151 – Seth Hendershot: Touring with Randall Bramblett and Kishibashi, Life in a Small Town, Owning/Operating a Venue

For almost 20 years, Seth Hendershot has lived in the college town of Athens, GA. He has played in a variety of original and cover bands and for eight years has owned and operated Hendershot’s. What started as a simple coffee house has since become a beloved bar, restaurant, and live music venue. For a city its size, Athens boasts a vibrant and influential music scene, with a place in the origin stories of many bands including R.E.M., The B-52’s, and Drive-By Truckers.

Seth’s current playing activity is centered around two touring acts, multi-instrumentalist and singer Randall Bramblett and violinist Kishi Bashi. In addition to playing and running one of the city’s best and busiest venues, Seth is involved with The Athens Music Project in partnership with The University of Georgia to document and highlight the past, present and future of the city’s music, and is on the faculty for Camp Amped, a yearly rock camp for kids.

In this podcast, Seth talks about:

What brought him to Athens in the late 90’s

The pros and cons of Athens’ “bubble” nature

How he’s working to strengthen the ties between the Athens scene and the University of Georgia

Balancing his playing career with life as a business owner

Why he opened Hendershot’s, and what it has become since then

His current gigs with Randall Bramblett and Kishi Bashi

His involvement in Camp Amped and Nuci’s Space

This episode is sponsored by Crush Drums.