Downtown Music - Final (4)

“Athens doesn’t just rest on its
history; people move to Athens to
become a part of the music story.”
When Joey Tatum opened Manhattan Bar and
Cafe 23 years ago, he was making a choice to
create work for himself. After saving up
money for a “war chest” to purchase his own
space, he bought the Manhattan location with
the intention of creating an alternative space
to what was then available downtown. He
wanted it to be a locals' joint and that is
exactly what it became as bands used the spot
not only as a place to play but also as a
meeting space.
After Joey purchased the Little Kings space
through an auction from the city in 2000, he
moved most of the music opportunities to the
new space because he thought it was better
suited for shows. Little Kings and Manhattan
are crossover in many ways, but they tend to
serve different populations: some people are
dedicated loyalists to Manhattan and some
are dedicated loyalists to Little Kings.
If people want to play at Little Kings, they
just ask. The booking here is organic and
locally driven. Manhattan has participated in
AthFest since the beginnings, and now
participates in all of the local downtown
festivals: AfthFest, Americana Music Festival,
SlopFest, PopFest, and SurfStomp,which
showcases Joey's boats and outdoor seating.
Joey knows that Athens has a great
music history, but the “now Athens”
music scene is still super vibrant,
which Joey knows first-hand because
most of his employees are musicians
and have bands.
When Joey got going, downtown was
the place to be, and he believes that
the success of other areas of Athens
has expanded out from this place.
Downtown is “bursting at its seams”
and overflowing into other spaces in
Athens-Clarke County.