Athens Burning Kickstarter

Just bought my copy... please help rebuild the Georgia Theatre. Here's a letter from the folks at SphereVibe Films who have filmed a documentary called 'Athens Burning". Donate if you can.

Hello friends of the Georgia Theatre and SphereVibe Films, we hope this

message finds you all warm and well.

As many of you know, the team at SphereVibe Films has been working

diligently for the past couple year(s) on their project, "Athens Burning," a

documentary about the Georgia Theatre, its rich history, the artists and

Athens music scene, which flourished there, the devastation of the fire

and current rebuilding efforts.  This project is the official documentary,

endorsed by and raising money for the rebuilding of the Georgia Theatre,

and has been covered enthusiastically by CNN.com, The Atlanta Journal

Constitution, and other media.

So far, the production of the entire film has been funded independently.

We are now down to our last leg of post-production. We are asking now for

your help with our final step-- the theatrical release. The film will run

in both Beechwood Cinemas and Ciné. As a stipulation, the distributor has

required that we raise and spend $3,500.00 on the marketing and promotion

of the film.

As a recipient of this email, we believe you have a vested interested in

the well being of the Georgia Theatre, or film making in Athens.

Below is the link to the Athens Burning trailer and its Kickstarter page,

a website that helps people raise money to fund their creative projects.

You may donate anywhere from $10-$1,000 and each level has a different

incentive involved for your generosity. We thank you in advance for your

support, and will welcome social media plugs and links to this page along

with any monetary donations.

Cheers!

The team at SphereVibe Films

Blackboards and Smokebombs

My friend Chris Bilheimer has an upcoming retrospective show of his design work from the last 20 years. That's a tremendous amount of art ranging from CD covers to posters, shirts and promo pieces for bands like R.E.M., Green Day, Widespread Panic and many, many others. Chris has received many accolades from the music industry for his cutting edge designs. His show is sure to be a visual feast for the eyes!

I have printed quite a few of his posters in the studio. In fact, the first job we printed at Drowning Creek was a Mr. Show poster for HBO that Chris sent our way when we were in desperate need of cash as a struggling print shop. I will be forever thankful for his kindness and support of the studio throughout the years. I am proud to be able to print his commemorative posters for the upcoming show. They will be sold and auctioned to benefit Nuci's Space. Some will be signed by the bands. 

To make it even more fun, He has planned another concurrent show with Lance Bangs and Dan Donahue. They will both be showing a collection of their work from the last 15 years.

Blackboards and Smokebombs

The Work of Lance Bangs, Chris Bilheimer & Dan Donahue.

EVENT #1

Date: Friday, November 12th, 2010

Location: Cine 234 West Hancock Ave, Athens GA.  www.athenscine.com

Time: Opening at 6:30 p.m.

Film: Begins at 8 p.m. with a Q&A with Lance Bangs

Cost: Free

Showing:

175 Polaroids by Chris Bilheimer

Videos and design by Dan Donohue

Videos by Lance Bangs

EVENT #2

A benefit for Nuci Space

Date: Saturday, November 13th, 2010

Location: Athica Gallery 160 Tracy St # 4, Athens, GA  www.athica.org

Time: Opening 7:30 p.m.

Cost: Free (suggested donation to Nuci Space)

Showing:

CD’s. Shirts, posters and other design work by Chris Bilheimer

Don't miss this show!

Losing an old friend

I awoke a few weeks ago and sat down at my computer for morning coffee only to be jarred fully awake. I saw a Facebook update from a friend that the Ga Theatre was fully engulfed in flames. I was in shock. No, it couldn't be. Not the Theatre. It had been there forever. In my mind, it would be there forever. I could almost smell the stale beer and old wood. For anyone who has ever graced the place with their presence you know exactly what I mean. It was also the best sounding venue in the country. I did the cover for the Derek Trucks Live at the Ga Theatre CD. Everybody loved recording there. Those 3 foot thick walls just made for the perfect room. Now it was gone.

I immediately made a few phone calls to check in with friends downtown. I was planning on being at a Perpetual Groove show that night at the theatre and then leaving the next morning for a short vacation. I was informed that the show was cancelled and a new show was planned for the next night at the Classic center to raise money to help the dislocated staff of the theatre. I went into artist mode. The vacation was postponed. The art schedule for the day got scrapped and I started working on a fundraiser poster. For the next 14 hours straight I painted a phoenix rising from the ashes. The poster was finished the next morning before the ashes had cooled at the Theatre.

The show that night was somber. Backstage, seeing my friends who worked there was difficult. They looked shell shocked, but were holding it together as best they could. It was the quietest I think I have ever seen a Backstage atmosphere.

I found a place in the back of the Classic Center to sit and watch the show. PGroove raged, but there was this hollow feeling that I had lost a dear old friend that would never be replaced. We will build the Theatre back, I'm sure of that, but that beer stained icon of my youth was gone forever. At least I have 30 years of memories of shows and events. Those memories are ones I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Please contribute to the "Rebuild the Theatre" fund at Georgiatheatre.com. Athens needs this venue. I want those 21 year old kids going to shows to be able to look back in 30 years at the new theatre in the same nostalgic manner as I have, knowing we spent some of the best times of our lives in that hallowed room.