Wait, Let’s Stop-Where Are We So Far?
As we come up on a one-year mark since we really turned the dial up on the production of our Athens, GA documentary, we tend to look back at where we’ve been, and what we’ve managed to gather in those 12 months. When we started this project, we wanted to maintain a little engine that could attitude to our process and it’s safe to say that one year later, we’re still chugging down the track. We wanted to keep the operation and production process relatively simple. The more hands that go into the pot, the more complicated things become. So Outside Film, with a small skeleton group, has continued moving forward on this film, which to date, still has no name. We’re assuming that at some point, that will come to us.
One of the conversations that really jumps out is the afternoon our creative director, Albie, spent with Vic Chesnutt at his home just a few months before his death. There isn’t an interview or shoot we’ve done where Vic’s name hasn’t come up. His words that afternoon have clearly resonated with Albie, who really got a grasp for what this town’s music scene was about after sitting on Vic’s front porch, listening to him talk about what Athens meant to his music.
One of our favorite characters in the story that is Athens music is Sloan Simpson, who single handedly moves the music of this town forward with his website, Southern Shelter, where he’s posted hundreds of shows he has recorded over the years. Sloan lives in a small one bedroom apartment in town, has thousands of people daily who frequent his website, and has probably spawned thousands of people to become fans of the music of Athens. Recording shows began as a hobby, and now he’s just as vital to the scene as any of the hundreds of bands who call Athens home.
We’ve had some great conversations over the past year, and learned a great deal about the passion the musicians of Athens have for their craft. We got some great insight from Matthew Woolley and Adrian Zelski-two fifths of the band Dubconscious-who also serve as talent buyers and promote shows for New Earth Music Hall. They-as well as the rest of the band-gave us some great insight as to why Athens has managed to become such a destination for musicians over the years.
So while we continue to plug away on the production, we anticipate the people who make up this community will continue to share some great stories and anecdotes about the city and its musical legacy. We’re excited to hear them, and even more amped to share them with everyone else.
