Paul Collins first hit the scene in the mid-1970s as the drummer for L.A. power-pop progenitors The Nerves, the band that wrote “Hanging on the Telephone,” a tune that Blondie would go on to make famous. As the frontman of The Beat (which changed its name to The Paul Collins Beat in order to avoid confusion with England’s The Beat, also known as The English Beat—still with me?), Collins continues to churn out hooky, punk-influenced rock and roll well into the 21st Century. An underground legend in his own right, Collins will play Athens in what has been a years-in-the-making endeavor for organizer Nate Mitchell. The bands that will warm the stage—Nashville’s Parasite Diet and locals The Arcs and The V.G. Minus—each owe no small debt to Collins’ past work. Look for a Q&A with Collins on Homedrone later this week.
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