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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!

Athfest 2009: Of skulls, vampires, and Deaf Judges

Friday (late night), June 26th 2009
Deaf Judges

By midnight, we were back in the Morton Theatre for another Deaf Judges performance. After the beach ball-filled party at the Flagpole Athens Music Awards, all of us were dying to see what this incredibly original hip hip/ rap group would do next. Apparently, my friends and I weren't the only ones looking forward to the show; the theatre was packed! It's easy to see why, though. Deaf Judges is more than just a musical act. They're a spectacle! You haven't really lived until you've seen them live.

This time, they aimed for a darker, more gothic theme. A skull with glowing red eyes watched over the performance amidst a great deal of fog, and a gigantic pirate flag loomed behind the band members as they rapped. Most wonderfully eye-catching, though, was the member of Deaf Judges dressed as a vampire in a long flowing cape. Together, he and his fellow band members filled our ears with unique tunes and beats which made everyone in the audience begin to dance gleefully and unrestrainedly. And then the most amazing thing happened. The man dressed as a vampire leapt from the stage in the middle of a song and scaled the balcony inside the theatre before our eyes! It was a breathtakingly spectacular feat and such a sight to see! Honestly, I must say that their performance was pure awesome - some of the most fun I've ever had.

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!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Athfest 2009: Marriage and Wilx rock it out

Wilx brings the rock

Friday, June 26th 2009

Marriage & Wilx

After we left Excali Brah's rave party, my friends and I walked in on Marriage, a hard rock band. They had already begun their set and were jamming with quite a bit of energy. While their vocals tended to morph into yelling at times, they got their whole audience excited by having everyone help keep the beat during one of their songs. I'm glad I got to catch at least a bit of their show!

Then we all headed over to the Green Room, a venue not even my most hardcore downtown guru/friend had heard of. After traipsing across town, we finally found the outdoor stage we were seeking. Not too much later, Wilx started playing their own brand of awesome rock. Now I've seen a lot of excited fans before (actually, usually I am one of the excited fans everyone is staring at), but truly every band's biggest fan should bow down to Wilx's listeners. They beat everyone in the enthusiasm arena. I suppose it helped that a few were a bit drunk as well, but between the crowd's exuberant dancing and their penchant for throwing things in their extreme joy, I was completely amused and quite energized (and ok, slightly afraid too). Then the band topped off their set with a totally amazing rock cover of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean which brought the whole audience to their feet. I still can't keep from smiling when I think about it. Wow, what a time!

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!

Athfest 2009: Excali Brah throws a rave party

Friday, June 26th 2009
Excali Brah

After Dead Confederate's amazing show, I was a bit worried that any band that followed the national act would be a bit of a letdown. Excali Brah, however, went above and beyond to prove me wrong. Just before I caught a glimpse of the stage, one of my friends who was slightly ahead of me yelled out something about the band members wearing costumes. As a lifelong Halloween aficionado, this comment grabbed my attention, so I quickened my pace. We all reached the Hull Street stage in record time. Sure enough, they were in costumes! And what an array of costumes they wore! The lead rapper, Excali Brah himself, was draped in a hooded monk's robe while another member of the group sported a little red riding hood cape and not much else. A guy in a suit stood in the background although my friends and I never could determine whether he was actually a member of the band or not. Swamp thing, though, was the most unique character onstage. He wore a leaf-covered costume with a gold chain hanging around his neck. And when he opened his mouth, he issued a deep and unearthly voice, clearly altered by some sort of Darth Vader-like modulator. Oh, the insanity! I was already enjoying the ridiculousness of it all, and they hadn't even begun their performance!

Then they started their set, and it was clear that there was nothing about their act that was meant to be taken seriously. Their songs ranged from country to rap at its most hilarious, and many of the tunes they used were borrowed from popular songs of the past like Jimmy Buffett's "Escape" (the Piña Colada song). Their own lyrics to these songs were incredibly comedic and original as well. And then, when the Swamp thing got his moment to shine, he sang with a voice so markedly different from the modulated low rumble he had previously used that it sent the audience into fits of laughter. The greatest moment, though, occurred as they performed their last song. After handing everyone in the audience a glowstick, they declared that they were just about to throw the first ever outdoor rave party. Then they had us all squat down and spin our glowsticks wildly before motioning to all of us to leap up in unison from our position at a particular moment in the song. It was a blast! These guys definitely know how to put on a live show experience that their audience will remember forever!

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!

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Athfest 2009: Dead Confederate draws us in

Friday, June 26th 2009
Dead Confederate

Less than an hour after Tealvox's set, my posse and I planted ourselves directly in front of the main stage in anticipation of Dead Confederate's show. For the past several weeks, I'd been haunting the band's myspace and getting my fix of their dark alternative rock tunes, so I could barely contain my excitement as the band members began preparing for their set. Minutes later, other dedicated fans swarmed into the street forming a massive crowd as large as the sea of people at Manchester Orchestra's Summerfest show. With a roar of cheers from the crowd, they stepped onstage and jumped right into their set.

Their soft, unique sound seasoned with lead singer Hardy Morris's rocker tones delighted everyone's ears, and many in the audience were singing and rocking out wildly to their songs. Feeding off of the energy from the crowd, the band members truly got into their music. Morris and drummer Jason Scarboro began tossing their hair in true rockstar style and got the audience even more pumped as they launched into their hit single, The Rat. Then, sadly, their time was up. As we eased through the crowd to move on to the next venue though, I felt completely satisfied. Dead Confederate's show was everything I had hoped it would be!

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!

Athfest 2009: The Empties & Tealvox begin the show

Tealvox performs on the Hull St. Stage

Friday, June 26th 2009

The Empties & Tealvox

Friday afternoon, my pals and I headed over to the Athfest main stage right in front of the 40 Watt, ready to experience some music. Local band the Empties kicked off this portion of Athfest, and their danceable rock got me energized and wildly excited for all of the amazing acts of the day. Although their lyrics tended to be more repetitive than I usually prefer, I loved the wonderful, dark quality that some of the songs had. I wrote "genuinely good rock" on my little pad of sticky notes that I fished out of the bottom of my downtown bag, and truly, that's what they were.

When they finished their songs, we hightailed it to the Hull Street stage to catch the beginning of Tealvox's set. We were lucky enough to grab second row seats in the shade for this one. At the time, I didn't value this shade as much as I should have, but we all soon learned what a precious commodity that was. Anyway, when Tealvox took the stage, I very nearly gasped. They were so young! I don't know what I was expecting, but I was certainly a bit surprised. However, once they began to play, I knew I had made a great choice when I had picked them out of the 170+ Athfest bands for my original 20 band itinerary. Boy, were they a talented bunch!

Lead singer Cody Stalvey particularly impressed me with his outstanding array of musical abilities. During the band's short set, he demonstrated his skill on the mic, the piano, the guitar, and the drums. Wow! They also brought a spectacular amount of energy to the stage, and they even involved the audience in one of their songs. For some reason, maybe it was their sound or perhaps something else, but they reminded me a bit of a young Maroon 5. Either way, this band is one to keep an eye on. I'll definitely be following their rock career as they progress. I'm dying to find out what's in store for them in the future!

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!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Athfest 2009: Like an Oscars after party!

Wristbands and x's

Thursday, June 25th 2009
Awards Show After Party

An after party... I got to attend an after party! Ok, so it may not seem like that big of a deal, but I've always wondered what one was like, and the Flagpole Athens Music Awards show after party certainly quenched my thirst for excitement! Like a large majority of the people at the awards show, we wandered down the small stretch of street between the Morton Theatre and the 40 Watt after the show and surrendered the ripped half of our tickets for a chance to party with all of the young Athens celebrities. And I'm not joking when I say we got to party with celebrities. There were so many local stars there that my inner fangirl squealed with delight several times throughout the night. In fact, just as we were showing our IDs to the doorman, I noticed that Karolyn and Lucas from Venice is Sinking were right in front of us, and seconds later, Karolyn waved to me. Then Jay from the Modern Skirts stepped between my friend and I with a smile to flash his ID as well.

Once inside, we were practically surrounded by personalities from the music scene. While we danced to DJ Mahogany's spontaneously mixed tribute to Michael Jackson, singer Allison Weiss spun by followed by several of the members of the Modern Skirts. Turning around, I saw Claire from Hope for Agoldensummer bobbing her head to the music, and just behind her, I think I caught a glimpse of Melissa from the band Creepy. Wow! My head was practically spinning, and the excitement in the room was tangible. As my friend Sheila said, it was "like an Oscars after party" except the people at the 40 Watt were the local talents that I truly care about and admire.

Once midnight hit, Immuzikation started their dance-worthy tribute to Daft Punk, and the club went wild. I've got to give props to all of the DJs that spun their records that night. It was seriously one of the most fun dance parties I've attended. Too soon, though, it was time to go and get some sleep. After all, we had to be ready to rock out with Friday's awesome lineup of bands!

Check back regularly for more blogs about Athfest 2009, and don't forget to check out the concert videos at http://www.youtube.com/echoreynofathens!