July 27, 2006
Cosmic Charlie; the hip-hop scene
Cosmic Charlie keeps truckinš with the Grateful Dead: Athens guitarist Michael Wegner assents that when he was a teenager in Rhode Island, he legitimately could be described as a Deadhead, a part of the cultural phenomenon that placed the Grateful Dead at the center of the universe. While Wegner isn't as fervent about the Dead these days as he was growing up, the seminal San Francisco-based band still occupies a solid spot in his world. Wegner plays in the Grateful Dead tribute group Cosmic Charlie, which will celebrate its seventh year together and the 64th birthday of the late Jerry Garcia Monday at the Georgia Theatre. Full story.
Classic City Hip Hop reboots for summer: Like thousands of University of Georgia students this summer, members of the hip-hop scene in Athens are taking some time to regroup. Tommy Valentine, one of Athens' hip hop's most vocal proponents, wants to solidify a community that, thus far, has been fractured. It's been a couple of months since an article offering a comprehensive survey of Athens hip hop was published in Flagpole magazine, bringing to light that lack of unity. Valentine says the article was an "eye opener" that cued him in to the big picture of a scene he's been on the inside of for several years. Full story.