Austin (Grand Vapids)
SPB: Which of the Athens bands have had the most impact on the music industry as a whole and/or which have inspired you the most?
Austin: There are too many bands from Athens to reference who have had major impacts on the industry without stating the obvious round of usual suspects. I suppose if I had to choose an Athens band who has inspired me the most it would be The Glands. They made one of the best pop-rock albums of all time and were able to be content with the result. They never got huge or felt any pressure to follow it up in any kind of way (or maybe they felt too much pressure). But it is what I would consider to be a “perfect” album. It’s drenched in that lazy southern humidity where your mind begins to wonder and melts and the day just disappears. How do you follow up something like that?
On the other side of the coin there are the Drive-By Truckers who continue to be the hardest working band in the business and consistently put out great albums that just keep getting better and better.
As for inspiration, I think there is probably an ideal balance to be found between these two Athens bands.
Related features
Fest 24 – The Wrap-Up
Music / Fest 24 • November 5, 2026
For those who follow the site, I've been to Fest a lot -- like, I lost count of how many times but it all started at FEST 6, which I think was in 2007. It's certainly about the music first, and I saw approximately 61 bands over 4 days, 3 … Read more
The World Needs To Hear Us: Twenty One Children
Interviews • November 5, 2026
On After The Storm, Twenty One Children strip away every slick, sanitized modern production trick imaginable. The Soweto trio -- vocalist Abdula Skink, guitarist Thulasizwe Nkosi, and drummer Biko -- play fast, heavy, lo-fi punk rock that welds the raw speed of mid-'80s U.S. skatepunk to the thick rhythm of … Read more
Freaks On Parade: Kepi Ghoulie
Regular Columns / Shrapnel Pop • November 5, 2026
A look back at Kepi Ghoulie’s September 2026 residency at MySpace PhoenixWelcome to Kepiland! Kepi Ghoulie did a month-long residency in Phoenix, AZ for September 2026, joined by friends and locals. So, I ventured out into the triple digit heat, to check it out. If you are not familiar with … Read more
Florida Men
One Question Interviews • November 4, 2026
Jouke (Florida Men – guitar)SPB: We all know Florida Man from hilarious headlines, what is the headline about the band Florida Men?Jouke: Florida Men Actually Not From Florida Read more
Deady
One Question Interviews • November 3, 2026
Chyppe Crosby (Deady)SPB: Louisville has had an incredibly deep underground music history, but what does the current Louisville punk scene give Deady that you don't think the band would have gotten growing up somewhere else?Crosby: I think the scene here is more familial. Most genres of music kind of coalesce … Read more
Related news
1QI: Powernap, Grand Vapids, Hannahband, SubRosa
Posted in Bands on May 26, 2015
Related reviews
Grand Vapids
Guarantees
Independent (2015)
Athens, Georgia has a long history of producing some great musicians and music, known for being the birthplace of groups like the B-52’s and R.E.M. as well as the adopted home of the Elephant Six Collective. One of the latest bands to emerge from the storied Athens scene is Grand Vapids, a quartet whose 2015 debut Guarantees features ten tracks … Read more
