The Whigs cancel GPB in-studio performance

SaveWRAS scored a small victory today.

Image

The #SaveWRAS campaign seems to have scored at least one small victory in its ongoing battle with Georgia Public Broadcasting and Georgia State University concerning the takeover of Album 88. Athens rockers the Whigs today called off a 12:30 p.m. in-studio performance on Georgia Public Broadcasting, after a late night plea via Facebook.

When Save WRAS Facebook page founder Mikey Johnson learned of the performance last night, he posted a late-night call to action stating: “The Whigs are scheduled to play an in-studio performance tomorrow at GPB. We need YOUR help! Let their management know what GPB really does to independent music in Atlanta. Email Ryan Kingsbury at 7 S : ryan@7smgmt.com.”

Overnight, the Save Wras Facebook post kicked up a flurry of online activity, apparently enough to convince the band to call off the gig. This afternoon, Johnson made the following statement via Save WRAS’ Facebook page:

Winning!

Last night at about 1 a.m., we asked that you contact The Whigs and ask them not to play GPB’s live studio show. Well...it worked! The band cancelled the gig!!!

This could not have happened without your support! YOU ARE THE REASON THAT THIS HAPPENED!
We were notified about this performance via people following this page, fans of both Album 88 and The Whigs. You are the most important element of this fight.

I actually won a spot for the live performance via AJC and went down to GPB (with my SAVE WRAS shirt on under a button-up) to stage a silent protest. While waiting in the lobby, I saw the band’s van outside and The Whigs were inside it. They were supposed to play at 12:30. This was at 12:35 and they hadn’t even loaded in yet. I approached the van and they rolled down the window. I asked them if they were going to play and I was told that they were probably going to cancel. I introduced myself and told them I was with Save WRAS. They were extremely nice and I could tell this whole thing had blind-sided them. They did not want to be in the middle of a controversy and did not want to hurt any relations with either side. I was told that they had received “hundreds” of emails and Facebook messages. Some of it angry (tsk-tsk, behave y’all). They do support public radio, but they support college radio even more! In the end, I offered them some gas money for their troubles and they gracefully declined. They drove off and I unbuttoned my over shirt, proudly displaying my Save WRAS tee as I walked off of the GPB canvass.

These guys are solid. Super solid. They have friends on both sides, as many of us do. Go to their Facebook page and thank them for doing the right thing!

Thanks again to all of you that heard the call to action and responded in mass! Your support is amazing!!!

“The band was as nice as can be. I fully support them, and at the same time feel sorry for putting them in the middle of this,” Johnson adds.

We asked the band’s management for comment. We’ll update when we hear back. Stay tuned for more.