Protect Downtown Athens - Patterson Hood and the Downtown 13
Y'ALL:
As some of ya'll might know, an out of town developer is attempting to build a huge mixed use development right next door to our beautiful downtown Athens. The location is a prime piece of land nestled up between our historic downtown and our river, greenway and planned Rail to Trails development.
I'm not going to get into the ramifications of all of that here, except to say it presents a tremendous set of missed opportunities and poses a host of negative implications for our beloved downtown and the local businesses that reside there.
I have written a new song about my love for this town that has given me so much and the threat that I see to our very way of life here. That might sound overly-dramatic, but I travel around this country a lot and I can tell you that what we have here is very unique and can not be taken for granted. Many of our friends who travel every year to Athens to see our annual 40 Watt / Nuci's Space Homecoming can vouch for what a special place this is.
I recorded the song at The 40 Watt Club during our weekend there backed by members of DBT. Then some very special friends from our music community pitched in and came to Chase Park Transduction to contribute some magic. 13 players, ranging from over 30 years of Athens Music history joined in and our friend Jason Thrasher filmed it.
We have launched an amazing new site with lots more information.
www.protectdowntownathens.com
We are offering DBT fans the song early right now at drivebytruckers.com. The video can also be seen at:
Tomorrow, I would love for y'all to Tweet (@protectathens) and Facebook and spread it around to as many people as you think might enjoy it. We are trying to do this tomorrow in a concerted effort.
And please check out the Protect Downtown Athens website to get the facts ( and nothing but the facts) about what is going on in our beloved Athens.
Thanks Always,
Patterson Hood
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Patterson Hood and the Downtown 13 (Mike Mills content)
Started by Driver Nate, Jan 31 2012 09:19 PM
15 replies to this topic
#1
Driver Nate
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Posted 31 January 2012 - 09:19 PM
"We were listening to the UNC radio (station) there and they were playing an R.E.M. song. I like R.E.M. fine, but at the end of it, the DJ says, 'Ya that was R.E.M., the sound of the new South'. I looked at my roommate and we said, Gawd, if that's the sound of the new South, I preferred it when it was on the skids. That's how we got the name."
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
#2
Driver Nate
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Posted 01 February 2012 - 10:34 AM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PATTERSON HOOD AND THE DOWNTOWN 13 RELEASE “AFTER IT’S GONE” IN AN EFFORT TO FIGHT A WALMART IN DOWNTOWN ATHENS, GA
“Who needs a downtown when there’s a Walmart next door?”
Athens, GA: Some of the greatest songs were written to give voice to anxiety, despair and unwanted change. “After it’s Gone”, a new single just released by Patterson Hood and the Downtown 13, was inspired by the threat of a Walmart in the heart of the downtown that nurtured the band’s career. Hood, singer, writer and guitarist for the band Drive-By Truckers assembled The Downtown 13, a musical collective made up of some of Athens, Georgia's finest musicians to celebrate Athens, GA's beauty and vibrant musical heritage and to protest a developer's proposed building of a massive mixed use development in downtown Athens, anchored by a 94,000 sq. foot Walmart.
The small and eclectic university town of Athens is a hotbed for national musical acts and many of these local luminaries, including R.E.M.’s Mike Mills and Widespread Panic’s John Bell and Todd Nance came together on the new track to express their opposition to a proposed development by Atlanta-based Selig Enterprises. The back wall of the anchor tenant, Walmart, would be within stone’s throw of Hood’s home and it would tower over the greenway trail along the Oconee River-- it is the very embodiment of inappropriate development.
“This Atlanta developer wants to clog our cultural heart and build a bunker the size of three city blocks next to the vibrant downtown scene,” says Hood. “They hit The Easy Button: a big box store in our downtown district is clearly misguided and a somewhat ridiculous notion. Downtown Athens is a dynamic network of local businesses--Athens already has a meaningful brand and we are extremely protective of it.”
Taking a very vocal turn away from the proposed lifestyle-shopping center currently under contract, Hood is the most recent performer to take the role of front man as an Athens community that has long spoken to national and international audiences.
“We have a vibrant downtown with plans for the future that involve planned development along the river and hopefully a high speed rail to Atlanta,” says Hood. “We don’t need a big box retailer, the very definition of the past, to once again bring us back through that dark episode of closed down storefronts and empty parking lots. Protect Downtown Athens-- that's what this is all about."
You can download the song, view the video and read more about Protect Downtown Athens at the link below:
www.protectdowntownathens.com
Twitter: @protectathens
Please write about this, post to your Facebook and Twitter pages. We need all the coverage we can get on this issue in order to Protect Downtown Athens!
“After It's Gone”, by Patterson Hood Published by Pottery Town Songs (BMI)
Performed by Patterson Hood and the Downtown 13
Featuring members of Drive-By Truckers, Widespread Panic, R.E.M., Futurebirds, Hope For Agoldensummer, Lera Lynn, Justified True Belief and The Quick Hooks.
Patterson Hood - Lead Vocals, Guitar
Mike Mills - Harmonies and Piano
John Bell - Lead Vocals
John Neff - Pedal Steel
David Barbe – Bass
Jay Gonzalez - Wurlitzer Electric Piano
Brad Morgan - Drums
Todd Nance - Percussion
Claire Campbell - Banjo and Harmonies
Lera Lynn - Harmonies
Brannen Miles, Carter King and Payton Bradford - Backing Vocals
Henry Barbe - Electric Guitar
Basic track recorded live on stage at Fabulous 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA. Vocals, overdubs and mixing at Chase Park Transduction, Athens, GA. Basics recorded by Colin Cargyle with Matt DeFilippis and Damon Scott. Post production work by Bennett Moon and David Barbe. Mixed by David Barbe. Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, NYC. Video produced and directed by Jason Thrasher. Edited by Eddie Whalen.
PATTERSON HOOD AND THE DOWNTOWN 13 RELEASE “AFTER IT’S GONE” IN AN EFFORT TO FIGHT A WALMART IN DOWNTOWN ATHENS, GA
“Who needs a downtown when there’s a Walmart next door?”
Athens, GA: Some of the greatest songs were written to give voice to anxiety, despair and unwanted change. “After it’s Gone”, a new single just released by Patterson Hood and the Downtown 13, was inspired by the threat of a Walmart in the heart of the downtown that nurtured the band’s career. Hood, singer, writer and guitarist for the band Drive-By Truckers assembled The Downtown 13, a musical collective made up of some of Athens, Georgia's finest musicians to celebrate Athens, GA's beauty and vibrant musical heritage and to protest a developer's proposed building of a massive mixed use development in downtown Athens, anchored by a 94,000 sq. foot Walmart.
The small and eclectic university town of Athens is a hotbed for national musical acts and many of these local luminaries, including R.E.M.’s Mike Mills and Widespread Panic’s John Bell and Todd Nance came together on the new track to express their opposition to a proposed development by Atlanta-based Selig Enterprises. The back wall of the anchor tenant, Walmart, would be within stone’s throw of Hood’s home and it would tower over the greenway trail along the Oconee River-- it is the very embodiment of inappropriate development.
“This Atlanta developer wants to clog our cultural heart and build a bunker the size of three city blocks next to the vibrant downtown scene,” says Hood. “They hit The Easy Button: a big box store in our downtown district is clearly misguided and a somewhat ridiculous notion. Downtown Athens is a dynamic network of local businesses--Athens already has a meaningful brand and we are extremely protective of it.”
Taking a very vocal turn away from the proposed lifestyle-shopping center currently under contract, Hood is the most recent performer to take the role of front man as an Athens community that has long spoken to national and international audiences.
“We have a vibrant downtown with plans for the future that involve planned development along the river and hopefully a high speed rail to Atlanta,” says Hood. “We don’t need a big box retailer, the very definition of the past, to once again bring us back through that dark episode of closed down storefronts and empty parking lots. Protect Downtown Athens-- that's what this is all about."
You can download the song, view the video and read more about Protect Downtown Athens at the link below:
www.protectdowntownathens.com
Twitter: @protectathens
Please write about this, post to your Facebook and Twitter pages. We need all the coverage we can get on this issue in order to Protect Downtown Athens!
“After It's Gone”, by Patterson Hood Published by Pottery Town Songs (BMI)
Performed by Patterson Hood and the Downtown 13
Featuring members of Drive-By Truckers, Widespread Panic, R.E.M., Futurebirds, Hope For Agoldensummer, Lera Lynn, Justified True Belief and The Quick Hooks.
Patterson Hood - Lead Vocals, Guitar
Mike Mills - Harmonies and Piano
John Bell - Lead Vocals
John Neff - Pedal Steel
David Barbe – Bass
Jay Gonzalez - Wurlitzer Electric Piano
Brad Morgan - Drums
Todd Nance - Percussion
Claire Campbell - Banjo and Harmonies
Lera Lynn - Harmonies
Brannen Miles, Carter King and Payton Bradford - Backing Vocals
Henry Barbe - Electric Guitar
Basic track recorded live on stage at Fabulous 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA. Vocals, overdubs and mixing at Chase Park Transduction, Athens, GA. Basics recorded by Colin Cargyle with Matt DeFilippis and Damon Scott. Post production work by Bennett Moon and David Barbe. Mixed by David Barbe. Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound, NYC. Video produced and directed by Jason Thrasher. Edited by Eddie Whalen.
"We were listening to the UNC radio (station) there and they were playing an R.E.M. song. I like R.E.M. fine, but at the end of it, the DJ says, 'Ya that was R.E.M., the sound of the new South'. I looked at my roommate and we said, Gawd, if that's the sound of the new South, I preferred it when it was on the skids. That's how we got the name."
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
#3
Mottje t.H.
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Posted 01 February 2012 - 12:37 PM
Thanks for posting! That's definitely worth being suppported!
YESSS to www.protectdowntownathens.com !!!!
YESSS to www.protectdowntownathens.com !!!!
"Little sister is REMinding you!"
#4
Driver Nate
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Posted 01 February 2012 - 12:50 PM
Cool to see Mills harmonizing with Patterson. It probably wouldn't happen in a million years but wouldn't it be cool if he ended up filling the bass slot in the Drive-By Truckers?
"We were listening to the UNC radio (station) there and they were playing an R.E.M. song. I like R.E.M. fine, but at the end of it, the DJ says, 'Ya that was R.E.M., the sound of the new South'. I looked at my roommate and we said, Gawd, if that's the sound of the new South, I preferred it when it was on the skids. That's how we got the name."
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
#5
Preston
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Posted 01 February 2012 - 06:24 PM
Driver Nate, on 01 February 2012 - 12:50 PM, said:
Cool to see Mills harmonizing with Patterson. It probably wouldn't happen in a million years but wouldn't it be cool if he ended up filling the bass slot in the Drive-By Truckers?
Thanks for posting, and, meanwhile, that is some serious cross pollination I'd love to hear and see!
#6
Driver Nate
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Posted 01 February 2012 - 08:57 PM
Preston, on 01 February 2012 - 06:24 PM, said:
Thanks for posting, and, meanwhile, that is some serious cross pollination I'd love to hear and see!
Likewise. Mills' musical roots probably lean more heavily in a pop direction for the DBTs but it would still be interesting to hear the result.
The sound quality of this isn't all that great but I'm passing it along anyway.
"We were listening to the UNC radio (station) there and they were playing an R.E.M. song. I like R.E.M. fine, but at the end of it, the DJ says, 'Ya that was R.E.M., the sound of the new South'. I looked at my roommate and we said, Gawd, if that's the sound of the new South, I preferred it when it was on the skids. That's how we got the name."
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
#7
mr. cuyahoga
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Posted 01 February 2012 - 10:38 PM
The DBTs are better than Skynrd ever was and of course I support this movement. Death to Walmart!
#8
Driver Nate
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Posted 01 February 2012 - 10:46 PM
mr. cuyahoga, on 01 February 2012 - 10:38 PM, said:
The DBTs are better than Skynrd ever was and of course I support this movement. Death to Walmart!
What do the DBTs and Skynyrd have to do with anything? As for Walmart, from my understanding it's not that Patterson is against Walmart in general, what he (and many others) are against is them building in downtown Athens, especially when there are already two other Walmarts in town that are both a short distance from downtown. At least that is the stance he took when he spoke about the subject at the 40 Watt shows back in January. If you take a look at the Protect Downtown Athens website you'll see that the stance he (and others) take there is much broader regarding development in the downtown area, it's not as centered on Walmart as his rants at the 40 Watt were.
"We were listening to the UNC radio (station) there and they were playing an R.E.M. song. I like R.E.M. fine, but at the end of it, the DJ says, 'Ya that was R.E.M., the sound of the new South'. I looked at my roommate and we said, Gawd, if that's the sound of the new South, I preferred it when it was on the skids. That's how we got the name."
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
#9
Driver Nate
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Posted 02 February 2012 - 10:52 AM
Here's a higher quality clip of yesterday's performance:
"We were listening to the UNC radio (station) there and they were playing an R.E.M. song. I like R.E.M. fine, but at the end of it, the DJ says, 'Ya that was R.E.M., the sound of the new South'. I looked at my roommate and we said, Gawd, if that's the sound of the new South, I preferred it when it was on the skids. That's how we got the name."
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
#10
Sweden
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Posted 02 February 2012 - 02:57 PM
Nerdiest R.E.M. reference (apart from HQ Kevin being in the audience): that may very well be the accordion used on Oh My Heart. Same brand and model, and I saw Dewitt was thanked elsewhere for his assistance with this performance. 
******************************
"Conventional wisdom would dictate that when the singer is trying to hit the high note and not quite getting there, the last thing you should do is tickle him! No tickling the lead singer when he is reaching for a note that he can no longer hit, OK?" JMS, post-audience visit during The One I Love in Bergen, 2008
******************************
"Conventional wisdom would dictate that when the singer is trying to hit the high note and not quite getting there, the last thing you should do is tickle him! No tickling the lead singer when he is reaching for a note that he can no longer hit, OK?" JMS, post-audience visit during The One I Love in Bergen, 2008
******************************
#11
Southern Gothic NC
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Posted 02 February 2012 - 06:51 PM
Didn't he change some of the lyrics?
If the wind were colors and if the air could speak...
#12
Driver Nate
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Posted 02 February 2012 - 06:53 PM
Sweden, on 02 February 2012 - 02:57 PM, said:
Nerdiest R.E.M. reference (apart from HQ Kevin being in the audience): that may very well be the accordion used on Oh My Heart. Same brand and model, and I saw Dewitt was thanked elsewhere for his assistance with this performance.
It may well be but the fellow playing it (Jay Gonzalez of Drive-By Truckers) has been using it in DBTs (and related) performances for quite some time now.
"We were listening to the UNC radio (station) there and they were playing an R.E.M. song. I like R.E.M. fine, but at the end of it, the DJ says, 'Ya that was R.E.M., the sound of the new South'. I looked at my roommate and we said, Gawd, if that's the sound of the new South, I preferred it when it was on the skids. That's how we got the name."
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
#13
Driver Nate
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Posted 02 February 2012 - 07:27 PM
"We were listening to the UNC radio (station) there and they were playing an R.E.M. song. I like R.E.M. fine, but at the end of it, the DJ says, 'Ya that was R.E.M., the sound of the new South'. I looked at my roommate and we said, Gawd, if that's the sound of the new South, I preferred it when it was on the skids. That's how we got the name."
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
#14
High_Speed_Train
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Posted 02 February 2012 - 07:54 PM
Mike Mills spoke to davefm of Atlanta. Listen to the interview here:
http://929dave.radio...s-protest-song/
"We're not anti-development, we just want this thing to be well done", he said in an interview with Steve Craig.
http://929dave.radio...s-protest-song/
"We're not anti-development, we just want this thing to be well done", he said in an interview with Steve Craig.
"But now you're here and it's different, how the light shines in your eyes, and every second a century, it's then that I realized, the world as we know it, a high speed train, we'll pick it up and start again"
#15
Sweden
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Posted 03 February 2012 - 12:29 AM
Driver Nate, on 02 February 2012 - 06:53 PM, said:
It may well be but the fellow playing it (Jay Gonzalez of Drive-By Truckers) has been using it in DBTs (and related) performances for quite some time now.
Ah, there you go.Thought it was a Dewitt supply.
******************************
"Conventional wisdom would dictate that when the singer is trying to hit the high note and not quite getting there, the last thing you should do is tickle him! No tickling the lead singer when he is reaching for a note that he can no longer hit, OK?" JMS, post-audience visit during The One I Love in Bergen, 2008
******************************
"Conventional wisdom would dictate that when the singer is trying to hit the high note and not quite getting there, the last thing you should do is tickle him! No tickling the lead singer when he is reaching for a note that he can no longer hit, OK?" JMS, post-audience visit during The One I Love in Bergen, 2008
******************************
#16
Driver Nate
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Posted 03 February 2012 - 08:22 AM
Sweden, on 03 February 2012 - 12:29 AM, said:
Ah, there you go.Thought it was a Dewitt supply.
I'm not sure if you're saying it is or isn't on load from Dewitt but to clarify it may also belong to Jay. I really don't know for sure but when Jay and Patterson perform stripped down DBTs sets together Jay often accompanies Patterson on accordion.
"We were listening to the UNC radio (station) there and they were playing an R.E.M. song. I like R.E.M. fine, but at the end of it, the DJ says, 'Ya that was R.E.M., the sound of the new South'. I looked at my roommate and we said, Gawd, if that's the sound of the new South, I preferred it when it was on the skids. That's how we got the name."
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
- Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids
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