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!