Echoreyn-of-Athens-button-rounded-homepage Echoreyn-of-Athens-button-rounded-about Echoreyn-of-Athens-button-rounded-Concert-Picks Echoreyn-of-Athens-button-rounded-venues youtube Facebook-icon twitter

Monday, October 18, 2010

Amusing, Offensive, and Unexpected: The Mud Scholar way


The atmosphere at Mud Scholar's debut show on Friday night was definitely like no other show I've attended. I don't know whether it was the people who were there or Mud Scholar's awkward sweater or the fact that it was at Amici's Italian Cafe, but something about it just made me feel like I was in the middle of a movie. I've never seen music presented in such a laid back manner. Kind of surreal, really!

Mud Scholar's stage was already set into a small corner of Amici's, complete with a lovely broken cup microphone on a stand, when I got there. As I settled myself into a chair for the show, I watched Alex McKelvey's alter ego Mud Scholar affix a second broken cup onto Chase Lance's (Bambara drummer Blaze Bateh's character) head with duct tape. I suppose it must be because I know these guys that I wasn't the least bit surprised by this! :) Minutes later, the show began... well, sort of. Technical difficulties kept the vocals completely out of the first tune. Once the mic was fixed, though, our ridiculous tool of a friend Mud Scholar had the perfect answer for this... It was absolutely intentional, of course! Kicking off the vocal portion of the night, he introduced his co-conspirators, the talented drummer Chase Lance whose name apparently references the curious task of searching for dick and the newest addition, a bass player whom he told us added an air of mystery to the whole operation.

Favorite moments from the night most definitely included his song Baby Dinosaur off of his first album A Must for the Dick which he preceded with the most wild antic... Getting his friend, artist Colin Tom, to chop off a lock of Mud Scholar's hair with a massive butcher knife and tape it to a large sheet of paper! Now that, my friends, got a gasp from the crowd. Quite shocking! Then, as he sang this ballad of unrequited love, Tom used
the sheet of paper to draw a graphic piece of, what else?, a dinosaur. Oh, wow. Intermittently throughout the show, various members of the audience leapt up to dance awkwardly right in front of the mic stand in a hilarious imitation of the rather frightening dance done in Mud Scholar's "Stop What You're Doing and Look At Me" music video. See, this is why it felt like a movie! Madness, I tell you! Amusing madness. Then, as the night came to an end, he played Waste of Air for us, complete with recorded voices of disdain. I just can't get enough of this tune! The crowd responded similarly, grooving to the bouncy beat. I can honestly tell you, it was the oddest show I've ever been to, barring perhaps Of Montreal's pig-filled fest of 2009. Truly, high praise, indeed. Shouts for an encore came ten minutes too late, rounding out this night of insanity. You just can't deny it. Mud Scholar was certainly an experience like no other! I'm mildly scared of and completely intrigued as to what he'll do next. I know I'll definitely be there at his next show to find out!

Friday, October 15, 2010

Stars in the Making: Interview with the Beat Geeks


Ever wonder what it's like to rock your tunes in front of a crowd of over 4000 people for the first time? Dying to know how it feels to open for a massively famous act like Ludacris? I was certainly curious, and I thought you might be too, so I asked the Beat Geeks to tell me a bit about their amazing homecoming concert experience! Here's what they said...

Echoreyn of Athens: So, how was it?

K Dex: The show was simply amazing.

Luke: It was an incredible experience!

Bobby: The show was REDIC!!!..Uber fun!!! UGA is where the party's at!

Echoreyn of Athens: What was the coolest part of the whole experience?

Bobby: The coolest part was seeing the crowd rocking with us...we appreciate the love, Geekers!

Luke: Seeing a sea of people jump up and down in unison is a gorgeous sight indeed.

K Dex: The coolest part was being so close to the legendary Ludacris as he took the crowd through ten years his ground breaking hits!

Echoreyn of Athens: I know I'd be terrified to perform in front of so many people. Were you all nervous?

K Dex: I was nervous until my foot hit the stage. All butterflies had to exit stage left.

Luke: You can ask the others, I was a wreck before the show. But once I stepped on stage, the butterflies went away instantly and adrenaline kicked in!

Bobby: Strangely...not really. I was just ready to JAM!

Echoreyn of Athens: I noticed you guys standing just offstage after your set. What was it like being just feet away from Ludacris as he performed?

Bobby: It was amazing!...Luda was great!...He took me back with those throwback jams....Felt like I was in high school again.

K Dex: It was unreal being so close to such a talented artist!

Luke: Bomb-bommy-bommy-bomb. I kept trying to get him to look over at me acting a fool side stage, and succeeded, several times.

Echoreyn of Athens: Wow, that must have been awesome! So, what does the future hold for the Beat Geeks?

Bobby: We just hope to continue to reach more people. Rock out more shows... and get everyone cruising the Geek wave!

K Dex: I hope we go to even bigger crowds and gain even more Geekers!

Luke: Ditto. Entertaining the world.

Echoreyn of Athens: Sounds awesome! Now, is there anything you'd like to tell your fans, those who've been with you guys since the beginning and those who just discovered you?

Bobby: I want to thank each and every one of our fans!...You all make this journey worth walking, ya dig?...We luv u all...and can't wait to *FICKET FICKET* GET DOWN with u all again! NOW THAT'S WHAT'S POPULAR!!!!

K Dex: Thanks for all the support. Thanks for rocking with us in and through the rain!

Luke: No dream is too big to reach. Trust in yourself, trust in God, trust in your team, and love people. Thanks everyone for blessing us with this experience!

Echoreyn of Athens: Well, thank you guys for letting us in on the Beat Geek experience! I've gotta say, the whole show completely blew me away!

When's your next chance to see the Beat Geeks in action? You can check them out at Bad Manor in Athens next Thursday, October 21 for Power 100.1's BFD party. Click here for tickets and more info! Have a great weekend, my friends!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Homecoming with LUDACRIS and the Beat Geeks!


UGA, let me hear you say, "LUDACRIS!" How lucky are we!?! As students this year, we had the
incredible opportunity to see one of the biggest rappers on the planet rock our homecoming show... What a night!

As the gates of Legion Field opened at 7, we were greeted by some popular djayed tunes that set mood for the awesomeness to come. Then, just after 8, blog favorites the Beat Geeks appeared. Now it's hard being the opening band for someone as highly anticipated as Ludacris, but these guys totally owned the stage! You'd think they performed for thousands of people on a daily basis, no problem. And the audience ate it up! When lead singer Luke moved his arms to the beat, the crowd moved as one with him enthusiastically. Through a downpour of rain, they rocked their newest hits as well as a few
covers including their always fun take on the popular internet sensation Bed Intruder. They even got the audience involved as they gave us their first single, Sweat (Lose Control). For a band that's new to the scene, it's nearly unbelievable that so many people in the crowd responded to their tunes with such glee. Impressive indeed!

Of course, in a crowd this large, there are always going to be those obnoxious kids that are determined to annoy everyone else around them. My suggestion for dealing with people like this is a conveniently "accidental" jab in the ribs whenever they start to spout out irritating nonsense or start pushing people to cause a riot. Not that I ever did that... Right? :P

Following the Beat Geeks, the house DJ returned to spin us some tunes as we waited for our main man, Luda. South Carolina's J. Skeezy also entertained us in the interim with more hip hop beats and lyrics, though it was kind of hard to tell when his set began since there was no real intro to their set.

Not much later, the crowd was buzzing with anticipation. Calls for Ludacris rang out from every corner of the field. As the lights on the stage grew dim, cheers rose from the fans and heightened as the man himself materialized before us. Now, I've gotta say, Ludacris knows who to treat his fans right! After our long wait, he gave us hit after popular hit. Oh, "Youza a Ho," how you remind me of the old days! And unlike performers of homecomings past, Luda didn't skimp on the songs. He sang his way through the hour long set and beyond, giving us tastes of everything from his very first chart topper to his most recent tunes. My favorite part just had to be the dance he and his friend did as they sang "My Chick Bad." Totally awesome! People were going wild the whole time, and when he asked us to light up the night with lighters and cell phones, thousands of fans obliged, creating a twinkling world of wonder before the stage. No doubt about it, there's never been a better school-sponsored concert at UGA. This was definitely a show to be remembered!

Monday, October 11, 2010

It's Coming!


This. Week. Is. Going. To. Be... AWESOME! I'm serious, you guys. Prepare for an insane week of exciting events!

You may have already heard the biggest news on this list, but just in case you haven't, let me share with you what's got me super excited for this Wednesday evening. Remember the Beat Geeks, those electro-pop rappers whose professional sound had the Caledonia's crowd dancing their shoes off during their debut show in September? Well, faster than can be believed, these guys are on their way to the big time. Next week, on the 21st, they're rocking the stage at Bad Manor for radio station Power 100.1's birthday bash, but that's not all...

This week, on Wednesday at Legion Field on the UGA campus, the BEAT GEEKS will be bringing the party to a crowd of 4000 people during the sold out homecoming show in which they open for (wait for it).... LUDACRIS! That's right, our newest blog favorites are opening for one of the most famous Atlanta rappers on the scene! How amazing is this!?! If you've got a ticket, you've just got to get there early to catch these guys. Doors are at 7 PM. Tell your friends! And if you won't be at this show, don't miss the Geeks at Bad Manor. You know you want to see them before they blow up all over the world! For more info on next week's show, click here!

Now what else is exciting? Well, singer Alex McKelvey's alter ego Mud Scholar will be debuting his amusingly offensive tunes at Amici's Italian Cafe this Friday at 11 PM. Remember his album, A Must for the Dick, that we reviewed at the beginning of the month? Yup, that one! With Athens' favorite drummer Blaze Bateh (Bambara, A Jetpack Operation) providing the beats, this is sure to be a show to see. And, knowing these guys, it will prove to be an all-encompassing experience of imitation douchebaggery and general hilarity as well. Don't miss this free show!

And lastly, I've got to give a little shout out to something I've been involved with outside of the music scene lately: Project Condom. Shocking! What is this, you might ask? Well, it's a school-sponsored fashion show that promotes healthy sexual behaviors in a rather unique way. As one of the designers for the show, I had the opportunity to create a one-of-a-kind dress made nearly entirely out of, you guessed it, condoms! You can check out all of the designers' whimsical creations for yourself on the runway this Tuesday at 7 PM in the Memorial Hall Ballroom on the UGA campus. Best of all, they're giving out free stuff too! I'll be modeling my own dress design during the show, and I'd absolutely love it if you all came to cheer me on.

For even more happenin' shows, check out this month's freshly updated concert picks list right here. Hope to see you all around town making the most of this unbelievable week!

Friday, October 8, 2010

No Need For A Thousand Words...

What's the best way to balance out the two extremely wordy posts below this one? Pictures, of course! Tons of pictures from all of the unbelievable bands that rocked our September will be up on the Echoreyn of Athens facebook page this afternoon, so be sure to check them out! But to tide us over until then, enjoy a visual feast of some of my favorites from the Athens band, Tealvox, Misfortune500, the Orkids, and the Beat Geeks!

Chase from the Athens band

Beau "Monkey" of the Athens band with a giant inflatable monkey

Tealvox

Misfortune500

Misfortune500 (Photo credit: Page Walker)

Chisolm of Misfortune500 (Photo credit: Page Walker)

The Orkids (Photo credit: Page Walker)

Hanging with the Beat Geeks at their first show (Photo credit: Meghan McBain)

Loved these? Don't forget to visit our facebook page for many more!

Monday, October 4, 2010

More than Music: the Fans


There'a no doubt about it... the fans make the show! You could be the best band that ever lived, but if there's no one there to hear you, did you really make a sound? Some bands go above and beyond to make sure that their fans know just how much they're loved and to keep them always coming back for more. These bands' fans are much more than simple spectators. They become part of the show itself! And often, the fans respond in turn with some rather wild displays of affection of their own.

About a year ago, the Warm Fuzzies brought their tunes to some concert newbies at UGA Freshman night and totally made the show an all-encompassing experience! Their smile-inducing songs already had the crowd pumped, and to top it off, they brought some girls from
the audience onstage to hold up cue cards to let everyone know just when to yell the title words of the song, "HEY MILUNKA!" That sure is one way to get the fans involved and make some new fans in the process!

Bands like Excali Brah, Deaf Judges, the Athens band, and Reptar drive their fans wild by essentially throwing parties during their shows. At their Athfest 2009 concert, Excali Brah threw an outdoor rave party in mid-daylight complete with glowsticks for every fan. They also had us move up and down in unison to different parts of their songs. We were all in the show! Similarly, Deaf Judges, the Athens band, and Reptar have all been known to toss inflatables into the crowd to keep them on their toes. Exciting (and a little frightening) indeed!

And Reptar even takes it a step further. Their love for the fans truly knows no bounds. After this year's Athfest performance, they passed around handmade band shirts to all of the fans
they could reach. And when I say handmade, I'm not kidding. These were t-shirts of all kinds of styles and designs, handpainted and embellished for all of their beloved Reptards. And with these guys, the love isn't just one-sided either. Fans come to their shows decked out in all sorts of costumes and covered in war paint in support of their favorite crazy band!

Now you want to know about something truly original? Aman Amun's got a way to make the crowd a part of his act that's totally unique. Bordering on antics, his innovative method's got everyone yearning to touch him! Using the iPhone strapped to his chest that enables him to control his entire performance, he can manipulate the music and add interference with just his fingers. More recently, he's chosen to take it to the next level by jumping off the stage and letting the fans alter the music themselves. Sometimes it causes some hilariously awkward moments when the fans don't quite understand where they're supposed to put their fingers though. Ah, fun times!

And finally, a discussion of fan love just isn't complete without mentioning Doctor Squid. I still have never seen a fanbase more loyal than theirs. When the fans sing along to their every word, Doctor Squid will often let them take over the song. And their love for the fans doesn't just stop with the tunes. They bring fun to every aspect of their show. Last Halloween, they hosted a show where fans got in cheaper just for arriving in costume. And who can forget their Squidmas celebrations? They give their fans some amazing treats with their festive tunes that blend original songs with holiday favorites, and the fans respond joyously, dressing the part with absolute glee!

These are just some of the ways the bands of Athens spice up their shows and shower love upon their listeners. It's clear to see why fans just can't get enough of these bands! But fan love isn't the only thing that makes a show an unforgettable experience. Keep a look out for the next entry of More than Music!

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

Friday, October 1, 2010

Echoreview: Mud Scholar's A Must for the Dick


Today, I watched ever so eagerly as one of my friends sampled a playlist of songs on my iPod. The album of choice? Mud Scholar's full-length debut creation, A Must for the Dick. Yeah, you read that right. Seriously, you should have been there. My friend's face was priceless! Vivid expressions danced across it as she listened: interest, surprise, amusement, shock, disbelief. Oh, Mud Scholar, I would expect nothing less from you!

Hilariously offensive douchebaggery runs freely through Mud Scholar's veins, just as creator Alex McKelvey intended. A solo project for McKelvey (you may know him as the frontman of alt rock band Crumbling Arches), he uses his knack for ridiculous voices and his brilliant ability to write lyrics that make 95% of the population squirm in their skins to bring Mud Scholar to life. If you're looking for pure, deeply meaningful music that touches the innermost recesses of your very soul, these tunes are definitely NOT for you. But if you've been craving a bit of brutal honesty guaranteed to tickle your nether regions, shock your sensibilities, and leave you laughing, Mud Scholar is, indeed, a must. So, what are the tunes like?

Stop What You're Doing And Look At Me starts the album off with an obvious plea for attention, beginning a trend of straightforward titles that continues throughout the record. Mud Scholar truly has nothing to hide! Influences? Well, the song itself tells the listener it borrows heavily from a nineties alternative style which pervades the rest of the album as well. My favorite part of the tune (at least, the only favorite I can readily admit on the internet) has to be the ending where Mud Scholar's screams of "ME" bring the insanity to a whole other level.

Waste of Air bounces in next with a danceable style reminiscent of experimental indie favorite of mine, Lemon Demon. I just love this song! It makes absolutely no apologies, and yet still manages to be an enjoyable listen. McKelvey features his voice talents in this one, creating a veritable crowd of naysayers ready to criticize his every move.

Then, proving that this album is really just a constant stream of conscious thought, Mud Scholar waxes philosophical on the beloved TV show Boy Meets World. Unexpected, yes, but fun. Long live Mr. Feeny! Later in the album, Mud Scholar makes another pop culture reference with My Favorite Band is Lifehouse, a tune I first heard in between songs during a Crumbling Arches show over a year ago. Curious, indeed, how things happen. I have to admit I've never much listened to the band Lifehouse, but when my brother's Pandora station started playing a bunch of their songs over the summer, I was amused to no end that Lifehouse's favored lyrics were so brilliantly incorporated into Mud Scholar's ridiculous homage to the band.

We'll call the next song Clusterf****d to fulfill my contractual obligation to keep this blog PG. Now, an underlying air of tragedy lies just below the humor on many of these tracks, but in this song, it makes a rather depressing move to the forefront. This is the only song on the album that leaves me feeling just sad. The sigh at the beginning of this tune is fitting, indeed.

Then Man-Slut Logic breezes in, bringing with it a slew of well-written lyrics and a sound that is musically pleasing as well. This is honesty, incarnate. Elitist's Curse, too, maintains this listenable style. I've gotta say, I'm a sucker for songs about elitism... Yeah, I really have no idea why that is, but this one gets a check plus from me.

Ever had an issue with the cops? Then I Owe Cops is your song! This one's got a whole clever little story going which I quite like. Tabitha (a love song) also holds a story within its words, albeit a very creepy one. The ultimate stalker anthem, it appears later on in the album, giving the listener no doubt that the cops will be pursuing our young Mud Scholar yet again sometime very soon.

If there was ever a song that will never be played on the radio, George Carlin is My Obi Wan is definitely it! Religious? This one's probably not for you. Curse words make you uncomfortable? You should probably avoid it. But if you do choose to give this song a listen, stereo headphones are a must. Hearing the character voices coming at you from all sides is just simply awesome.

The next song on the album, I'm in a Band, is certainly a cacophony of noise, but as someone who deals with bands on a regular basis, I find it rather hilarious. I'll give most bands the benefit of the doubt, but it wouldn't be a lie to say I've met quite a few people whose sole purpose for being in a band is truly just to give themselves a feeling of self-importance. Too true!

Baby Dinosaur finishes the album with a short, uniquely introspective look at the life of one who cannot really fit into any category. Although this song is markedly different from the rest of the album, lacking the riotous hilarity of its peers, I absolutely love it. Suffice it to say, I can relate to this idea of existing outside of any label and being a sort of living contradiction.

Want a taste of the hilarious aural assault that is A Must for the Dick for yourself? You can find it right here! And mark your calendars... Mud Scholar will be playing his first live show at Amici's Italian restaurant on October 15th. Don't miss seeing this wild douchebaggery in action!