Athfest 2009: Excali Brah throws a rave party

Friday, June 26th 2009
Excali Brah

After Dead Confederate's amazing show, I was a bit worried that any band that followed the national act would be a bit of a letdown. Excali Brah, however, went above and beyond to prove me wrong. Just before I caught a glimpse of the stage, one of my friends who was slightly ahead of me yelled out something about the band members wearing costumes. As a lifelong Halloween aficionado, this comment grabbed my attention, so I quickened my pace. We all reached the Hull Street stage in record time. Sure enough, they were in costumes! And what an array of costumes they wore! The lead rapper, Excali Brah himself, was draped in a hooded monk's robe while another member of the group sported a little red riding hood cape and not much else. A guy in a suit stood in the background although my friends and I never could determine whether he was actually a member of the band or not. Swamp thing, though, was the most unique character onstage. He wore a leaf-covered costume with a gold chain hanging around his neck. And when he opened his mouth, he issued a deep and unearthly voice, clearly altered by some sort of Darth Vader-like modulator. Oh, the insanity! I was already enjoying the ridiculousness of it all, and they hadn't even begun their performance!

Then they started their set, and it was clear that there was nothing about their act that was meant to be taken seriously. Their songs ranged from country to rap at its most hilarious, and many of the tunes they used were borrowed from popular songs of the past like Jimmy Buffett's "Escape" (the Piña Colada song). Their own lyrics to these songs were incredibly comedic and original as well. And then, when the Swamp thing got his moment to shine, he sang with a voice so markedly different from the modulated low rumble he had previously used that it sent the audience into fits of laughter. The greatest moment, though, occurred as they performed their last song. After handing everyone in the audience a glowstick, they declared that they were just about to throw the first ever outdoor rave party. Then they had us all squat down and spin our glowsticks wildly before motioning to all of us to leap up in unison from our position at a particular moment in the song. It was a blast! These guys definitely know how to put on a live show experience that their audience will remember forever!

For more blogs about Athfest 2009, click here! I'll be updating regularly, so be sure to check back often. Also, don't forget to check out concert videos from Dreams So Real, Venice is Sinking, Dead Confederate and many more at http://www.youtube.com/echoreynofathens!