Tag Archives: #athensga

Why Panic?

Posted on by

I saw some commenters asking about why a Widespread Panic singer would be such a big deal for Saturday…so here’s some added context:

In case the video doesn’t work:


John Bell and Michael Houser met in 1981 in their dorm at the University of Georgia in Athens. Bell had been playing guitar as a solo act and invited his new friend Houser, also a guitarist, to join him. They later performed as a duet under the name “Severe Driving Problems.”  [3] They roomed together and collaborated on music in 1981, writing still-popular songs such as “Driving Song” and “Chilly Water” together.[4] Bassist Dave Schools met Bell and Houser in 1984 and first played with them on February 24, 1985, at an A-Frame house on Weymanda Court in Athens.[5] On February 6, 1986, Houser called Todd Nance, a drummer and his childhood friend, to sit in with Houser, Bell, and Schools for a charity event in Athens. It was their first show as “Widespread Panic.”[4] The band was named for Houser’s once frequent panic attacks.[6]Texan percussionist Domingo S. Ortiz (“Sunny”) began sitting in with the band regularly later that year.[7][8]

The band played in fraternities and bars regularly before Widespread Panic signed a contract with Landslide Records in 1987. In February 1987 the band played the now-legendary series of one dollar Monday night shows at the Uptown Lounge in Athens and the crucial local press began to take notice. Shan Clark, a Flagpole and Athens Observer art columnist emphasized Widespread Panic’s musical virtuosity, songwriting, and professionalism.

Evenin’, ladies and gents! Welcome to Athens, Georgia.

Except for Texas fans. Eff off.

That’s His Story, and He’s Sticking to It

Posted on by

Smael Mondon had his charges dropped.

https://twitter.com/brooksaustinba/status/1825558471301046388?s=46

The “Reckless Driving” charges got dropped, but before we go rushing to conclusions, here’s the details:

According to an Athens-Clarke County Police report, which was previously obtained by ESPN, a police officer saw two vehicles side-by-side accelerate “at a high rate of speed and begin to race one another.” Mondon was in the left lane, driving a 2022 black Dodge Charger, and his teammate, freshman defensive back Demello Jones, was in a 2021 gray Porsche Panamera.

According to the report, the officer paced Mondon at 75 mph in a 40 mph zone and pulled him over. Mondon denied racing and stated that he didn’t know the driver of the other vehicle. Jones then pulled over, though, and told the officer he was checking on his “teammate.”

The officer stated that Jones was released on a citation for racing because he voluntarily pulled over and was not the primary vehicle in the traffic stop. According to the report, as Jones was beginning to leave, Mondon “leaned over to [Jones] and stated: ‘Do not say anything in the group chat.'”

On the way to the jail, Mondon continued to deny that he knew Jones, according to the report. The officer asked Mondon about his remark about the group chat, and Mondon “changed the subject and began asking about my personal life.”

Sigh. Fast, rich, and stupid is no way to go through life, son. I’m sure that was just another Panamera that you see on every corner in Athens, right?

I hope the stairs were steep for those conditioning mea culpas.

And in a not-so-surprising twist of narrative, we now have this:

https://twitter.com/skinnydawg10/status/1825626276780208326?s=46

What exactly would we be paying the ACCPD for? Pretty sure if that was accurate, Chip Towers and company wouldn’t have anything to write about.

Friday Athens Flashback

Posted on by

Saw this in the UGA Alumni feed yesterday:

As a young boy who grew up in Athens during the summers, I can only thing of one incredibly fond memory:

The raspberry yogurt was sublime. If you’ve never visited the Creamery, I highly recommend it. It’s down the street from Aderhold Hall and near the Pharmacy building. Chef’s kiss.

Perfect summer memory.

We’re Number 1

Posted on by

Just not in football, but in an academic honor, this time.

The Morehead Honors College is home to recipients of some of the nation’s most prestigious and competitive academic awards. (Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA)

The University of Georgia Jere W. Morehead Honors College was recently ranked the No. 1 honors program or college in the nation by College Transitions, publishers of the best-selling guide, Colleges Worth Your Money.

College Transitions identified three general characteristics—selectivity, benefits offered, and program rigor—for which each honors program or college was scored. Those scores were then standardized, weighted and totaled.

Selectivity, which included test scores, GPA, and acceptance rate, accounted for 25% of a school’s overall score. Rigor, or the number of honors credit hours students are required to take as well as minimum GPA required to remain an honors student, also accounted for 25% of the overall score. The remaining 50% was dedicated to benefits, which included living-learning opportunities, research offerings, and support for applications to national and other competitive scholarships.

What a lovely honor for our beloved University. I never knew this existed when I was on campus, but, then again, I wasn’t exactly an honors student either. (: