Thursday night, three bands will unite to take over the stage at the Smiling Skull Saloon.
Korey Kasler, the event’s organizer and promotions director for ACRN, said he booked the three groups — Weird Science, Pigeonholes and Vagrant Beat — based on their energy and musical talents.
“The Smiling Skull lets us have a show there on the first Thursday every month,” Kasler said. “ For this show in particular, all of those bands are really punk-influenced and really energetic.”
Ryan James, Vagrant Beat’s lead singer and a junior studying English, said the post-hardcore rock band is influenced by ’90s music including At the Drive-In, Cursive and Les Savy Fav.
“We really bonded over the music and it brought us together musically,” James said.
The band plans to introduce three new songs to the audience during the show, including “Ifto Facto” and “The Perils of Life.”
“We’re really excited to play the songs and see how people react,” James said. “We have been playing at the Skull for a long time and it has a pretty good atmosphere.”
Pigeonholes and Weird Science will also be taking to the mic. Josh Stanley, Vagrant Beat’s guitarist and a junior studying music production, said he thinks the combination of bands will make for a great night.
“This concert is going to be loud in a good way,” Stanley said “It’s going to be a high-energy affair. This just sounded like a good idea because there are a lot of people that like to go out and have fun in Athens and it’s always a good time.”
Kasler said one of his goals for the monthly ACRN nights is to mix local bands with groups that are passing through.
“I picked these three bands because I prefer to have a couple of Athens bands in the mix as well as an outside band to keep it local and worldly,” Kasler said. “It should be a really fun and energetic show with a lot of great music. It’ll be a great night.”
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If You Go
What: ACRN Presents: Weird Science, Pigeonholes and Vagrant Beat
When: 10 p.m. Thursday
Where: Smiling Skull Saloon, 108 W. Union St.
Admission: $3
