A few years ago, during the holidays, I made plans to go to a party with a friend over on Nantahala. This friend had explained, “Hey, so my neighbors, invited me to a going-away party in the house behind me– I don’t know the person who’s moving away. I think they only invited me so I won’t call the cops– they’re gonna have some bands. Want to check it out?”

Of course I did.

We made our way to the house behind my friend’s.. the party had spilled out onto the driveway, and the kids hanging out were even younger than the usual younger kids around Athens… maybe high school?  Some of the kids were drinking Cokes. No one was smoking. Everyone looked so fresh. And young. And nobody seemed to notice our overdressed selves, so we headed inside. The house was absolutely jammed with sweaty kids– everyone was bouncing, and bouncing, and bouncing. The refrigerator and the oven were swaying in towards each other, both also bouncing, like comic book representations of appliances. Every floorboard was rippling like waves moving up and down. There were heads bouncing right up into the low ceilings– kids were hunched over, dancing on the counter-tops in the kitchen, on the tables and furniture in the living room, and they were dancing in line for the bathroom.

Everything in the house was bouncing.

Through the misty mess, we could barely see the guys making the music– they seemed to be crammed up into the front window barely suspended on its ledge. The entire band was smiling. The music was smiling. And all the bouncing dancers were smiling. It was an odd feeling, to be at a show in Athens where everyone, literally everyone, in the room was smiling. Face-hurting smiling.

“WHO IS THIS?” I shouted to one of the dancers.
“REPTAR!” he shouted back.
“WHAT?” I yelled.
“REPTAR! LIKE RUGRATS!” he yelled back.
I vaguely remembered that cartoon. Something about dinosaurs?

When I got home, I searched for Reptar on the web. Yep, it was a character from a cartoon on TV from ’91-’04.
But there wasn’t anything about the band online.

I kept asking everyone over the next few months, “Have you heard of Reptar?” No one had.

But now they have.

–BHT

Check out:
Reptar’s Official Site
Reptar’s SoundCloud Page

——————————————————————-

An excerpt from Chris Hassiotis’ article in Flagpole
May 2, 2012:
So, Reptar’s pretty well known by now around these parts, but here’s the short version: four Athens guys played a ton of house shows, got the city excited, they played more shows, bigger shows, put out a swell EP, toured, toured, toured, picked up fans nationwide, et cetera, et cetera.

“I’m really pleased with how each song has its own sonic character,” says Ulicny. “But I think even more than that, I like how there’s a cohesive sound across the album, too. It’s really clean and very present, but it also has more of a live feel. It sounds more like our band than the EP does. I’m really pleased with it, and I can’t wait for it to come out and for people to hear it.”

“We’re all doing the band full-time,” says Ulicny. “We played Lollapalooza and we made enough from that show to sustain us for the rest of that year, and then we played some bigger festivals and made some money so that we could do the band full-time now. I mean, we’re not rich; we just made enough to get by living in Athens and not having to work day jobs, you know? Though being in a band definitely is work. But it’s incredible. It’s a fucking dream. I can’t ask for anything more than playing music all the time.”

Full Article, Flagpole, by Chris Hassiotis

A few more photos from the cover shoot, Jason Thrasher:

Reptar’s Tour Diary, Flagpole by Michelle Gilzenrat

Below: note, only the razor is in focus…

Jason Thrasher shot the photo of the Downtown Thirteen (also known as the Downtown Rumblers) which surfaced this month on the cover of  the Georgia Music Magazine’s Spring 2012 issue. The Downtown Thirteen are a group of local Athens musicians, headed up by Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers, who teamed up to be a voice for Protect Downtown Athens, a group against the proposed future development of the 90,000 square-foot Wal-mart in downtown Athens, GA.

The Downtown Thirteen, headed up by Patterson Hood of the Drive-by Truckers, recorded the single “After It’s Gone” at The 40 Watt Club and at Chase Park Transduction. Jason Thrasher directed and shot the video of members of the group performing around Athens. Eddie Whelan worked with Jason to edit the project into a poetic representation of the song, which was written by Patterson Hood. The whole project was completed in two weeks from the recording of the song to the completed video.

The article in Georgia Music Magazine sums up the group and what they stand for after the single and the video received national attention.

Here are some of Jason Thrasher’s stills from the video shoot…

The Downtown Thirteen:

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

Nuci’s Space – $25,000 Grant Video from Jason Thrasher on Vimeo.

“The details had just been finalized, and Bob and I had started on a series of short videos for Nuçi’s Space,” Jason said, “then two days later, he calls me up and says, ‘We have another video project for you…and it’s due in 5 days!’ ”

Jason shot the interviews and directed the project, and Eddie Whelan edited the video entry for Nuçi’s Space– and in just under 5 days, it was contest ready.

Nuçi’s Space is a non-profit health and resource center in Athens, Georgia. With an aim to prevent suicide, and to treat musicians with depression and other disorders on an affordable sliding-scale. Nuçi’s also provides practice space, legal aid, equipment rental, mental health professionals, a music venue, and more. Nuçi’s cares about the well being of musicians, emotionally, physically, and professionally.

Nuci’s also conducts a music camp for kids ages 11-17 called Camp Amped. The deadline for applications is fast-approaching, details here. And check out some of the photos Jason’s taken over the years of the kids’ Camp Amped bands. They have the chance to meet other musicians their own ages, form a few bands, record in a professional studio, and play their music live on the last day.

“We want to give a big thanks to Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers, Mike Mills of REM, and John Bell of Widespread Panic for helping us out in the video. “We were lucky enough to grab Mike and John at the very last minute of filming,” Jason said.

The B-52s are known as “The World’s Greatest Party Band,” and this proved true last week, as a couple thousand people packed the house and danced like it was 1977, beehives and all.

The B-52s got their start over drinks at a Chinese restaurant in Athens, Georgia and had their first gig at a friend’s house on Valentines Day in 1977 on Milledge Avenue. Millions of albums sold, and too many hits to count later, the band is still entertaining huge crowds and showing no signs of stopping.

“With the recent disbanding of R.E.M., the B-52′s take their place as the last remaining vestige of Athens’ college-rock origins, the final band from that first wave of talent that gave the town its first real musical presence, opening the metaphorical door for future bands.” Rolling Stone

Jason was excited to finally have the chance to shoot the “B”s. He has images of Pylon, R.E.M., Widespread Panic, and Drive By Truckers, but he says without the B-52s, he was missing a really key element in his portfolio.

Terry Allen, Jason’s first “boss,” is known for his iconic photos of the band back in the day– here’s a really great one of the B-52s shot by Terry, below.

Terry is also Jason’s daughter’s godfather and an awesome photographer. (Terry also shot the first photo of the Sex Pistols when they made their American debut, and the iconic REM cover with Mike jumping up into the air… but that’s another blog post!)

“Athens is a great place for music, and it’s not always perfect,” Tunabunny singer/guitarist Brigette Herron said as a precursor to the final song of the band’s set. “We have the B-52′s to thank for that.”
- Rolling Stone

It was Patterson’s idea for Jason to shoot him atop his pickup truck, in homage to Neko Case’s cover for Middle Cyclone.

Patterson also suggested the name of the photo, Middle-Aged Cyclone, in honor of Neko’s record and because both men on the day of the shoot were feeling the effects of having young kids past the age of 40 keep them up all night.

Neko loved the Patterson photo!

Here is her record cover which won tons of awards– designed by another Jason–
Jason Creps.

Patterson and Neko are friends, and the whole crew at Thrasher Photo & Design loves Neko’s record. If you don’t already own Middle Cyclone, go get it!

Plus, the super cool Mercury Cougar pictured here is exactly like the one Beth drove in college (Beth’s was white)– it was the 1967 “Car of the Year” and it ran so smooth and so fast. Beth got hers from a guy at the laundromat on Ponce in Atlanta, and it did great for a few years…until the speedometer broke, the brakes went out, the power steering blew a leak and the back wheels fell off.

Neko raffled off her much nicer version of the same car featured on the cover of Middle Cyclone last year to raise money for the most awesome literacy-related charity based in San Francisco and founded by Dave Eggers, 826 National (it’s right up there with our other favorite, Nuci’s Space) . If only we’d known…we would’ve bought some raffle tickets!

Jason also shot some of the other feature photos for the Southern Distinction February 2012 Music Soul of the South Issue…and here they are:

William Tonks, whose day job is manager of the State Botanical Gardens of Georgia, is a captivating performer– if you ever have the chance to see him live, GO! He is the real deal.

Jason also shot this spread of Don Chambers. The big photo of Don at the Georgia Theatre, before the reconstruction, is also on view at the Georgia Theatre Gallery. Don is our neighbor and one of the coolest cats in Athens G-A.

And here’s more about our favorite Athens musician, Patterson Hood… featuring more photos of Patterson by Jason.

Links to the hi-res galleys, straight out of the magazine are here:

Southern_Distinction_Cover.pdf
Patterson_Hood.pdf
William_Tonks.pdf
Don_Chambers.pdf

The backbone of the song was recorded during sound check at the legendary 40 Watt club in downtown Athens. Jason’s video includes footage of Patterson and the other members of the “Downtown 13″ recording their add-on tracks in the studio at Chase Park, as well as his footage from around Athens. The recording of the song, shooting of the video, and editing– from start to finish (with the exception of some rainy day footage Jason’s been collecting over the past few years)– took place at the 4o Watt, Chase Park Transduction and Thrasher Photo & Design in less than two weeks. The video features DBT’s Patterson, Brad and Jay,  plus members of Widespread Panic, R.E.M. Hope for a goldensummer, Lera Lynn, Justified True Belief, Dave Barbe and The Quickhooks, and the Futurebirds. Eddie Whelan edited, with Gillian Fuqueron and Chad Osburn assisting.

Here’s what Billboard Magazine has to say about the video.

From the press release:

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 Wal-Mart.

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

MEDIA CONTACT: TRACI THOMAS, traci@thirtytigers.com, 615-664-1167
“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 Whelan

When Steve and Tracey asked Jason to photograph their daughter Claire’s wedding, Jason was honored. The wedding took place at the very scenic Tucker Plantation in Smithonia, Georgia. Beth and the girls were invited to take part in the festivities and to enjoy the delicious food created by Hallie Jane’s Catering, while having the chance to dance to the awesome Highballs. Dree and Company did the wedding hair.

Here are just a few of the beautiful images Jason created of Claire and Will’s wedding…such a fun party…
this family is the picture of love and happiness!

The entire Thrasher Photo and Design team got into the act on this one– Jason Thrasher headed up the photography and video projects; Gillian Fuqueron and Eddie Whelan offered their very best editing expertise; Beth Thrasher, Callie Prickett and Darilee Sims gave it their all for the print and web design aspects of the project; and our assistants Ben, Abby and Sarah pitched in daily on everything from research, to photo editing, to title creation.

Just take a tour of the  KAM South Web Site to get the full picture! And be sure to look out for the full color ads in the December through February issues of Southern Distinction.

Jason first met Christian at a Drive-By Truckers show, of course. Christian is a huge fan of the Truckers, as well as an old skater from back in the day in Florida, so he and Jason had a lot to talk about.

Christian has years of experience in the world of finance and investments, and he decided to start his own firm in Atlanta earlier this year, KAM South. He came to us originally with great ideas, but he wanted to give Thrasher Photo and Design complete creative control with regard to conceiving the brand for his company.

Christian really loves Jason’s photography, and he was inspired by themes centered around the Old South. He wanted to use red, white, blue and black to represent UGA and USA colors. Since his business will focus on helping clients throughout Georgia, it just made sense that Jason would set out to photograph between here and Atlanta, searching for gorgeous images to use on the site. See the full portfolio featured at the KAM South web site.

A few photos are of Beth’s Dad’s old farm in Madison…

The logo– a casual twist on the typically conservative financial industry brands– came about by working closely with Christian. We love the tag line we build wealth because it sums up what KAM South does in just three words– perfect!

Stay tuned to this page for more of the work we’ve done for KAM– everything from videos to business cards, to brochures, ads and a really cool “thank you” card.

This was a really interesting project, and we were able to use every talent of each member of our team on this one!

If your business needs a branding overhaul, or even more fun– if you are starting a new business from scratch, please call Beth  706-372-2655 or Jason 706-380-7778. We’d love to help you develop the best possible plan for branding your company, project or idea!

If you are interested in saving for the future, Christian Koch is your man. Just tell him Beth and Jason sent you!

KAM South, LLC
Christian Koch, CFP®
1040 Riverside Trace
Atlanta, GA 30328
(404) 843-3745
Christian@KAMSouth.com

Jason’s show, No Tambourines, will be up through March (extended from December!), so if you didn’t get a chance to stop by last week, you can still see his 23 large format photos of Athens musicians any time you check out a show at the Georgia Theatre, or just drop by sometime and ask them to let you take a look. (This marquee pic was shot by our friend and photographer, Terry Allen. He is the one who shot this famous R.E.M. picture.)

IN FACT get yourself over to the Theatre this Saturday to check out our friends Dead Confederate before they hit the road again. You can get tickets for the Dead Confederate show here. Dead Confederate is guaranteed to rock your brain.

And opening up  first at 9 sharp will be the Fur Coats. (Don’t try to find Fur Coats online because there isn’t anything (?)) The front man for Fur Coats is Walker Yancey from Birmingham who started playing shows at age 11… Walker is like Johnny Cash’s punk rock grand-kid, on coffee. We think he’s maybe all of 15 now?  But he does not mess around.

Walker’s mom Jess Marie is a really talented artist who has a lot to do with the Stranded Art Cooperative in Montevallo, Alabama.

Here is a sketch Walker made in a few minutes for our kids when he was visiting last summer. It’s kind of blurry because I shot this with a phone, but you get the idea.

He’s been busy building frames and making BIG prints of some of the more iconic images and a bunch you’ve never seen before–

Headed down to PopFest? Cool– stop by Jason’s show before, during or after– there will be food and the upstairs bar will be open, plus– it’s free!

Come check out photographs of the Drive-By Truckers, Don Chambers, Futurebirds, Dead Confederate, Ham 1, Olivia Tremor Control, the Whigs, Creepy, Circulatory System, Of Montreal, Cara Beth Satalino, Nina Twin aka Geminitactics, Eddie the Wheel and the Grass Giraffes, R.E.M., Patterson Hood and a few surprises!

Hope to see you there!