By: Georgia Hartley

_{Left to right- Donnie Malone, Ben Shytle, Jordan Russell and Eli Bell prepare to take the 40 Watt Club stage on Feb. 27, 2024. They make up the band Rosie and the Ratdogs, where they bring psychedelic, punk metal to their listeners. (Photo/Rosie and the Ratdogs)}

A metal sound will fill the halls of the 40 Watt Club at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27 as four Georgia-based bands, Apostle, Rosie and the Ratdogs, Attest and Oxystar, will take the stage. 

Rosie and the Ratdogs, an Athens band named after former band member, Andrew DeLong’s, beloved dog, Rosie, recognize that their sound may be different from what the typical Athens listener is used to. The Classic City is known for its alternative and indie rock music scenes. However, the band agrees that they have seen growth in the Athens metal scene over the past five years and expect that growth to continue. 

“There is a scene for sure, but it’s not very prominent,” said Eli Bell, the drummer for Rosie and the Ratdogs. 

Rosie and the Ratdogs formed seven years ago but they expressed that they had not taken their band seriously until this past year. The current members have played together since summer 2023. This will be the first time this band iteration will play at 40 Watt Club. This includes Donnie Malone on vocals, Ben Shytle on guitar, Jordan Russell on bass and Eli Bell on drums. 

Attendees of Tuesday’s 40 Watt Club event should expect hardcore punk, high-energy performances, and a lot of headbanging, or, as Shytle described it, “heavy psych-sludge-metal.”

“I kick a bunch and there’s a moment where I look at one of these guys… and I just started laughing because I’m uncontrollably tired, but also having like the most fun I’ve ever had,” Malone said.

Oxystar will open the show, followed by Attest, Rosie and the Ratdogs and Apostle. The 40 Watt Club’s doors will open to the public at 7 p.m. and the music will begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10. 

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Why I Wrote the Story:

Athens, Georgia, is known for its music scene, but not its heavy metal music scene. Four heavy metal punk bands taking the stage at the 40 Watt Club constituted a newsworthy event. During this event, I learned valuable journalistic skills about covering live music, especially doing interviews in a loud, fast-paced environment.

Event Coverage

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By: Georgia Hartley

Eric Carter is the remaining member of the Athens band Bloodkin, which he has continued to pursue after the death, in May of 2021, of his longtime bandmate and best friend, Daniel Hutchens.

_{Eric Carter, co-founder of the band Bloodkin, holds his guitar in his home in Athens on April 18. (Photo/Georgia Hartley)}

Q: How long have you been playing music, and when did you and Danny solidify your musical partnership? 

A: Well, our musical partnership was solidified pretty young. We grew up on the same street and we had, you know, we just discovered all these things that we had in common. And when we got to probably about teenage years, because we both always really liked music, but that’s when we started. He started picking up guitar and the first thing I was actually learning to play was drums. 

Q: Did you have a specific moment in your life where you were like this is it like, I know that this is what I’m going to spend my life doing?

A: When we were going to Marshall (a university in Huntington, West Virginia) there was this club. It was called Snaks Fifth Avenue. And they had one night a week where it was like an open mic night. Danny would go there with another buddy of ours and do his thing and play some. I was thinking about stand-up comedy so I would do a little 15-minute thing or whatever. But, I sat in with him there one night doing that with him and our buddy and the response was this is what I need to do. That little moment, that one night at that bar, that’s where I felt most comfortable, like okay, this is what I’m meant to do. 

Q: Do you remember the first show you saw in Athens and how you felt? 

A: We went to see a show at the 40 Watt and any of this stuff would have been exciting to us. It illustrates how diverse the types of bands are that are here. We saw Porn Orchard and Dreams So Real sharing a gig together. That just illustrated how, you know, these are two completely different things, but they are playing a show together. I thought that was really cool. 

Q: Do you have a part of Bloodkin that you are most proud of? 

A: Well, I was really proud of the “Black Market Tango” record. When we decided we were going to try to make another record, he came over and it was just like when we were kids. We sat down on the floor with our guitars. We sat there for probably like three hours just like kind of putting this together.  

Q: After Danny died, did you know you wanted to carry on with Bloodkin or was there ever a moment when you thought about moving on from it and doing something different? 

A: There’s always a moment with me as long as I’ve been a musician where it’s like I’ve had enough of this because I’m lazy. But I will say if it wasn’t for our manager Carison Stokes… like she’s an old friend. She’s been around Athens for a long time. But she’s the one that kind of stepped in, to kind of keep it going or kind of helped me get it together. She’s actually also the one that spearheaded us even doing the last record, “Black Market Tango,” you know, with me and Danny. 

Comments trimmed for length and clarity.

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Why I Wrote the Story:

I am a long-time fan of Bloodkin’s music so this was a great opportunity for me to begin to dip my toes into the world of music journalism. Since Hutchens died in 2021, the band known as Bloodkin has undergone many changes. I wanted to hear, from Eric Carter himself, about these changes.

By: Georgia Hartley

_{Kelly Girtz, the mayor of Athens-Clarke County, talks to the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication students in UGA’s Instructional Plaza South Auditorium on April 19, 2024. Girtz explains what direction the commission is moving in to ensure affordable housing and sustainable land development for Athens residents. (Photo/Georgia Hartley)}

Athenians have given their input on what they would like future land use to look like in Athens. Athens-Clarke County (ACC) Mayor Kelly Girtz explained his plans for Athens land use in a recent news conference at the University of Georgia. 

According to surveys of ACC residents, the public is looking for more small businesses, walkability, bike paths and green spaces as the Athens population continues to increase. 

About 30,000 new people are expected to reach the Athens-Clarke County area by 2045. In order to accommodate this influx of new Athenians, Girtz and the ACC commission have created plans for Affordable Housing and Future Land Use over the next two decades. 

“We believe that building our way out of this supply crunch is going to be one of the long-term benefits to the population,” Girtz said. 

In addition to the supply issue, rent has increased 54%, but household incomes have only increased 29% according to the Affordable Housing Investment Strategy.

“I think it’s ridiculously expensive for a student, let alone an actual Athens resident,” said Anna Chen, a second-year finance major. 

About 4700 households in Athens are severely cost-burdened, meaning greater than 50% of their income goes to rent and utilities, according to Girtz. The Future Land Use Plan for ACC looks to alleviate some of the housing stress for Athens residents and consider community input on land use. 

The ACC Mayor and Commission has also dedicated over $2 million to assisting the homeless population. Mayor Girtz will present this year’s budget to the county commission in the coming weeks, which includes a $1 million fund for affordable housing. The hope is that the county will be able to purchase lots that have been “dormant and underutilized,” according to Girtz, and transform them into housing in neighborhoods where the infrastructure already exists. 

Jason Jacobs, a candidate for the ACC Commission in District 2, suggested, in an April candidate forum, that better use of existing resources, such as utilizing these types of lots, can aid in helping the homeless population in Athens. 

Also among the topics of discussion about affordable housing and land use in Athens has been student housing. The University of Georgia’s admissions office reports that the university enrolls around 40,000 students, each needing a place to live in Athens. 

Chen explained that when looking for housing, students often sacrifice proximity to campus for a better price point. 

“I’m the first to say that students are residents,” Girtz said. 

Girtz addressed these concerns, explaining that high-density, student-oriented housing projects have been approved, not in places where people were already living, but in places that were formerly asphalt parking lots or old banks. 

“If we did not permit student-oriented housing, that will put additional pressure on existing neighbors,” Girtz said. 

The Future Land Use is currently undergoing public input. This summer, a draft of the Future Land Use Plan will be created and then considered by the mayor and the commission. Athens-Clarke County predicts the plan will see final approval by the end of 2024.

“Among the things we all need is a place to live,” Girtz said. 

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Why I Wrote the Story:

Land use and affordable housing are hot topics of conversation in my Athens community. I was able to attend a news conference with Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz to understand what the county plans to do to address the lack of affordable housing opportunities, homelessness and the preservation of greenspaces and small businesses. Everyone in Athens should be informed on these issues.