The countdown has finally ended.
Students and Athens residents in costume from around the country will crowd the streets of Athens tomorrow night in anticipation for one event: the Athens Halloween Block Party.
“Halloween is what Athens is known for,” said Jonathan Holmberg, chairman of the Athens Clean and Safe Halloween Committee. “You can go all over the country, and people I’ve talked to still ask me about the crazy Halloween block party (Athens) has.”
The block party will feature two stages on both ends of Court Street, and Holmberg will select the bands that play throughout the night.
When choosing the acts, Holmberg said he is focused on finding a variety of genres and a lineup that reflects the Athens music scene.
“I want the block party to show people what Athens is,” Holmberg said. “It’s a great city, and I want to help out the bands that play here in town.”
This year’s block party will feature a Keith Stone look-a-like contest in which participants 21 and older can compete for a variety of prizes from MillerCoors.
The night will include first-time acts such as Dune, Mind Fish, Mojoflo, Mike Perkins, The Clifftones, Acer Negundo and PJ and the Whistlers.
“We played at Jackie O’s Halloween weekend last year and had a blast partying,” said Walter Kolhoff of Mojoflo. “This will be our first time playing at (Athens Halloween), and to be the headliner is just the cherry on top of the chocolate pudding.”
The hip-hop funk group will be performing without its lead singer, Amber Knicole, but Kolhoff said the band found a strong stand-in.
“While (Knicole) will be sorely missed, we have the next best thing. Rachel Maxann, lead singer of Athens’ favorites Elemental Groove Theory, will be filling in with us, so we’ll have a bit of local flavor in the mix as well,” Kolhoff said.
First Street Heat’s set will be both a first and a last, as the band’s first Halloween block party performance will also mark its final show with the entire original group.
“We are breaking up for a lot of reasons. To condense it, there (are) just a lot of people that all have different goals and musical ideas,” said Jack Gould, one of the band’s saxophonists. “We have a hard time whenever we have a gig, but about six bands will be made out of this one band.”
Not everyone performing will be first-timers to the Halloween party, however. The two-man techno group Dave Rave and eclectic funk duo Hellnaw both played last year.
“It is just a really cool experience,” said Brandon Thompson of Dave Rave. “We are both from Athens and have been going to (the block party) for years. It’s just great to be a part of it.”
Although the block party is known for its rowdy atmosphere, Josh Wicker of Hellnaw said the music is still the driving force for the night.
“The music is the fuel for one of the biggest Halloween parties in the country,” Wicker said. “We love being a part of that.”
lf328610@ohiou.edu
