“UGA students Butch Blasingame and Michael Simpson met in a drama class in 1971. Along with their classmate Bill Wilson, a drummer, and two of Blassingame’s musician friends, the students began practicing original and cover songs in a house on…

"There is no record of the first time a University of Georgia student, feeling moved and the need to move, stood up while a band was playing and began to dance... In the early 1970s, the band Ravenstone played the…

Welcome to Day 26 of Trainwreck’d Society’s Month of Horror Showcase. 

Oh, what a damn good feature we have for you good readers today! We have an absolute legend joining the TWS family. Michael A. Simpson is a legendary figure…

Who is Ravenstone? 

Athens music critic Gordon Lamb noted in his book Widespread Panic in the Streets of Athens, Georgia that Ravenstone was the “hard-rock phenomenon storming Athens and the campus in 1971…conceived as equal parts political party and rock…

From: Athens musicians help shape political landscape amid controversial election by Dillon Thompson 

UGA students Butch Blasingame and Michael Simpson met in a drama class in 1971. Along with their classmate Bill Wilson, a drummer, and two of Blassingame’s musician…

Ravenstone was an early mainstay in Athens, Georgia’s internationally acclaimed music scene that later spawned the B-52’s, R.E.M. and Widespread Panic. The quintet, known for its rollicking play and rowdy performances, flamed out in the early 70s after generating promising…

Prior to forming Ravenstone, Butch Blasingame, Dwight Brown and Ralph Towler played together in the band Edifice Wrecks. Below is a conversation about their early group and the music scene in Monroe, Georgia. 

Dwight – Edifice Wrecks was the Monroe…

“The hottest new band in Athens, Ga., is actually one of the oldest. After a 30-year hiatus, ’70s roots rockers Ravenstone have finally reconvened, and their sound illuminates that of younger Athens stars like Widespread Panic. Jazz horns and flitting…

A Strong Recommendation 

From the moment the guitar kicks in on `Drivin’ by Braille’ with its serious ass-grinding intro over a cascading bed of organ pop, you know this is gonna be a fun ride. And this CD delivers on…

“You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. 
You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.” 
Mahfouz Naguib 

I’m a fan of the Atlanta and Athens music scenes from the 70s and 80s. Drummer…