Athens bands playing for a great cause

by Chas J. Hartman, Steve Kehnel, Jay Boehmer
Staff Writers

The Front Room, Baker University Center, 7 p.m., $8 covers entrance to all events. Cover charges at individual venues are as listed.

Jorma Kaukonen

Bruce Dalzell

O' Hooley's Irish Pub, 24 W. Union St., 8:30 p.m., $4

JD Hutchinson and the Retro Grass Band

The Misprints

The Nightbirds

Frank McDermot

The Union Bar and Grill, 18 W. Union St., 10 p.m., $4

ran.

Parker Ben Parker

Keaton

Planet 12

Meshback Hats

Casa Cantina, 4 W. State St., 10 p.m., $4

Geraldine

Jet Lucas

The Knives

We March

A town with the size and cohesiveness of Athens is the exception rather than the norm in American society. The overwhelming sense of community within the confines of this town truly is a unique experience.

It is precisely this heightened concern for others that motivated local Athens resident and musician Dan Erlewine to selflessly devote his time and energy to aid a complete stranger.

While waiting at the dentist's office, Erlewine overheard the receptionist discussing her son, Kyle Hellyer, and his rare blood disorder, Fanconi's Anemia. After learning about the fundraising efforts already in existence to help the family's medical expenses, Erlewine, with the help of Geraldine member and Union Bar and Grill booking agent Scott Winland, combined his love of music with his Athens-bred communal conscience to create a benefit concert for Kyle.

The festival will take place at four venues in Athens on Saturday night, each with their own musical flavor.

The festivities begin as Jorma Kaukonen and Bruce Dalzell take to The Front Room stage at 7 p.m. Jorma Kaukonen is best known as a founding member of The Jefferson Airplane and currently fronts Hot Tuna. A favorite on the jam-band front, Jorma strips down his electric, guitar-heavy sound for an intimate acoustic evening at Baker. The Meigs County resident makes this rare appearance as an opportunity to help a noble cause.

O'Hooley's is the next stop on this big-hearted musical voyage. Although O'Hooley's is an Irish pub, the music comes straight from the heartland of America. That's right folks, a collection of rock, the blues and some bluegrass.

Famed blue-grasser, singer/songwriter JD Hutchinson (The Hutchinson Brothers Band) starts off with a solo set and then teams up with Retro Grass for some down-home, funkabilly bluegrass (yeeeeeeeee-ha).

The music continues with two of Athens' best rock bands, The Misprints and The Nightbirds. The Misprints, a self described "rhythm and funk" band is sure to get toes-a-tappin' and bodies-a-swingin'. The six-piece band ensures a unique sound with its dynamic brass duo and wailing female vocals blended with a tight rhythm section and impressive guitar heroics. The Nightbirds, a local four-piece band, closes the O'Hooley's show with a melodic mix of garage rock and subtle, sweet tunes.

For passionate, unadulterated alternative rock, The Union will satisfy all needs Saturday night. With the exception of the avant-garde duo called the Meshback Hats, the other four bands performing all boast plenty of emotion and distortion in their music.

The Meshback Hats begin the evening with their unique blend of humorous lyrics and Game Boy music.

"We're all about rawness and just utter and total fun, locker room fun," Meshback Hats MC Cameron Sharp said. "It's alterego-esque. The s--- that everybody thinks about, but nobody says. The raunchiest, nastiest s--- that comes out of somebody that's chemically inbalanced at the time. It's like this perverse dream that is nothing like me."

Planet 12 is up next. This group utilizes excellent female vocals and crunching loud guitars to get the crowd moving. Don't call them heavy metal, though. The music is too melodic, and the vocals are too heartfelt to be dismissed as mindless drudge.

The third bill of the evening goes to the mega-hyped three-piece act ran.

"ran. is edged, alt-rock/emo-core," ran. bassist Dan Dreifort said. "People can expect a fundamentally solid rhythm section blending traditional alt-rock with subtle elements of groove and quirk rock. Essentially, we're (the rhythm section) playing what's appropriate, but there's one song where we're playing this super funk-disco crap."

Keaton is the second-to-last band of the evening, and it's a band that plays a harder, more distorted version of melodic rock.

"It's pure emotion," Keaton singer/guitarist Joe Anderl said. "For 25 minutes, you're going to experience raw energy through song structure, the way we write and how we present ourselves on stage. Because we have a cause to play for, it gives the show a whole new meaning. It's a little more than just playing for the sake to play."

Headlining at The Union show is the extremely talented band Parker Ben Parker. PBP is an alt-rock institution that perseveres despite personnel changes. In the last six months, the band's bass player left to pursue a professional career and the lead singer quit to pursue other musical endeavors.

"Parker Ben Parker is what it's always been and always will be," PBP guitarist Adam Fox said. "It's a group of friends who see themselves as individuals and a part of society. This benefit is a good way for four guys to continue a friendship and do it for a good cause."

Heading further down Court Street, those who wish to finish the evening with their ears ringing, heads spinning and arms flailing should look no further than Casa Cantina. Opening the evening will be locals We March, whose members stuff as much aggression and hell-bent rock 'n' roll into a 20-minute set as humanly possible. Zach Fuller (AKA Sidson Campus), singer/guitarist for the band, first heard about the benefit from Geraldine member Scott Winland, and saw this as a "good reason to have fun and play rock 'n' roll" for a good cause.

Following the fury of We March are The Knives, one of Athens' newest talents. Shaking the local scene with tight and danceable rock ditties, The Knives' crafty rock-fueled pop is the perfect appetizer to A-town stalwarts Jet Lucas's riotous, sonic attack. Continuing to add gears to their well-oiled rock 'n' roll machine, Jet Lucas should leave just enough of Casa standing for headliners Geraldine to seal the night. Recently signed to Jon Spencer's Orange Recordings, these pure bastard rockers will perfectly punctuate this stellar musical event.

What else can be said about this Saturday?

Four venues and 15 bands collaborating for a very worthy cause to provide the Athens community with a unique opportunity to hear a maximum amount of music at a minimum cost. Basically, there is no option but to attend.

The key to maintaining the collective spirit that fueled this event is supporting all the fruits of its labor. But rest assured that Kyle and his family will appreciate all efforts to do just that.