The Melting Point in Athens will host a release concert for Art of Field Recording Volume II, a box set compilation on Dust-to-Digital of Art Rosenbaum’s field recordings of American traditional music over 50 years. Volume I, released in 2007, has garnered two Grammy nominations, was called “blindingly beautiful” by the New York Times, and was the subject of a New Yorker article by Burkhard Bilger. For more info visit Dust To Digital.
While in Athens, be sure to grab something at Garden & Gun fave 5&10 restaurant. The mag raves: Embracing a dress code “from Speedo to tuxedo,” the 5 & 10 injects down-home modern into Southern classics. Named for a five-and-dime that once stood on the same lot, the 5 & 10’s menu shifts daily, with a few stalwarts, such as Frogmore stew—a tasty spawn of a Lowcountry boil and bouillabaisse—always available. “When we opened, we wanted to be a community restaurant that cared about good bread and good wine and good food,” says chef/owner Hugh Acheson. “I come from a fine-dining background. I was running away from that as fast as I could.”
Luckily, Acheson didn’t get too far. Try the roasted asparagus covered with a poached local egg and warm bacon vinaigrette, followed by the “bronzed” redfish fillet in lemon emulsion. Such dishes earned Acheson Food & Wine’s 2002 Best New Chef award and, more recently, a 2008 James Beard nomination for Best Chef Southeast. There’s a fine, rangy wine list, too. (706-546-7300)
Leonard Jones has lived in the same rural community his entire life. Born in 1955 and raised on a farm, Jones does occasional farmwork, logging work, and odd jobs to support himself. He lives simply, without a car and often without electricity or running water. He began painting seriously when he was 17, when he discovered a talent for making exact copies of photographs. Today Jones much prefers to paint simple, sweeping memory scenes. His materials of choice are housepaint and roofing tin. His choice of subject matter is often derived from his childhood, early life memories and experiences. His work is unique because of his choice of perspective - whereas most folk painters choose a head-on, two-dimensional approach, many of Leonard's works are seen from angles more akin to a cameraman. His works have begun to receive acclaim in recent years, appearing in gallery shows and at the House of Blues.
