Rocking During Cherry Blossom
Anyone who knows me knows that the prospect of going to see live music gets me as giddy as a kid on Christmas morning. So when placed in the middle of a music festival that effect increased tenfold. Staring at my festival schedule, the last few rain drops of the night hitting the page, I wondered how I would ever choose between all of the bands performing. I knew that with bands playing simultaneously on eight stages, I would never be able to cover them all. Luckily I had fellow Make It Work Molly writer and photographer, Elizabeth Tate, there to be my sounding board.
Our evening started out at Greek Corner Deli where we grabbed a quick bite to eat and a rest away from the ever growing crowd. With the Cox Capital Theater just next door, that seemed like the most natural place to start. Cranford Hollow was the next act to play and they were already setting the stage for their performance. With my original goal of squeezing as many bands as possible in mind, I raced over to the Crazy Bull to fill a few free minutes with Stevens Layne.
Molly Stevens and Whitney Layne were in a word, inspiring. It isn’t often that you find two musicians who develop as much creative flow as these two ladies have. With an excellent band backing them, smooth acoustics, and mind boggling vocal ability; it was more of a challenge to not be drawn in. Stevens and Layne seemed to be performing via mental telepathy as they were in perfect synchronization, feeding off each other, the band, and the audience in good measure. It was a pleasure to witness. One of my favorites from their set (available on Soundcloud- see below) was titled, “Crazy When I Left You”, which described perfectly how I felt when I pulled myself away from the stage and exited the venue.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/138392410″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
However, the disappointment didn’t last for long as I jumped into the magnificence that was Cranford Hollow. Picture this: a hardcore blend of rock and Americana with a fiddle and a top hat present on stage, wicked charisma, boot stomping, hair flips, and all of these elements blended so well that you keep being pulled back into the vortex. I was mesmerized. There was something primal about the way they fed off each other’s energy. Their presence seemed to flood off the stage.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqzlSZMGO_Q]
We continued on into the night, popping into several music venues to try to get a feel for the event. The Hummingbird was so packed you could barely see the floor. It was clear that Macon had showed up to support.
The next band we settled into was Saint Francis. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing this band on and offstage and seeing them perform many times before. As an experienced viewer, I can attest they were thoroughly at the top of their game. They blend rock, country, and funk elements skillfully and engage the crowd in a way that feels as though they are greeting old friend. As they sang the words, “here in the bubble we are perfectly fine,” I felt as though I was being pulled into their own bubble. It seems the audience around me was in agreement as they were enthusiastic and responsive.
I hopped around for the remainder of the night but caught a few songs by a local band named the Sundollars. One of the most impressive moves the band did was utilize their multi-instrumentalists by rotating which members sang and even played the drums. It was a wise way to use their individual talents. Their music struck me as melodic indie rock, with careful attention paid to the overall mood conveyed. There were some experimental elements to their songs, but the melody always seemed to center them.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPHdHKtoYgE]
My night ended with the Futurebirds who also had a gift for weaving a beautiful soundscape for their listeners. They have been called “psychedelic country” and I found it to be a very fitting description. At times, the lead singer would hit his electric guitar and allow it reverberate and linger. Their music was transcendent.
Futurebirds – Live at the Georgia Theatre from Jason Thrasher on Vimeo.
My only regret of the evening was that I could not use a time turner (for those Harry Potter nerds) and squeeze even more music into my schedule. This is an event I will look forward to seeing at the Cherry Blossom Festival in the coming years. Well done!
By the way- if you have kids that are musical check out this class in Macon, Warner Robins, and Milledgeville. You can start this Saturday in Macon, then next Tuesday in Milledgeville, a NEW LOCATION, and then Thursday in Warner Robins and Friday in Macon. 9 classes for $147 including the CD and songbook. $5 discount when registering for Make It Work Molly followers: use discount code “Molly2014” – must register by April 7 for the discount to apply. Check it out here:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wj-lSkzKHos]
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