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Surfer Blood Setlist
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AthFest is a well-oiled machine, and they run a tight ship. The 19th annual installment of this festival- which ran from Friday June 26 through Sunday June 28, 2015 in Athens, GA- was no exception. I was impressed at how the bookers, organizers and- most of all- the stage crews were able to stagger the bands just so; there was no overlap between any bands on the outdoor stages and therefore no cacophony. None of the Club Crawl bands started playing until after the last outdoor acts for each evening had ended their sets, so we festivalgoers at AthFest 2015 were able to take in music well into the night.
I think it was because of this tight schedule that Kevin Barnes did not have time for wardrobe changes during his set with Of Montreal on Saturday, June 27. He chose to wear a simple turquoise poncho with multicolored stripes that came together in a ‘V’ shape, a floppy hat, a large, blocky pair of sunglasses and a simple pair of white shorts one might wear when going for a jog. These items he kept on for the entire set.
The singer seemed unfazed as angels drifted onto the stage and spread their gigantic wings, as people holding white circular discs held them up to reveal projected images, even as two bunny rabbits had a boxing match right beside him, after which they peeled off both their gloves and their jumpsuits to reveal large, bobbing fake breasts. It was amazing. And what a beautiful voice that man has. I can remember when Kevin Barnes was a fledgling musician in mid 1990s Athens, and now it’s hard to imagine a time before the birth of his psychedelic indie pop juggernaut Of Montreal.
Roughly 15 years after I last saw Of Montreal play, they kicked off their AthFest 2015 show with a man in a gorilla mask coming onto the stage and addressing us with the spoken intro to Prince’s Let’s Go Crazy. Then another man in a red leotard, face mask and cape came up to ask the crowd if we’d ever considered what it means to live in Athens- a bubble of liberal thinking surrounded by the conservative towns and counties of the deep south. Then came his dire warning: that our anomaly of a town is no accident. That we’re here in this bubble being watched. That living in Athens is like being on The Truman Show. It’s all staged and none of it is real. A twinkling toy drone flying overhead seemed to validate this paranoid theory. Then Of Montreal took the stage and the magic happened.
In addition to our Of Montreal experience, my friend and photographer Cary Whitley and I saw some amazing bands at AthFest 2015. All of the excellent photos from this weekend were taken by him.
On Friday June 26 we convened at the KidsFest stage to see a band featured in the Up Next Showcase, which spotlights the best of Athens’ teenage up-and-comers. The band was Zenith Blue (formerly known as Feedback), a tight band of teenage male musicians fronted by Katie Bortle- a charismatic female singer with a lot of heart, which she pours liberally into her powerful vocal delivery. I have a strong feeling that this band will thrive and grow to join the pantheon of Athens greats.
Later that night at Little Kings Shuffle Club, Athens’ own Tunabunny brought to mind the Riot Grrrl spirit as Mary Jane Hassell and Brigette Adair Herron traded off on lead vocals, both while playing a mean guitar. The band describes itself as “transcendental dance pop,” and they indeed brought out in this crowd a state of transcendent joy.
In the wee hours I went to Flicker Bar to catch some post-punk psychedelic noise pop as played by Athens music veterans Grape Soda. Normally a two-piece consisting of brothers Ryan and Mat (with one ‘t’) Lewis, for this show they added two new members including Bill Fortenberry on bass and Ryan Vogel on Moog keyboard and arpeggiator. Ryan plays the drums- with gusto- and Mat deftly handles lead vocals and Farfisa keyboard.
On Saturday July 27, I went to the 40 Watt Club to see Athens’ much lauded punk pop powerhouse, the female-fronted Monsoon. They did not disappoint. Sienna Chandler moves about the stage while singing and playing her guitar with the fierce energy of an actual monsoon; so the name fits.
On Sunday June 28, I saw the final performance of the festival, a straight-ahead rock band known as The Baseball Project. The band features R.E.M.’s Mike Mills on guitar, and all their songs are about baseball. The highlight of the evening was when R.E.M.’s former drummer Bill Berry came onstage with a tamborine and joined Mike Mills on vocals for the R.E.M. classic, Don’t Go Back to Rockville.
I have saved what- in my opinion- is the best performance of the festival for last. I am speaking- of course- of Surfer Blood. On Saturday June 27, Surfer Blood dominated the Georgia Theatre and everyone lucky enough to be inside. It was like the second coming of The Beach Boys, with a Weezer-style twist. John Paul Pitts’ enchanting croon took me completely by surprise and transported me to the time I saw Brian Wilson perform Pet Sounds at Chastain Park in Atlanta. Then I remembered the first time I saw Weezer, when The Sweater Song was their first and only single. Taking in my first taste of Surfer Blood, I felt as if I was seeing indie rock history being made all over again, and I was honored to bear witness to such a gift. I am grateful to everyone who encouraged me to see this alternative indie rock band from West Palm Beach, Florida. They are masters of catchy guitar hooks and choruses that you can’t stop singing, much less forget.
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Of Montreal: Kevin Barnes
photo: Cary Whitley
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The singer seemed unfazed as angels drifted onto the stage and spread their gigantic wings, as people holding white circular discs held them up to reveal projected images, even as two bunny rabbits had a boxing match right beside him, after which they peeled off both their gloves and their jumpsuits to reveal large, bobbing fake breasts. It was amazing. And what a beautiful voice that man has. I can remember when Kevin Barnes was a fledgling musician in mid 1990s Athens, and now it’s hard to imagine a time before the birth of his psychedelic indie pop juggernaut Of Montreal.
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Of Montreal
photo: Cary Whitley
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In addition to our Of Montreal experience, my friend and photographer Cary Whitley and I saw some amazing bands at AthFest 2015. All of the excellent photos from this weekend were taken by him.
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Zenith Blue
photo: Cary Whitley
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Tunabunny
photo: Cary Whitley
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In the wee hours I went to Flicker Bar to catch some post-punk psychedelic noise pop as played by Athens music veterans Grape Soda. Normally a two-piece consisting of brothers Ryan and Mat (with one ‘t’) Lewis, for this show they added two new members including Bill Fortenberry on bass and Ryan Vogel on Moog keyboard and arpeggiator. Ryan plays the drums- with gusto- and Mat deftly handles lead vocals and Farfisa keyboard.
On Saturday July 27, I went to the 40 Watt Club to see Athens’ much lauded punk pop powerhouse, the female-fronted Monsoon. They did not disappoint. Sienna Chandler moves about the stage while singing and playing her guitar with the fierce energy of an actual monsoon; so the name fits.
On Sunday June 28, I saw the final performance of the festival, a straight-ahead rock band known as The Baseball Project. The band features R.E.M.’s Mike Mills on guitar, and all their songs are about baseball. The highlight of the evening was when R.E.M.’s former drummer Bill Berry came onstage with a tamborine and joined Mike Mills on vocals for the R.E.M. classic, Don’t Go Back to Rockville.
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Surfer Blood dominated the Georgia Theatre
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Surfer Blood at the Georgia Theatre, Athens (27 June 2015) photo by Cary Whitley
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