Athfest 2012: Efren rocks the heat!

Friday, June 22nd, 2012 
Efren (with Betsy Franck)

Slathered in sunscreen with my press pass in hand, I trekked my way through downtown to Washington Street, pumped for the official start of Athfest 2012.  Within minutes, I could tell that the heat during this year's festivities would be brutal, but I knew as long I could catch a lineup of killer bands, it would all be worth it.  Country band the Darnell Boys were just finishing up the first set of the day as I walked up, so I opted to collapse in the shade near the Manhattan Cafe and in front of the Hull Street Stage where Efren was slated to play next.

Now, I believe it's been several Athfests since I've seen Efren last, and boy, have they changed!  They seem a little less gritty and quite a bit more southern rock than I remember them, but their sound is still solid, for sure.  A few songs in, they brought powerful singer and another one of those musicians I saw in my early Athfest days, Betsy Franck, up onstage, and I've got to say, I just loved their tunes together!  And I definitely wasn't the only one who enjoyed them either.  Several ladies up front started going wild and dancing all over the place, and pretty soon, the rest of the crowd had joined in.

 Once the set ended, we got a bit of quality country folk from the guys in Corduroy Road over on the Pulaski Street Stage before the heat just became too much, and I opted to head to the shade of the Caledonia Lounge and check out the second annual Dirty Athens show.

  For all of our massive coverage of Athfest 2012, 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!