Soul of Athens Blog

getting to know Patty and all the wonderful people in her life. Everyone was so helpful in granting me access to taking photos wherever Patty went. The challenge was getting them to ignore my camera and me. That was especially true with Patty’s cat, Cinnamon. There we times when I was taking photos of Patty in her apartment, and Cinnamon would come right over to me and curiously stare into my camera. That is exactly what happened here, when Patty’s friend and aid, Margaret Wharton of Havar Incorporated, was over helping take care of Patty’s finances and paperwork. I’m still not sure if Cinnamon liked me, or just my camera.

Erin Corneliussen

Shooting at The Bruce Manor was a lot of fun. Imagine the excitement of a live concert, the feel of a party, and not having to spend a lot of money to have a good time and that is what The Manor is. From the outside, the house might not look like much but as you step inside, you immediately notice the character of the place. Posters from past shows around Athens clutter the yellow, torn wallpaper in the living room. During the week, the house is just like any other living space, but come the weekend, the furniture is moved out and the house is transformed into the place to see live music. Local acts, along with traveling bands, come to play at this three-year-old concert venue many times each year.

You must watch your head as you enter the small doorway that leads down to the basement of The Manor, for it is here when the main acts play. The basement is dark, musty, and cramped—the perfect place for a DIY house show. Packed like sardines, the crowd is hit with a wall of sound from whoever is playing just an arms-reach away. After the set, everyone claps and cheers and shuffles upstairs to the front porch—the social hotbed of The Manor. The porch is a mixture of beer, cigarettes, whiskey, singing, dancing and friendship. It is a great place to meet new faces or talk to the band that just performed.

If you are looking for good music, good people, and a good time, then all you need is a six-pack of PBR and a donation at the door.

Dustin Franz

The photographs are of me getting ready for their family portrait one cold winter day.

After spending three years working on SoA this has been the best. I think it has to do with the fact that I have two pieces on the site in two different Editions, both I am very proud of. I got a chance to continue photographing Locke and Christina throughout the year after making a multimedia piece, “Raising Felix” for my capstone major class, 486 in the fall. By working with Uma Sanghvi in the winter I slowly added in new photos and audio, and finally finished the piece this spring. Thanks for all those who took the time to review my work and give such helpful feedback; Rachel Mummy, Josh Birnbaum, Eric Maierson, and Marcus Yam.

Abby Verbosky