The great state of Georgia has birthed some of the most groundbreaking scenes in modern music. From their innovative Americana scene, colorful folk community, and ever-evolving Hip-hop powerhouses, Georgia is a will-oiled pop culture phenomenon. At the same time, people most commonly associate Atlanta with these burgeoning scenes; another hotbed of artistic activity exists about 70 miles from the city. Athens has gifted the music world with acts ranging from R.E.M., Drive-By Truckers, and Of Montreal, and one theater sets its sights on becoming a home base for local artists and touring musicians alike.
Flicker Theater started as a movie theater specializing in niche cinema and now welcomes hundreds of musicians worldwide. Located in the heart of Athens, Flicker has been hosting some of the most exciting acts to emerge nationwide for the past 25 years and continues supporting local musicians and classic cinema. Glide had the absolute pleasure of speaking with staff from Flicker about their 25th anniversary, the venue’s history, and how the city of Athens has grown into an artistic hub. You can read our entire conversation below.
Flicker is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. How has Flicker changed the most, and what are some of your favorite memories from the past two-and-a-half decades?
Flicker started as a cult movie theater with occasional shows, but now it’s a music venue with an occasional movie! When Flicker first opened, we had a tiny stage, and we’d only have shows maybe twice a week. Now, we have a much larger stage and host shows at least five times a week. I also think we have way more touring acts coming through than a decade ago, which is fantastic. It’s hard to pinpoint a favorite memory after 24 years. Still, one time, we had a country western act that played after a documentary about urban Cowboys, and this gang of urban Cowboys showed up on their horses and rode up and down the streets! They tied up their horses out front, and it looked like a real Western saloon. I think that’s been my favorite thing that ever happened here, even though, at the time, I was worried I’d be arrested. Haha.
What have been some of the more memorable performances at Flicker over the years, and what made them so special?
We’ve been lucky to host some amazing current touring acts, such as Wednesday, MJ Lenderman, They Are Gutting a Body of Water, Mamalarky, Horse Jumper of Love, Ryan Davis and the Roadhouse Band, and Twain. These were all great shows, and it’s cool to see Flicker alumni become more popular.
One year, we had the local punk supergroup the Bunnies perform… The cacophony started with four or five scantily clad rodent musicians and slowly built into a twenty-or-so-person affair on stage as bunnies joined one by one. That was a fun one.
Flicker just announced the line-up for your 25th Anniversary extravaganza. What was it like putting together the line-up for the weekend? What else can concert-goers expect from Flicker over the weekend?
We’re all looking forward to our Flicker 25. We have done a big anniversary show each Valentine’s Day, and this will be the first year we’re doing a two-night celebration on Friday and Saturday. It was a lot of moving pieces, but we put together something special that captured the magic of Flicker’s last quarter century. The lineup included touring act Ryan Davis and the Roadhouse Blues, Elephant 6 luminaries Elf Power; current Athens acts Elijah Johnston, Honeypuppy, Neat Freak, Little Gold, and Johnny Falloon, and Athens mainstay Don Chambers. Don has been performing at Flicker for 25 years and worked the first sound shift at Flicker’s first show ever.
Additionally, every year, Drive-By Truckers do a week of shows at 40 Watt next door. This year, their Homecoming shows line up with our 25th anniversary show. We usually see a large influx of folks this week as hundreds of beer-thirsty DBT fans migrate to Athens for the shows. We host early shows that week, such as Matt Patton’s Dial Back Sounds showcase. It’s the perfect storm for a crazy, music-filled weekend.
You guys also host movie showings, like your recent free showing of David Lynch’s Wild At Heart. How did these showings get started, and how do you decide which movies to show?
The Flicker Film Society actually started as a monthly movie night at the 40 Watt. When we got our own venue Flicker expanded into live performances and now we average about four or five movies a month. We have four curators for the movies and the highlighted genres are Giallo films, Japanese cinema, horror movies, and one curator who is just sort of a wildcard. All our movies are free and even the popcorn is free.
How has Flicker been involved in the Athens scene as a proving ground for young artists, and what artists credit your stage with helping them gain confidence and a fan base?
I’ve always seen Flicker as the kind of place where you could do just about anything as long as it’s legal and entertaining. Flicker is definitely a place where new bands start, but we also have lots of established bands play. If you show up, you know something is going to be happening—possibly something weird.
Another great thing about Flicker is that we have a new art show every month, which keeps the visual art fresh and the look of the place constantly changing. This is nice because the bar itself has been orange for 24 years.
Is there any connection between the artists you book? What is your overall booking process like?
We host music and events six nights a week and try to foster a diverse line-up each month. Our Talent Buyers, Adam Wayton and Christian DeRoeck, both have wide tastes. Any given month, you can find a selection of Indie, Alternative, Country, Punk, Hip Hop, Ambient, Electronic, Pop, Metal, Rock, etc., with acts ranging from the new band that just popped up around town to nationally touring artists.
We also work with some tremendous outside promoters to keep things fresh, including Shadebeast, Attaboy Tapes, Hardtack, and Primordial Void. We stay pretty booked up these days, but love hosting touring acts. You can email Adam and Christian at Flickerbooking@gmail.com
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“Well-Oiled” is misspelled as “Will-Oiled”