By: Hannah Cook, Editorial Director
Photo Credit: Hannah Cook
The super secret show opening up Lobsterfest 2012 made me
feel like a proud momma. It boasted just how supportive the ACRN
community is. Lobsters--old, new and middle aged--shuffled into the venue that is undoubtedly too small to be hosting shows. But we made it work, shoving
full bands in the corner, leaving them little room to move around. The space,
though certainly limiting and probably frustrating for the bands, just sort of
brings us a little closer together. We were practically forced into embraces
and we were alright with it.
It was weird starting a show when most families are sitting
down to dinner, but punk music was our dinner last night.
Athens’ Mom’s Weekend was first to experience the detrimental yet special (I’d like to think) setup
at the Fern Gully. The kick drum kept sliding down the hill that was the wooden
floor in the slanting stage area, but with the help of some friends, they got that
problem figured out (despite the scratches on the floor that look like the well
in The Ring). The duo played some messy punk music with a purpose. Paul Lampley
yelled politically-charged messages into the mic (if they weren’t politically-charged they were about his bandmate’s cat). The two, much louder than
themselves, drew a solid crowd and started off the weekend on the right foot.
Some new faces took the Fern Gully…erm…stage next. Dave Buker and the Historians, a delightful Columbus
five-piece, played indie tunes that took many different shapes,
anything from folky to poppy to ballad-y. Dave Buker himself was a fine
gentlemen glimmering with heart-felt emotion through his lyrics and demeanor.
He and his bandmates, mostly multi-instrumentalists, switched instrument duties
more than once throughout their set, proving the band’s dynamic chemistry.
They’re most certainly welcome back to Athens any time they please.
The familiar and beloved Emily and the Complexes took the stage last
to play what was perhaps their best set yet. The four-piece, albeit missing its
original bassist and playing with a fill-in (with a Hello Kitty bass strap),
manned the limited space like the versatile and talented musicians they are.
Frontman Tyler Verhagen, in all his man-pony tail glory, poured his heart onto
his sleeve without all that sap one would expect, but more with an earnest
fervor. They, once again, captured the crowd and made us wish they’d never stop
playing.
But alas, it was time to move on
to The Union for the first official night of Lobsterfest 2012.
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