Steeple coming down? Richard Hamm The crumbling Oconee Street steeple - all that is left of St. Mary's Episcopal Church where R.E.M. played its first show in 1980 - is set for demolition. By JULIE PHILLIPS - julie.phillips@onlineathens.com Published Wednesday, January 19, 2011 R.E.M. played its first show at the old St. Mary’s Episcopal Church on Oconee Street in 1980. All that’s left of the church is the crumbling steeple. The Steeplechase Condominium Association, which owns the steeple, recently reviewed the ongoing costs for repairs and voted to destroy the dilapidated structure, according to Ken Parker of Parker and Associates Property Management, which is employed by the condominium association. The vote came after a recent inspection noted the roof has deteriorated. Doug Hansford, director of building permits and inspection for Athens-Clarke County, required the association to make the needed repairs by Jan. 7. "We're willing to work with them on the time-frame," Hansford said. Condo association members have talked for years about what to do with the structure, Parker said. "We've talked about parceling it out and annexing it and gifting it to somebody if they'd like to take it and repair it," he said. "The association is up for all those kinds of options." The estimated cost of repairing the structure varies. Jeff Montgomery, a dedicated R.E.M. fan and media analyst in the Public Information Office for the Athens-Clarke government, spoke with an historic preservation specialist in 2005 who estimated it would cost $150,000 for full restoration, including restoring stone and installing steel wall ties and concrete and steel footings. Parker thinks that estimate is high, he said, and the roof might be repaired for $20,000. Demolition would cost half that, he said. "As (the association) talked about it, we said repairs would go on forever, and decided just to tear it down. Nobody wants to (see the steeple destroyed), but it's not in the purpose of the homeowner's association to maintain it," Parker said. "It's nothing but maintenance." That's part of the problem, Montgomery said. "It's an icon, and of course I would like to see it preserved, but there are issues that make it problematic - financial, location and liability," he said. The steeple is different from another local R.E.M. icon, the Trail Creek trestle that appeared on the back of R.E.M.'s 1983 debut album Murmur, which the county bought for $25,000 in 2000. The trestle, Montgomery said, might be re-used as a path for bikes and pedestrians. But the steeple doesn't have a clear use, especially considering where it stands - in the parking lot for Steeplechase Condominiums. "There's a reason we've been talking it over for several years," he said. "We hope we can find some solution, but right now we just don't know what any realistic options are." Bertis Downs, manager for R.E.M., didn't want to comment. Band members opted out of participating in restoration efforts to the Trail Creek trestle, noting at the time they preferred to offer money to other organizations in the community. The Athens-Clarke Commission must approve a demolition permit for the steeple because the structure is more than 50 years old, said Rick Cowick, senior planner for the county. Commissioner Alice Kinman, who called the steeple a "community landmark," said she would probably put a hold on it when the condominium association applies for a permit. "That's certainly the kind of thing where I would want to give somebody a chance to maybe buy the steeple and move it," Kinman said. Newly elected Athens-Clarke County Mayor Nancy Denson said she would consider other options as well. "If it's something they (the two commissioners) want to do, I would totally support them doing it," Denson said. The steeple is included on a music history tour of Athens each year during AthFest (and by appointment through the Convention and Visitors Bureau throughout the year). "It is a valuable structure indeed from a tourism perspective," said Chuck Jones, director of Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau. "We have a lot of international visitors who come here because of the music history, and ask to see the trestle, the steeple, Wuxtry Records, places that are part of that." The steeple is next-door to another structure that's part of Athens music lore, the Print Shop, which was gutted by fire Nov. 1. Besides a hangout, the Print Shop was where designers laid out early issues of Flagpole magazine. • Staff writer Blake Aued contributed to this article.

Chris Shaffer of The Why Store doing "Lack of Water":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhMepzqJvIw

Turns out it's only available through the band's website and through independent record stores. My local record store didn't get any in yesterday due to delays caused by inclement weather but I'm told they should have it in before day's end today.

I think it's all about convenience as far as creating devices that allow you take your music with you whether it be 8-tracks, cassettes, Walkmans, CDs or mp3 players. With each of those there's very diminished sound quality, all part of the sacrifice some listeners are evidently willing to take just so they can take their music with them. As I mentioned in my previous post, at least vinyl sales are on the upsurge, which is a very good sign. Vast improvements have been made to CDs since they were first introduced but since it's all digitized there's still significant loss in the overall sound quality compared to analog. Hopefully vinyl, which offers the complete spectrum of sound that's impossible to duplicate in a digital format, will never go away for good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L9F0qSsRtI

Strides are being made to improve the quality of mp3s. For instance, digital downloads for the new Gregg Allman record come in a variety of different formats. The Black Crowes and other artists do this as well but it seems to be directed at fans who actually demand high quality audio. Not every artist does this. The danger is, and always has been since mp3s were first introduced, is that some casual music consumers who don't care about quality will cause more and more artists to only offer low quality digital downloads. Since it's the casual consumer that drives the market this could lead to low quality audio becoming the norm. That's the main thing that concerns me because it does indeed make a difference, a very huge difference. I stayed away from mp3s for years, then I was gifted with an iPod. I was reluctant to even use it at first but once I learned how to use it (and my iTunes), neither of which was all that hard, I liked the convenience of no longer having to lug my CDs around with me everywhere I go. At home I do listen to music through my computer a lot but I'm also not seeking high quality (unless I can get it) at the moment because I really don't have a super nice sound system on my computer to justify it. Otherwise, I plan on upgrading my home stereo in the near future to include a brand new receiver, speakers, turntable, etc. The main reason is because I still buy vinyl (both new and used) and I also still purchase compact discs. Oftentimes, if a new record is available on vinyl and comes with a download card, that's the route I go. I'd much rather have a high grade vinyl album than a CD and the download card makes it easy to listen to on either my computer or my iPod. I'm no audiophile either but I do want the highest quality possible because the last thing I want is for mp3s (no matter the quality) to become the only way we can get music. It's a compressed digital file format and none of us want that, or more accurately, I don't. Strangely enough, vinyl sales continue to increase. They'll probably never surpass CD or digital download sales but it goes to show that those that are serious about their music listening are demanding something more than an intangible digital file.

Thanks for the heads up. I'm not totally opposed to downloads if it's a record that's out of print or a vinyl record that comes with a download card, otherwise I like the actual physical product. I do appreciate it though.

Loved this one very much. I haven't seen a lot of the Coen brothers movies over the years but the ones I have seen, I've enjoyed very much. This one is no exception. Going to follow it up tonight with a look back at the first version starring John Wayne and Glen Campbell just for comparison's sake. It's been eons since I've last seen it.

I had intended to pick up Pearl Jam's new one, Live on Ten Legs today as well but it was nowhere to be found. Did anyone else have any trouble locating a copy? I know when they did that promotion with Target last year for Backspacer (that was supposed to come out on a Sunday) that it was nowhere to be found either. Perhaps it has to do with them trying to operate their own record label (Monkeywrench Records), who knows. CD/DVD

You have the choice of just totally doing away with TV but that's up to you. I recently moved and when I did I didn't sign up for cable except for my internet connection. If I want to watch TV shows I can use Hulu or watch most of them via their respective websites. There's really no need in paying $70+ a month for cable. How we access music is changing, the same way as TV. Before long, the traditional structures that previously supported them will completely collapse. If you have a black box on top of your television set, it's there by your own choosing.

John Prine wrote a song about it a long time ago, it's called "Spanish Pipedream": As for video killing the radio star, I don't buy that for a second. Radio still continues to produce a lot of good music (and "stars"). Music video as an artform disappeared from the airwaves long ago, if ever even existed to start with. So many talk about how good MTV was in it's early days but as I recall it never really had a whole lot to offer. The only redeeming qualities to ever come out of MTV and VH1 were 120 Minutes, Postmodern MTV, Behind the Music (even that's a stretch), Legends, Rocumentaries, Storytellers and Unplugged.

There's at least three records coming out tomorrow that are on my radar, new studio albums from Gregg Allman (Low Country Blues) and the Decemberists (The King Is Dead) and Pearl Jam's new live one (Live On Ten Legs). You can listen to the Decemberists' The King Is Dead here and the Gregg Allman's Low Country Blues here. Here's a taste of the new Pearl Jam: Any new albums coming out tomorrow that anyone else is looking forward to?

That would be nice but considering how long it took Led Zeppelin DVD to come out I wouldn't be holding my breath.

I bought it on cassette so I could listen to it immediately in my car and bought the vinyl later. Since the cassette only featured the plain brown wrapper, the idea of the six different covers was kind of lost on it.

Careful, it's apparently just that sort of helpful suggestion that's enough to set Leddy off. You've been warned...

Yeah, I had no idea it was him until the end. That was one of the few redeeming qualities of the movie which I otherwise found a waste of time.

Also very cool, they're a NC band but not really my cup of tea musically. I'm sure they'll fit in fine with Clutch and Motörhead.

Just a few of David Lindley's guitars:

Cool. I love Clutch, not so much into Motörhead though.

This documentary is a must-see for any fan of Joni, CSN & Y, the Byrds, etc.:

Only vaguely, I remember Jimmy Buffett mentioning him once in reference to some of the artists he likes to listen to.