Folk Fest / October 19, 2013 / Franklin Ave.

By: Kyle Rutherford, Staff Writer

Music for a good cause is something fairly common in Athens.

Saturday's "Folk Festival" was just that--a gathering of musicians to benefit the Be the Match Foundation, which helps find matches for patients in need of bone marrow transplants. OU Sophomore Handen Roberts helped to start the festival because the foundation helped when he needed a life-saving transplant after being diagnosed with leukemia in 2011. 

Rain came early in the day but it still didn't deter Athens residents from coming out to watch music on the handmade stage. 

The festival as a whole could barely be considered a folk festival considering the wide array of acts that played. Headliner W.C. Lindsay played a wonderful set of electro-pop, Blonde was more of an indie rock group, Tall Trees had more of an experimental progressive rock sound and the ever popular Fathers of the Revolution combined surf, swing and other rock genres to create something of their own.

Even with the cold weather, the turn out was great as well as the music.

Rambo, Toy Store Riot, Centerfield, & others / October 5, 2013 / The Wolf Haus

By: Megan Fair, Contributor

The Wolf Haus was buzzing on Saturday, full to the brim with show attendees. The show, which took place in a very sweaty, warm room, featured artists Rambo, Toy Store Riot, Centerfield, Heart Attack Man, Ages and Ghost Stories. The evening was composed of fiery short sets and plenty of comradery. This show was an absolute treat, as the variation in sound between each group kept the event interesting and fun.

The night kicked off with Rambo, the acoustic project of Zac Freeman. Although it was his first show, Freeman absolutely brought it. The acoustic set was full of wonderful emotion and sad jams, and Freeman’s perfect mix of depth, gruff and gentleness in his voice made for a really pleasant experience. 

Following Rambo was the very punk, very badass Toy Store Riot from D.C. Who doesn’t love foul language and wildly fast punk beats? Toy Store Riot was doing punk right, and their drummer was an absolute machine. The three-piece was wildly entertaining, and they are worth seeing. 

Centerfield dove right in after Toy Store Riot, delivering a punk/emo set of short, poignant songs. Heads were busy bobbing all around, and their drummer, Mark Bessler, was also killin’ it. The band had a fun presence, not to mention the hilarious tale of Centerfield pouring out a bottle full of pee that so conveniently ended up on Toy Store Riot’s windshield. Whoops! 

Heart Attack Man followed, and...wow, just wow. This melodic indie punk band formed just this year, but they have already developed a wonderful sound. The well-received group’s tunes are barely two minutes long, but packed a tremendous punch. The band emitted a bit of a Joyce Manor vibe, which was very pleasing to the crowd.

After Heart Attack Man came Ages, who were equally as rad. Ages brought the heavy to the show, and their melange of punk, emo and melodic hardcore really rounded out their sound. The room, packed at maximum capacity, was full of head bobbing and swaying to their punk as fuck set. I’m fairly confident that everyone in that room wished they could have been circle-pitting and swinging their fists around, but the high attendance presented an obstacle in terms of space. 

Athens’ natives Ghost Stories closed out the show, delivering their indie pop-punk/emo sound. These DIY darlings delivered an emotion-filled set, and many of those in the crowd were singing along. The crowd was the rowdiest at this point, but who knows if it was solely the power of Ghost Stories or the alcohol or perhaps both? The world may never know.

Wolf Haus absolutely killed it on this one, and if you are presented the opportunity to see any of these acts, take it--take it hard, and enjoy.