Story by Corinne Kocher
Photos by Bailey Garrot
Shared Plates
Any night of the week, you might see Jeremy Scott, otherwise known as DJ Kountry Boy, rocking out at one of Athens' many venues.
"Athens is a music town, it can be a launching pad," he says. "There's a lot of big names here, from folk rock bands all the way to hip hop artists.”
And there's no shortage of places to see these local musicians. "There are a lot of smaller and bigger venues, getting both local artists and mainstream national artists," Jeremy adds. "I feel like venues can never really be limited in Athens - there's people playing all over the city.”
Jeremy grew up in Athens and nearby Oglethorpe County. Coming from a musical background, playing the drums in bands all the way through high school, Jeremy found himself more and more interested in collecting music as he got older.
His love of music led him to start DJing, and today, Jeremy fuses his taste for multiple musical genres at venues, parties, and concerts. This year, you can catch him everywhere from Athens' Wild Rumpus Halloween celebration to the Lil Baby Live @ Athens Fairgrounds show.
For out-of-town visitors (and even locals!) coming to Athens for the Georgia Organics conference February 7th-8th, looking to get a taste of the local Athens scene, Jeremy shared some of the best Athens venues for live music.
And if you're looking to get in the Athens mood before you visit? Read on to see DJ Kountry Boy's top 8 artists to check out to create that perfect Athens playlist.
5 Live Music Venues to Check Out in Athens
"The 40 Watt Club is one of the most famous and iconic music venues in the world… The club has served as a music home base for many of Athens’ most beloved bands over the last 35 years, including R.E.M., the B-52’s, Pylon, Love Tractor, Vic Chesnutt, Olivia Tremor Control, Five Eight, Neutral Milk Hotel, Jucifer, Drive-By Truckers, of Montreal, The Whigs, Maserati, and more."
"Local coffee shop, bar, and 150 seat music venue that features local, regional, and national acts 5-7 nights a week... also hosts a monthly Jazz Jam and a weekly open mic night"
"Here, you’re with the band… Our high energy space allows for an electric atmosphere unlike any other, with music genres ranging from rock, electronic, to epic instrumentals. We host all kinds of shows setting the stage for a stellar concert experience for musicians as well as music fans."
"This theatre... has served as a significant performance venue for emerging and established musicians from Athens and beyond… Many prominent national and local acts across all genres have performed at the Theatre, including rock, folk, country, indie, alternative, hip hop and electronic."
"Nowhere Bar, located in Downtown Athens across from Georgia Theatre, is an old dive the locals love to frequent. Athenians young and old gather here every night of the week to enjoy a game of pool, a beer and live music in the company of good friends."
8 Athens Artists to Start your Athens Playlist
L.G.: "Local hip hop force in his own right… early-’90s smooth-rap and R&B sound, nicely situating it apart from the rest of the scene" -- Flagpole
Oak House: "Dark tonalities with liberal rhythmic experimentation while featuring driving rock-riffage and pulsing electronic undercurrents. ... psych-tinged indie rock" -- The Earl
Pleasure Point: "Hazed-out hybrid of murky hip-hop, smooth funk, contorted pop and whatever else the threesome have discovered swirling around their proverbial kitchen sink" -- Immersive Atlanta
Wieuca: "Proven themselves adept at mining abstract gems out of hazy psych rock and glimmering pop… it’s the music’s underlying melancholy and palpable sense of dread that I find most compelling" -- Immersive Atlanta
Partials: “Blurs the lines between humanity and technology... A fusion of vastly different elements, Partials thrive on this dichotomy, an artistic liaison that perpetually surprises.” -- Clash Magazine
Squalle: "Easily one of the most conscious and aware hip-hop albums out of Athens this year, the record is true to that original blend of lyrics that are clearly audible with beats that recall classic R&B with an array of jazz flavors, mostly pulling from fusion and easy listening" -- Flagpole
Caulfield: Flagpole Award for best hip hop 2019, "Atlanta’s trap scene called, and Caulfield answered. The rapper has carved out his own space in Athens hip hop" -- Flagpole
DJ Kountry Boy: Enjoyed this playlist? See more from the Athens and Atlanta-based on Instagram [@djkountryboy] to find out where he'll be popping up next.
Corinne Kocher and Bailey Garrot are the writer-photographer team behind Shared Plates, a blog exploring food in the world and how it gets to the table. Read all of their work at www.shared-plates.com and follow them on Instagram @sharedplatesatl.