Kristen's Concert Picks: Dance your way through December!

As the year comes to an end, our ears will ring joyfully with the final songs of 2013.  Come dance your way through December!

Tue, Dec 3: UGA Holiday Concert @ 8 PM @ Classic Center Theatre
Kick off the month and get yourself into the holiday spirit with a Holiday Concert courtesy of the UGA Symphony Orchestra!

Tuesdays in November: Kenosha Kid @ 9 PM @ Hendershot's Coffee
Every year Kenosha Kid wins the honor of best jazz band in town. If you haven't grooved to them yet, it's about time.  See them live at Hendershot's every Tuesday in December!

Wed, Dec 4: Cicada Rhythm @ 8 PM @ Melting Point
You'll just love the unique folk stylings of Cicada Rhythm!

Thu, Dec 5: SQUIDMAS @ 9 PM @ Caledonia Lounge 
WOW!  Doctor Squid, The Warm Fuzzies, AND The Skipperdees? With a lineup like this, it'll be a very Merry Squidmas indeed. You definitely won't want to miss this show!

Thu, Dec 5: Efren @ 10 PM @ Nowhere Bar
I've been following Efren's gritty sound since the beginning, and they're always worth a listen.  Check 'em out over at Nowhere Bar!

Thu, Dec 5: Yo Soybean, Madeline @ 10 PM @ Flicker Theatre
Yo Soybean will bring the rock and Madeline will add a touch of darkness to the night's southern-twinges tunes at the Flicker Theatre!

Fri, Dec 6: Abbey Road Live @ 9 PM @ Melting Point
Hey, all you Beatles fans out there…  You may have missed seeing the original band play a show, but Abbey Road Live keeps their sound going strong.  Catch these guys at the Melting Point on the 6th!

Sat, Dec 7: Holiday Yard Sale @ 11 AM - 5 PM @ 40 Watt
Ok, this may not be a show per say, but nothing says Athens like a yard sale at the 40 Watt while the bar is taking orders. Save money, schmooze, and booze at the Watt's Holiday Yard Sale this year!

Sat, Dec 7: Easter Island @ 10 PM @ The World Famous
Easter Island mixes drum beats and sweet vocals to create and awesome soft rock sound!

Sat, Dec 14: Thayer Sarrano @ 10 PM @ The World Famous
Thayer Sarrano weaves words into music in an incredibly unique and beautiful way.  Be sure to check out her show at the World Famous!

Thu, Dec 19: Dangfly @ 11 PM @ Georgia Theatre
One of my top Athfest favorites from this year, Dangfly's quality rock will definitely leave you dancing.  Best of all, this show is part of a free after-wedding celebration at the Georgia Theatre, so everyone is sure to be in a festive mood!

Sat, Dec 28: Brothers @ 10 PM @ Flicker Theatre
Classic meets indie when Brothers takes the stage.  See 'em over at Flicker near the end of the month!

Tue, Dec 31: The Whigs @ 8 PM @ Georgia Theatre
The Whigs have got New Year's Eve covered with their hardcore southern rock sound!

Tue, Dec 31: New Year's Eve with Ghost Owl @ 10 PM @ The Green Room
Ghost Owl's powerful tunes and commanding beats will usher in the New Year like no other.  This show is sure to to be an awesome way to ring in 2014!

What a month this will be!  I can't believe it's almost 2014 already.  Just like always, if you've heard of another local show not listed here that you can't wait to attend, don't hesitate to comment below and let the world know all the details.  Make the most of this month, and I'll catch ya around town, my friends!

Rockin' December sights

We've got a bunch more pics from two awesome shows up on the Echoreyn of Athens facebook page today!  Missed the Athens band rockin' Bad Manor or the merry event that was Squidmas 2011?  Want to relive them all over again?  Check out these visuals!  A few of our very favorites are below:

Chase and Justin of the Athens band rock some tunes

Larry of Doctor Squid brings the Squidmas cheer

Holding up a lighter for Beau of the Athens band

See all of the pictures from these shows and tons more in our latest Facebook album.  Enjoy!

A Squidmas full of festive cheer!

Wow!  I've been waiting for Squidmas for twelve whole months, and now it's finally happened.  Every year, these celebrations full of holiday cheer and massive amounts of festive wonder just get better and better, and this year's show, the fourth annual Squidmas event, blew it out of the water!  This time around, the bands took over the Melting Point stage and rocked their Christmas-flavored hits for a crowd of extremely eager, red-and-green-clad fans.  So much fun!

 Newcomers to the Squidmas scene, 50s inspired band Groove Tangent kicked off the night with their very own version of Jingle Bell Rock.  Then they eased us into the shocking news that it's really our moms putting the presents under the tree rather than Santa with a clever little tune.  I've got to say, for their very first Squidmas show, they sure did an awesome job changing up their songs to add a bit of holiday spice to them!  But the band didn't stop there.  They brought a slew of guest musicians onstage, recruiting some of their most talented friends to to help them rock the songs.  My favorite of these guests had to be Meghan, whose amazing voice gave their version of Santa Baby just the right measure of sultry sweetness.

 She also joined the band for a gorgeous harmony during their take on Feliz Navidad which featured two of their brilliant pals on trumpet and sax as well.

 Soon after, the Warm Fuzzies gave it a go with some rock-infused holiday covers of their own.  I truly enjoyed their amped up versions of some of the most well-loved, traditionally soft and slow Christmas songs.  And remember those free, new Fuzz of the Month tunes the band keeps releasing?  Sprinkled throughout the set, these melodies gave us bit of that quirky Fuzzies style that we know so well.

And then it was time for the creators of Squidmas to show everyone how it's done.  With a "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown," Doctor Squid launched into a set that had every person in the venue dancing and singing along.  Honestly, I don't even think it's possible to keep from joining in the fun at a Squidmas celebration!  And, most unbelievably, this one had the events of past years beat with even more brand new holiday mixes of some of their latest songs including those from their album Doctor Squid Changes the Channel, released at this very show.  I'm still amazed at just how easily all of their biggest hits seem to meld with some of the most beloved Christmas songs.  I will never understand what magic they employ to make that happen.  All I know is that I can't get enough of it!  The crowd clearly felt the same way, as cheers grew louder and louder after every song they played culminating in a chant of "Doctor Squid" and "encore" that brought on yet another tasty musical morsel.  They've done it again.  Doctor Squid has given us the best Squidmas yet!

Fun, film, and family!

Can it really be the end of November? How has the year gone by so quickly?  Well, somehow it's already the week of Thanksgiving which means that many of you are away visiting your families and preparing yourselves to enjoy a bit of time off and a selection of tasty foods.  Well, how would like a serving of scrumptious tunes to go with your delicious meal?

First off, I'll start with something you may be familiar with: the Fuzz of the Month!  Every month, local joy-inducing band the Warm Fuzzies gives out a newly released free song on their website.  How awesome is that!  Go ahead and get yourself a taste of their latest tunes right here.

Lucky for us, the Warm Fuzzies aren't the only band sharing some free tunes right now!  Doctor Squid has gotten in on the action as well.  Every week for the next few weeks, they'll be debuting a fresh new song, and they're releasing the latest one today!  You can get your hands on these songs over on their website.  Best of all, you'll be able to catch both of these bands in action on December 5th at the fourth annual Squidmas event over at the Melting Point.  I just can't wait for this year's festive celebration of tunes and cheer!

And finally, if you're craving even more awesome songs, we've just uploaded a bunch of the videos that we've recorded over the past few months onto the Echoreyn of Athens YouTube channel.  Feast your eyes on tons of live show videos, like the Constellations one above, from this year's Music Midtown and more!

Hope you all have an amazing week!

It's a holly jolly Squidmas!

It's that time of year again when reindeer antlers miraculously sprout from the heads of Athens music fans, elf hats are a common sight to behold, and Santa Claus himself makes his way to 40 Watt. What could possibly bring about so much festive joy? SQUIDMAS, of course! There's nobetter way to ring in the holiday season, that's for sure. As yearly Athens music events go, Squidmas is second only to the magic that is the 150+ band show Athfest in my mind. And joy upon joys, the third (official) annual Squidmas last Tuesday night definitely did not disappoint!

First on the bill was the brand new local band Flesh and Blood. Although they are certainly newcomers on the scene, most of the members are no strangers to Squidmas, having performed at last year's celebration under the name, Romanenko. Now, you know what's cool about Flesh and Blood? There are three women in this band and just one guy. As I've said in the past, this is such a tragic rarity in Athens. And, wow, do they know how to rock! It's no surprise that sales of this year's Squidmas album went towards helping women rockers enter the music scene. Power to them all! Flesh and Blood played through their set, one amazing song after another, each infused with hints of lovely darkness. How can there be so much brilliance in just their

second show? It seems the bands of Athens are certainly stepping up their game lately. I've no doubt that I WILL be seeing them again!

Craving that warm fuzzy feeling? Well, at Squidmas, we were all in luck because cheer-inspiring rockers the Warm Fuzzies were up next. Amidst their Christmas covers, they gave us a brand new original song about wishing for an alien for Christmas. Pure awesome! But, really, nothing could beat the holiday version of their hit song Hey Milunka. Calling the song Hey Santa, they had everyone in the crowd smiling with this take on the tune. Joy!

And then the moment had arrived... The band we were all waiting for stepped onstage... I mean, really, what is Squidmas without a nice, healthy dose of Doctor Squid? Now these guys topped

themselves this year with a set that would make Santa's own head explode with excitement. How can they possibly throw a better Squidmas every year than the year before? HOW DO THEY DO IT? Intermixing their hit songs with countless beloved Christmas tunes, they gave us a set only Doctor Squid could. Seriously, this band is the only band in Athens that could release a whole full-length album of original Christmas mixes that tons of people would buy without hesitation. And these guys never fail to throw a party at their shows! Their signature slow-to-speed style is just perfect for the madness that is Squidmas. By the end of the night, they had a massive crowd of fans leaping about, clapping wildly, and even crowdsurfing to their tunes! It was a thing of beauty.

Truly, I think we can sum it all up with a few words from Jessie of Flesh and Blood who, in the most epic way, declared that "never before and never again will there be holiday spectacular such as this that is Squidmas!" Squidmas is my favorite.

A Merry Little Squidmas!

SQUIDMAS! More specifically, the second annual Squidmas party hosted by Doctor Squid with musical guests Leaving Araby and Romanenko... Wow, what a night!

See, just about a year ago, I heard whispers of a festive costume bash complete with bands and holiday cheer. I was intrigued, but, swamped with finals, I had to pass up the chance to attend. However, during the weeks that followed, I found pictures and video that put the taste of Squidmas on my tongue. I craved more, and I knew there was absolutely no way I was going to miss the next celebration of this musically merry holiday!

This year, on Squidmas morning, I awoke filled with such unbelievable levels of anticipation and glee that nothing could dampen my spirits. The moment my pals and I could meet, we headed off to the 40 Watt for the holiday party of a lifetime. Leaving Araby kicked off the show with a set of soft, pop-infused tunes that filled everyone with Squidmas cheer. A tinsel-adorned bass guitar and mics covered in lights made for quite the festive atmosphere.

Then it was time, time for the moment I'd been dreaming of for a good twelve months. Doctor Squid, festooned in an array of red and green attire, stepped onstage to rock our Santa hats off with one of the absolute GREATEST sets I've ever seen. As anyone who's seen them can tell you, Doctor Squid always manages to bring the house down with their tunes. However, I can honestly say I've never seen them like this. They took their already wildly popular original songs and blended them with all of our favorite Christmas tunes to create what can only be described as pure music magic. Their hit song On My Way, usually remembered for its upbeat series of "whoa's", got a Santa-inspired makeover that transformed those "whoa's" into "ho ho ho's." True happiness! Another one of their tunes got a hint of Grinch when it served as an intro to one of the most rockin' holiday medleys I've ever heard. A feeling of utter joy permeated the air as everyone in the audience danced and sang their hearts out along with the band. What an absolutely amazing experience!

Then it was Romanenko's turn to finish out the night. The calm after the storm of merry insanity, Romanenko is one that's been at the top of my list of bands to see live for quite a while. Their dark, indie sound provided the perfect ending to a Squidmas full of rock. And, with more girls than guys in the band, they brought a bit of serious girl power to the largely male Athens rock scene. It's great to see some women who truly know how drum and play! Boy, am I glad I've finally gotten to see them.

Seriously, nothing can beat a triple lineup of amazing bands full of festive cheer. Without a doubt, Squidmas is one of my new favorite holidays, and you can be sure that, come December 2010, I'll be rocking out to some Squidtastic holiday tunes once more!