Is the Gambler Coming Back to Athens?

According to today's Wall Street Journal, Kenny Rogers and his lady are planning a return to the Classic City.

This article details plans for Rogers -- a country icon of the 1970s and 1980s -- to sell his Atlanta mansion (pictured) and return to his "ranch" outside of Athens. I'm not sure if this is the one he used to live on near Winterville and Colbert called Beaver Dam Farms. Through the years, Kenny built a beautiful home and golf course out there. In the early 2000s the farm was sold to some speculators several years ago who then partnered with the Classic Center -- or a different location. There has not been much news about Beaver Dam Farms in recent months, so perhaps he has repurchased his former home.

Either way, welcome back, Kenny! It's good to see another country musician returning to the Classic City after time away -- once the Classic City gets in your system, you can't get it out. Let's have a Six Pack to celebrate!

P.S. Photos of the Rogers' Atlanta home and grounds are above. Note also that the referenced slideshow on the top photo does not work.

UPDATE: The AJC is reporting that Kenny's new home is on a 150 acre estate in Nicholson, just up the road in Jackson County. He describes it to AJC reporter Julie Hairston as "kind of like Disneyland with animals." Other details aside from the new home include a seven-acre lake stocked with fish and five miles of groomed trails for walking or biking.

Music for Nothing, Shows for Free

It started with the cassette tape. Suddenly, it was no longer necessary to pay for recorded music. If your friend owned a copy of Fat Boys Crushin’ or Kool Moe Dee’s How Ya Like Me Now? (two of my favorites in the 80s, you could purchase a cassette tape for a couple bucks and dub the whole album for free. Dubbing cassette tapes wasn’t enough to send the recorded music industry spiraling into the pits of Rock Purgatory, but with the introduction of CD-Rs, mp3 format, Napster and now BitTorrents, music pirates are pillaging record labels’ and bands’ treasure chests like never before. I’ll not offer my opinion on whether or not I think that it’s right or wrong; good or bad; or a curse or a blessing. The truth is that free music is all of the above.

Lately, the idea of “free music” has spilled over into Athens’ live music scene. From 40 Watt to Go Bar to The Farm, nearly every local venue is now offering free shows.Instrumental in planning and promoting many of these free shows is local indie rock dignitary and musician Mercer West and his DIY venture “Party Party Partners” aka “Hey Guys.” Throughout April, West put together 30 free shows at Athens venues.

As a musician, performer and music lover, I think that the wave of free shows is a great way to get people excited about the Athens music scene again. In any good music town, there are periods of waxing and waning. The last 2 or 3 years have felt a little slow in Athens, but with R.E.M. and the B-52s releasing new albums this year, Of Montreal taking over the world, and newer bands like The Whigs, Dead Confederate and The Modern Skirts receiving plenty of national spotlight, I think we’re in an upswing. And it’s not like there were too many Athens bands getting rich from playing non-free shows prior to this new trend.

There’s something inherently “communal” about free shows. I’d encourage anyone to take in a free show and see what you think.If you’re not into the bands, then you’re not out any cash. But if you find the music catchy, cool, fun or otherwise interesting, I urge you to offer a donation or buy a CD or two. None of the bands I know are playing music for the money (there isn’t much to go around), but most serious bands spend dozens of hours every week writing, recording, practicing, booking shows, promoting their shows, etc.--all in an attempt to put on a good performance for you, the listener. Many bands want to take their music to audiences outside of their home town, but touring isn’t free (or even cheap). If you went to a free art opening and really liked the paintings, you’d probably pay to take one home if you could afford it. If you really like the music, you should do the same.