Greenville Scene

Caledonia Lounge
256 Clayton Street
Athens, GA 30601
Contact Kaya
booking@caledonialounge.com
www.caledonialounge.com

{right: The Winter Sounds play Caledonia lounge. Photo: Mike White}

Caledonia is a small, one room rock venue hidden in a secret location in downtown Athens. This club is in many ways at the heart of the underground Athens rock and roll scene and is a great place to play if you are indie rock or thereby related.

The club has a small outdoor patio, partially covered by a tin roof and populated with chairs and tables. This is a popular hangout spot for people to listen to the bands inside and still have a conversation at normal talking level. There is an elevated platform with a picnic table that has a straight shot view into the door of the venue. Smoking inside buildings in Athens is illegal, making this patio one of the bar’s strong points.

When you walk inside, you see a small bar to your left and a stage dead ahead, about twenty yards away. The room is a nice size (probably 150 capacity) with a gorgeous ceiling (two large sky lights and visible wood beams). The focus at Caledonia is on the stage. The stage is about three feet high, fifteen feet wide, and ten feet deep (just an estimate). It is rather small, but manageable. The Winter Sounds are a five piece band and we fit onto the stage somehow. The sound system could use a face lift, but works for rock and roll.

This is one of our favorite places to play in the country. The Caledonia has a great reputation for finding bad a** bands before anyone else does. We recommend that you take a look at their concert calender and research the bands that are playing there. Find bands that you like and contact them to work out a show swap. Show them a good time in Greenville and they will show you a good time in Athens.

Free drinks for musicians? In a venue staffed with bad a** musicians, you KNOW they are going to treat you right. Yes, yes, and yes.

Comparable venues? Gypsy G’s, but smaller

Built in crowd? Not really

Who will not hang out here? The fraternity/sorority set usually veer away from here. Jam bands should not waste their time trying to book a show here.