ATHFEST kicks off in Athens this weekend with a full slate of great bands and activities scheduled. The music, arts, and film festival, located in downtown Athens, will run from June 23-27. You can read more about the full schedule of events, including special activities for the kids, at ATHFest.com.
And speaking of ATHFest, Flagpole.com, the colorbearer of our town, has an article in this week’s edition about the festival’s readiness to have R.E.M. or Widespread Panic as potential headliners at some point in the future. The question the article poses is an intriguing one: “Is AthFest ready for R.E.M. and/or Widespread Panic to headline?” Read more about it here.
FLAGPOLE AWARDS
Last night, Flagpole awarded its top honor–Album of the Year–to Vic Chesnutt’s At The Cut during the annual Flagpole Music Awards at the historic Morton Theatre in downtown Athens. Other honorees of note included The Whigs who took home the “Band/Performer of the Year” award as well as the award for the town’s best “Rock” band. Congratulations to all of the award winners. Over 70 bands were nominated in 21 different categories. Read more about last night’s ceremony and the award winners here.
RADIO FREE EUROPE
And finally, as we reported yesterday, it was a great honor for the band to have the 1981 Hib-Tone single for Radio Free Europe selected and included in the 2009 National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress. A total of 25 songs were included in this year’s registry. Visit the Library of Congress website to read entries about each of the 25 songs included in the 2009 registry and be sure to read the press release which is also posted at the Library of Congress site. For more coverage, read the Athens Banner Herald’s article on the inclusion of Radio Free Europe into the permanent collection at the Library of Congress. Bertis, who calls the selection a “great recognition” for the band, gives his insight on the song’s significance in the ABH’s article.