ACRN Presents: Small Steps, Frankie Teardrop, Shower Beers & Stella / November 23, 2013 / The Union

By: Garrett Bower, Contributor

Saturday night at The Union was a departure from commonality for those who attended. With scene staples Shower Beers, Frankie Teardrop and Small Steps, as well as the lesser-known Stella, the show was a disorientating blur of screaming, violently bashed guitars and furious drums with a hell of a lot of noise to drive the whole thing over the edge.

It felt like too much Dramamine or some other dissociative. Listeners were thrown into this abrasive world of sound, wholly disorientating. The members of each band slowly succumbed to the delirium as the night drew on, with brief fits of sanity where the music reformed into tangible cohesiveness before being beaten back down with a scream or beat that bled the entire spectacle back into one inescapable din.

I’m not entirely sure what’s to be taken away from nights like this. To me, it felt like a showcase of subversive anger, with the bands demonstrating violence for violence’s sake. Perhaps that’s the point--to leave preconceptions at the door and be buried in something alien and think outside of what you know and what’s familiar.

Sal Lake, Busy Busy, & Vagrant Beat / November 24, 2013 / The Pink Mistress

By: Garrett Bower, Contributor

Those who made the frigid trek to The Pink Mistress Sunday night were treated to a diverse show of local staples Sal Lake and Busy Busy, a solid set from former Athens dudes Vagrant Beat and even a dash of comedy thanks to The Blue Pencil Comedy group.

The comedy acts opened up the evening with a slew of crude comedy ranging from social networking harassment to the tale of a drunk dude in Alden, armed only with a handle of Jack and a bag of Doritos.

Next up was the infamous Sal Lake, who crouched down among his keyboard, looper, bass and trusty bicycle wheel. He attended to his instruments with clinical precision, conjuring up hypnotic, ambient walls of sound before tearing the pieces apart in fits of screaming and distortion.

Next up was Vagrant Beat, a noise rock band from parts all over. They incorporated the best of classic rock riffs and new experimentation as well as their vocalist, who filled the soundscape with eerie wails and energetic screams, jumping and dancing all the while. The Pink Mistress here in Athens was a halfway point for the group, as they continue on their 10-date tour, setting sights on Kent and Mansfield next.

Finally, Busy Busy rounded out the evening with their signature touch of full-bodied ambience and encompassing sound, filling up the tiny venue and sweeping up all those in attendance.

It was a calm, chill night (figuratively and literally) and was a treat for anyone in attendance. The atmosphere was rare and highly underrated in a sea of drunken nights in crowded basements with kids bigger than you always starting fistfights.

ACRN Date Auction / February 13, 2014 / The Union

By: Garrett Bower, Staff Writer

The Union was true to its name last night. The ACRN Date Auction was fraught with love and alcohol. I couldn’t tell you who sold for what—or who even sold, for that matter—but what I can tell you is that between loud and amazing sets by four awesome bands, I was an inebriated cupid, scrambling to spread the love and hug anyone I had ever met or maybe even heard of once in passing.

On the stacked line-up was Friends In Distraction, Nightstalker, Hundos and Zaleski. It was one of the more well-rounded shows I’ve been to in recent memory, with each band offering up a nice spin on their loud, punk archetype. From Nightstalker’s fabulous, kimono-clad psychedelic set, to Zaleski’s unrelenting fury, everything clicked magnificently.

So it’s the day of sickly sweet mushiness and I’ve got a spectacular headache and a few fuzzy memories of me kissing a distraught Rob Kerr passionately on the cheek to recall Date Auction 2014. If you excuse me, I’ve got a hot date for hella free wings—more spoils of the evening.