Athfest 2011: Bad Manor blows us away with the Athens band, Tealvox, & the Orkids

Friday, June 24th, 2011

Athens, Tealvox, and the Orkids

Just before 10 PM, the venues of Athens opened up to flood our ears with the tunes of bands upon bands. In the mood for a few familiar favorites guaranteed to melt my eardrums with their awesomeness, I headed on over to the Bad Manor. As I entered, I was greeted by quite a hilarious video of the Athens band as they gave us an intro that covered the entire night's lineup on the giant screen before us. Then, the moment the video ended, an engine revved. Curiosity and excitement pulsing through my veins, I turned to face the door of the venue. Suddenly, bursting through Bad Manor's doorway, a motorcycle flew through the crowd towards the stage carrying young guitarist Beau on its back. Oh my God, AMAZING! It was quite possibly the coolest, most rockstar-style entrance I've ever seen. Then the band launched into their set, and I couldn't help but notice that, in the time since I last saw them, they've reached unbelievable heights of solid classic rock. Every song was explosive, and as they played, a huge crowd gathered just for them. Their charisma was just undeniable!

Amongst their many covers and original songs, they also gave us their own incredible version of Foo Fighters' Best of You. Too cool. It was, unequivocally, their best show yet!

Next up were local soft rockers Tealvox. As even more people poured into Bad Manor, power emanated from the band's instruments, building into an all-encompassing tidal wave of sound. Absorbed in their solid, quality tunes, almost even possessed by the music, the members of the band leapt around the stage in the throes of passion. Then, as their set neared an end, they all shocked the crowd by switching up instruments and calling Athens band's bass player Justin Granados onstage to take the drums as they rocked out a purely awesome song. Wow, what talent all of these guys possess! Simply amazing.

Rounding out the night were pop rock rulers of the local scene, the Orkids. I am positively in love with their style! At their shows, I can always just let loose and throw myself, ears first, into their fun, upbeat sound. And the other fans there clearly felt the same way. Packed into the venue, the crowd went insane during their set, singing the words along to every song and dancing their hearts out. The Orkids' tunes pulsated through the floor, electrifying the room, and once the band had finished, we all begged for more. Without a doubt, this was the most awesome show of theirs I've ever seen! Truly an incredible lineup.

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!