Before any kickoff at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia, a video rolls across the big screen, with a deep, haunting voiceover that repeats the same monologue at every game. Just thinking about it brings chills to my body; there’s something so nostalgic and powerful about it, highlighting the greatest victories UGA football has ever seen, the heroes, the fans (92,746 of them), and – of course – the mascot. It’s a long, measured speech, but the opening line is forever burned into my mind: “70 miles east of the bright lights of Atlanta…”<\/p>\n

But Athens is more than a football town. It’s a city with a music history like no other. REM and The Drive-By Truckers lived and wrote and played there. Dead Confederate rocked the world from The Classic City, and songwriters like Levi Lowrey carry on the innovation and dedication to real, genuine music. It’s Atlanta’s sister-city; an older sister, without a doubt, with an incredible record collection and an encyclopedic knowledge of rock history.<\/p>\n

This week,\u00a0Audiofemme\u00a0<\/em>is heading across those 70 miles to sit down with John Strickland of Lullwater<\/a>. The rock quartet – made up of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Strickland, lead guitarist Daniel Binnie,\u00a0Roy ‘Ray’ Beatty on bass and vocals, and Joseph Wilson on drums and vocals – has called Athens home for eight years, but with the release of their newest record,\u00a0Voodoo,\u00a0<\/em>they’re ready to take on the world.<\/span><\/p>\n