comic

hardcore lives on in athens, georgia

Abby Kacen (Mild Pain) documents the state of the Athens punk scene, where movers & shakers old and new are keeping the amps warm and the beer cold.

Abby Kacen

Abby Kacen

— 2 min read
Athens, Georgia water tower and landscape, illustrated by Abby Kacen
Athens, Georgia; illustration by Abby Kacen
Athens is college town east of Atlanta that’s known for spawning R.E.M. and the B-52s. This town has been an incubator for DIY spaces and great punk and hardcore outfits, both fleeting or long-lasting.
It’s tempting to say the music scene, specifically in the punk/hardcore circle, gets kind of samey, but it’s never all the same. While many bands share some of the same members, each group it putting their own spin. There’s experimentation. Those booking shows are looking out at other scenes, seeing whose doing what, and finally bringing in more out-of-town bands to the bills. Information keeps getting exchanged.
Who’s running the scene today, you might ask? Bookings, recordings, those making it happen right now in Athens include H.A.R.D. T.A.C.K., Dosed By An Angel, Most Known Unknown, Indecent Artistry, Attaboy
Phelan la Velle, our local yoga-guru, dead-head, and all around baddie is reviving an old townie’s dream which is free Sunday night shows at Hi-Lo Lounge. She’s in it, she knows whose doing what, and she’s getting them together for things like “Chronic Weekend” during 4/20, and putting together cool shows at other venues under the name “Dosed By An Angel.” Back in the day, Phelan’s early projects included the band Shade and organizing “Chillithfair” for a few years in a row at the now deceased Go Bar.
With Phelan’s powers combined with the H.A.R.D.T.A.C.K. kids, and the broader sphere or Athens-Clarke County (ACC) Hardcore there are more house shows and art parties than I remember after recently returning to the Athens scene. There’s Bruisefest, and “Shit Fest” to oppose the town’s annual AthFest.
If you’re so inclined it’s not hard to find a stage to play on, and the people booking shows aren’t hard to meet. The people here genuinely love music. If you play music and you should find yourself traveling through the south, Athens is a destination. Here, you can try it all…if you can find a drummer.
Bruisefest III was taking place at Hi-Lo on the coldest Sunday evening Georgia’s experienced all year. All the little punks are bundled up and blasting cigs outside. The house music inside is as loud as the bands, so you can either go deaf or join the frigid smoke circle between sets. I was fortunate to catch Mr [Redacted], Regulator, and Trepid out of the five bands playing. I’d seen the latter two before during a previous Bruisefest and Shit Fest show, but this was my first time seeing Mr [Redacted].
This band is fast, fun, and loud. They can really shred (despite some technical difficulties), and they are the kind of band I want to see in a basement.
Regulator is a must-see act. I’m not sure what else to describe them as, but they are taking the lead in being one of the best Black punk outfits I’ve seen. As diverse as the south is, I want more diversity in the punk scene down here.
Trepid rules. They’re always a closer. They have honest and emotional lyrics with early 200s heaviness. This night, they played some new songs, and I can’t wait to hear more.
From the perspective of a returning Athenian who loves a good punk show, it I feels good to see that the scene continues to remake itself. Athens will always be that little guitar town down south where punks are always welcome.
________ Other Athens favorites, both past and present, that weren’t mentioned previously include: Pylon Reenactment Society, Cinemechanica, Muuy Biien, BAMBARA, Coma Therapy, Centipede, Fatal Error, Derby, Telemarked, Snuki, Johnny Falloon, Crying Form, Bayou Princess, Peter and the Skeeters, Obscurity, and Violent Violet There’s a lot more, almost too many to keep track of, and that’s one of those good kinda problems.

Abby Kacen is a DIY cartoonist and zinester who loves punk. Creator of the fictional comic band, Sid & the Sickos. When she isn’t drawing, she’s at a show collecting more material.

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