BY MATTHEW RECCHIA

Wednesday nights in Athens, Georgia always have the potential to be fun, especially if you find yourself walking into one of the many music venues around Downtown. This Wednesday night, local band 3 Foot Swagger made their presence known, attracting people away from their pizzas at Little Italy and beers at Nowhere Bar for a wild night of music at the Georgia Theater.

After a barrage of funk from opening act JazzChronic, the crowd made their way to the bars or outside for a quick smoke before the main attraction. Members of Swagger could be found outside as well, talking with friends and relaxing prior to their set. Before long, the house lights dimmed, the stage began to glow a radiant red, and the five members of 3 Foot Swagger walked out and plugged in their instruments for the night.

Made up of former members of Melodious Ground and established artists from Athens, Georgia, the quintet rocketed through "Rollin' By," an original tune from their new demo Odd Numbers. The song showcases the group's ability to arrange three guitars, a bassist, and drummer into a balanced, rock' n' roll machine with a genuine southern sound. Followed up by Pink Floyd's popular "Young Lust," vocalist Jeff Reusche and saxophonist Gnarly G from JazzChronic added a bit of southern-funk to this classic Floyd tune. Next: "Digital Plaid," and from the moment Jake Cohan went to grab the mandolin, the crowd knew they were in for a treat. The harmony and timing between Cohan and drummer Charlie McCoy was impressive, but the fact that two guitarists and a bassist were all improvising on top of that steady rhythm, as well as each other, made me realize how amazing this group is for only playing together less than a year.

A smooth transition into "Occifer Friendly" once again got the crowd moving and jamming along as lead guitarist Dave Cardello took charge with his distinct, phrasing ability that allow him to build-up climatic moments while moving in and out of the band without overpowering his sound. Cardello often connected visually with the rest of the band from his spot stage left, sometimes smiling and laughing with bassist Scott Lerch and McCoy, or eyeing Jeff Reusche and Cohan for vocal queues and song changes. The communication was an integral part in the band's capability to create authentic music improvisation moments, and provided some insight on what was happening on stage for the audience.

Playing three of their four songs from the first demo, one could only presume they would continue into the last song, "Rum and Guns". Instead, the second half of Swagger's set made creating nasty, sweaty, southern-funk its top priority. "Sister Morphine," "Sho Nuff," and "Superfly" showcased the talent brewing within this Athens band moving full cylinder till the end of the show. Soon after "Superfly," people moved out into the cold while band-members exchanged high-fives and packed up their gear. What a night for this new, energetic Athens quintet, and the lucky crowd that chose the Theater that Wednesday evening.

Setlist:

Rollin By, Young Lust^, LWL^, Digital Plaid*^, Occifer Friendly, Get Off on You, Carry On, Rely on Me, Peaches, Sister Morphine, Sho Nuff, Moods, Superfly

*Jake Cohan on Mandolin

^Gnarly G on sax from JazzChronic

*3 Foot Swagger is: Jeff Reusche (Guitar, Lead Vocals), Scott Lerch (Bass), Dave Cardello (Guitar, Keyboard on Occasion), Jake Cohan (Acoustic Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals) and Charlie McCoy (Drums and Percussion).