A mass of people wound around the bar and out onto the patio of Nuçi’s Space at 396 Oconee St. The stage was set with drums, a few mics, some guitars and a keyboard. The performers were waiting to come onstage.On most nights at Nuçi’s Space, audience members would be craning their necks to see the men of Music Hates You, a heavy metal band from Athens, or Ishues, a local rapper. There would be a mosh pit and a bunch of 20-something-year-olds dancing like fools.

For high school students, summers can mean sitting by the pool for hours or making money at a part-time job. Athens area Habitat for Humanity provides various volunteer alternatives for students to make the most of their time outside the classroom.“My favorite thing about volunteering with Habitat is the atmosphere,” Clarke Central High School sophomore Nathan Caskey said. “It’s a really good experience to build houses and just working with other people in a positive way to improve the community. I mean, just hammering nails into wood is pretty fun, too.”

Rock legend or anonymous high school nerd? In the final performance of Clarke Central High School’s International Day festival, five CCHS seniors decided that they could be both.Seniors Zheng Zheng, Athena Lao, Zach Smithwick, Matt Nichols and Chris Miller made a last stand for nerds as the members of a Journey cover band, the Small-town Girls, which had its debut performance in the CCHS International Day Festival.

Courtesans, soldiers, unfaithful husbands and mistaken identities are all to be found in the least likely of places — Clarke Central High School’s Mell Auditorium, for the Drama department’s annual spring musical.This March, students and parents alike went to see the entertaining “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” a comedic retelling of a slave’s quest for freedom amid confusing love triangles in early Roman times.Through the brief prologue at the beginning of the two acts, the audience was introduced to the convoluted story of the slave Pseudolus, played by senior Matt Riley, who tried to earn his freedom by promising to help the spoiled Hero, played by senior Jean Carlos Arias, win the love of his life, the virgin courtesan Phillia, played by sophomore Caitlin Haggard.

Rubber chickens, local art, retro gold sequined sunglasses and four-inch combat boots; everything you can imagine can be found at local vintage stores.With $20 in my pocket, I stood outside of the door of Agora in the pouring rain, struggling to close my umbrella. Seeking refuge under the entrance of the shop, I was greeted by stiff, soldier-like mannequins adorned with accessories guarding the entrance to the store.Overstuffed aisles filled with furniture, clothing, music and accessories lined the walls of the store. A dusty, old 8-track player in a corner of the store played classic 80s rock songs which every person over 30 was singing along with. Clothing once popular during past decades was now suspended from hangers begging to be worn again.

What do you consider attractive?Wassel: Muscular guys.Young: A guy who has a nice swag, ya know if he carries himself nicely.

Drums beating. Intense emotions pouring forth. My heart pounding rapid fire.Sri Lankan Mathangi Arulpragasam, a.k.a. M.I.A., has arrived with an inspiring, compelling second album, “Kala.”“M.I.A. is coming back to power, power!” is chanted at the beginning of the album in “Bamboo Banga.” And she’s right. This soulful, exotic woman is back to power, with lyrics and beats that will capture you into a whirlpool of energy. With “Kala” she has proven that her first album, 2005’s “Arular”, was not the last of her creative genius.

Cheers erupted from the Classic Center’s stage Sunday, March 2 as former mayor Doc Eldridge strutted out from behind the curtain. Dressed in red suspenders, a bowtie and black and white wingtips, Eldridge was the third performance of the night to dance for “Dancing with Athens Stars,” a twist on the popular TV show “Dancing with the Stars” on ABC.“Dancing with Athens Stars” was a benefit for Project Safe, a non-profit organization which provides services to women and children affected by domestic violence. The event featured 12 Athens “stars” paired with experienced dance teachers from the community.The stars included Eldridge, now head of the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce, Dexter Weaver, owner of Weaver D’s restaurant, Jason Winders, the editor of the Athens Banner-Herald, Elizabeth Dalton, host of “LizTalk” on WGAU, Pete McCommons, editor of the cultural newspaper “Flagpole” and several others.

In the past, I’ve been compared to a Viking and a lumberjack and have had nicknames ranging from “big Jesus” to “that hairy guy.”My hair was longer than some girls’ at Clarke Central High School, and I had a beard that made people mistake me for a substitute teacher.

She forked over $70; it was one of seven payments she made that year. The laser burned off her skin and she knew a painful blister would form soon after. This is the eventual price she paid for her spur-of-the-moment tattoo.Ashlee Wegmann of the CAPS department got a tattoo on her foot at the age of 20 and attempted to get it removed three years ago.