‘Liberation Frequency’ & the Femme Moon's Galentine's event: A celebration of Atlanta's DIY culture and independent press
Last week, Mainline co-organized two events that sought to empower local DIY creative communities and our local press efforts
This newsletter is penned by Aja Arnold, Mainline’s founder and publisher. The views and opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of Mainline as a whole.
Ever since the racially motivated hate crime against local DIY noise punk outfit Kayleigh and show attendees at Ideal Sports Bar last December, it’s been heavy on my heart just how much our communities are cramped for safe and generative spaces for art, music, and expression.
[ Related: Check out the second part of our Year In Review podcast where we discussed the events at Ideal last December ]
I was present at the show, wherein I witnessed three people—two small femmes and an Indigenous two-spirit person—be assaulted by three heavy-set (white) men, with impunity. My mind was racing as the conflict escalated and erupted. For one, I considered where I’d go hide in case gunfire broke out. (One assailant reportedly threatened to go home and grab his gun.) Secondly, I remember feeling how underprepared I was for that moment, with little to no self-defense and safety training for this type of situation. And third, I wondered how we ended up there in the first place.
After those events took place and show attendees, including myself, had time to recuperate, we quickly assembled to ask ourselves how we keep our communities safe. It’s become a bit of a parroted talking point: “We keep us safe.” But what does it look like in praxis? Further, escalating times call for inner re-assessments. It’s not lost on me that this violence occurred on the backdrop of Trump’s second win for the presidency. It was clear to me that the assailants felt emboldened and comfortable enough to beat on three people in public, on camera. This was a big problem for me.
So, we hosted a community care event several days after the attack. Then we thought ahead. Aside from the immediate trauma and necessary steps to rapidly respond, what were we going to do to minimize the chances of a similar or worse attack happening again? People discussed the need for self-defense and safety trainings. Others exchanged experiences within the scene, from racism to sexism to homo- and transphobia to sexual assault. Together, we discussed all the precipitating factors and our current local conditions. We took stock of who owns what, how venues are run, and whether they’re actually serving the DIY community… or just taking advantage of it.
We realized what happened at Ideal wasn’t an anomaly. Sadly, throughout Atlanta history, the DIY community has created a scene within some spaces that are riddled with abuse culture. While it seemed to work for a time to try to find ways to co-exist, now it felt urgent to begin to mobilize in another direction. For some of us, it felt clear we needed to abandon our lukewarm relationships with venues and bookers who prioritized revenue and brand image over standing against white supremacy—and to create our own spaces, wherever and whenever possible.
Next came the sudden acquisition of 529 in East Atlanta, which had become a bit of a mainstay for the local indie DIY scene over the years. Without saying much, it is clear that this change is inarguably shifting the dynamics of local booking in the Atlanta music community. Bookers and promoters have begun to move their shows from the venue. Other places, which the community has identified as safe, like Star Bar, Drunken Unicorn, and Aisle 5, will likely fill their calendars up quickly. Programming at the Supermarket (the Bakery’s new venue, gallery, and event space on North Highland Avenue) is also stepping up to incorporate these changes in the scene. Meanwhile, your atypical venue spaces, like Argosy and Thinking Man Tavern, have also opened their doors to make room for local shows during this time.
We created our new event ‘Liberation Frequency,’ which is a reference to the Refused song on their 1998 album The Shape of Punk to Come, as part of our efforts to carve out time and space for our beloved DIY community. Hosted at Liminal Space Collective, which is home to Mainline’s studio, last Tuesday, we curated a special night for a more intimate gathering featuring stripped-down sets by local artists Mirror Move, Keron (ex-Vessel), and Melissa Chilson, followed by a DJ set by Your Friend. (Local DJ Jennifer von Schlichten also came ready to spin, but due to the flow of the night, DJ Your Friend ended up playing the evening. We hope to fine tune the programming a bit next time!)






Then, on Thursday, we were the selected beneficiary of The Femme Moon’s Galentine’s event, hosted in the Brig at Argosy in East Atlanta Village. A free event with a prize giveaway (which is still running!) to support our independent media efforts here at Mainline, the night was stacked with local vendors, like Prettiest Lobster and Salted Butter Society. TWINS, the longtime local post-punk EBM project by local artist Matt Weiner (Normal Bias, Pyramid Club, Split Diopter, DKA Records), gave a strong performance of solely unreleased tracks, followed by a DJ set by the incredibly talented Sudie.






Both events last week were examples of how we practice the saying “we keep us safe” in real-time. While change feels like it’s coming fast, I believe that, instead of wallowing, this is a great moment to welcome the much-needed change our DIY art and music community has long been craving: a shift away from patriarchal control over venues, a shift away from dangerous neutrality towards white supremacy, and a shift away from tokenization and abuse of the Black, brown, femme, trans, and/or queer artist community.
Stay tuned for our next podcast episode with me and our executive editor, Jasmine Burnett, covering the massive illegal terminations of hundreds of thousands of federal employees by the Trump administration.
Until then,
Aja Arnold | Mainline, founder and publisher