Athfest 2011: Futurebirds own the stage, southern style!

Friday, June 24th, 2011

Futurebirds

As nightfall arrived, local southern rockers Futurebirds stepped onstage to give us another taste of their awesome tunes. I've been a fan of these guys for years, and I couldn't be any more jazzed about their recent takeover of the scene! Headliners of this year's Athfest and winners of the Flagpole Awards' Album of the Year, Best Country/Southern Rock Band, and Artist of the Year, Futurebirds are certainly making a name for themselves. As the crowd awaited their set, people began singing the Atlanta Braves tomahawk song for reasons that escape me completely though, I must admit, it was fun. Then, just before kicking off the tunes, one of the members of the band performed an impromptu mic check song. Nice! Hey, I'm a sucker for bands that make even the mic check a part of the show. Then the set began. With hair flying everywhere, the guys threw themselves into the music as the fans went wild, rocking out and singing along to each and every song. High energy was king as they played their hearts out, standing at the very edge of the stage right above the crowd. No question about it, Futurebirds just owned the main stage this Athfest. It was truly a show to remember!

For all of our massive coverage of Athfest 2011, 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!

Athfest 2011: Centro-matic & Thomas Hardy and the Outfit rock the storm

Friday, June 24th, 2011

Centro-matic & Thomas Hardy and the Outfit

Soon it was headlining Denton, Texas band Centro-matic's turn to take the main stage. Their upbeat, radio-ready soft rock tunes still maintained a bit of an indie feel that left the crowd grooving to all of the songs that filled their set. Though not from Athens, their love for our town was obvious, and the fans reciprocated, weathering the rain and the retreating thunder in droves to see them in action.

Just a while later, the crowd traipsed through the cool, wet air over to the Hull Street stage to catch Thomas Hardy & the Outfit. I've been a massive fan of Dead Confederate for years, so I'm always intrigued by lead singer Hardy Morris's other projects though I'll admit I have high expectations for them that cannot be easily satisfied. This particular foray into the soft indie folk genre, however, blew me away! Hardy's duets with the female vocalist in the band, accented with a hint of a southern twang, were really just powerfully beautiful. Their melodies had a quality that different markedly from Dead Confederate, yet held their own in a delicious way. I definitely hope to see these guys and girls perform together again!

For all of our massive coverage of Athfest 2011, 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!

Athfest 2011: Lera Lynn vs. the lightning strike

Friday, June 24th, 2011

Lera Lynn

As the sky opened up and rain poured down upon the eager fans standing before the main stage, local singer-songwriter and this year's Flagpole Awards winner for Best Americana, Lera Lynn, began her set accompanied by a rockin' full band. The southern indie folk sound, led by her lovely powerful voice and a great beat, entranced the crowd as she played through the growing storm. Strong winds and the ever-approaching thunder became part of the set as it blended with her music almost seamlessly. The rain began to fall in torrents as lightning flashes illuminated the cloud-covered sky, but still we stayed to see this girl play. Then, in what is simultaneously my favorite moment from Athfest 2011 as well as the most overwhelmingly terrifying event I've witnessed in a while, the drummer lowered his drumstick towards the drum to create the final beat of a song when an insanely loud crack of thunder echoed through the air. For a moment, everyone froze in time, consumed by shock at Zeus's own contribution to Lera Lynn's tune... And then, the crowd ran for cover, utterly frightened but wildly energized by the experience.

Along with many of the fans, I huddled under the 40 Watt marquee, determined to keep all of my electronics dry as I watched the festival's volunteers rush to cover all of the amps and equipment on stage with plastic. It was not long before news came to us of the source of that inexplicable crash. Apparently, the roof of Trapeze, a bar right next to the Hull Street stage, was struck by lightning, sending bricks flying through the air. Mercifully, there was only one person who sustained minor injuries (so minor that they refused medical help) which is a miracle considering the thousands of people in the vicinity. We, the people of Athens, are indeed a lucky bunch!

Waiting for the sky to clear and hoping to avoid any more incidents with the vicious lightning, I remained by the door of the 40 Watt for quite a while as the Athfest volunteers began sweeping the water off the main stage to prepare for the next band. Turns out, my choice of location was just brilliant because, through the door, I had the chance to feed my ears a taste of 'Powers' incredible tunes as they did their soundcheck inside the venue. Tragically, I've never seen this band with my own two eyes yet, but now having heard their sound and having missed their unbelievable shows two Athfests in a row, they top my list of bands to catch in action as soon as I can! Finally, after what seemed like an hour but was probably not nearly that long, the storm ceased, leaving behind it the coolest temperatures we've had at Athfest in over three years. Making my way out of the cozy little alcove, I headed for the main stage, eager to find out just what would happen next!

For all of our massive coverage of Athfest 2011, 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!

Athfest 2011: Easter Island and Oryx & Crake start things off

Friday, June 24th, 2011

Easter Island & Oryx and Crake

Late Friday afternoon, I headed downtown through the waning heat, positively brimming with excitement and ready to bask in the awesome tunes of this year's Athfest. Local 5-piece band Easter Island was the first to rule the main stage with their uplifting take on soft, melodic rock. The inspiring power of their rhythmic drumming had a cohesive strength that molded and guided each of their songs, and their smooth and sweet vocals lent an airy yet driven feel to the tunes. Truly, Easter Island was a wonderful way to begin the festival.

Then, just before it was time to head over to the Hull Street stage for Oryx & Crake, I was summoned over to the backstage area and asked, to my great surprise, if I would introduce one of the bands playing later that weekend. Being the generally shy creature that I am, it took a bit of convincing, but finally I agreed to announce Lingo on Sunday morning. Then my pals - who had managed to sneak up behind me while I was absorbed in the set - hightailed it over to the Hull Street stage with me, just a block away. I've got to take this chance commend those who set up Athfest this year for switching the layout back to what it was during Athfest 2009 where the Kidsfest area owned the street between Hull and Lumpkin, and the main stage and second stage were easily accessible from one another. I've also got to give a virtual pat on the back to the person who decided to alternate sets between the stages instead of having two bands play longer sets at the same time forcing us, the fans, to choose which amazing band to see.

Up and coming Atlanta band Oryx & Crake were just setting up as we arrived, so we took seats near the front in anticipation of the tunes. I've been lucky enough to see this band before, way back in November, and their soft, indie psych rock was just as I'd remembered it. Cello, keys, acoustic guitar, and drums blended to create such a beautifully unique style of melody! As dark clouds rolled in above us, and thunder echoed in the distance, the band responded in turn, drumming with a power that sounded just like nature's own rhythm. Then the wind picked up, cooling off the crowd as one of the members of the band whipped out a musical saw. Too cool! Only moments later, though, Oryx & Crake's very first Athfest set ended, just before a scattering of raindrops began to fall. Athfest 2011 was certainly off to a great start, but with these dubious weather conditions, would our time on the scene be cut short?

For all of our massive coverage of Athfest 2011, 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!

Athfest 2011: Putting the pole in the Flagpole Awards

Thursday, June 23rd, 2011

Flagpole Athens Music Awards show

Visualize the scene. Darkness falls over the Morton Theatre as people rush to find seats while an amusing animated video plays on the giant screen before them. As the video fades, two men walk onstage bearing an extremely large pole. The crowd waits in silence, anticipation flooding the room, while the men attach the pole to the stage and disappear. Moments later, the audience erupts in applause as two girls sporting our town's trademark colors of red and black leap onto the pole and spin, stripper-style, to kick off 2011's Flagpole Athens Music Awards show. Oh Athens, I would expect nothing less from you!

Following this wild display, our MC for the night, Luke Fields, took to the stage to give us his hilarious take on all things in the scene. Man, I hope he hosts every Flagpole Awards show from now on! It was truly comedy at its finest. And most awesomely, Kenosha Kid, the Flagpole Awards' resident house band and winners of Best Jazz Band two years running, was back to fill every gap in the show with their fun and upbeat tunes. These guys just never cease to be amazing!

Seated between my friends from WUOG, UGA's student-run radio station, and Jordan of Athens Music Junkie fame, I was in the prime spot to relish in the sheer music scene madness of the show, and I loved every minute of it. Highlights of the first half of the show included a few soft and sweet acoustic melodies from Ruby Kendrick, an adult puppet show featuring sock puppets that redefined the concept of "dirty socks," and a short set of ethereal ambient tunes from Abandon the Earth Mission who were truly at the top of their form for the Awards. Best of all, though, were the two winning music videos shown right before a short intermission, the Athens band's "Animals (Mama Said)" for Audience Choice Video and "The Fear" by Lovett for Best Music Video. Wow, were they incredible! Readers of the blog will have already seen the laugh-inducing "Animals," but the awe-inspiring video for "The Fear" flew completely under my radar until the show. If you haven't seen these videos yet, be sure to check them out now!

Then just after the intermission, a followup animated video detailing the hilarious misadventures of a touring band, courtesy of local comic masters Flick Skinny, ushered in the second half of the show. After the video ended and more winners were announced, the influx of music began once more. Between Timmy Tumble's summersault during the band's super loud indie rock set, Lera Lynn's taste of soft, folk-twinged tunes, and the Gold Party's wonderfully unique, rolling tunes infused with strength and accompanied by the members of Powerkompany, the ear-engaging section of the show was just brilliant!

Comedy was rife throughout the conclusion of the show as well, thanks to Matt Hudgins and His Shit Hot Country Band. From the awarding of Grossest Athens Beard to Matt Hudgins while another bearded individual looked on sadly to the announcement of Best Upstart Band as "It's Woodfangs, assholes" when the band didn't garner the appropriate amount of applause, the Shit Hot Country Band guys were just made for this kind of thing! I'm definitely not much of a country fan, but I'd see one of their shows just for their banter, that's for sure. Then, after a dig at Stomp & Stammer courtesy of our MC, the 2011 Flagpole Athens Music Awards were over. All in all, I'd consider this year's show a raging success! Representatives from all but one of the winning bands were in attendance to accept their awards this time around, and the show lived up to its insanity quotient in a big way.

Once the Awards ended, we finished out the night at the 40 Watt's official Award Show After Party featuring a lineup of bands from Houston thanks to New West Records. We caught the last few soft rock tunes from Buxton before dancing up a storm to the upbeat pop rock of fog-covered band Wild Moccasins. What an awesome way to kick off Athfest 2011!

For all of our massive coverage of Athfest 2011, 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 2011, check out the AMJ blog!

Partying it up at Athfest 2011. Be back soon!

Massive coverage of the festival starts next week! In the meantime, my friends, feel free to follow, like, and subscribe at the links below:

Hope to see you rockin' out downtown!

Athfest 2011: EoA's Guide to Athfest: Awards show tonight!

Ever been to the Grammys? Probably not, am I right? Well, don't miss your chance to be a part of Athens' own ridiculous version of the Grammys, the Flagpole Athens Music Awards! Here's your chance to don some classy attire (or really anything hanging in your closet that you've always wanted a chance to wear, be it a bloodstained t-shirt or a glittery banana hammock - hey, it's been done!) and make some bets on which bands will go home with the coveted Flagpole statuette. Plus you'll also get to catch short sets from electro-ambient wizards Abandon the Earth Mission, soft folk singer Lera Lynn, unique soft rockers the Gold Party, and many more! All you need to do is get yourself to the Morton Theatre tonight at 7:30 PM with $5 in hand ($10 if you haven't got a wristband). You'll even be able to pick up your wristbands right outside the venue if you signed up for the Will Call option online.

Trust me, you won't want to miss out on a second of the insanity that is the Flagpole Athens Music Awards!

And, if you haven't already, be sure to follow Echoreyn of Athens on Twitter for up-to-the-minute details on the award winners and all of the Athfest excitement! Also, you can 'like' us on Facebook for even more info about all the bands we'll catch at Athfest. Feel free to check out our YouTube channel after the festival ends for some rockin' videos of live performances and the annual Echoreyn of Athens Athfest Video Diary as well.

See you at Athfest, my friends! And, hey, if you happen to spot me downtown, don't hesitate to say hello. Don't be a stranger! :) Oh wow, this is going to be so awesome. Athfest 2011, here we come!