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Showing posts with label Casper and the Cookies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Casper and the Cookies. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

More than Music: the Fashion

Ian and Zachary of Crumbling Arches
sporting their show attire
with style

Why do people go to live shows? For the music, of course! Right? Well, technically the answer is yes, but with a good stereo and a few high quality recordings, you can pretty much recreate the same effect at home. There must be more to it.

I think most people go to live shows for the experiences, for the chance to see and be a part of something awesome and unforgettable, something they can't have at home. The music is important, yes, but it's only a small part of what makes a live show an event worth traveling through downtown (or even across a few states) to enjoy. So what else makes a show bridge the gap between good and FREAKIN' SPECTACULAR? Hold your breath with me now... I'm about to plunge right in.

Since I just spent the past day sewing up a storm in the hopes of having double the "downtown wardrobe" by the time I get back to Athens, I'll start with the subject at the forefront of my mind: fashion! Or, more specifically, band member fashions. Now the key thing to remember when picking a rockstar outfit as a member of a band or a clever imposter is to stand out. Wearing your normal, everyday t-shirts and jeans just won't cut it. Take a cue from your favorite Halloween costume or eccentric, established rocker icon, and go wild! Remember you can't go wrong with bright colors and crazy patterns.

Take it from Ian of Crumbling Arches. From what I've seen of his onstage fashions, his closet must be full of shirts with hypnotising designs, artfully ripped jeans, and multicolored pants. Alex of the same band keeps everybody's eyes on him with his array of curiously interesting and slightly ridiculous hats. Brian and Zachary generally keep it simple and classy with their dressy/casual take on suits - always a good choice. The members of this band and Doctor Squid too have also been known, at other times, to don some rather spectacular costumes as well, among them phantom masks, kitty suits, santa hats, and even full-face squid masks. And while we're on the subject, I can't forget to mention bands like Deaf Judges and Excali Brah. For them, costumes are mandatory show wear. It totally works, too. Nothing makes me more gleeful than seeing a bunch of fully grown men wearing capes and vampire fangs!

Sometimes, though, fashion choices directly relate to the music being played. The members of Chris McKay and the Critical Darlings take it old school all the way with their sound and their threads. Basist Frank DeFreese definitely does it right with his shiny, eye-catching clothing. In fact, just before I saw the Critical Darlings perform for the first time, I noticed him wandering by in the semi-darkness. Without knowing anything about the guy, I instantly knew that he must be a member of one of the featured bands. That's the way it should be! His clothes totally tipped me off. He had to be more than just an average bystander. And you can't miss Carly Kane, lead singer of Stellate, when she's rocking the house either! Her brightly-colored clothing smacks of fun just like her music. You'd know she was a star from a mile away!

Other whole bands choose to rock their looks uniformly. No, I'm not talking about the matching outfits worn by the boy bands of the nineties. I'm sure we all want to forget about those! I'm talking about a small hint of color coordination like the matching red glitter eyeshadow worn by all of the members of Casper and the Cookies (especially the men). Things like this ensure that these groups won't be forgotten in a sea of bands trying to stand out and make a name for themselves.

So, now that you've got a handle on some of the fashions of Athens and Atlanta bands, what's next? A live show has to be more than just a rockstar outfit, right? Well, naturally. As always, stay tuned for more!

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

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Athfest 2009: Music in all of the nooks and crannies

Friday (late night), June 26th 2009
Brave New Citizen &
Casper & the Cookies


My carefully-written itinerary informed us that the next and last act of the night would be the one-of-a-kind band Casper & the Cookies. However, the Deaf Judges show had ended a bit early, and we found ourselves with some unplanned time on our hands. What to do? Since we were all suffering from a slight bit of exhaustion, wandering ever so slowly towards Ciné seemed like the best idea of the night. And boy, am I glad this was our choice!

On the way to the next venue, I found one more example of the reason why I love Athens so much. Just before we reached Ciné, we heard small snatches of good rock music coming from somewhere. Being the massively curious person that I am, I insisted that we find the source of these tunes. We followed our ears to an outdoor stage tucked away behind the Little Kings Shuffle Club. The band playing there was rocking out to an excited audience of fans enveloped in the semi-darkness while scrolling words of poetry flashed behind them. After fully enjoying their set, we turned to the nearest Athfest staff member and inquired about this mysterious band. They were Brave New Citizen, we were told. A quick glance at the notes I had taken on all 170+ bands' myspaces told me that I had marked them under the "good" category, but for the sake of my underage friends, had left them off of the itinerary since Little Kings is generally a 21 and up place. I rejoiced in the fact that fate had given us a chance to hear them anyway. This is truly the foundation for my love of Athens: the discovery! Unexpectedly finding (sometimes literally) bands that I've never gotten to hear and adding them to my list of worthy musical acts is at the heart of my enthusiasm for this town!

Feeling kind of enlightened, we stepped over to the Casper & the Cookies show to catch their entertaining set. As always, their songs had a very unique, indie feel to them which was full of pure fun and very reminiscent of Boston indie band Lemon Demon's sound. Also, I couldn't help but smile as I noticed that all of the men in the band wore bright, glittery eyeshadow and wonderfully eccentric clothing which seemed to somehow fit with their musical style. All in all, it was quite an amusing and enjoyable end to the night.

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!