40 Watt Club
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The 40 Watt Club is a significant punk rock venue in Athens, Georgia. Along with CBGB's, the Whiskey A-Go-Go, and selected others, it was instrumental in launching American punk rock and "New Wave music."
Curtis Crowe, later drummer for Pylon, was the rentor of the space, and the first band to perform for an audience in the space was Strictly American. As a continuous performance space, the club began as the practice room for Pylon and got its name from the single 40-Watt light bulb the room had. The original loft space was above the offices of the University of Georgia newspaper, The Red and Black, and it moved across the street to a space above a sandwich shop eighteen months later. The club then migrated to a true performance space, with stage and facilities, on Washington Street.
Doug Hoescht bought the club and moved it to 382 E. Broad Street and renamed it "40 Watt Club Uptown." The 40 Watt Uptown was large and professional, and it was a major stop for underground independent music acts in the 1980's. When rents increased on the space, the club moved back to its Washington Street location ("the new old new 40 Watt"). At the same time, The Uptown Lounge expanded to a much larger space (the Georgia Theater). Therefore, there was again a market for a small club for local acts. The music video for REM's "Turn You Inside Out" was filmed in the Washington St. 40 Watt Club.
The 40 Watt Club was the primary performance space for numerous "Athens bands," including Pylon, REM, Drivin' and Cryin', Guadalcanal Diary, The Primates, Indigo Girls and others. It's DIY ethos and informality were instrumental in the fostering of punk rock and a "scene" in Athens, GA.
