A Block Party Like No Other

I don't think I've ever walked through an archway of inflatable legs or seen a pole dancing rat or been complimented by a pink-headed chicken bunny before last Wednesday. Truly, the Adult Swim Block Party held outside the 40 Watt was an event like no other! There was so much to do, it was madness. Lucky for me, though, between waiting in a monumentally long line for a t-shirt of my choice, seeing a girl stuff $136 in her shirt, and staring for much too long at the beautiful ribbon that kept floating across the sky, there were bands. Two to be exact.

Now, I'm going to tell you a crazy secret. Please don't think any less of me after you read this. I've just got to finally come clean. Until Wednesday, I had never seen a Modern Skirts show. Blasphemy, I know! I've got to be one of the only people in the whole Athens music scene who had never experienced their tunes. Ok, I'll give you a minute to get over your shock.

You alright now? Still breathing? Good. In my defense, I still consider myself to be someone who's just discovering the music scene. But I'm proud to say that I'm no longer in the dark. And without further ado, here's my take on my very first Skirts show.

Drum beats began the set as each band member joined together to create a massive, all-encompassing rhythm. Then the pop sound they're so well known for entered into the mix. Fun, indeed. From research, I know that their set was full of brand new songs, so my first of their tunes was probably quite different than most. Despite the newness of their songs, it put a smile on my face to see at least one hardcore fan mouthing the lyrics. I love the dedication! I'm sad to say though, from their incredibly short set, I think I missed out on the true Skirts experience. Many of my friends were a bit surprised by their new style so I'm definitely hoping to see them play a whole range of their tunes at the next Athfest.

Then Brooklyn band Here We Go Magic took the stage. The lights glowed and changed as they began with a series of tribal-sounding drumbeats the led into a very ethereal tune. From there, they launched into a set of songs that seemed to take influences from nearly every possible style of music, electronic, blues, and rock among them. With such a surreal sound and look, I would be surprised if they didn't list Pink Floyd as one of their inspirations. Whatever the case may be, though, they certainly had me grooving to the beat. And as they played, I couldn't help but notice the audience reactions to the unique musical madness as well. Several people in the crowd were dancing in circles. Some even donned neon sunglasses and started leaping around in front the stage. And then, in the middle of their set, there was a slight diversion when a group of four ghostbusters suddenly charged through the crowd. Oh, Athens, I love you! This is the stuff memories are made of.

Really, this whole experience had me craving Athfest big time. Tons of people, stages on the street, awesome bands... I was having severe flashbacks. Best of all, just like during the summer festival, the crowd looked like a who's who of up-and-coming Athens music legends. My celebrities, the talented local musicians I admire so much, were there in droves! And, I'm happy to say, I finally had the chance to meet Hardy Morris, lead singer of Dead Confederate. From what I heard, fans of the band will get to catch them at Athfest again this year. Yes!

Really, all I can say now is: what a block party, what a night!