My taste of Athfest 2007

As previously mentioned, I wound up in Athens last night for a bit of Athfest. I was short on time, which meant some major cherry-picking from the loaded schedule. Although the event schedule limited each band to just over a half-hour, Murder Beach, King of Prussia and Madeline made for a nice evening of entertainment.

I hadn't seen Murder Beach since February of last year, and I believe they hadn't played a local show since before Thanksgiving. In short, it'd been a while since they'd played out or I'd seen 'em. After Friday's set at Caledonia Lounge, I hope they get the itch to gig more often.

The band seemed surprisingly loose and comfortable given the long hiatus from playing live, and the performance was quite upbeat and enjoyable. Kristin, Julie, and the boys zipped through a bunch of their trademark two-minute twee ditties and rocked out a bit too. Fun, fun, fun.

Murder Beach - Potholes in My Lawn

Murder Beach was followed on the Caledonia stage by King of Prussia, an Athens band that gives a modern spin to the classic mod style of The Kinks and their ilk. It was my first time seeing them live after several months of enjoying their debut release, Save the Scene.

Their performances were generally true to the songs' recorded versions with the end result being a solid, brief set. Favorites "Terrarium" and "Misadventures of the Campaign Kids" roused the crowd, and a new song I believe was called "Answers" did the same. It was a nice taste of a band I've been hoping to see in person, and I'll look forward to a longer show in the future.

King of Prussia - Terrarium

I closed the night with Madeline, an artist I've really come to admire in the past year. She took the stage at the 40 Watt accompanied by a drummer, bassist and keyboardist, and was occasionally joined by another member on a battered and beaten tuba (if memory serves). Her set included tracks from her current release, The Slow Bang, as well as several newer, unreleased songs. Noticeably absent were the many older gems in her catalog, but that certainly didn't make the set less enjoyable. And, oh, that voice...


The Madeline setlist, according to the copy from the stage:

Uncle's Sweetheart Pt. 2, You Can't Break My Heart, Shame, White Flag, Belly of the Beast, Shotgun Wedding, Travelin', To Hell and Back, Lit Elephants, Rain Fire & Brimstone

A couple more songs were listed, but I believe that's where they stopped as time ran out. I'll have to consult the tape to be sure. "You Can't Break My Heart" and "Shotgun Wedding" were among my personal highlights, but new tune (to me, at least) "Rain Fire & Brimstone" was a winner as well.

Madeline - To Hell and Back [album version w/ Matthew Houck]

Just a little bit of Athfest, but all I'll have time for this year. I hope those of you who can see more of the action this weekend have a great time.