I’ve mentioned that many venues all over Athens have special shows during AthFest and the Caledonia Lounge (www.caledonialounge.com) does it the best. They are the only venue downtown that has a tree filled patio, (almost) secretly tucked away between the building that houses Agora (http://www.facebook.com/agoravintage), a fantastic and eclectic consignment store and the Caledonia to one side. And it’s hugged by Farm 255’s basement on the other side, so it’s always shady there (and I mean that both ways). They usually have day and night shows during AthFest and I’ve discovered some great bands by just showing up. Last year it was HotChaCha and this year it was Tia Madre. The Caledonia called it the Dirty Athens Day Party but it was nowhere on my schedule, I was planning on being in front of the AthFest stages watching the scheduled bands perform in the hot sun. That’s where I ran into Ivey Hughes, Tia Madre’s drummer. He saw me during the day on Friday and told me to come and see his band. I’ve learned that plans are meant to be changed, especially during AthFest. So I didn’t hesitate to pull out my pen and make that change on my list. I got there early and to my surprise Ruby Kendrick and her band were playing on the patio (so I mentioned two AthFest bands now). If you’ve read any of my other articles than you know I am a huge fan of Ruby’s. She also played on the main AthFest stage on Saturday and acquired 100’s of new fans. After she finished I rushed inside the pitch-dark and cool Caledonia. There was Walker Howle (Dead Confederate), Matt Stoessell (GOAT), Paul McHugh (Pilgrim), and Hunt Revel (Gift Horse) on stage in front of Ivey, they had me at their first note. The one band that comes to mind is My Morning Jacket but these guys are much more laid back, after all they’re from Athens. They floored me with their ambient, atmospheric rock. I believe this was only their second show.
‘Awaiting News’
‘Pig Man’