<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> "Feast on My Heart" Song by Pylon, one of the long - time underground legends of the Athens scene </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Problems playing this file? See media help . </Td> </Tr> <P> The B - 52's and R.E.M. became by far the most famous musical products of Athens in the 1980s, when both bands launched a string of hits . Their roots in the city's local scene go back to the 1970s and early 1980s . The B - 52's formed after a St. Valentine's Day party in 1977 . The members had little musical knowledge, but performed new wave music with a cheeky and humorous image and sound . They were known for their campy thrift store fashion, and their unusual and eye - catching music videos for hits like "Rock Lobster" and "Love Shack". Though the B - 52's were the first Athens band to achieve national prominence, their popularity was soon eclipsed by R.E.M. . The future members of the band R.E.M. moved to Athens to work and / or attend the University of Georgia, including bassist Mike Mills and former drummer Bill Berry . The group began performing as R.E.M. in 1980 . They became locally prominent, and released a single, "Radio Free Europe", that was a major college rock hit . Their popularity grew with a series of singles, EPs and albums that made R.E.M. the top underground band in the country, finally breaking into the mainstream with 1987's "The One I Love" and "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)". By 1991's Out of Time album--which featured vocals by Kate Pierson of The B - 52s--and its acclaimed follow - up Automatic for the People (named after the motto of Weaver D's, a local Athens soul - food eatery), R.E.M. had become one of the world's biggest rock bands . The band's style went through many evolutions but originally had a jangle pop sound and harmonies often compared to folk - rock band The Byrds; singer and songwriter Michael Stipe is known for obscure, allusive lyrics delivered in a monotonous drone . The success of R.E.M. and the B - 52's brought attention from major labels and music media to Athens, and many local bands received a career boost . </P> <P> The band Pylon was a long - standing and influential part of the Athens scene, and became critical darlings in the 1980s, but never achieved significant mainstream success . This was partially because they eschewed several record contracts from the major labels due to a lack of trust in their corporate goodwill . Pylon's dance rock style was not very accessible or commercial, and was accompanied grating, chanting - style vocals, funky guitars and bass - heavy beats . Other 1980s local bands with nationwide alternative followings included Love Tractor, Oh - OK, with Michael Stipe's sister Lynda Stipe, vocalist Linda Hopper (later of Magnapop) and future solo performer Matthew Sweet, Dreams So Real . The members of R.E.M. have remained fixtures in Athens as they have also become international stars, helping out local performers like Vic Chesnutt, the Chickasaw Mudd Puppies and Jack Logan . The Elephant 6 Collective, a group of like - minded indie bands, gained limited nationwide exposure starting in the mid-1990s with the rise of Neutral Milk Hotel, Elf Power and Olivia Tremor Control . The same period saw the Kindercore Records roster find critical acclaim, including the bands Sunshine Fix, Masters of the Hemisphere, Japancakes, Love Tractor, Gresham Disco and Of Montreal . Candy, a DJ store owned by Michael Lachowski of Pylon, opened in 1998; the store became an important part of the burgeoning dance music scene that produced Danger Mouse, Phungus and DJ 43 . </P>

Athens georgia was the home of this college rock band