Buffapalooza returns to Milledgeville
Music filled the downtown air April 8, when the annual concert series Buffapalooza returned to Milledgeville. The concert gives new artists the opportunity to showcase their talents.
The event was coordinated and promoted by GCSU’s radio station, WGUR. Buffingtons hosted the concert, which went into the early hours of Friday morning.
Ben Elliott, concert coordinator and music director for WGUR, was excited about the return of Buffapalooza.
“In 2008, WGUR held Buffapalooza, but last year we did a different concert series. This year I felt the desire to revive Buffapalooza for WGUR and Milledgeville,” Elliott said.
The bands selected to play at Buffapalooza are not chosen without careful consideration.
“This year the bands for Buffapalooza were selected by Buffingtons. These are the bands that were good draws to play in Milledgeville,” Elliott said. “WGUR promoted the bands using on-air playing and our PR team.”
This year, three talented bands were selected to play Buffapalooza. The bands Queenfist, Floco Torres and Martyr Your Muses performed during the night.
The six-year-old band Queenfist opened the concert. The band listed many influences, such as Alice in Chains, Nirvana and Queens of the Stone Age. The band’s members include Adam Meade on lead vocals, Ben Burkhalter on electric guitar and Troy Smith on drums.
“People always ask about our name,” Meade said. “In a conversation, my mother’s birth week, Queenfest, was brought up. Troy misheard and thought I said Queenfist. Ben then decided that Queenfist would be our band’s name.”
Meade said that the band’s sound is “dance metal or the old television show, Fraggle Rock, for adults”.
The second band on-stage was Floco Torres, a new group from Macon that has only been together for seven months. Still, it had the crowd singing along and dancing. Members of the band include Floco Torres on lead vocals, Tommy Superior on electric guitar, Jason Chapman on bass guitar, Travis on drums and DJ Montalban on turntables.
“Our sound is a hip-hop, alternative rock collaboration. And when DJ Montalban tours with us, we get a more pop sound,” Torres said. “Every member is very musically inclined and we all are very musically eclectic. Our influences range from The Beatles to Jay-Z, Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West and the Beastie Boys.”
Torres enjoyed the energy in the Milledgeville scene.
“We have played here once before and nothing beats the Milledgeville crowd,” Torres said. “Even after playing at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, I can honestly say that Buffingtons is a top-three venue. We can’t wait to come back.”
To conclude Buffapalooza, Martyr Your Muses took the stage. Consisting of a bass guitarist, drummer, keyboards player, and electric guitarist-lead singer, Martyr Your Muses ended the night with a bang.
Senior mass communication student Will Ellis said he thoroughly enjoyed the artists.
“Buffapalooza introduced me to three new bands each with their own unique sound. With every song each band played, they had the audience captivated,” Ellis said.
The up-tempo rock band covered “Gouge Away” by the Pixies and played its own material. The band’s song “In the End” captivated the audience with its soothing vocals, guitar riffs and keyboard melodies.
The night appeared to be a success for the bands and all three graciously thanked fans, WGUR and Buffingtons.
“We’ve played here for quite a while and every time we love it,” Meade said. “We hope to return to Milledgeville to play again.”
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Apr 16 2010. Filed under Features.
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