Mike Crupi/THE POST Ohio University junior Jonathan Kilian plays a four-piece drum set in his basement. Kilian, who plays with a number of different bands in the Athens area, says Southeast Ohio stores don't offer much in the way of equipment for drummers.

The reality of Athenian economics might rub local musicians the wrong way.

Many local musicians, such as guitarist Aaron Schlagbaum, do not like the price and selection in a small, low-income market such as Athens.

"I'm all for supporting local businesses, but I wouldn't recommend shopping here," sophomore Schlagbaum said. "There is not much of a selection, and the prices are too high."

Many local musicians mail order gear or drive to Columbus to shop at bigger, more expansive stores such as The String Shop or Sam Ash.

"We get people from Athens all the time," Sam Ash guitar technician Jamie Oberlin said. "They say we have a bigger selection."

Those who need gear immediately or who can't make the drive rely on local stores to have what they need. Local music shop Blue Eagle Music, 40 N. Court St., has been a music staple since 1970. A small town with a fluctuating student population presents an unusual market for a specialty shop such as Blue Eagle.

"It's a tough market to stay alive in," E manager Frank McDermott said. "I've seen two shops come and go in two years."

Local shops such as Blue Eagle promise to match prices consumers find in advertisements or catalogues.

McDermott said the location and attitude of Blue Eagle is what gives it the additional charm that keeps its clientele coming back.

"We have what other shops don't," he said, surveying the store. "We have ambience."

Local music storeowners also claim the hype surrounding big music stores covers up the bottom line. Tim Edwards, owner of Studio E in the Athens Mall, said a Wal-Mart mentality has entered the music store industry.

"I'm perplexed why people will go all the way to Columbus. People think just because it's a big store, they will have the best prices," he said. "We have rarely lost a customer who comes in with a catalogue price that we can't beat."

Some local musicians just want to give a more arts and crafts approach to their instruments. Amongst a pile of rubble in his 18 Oak St. house basement, junior John Kilian pointed out what was once his homemade drumming apparatus. Kilian made the drum set out of what most

people use for hardware, complete with wood beams for bracing and padlocks as chimes.

"That used to be a VCR and a television," Kilian said, pointing to a pile of circuit board and broken glass. "Things got a little crazy last night."

Kilian said the set was not a protest against buying his gear in Athens, but a break from the norm.

"It's something different," he said. "Who says you have to play what was manufactured by someone else?"