The Whigs
By Catrina Maxwell

While at Starfest, I had the opportunity to sit down with Hank and Julian of The Whigs. They had a lot of things to say about their experiences while being in the band The Whigs, which was formed in 2003 in Athens, GA. Although Julian (drums) and Parker (vocals & guitar) went to the same high school they didn't meet until they were  attending  the  University  of

Now that they have all graduated from college, their tour schedule is very hectic. Julian graduated about a year ago with a degree in Psychology, while Hank and Julian graduated this year with degrees in English and Philosophy. Julian states, "We were just so close to finishing; it just didn't make since to not do so." Now that they aren't tied down to Athens with a school

schedule they have started touring full time. They really enjoy being on the road. They have had the opportunity to open for Franz Ferdinand, Drive by Truckers, Maroon 5, the Killers, Jessica Simpson, Barenaked Ladies and Fuel. When asked, Hank states that the most memorable show to date would have to be the Star 94 Jingle Jam at the Gwinnett Arena in two thousand three. I asked "What made that show so memorable?" Hank said "We went on after Jessica Simpson and that was just so different from our sound and what we were doing at the time and also it was our first time we had played in an arena and that was very cool."

Recently, The Whigs were featured in Rolling Stones in their "Ten Artist to Watch" issue and quoted as "The Whigs may well be the best unsigned band in America." "The cool part about it was someone asked me the other day how did we submit for that and we didn't, they came to us, which made it that much more exciting" says Julian.

What lies for the future of this young and talented rock band? No one can ever really say, but I can tell you this, they are stuck on repeat in my I-pod right now and their show is one I will never forget!

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