. As the first studio full-length since 2017’s Tally Ho!, the 12-track album marks a triumphant return for a band whose ethos demands onward progression. Formed in 1987 by lead singer Manfred Jones, also ..read more

GOOD OLD MOUNTAIN DEW: Athens “jamgrass” band Peach Ice Cream Bluegrass has been kicking around for a couple of years now and just released its first single. It’s titled “Down by the Creek.” It has some expected bluegrass earmarks like fingerpicking and a steady shuffle of a melody. It is, however, also a very mellow track with some country leanings. Ultimately, it’s a fine tune very well performed, and should serve as a nice calling card for all these out-of-town shows that the band seems to be stacking up. Find this wherever you stream music, and if you get stumped, just drop a question to t ..read more

An entire history of American guitar music collides with a sense of innovation in Marisa Anderson’s music. While rooted in the blues, country, jazz and classical sounds of eras past, it stretches outward toward minimalism, electronic music and drone. This wide palette is derived from Anderson’s storied musical journey, beginning with hearing church music as a child, then picking up guitar at age 10, dropping out of college and moving to Portland to fight for environmental and social causes at age 19, joining the circus, working at Rock Camp for Girls, performing in bands including the Dolly Ra ..read more

The 24th annual Hot Corner Celebration and Soul Food Festival will take place on the historic Hot Corner block of downtown Athens this weekend June 6–8. Presented by the Hot Corner Association, each year the festival provides an opportunity to honor Black business leaders of the past and encourage those of the present while also celebrating the various aspects of Black culture and community. The Hot Corner Association is a nonprofit organization with the primary mission of preserving the history of Hot Corner, a district of downtown that was the heart of Black commerce in the early 20th centur ..read more