Kissing Party, traveling from Denver to attend this year’s Athens PopFest, were one of the most well-received bands on Wednesday’s bill.

Kissing Party
8.11.2010
Little Kings Shuffle Club, Athens PopFest, Athens, GA

Source:  [Microtech Gefell M300's > Lunatec V3] + [SBD > 1/4"] > Oade Mod Edirol R44 @ 24/48 > SDHC >
Adobe Audition 3.0 > Mixdown > Resample to 16/44.1 > CDWave
Taped by:  Lance Stack

Setlist:
1. Jacey Finch
2. Ashley Smashley
3. Life in Girard
4. Commit A Tiny Crime Together
5. A Billion Brain Cells Later
6. The Heart is a Lusty Hunter
7. unknown
8. Let’s Face These Times
9. The Game

A zipfile of the mp3s is available here.
FLAC files can be downloaded as a zipfile here.

Brooklyn’s Dream Diary are relative newcomers to the indie pop scene, and have yet to complete their first album.  The current plan is for an early 2011 release on Kanine Records, and this Thursday afternoon performance at PopFest is sure to be a preview of songs that will make their way onto that record.

Dream Diary
8.11.2010
Little Kings Shuffle Club, Athens PopFest, Athens, GA

Source:  [Microtech Gefell M300's > Lunatec V3] + [SBD > 1/4"] > Oade Mod Edirol R44 @ 24/48 > SDHC > Adobe Audition 3.0 > Mixdown > Resample to 16/44.1 > CDWave
Taped by:  Lance Stack

Setlist:
1. Paper Flowers (Live at Athens PopFest)
2. Audrey of Spirits (Live at Athens PopFest)
3. Is He Really Mine? (Live at Athens PopFest)
4. unknown (Live at Athens PopFest)
5. El Lissitzky (Live at Athens PopFest)
6. Son Of A Gun (Live at Athens PopFest)
7. unknown (Live at Athens PopFest)
8. Something Tells Her (Live at Athens PopFest)

Listen here:
[ti_audio name="dreamdiary2010-08-11" width="400"]

I just got word yesterday that Am I Still Illmatic, the debut album from Atlanta’s Tendaberry, is due out next month.  The news prompted me to sit down this evening and track out their stellar performance from last year’s PopFest.  The set contains many originals that will appear on the upcoming disc, along with an interesting selection of covers.

Tendaberry
8.15.2008
Athens Popfest
Little Kings Shuffle Club, Athens, GA

Source:  Microtech Gefell M300′s > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) > Nomad JB3 > Firewire > Adobe Audition (compression) > CDWave > LAME > mp3
Taped by:  Lance Stack

Setlist:
1. So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry)
2. Can’t Tell Me Nothing
3. Prophets
4. MCs
5. Righteous Waiting
6. Orgasm Addict
7. Cold Boy
8. I Need a Job
9. The Complaint
10. Cherchez La Ghost > Born Under Punches > Cherchez La Ghost

A zipfile of the mp3s is available here.
FLAC files can be downloaded as a zipfile here.

Here’s another band from the Lone Star State, McKinney’s Little Birds.  Brooke Opie started the project as a solo pursuit, and in an attempt to fully realize her vision, assembled a group of great local Texas musicians to back her.  Thankfully, the full band was able to make it out to GA for PopFest performance!  Athens Exchange still has a short writeup chronicling the afternoon.

Little Birds
8.14.2008
Athens Popfest
Little Kings Shuffle Club, Athens, GA

Source:  Microtech Gefell M300′s > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) > Nomad JB3 >
Firewire > CoolEdit Pro > CDWave > Flac16
Taped by:  Lance Stack

Setlist:
1. A Song For You
2. New All Time Low
3. Is It Getting Better?
4. The Fall
5. Now I’m Two
6. New Fake Beard
7. I Was Struck By Lightning
8. Paper Skin
9. Moths and Musk

(Here’s a zipfile of the full set.)

(Photo by Marc Espowood)

To keep the flow of PopFest material going, you’ll probably see less commentary of the sets.  Here’s another from Wednesday night,  Athens’ own Spring Tigers!

Spring Tigers
8.13.2008
Athens Popfest
Little Kings Shuffle Club, Athens, GA

Source:  Microtech Gefell M300′s > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) > Nomad JB3 >
Firewire > CoolEdit Pro > CDWave > Flac16
Taped by:  Lance Stack (inthistube [at] gmail.com)

Setlist:
1. intro
2. New Improved Formula
3. unknown
4. unknown
5. unknown
6. unknown
7. Hyboria
8. Car Song
9. Beep Beep

(Link to a zip of the full set.)

Atlanta duo Judi Chicago was another act unknown to me before PopFest.  Ben and Travis played a variety of instruments over a set of sampled dance beats, tossing in a healthy dose of irony in the form of both banter and lyrics.  I was in the back during this set and didn’t have a good view of the stage, but Rich has come nice close-up over on the C&T photostream.

Judi Chicago
8.13.2008
Athens Popfest
Little Kings Shuffle Club, Athens, GA

Source:  Microtech Gefell M300′s > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) > Nomad JB3 >
Firewire > CoolEdit Pro > CDWave > Flac16
Taped by:  Lance Stack (inthistube [at] yahoo.com)

One Disc:
1. intro
2. Mad Ape
3. Bad Spell
4. unknown
5. Good For Your Neighborhood

(Link to a zip of the full set.)

Continuing in the vein of all-female punk, local Atlanta favorites The Coathangers followed immediately on the heels of Hotpants Romance.

The Coathangers
8.13.2008
Athens Popfest
Little Kings Shuffle Club, Athens, GA

Source: Microtech Gefell M300′s > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) > Nomad JB3 >
Firewire > CoolEdit Pro > CDWave > Flac16
Taped by: Lance Stack (inthistube [at] gmail.com)

Setlist:
1. Never Wanted You
2. Toomerhead
3. Tonya Harding
4. “Gettin”
5. Bury Me
6. Haterade
7. Nestle in My Boobies
8. Shake Shake
9. Don’t Touch My Shit

(Here’s the full-show zipfile via megaupload.)

(Photo courtesy of Cable and Tweed.)

Finally getting back into gear on the PopFest material… We’ll continue chronologically from where we left off, with the UK’s Hotpants Romance.  I gotta say, this change in musical style (after just coming down from a somewhat relaxed Nana Grizol set out on the patio) was quite a shock to the system! :)

Hotpants Romance
8.13.2008
Athens Popfest, Little Kings Shuffle Club, Athens, GA

Source:  Microtech Gefell M300′s > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) > Nomad JB3 >
Firewire > CoolEdit Pro > CDWave > Flac16
Taped by:  Lance Stack (inthistube [at] gmail.com)

Setlist:
1. Sugar Dip Hey!
2. Shake Baby Shake
3. Paul
4. Hotpants No Chance
5. You’re Not Funny
6. Meg
7. I Don’t Wanna
8. We Used To Meet
9. I Remember You
10. Don’t Go
11. It’s a Heatwave
12. Stop Escaping

(And here’s the link to a full zipfile.)