Avant-garde musical groups. Lengthy, atmospheric songs and soundscapes. A musical aesthetic that can only be described as “space rock.”

All of these are positive attributes, but not ones one would expect to discover in the music scene of a small town such as Cullman, Al.

Since 2000, the underground music festival known as Space Rock Con has been held each year in Cullman. But Space Rock Con 2008 marks a pivotal evolution.

“Due to low turnouts in past years, we’ve decided to hold it in Athens this year,” said Carlo DeShouten, curator of the event. “I can’t afford to make any more sacrifices, and there are more musicians in the Atlanta-Athens area.”

Local experimental band Unus Mundus will headline the inaugural affair, with another local group, Dharma Son Collective, opening.

Rather than limiting itself to strictly “space rock,” the day-long festival includes styles as disparate as progressive, punk, psychedelic, industrial and noise rock.

“Any bands who express interest in playing can come play; I’ll permit any style of music,” DeShouten said. “It doesn’t need to be ‘space rock’ to me, as long as the music is played well and has a good feeling to it.”

DeShouten described Space Rock Con as a musician’s convention, where artists can meet each other and play music together.

“I think the term ‘space rock’ comes from [DeShouten's] love for [space rock group] Hawkwind,” said Steve Fitzpatrick, guitarist and founding member of Unus Mundus. “To me, the name represents art rock – any kind of creative, dynamic, heartfelt music.”

DeShouten mentioned that former Hawkwind members Nik Turner and Harvey Bainbridge were among the artists who participated in the first Space Rock Con. As such, the tag “Space Rock Con” felt appropriate.

Unus Mundus, who previously played Space Rock Con in 2003, has been a driving force in drumming up local publicity.

“We’re promoting way heavier than we’ve ever promoted for Space Rock Con,” Fitzpatrick said.

“I really think there’s something happening that’s bigger than any of [the musicians].”

Fitzpatrick cites among Unus Mundus’ influences early Pink Floyd, Can, and the German krautrock scene of the ’70s.

“With krautrock there was no ‘movement,’” he said. “But at the time these people were just exploding with creativity; it just happened.

“That’s kind of how it was with Unus Mundus,” he added. “The whole thing happened organically.”

Although Fitzpatrick formed Unus Mundus nearly a decade ago, the current lineup – which includes bassist Rob Fluhr, guitarist Jim Panebianco and drummer Josh Massey – was instated this summer.

Panebianco, the frontman of Dharma Son Collective, has the unique distinction of performing as part of the two biggest names on the bill.

When I played with [Panebianco], we meshed perfectly – a meeting of like-minded tribes, as it were,” Fitzpatrick said.

In terms of the most important aspect of Space Rock Con, Fitzpatrick and DeShouten are in accord: This unusual event serves to highlight the underground world of art rock.

“Space is as big as anything gets, and there’s a lot of music out there that needs to be performed and heard,” DeShouten said.

“It represents a better alternative to the mainstream,” Fitzpatrick said. “We try to keep a positive slant – we just aim for really good music that’s also creative. What more does music need to be?”