AthCastMusic: The Music of Athens GA, Now and Then

WELCOME TO ATHCASTMUSIC: THE MUSIC OF ATHENS GA, NOW AND THEN. Quentin Love , is an up-and-coming musician based in the Athens, Georgia. He describes himself as a “songwriter and musician. I play everything on my records and produce them myself.” He maintains he doesn’t have a select style of music. “However, if you have heard Quention, which you should, he definitely has some vintage Californian...

Today’s episode is a special one. There’s a new chapter unfolding here, and it comes with fresh energy, big ideas, and a deep respect for everything this space has meant to the community over the years. We’re talking about the new owners—Lexi Torres and Dave Martin, the new owners of Hendershots. They talk about Who are they are and what pulled them toward Hendershot’s? And what do they imagine fo...

Hello everyone! Hope all is well with all who are listening. I am accused many times of being too sentimental, but I can’t help it sometimes. Right now, the Seniors at UGA are getting ready for Graduation! They are everywhere taking pictures under the famous “Arches” and many other landmarks on campus. I love watching this happening every year for several reasons. 1. It reminds me of my days at Ka...

David Barbe grew up in Atlanta, Georgia , where he attended Ridgeview High School and began playing in bands during the 1970s. Barbe’s parents were influential in his love as music as both his parents, John and Jane Barbe were big band musicians as well as creating Jingles. David Barbe arrived in Athens, Georgia in 1981 to attend the University of Georgia, and stepped straight into a music scene t...

Welcome to AthCastMusic, the music of Athens, Georgia now and then. My name is Marlene Sokol Stewart, and this is my podcast. Hello, hello, hello, everyone. I hope everyone's doing well. It's been crazy flying around this country with the TSA crap going on, but... We made it back to Athens fine and I made it here to record this episode and I'm very happy about that because my guest today is Randal...

WELCOME TO ATHCASTMUSIC THE MUSIC OF ATHENS GEORGIA NOW AND THEN. I’M MARLENE SOKOL STEWART AND THIS IS MY PODCAST UGA’S SPRING BREAK IS THIS WEEK. IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE QUIETER, LESS TRAFFIC, EASIER TO GET INTO RESTAURANTS AND TIME FOR THE TOWNIES TO TAKE A BREATH. BUT I HAVE TO TELL YOU, ATHENS IS NOT TAKING A SPRING BREAK. THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO HERE THIS WEEK. MUSIC EVERYWHERE, OUTSIDE AND INSID...

Seth Hendershot is simply one of the best Athenian's I know! He's funny. He's in love with Coffee. It is why his business is so wonderful.. All employees love to serve you coffee and they have really good beignets . They're freaking delicious. He had a lot to say about how he got here , growing up in a very religious family and how it turned out to teach him lots of things later in life, He also t...

Welcome back to AthCastMusic. I’m Marlene Sokol Stewart and this is my Podcast. Today’s episode is a really special one for me. My guest is someone I don’t just admire, but someone I genuinely call a friend. Lisa Mende is one of those people in Athens you don’t forget the first time you see her. In fact, when I first spotted her around town, I remember thinking, Who the f— is that? The hair, the c...

Welcome to AthCastMusic. The Music of Athens, GA Now and Then. My name is Marlene Sokol Stewart and this is my Podcast. Today's guests are members of a fairly new band called Yumbo Tron. We have accomplished Athens musicians with us today Phil Kohnen is a member of Bichos Vivos, Klezmer Local 42, The Donor Party and one L. Along with Phil, some of the members of Yumbo Tron are here to talk about t...

Welcome back to AthCastMusic. My name is Marlene Sokol Stewart, and this is my Podcast. Today’s Episode is about one of those stories that feels like the ghost of Athens past. The people. The places, the timing, and the music that couldn’t have happened anywhere else. Our guest Bob Hay grew up right in the middle of the musical explosion of the ‘60’s, learning guitar after the Beatles changed ever...

Eddie Glikin —a percussionist, organizer, and longtime pillar of the Athens, Georgia music scene. Born in Buenos Aires, raised in Israel and the United States, Eddie dug his heels in Athens in1978, and spent decades performing, recording, and touring with some of Georgia’s finest musicians. But his most recent work steps beyond performance into something deeply personal and profoundly communal. Ed...

I CAN’T PROVIDE YOU ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT JOHN NEFF COLABORATED WITH IN HIS MUSICAL JOURNEY BECAUSE YOU WOULD GET DIZZY READING IT LIKE I DID. YOU’LL HEAR ME TALK ABOUT SOME, SUCH AS A FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE DRIVE BY TRUCKERS, THE ALLMAN BROS, WIDESPREAD PANIC, JAPANCAKES, PINK STONES, STAR ROOM BOYS, BLOODKIN AND PLAYED WITH BOOKER T OF THE INFAMOUS BOOKER T & THE MG’S. NOW YOUR OWN YOUR OWN...

AthCastMusic (©): The Music of Athens Georgia, Now and Then SEASON: 5 EPISODE: 48 LENGTH: 48:55 PUBLISHED: 11/27/2025 UPDATED Bi-Monthly Thursdays ENGINEER: KAYLA DOVER RECORDED AT TWEED RECORDING AUDIO PRODUCTION SCHOOL https://tweedrecording.com ( https://tweedrecording.com/ ) Produced by Marlene Sokol Stewart Photos by Raya Ackleh CONTACT FOR ATHCASTMUSIC: mailto:marlene@athcastmusic.com Instag...

Welcome to AthCastMusic: The Music of Athens, GA Now and Then. I'm Marlene Sokol Stewart, and this is my Podcast. I've been M.I.A. in Athens lately due to my very big remodeling project at my house. Whew, it's kind of sucked the life out of me. My husband and I are freaking exhausted. But we got a lot done the last few days and the light is getting brighter. There will be a lot of good things that...

Welcome back to AthCastMusic — the music of Athens Ga Now and Then Today, we’re talking with Ishues — rapper, mentor,Athens Walk of Fame recipient and community leader — whose story runs deeper than beats and rhymes. Born Ishmael Cuthbertson , Ishues has been a powerful voice in the Athens hip-hop scene, proving that this city’s sound is just as rich and diverse as its people. In the 2000s, Ishues...

Elijah Nolasco is a 21 year old Honduran American musician and student of Finance and Music Business at the University of Georgia. Elijah’s love for music began at a young age, and it wasn’t too long before his mom put him in piano lessons. Music was always important to him, and in college he figured out exactly what he wanted to do with it. Elijah began releasing original music in both English an...

Jim Wilson is a Mexican American drummer, singer, guitarist and visual artist. He began his music career as drummer for rock band Mother Jackson out of Athens, Ga in 2001 and has never looked back. Wilson currently fronts three bands: TaxiCab Verses, James Aurelio, and Los Cantares as well as drumming for the band Pilgrim and drums for troubadour Joe Cat. In addition to these established groups, J...

Andrea DeMarcus, a classically trained bassist and Juilliard grad. She returned to Georgia to do some self- help searching, being unsure and questioning her songwriting. So she left NY to head back to the place she felt would be best to take this reflection. Dave Kirslis, a self-taught guitarist riding freight trains in search of inspiration, met Andrea by chance. Though their first impression was...

Today, we’re talking with Rick Fowler and Mike Doke, members of Athens’ finest — the Rick Fowler Band. This powerhouse blues-rock group is led by Rick Fowler, whose guitar work and songwriting are a blend of blues, rock and music that will reach into the depths of your soul, you almost fall over listening to them. Alongside him are local legends in their own right: Michael Doke on guitar, Greg Vea...

Today’s episode dives into the dreamy, defiant, and deeply emotional world of Hotel Fiction — a band born from a college friendship and a fearless approach to making music that hits you right in the heart. From writing together almost immediately to dropping a debut album before most bands even book their first tour, Jade and Jess built something special — a space where genre doesn’t matter as muc...

If you haven’t heard of my next guest, like me, you are in for a wonderful treat, like me! Toni Hunlo came into my life just a short few weeks ago, when my team suggested I have him on. Who is him, I asked?? Well, once I started listening and reading about Toni, I certainly found out. Toni Hunlo is like no other Athens singer I’ve heard. You can’t say a specific genre, but you can say everything t...

Welcome to AthCastMusic: The Music of Athens Ga Now and Then. I'm your host Marlene Sokol Stewart. Today’s episode is about one man, one mic, and one very questionable leap from the 40 Watt stage. We’re talking about Cole Taylor , former tour manager for the Drive-By Truckers , lifelong wrestling fanatic, and the mastermind behind Classic City Wrestling — the wildest mashup of rock and wrestling t...

My next guests are Dana Downs and Michelle Roche. Yep, we get 2 mints in one on this next episode. Dana hails from Louisiana but was pretty much an Army Brat and came to Athens from Columbus, GA . Michelle is from the Atlanta Area. They both have been here in Athens since the “Big Bang!” Dana as a musician and beautiful singer, while Michelle was always taking care of business. Some of the bands M...

THERE PROBABLY ISN’T ANY MUSIC AFICIONADO THAT DOESN’T KNOW R.E.M. AND HOW BERTIS DOWNS BECAME THE MANAGER, LAWYER. AND PROTECTOR OF R.E.M. BERTIS DOWNS CAME TO ATHENS GA AFTER ATTENDING DAVIDSON COLLEGE IN NC, STUDYING AND DOING SOME DJ SHIFTS AT THEIR INFAMOUS RADIO STATION, WFAE. HE ATTENDED LAW SCHOOL AT UGA. BERTIS TRAVELED ALL OVER THE WORLD WITH R.E.M. , TAKING AWAY THE BUSINESS SIDE OF THE...

John Keane is a veteran producer, engineer, and musician who has been involved in the creation of many gold and multi-platinum records. He is best known for his work with R.E.M, Widespread Panic, The Indigo Girls, Robert Earl Keen, and too many more to list. He started John Keane Studios in Athens, Georgia in 1981. John became an expert on subjects such as record production, home recording, and Pr...