The event known as September Days began as a stopgap measure for music fans after the cancellation of AthFest Music & Arts Festival in 2021, then established its legs further last year, and is now coming into its own as an expected entry on the local live music calendar.
Back when everyone was wishing and hoping for our music scene to return to some state of normalcy, and our annual AthFest had already been moved to an early autumn date away from its traditional June schedule, the hammer came down that the local government would not grant necessary permits for the event to happen. So, the key booking folks Troy Aubrey and Drew Beskin acted quickly. Betting that there would still be an eager audience, and wanting to also support artists already booked for the canceled AthFest, they put together an ambitious three-day lineup for the inaugural September Days. Last year, they slimmed it down to two days, and this is the same size of event they’ll host this year.
Now standing at a reasonable and navigable 17 acts, this year’s event once again features Modern Skirts in a prominent position after its absence last year. Seems fitting, too, considering the whole thing is named after one of the group’s songs.
The division of labor between Aubrey and Beskin tends to fall on the line between artist relations and administration. Beskin says, “We usually divide the roles. We will lay out a template of a festival and both take a crack at it and then debate over whose idea is better, and then once we feel good about it we individually reach out to the artists and start locking them in. We’ll have alternates [and] backups if for some reason a band isn’t available or already has shows booked around that time. I am definitely more on the artist relations and booking side of things and coordinate artwork [and] social media with SD, and Troy works with the venue and production and marketing [and] promotions and hospitality side of things. Troy is the heart [and] leader of September Days, and I mainly stay in the lane of navigating booking and advancing with the artists.”
Significant to, and concurrent with, the rise of September Days as an anticipated Athens event is the notable expansion of our live music scene beyond its traditional downtown footprint. The event’s site, Southern Brewing Company, picked up the veritable torch during those heady days of shuttered indoor venues and has become one of the most dedicated venues in town. Audiences responded quickly and forcefully to its live music calendar when nothing else was going on, and chances seem good that attending shows there provided many with their first live Athens music experience.
Beskin remarks, “When Athens was starting to have shows again [Southern Brewing] was the one place everyone was comfortable going to. The Pink Stones, a band I manage, album release in April of 2021 was a huge moment for me, and seeing other big shows like Hotel Fiction there cemented how fun it was to work with them. Pre-pandemic I wasn’t the kind to leave downtown for a show because I was an Athens snob like that… It’s [only] an eight minute drive [out of downtown] which people in Atlanta would kill for. It’s a lovely spot.”
This year’s lineup is stacked pretty evenly between its two days. Doors open at 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29 with a lineup, in order of appearance, that includes Terminally Phil, Nicholas Mallis, Thayer Sarrano (with full band), McKendrick Bearden, The Parker Gispert Band and Modern Skirts. On Saturday, Sept. 30, doors open at noon, and featured acts in order of appearance are Wonderland Rangers, Ancient Infant, Meredith Tilton, Hunlo, Patio, Sarah Mootz, Dinner Time, CDSM, Monsoon, Shehehe and Upchuck.
Tickets are $20 per day in advance or $25 at the door. Weekend passes are available for $35 in advance or $40 at the door. Attendees are welcome to bring their own food and non-alcoholic beverages, but there will be vending on site as well.
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