The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/9/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Waites Laseter Zion Godchaux, guitarist for band BoomBox, performs at the Georiga Theatre. The band plans to upgrade their shows with bigger productions. [Click to enlarge]

The recession is raging. With national unemployment at a 10-year high of 8.1 percent, and the Dow Jones Industrial average nearly halving itself since its all-time high just 20 months ago, there are feelings of doom and gloom in just about every industry.

Except live music.

Even as the recession deepens, the Georgia Theatre seems to be getting bigger and bigger.

With bands like Perpetual Groove, Keller Williams, Sister Hazel, Citizen Cope and Sound Tribe Sector 9 selling out concerts since January, the Theatre almost seems recession-proof.

"I've had a great year," said Wil Greene, owner and operator of the Athens music venue. "I think that as times get tougher, bigger bands will start booking shows at venues this size. I feel that this size venue is as large as you can get and still get that real concert experience. And larger bands, like Sound Tribe, know they can drop down to a venue this size and absolutely destroy it."

It's not just the Theatre that is surviving the troubling economic times.

BoomBox, the jam-tronic duo of Russ Randolph and Zion Godchaux from Muscle Shoals, Ala., has been successfully working the road since 2004.

"We've actually seen an influx of new faces at our shows," said Godchaux, backstage after a sound check at the Theatre. "Music is medicine, and people need their medicine now more than ever."

Randolph said, "There have been a couple of really cool venues that have had to close down, but that's really the worst we've seen. Things change so quickly in this scene, the key is to always be growing. The average concert go-er is much savvier than they were a few years ago, and I think that's a trend that's going to continue. I think you're going to start seeing shows become much more of a production, incorporating lights and digital displays more. Generally taking the show to the next level."

Continued...

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