People

Kai Riedl teaches classes on Asian religions, Buddhist ritual, and Music in Religious Culture in the religion dept at UGA. He has received several grants to study music and religious culture in Indonesia. As a musician Kai was a founding member of the band Macha, has contributed tracks for the band Tuatara (collaborating with members of R.E.M and poet Coleman Barks), and has developed the Javasounds recording project.

Suny Lyons is a music producer, recording engineer, web designer, and performer from Athens, Georgia. Suny (F.K.A. Daniel Rickard) is also a member of  Hope for Agoldensummer and has collaborated with such bands as Lovers, Tin Cup Prophette, PacificUV, Macha, Phosphorescent, Parker and Lily, and The Low Lows. Suny currently operates a recording studio in Athens, Georgia called Popheart Productions.

Jeremy Wheatley studied percussion performance at the University of Georgia. He also currently performs with Liz Durrett, Tin Cup Prophette, Je Suis France, and other Athens artists. Jeremy is now working on a solo record and performing with Andy Lemaster (Now It's Overhead).

Barrett Martin is an American drummer, composer, producer, artist, and writer who has performed around the world with various rock and jazz groups since the alternative music explosion of the 1990's. He currently plays with the Seattle rock band Big High, and some of his previous bands include Skin Yard, The Screaming Trees, Mad Season, and Tuatara. Barrett has collaborated with such artists as REM guitarist Peter Buck, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, Alice In Chains vocalist Layne Stayley, Delta Blues legend CeDell Davis, Iraqi master musician Rahim Alhaj, African master musician Foday Musa Suso, Sufi poet Coleman Barks, and Native American poet Joy Harjo.

Maria Taylor is a singer/songwriter from Birmingham, Alabama. She is also a member of the duo Azure Ray, with Orenda Fink, and Now It's Overhead, both on Saddle Creek Records. She plays several instruments, including the piano, guitar, and drums, and has collaborated with such artists as Bright Eyes, Moby, Abra Moore, David Barbe, and Crooked Fingers.

Orenda Fink is half of the Southern dream pop duo Azure Ray. Fink is also a former member of Now It's Overhead, another Saddle Creek band. She released her first full-length solo album The Invisible Ones in August 2005. Orenda and her long-time friend, Cedric Lemoyne (Bassist for Remy Zero) have collaborated to form a project called O+S. The album is pop-based, coming from sounds Orenda recorded in Haiti and other places. Cedric made loops out of the sounds and wrote songs based on them. The album was released in March 2009 on Saddle Creek Records.

Andy Lemaster is an American singer-songwriter and producer/engineer from Athens, Georgia. His primary band is Now It's Overhead. LeMaster has engineered, produced, and performed in many of the releases on the Saddle Creek label, including records by Bright Eyes, Now It's Overhead, Azure Ray, Maria Taylor, Orenda Fink, Beep Beep, The Good Life, and Mayday. In addition to his association with Saddle Creek, LeMaster has recorded and contributed to many other albums since he began producing in the late 90's. He is co-owner of Chase Park Transduction studio in Athens with fellow producer/engineer, David Barbe. LeMaster is also a talented visual artist and has done all the covers for Now It's Overhead's records.

Josh Mckay is a multi-instrumentalist, Aleka's Attic bassist, and founding member of the band Macha.

Killick Hinds of Athens, Georgia is active as a composer, performer, and promoter of a wide range of music. He plays quartertone electric guitar, as well as Big Red harp guitar and the H'arpeggione, an 18-stringed upright acoustic instrument with sympathetic strings, both built by Fred Carlson. Equally influenced by improvisational music and "composed" sounds, Killick's style blends primitive folk, heavy metal, and sacred musics from around the world into a distinct voice. Killick has played with improvisers including Susan Alcorn, Susie Allen, Brent Bagwell, Colin Bragg, William Buchanan, Jeff Crouch, Chris Cutler, Jeremiah Cymerman, Ernesto Diaz-Infante, Lisle Ellis, Tony Evans, Drew Gardner, the Georgia Guitar Quartet, Vinny Golia, Frank Gratkowski, Leslie Helpert, Blake Helton, Carl Ludwig Huebsch, Ben Kennedy, Harald Kimmig, Habib Koité, Peter Kowald, Craig Lieske, Marshall Marrotte, Jeff McLeod, Tatsuya Nakatani, Larry Ochs, Brian Osborne, Ravi Padmanabha, Dennis Palmer, Dave Rempis, Blaise Siwula, Carl Smith, Bob Stagner, Sándor Szabó, Ken Vandermark, Matthew Welch, and Eric Zinman.

Heather Macintosh is a cellist and composer based in Brooklyn, NY and Athens, GA who has performed and recorded with countless bands around the world, including Japancakes, Great Lakes, Circulatory System, Icy Demons, The Instruments, and Lil Wayne.

Jay Nackashi, currently of Brave New Citizen and previously of Empire State, combines invented instruments with conventional ones to create pop melodies and experimental recordings. His art involves painting, sound, and mechanical function, and has been displayed at numerous exhibitions and galleries.

Kyle Dawkins is a member of the Georgia Guitar Quartet who studied guitar with John Sutherland at the University Of Georgia, where he received a degree in guitar performance. Kyle has been a prizewinner in several competitions sponsored by the Georgia Music Teacher's Association, the Music Teacher's National Association, and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.