Mark Runyon | ConcertTour.org
Eddie’s Attic is a legendary music club that sparked the rise of many stars. John Mayer, Indigo Girls, The Civil Wars, and Justin Bieber are just a few names that saw their profiles rise significantly after performing there. Located in the quaint yet artistically thriving town of Decatur, Georgia, the club still focuses on rising acts despite its now-widely heralded reputation. As opposed to many venues that shift toward immediate sellouts once a few artists break out on their stage, thus granting it name recognition, Eddie’s Attic still cherishes the DIY ideology among artists that are still hungry for acknowledgment. This is one of those rare historic music clubs that still has Open Mic nights, where any artist gets ten minutes to perform two acoustic songs. They must be original, of course, as in abidance to the club’s constant striving for breakthrough ingenuity. Events like these and an all-ages admission (most of the time) makes Eddie’s Attic one of the least pretentious “famous venues” in the US. And with a cozy 165-seat capacity and award-winning acoustics, attendees are essentially guaranteed a good show.
The club was founded in 1992 by Eddie Owen, who Atlanta Magazine describes as “a failed musician and lover of whiskey and baseball.” The ‘90s and early ‘00s was a vibrant time for Eddie’s Attic, who played host to artists like Ani DiFranco, The Black Crowes, and Sheryl Crow. John Mayer showed up as a fresh-faced teenager in the late ‘90s, winning the Eddie’s Attic Open Mic Shootout as a part of the Lo-Fi Masters with Clay Cook (Zac Brown Band), which gave him a $1000 prize. More importantly, the contest provided recognition that would help launch the young Mayer into fame. The contest is a true testament to Owen’s passion in helping expose quality young talent. He and his booking team have a great ear for potential, that’s for sure. Mayer continues to look back upon Eddie’s Attic fondly. “When a room is making noise – let’s say on a scale of one to ten, it’s a four – you lose all the music you can make from one to four,” Mayer explains. “You lose so much touch and nuance. There’s so much beautiful music that happens between a pin dropping and the first bit of chatter. That’s where some of the best music in the world came from, and that’s why Eddie’s has that magic.”
Owen’s first experience booking acts was in the ‘80s, when he worked as a bartender at Trackside Tavern. Seeing as how most venues in the Atlanta area were loud and overly crowded, he decided to build a niche for artists that don’t use noise to dominate. Acoustic musicians soon took the stage at Trackside, even if its drink-first, music-second atmosphere was not a very fitting environment. “I was trying to nurture songwriters at a point where most folks were trying to nurture their next beer or joint,” said Owen of Trackside. But to change the atmosphere at Trackside was not going to work, so Owen formed Eddie’s Attic in ’92. He reigned over the successful venue for a decade, before selling it in 2002 to Todd Van Sickle, who sold Eddie’s Attic in 2005 to Bob Ephlin, who then sold it to Alex Cooley and Dave Mattingly in 2011. To say the least, Owen was the most tenured owner, and the ownership has acted like “hot potato!” ever since. Still, despite the fact he was not the owner the past decade, Owen stayed on as the club’s talent booker… until May of 2002, when he was fired by owner Alex Cooley.
To fire the original owner and talent booker of Eddie’s Attic, one of Georgia’s most reputed venues, seems crazy. This is a guy who helped break out names like John Mayer and Sugarland. He has his name in the club’s name! “It’s just a business decision he thinks best,” Owen wrote on his Facebook page. “At the end of the day for me, it’s about the song; please support any joint supporting that.” Even in Owen’s words after being fired from a club whose reputation was built around his ear for talent, he emphasized one thing: exposing great music. Owen has since moved up the road to Duluth to open Eddie Owen Presents at the Red Clay Theatre. It is built off the same ideals and passion that were rooted in Eddie’s Attic. For his tireless commitment to art, Owen is a true trailblazer of Georgia’s independent music scene.
Artists Who Rose to Fame Through Decatur’s Eddie’s Attic
Eddie’s Attic is a legendary music club that sparked the rise of many stars. John Mayer, Indigo Girls, The Civil Wars, and Justin Bieber are just a few names that saw their profiles rise significantly after performing there. Located in the quaint yet artistically thriving town of Decatur, Georgia, the club still focuses on rising acts despite its now-widely heralded reputation. As opposed to many venues that shift toward immediate sellouts once a few artists break out on their stage, thus granting it name recognition, Eddie’s Attic still cherishes the DIY ideology among artists that are still hungry for acknowledgment. This is one of those rare historic music clubs that still has Open Mic nights, where any artist gets ten minutes to perform two acoustic songs. They must be original, of course, as in abidance to the club’s constant striving for breakthrough ingenuity. Events like these and an all-ages admission (most of the time) makes Eddie’s Attic one of the least pretentious “famous venues” in the US. And with a cozy 165-seat capacity and award-winning acoustics, attendees are essentially guaranteed a good show.
The club was founded in 1992 by Eddie Owen, who Atlanta Magazine describes as “a failed musician and lover of whiskey and baseball.” The ‘90s and early ‘00s was a vibrant time for Eddie’s Attic, who played host to artists like Ani DiFranco, The Black Crowes, and Sheryl Crow. John Mayer showed up as a fresh-faced teenager in the late ‘90s, winning the Eddie’s Attic Open Mic Shootout as a part of the Lo-Fi Masters with Clay Cook (Zac Brown Band), which gave him a $1000 prize. More importantly, the contest provided recognition that would help launch the young Mayer into fame. The contest is a true testament to Owen’s passion in helping expose quality young talent. He and his booking team have a great ear for potential, that’s for sure. Mayer continues to look back upon Eddie’s Attic fondly. “When a room is making noise – let’s say on a scale of one to ten, it’s a four – you lose all the music you can make from one to four,” Mayer explains. “You lose so much touch and nuance. There’s so much beautiful music that happens between a pin dropping and the first bit of chatter. That’s where some of the best music in the world came from, and that’s why Eddie’s has that magic.”
Owen’s first experience booking acts was in the ‘80s, when he worked as a bartender at Trackside Tavern. Seeing as how most venues in the Atlanta area were loud and overly crowded, he decided to build a niche for artists that don’t use noise to dominate. Acoustic musicians soon took the stage at Trackside, even if its drink-first, music-second atmosphere was not a very fitting environment. “I was trying to nurture songwriters at a point where most folks were trying to nurture their next beer or joint,” said Owen of Trackside. But to change the atmosphere at Trackside was not going to work, so Owen formed Eddie’s Attic in ’92. He reigned over the successful venue for a decade, before selling it in 2002 to Todd Van Sickle, who sold Eddie’s Attic in 2005 to Bob Ephlin, who then sold it to Alex Cooley and Dave Mattingly in 2011. To say the least, Owen was the most tenured owner, and the ownership has acted like “hot potato!” ever since. Still, despite the fact he was not the owner the past decade, Owen stayed on as the club’s talent booker… until May of 2002, when he was fired by owner Alex Cooley.
To fire the original owner and talent booker of Eddie’s Attic, one of Georgia’s most reputed venues, seems crazy. This is a guy who helped break out names like John Mayer and Sugarland. He has his name in the club’s name! “It’s just a business decision he thinks best,” Owen wrote on his Facebook page. “At the end of the day for me, it’s about the song; please support any joint supporting that.” Even in Owen’s words after being fired from a club whose reputation was built around his ear for talent, he emphasized one thing: exposing great music. Owen has since moved up the road to Duluth to open Eddie Owen Presents at the Red Clay Theatre. It is built off the same ideals and passion that were rooted in Eddie’s Attic. For his tireless commitment to art, Owen is a true trailblazer of Georgia’s independent music scene.
Around the Web