Sam Lipkin

The AthFest Music & Arts Festival is taking place downtown this weekend, June 26–28, with three outdoor stages, an artist market, a kidsfest area, 14 club crawl venues and more. For the full schedule of events and descriptions of each performer, see below. You can also view all of the live music events in Flagpole‘s online calendar by using the “event category” filter “AthFest.” For more information and details about the festival as a whole, see “Flagpole’s Guide to the AthFest Music & Arts Festival.”

Nostalgic indie rock, power pop band Little Gold released its single “Public Dog” on all streaming platforms today ahead of its album release for Public Dog on July 24. As the title track the album (available for preorder now), frontman Christian DeRoeck says that it’s about that one friend everyone roots for but can never get their life together. “This song evaded me for months. I recorded roughly 12 different demos, each one slightly tweaked, slightly closer to correct, incrementally torturing myself all while wondering, ‘Is this even good?’ I finally got the structure and lyrics to a place I was happy with, and we went into the studio to lay down the basic tracks,” says DeRoeck. “Brandon [Page] and […]

The Athens Music Walk of Fame Committee officially announced five new inductees for 2026 in between acts during the AthFest Music & Arts Festival on Friday, June 26. Honorees included Mary Frances Early, Elite tha Showstoppa, Hugh Hodgson, The Jesters and Wuxtry Records. Each will have their own bronze plaque installed into a downtown sidewalk. Celebrating Athens’ rich cultural legacy, the project spans a two-square-block area bound by Pulaski, East Washington, North Lumpkin and East Clayton streets. The Athens Music Walk of Fame debuted in 2020 with 10 inductees: The B-52s, Danger Mouse (Brian Joseph Burton), Drive-By Truckers, The Elephant 6 Recording Company, Hall Johnson, Neal Pattman, Pylon, R.E.M., Vic Chesnutt and Widespread Panic. The following year, honorees included Bob […]

Over the weekend while a few scattered thunderstorms halted Saturday’s festivities during the AthFest Music & Arts festival in downtown Athens, our hometown heroes The B-52s narrowly missed a tornado that destroyed their gear on stage at a festival in France.

The second annual Athens 706 Day returns with the goal to bring together local residents, families, businesses and community organizations for a day of fun and connection. Named for the local 706 area code, the event was envisioned by Alesha Smith and Isaiah Stephens as a way to bring different generations together in celebration and appreciation of the Athens community. There will be free food, athletic competitions, a water balloon fight, music and a vendor area for resources and businesses. In the spirit of supporting local, organizers have worked with locally owned businesses to continue the celebration on Monday for a 706 Saving Day, where businesses that signed up will offer a $7.06 inspired deal. The list of participating businesses […]

Last weekend the local shoegaze-inspired, grunge-tinged band Trepid made big strides releasing its debut EP Together // Apart on Friday, then taking the AthFest main stage on Saturday. Composed of members Maymay Bryant (vocals), Turner Chastain (rhythm guitar), J. Ben Turk (lead guitar), Adam Smith (bass) and Ethan Houseman (drums), the group has been playing together for roughly two years. Chastain and Turk had played together in multiple bands and wanted to create their own project that was “truly impactful, tight and heavy,” they say. The duo recruited Houseman based on his performance in the band Swear Jar, then Maymay joined about a week before the band’s first show. After seeing some teasers the fledgling band posted on Instagram, she […]

Mixed-media artist Jennifer Heynen’s exhibition “Interwoven,” featuring sculpture and paintings, will open at the Lyndon House Arts Center next week with a reception on Thursday, July 16 from 5:30–7:30 p.m. Inspired by the coast, Heynen’s works embody a warm and playful summer energy that also invites the viewer to take a moment of reflection. She graduated from Indiana University with a BFA in ceramics, and works commercially as an artist out of her Athens studio. More info about the exhibition can be found at accgov/exhibits, but Heynen shared with Flagpole what inspires her process. Flagpole: You use so many different mediums and materials. Do you find different inspirations in each of those?Jennifer Heynen: I love to tackle a new craft […]

Mixed-media artist Jennifer Heynen’s exhibition “Interwoven,” featuring sculpture and paintings, will open at the Lyndon House Arts Center next week with a reception on Thursday, July 16 from 5:30–7:30 p.m. Inspired by the coast, Heynen’s works embody a warm and playful summer energy that also invites the viewer to take a moment of reflection. She graduated from Indiana University with a BFA in ceramics, and works commercially as an artist out of her Athens studio. More info about the exhibition can be found at

Last week ended with news of two downtown establishments closing on East Clayton Street: Barberitos and Bad Moon. While Bad Moon held its final night over the weekend, the owners of Barberitos said that they’ll be closing the franchise’s first Athens location at the end of the month. Keith Neace, the owner and operator of Barberitos Downtown for the past 20 years, said that he wanted to publish a thank you letter to all of Athens. Dear Athens,Change is inevitable. It’s as certain as death and taxes, and a “wise man” taking credit for saying it. But enough with using an attempt at humor to mask forlorn relatability. With a slightly saddened soul, a false stoic demeanor (we’ve already cried […]

Although it was never intended to happen this way, Christian DeRoeck’s nostalgic rock project Little Gold has released its last three albums six years apart—allowing for a lot of life to happen in between. The latest of these releases is Public Dog, courtesy of Tall Texan Records and available on July 24.