Skanking with the best of them: Groove Stain, Taj Motel Trio, 50:50 Shot

I have to admit, I was not feeling my best last Friday night, but music waits for no one! Just in time for the show, I grabbed my downtown bag and headed over to the Caledonia for my second taste of the crazy joy and brass-infused style that is ska. After all, music has healing powers, right?

Once the first band, Groove Stain, began to play, I knew I had made the right decision. These guys were undeniably amazing! A mixture of ska, hard rock, and rap, their sound was like nothing I've ever heard. I don't think anyone in the crowd was expecting to experience such a showing of sheer talent. They had everyone skanking, rocking out, and jamming so much that I just had to join in the fun myself. And Groove Stain's stage presence was unbelievable as well. The lead singer/rapper, in particular, drew in the crowd with his magnetic performance personality and wild skills. What an uplift in spirits! I really hope I have a chance to see these guys again.

Taj Motel Trio was up next to give us Athenians another serving of their sound. I first heard their classic ska style during their January show, and I was quite happy to see their return to our scene. Man, the crowd was so into it, the skanking reached near dangerous proportions during the end of their set! Hm, I suppose I should give a short explanation of skanking for those just joining us since I've already mentioned it twice so far. Skanking refers to being loose (with your movements, in this case). That definition just works in so many ways! But anyway, it's sort of a mixture between flailing and moshing but with a sense of joy and freedom that I've never seen in any other form of dance. And Taj Motel Trio's tunes even got the crowd skanking in a circle around one of the band members. Pure awesomeness!

Unfortunately, by the end of their set, the sickness that I had been feeling earlier overtook me, so I had to reluctantly step out. Luckily, my friend Kole was there to catch the ever-amazing 50:50 Shot. Here's his take on their set:

Playing with a still fresh line-up, the seemingly immortal ska entity that is 50:50 Shot gave the best performance at the Caledonia tonight that I have ever had the pleasure of hearing them play. The turnout could have been better, but the crowd was going absolutely crazy for the music, old and first-time listeners alike. 50:50 Shot, like any good ska band, can use its magical energy-filled music to make a worn-out and tired crowd flail and skank in pure bliss and adrenaline. Drummer Bradley Gandy and guitar/singer Ryan Clark played a fantastic last show ever (yea, okay, it's been said before). They will be missed greatly and I am more than enthusiastic to see what 50:50 Shot's future will bring.

Oh wow. Really, I wish that all of life was as carefree as a ska show!

More than Music: the Antics

Last week, you read about the silly banter that keeps live shows constantly exciting. But what else do bands do to make the time between (and sometimes during!) songs less like waiting and more like some sort of wild party? Welcome to the circus, my friends! It's time for some crazy antics. From acrobatics to unexpected appearances to pure jungle madness, you simply won't believe your eyes at these shows!

Last Athfest, Deaf Judges gave us an insane spectacle when, dressed in full vampire garb, one of the members of the band leapt up and scaled the balcony inside of Morton Theatre to rap while perched atop the ledge, high above the crowd. What a sight! Talk about an experience I'll remember forever! And that's not all. At the award show the night before, they threw beach balls into the audience and rapped from chairs throughout the venue as the balls flew overhead. Wow! Just wow.

Speaking of playing in the midst of a crowd of fans, bands 50:50 Shot and Matt Kurz One know that there's nothing more exciting than bringing the music to the people. Just a few weeks ago, the trombone player of 50:50 Shot appeared amongst the crowd and began to play right beside me while the band rocked the Caledonia. How cool is that! And Matt Kurz One did his one man show thing in the round at Ciné during Athfest so that everyone could see the crazy mix of instruments and techniques he used to make his music. Awesome, indeed.

Local rockers Coco Rico and Doctor Squid get into their tunes so much that they've been know to burst into interpretive dance on occasion. It's so much fun to watch! Coco Rico's show at Tasty World in December was simply full of madness as they writhed and moved in an intense dance that almost resembled some highly amusing animal mating ritual. Doctor Squid, on the other hand, took it the literal route with some incredibly comical hand motions that fit the words of the song perfectly. I can't help leaving with a smile on my face after shows like these!

If physical feats are your thing, Crumbling Arches will give you an unforgettable night. Jumping from speakers straight into a rockin' guitar segment? They've done that! Playing their instruments blindfolded? They've done that too! Strumming their guitars while locked in some sort of ridiculous music-infused embrace? Yup, they've done that! And, I've mentioned my favorite of their antics before: the flip. Seeing them crawl over, around, on top of, and through the legs of each other without touching the floor is just totally mind-boggling!

And any conversation about band antics is incomplete without a mention of Kite to the Moon. Their off-the-wall costumes and unimaginably-shaped instruments are wild enough, but with the help of the Tiger Girlz of Athens, they put on a show that is almost literally like a circus. The Tiger Girlz, dressed in impossibly high heels and an array of unexpected costumes picked for each song, actually swing, climb, and fly on a trapeze right beside the audience during the music! It's an absolutely unbelievable spectacle!

These are just some of the completely insane things bands do to make sure their name sticks in your mind. You know you'll tell your friends about the outrageous antics you've seen these crazy musicians engage in downtown! But what else makes a show an all-encompassing experience? Don't miss the next segment of More than Music!

To read about all of the ingredients that make up a live show to top all others, click here!

Time for a SKAncert!

It's nights like these that remind me that I'm still so new to the music scene. There's so much left for me to hear, so much more for me to experience, so much I have yet to learn. I mean, who knew skanking could be a good thing? It sounds like... well, you know what it sounds like! But Friday night, during my very first ska concert, I got a glimpse of what it means to skank, wildly, in public, and surrounded by tons of people!

For those of you who, like me, have been completely unaware of ska music and culture until this point, I'll tell you a bit about this skanking. See, skanking is the term used to refer to ska dancing. To skank, you must immerse yourself fully in the music, abandon all tension and control, and just let loose and flail about to your heart's desire. An odd sight for a first timer, yes, but a refreshingly awesome one too. Ska's listeners don't let fear of anyone's judgment affect their complete and utter enjoyment of the music. Ska music itself is like nothing I've ever heard either. A mixture of punk, reggae, jazz, and swing music with a splash of several other styles, it's got a happy, upbeat sound that effortlessly causes everyone to move their feet. You just can't resist! Major props go to my friend Kole for his infectious excitement about everything ska. I'm so glad he convinced me to come!

Taj Motel Trio, a band from Cornelia, Georgia, kicked off the night's SKAncert with what I would call a bit of classic ska. Their whole set had the crowd going skank-crazy! This audience had some mad energy, that's for sure. Then, a few songs in, the band managed to rework the always-awesome Darth Vader theme from Star Wars into a completely incredible and danceable ska tune. That definitely takes some major talent. Everybody loved it!

New York's band Royal City Riot brought a taste of more peaceful reggae to the mix next. Their style made me feel like I was just chilling on the beach in the warm sun, soaking in some nice tunes. Even though their music was a bit slower, the crowd kept on skanking up a storm and wholeheartedly immersing themselves in the moment!

Then it was time for Atlanta's own 50:50 Shot to play us on out. These guys had about eight people performing onstage at a time... quite the spectacle, particularly when compared to the size of the Caledonia stage! Each member had such personality that the band seemed to explode with passion and energy as they played. Their rock-infused ska had elements of the style I like to refer to as "doomsday," and it certainly kept the crowd skanking till the end. In fact, people were dancing so wildly, I'd swear the floor of the Caledonia was shaking. I'm not even sure that's possible, but wow, it was insane! My favorite part of their set had to be just moments in, though, when I heard the awesome tones of an instrument right beside me. I turned to find one of the band members standing in the midst of the sea of concert-goers, blowing away on his trombone. There's nothing like getting that true surround sound feel from a band. It was so undeniably cool!

Simply put, the whole ska scene blew me away. For me, it was truly like a trove of undiscovered treasure, a box of pure joy just waiting to be opened. Here's hoping there are plenty more ska shows and SKAncerts in Athens soon!