Kristen's Concert Picks: Fend off the cold with some rockin' bands this January!

We've made it to 2013, my friends!  It looks like it's going to be a cold one though.  Keep yourself warm and dance the night away with these awesome bands!

Fri, January 4: Yo Soybean @ 10:30 PM @ Farm 255
Start off your semester with a bit of southern rock courtesy of Yo Soybean over at Farm 255!

Wed, January 9: Ryan Cabrera, Tyler Hilton, Teddy Geiger @ 8 PM @ Melting Point

These guys from pop music's not-so-far-gone past have apparently joined together for an acoustic lineup of old favorites and new tunes.  Relive the days of your youth, and stop by the Melting Point to catch them live.

Thu, January 10: The District Attorneys & Ruby the Rabbitfoot @ 10 PM @ Green Room

There's nothing better than a free show!  Check out Flagpole Award winners The District Attorneys and the sweet sounds of Ruby the Rabbitfoot at the brand new venue The Green Room (175 N. Lumpkin Street) on the 10th.  

Fri, January 11: Dead Confederate @ 9 PM @ 40 Watt

Want to hear Dead Confederate's latest tunes? The band joins John French and the Bastilles at the 40 Watt to play through their newest EP release!

Wed, January 16: Cicada Rhythm @ 8 PM @ New Earth Music Hall

Fill your ears with the standout, folky sound of Cicada Rhythm over at New Earth in the middle of the month!

Thu, January 17: Come What May @ 9:30 PM @ Caledonia Lounge

Come What May rocks an intense, indie style that transcends genre.  You won't want to miss them!

Sat, January 19: Manray & Lazer/Wulf @ 10 PM @ Caledonia Lounge

Craving even more explosive melodic noise?  Manray and Lazer/Wulf will be combining forces once again to take over the Caledonia on the 19th!

Sat, January 26: Seven Handle Circus @ 8 PM @ Georgia Theatre

What do get when you combine nearly every stringed instrument under the sun with a healthy dose of fun? The bumpin' folk tunes of Seven Handle Circus, of course.  One of my new favorites from last summer's Athfest, you've got to hear these guys in action!

Thu, January 31: Sam Sniper @ 8:30 PM @ Georgia Theatre

Finish out your January with the unique, southern-style rock of Sam Sniper over at the ever-incredible GA Theatre!  

What a way to kick off 2013!  Got another local show you're pumped for?  Post about it below so that everyone can partake in the awesomeness.  Enjoy yourselves!

Athfest 2012: District Attorneys & Elf Power ease us into evening

Saturday, June 23rd, 2012

District Attorneys and Elf Power

After seeing them sweep the Flagpole Awards this year, I just had to check out the District Attorneys to see what all the fuss was about.  As I arrived, they were giving the crowd that had already gathered in front of the stage an amusing pre-show in the form of a mic check featuring everything from Arby's commercial jingles to classic songs like When A Man Loves A Woman.  I've got to admit, it was pretty funny.  Then it was time for their set.  Pure rock with almost punk vocals at times, they had the fans bobbing along to their tunes almost immediately. There's no doubt these guys can shred!

Not much later, it was Elf Power's turn to take the Pulaski Stage.  Fulfilling the yearly need for a well-established 90s headliner and hailing from this very town, they gave us a rock set that all of their longtime fans loved.  While there seemed to be a bit of a disconnect with the younger crowd who had never seen them before, by the end of the show, the whole audience seemed to be enjoying the tunes. It was quite a nice final set to see before I headed off to the venues for a bit of a grittier sound.

  For all of our massive coverage of Athfest 2012, from preparation guides to articles on some of the best featured bands and shows, click here! More entries on all the bands and madness of the festival will be posted daily, so be sure to check back often. Plus, check out our show footage and Athfest vlogs up on the Echoreyn of Athens YouTube channel as well! 

Athfest 2012: the always wild Flagpole Awards!

Thursday, June 21st, 2012 

Flagpole Athens Music Awards show

Dancing bananas?  Waving octopus arms?  Clowns throwing glow sticks?  No, you're not having a bad trip... it's the Flagpole Athens Music Awards 2012!

We've come to expect all sorts of ridiculous shenanigans at the Flagpole Awards ceremony every year, and this year's show was certainly no exception.

Traveling by time machine to get to the Morton Theatre, the wildly costumed band Like Totally kicked off the night with a short set of quirky tunes and enough glow bracelets for everyone in the crowd.  And that was only the beginning. Truly, the night was rife with classic Athens madness!  Hope for Agoldensummer accepted a win for Best Folk Group via speakerphone, presenter Jeff Tobias had an unnamed assistant give his speech for him, and Reptar insisted on Texas two-stepping across the stage to collect their second award of the night for Best Live Band.  Pure, beautiful insanity!

And the night got even more ridiculous from there.  Between house band and multiyear Best Jazz Band winners Kenosha Kid's pitch perfect covers of hits from every award winner to the impromptu rap performance and Humpty Hump dance from presenter/WUOG DJ Akeeme Martin, the show had me smiling from beginning to end.  I just loved having a small second taste of the sounds from indie rockers Viking Progress and masters of fun the Grass Giraffes, and I certainly enjoyed Cicada Rhythm's soft lilting folk vocals as well.  And the Sprocket's music video and audience choice winning videos?  Hilarious and awesomely made!

Undoubtably, one of the coolest parts of the night, though, was musician Kishi Bashi's incredible and fascinating performance!  Like an art installation for the eardrums, he created unique and complex melodies with just his voice and a violin, melodies that left the audience enthralled and in utter awe.  What an experience!  It was really no surprise that some guy yelled out, "Holy shit!" just before the audience got up to give Kishi Bashi a well-deserved standing ovation.  Indeed, the whole crowd, led by the show's host, joined together for a collective "holy shit" after that set!

And then, once Flagpole editor Michelle Gilzenrat Davis had introduced her successor Gabe Vodicka with a series of amusing quips and the band the District Attorneys had swept the awards including Band of Year, the Flagpole Athens Music Awards 2012 came to an end.

But, of course our first night of Athfest wouldn't be complete without the 40 Watt Kickoff Party!  White Violet, a band I've loved since the first time I saw them and who seem to just get more and more incredible as time goes on, were finishing up their set as I stepped in the door.  Then Texas act Buxton jumped onstage to give us a bit of their awesome southern rock before it was time to go home and rest up for the first official day of Athfest 2012!

For all of our massive coverage of Athfest 2012, from preparation guides to articles on some of the best featured bands and shows, click here! More entries on all the bands and madness of the festival will be posted daily, so be sure to check back often. Plus, get ready for show footage and Athfest vlogs coming soon to the Echoreyn of Athens YouTube channel as well! Also, for a complete list of winners of the Flagpole Athens Music Awards 2012, check out the AMJ blog!

Lullwater releases the rock

Here is some advice for you music lovers around town: Never start the night off with a Reptar set! Reptar's takeover of WUOG's Live in the Lobby show was filled with so much wild, insane fun that I was quite afraid that every other band of the night would pale in comparison. I mean, it was Reptar, Athens' own personal masters of the scene themselves. But luckily I chose not to forego the rest of the evening... after all, if I had, I would've missed my chance to catch Lullwater rock the Caledonia stage at the release party of their latest CD, and that, my friends, would have been most tragic.

After a bit of good, solid americana from the District Attorneys, Lullwater made their claim on the night with a set of folk-infused hard rock that had the whole crowd excited. No one in the audience could stop themselves from dancing along! The band's sound just had a rather awesome vibe to it that drew us all in and left us groovin'. In fact, I'd venture to suggest that some people, like the ridiculously drunk man who alternated between moving wildly and nearly crushing everyone else on the dance floor, even had a little too much fun. But really, it was quite a time! The band played through a set of newer tunes and hits, many off their brand new album Silhouette. Good stuff. And I've gotta say I just loved staring in awe at bassist Roy's ever-amazing metallic-looking bass guitar. I've seen that thing once before, and it stuck with me. I will never forget how spectacularly cool that thing is! All in all, 'twas quite a satisfying night!

What the NF?

Regular readers know just how much I can't resist a good cause. Using music to help the masses? Brilliant! Here's the latest worthy venture you might want to check out.

Tomorrow night, UGA Tumornators, a brand new organization that supports the Children's Tumor Foundation, is bringing local bands Drew Dixon, The District Attorneys and T.J. Mimbs to Tasty World Uptown to raise money for research related to NF or neurofibromatosis. Sound unfamiliar? Well, part of the purpose of this benefit is to educate people about the disease. Apparently, it's an incurable, incredibly painful nerve disease that affects over one hundred thousand Americans. Wow, sounds like something definitely needs to be done about it!

Want even more incentive to go? They'll be giving out prizes which include everything from celebrity autographs to gift certificates. Who doesn't like to win things?

Here's are the basics about the show:

• Doors: 9:30 PM
• Place: Tasty World Uptown
• Tickets: You can grab them in advance at www.athensmusic.net or get them at the door for $5

Music: making the future better for everyone. Nice! Hope you have a great day, my friends!