Music

Members of R.E.M., Widespread Panic, and Drive-By Truckers release a song to protest a Walmart in Athens, GA

by Nicole Villeneuve

An Atlanta-based developer is planning to build “a mixed-use development anchored by a Walmart” in downtown Athens, Georgia, and a community opposition website has received a big dose of support from local musicians, led by Drive-By Truckers’ Patterson Hood.

Hood has formed the Downtown 13 with R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, Widespread Panic’s Todd Nancy and John Bell, fellow Drive-By Truckers members, and Lera Lynn, among others, and they’ve released a song, “After It’s Gone,” and a statement.

“This Atlanta developer wants to clog our cultural heart and build a bunker the size of three city blocks next to the vibrant downtown scene,” Hood says in a press release. “They hit The Easy Button: a big box store in our downtown district is clearly misguided and a somewhat ridiculous notion. Downtown Athens is a dynamic network of local businesses–Athens already has a meaningful brand and we are extremely protective of it.”

You can watch their video above, and read more about their efforts at Protect Downtown Athens.