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Ham1, PopFest, Caledonia, 8/15/08

by Sarah Wagner
08.17.2008

A gawky guy takes the stage in the dingy cool Caledonia Lounge and mutters something about trivia.  “What is the deadliest shark?” he questions.  People begin shouting out their answers. “Please raise your hands, boys and girls.”  When a girl answers bull shark the man on stage hands her an LP of some obscure 70's band bought from a second hand record store and the newest Ham1 CD.  Trivia goes on for a while and sets the overall tone for the quirky band to follow.  After the gawky guy introduces all of the members of Ham1 except for himself he grabs an electric guitar and proceeds to rock out.

Ham1 has the audience swaying and doing the hipster head bop halfway through their first song.  The band's retro sound in combination with their crooning lyrical style is a surefire crowd pleaser.  However, Ham1 doesn't have an outdated bone in their ensemble.  The band has an uncanny ability to mix and mash the old with the new to create a refreshingly different sound of modern psychedelic with a dash of nostalgia.  Ham1 is a homegrown Athens, GA group whose band members include  Eric Harris, Jacob Morris, Christopher Sugiuchi, and Jim Willingham.  Ham1's versatility is partially due to their crafty use of trombone and cello.

My favorite thing about Ham1 is that they don't take themselves too seriously.  Members of Ham1 hung out with regualar joes outside after their show. Ham1 was entertaining throughout their set and even had a wind-up doll with a xylophone who was a guest band member in their song “Moonie."  I definitely recommend checking Ham1's music out on their MySpace page,  and seeing them live around Athens.  I didn't know what kind of music I would be into Friday night at Caledonia but Ham1 had the precise dose of energy and charisma that I needed.

Their record, The Underground Stream, is available for free download at their website.

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