Wednesday, February 2, 2011

BotJam playing at the 40 Watt!

We've got some great musical talent at the Garden that will be playing Friday night. Come support them and a great cause. William Tonks explains it all below:
This will be one for the record books. This week will see a three night battle of the bands descend on the 40 Watt Club, the epicenter of Athens’ musical scene. The event, a benefit for Nuci’s Space, has allowed local businesses (25 have entered!) to corral their talent and put together a band specifically for this, what it known as the AthensBusinessRocks contest. Well, here at the SBG, we have a leg up, as there is already an ensemble ready to go, made up entirely of SBG staff, present and past, going by the name “botjam.” The players: Susan Cooper (Gift Shop Mgr), Bill Kirch (Visitor Services), Bill Leveque (Hort. Staff), Ryan McNeill (former Hort. Staff curator), Steve Mitchell (former hort. staff curator), Wade Seymour (Hort. Staff, Hort Staff, Shene Stroud, Visitor Services, and William Tonks, Visitor Services. The gig: a 15 minute set Friday night, February 4, at 9:30 at the Fabulous Forty Watt Club. There is a cool website at athensbusinessrocks.com, which lists more details about the event and the competition, and the far-ranging, interesting rules for judging.
If you are willing to venture out for a pretty-early slot, 9:30 on a weekend night (the bands play til 1:00, and they initially had us slated for the 11:30 slot, but I wheedled us a more friendly time), that will increase the likelihood of success-big support, big results! They will be charging an admission fee ($5) at the door, and all this goes to Nuci’s as well. The 40 Watt’s pleasant and experienced barkeeps can meet any beverage need, and you get a chance to be part of a really cool cause, and have a chance to see if Botjam can deliver (and what they’ll deliver!). And, if you really, really want to get involved, you can vote for botjam on the website, with your dollars attached, and this is one of the judging criteria. So, if you can’t attend Friday night, you can still help propel Botjam to the final round! So, big opportunity for fun, for involvement in a great cause, great pr connection for the SBG, a great night out with your friends, both offstage and on, and, from what I’ve heard so far, some pretty fine singing, picking, banging and shaking! Let there be rock.