Sibling String to play downtown

During the day, Hancock Street appears to be a quiet, downtown block. However, that same quaint street and the restaurants of downtown Milledgeville come alive at night, creating an exciting nightlife for many Georgia College students, often with live entertainment.

Next Saturday, Amici Italian Café will be filled with the sounds of live music from Augusta band Sibling String. Sibling String consists of Jacob Beltz on acoustic guitar and vocals, Dave Mercer with drums and vocals, Henry Wynn on the fiddle and pedal steel, Deveran Roof on upright bass, and Michael Baideme on the electric guitar.

Amici Italian Cafe has become a favorite spot for those looking for a fun environment to unwind with their friends.

“Live music at Amici is a really chill atmosphere,” junior business management major John Rousakis said.

The venue has been providing live entertainment for both students’ and locals’ enjoyment for some time now.

“I’ve enjoyed live music at Amici for about three years now,” Sarah Kelehear, a junior mass communication major, said. “Amici always brings in a good crowd for bands. I love getting to hang out with my friends while listening to a great live band in a good atmosphere. I’ll probably go hear Sibling String if I’m out that night.”

Electric guitarist Michael Baideme of Sibling String said the band’s sound is fairly hard to describe; a unique, “off the wall” one, consisting of a “bluegrassy-folky” sound with musical similarities to The Avett Brothers and Mumford & Sons.

The band has been together for a year and a half, starting out with Baideme and Beltz playing acoustic guitars together.

“Jacob and I started as the core,” Baideme said.

The band began playing Wednesday nights at a bar in Augusta, and it was a natural evolution into the band that has become Sibling String today.

The band made their debut in Milledgeville at Amici a year ago.

“It was packed and everyone was having a really good time. It was a great environment and we really enjoyed it,”  Baideme said.

Sibling String’s full sound and rich tones seemed to be an audience-pleaser at their last Milledgeville performance.

“The guys [of Sibling String] had a good reception from our clientele last time they performed, so we’re expecting that again,” Amici entertainment manager Taylor Becker said.

Becker said there’s always a good crowd reaction to the band because the stage is so close to the audience, allowing for an intimate experience.

Sibling String will be going on at 11 p.m. on Jan. 21 and playing until 2 a.m., and is excited about returning to Milledgeville for a second time.

“It’s hard to describe, you just have to come see it and hear it,” Baideme said of Sibling String for anyone who missed them their first time around. “Tell your friends to come out, they don’t want to miss this show.”

Posted by Kathryn Wardell on Jan 19 2012. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.