What could be better than a line-up of some great local bands at some great local venues for a great cause? Sunny summer days? Nah... Ice cream? No way. Sex? er... well, the point is the Friends of Kyle Benefit show held this past Saturday was a big success because it was a brilliant idea. Many of the region's best and brightest musicians gathered at four different clubs in Athens for a night of phenomenal music in support of the Friends of Kyle, a committee spearheaded by Dr. Timothy Lavelle to help five-year-old Kyle Hellyer, a Glouster resident who was diagnosed with Fanconi's Anemia. Among the venues supporting the benefit show was the Union Bar & Grille. It was here that I spent a happy, slighty-tipsy night enjoying five local acts: Keaton, Planet 12, ran., the Meshback Hats, and Parker Ben Parker.

Opening up the evening was Keaton, a three-piece hardcore band of which I knew nothing about. From the first initial blast of music, the audience was taken aback by the sheer enormity of their sound. Shotgun-drumming accompanied by big, hairy monster-riffage permeated the Union. It wasn't till about midway through the first song that I even realized that Keaton had no bass player. The two chugging guitars filled out the audio spectrum quite nicely, however, and I don't think anybody missed the lack of tradition on stage. I wondered briefly about the long-term effects this could have on the Bass Players Union of America. Keaton's first few songs were deceptively hard, as later on in the set the songs turned into more dynamic emocore outcries of angst, punctuated by the call-and-response style singing of both guitar players. Their music carried a sense of urgency which helped to set an energetic mood for the rest of the evening.

Keaton's aggressive wall of sound shook the foundations of the Union and scared the elderly in Athens and the surrounding counties.

Second on the roster was Planet 12, an Athens/Lancaster band who just happen to be good friends of mine. I will restrain myself from doting gobs and gobs of accolades on these guys for fear of embarassing Matt Toledo, guitar player and creator of this here Athens Musician Network that we're all so fond of. Suffice it to say that if you haven't seen Planet 12 live in a while, you're in for an especially pleasant shock. Gone are the days of Planet 12's jammy, math-pop past. In its place is an in-your-face rock spectacle full of feminine angst (delivered in droves by the awe-inspiring Jodi Toledo) and praiseworthy musicianship by Matt, bassist Jeremy Foltz, and drummer Shayne Alvis. The addition of a keyboard and some drum-sampling gives Planet 12 an edgy sound that sets them apart in Athens. If Saturday night's performance was any indication, then this band is not to be missed... ever!

Planet 12 has shed their jammy, math-pop sound for a coarser, grittier rock sound.

Next up was local Athens favorites, ran. ran. is an Alternative/Indie power trio with melodic pop sensibilities. While sometimes reminiscent of the Smiths, ran. contains none of that smug self-indulgence and cocky bitterness, investing rather in a pure emotional outpouring of positive energy. In short, just reeeeeeeaally good songs. Singer and axeman Justin Zimmerman carried the band, and the audience, to new heights with his lush brand of haunting pop melodies tinged with just the right amount of melancholy. Lauren Fisher once again proved (as if it needed proving) that intense drumming is not a job reserved for big sweaty boys anymore. And bassist Dan Driefort provided well-honed and well-placed fills and the occasional humorous comment. All of which combined to make the ran. live experience something lasting and worth re-experiencing.

Lauren, the drummer for ran., has ample supplies of whoop-ass when behind the kit.

After ran. came the aptly-titled Meshback Hats, who featured a litany of just such brand of hats on stage, and not much else. Accompanied by familiar Nintendo Game-boy themes, the Meshbacks sang, or rather, shouted out quirky lyrics to a befoozled audience. Was it avant-garde? Performance art? Post-rock? Whatever you call it, it was certainly unlike anything I've witnessed recently. One suggestion I would make would be that the Meshback Hats should probably not perform for more than 12 minutes at a stretch, due to the novelty beginning to wear thin at about that point. Otherwise, it was humorous, and it put the now-inebriated crowd into a smiley mood.

To hell with the copyright laws! The Meshback Hats rap over Nintendo songs.

And the smiles continued for the final band of the night, Dayton's own Parker Ben Parker. There is no denying the talent inherent in this band. Despite the recent parting of ways with former lead singer, Joe Spurling, PBP delivered a solid set's worth of beautifully crafted alternative rock, in the vein of Radiohead during "The Bends" album. The new fill-in lead singer held his own, despite having to read some of the lyrics from 8-by-11 sheets on the floor next to his foot. Parker's strength lies in their weaving guitar arrangements, most notably on my personal favorite song, "Polymerging". Big distorted chords complement a lilting melody in a way that is both disturbing and moving at the same time. Parker Ben Parker is one of Ohio's most promising bands, so be sure to check them out in a small club like the Union before you have start shelling out $35 to stand 300 ft away from them in a sold-out Arena. Their songs were a perfect end to a near-perfect evening. At least, that's how it seemed to me... but I was pretty sloshed by then.

Parker Ben Parker had an excellent show despite their recent depature of their original lead singer.

Overall, the Union show was well worth the $8 I paid in order to get into all the bars, despite the fact that I never left to GO to the other bars. And knowing that we were helping a child in need made me wish I had more money to put in the donation box. My only regret was having missed Jet Lucas and Geraldine at Casa Cantina, where I heard that there was quite a mosh-pit extravaganza. I also regretted the MASSIVE hangover that I suffered the next morning, where the Rolling Rock/Marlboro-induced headache was so great that I nearly cut my own head off with garden shears. But that's a different Union story altogether.