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Vietnam, Popfest 2006, Little Kings, 8/8/06
by Waites Laseter  photo by Waites Laseter So on a Tuesday night, after an 8 hour workday, where do I find myself? Sitting on the floor of Little Kings, covering and shooting a bunch of bands I've never heard of, surrounded by the royalty of the Athens "scene," my ass slowly falling asleep. Don't get me wrong, I love the Athens "scene," I just always feel a little awkward at the hip shows between bands, like I'm an intruder in this slick world of vintage shirts and tiny band buttons, an indie-poser. I seriously considered skipping out early, taking a shower and relaxing for a bit before the show got to the headliners. I'd already sat through two great acts, Gordon Lamb followed by Fabulous Bird. I thought I deserved a quick break. And the sound check gave me little motivation to stay; some guy who looked to be about my dad's age yelping into microphones, one of which had an echo effect that made his high-pitched screech almost unbearable. Yet, as with so many times in my life, laziness won out, so I stayed on the floor. Thank God. Vietnam stepped onto the barely-elevated stage, and the collective thought around the room can best be described as "WTF?" This six-piece set looked nothing like anything else seen on stage that night; four guys and two girls, half my parent's age, half my age. The older half took up the front half of the stage, playing sax, synthesizer and hand-held percussion instruments such as tambourine and cowbell. The younger half kept to the back, playing the more expected instruments of bass, guitar and drums.  photo by Waites Laseter After the initial surprise that I've described in the previous two paragraphs wore off, the crowd went n-u-t-s nuts. Hip and lame alike were bobbing their heads, and between songs the masses hooted and hollered more than I heard the rest of the night. It was all summed up by one particularly impassioned fan, who screamed out, "You guys are so crunk! Where have you been all my life?" Turns out Vietnam has been around since the days of Reagan. Originally formed in our fair Classic City in 1980, Vietnam has been in existence in one manifestation or another since before the majority of the audience that night had been born. Yet despite their long lifespan, Vietnam just released their first album, Past Away, which is available on Scared Records. Might be worth checking out. Comments [post a comment]Comments are closed |
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