I usually don’t get out on Wednesday nights for shows but I made the effort this week for a good cause and an interesting lineup of bands at the 40 Watt. A benefit for Girls Rock Camp, set up by students at UGA’s journalism school, featured four bands on this night – The Incendiaries, Creepy, The Orkids and Allison Weiss – in front of a decent crowd for a show on a chilly mid-week night.
It did feel like one band too many, or maybe I’m not used to being up at 1:30 a.m. The Incendiaries, who I’ve now seen a couple of times, started off the sets with a flourish. Their angsty guitar fuzz rock carries some weight to it, they all enthrall in being loud and set a nice tone for the night. Mandy, Mary, Erika and Erica (interesting same names – does one go by c and one by k?) put forth that Sleater-Kinney feel, though I’ll stop there on comparisons since bands hate it and it’s kind of lazy on my part.
Alec Wooden's last stand
Of course, that won’t stop me from comparing Creepy to Love Tractor, which is not a bad thing. Creepy had a shortened set for some reason, probably because the four bands on one night is not ideal. I liked Creepy, I think they have nice potential, and I know the Girls Camp is something they’re also involved in, making it a good night for them all around.
The Orkids were up next, an unusual band in Athens for their overt popiness. There are bands in town that hearken back to that synth-pop in the 80s (really anything Dan Gellar is involved in), but The Orkids are different. They sound quite commercial in that No Doubt kid of way – good harmonies and effective use of the synths – but in the end I’m just not sure. Athens bands appeal to me when they’re weird – The Orkids are not weird at all. I half think they have a big future, just not in Athens. They’re very much an Atlanta band.
Finally it was Allison Weiss & the Way She Likes It finishing up the night. I’ve written about Allison before, and she has her fair share of supporters and detractors. She was her playful self again Wednesday night, stopping the show to get people to sign up for her e-mailing list (of which she acknowledged several hours later by sending out this message: Thanks again for coming. You’ll all soon be getting a free mp3 from me as well. Thanks again for signing up on my list. I promise to never email more than once a month (or less!) or when I’m playing another show in Athens) while moving through songs from her two albums.
The show marked one possible change for the band, as bassist Alec Wooden is leaving the friendly confines of Athens (and Blur magazine) for a job in Atlanta. Alec, who has played in several bands in town (including Beyond Tomorrow, which I mention because he hates to have it mentioned, so if you’re reading this Alec, there it is), has brought a lot to the Athens music scene with his playing and writing talent and will be missed.
All in all a solid night at the Watt, albeit a bit long. But hey, all for a good cause.
Creepy
The Orkids
The Orkids
The Incendiaries
Allison Weiss & The Way She Likes It
