The 40 Watt Club on West Washington Street is the most important single address in the Athens music story. R.E.M., the B-52s, Widespread Panic, Pylon, and dozens of other bands played here as they were finding their sound; some of them became famous, and the club kept going. It's still a working venue most nights, with a mix of local acts and touring bands.
The name comes from the single light bulb that lit the original space — a squat, intimate room that encouraged exactly the kind of sweaty, close-quarters music the Athens scene was built on. Today the room is larger but keeps the same no-frills aesthetic. If you are in Athens on a Friday or Saturday night, check the schedule — this is where the music actually happens.