Use The Buddy System

There’s this saying that goes “Always use the buddy system.” It’s meant to keep people together in times of danger or from getting lost. My theory’s always been, if I’m swimming with my buddy and a shark starts to attack, I’m good because I know I swim faster than my buddy. THANKS BUDDY SYSTEM!

Anyway, I saw the far less morbid band The Buddy System at the WUOG Winter Party at Cine on Thursday night. Nana Grisol opened but I was too busy chatting with a good friend about radio politics to have any great opinion about their performance.

Buddy System, however, was a whole ‘nother story. I first saw these guys at the Athfest award ceremony during the summer and again when they opened for Pylon at the Melting Point. I found that extremely interesting mainly because the show was broadcast on radio and BS is a very visual band.

They do these cute animations in bright pink, blue, black, and yellow filled with horses, cats, post-apocalyptic moles, butterflies and everything else. The animatic shows on a screen either behind or beside them while they play in time to the action. It takes a bit of skill to be able to do this, especially with new animations (two of which premiered on Thursday).

I’m not usually into the droning and shouted vocals of bands like Buddy System but something about them reflects back to earlier Athens bands that were performance artists. The ones that would bring shotguns (unloaded) and ladders (but not to be played Mr. Chambers..) onstage and dress up weird. Pylon went to the more musical edge of performance art which probably makes Buddy System a descendant. No, you can’t dance to BS like you can Pylon but there’s something a bit more modern about the System’s style.

So here’s a video from the Buddy System. In my opinion, it should be renamed “Blueshades on a Monday Morning” but Clap Paws works too.