'Rise of the Phoenix', an event brainstormed to support The Union Bar & Grill, which was recently destroyed in the West Union Street fire, will take place Thursday evening. The benefit will feature four venues and twenty bands.
After a devastating fire, The Union Bar & Grill, a music venue and a place that feels like home to many, is gaining support and rising again with the help of live music.
After hearing of the destruction, Hil Hackworth, a local hip-hop artist, began making phone calls and plans for a benefit to give back to The Union, a place that loved music and gave various genres a chance in Athens.
On Thursday starting at 9 p.m., the multi-venue event dubbed “Rise of the Phoenix” includes a total of twenty bands performing at Casa Nueva, Tony’s Tavern, The Over Hang, and Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery. The Pigskin, which would have hosted DJs, has been cancelled as a venue, but the night will continue on as planned, Hackworth said.
There is a $5 fee to stay at a single venue or a $10 fee for a wristband that allows access to all four venues, said Josh Brown, a booking agent at Casa who is helping Hackworth coordinate the event. Each venue will have wristbands available.
“Originally, it was just going to be at Casa,” Brown said. “Then, we got so much awesome feedback. We had about 800 people on Facebook say they were coming and of course Casa can’t hold 800 people. So, we started to incorporate some other local venues.”
A variety of artists will take the stages across Athens, including Bright at Night, Weird Science, Scubadog, Manitoa and many more.
“It’s about the musicians giving back to our favorite venue (The Union) and trying to help them,” Hackworth said.
The event gives Scubadog, a guitar driven indie-pop group, a chance to give back but also a chance for the band to come together for a reunion show, said Josh Antonuccio, a guitarist in the group.
“The Union meant a lot to all of us so we wanted to try to find a way to help,” Antonuccio said. “We figured if we could get some people to come out and help support that night, it would be worth it.”
Because the group never released an album, listeners can only hear Scubadog’s songs if they attended the live shows, which means for the first time in about a year, the band as well as the fans will get to hear the original content again, Antonuccio said.
Weird Science, a rock band with some punk influence, is preparing for a four-piece set that’ll be fun for the crowd, said Zach Fuller, guitarist and background vocals of the group.
Fuller started doing shows at The Union about 18 years ago and said he welcomes the opportunity to be able to play and raise money for a place that helped him grow as a performer.
Raffles will take place during the course of the event at different venues, Hackworth said. Items include the guitars from the 2012 and 2014 Union Blackoutfests and items from the Griffey Hollow Studio, which are made from reclaimed materials from The Union. Attendees must have admission into the venue where the item is housed in order to take part in the raffle, Hackworth said.
If someone can’t donate but still wishes to help, people are able to sign their name on a sheet that will be given to The Union so that they will always have people to call in case they’re in need of workers or a helping hand, Hackworth said.
Hackworth said he hopes for a large turn out because he feels the love of the whole community as well as any students left in town will be supporting the event.
“I really miss (The Union),” Fuller said. “I don’t think I’d say that about any other bar, but I do really miss it.”
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