The Bambara experience... An explosion of sound

Bambara rocks so hard the colors blur

Four bands on a Thursday night? Say it with me... Athens rocks!

To start off my night, I swung by WUOG's headquarters in Tate to catch Aman Amun play his second Live in the Lobby show. I just can't get enough of his new songs! The one about the mirrored mask is definitely my new favorite. I could listen to that one over and over again. His show on the 19th is going to be amazing!

A few hours later, I headed over to the Caledonia Lounge to catch the end of local Christian rock band Marriage's set. I saw them for a short time at Athfest this past summer, and it seems I'm always destined to arrive just before they finish. After their last few songs, a North Carolina band with just about the coolest name I've ever heard, Hammer No More The Fingers, stepped onto the Caledonia stage. Apparently, they played with Athens' own Bambara in their hometown a while ago, so they decided to double up again during their first visit to our city. This band totally rocked it out of the park! Their music was dance-worthy rock, filled with fun. Most adorably, one of the members brought his sister and his cousin from two different parts of the country to relish in the tunes. Bringing the family... what a sweet thing to do! I certainly hope this band visits Athens again sometime.

At midnight, Bambara began their set. Two years ago, I saw them in their previous incarnation as 23jinx, but I must say, I love their new sound! Their incredibly loud, hard rock style has captured the ears of many in the local scene and even as far away as Europe, and I can see why. It's got a wild, untamed quality to it that still manages to be quite rhythmic and invigorating. And, to my great delight, they played all of my favorites from their latest album including Shake, Native Tongue, and Lullay. Yay! This is also a band that knows how to truly embrace their rock. All of the members were fully absorbed in the music. It's a beautiful thing when a band loves what they're doing so much that it shows. Man, their energy was thrilling! They are just some generally cool guys as well. Awesome!

Seeing all of these rockin' bands was totally worth the three hours of sleep I got that night. What a time!