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crystalis · 9 months ago

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twitter thread by Mouin Rabbani

March 14, 2024

Who was there first? The short answer is that the question is irrelevant. Claims of ancient title (“This land is ours because we were here several thousand years ago”) have no standing or validity under international law.

For good reason, because such claims also defy elementary common sense. Neither I nor anyone reading this post can convincingly substantiate the geographical location of their direct ancestors ten or five or even two thousand years ago.

If we could, the successful completion of the exercise would confer exactly zero property, territorial, or sovereign rights.

As a thought experiment, let’s go back only a few centuries rather than multiple millennia. Do South Africa’s Afrikaners have the right to claim The Netherlands as their homeland, or even qualify for Dutch citizenship, on the basis of their lineage?

Do the descendants of African-Americans who were forcibly removed from West Africa have the right to board a flight in Atlanta, Port-au-Prince, or São Paolo and reclaim their ancestral villages from the current inhabitants, who in all probability arrived only after – perhaps long after – the previous inhabitants were abducted and sold into slavery half a world away?

Do Australians who can trace their roots to convicts who were involuntarily transported Down Under by the British government have a right to return to Britain or Ireland and repossess homes from the present inhabitants even if, with the help of court records, they can identify the exact address inhabited by their forebears? Of course not.

In sharp contrast to, for example, Native Americans or the Maori of New Zealand, none of the above can demonstrate a living connection with the lands to which they would lay claim.

To put it crudely, neither nostalgic attachment nor ancestry, in and of themselves, confer rights of any sort, particularly where such rights have not been asserted over the course of hundreds or thousands of years.

If they did, American English would be the predominant language in large parts of Europe, and Spain would once again be speaking Arabic.

Nevertheless, the claim of ancient title has been and remains central to Zionist assertions of not only Jewish rights in Palestine, but of an exclusive Jewish right to Palestine.

For the sake of argument, let’s examine it. If we put aside religious mythology, the origin of the ancient Israelites is indeed local.

In ancient times it was not unusual for those in conflict with authority or marginalized by it to take to the more secure environment of surrounding hills or mountains, conquer existing settlements or establish new ones, and in the ultimate sign of independence adopt distinct religious practices and generate their own rulers. That the Israelites originated as indigenous Canaanite tribes rather than as fully-fledged monotheistic immigrants or conquerors is more or less the scholarly consensus, buttressed by archeological and other evidence. And buttressed by the absence of evidence for the origin stories more familiar to us.

It is also the scholarly consensus that the Israelites established two kingdoms, Judah and Israel, the former landlocked and covering Jerusalem and regions to the south, the latter (also known as the Northern Kingdom or Samaria) encompassing points north, the Galilee, and parts of contemporary Jordan. Whether these entities were preceded by a United Kingdom that subsequently fractured remains the subject of fierce debate.

What is certain is that the ancient Israelites were never a significant regional power, let alone the superpower of the modern imagination.

There is a reason the great empires of the Middle East emerged in Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia, and Anatolia – or from outside the region altogether – but never in Palestine.

It simply lacked the population and resource base for power projection. Jerusalem may be the holiest of cities on earth, but for almost the entirety of its existence, including the period in question, it existed as a village, provincial town or small city rather than metropolis.

Judah and Israel, like the neighboring Canaanite and Philistine entities during this period, were for most of their existence vassal states, their fealty and tribute fought over by rival empires – Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, etc. – rather than extracted from others.

Indeed, Israel was destroyed during the eighth century BCE by the Assyrians, who for good measured subordinated Judah to their authority, until it was in the sixth century BCE eliminated by the Babylonians, who had earlier overtaken the Assyrians in a regional power struggle.

The Babylonian Exile was not a wholesale deportation, but rather affected primarily Judah’s elites and their kin. Nor was there a collective return to the homeland when the opportunity arose several decades later after Cyrus the Great defeated Babylon and re-established a smaller Judah as a province of the Persian Achaemenid empire. Indeed, Mesopotamia would remain a key center of Jewish religion and culture for centuries afterwards.

Zionist claims of ancient title conveniently erase the reality that the ancient Israelites were hardly the only inhabitants of ancient Palestine, but rather shared it with Canaanites, Philistines, and others.

The second part of the claim, that the Jewish population was forcibly expelled by the Romans and has for 2,000 years been consumed with the desire to return, is equally problematic.

By the time the Romans conquered Jerusalem during the first century BCE, established Jewish communities were already to be found throughout the Mediterranean world and Middle East – to the extent that a number of scholars have concluded that a majority of Jews already lived in the diaspora by the time the first Roman soldier set foot in Jerusalem.

These communities held a deep attachment to Jerusalem, its Temple, and the lands recounted in the Bible. They identified as diasporic communities, and in many cases may additionally have been able to trace their origins to this or that town or village in the extinguished kingdoms of Israel and Judah. But there is no indication those born and bred in the diaspora across multiple generations considered themselves to be living in temporary exile or considered the territory of the former Israelite kingdoms rather than their lands of birth and residence their natural homeland, any more than Irish-Americans today feel they properly belong in Ireland rather than the United States.

Unlike those taken in captivity to Babylon centuries earlier, there was no impediment to their relocation to or from their ancestral lands, although economic factors appear to have played an important role in the growth of the diaspora.

By contrast, those traveling in the opposite direction appear to have done so, more often than not, for religious reasons, or to be buried in Jerusalem’s sacred soil.

Nations and nationalism did not exist 2,000 years ago.

Nor Zionist propagandists in New York, Paris, and London incessantly proclaiming that for two millennia Jews everywhere have wanted nothing more than to return their homeland, and invariably driving home rather than taking the next flight to Tel Aviv.

Nor insufferably loud Americans declaring, without a hint of irony or self-awareness, the right of the Jewish people to Palestine “because they were there first”.

Back to the Romans, about a century after their arrival a series of Jewish rebellions over the course of several decades, coupled with internecine warfare between various Jewish factions, produced devastating results.

A large proportion of the Jewish population was killed in battle, massacred, sold into slavery, or exiled. Many towns and villages were ransacked, the Temple in Jerusalem destroyed, and Jews barred from entering the city for all but one day a year.

Although a significant Jewish presence remained, primarily in the Galilee, the killings, associated deaths from disease and destitution, and expulsions during the Roman-Jewish wars exacted a calamitous toll.

With the destruction of the Temple Jerusalem became an increasingly spiritual rather than physical center of Jewish life. Jews neither formed a demographic majority in Palestine, nor were the majority of Jews to be found there.

Many of those who remained would in subsequent centuries convert to Christianity or Islam, succumb to massacres during the Crusades, or join the diaspora. On the eve of Zionist colonization locally-born Jews constituted less than five per cent of the total population.

As for the burning desire to return to Zion, there is precious little evidence to substantiate it. There is, for example, no evidence that upon their expulsion from Spain during the late fifteenth century, the Sephardic Jewish community, many of whom were given refuge by the Ottoman Empire that ruled Palestine, made concerted efforts to head for Jerusalem. Rather, most opted for Istanbul and Greece.

Similarly, during the massive migration of Jews fleeing persecution and poverty in Eastern Europe during the nineteenth century, the destinations of choice were the United States and United Kingdom.

Even after the Zionist movement began a concerted campaign to encourage Jewish emigration to Palestine, less than five per cent took up the offer. And while the British are to this day condemned for limiting Jewish immigration to Palestine during the late 1930s, the more pertinent reality is that the vast majority of those fleeing the Nazi menace once again preferred to relocate to the US and UK, but were deprived of these havens because Washington and London firmly slammed their doors shut.

Tellingly, the Jewish Agency for Israel in 2023 reported that of the world’s 15.7 million Jews, 7.2 million – less than half – reside in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

According to the Agency, “The Jewish population numbers refer to persons who define themselves as Jews by religion or otherwise and who do not practice another religion”.

It further notes that if instead of religion one were to apply Israel’s Law of Return, under which any individual with one or more Jewish grandparent is entitled to Israeli citizenship, only 7.2 of 25.5 million eligible individuals (28 per cent) have opted for Zion.

In other words, “Next Year in Jerusalem” was, and largely remains, an aspirational religious incantation rather than political program. For religious Jews, furthermore, it was to result from divine rather than human intervention.

For this reason, many equated Zionism with blasphemy, and until quite recently most Orthodox Jews were either non-Zionist or rejected the ideology altogether.

Returning to the irrelevant issue of ancestry, if there is one population group that can lay a viable claim of direct descent from the ancient Israelites it would be the Samaritans, who have inhabited the area around Mount Gerizim, near the West Bank city of Nablus, without interruption since ancient times.

Palestinian Jews would be next in line, although unlike the Samaritans they interacted more regularly with both other Jewish communities and their gentile neighbors.

Claims of Israelite descent made on behalf of Jewish diaspora communities are much more difficult to sustain. Conversions to and from Judaism, intermarriage with gentiles, absorption in multiple foreign societies, and related phenomena over the course of several thousand years make it a virtual certainty that the vast majority of Jews who arrived in Palestine during the late 19th and first half of the 20th century to reclaim their ancient homeland were in fact the first of their lineage to ever set foot in it.

By way of an admittedly imperfect analogy, most Levantines, Egyptians, Sudanese, and North Africans identify as Arabs, yet the percentage of those who can trace their roots to the tribes of the Arabian Peninsula that conquered their lands during the seventh and eighth centuries is at best rather small.

Ironically, a contemporary Palestinian, particularly in the West Bank and Galilee, is likely to have more Israelite ancestry than a contemporary diaspora Jew.

The Palestinians take their name from the Philistines, one of the so-called Sea Peoples who arrived on the southern coast of Canaan from the Aegean islands, probably Crete, during the late second millennium BCE.

They formed a number of city states, including Gaza, Ashdod, and Ashkelon. Like Judah and Israel they existed primarily as vassals of regional powers, and like them were eventually destroyed by more powerful states as well.

With no record of their extermination or expulsion, the Philistines are presumed to have been absorbed by the Canaanites and thereafter disappear from the historical record.

Sitting at the crossroads between Asia, Africa, and Europe, Palestine was over the centuries repeatedly conquered by empires near and far, absorbing a constant flow of human and cultural influences throughout.

Given its religious significance, pilgrims from around the globe also contributed to making the Palestinian people what they are today.

A common myth is that the Palestinian origin story dates from the Arab-Muslim conquests of the seventh century. In point of fact, the Arabs neither exterminated nor expelled the existing population, and the new rulers never formed a majority of the population.

Rather, and over the course of several centuries, the local population was gradually Arabized, and to a large extent Islamized as well.

So the question as to who was there first can be answered in several ways: “both” and “irrelevant” are equally correct.

Indisputably, the Zionist movement had no right to establish a sovereign state in Palestine on the basis of claims of ancient title, which was and remains its primary justification for doing so.

That it established an exclusivist state that not only rejected any rights for the existing Palestinian population but was from the very outset determined to displace and replace this population was and remains a historical travesty.

That it as a matter of legislation confers automatic citizenship on millions who have no existing connection with the land but denies it to those who were born there and expelled from it, solely on the basis of their identity, would appear to be the very definition of apartheid.

The above notwithstanding, and while the Zionist claim of exclusive Israeli sovereignty in Palestine remains illegitimate, there are today several million Israelis who cannot be simply wished away.

A path to co-existence will need to be found, even as the genocidal nature of the Israeli state, and increasingly of Israeli society as well, makes the endeavor increasingly complicated.

The question, thrown into sharp relief by Israel’s genocidal onslaught on the Palestinian population of the Gaza Strip, is whether co-existence with Israeli society can be achieved without first dismantling the Israeli state and its ruling institutions.

#free palestine

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prozac · 9 months ago

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December 27th, 2008 is the day Anik Pillai was left behind. Trying to find his family, he travels the East Coast with his new friends, avoiding the bloodthirsty monsters created by a world-ending virus. ⠀⠀⠀🌹

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🌹 Season 1: 5 months (Jan-May)

⠀Anik Pillai, separated from his sister, makes friendly with multiple people in the chaos of the collapse of society. In this chaos, Anik raises a little boy who was also separated from his family.

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🌹 Season 2: 1 month (June)

⠀Anik and his friends try to escape the city before it is bombed by the remnants of the United States’ government.

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🌹 Season 3: 2 months (July-August)

⠀Still unable to find his sister & parents, Anik and friends meet a capable married couple, and head to a safe settlement called Wheatville.

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🌹 Season 4: 1 month (September)

⠀The main group learn more about the state of society and science after the fall.

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🌹 Season 5: 3 months (October-December)

⠀The main group learn more about the virus that has made the world implode.

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🌹 Season 6: 1 year (January-December)

⠀Those who remain stay at the first major rebuilt faction: a settlement called Libertytown.

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🌹 Season 7: 4 months (January-April)

⠀While the group is forcibly split, Anik and those with him travel to the city formerly known as Atlanta, which hosts another rebuilt faction: Center for Safety.

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🌹 Season 8: 1 yr (May-May)

⠀A period of rest. However, the surface of calm begins to bubble…

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🌹 Season 9: 2 months (June-July)

⠀Anik learns more about the state of the world outside of the embrace of the powerful settlements.

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🌹 Season 10: 1 month (August)

⠀THE MEAT FACTORY.

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🌹 Season 11: 11 months (September-July)

⠀Anik is alone.

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🌹 Season 12: 6 months (August-January)

⠀Valentino King, hungry ruler of the Kingdom faction, strikes a deal with the mourning Anik Pillai. Anik takes that deal.

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🌹 Season 13: 1 year 4 months (Feburary x2-June)

⠀With society on the coast all forming alliances, the new faction Home begins to become a place of respite.

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🌹 Season 14: ~3 days (July)

The war begins to end.

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🌹 Season 15: 6 months (July-December)

⠀Anik Pillai finishes what was started.

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⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 🥀

#DAIL #DAIL Summaries #❤️💚💙🧡#Zaxart

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dandelionsresilience · 2 months ago

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Dandelion News - October 22-28

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles on Patreon!

1. Industrial wastelands to wildlife oases: Five nature wins that have actually worked

“[An archipelago in the Indian ocean] experienced a major whale comeback after signing up to a debt for nature swap[….] In Sri Lanka's capital of Colombo, local efforts have transformed what was once a rubbish dump to a wetland teeming with [wildlife….]”

2. Louisville launches America’s first 100% electric garbage truck fleet

““These innovative EV collection trucks will fulfill our trash, compost and recycling needs, reduce noise pollution, and include larger windshields to increase each driver’s field of vision and lower greenhouse gas emissions[….]” [The trucks are equipped with] audible devices that alert nearby drivers and pedestrians to compensate for their quieter operations.”

3. How a nearly extinct crocodile species returned from the brink in Cambodia

“By the late nineties, [Siamese crocodiles] were thought to be extinct. […] Today there are about 1,000 Siamese crocodiles in the wild[….] The first crocodiles were reintroduced into the wild in 2012 and they have begun breeding in the wild: over a hundred eggs were discovered in the forests in July, the most so far.”

4. Before his death, this conservative combat veteran filmed a PSA advocating for his transgender son

““Eric [“a conservative South Carolina U.S. Army combat veteran and father of a transgender child”] believed in the importance of freedom for trans kids — the right to live authentically and without fear,” [his widow] said. “He saw this not as a political issue but as a human one, recognizing that every child deserves the chance to thrive and feel whole.”” [Curator’s note: obviously, utmost condolences to Eric’s family; I’m including this as good news because it’s impactful to see a respectable member of the political party more often known for transmisia instead publicly advocating for his son’s human - not just political - rights]

5. Azores to create largest Marine Protected Area in North Atlantic – and a 'blueprint' for the rest of the world

““The Azores’ waters are a hotspot for marine life, hosting a third of the world's whale and dolphin species,[…” and harbouring] “cold-water corals and sponge fields that act as nurseries and feeding grounds for countless species, from deep-sea sharks to commercially valuable fish stocks.””

6. ‘It’s a big lever for change’: the radical contract protecting Hamburg’s green space

“Citizen power forced Germany’s greenest city-state into a binding agreement balancing housing and nature[….] The authorities signed an agreement with the citizen’s initiative to protect 30% of Hamburg’s land area – 10% as untouchable nature reserves and 20% with a looser conservation status – and ensure the share of public green space in the city rises over time.”

7. Behind the Scenes at the Federal Bee Lab Powered by Native Plants

“Once native plants reappeared at the lab, he says, the impact was dramatic. In the first year, many of the region’s 200 native bee species arrived in droves. [… B]irds Droege had never before seen on the premises began to turn up to feed on the native plant seeds[….]”

8. Atlanta neighborhood hired case manager to address rising homelessness. It's improving health and safety for everyone

“Michael Nolan, an Intown Cares social worker, is trained in an approach that emphasizes individual autonomy and dignity, recognizes that being homeless is a traumatic experience, and prioritizes access to housing. [… H]iring a social worker has enabled East Atlanta Village to resolve conflicts gently, through conversation and negotiation.”

9. Loggerhead Sea Turtle Nests Make a Remarkable Comeback in Greece

“As long-lived and migratory species, [loggerheads] contribute to the health of seagrass beds and coral reefs, which are vital habitats for many marine organisms. Their nesting activities also contribute to beach ecosystems and help promote biodiversity.”

10. Rapid genome analysis of a Whippet sighthound sets new standard for biodiversity research

“[Scientists] have sequenced and analyzed the complete genome of a Whippet sighthound in less than a week. […] Rapid analysis is increasingly important for the conservation of endangered species, [… giving] insights into their biological relationships, evolution and adaptations to environmental conditions.”

October 15-21 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

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sartoriale-designo · 2 years ago

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Artfully arranged...

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nochiquinn · 8 months ago

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DO YOU:

enjoy burlesque?

hate cancer?

Then you should make plans to be in Atlanta on the 26th of April for COURAGE CABARET, a charity burlesque show to raise funds for Sam's treatment!

doors open at 7:30, show starts at 8

tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door

This event is being held by Metropolitan Studios Arts & Movement Community, a queer-woman owned dance studio in East Atlanta Village. Tickets and other event details available HERE at Eventbrite, and a list of performers in this tiktok! We're beyond grateful to everyone who's helped us set this up, and hope you'll come out to enjoy and support!

#burlesque #burlesque show #fundraising

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atlurbanist · 8 months ago

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Pedestrian & transit conditions should shine where affordable homes are funded

Darin Givens | April 13, 2024

According to WSB news, Senator Jon Ossoff recently announced that $2 million in federal funds will create 20 new affordable housing units in Atlanta. In general, I think that's a really good use of public money.

But I do have concerns about the location...

The homes will be inside the Browns Mill Village development in south Atlanta; pictured is the entrance to it on Browns Mill Road.

Per Google Maps, it takes 1.5 hrs to get from here to Midtown on MARTA, versus an 18 minute drive. Or it's a mile walk to the stop for the 78 bus to East Point (46 minutes total, or more if you don't walk fast), but only a 15 minute drive.

And as you can see, pedestrian conditions are awful.

I don't mean to dismiss this project. There are definitely good things about it. But at the same time, I want us to cast a critical eye on initiatives that fund new affordable homes in car-centric places with streets that are hostile pedestrians and that lack high frequency transit.

Meanwhile, the most walkable and bikeable places in the city have become less affordable. This is a toxic trend.

We have got to find a way to match these major investments in affordable housing with great access to alternative transportation, particularly with transit services that are often a lifeline for lower income residents. Maybe it's a case of ensuring that pedestrian and transit improvements are made in a place like this to coincide with the investment.

Whatever the fix is, we need to accept this as a problem and aim higher.

If this incident was a one-off, I wouldn't be so worked up. But this is a definite trend of failing to match affordable housing investments with great pedestrian infrastructure and high frequency transit. It needs to be called out and addressed.

#atlanta #urbanism #affordable housing

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atlantathecity · 10 months ago

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There's a lot of history in this view from the King Memorial MARTA Station's northbound platform.

On the far left is a symbol of Atlanta's industrial history: the Fulton Cotton Mill complex, which was transformed into lofts about 25 years ago. The mill was built in stages from the 1880s to 1907 and was surrounded by the mill village that we now know as the Cabbagetown neighborhood. It produced large cotton bags to hold seed & feed, for farms.

At the bottom is the east-west rail corridor that dates to the beginnings of Atlanta in the 1830s, when the state decided to build new rail lines east to Augusta and north to Chattanooga, which were designed to meet in the spot where the city was then formed.

And at top right you can see the beautiful Oakland Cemetery, the footprint of which grew in stages from 1850 to 1866. It started as a small local cemetery of six acres and transformed into the tree canopied, grand space we know today. Interesting historical tidbit: the reason it's fully enclosed on all sides is "bovine infestation." Meaning: cows were wandering in to graze.

The cemetery, the mill property (plus Cabbagetown), and the rail corridor have been coexisting since the 1880s. For over 140 years, people have looked out of train windows to see these elements of Atlanta's history. Take a look next time you're rolling by on MARTA and ponder the history.

#atlanta #atlanta history

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qapsiel · 1 year ago

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@strxngetimes gets a plotted starter

THERE ARE SIGHTINGS OF A GHOST DOG IN NEW YORK. It's a little too unbloody to be a hellhound, but they want to make sure, anyway, so they pile into the Impala and head east. 100 miles past Louisville, Sam gets a call from a hunter wanting help with a big vampire nest in Atlanta. Castiel tells the brothers that he can start on the ghost dog case while they decapitate the fangs, but honestly, it's easier said than done. He interviews the people who claim to have seen the dog, but it doesn't give him any clues whatsoever. The animal doesn't appear to be aggressive. Maybe it's an omen of impending death?

Then he finds the police report of a cyclist who crashed into a street lantern because the ghost dog popped up right in front of him. Castiel visits the man in the hospital and listens to his graphic story of how the canine walked through the wall of a building and an oncoming car. Because he doesn't have anything else to go on, Castiel visits the scene of the accident, 177A Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, and rings the doorbell. Maybe the residents have seen something.

#strxngetimes #( v: bunker stories )

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doggerell · 5 months ago

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East Atlanta Village always has my poor little phone camera fighting for its life

#blurry on purpose it is!#juna atl #juna band #pupshow #speaking #I had others but I like this layout best #529 eav

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urbanjordan · 1 year ago

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East Atlanta Village on digicam.

#photography #atlanta #digicam #fujifilm #digital camera #original photographers

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benstigator · 2 years ago

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Well, I’m retry much back from the grave. I had my tonsils and adenoids taken out 2/15 and it impacted me waaaay more than I thought it would. I’m sorry for the radio silence, I’m still arting and trying to human again. I’m gonna be set up tomorrow (3/4) for Middle Earth Market in East Atlanta Village. Than next weekend I’ve got two markets lined up! I’ll be at Drawn and Disorderly on Saturday 3/11 & at Stillfire Brewery on Sunday 3/12. My newest print is premiering tomorrow. The idea came from me feeling a certain type of way about some events in the news as of late, and my love of pancakes which I could not eat until very recently. I hope to see you soon, more markets will be posted as the dates approach. Thank you for the follows, the likes and the support. It means a great deal and I’m honored by your kindness. Happy Friday y’all. #popupmarket #artmarket #popart #queerart #funart #sillyart #atlantaartist #indieart #kirkwoodsmallbiz #octopusart #decaturartist #illustrative #supportlocalartists #eav #cryptidcreatives #southernartists #drawnanddisorderly #stillfirebrewery #sudnatstudio #eatbreakfast #punchtransphobes #benstigator #happycupstudio https://www.instagram.com/p/CpWpjmpuFKE/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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tightbrosnetwork · 2 years ago

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Tight Bros Network is a concert promotion company based in Atlanta that has been operating since 1999. It was founded by Randy Castello and Unisa Asokan in the basement of the eyedrum art & music gallery, located on Trinity Avenue in southwest Atlanta. Where they had the opportunity to learn how to book shows and work with experimental artists, local musicians, and touring artists from North America and abroad.

In 2001, Tight Bros Network was officially launched, and the company expanded its shows to local clubs The Earl, MJQ, Drunken Unicorn, and Star Bar. The company’s mission has always been to support and promote independent artists and provide a platform for experimental and emerging musicians.

In March of 2004, Tight Bros Network founded the Kirkwood Ballers Club, an open-forum arts incubator and a haven for adventurous experiments in music. The Kirkwood Ballers Club has been a staple destination in the Atlanta music scene for two decades and has provided countless musicians with the opportunity to showcase their artistry.

Spanning July 2004 to 2008, Tight Bros Network served as talent purchasers for popular subterranean ATL entertainment complex, Drunken Unicorn & MJQ. During this period, we worked tirelessly to bring larger national and international artists and DJs to the city. We developed a reputation for booking high-quality shows that catered to the local music scene’s evolving tastes. The experience gained from working with such big artists as Diplo, Four Tet, and Animal Collective to name a few helped us to grow our network and reputation as a top indie concert promotion company in Atlanta. It also set our foundation and enabled us to expand into other local clubs and concert venues.

Tight Bros Network has received numerous accolades over the years, including being voted Best Local Concert Promoter in 2006, 2007, and 2008 by Creative Loafing, Atlanta.

In November of 2008, we switched gears to help our friends book bands at 529, a small club, unknown at the time, located in East Atlanta Village, where we helped nurture a bright local music scene for eight years and played a crucial role in developing 529’s reputation as a premier venue for live music in Atlanta.

During this period, we expanded our reach by booking events at larger venues, such as Variety Playhouse, Terminal West, Center Stage, Plaza Theatre and Goat Farm. We expanded our roster to include comedy events.

Additionally, we partnered with companies like Red Bull and PBR as curators for events featuring emerging artists from around the world. We were also afforded the opportunity to book musical acts for Adult Swim’s Fishcenter live stream (RIP).

In 2016 we returned to Drunken Unicorn where we booked shows until March 2020 when the Covid pandemic hit forcing us to abruptly cease operating at the venue. It was a dark time for live music.

In 2020, when the live music scene was disrupted due to the pandemic, Tight Bros Network shifted its focus to managing Upchuck, a young band from Atlanta that is starting to gain national attention due to its raucous live shows and compelling releases.

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, Tight Bros Network has continued to support the Atlanta music scene and provide a platform for emerging artists to showcase their talents.

In the summer of 2021, we helped open eyedrum art & music gallery’s new location in the West End on Ralph David Abernathy Blvd, where we now host Kirkwood Ballers Club on the third Thursday of each month, continuing their avant-garde monthly forum at the art and music gallery where it all began.

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