With all the potential venues, Athens should develop an active scene for touring artists.
For a town that includes roughly 20,000 college students and more bars than you can count on your fingers, it’s strange there aren’t many well-known music acts passing through Athens. With the combination of alcohol and music, it wouldn’t be too hard for a notable band to fill a venue with a bunch of rowdy Bobcats. So what gives?
Since arriving in Athens last year, I’ve been surprised by the low amount of popular touring acts that play shows in town. Aside from large independent fests (e.g. Number Fest, Indie Fest), not many Schoolboy Qs or Juicy Js come around these parts on his or her own accord. Furthermore, many students don’t have the resources to drive to Columbus to catch a major act, widening the gap between Athens residents and live music. Sure, there are a lot of great local bands, but after a few shows each, it would be nice to have some variety in town.
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And with the array of the venues, every music act could find a home where it fits right in. The Smiling Skull would be the perfect place for acts like the Black Lips, Deer Tick or any garage/punk act to perform. And Donkey Coffee would be the perfect stage for indie folk acts like The Civil Wars or Sun Kil Moon. Oddball acts like Cypress Hill might want to play at one of Habibi’s popular ragers. And with Dave Grohl already reppin’ a Casa Nueva shirt in pictures from Kurt Cobain’s wedding, maybe more alternative rock bands would want to stop by the cantina.
Obviously, most of these are my own pipe dreams, but wouldn’t it be nice if an artist whom you listen to on Spotify all the time was playing just down the street? It might make your average Friday night fun and memorable.
Luke Furman is a freshman studying journalism. Email him at lf491413@ohio.edu or find him on Twitter @LukeFurmanOU.
