For Part 1 of the Summer Side Show 9 experience, click here!
As the heat climbed to even more unbearable heights, I knew that every band's set I caught would be a violent battle between myself and the sun's harsh rays. So, armed with a can of SPF 70 sunscreen and a full bottle of lemonade-flavored Vitamin Water (that stuff's expensive but I highly recommend it), I journeyed forth to find more rad bands.
By an awesome stroke of luck, I ran into Athens rockers Come What May who began setting up on a stage just a few feet away. They've long been on my list of bands to see, so I settled myself onto the warm grass to await their set. From my vantage point, I found myself facing a most curious sight. Apparently, several guys, eager to have a side of shade with their tunes, opted to hear their favorite bands play while seated underneath the stages. Pretty clever, actually!
A few moments later, Come What May stepped onstage to blast our ears with their tunes.
Characterized by a hardcore indie rock sound infused with intense melodies, strong vocals, rare punk elements, and the occasional death scream, their style was, without a doubt, a quality cross-genre production. Keyboards and even jingle bells mixed with the standard guitar, bass, and drum fare to give them quite a unique feel. The minute they began to play, several kids came rushing from all over the festival to check out their set. Gathered at the very front of the crowd, a few new fans even started dancing so exuberantly that the band offered to give them t-shirts for their enthusiasm. Nice! Rockin', writhing, and head banging across the entire length of the stage, the band members finished out their set with an awesome show of energy and sound.
Characterized by a hardcore indie rock sound infused with intense melodies, strong vocals, rare punk elements, and the occasional death scream, their style was, without a doubt, a quality cross-genre production. Keyboards and even jingle bells mixed with the standard guitar, bass, and drum fare to give them quite a unique feel. The minute they began to play, several kids came rushing from all over the festival to check out their set. Gathered at the very front of the crowd, a few new fans even started dancing so exuberantly that the band offered to give them t-shirts for their enthusiasm. Nice! Rockin', writhing, and head banging across the entire length of the stage, the band members finished out their set with an awesome show of energy and sound.Once Come What May's set ended, I wandered over to the main stage to catch a few of the earthy yet ethereal creations of the musician called Panda. While it was unfortunate that there were a few sound and mic issues during the set, when everything was working as planned the simple keyboard tones blended with the exotic texture of the rain stick to create a style like no other.
Most tragically, though, it was during this set that I began exhibiting all of the early signs of heat stroke, so I high-tailed it back to Misfortune500's merch tent before my heat-induced state of mental confusion had me laughing at the trees like it did last Athfest.
Most tragically, though, it was during this set that I began exhibiting all of the early signs of heat stroke, so I high-tailed it back to Misfortune500's merch tent before my heat-induced state of mental confusion had me laughing at the trees like it did last Athfest.After relieving my headache, becoming less disoriented, and recovering vision in my left eye, I decided to give myself a bit of a rest and cool down with the help of Jordan's life-saving misting fan. Most joyfully, though, I was able to stave off any boredom I might have had while confined to the tent, thanks to all the sights and sounds of the festival that surrounded us. From my seat, I could see one band squirting silly string all over their fans while tossing beach balls over the crowd's heads. I also couldn't help but notice one drummer's less than savory exposure of his entire backside as he was beating away on his drums. The most ridiculous sight, however, had to be the man in the head-to-toe, face-covering black lycra bodysuit who hugged on a few girls he didn't seem to know before running off in the opposite direction. Just plain weird. Best of all, though, I had the chance to hear a bit of the funk-style rock tunes of Surround Sound on the stage behind the tent. I liked what I heard!
Finally, after a few hours of recovery, I was back to the grind again thanks to some unbelievable, professional-grade songs that reached my ears from afar.
Over on the main stage, I found that Columbia, SC's Sent By Ravens had gathered a huge crowd of fans yearning for a taste of their true rock. Seriously, this band had just the right amount of every element of progressive rock tucked into their tunes. And such energy! Wow, I wish I had managed to see their whole set. As it is, just the one track I saw them play was enough to get me hooked! And, as that melody ended, late afternoon arrived, bringing with it a lineup of band after quality band.
Over on the main stage, I found that Columbia, SC's Sent By Ravens had gathered a huge crowd of fans yearning for a taste of their true rock. Seriously, this band had just the right amount of every element of progressive rock tucked into their tunes. And such energy! Wow, I wish I had managed to see their whole set. As it is, just the one track I saw them play was enough to get me hooked! And, as that melody ended, late afternoon arrived, bringing with it a lineup of band after quality band.Check back tomorrow for more documentation of the purely crazy Summer Side Show 9 experience!
Posts
That's a flattering photo. *facepalm*
ReplyDelete