Kristen here, also known as Echoreyn of Athens. You won't find another person as enthusiastic as I am about some of the more unique bands and acts from Athens, Georgia! Come join me on my quest to discover and celebrate some local rising stars that are worth a listen or two.
I know for many of you, it's that dreaded final exam time again! Some of you may have already even started your test-taking journey while others will be finishing up this semester over the next week. Either way, I heartily wish all of you good luck!
Need a study break full of Athens music goodies? Just like always, you can get your fill of live footage over on our Echoreyn of Athens YouTube channel here!
Want some new tunes to download for your very own instead to help you with your studies? I'll list some of this year's best free and pay-what-you-want offerings below!
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!
The Athens music scene has been incredibly busy lately which means that Echoreyn of Athens has been busy too! Here's a bit of news to bring you up to speed...
Over the next few months, loads of my favorite bands will be releasing their musical masterpieces to the world in convenient CD form. In lieu of this fact, I'm branching out a bit. Within the next few weeks, I will be debuting the first article of a brand new blog series: the Echoreview! I'll get to share my take on the CDs that pass through my ears as soon as I experience them! Watch out for it soon. Ooh, I'm excited!
Videos, videos! Boy, have I got tons of them just for you! Remember the absolutely unbeatable Meat Puppets/Dead Confederate/Madeline show? How about the darkly festive Doctor Squid/Leading Edge show? Now you'll get to see some rockin' live footage from both of these amazing shows. Where? Well, fans of the Echoreyn of Athens facebook page got to see these first, but you can also find all of them up on the YouTube Channel. Delicious!
The first few weeks of December are brimming over with can't-miss shows. Start your final school projects and exam studying now... You'll want to make extra time for these tune-filled adventures! Also, stay tuned for another blog of Kristen's Concert Picks. Coming soon.
ATTENTION, BANDS! Athfest is now taking submissions for its outdoor stages. Don't miss your chance to be seen and heard by the whole eager crowd that attends this multi-day festival! You can submit songs for the Athfest compilation CD now as well. Fun stuff!
And, for those of us at UGA, break starts today! Oh yes. Have a wonderful one, my friends!
It's mid-October, everyone! So far, October has certainly continued the tradition of being my busiest month of the year. Where's all the time gone? I haven't even decorated my room for Halloween yet, and if you know me at all, I'm sure that will come as quite a shock. But hey, there's a whole lot to to be excited about this month. Tons of amazing bands will be the gracing the stages at many of the most awesome Athens venues over the next few weeks. I can't wait! Don't believe me? The October schedule is right here for your planning pleasure!
In fact, the spectacular Crumbling Arches will be stepping onstage for the first time this school year to rock the Caledonia this Monday night! (That's tomorrow.) Oh yes! You know you want to take a study break and party with these favorites of mine. One thing to note: Original headliners, the Winter Sounds (formerly of Atlanta), are skipping out on this one. Actually, they won't be performing at all again until 2010 owing to the fact that they're in need of a new drummer. Hm, that's unexpected. I haven't gotten all of the concrete details yet, but it looks like their entire fall tour has been canceled. Well, I eagerly await their return. Never fear, though. Tomorrow's show will go on, and it's most definitely going to be a delicious one! Now it's a triple band lineup with Crumbling Arches, Joy in Tomorrow, and The Clouds Are Ghosts. Yay!
Oh, and before I go, I absolutely must share some videos with you! The two in this entry are from Bambara's latest show at the 40 Watt on the last day of September. This band's been getting tons of buzz lately, so be sure to check them out. Enjoy! And naturally, for more videos of your favorite Athens and Atlanta bands, visit the Echoreyn of Athens YouTube channel. Videos galore!
And then, Athfest was over. I've never been to a bigger, more exciting music festival in my life, and I certainly hope that this was the first of many! Wow, to think that in four days I really saw 33 new bands in action fills me with awe. How is that even possible? Well, all I know is that I'm definitely going back again next year!
Now, before I say goodbye and take a weeklong blog-cation, there are a few things I'd like to announce. Don't leave yet! First, I finally caved and got a Twitter account. Yeah, I know what you might think. But see, I've found that it's actually quite useful from a music standpoint since I have access to tons of up-to-the-minute stats on many of my favorite bands and venues on Twitter. So, for links to all of my latest blogs, music-related tidbits, show info, and who knows what else, feel free to follow me: @Echoreyn!
Also, remember to check out the Echoreyn of Athens YouTube channel for tons of concert videos from Athfest 2009, Summerfest 2009, and many more. Oh, and I just posted a new vlog on there that I filmed while in Athens during Athfest. It's filled with concert pictures and footage as well as my reactions to all of the sights and, most importantly, sounds of the festival. You can see it right at the top of this blog!
Finally, I just created an Echoreyn of Athens Photobucket account, so that I could share all of my Athfest pictures with you. I'll be updating it throughout the day, so keep checking back for more. In the future, I plan to post pictures from the other shows I attend as well since I never leave the house without my trusty old digital camera!
And I'll leave you today with a little something for the record books (or my record books, at least).
Echoreyn of Athens' Athfest and coverage by the numbers
Hey everyone! Whew, I'm back from Athfest, and I'm exhausted, but I just can't get over how amazing it all was! Experiencing all of that musical joy for the first time was wonderfully spectacular. I'm practically speechless! Don't worry, though. I'll have plenty to say once I get started with these blogs.
I've decided to write several show reviews and blogs from each day of Athfest, so that I can share every little awesome tidbit with you! I'll be posting them regularly over the next few days. Also, soon I'll be adding Athfest concert videos and a vlog to the Echoreyn of Athens YouTube channel as well. Stay tuned!
You might have guessed it was coming, and here it is! The Echoreyn of Athens YouTube channel! Click to enjoy! I plan on filming live show footage from as many of the concerts I attend in the future as I can, so be sure to check the channel regularly (or subscribe) in order to satisfy your desire for more Athens and Atlanta music. Not in the local area? Well now you can experience part of the shows from the comfort of your computer! In essence, you'll get to see a small hint of what I see at these shows. Not sure which bands you want to see live? Hopefully, these videos will put the flavor of each of these acts on the tip of your tongue, so it'll be easier for you to choose. For me, watching these videos over and over fills me with anticipation and enthusiasm. I can't wait to see them perform again and check out even more bands!
Also, I'm going to try something different on the channel as well: a semi-monthly Echoreyn of Athens vlog. That way I'll be able share some of the biggest local music news from each month with everyone on YouTube too. I can't wait!
So there you go! I already have footage up from the Crumbling Arches show on May 8th at the 40 Watt as well as several videos of both The Constellations and Manchester Orchestra at Summerfest on June 7th. Hope these vids pleasure both your eyes and your ears!
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