AthFest 2013 Review - Day Two

A selective and subjective review of AthFest Day 2, June 22, 2013

By the second day, AthFest can become an endurance contest. The music starts at noon and lasts past 2 am. Do you start in the heat of the day and see how long you can last or wait until evening, sacrificing some of the outdoor stage events? As it turns out, some of the best bands at AthFest make appearances during the daylight hours.

Highlights of AthFest 2013, Day Two, included Ruby Velle & the Soulphonics on the Pulaski Street Stage. If it wasn’t for the shaved patch on the side of Ruby’s head, you could swear you were watching a soul/R&B band from the mid 1970s. Ruby is much younger than her sound; her powerful voice leads a seven-member band, including a three-piece horn section. Though she gave ample time to the band, allowing for keyboard, guitar and horn solos, it was her voice and enthusiasm that ruled the show. There was much dancing under the mid-day sun.

Sons of Bill at the 40 Watt also had a strong showing. The five-piece band from Virginia is led by three brothers. Choose your favorite alt-country-Americana label. Their melodic songs are guitar-based and easily flow from quiet, country moments to full-tilt rock. Brother Sam’s guitar solos heated up as the band got deeper into their set. By the end of the extended set, brother James, the primary vocalist and front man, was drenched in sweat, as was much of the enthusiastic crowd.

Good, but not great sets were heard from Shonna Tucker & Eye Candy at the Pulaski Street Stage and Blue Blood at the Georgia Theatre. Shonna Tucker’s sound is somewhat more on country side of things. The strongest songs were when that twang came to the forefront. Blue Blood has been pieced together from several other bands and still needs time to fully develop.

The Michelin man raises a hand for Zoogma

Electronica ruled the late afternoon and evening on the outdoor stages. Ghost Owl and Zoogma, both on the main stage, relied extensively on sequencers and synthesizers. The presence of live drums, along with the digital, did add some warmth. Heavy on the bass and the beat, both bands were popular with the younger members of the crowd. There was much moving in place, fist-pumping and arm-waving near the front of the stage.

Zach Deputy is actually one man and many digital devices. Funky beats and soulful vocals got the crowd boogying at beginning of his Hull Street Stage set, but his shtick became tiring to some listeners after a few songs.

A more soulful performance was happening at the same time a couple of hundred feet away by the corner barbeque restaurant. Athen’s Hands of Time, with an equal number of band members and instruments, had a small, but appreciative, audience for their Motown and soul covers. Pedestrians on their way to and from the official AthFest stages would stop for a song or two and listen. Some frat boys waited patiently while their dates danced flirtatiously with each other, crowd members and the lead singer.