Athens, GA (April 17, 2019) - AthFest Educates made its first round of announcements for this year’s 23rd annual AthFest Music & Arts Festival, which will take place June 21st – 23rd. Outdoor stage headliners include Walden, AFTM, The Orange Constant, Dreams So Real, and The Producers. The three-day free outdoor festival—which raises money for AthFest Educates--includes music on three stages, an artist market, KidsFest, food trucks, and vendors. After the outdoor stages wrap up, the AthFest Club Crawl begins, with music at over a dozen Athens music venues. Wristbands for the Club Crawl and VIP tickets are on sale now on AthFest.com, and Club Crawl headliners will be announced May 1st. The festival is enhanced by Georgia Council for the Arts and National Endowment for the Arts grant funding, as well as an Athens Downtown Development Association grant.
Friday night headliner Walden formed in Athens when UGA students put together the four-piece rock band and very shortly after played the AthFest CD Release Party. A few short years later and they’re headlining the festival. The band has played multiple festivals, including Bonnaroo and Shaky Knees.
Saturday night co-headliner AFTM prides itself as a band that experiments with sounds from classic southern rock, blues, funk, and psychedelia traditions to create a unique sound all their own. The six-piece band, formed in Athens in 2017, puts on a high energy live performance and has sold out the Georgia Theatre twice. Coheadliner that night is The Orange Constant, bringing a vintage rock/contemporary jam sound and experience. The Saturday night AthFest shows are bound to be a lively dance party in the streets of Athens. DJ RX will spin in the beer garden after the shows as well.
The lineup Sunday night will feature legendary Athens bands The Producers and Dreams So Real. The 1980s power-pop trio Dreams So Real will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of their Arista Records album “Rough Night in Jericho” by reuniting to play the festival. The album received heavy airplay on the radio and MTV in 1989 and the band toured the world promoting it. The Producers will also take the stage Sunday night. They also formed in Athens in the 1980s and became a regional favorite. They headlined the MTV New Year’s Eve show in 1982. Their performance at AthFest will be their first live show since 2012. The night also includes longtime Athens rockers Pylon Reenactment Society and Daisy, making it a throwback experience to remember.
Troy Aubrey, Music Chair for AthFest said, “AthFest has always been about putting together a great representation of the Athens music scene. This year we have headliners that include young bands who are really coming on strong and are part of the current wave of what’s next in Athens music. We’ve got a nice mix of classic Athens music and the current sound of Athens music. I’m excited about this year’s festival and the crowd these bands will bring out, and for older folks to come out and see what this generation of musician are producing, and for younger folks to come experience the music and artists who shaped the music scene and made Athens what it is today.”
# # #
Media Contact:
Rachel Allen
(706) 490-7188
media@athfesteducates.org
