Sunbear of WeWoreMasks recaps the local extravaganza this hot, humid, music filled weekend. Thanks, Sunbear!

photo credit: greeneyeri

The second annual Free Press Summerfest music festival descended upon Eleanor Tinsley Park this past weekend, at nearly double the size of the inaugural run last year, proving that yes, Houston is a city that cares about and loves its music. Our neighbors, Austin boasts the smug motto of being the “Live Music Capital of the World” and though that isn’t without merit, Houston has simply had it with being overlooked, not only as a tour stop for major acts, but for its diverse local talent. Summerfest is the marriage of those very ideas: that our local bands can play alongside the best of the best, with acts ranging from our own darling Wild Moccasins, to the extravagant Flaming Lips whose presence hasn’t been felt by Houston in 10 years. The musical diversity was palpable: everything from the southern twang of Tennessee’s Lucero, to the eloquent indie pop of Canada’s Stars, to southern rappers Slim Thug and Bun B representing Houston’s burgeoning rap scene. And the bears were there to witness its greatness.

photo credit: arielle gutierrez

Settling onto level ground, which was in scarce supply on the angular hillside of Allen Parkway, we were greeted to the Wild Moccasins, fresh from a national tour and back home where they belong. They were their usual selves, which is to say fetchingly exuberant as they played tracks from their newly released Skin Collision Past. Elsewhere, The Eastern Sea were indulging a small but devoted crowd to their baroque-rock sound. Their set at Cactus Records the day before found a truncated version of the band playing an intimate set on a stage just large enough to house a drumset. Given room, their 9+ member collective really flourished, with local rap artist and house favorite Fat Tony making a guest appearance to drop a few bars over their jams, the first of many surprises of the Summerfest.

photo credit: glowjangles

The song “Three MC’s and One DJ” should conjure up one thing and one thing only: the Beastie Boys and Mix Master Mike, the latter of which performed a deafeningly loud DJ set for the sweltering Houstonians watching the mainstage. Using old school chops with *gasp, an actual turntable, Mix Master Mike got Houston on its feel to the sounds of hip hop’s greatest, past and present.

Ra Ra Riot came on to an increasingly hot, burning Houston sun, which is surely out of the element. Their orchestral pop numbers, albeit precise and engaging, suffered from the day time heat. Any band with an electric cello (a mighty fine one at that) and a violin ensemble should have the benefit from playing at night time. The band managed to win over several fans after they burned through “Dying is Fine” and “Ghost Under Rocks,” among others off of their 2009 effort, The Rhumb Line.

photo credit: 29-95

Hollywood Floss, a local favorite, just dropped his record House of Dreams. Showing up to Summerfest backed by The Pinecones and Kidd the Great, Floss decided to run through songs off his newly released album, while throwing in his own interpretations to “Seven Nation Army” and Green Day’s “Brain Stew,” both of which were in heavy favor by the crowd. It’s safe to compare the energy of his set to N.E.R.D., which helps due to Floss’ strikingly similar appearance to one Skateboard P.

The sun had begun to set, but that wouldn’t stop Houston’s own Golden Axe from melting faces. A two piece band consisting of ridiculous riffs shredded over an absurdly shaped guitar, and the primal pulverizing of drum skins, Golden Axe brought heavy metal to the party and it was rousingly epic. As if to bring balance to the amount of machismo force in the air behind the Axe, Chicago’s Kid Sister sassed her way onto the stage to the electro beat of “Right Hand Hi” off her debut album Ultraviolet. Sharing the stage with naught more than her own DJ, Kid Sis took to kicking aside stage monitors to give her the appropriate space necessary to jerk and juke to her brand of Chicago house.

The Detroit Cobras from Detroit (surprise-surprise!) kept the girl power going with their gritty and raucous retro rock-and-roll sound, covering american blues and rock standards like “cha cha twist” and “bye bye baby” with a serious blousy swagger.

photo credit: glowjangles

Gregg Gillis aka mash-up master Girl Talk would close out the first night of the festival doing what he does best: stage-dancers, toilet-paper armed leaf-blowers, and hundreds upon hundreds of songs mashed into near oblivion. Ciara’s “My Goodies” coalesced with Boston’s “Foreplay/Longtime.” Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA” collided with Dr. Dre’s “Tha Next Episode.” Guns n Roses’s “Paradise City” butted heads with Fat Joe’s “Lean Back.” There wasn’t a moment when someone’s favorite song wasn’t being played. The Summerfest volunteers were repaid for a hard day’s work with the chance to bump and shimmy with Gillis, who not only lost his shirt, but stood atop his DJ table, commanding all of Houston to dance or go home. And what a dance party it was. The whole of Summerfest’s attendees were on their feet, losing their shit to every beat, trying to keep up with Gillis’ manic time changes and song switches.

photo credit: tu-anh pham

To end night one’s festivities, the Houston crowd was treated to a fireworks display that was as awe-striking as any given performer. Seriously, we love fireworks.

Thanks for the recap, SunBear. See you at the next Texas throwdown.

We’re packing up and heading to the Bayou City once again for the 2nd Annual Free Press Summerfest. This year’s headliners include: The Flaming Lips, Girl Talk, Bun B, Ra Ra Riot, and many more local natives trying to breakout at Houston’s sophomore shindig over the two sunny days.

I’m going to go ahead and assume the Summerfest planning committee addressed some of the premiere issue they encountered last year, given their obvious success and impending increase in attendance. Let’s just hope Eleanor Tinsley Park can withstand the full force of The Flaming Lips, though I suspect Wayne & co. will be giving a tame dose of their psychedelic pandemonium.

Check out some photos from last year’s kickoff.

Hope to see y’all there. Cheers!
(Yes, this means you Houston friends.)

Guest writer Stephanie C. recants her tales from Saturday.

I had my doubts, after all it is Dallas. And still, my natural inclination is to be a Dallas hater and complain and write about the few things that would help what is hopefully the first annual Homegrown Festival grow into its own for years to come. But, dammit…we had fun. It was cool, cool for Dallas at least.

A Late Start
MeVs didn’t arrive until late afternoon. I won’t lie, the heat of the day kept us away.  Perhaps that is the reason for the sparse crowd early on.  Had we known of the fountains or the covered mist patio,  we probably would have sauntered out there earlier. Wish we had, actually. I’ll blame that on the lack of information on the website. Apparently, Homegrown’s Facebook page was the place to go for questions. Wish we’d known that too.

The Music
Two stages, 14 bands, all things local down to the beer and artist tents. Dallas’s very own local acts, which I had forgotten Dallas had, and judging by the public’s responsiveness have been sorely missed.  This was immediately apparent in the in the amount of hip swaying, head bobbing, and singing that was going on while The O’s played during the remaining daylight hours in the concrete corporate-ness that is downtown Dalla.s Even so, it was so good to see, and felt so good to partake in for that matter. The evening cooled and the always late-arriving Dallas crowd finally started to show when Ishi took the stage and transferred their energy to a surprisingly receptive Dallas audience.  By nightfall, the crowd couldn’t hold back anymore. Headliner, Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights got Dallas to sing and dance their hearts out, no easy feat by any means.  The feel-good authenticity of this night made it, well, downright homegrown-like.

A Humble Beginning
As night fell and the sound (which by this point was much better) ricocheted off of what has oft defined Dallas: skyscrapers, we couldn’t help but feel a little excited. I sincerely hope that this wasn’t a big Dallas tease. Last year’s reopening of Trees, the promise of both Main Street and (the planned) Deck Park, and the steady streaming of local music flowing into venues such as City Tavern or the Double Wide is, for now, enough to get one a-buzz. Dallas’s potential for spotlighting a music scene that’s been largely left in the shadows of its towering skyline was for a few hours that night in full view. So, we’ll jump on the bandwagon of folks that have added “first annual” to Homegrown Fest and cross our fingers. Dallas, please don’t let us down.

-Stephanie C.

Lakewood, arguably the most neighborly neighborhood in East Dallas, presented the city with a local festival this past Saturday on what turned out to be a fantastically sunny afternoon (no thanks to the weather forecasts). Though expectations were low, Lakewoodstock attendance was relatively high, providing nearby residents with an unorthodox day activity for the kids and kinfolk.

More carnival than festival
Call me spoiled from the adventures of the past, but my definition of a festival has certainly been altered over the past year. Though it was a valiant effort, Lakewoodstock’s entertainment was quite lackluster. Local businesses and community entities did their best to add to the atmosphere with classic carnival staples such as face painting, ring toss, and a bounce house. Seriously, ring toss?

Venue Architecture
With Abrams Rd. splitting the venue in half, attendees were forced to throw away chug their beverages before walking 5 yards into the other half, back and forth, throughout the day. I suppose the party planning committee wanted to showcase local businesses on both sides of Abrams – that I can understand. Why not shut down that portion of Abrams anyways? I’ll chalk it up to first year rookie mistakes by the planning committee.

Silver Linings
Despite my prejudice and minor gripes, my low expectations were definitely exceeded by the sheer strength of the local community. Yes, the limbo between festival and carnival allowed Lakewoodstock to get away with not having some crucial stereotypical elements of either, but for its worth, I enjoyed myself. From the perspective of a local resident, I can see how this would be an attractive event on a Saturday at the end of spring. Boy scouts, the local fire department, and community businesses all pitched in to make this possible. With more helping hands, a little more foresight, and an absurd amount of more live music, I can definitely see this little local baby-festival growing into it’s own.

Stephanie C., a local teacher and Dallas native, exclaims her distaste for the Deep Ellum disaster and its declining state.

Deep Ellum once considered a hub for bohemian art and culture is, as of late, better known for their assortment of parking woes rather than la vie boheme.

The newest parking nuance nuisance is parking on unapproved surfaces. As if concert goers, art patrons, and the like don’t already have enough to worry about! First, there’s the ever so diligent meter police, where you’ll get ticketed for parking in Deep Ellum when elsewhere in Dallas evenings and weekends are free. Then, there are those parking lots that boot; whose enforcement, incidentally, has yet to come into compliance with the city’s new ordinance (chapter 48c), requiring receipt systems. Now you must make sure that the unmarked piece of land you have parked on is at least six inches of concrete, asphalt, or gravel with a border, per Dallas city code. So along with those tickets to the show, make sure you grab a ruler or a city code handbook to help you find a parking spot that’s legit. Afterall, there’s no app for that… yet. All way too much for someone just trying to enjoy some local flavor. All way too sad for an area that fully vetted, could reclaim its reputation as the artistic and musical hotbed it once was.

Instead, Deep Ellum has become a battle zone: meter mob versus music lover. Take Brandon Hancock for instance, whose story first ran in the Dallas Morning News’ East Dallas Blog. Hancock and another 100 or so attendees received tickets for parking on “unapproved surfaces” while at a show at Sons of Hermann Hall in late April. These particular surfaces, or empty lots rather, are on property deemed as private. Hancock’s questions now as he takes his case to local court are whether the city has the jurisdiction to issue citations on private property, and if so, why are taxpayers funding parking enforcement for private landowners? As of Friday, May 7th Hancock’s ticket has been suspended pending further investigation.

You are apt to find more information on where NOT to park on Dallas mainstay, Sons of Hermann Hall’s, website. That is not only entirely backwards but signals a dilemma of sorts for the many struggling businesses and venues. But, what can one do? Be lame? Complain? Miss out on the goodness that actually is there? It’s not their fault anyways! Next time, do what I will. Bring change, and lots of it. Look for parking lots that offer receipt systems. Get involved! The Deep Ellum Foundation and other local organizations charged with rejuvenating this area are always looking for those that are policitically inclined to help the cause. And if that is just a little too much effort, then just do what’s recommended by some of these local business owners themselves. Try out Dart’s new green line that now serves Deep Ellum. Hopefully, it will prove to offer up a solution and not just more fodder for internet bloggers.

-Stephanie C.

We hear ya, Stephanie. Take a break from the urban music madness, and join us at any of the upcoming summer festivals!

As you can see, we here at MeVersus have done some renovations to our site. We’ve moved over from Wordpress.com onto our our own servers with the help from this How To Migrate Wordpress article. The new export/import feature in Wordpress really does make the new change easy to tackle. Though our servers did not like some of the larger images from our old posts, once those were addressed, the transition was smooth – complete with tags, authors, and categories.

We hope to bring you a more streamlined interface with emphasis on the large, pretty pictures we take. Thanks to vfxdude for the kick-ass site design and Jon P., our virtual landlord.

Cheers!

Friday night, Austin singer Dana Falconberry celebrated the release of her sophomore album, Halletts, with a wildly enjoyable set of folk inspired acoustic tunes inside Austin’s Mohawk. Falconberry’s performance was preceded by fellow Austin artists Seth Sherman and Sunset.

MeVersus arrived in time to catch the bulk of an energetic opening set by indie pop quartet Sunset. The group’s sound, a tight blend of ’60s pop and syncopated grooves, was effective in this live setting, largely thanks to John Kolor’s excellent drumming. Kolor’s loose, freewheeling performance propelled the band through a set of punchy, electric piano driven tunes.

After Sunset’s percussion fueled romp had concluded, the decidedly drummerless Falconberry took the stage, joined by an upright bassist and a pair of female companions, who would harmonize with the singer throughout the night and add occasional banjo and light percussion. Falconberry, whose sweet, smoky voice is sometimes reminiscent of Joanna Newsom, writes simple yet evocative songs well rooted in the folk tradition, singing earnestly about such personal concerns as loneliness, self doubt, and a connection to nature. While this may seem like well-worn territory, her music never felt generic or derivative, especially in the live setting, where the singer’s kind spirit and humble grace left no doubt about her intention or sincerity. Dana’s simple, subtlety-varied song arrangements succeeded in bringing out the emotional beauty of the her songs, and the three part female vocal harmonies sounded wonderful.

Like fellow Austinites Some Say Leland, Dana Falconberry is a fitting ambassador for a thriving local underground acoustic music scene with strong ties to the annual Kerrville Folk Festival. Halletts (which was recorded by Some Say Leland member Stephen Orsak) features the same lineup of musicians as last night’s show and does a very good job of capturing the group in their element. We recommend giving it a listen, and if Dana comes to your area, by all means check her out.

—Bugsymoogs

Thanks Bugsymoogs for the great review. MeVersus readers rejoice, for we have found a great set of ears to add to the collective. We look forward to reading your thoughts on the upcoming 2010 music season.

I’m happy to inform you that MeVs is on the road again, preparing for an epic year-end finale in Oklahoma City. Wayne Coyne and the ever so entertaining Flaming Lips are performing their annual celebration at the Cox Center on New Year’s Eve.  Get excited.

Tickets are predictably sold out, however you might still be able to snag some via craigslist or some other miraculous strokes of chance, cheat, or unrivaled bribery. Whatever you choose, if you don’t have plans for soul expanding experiences this New Year’s Eve, we have an extra spot in the MeVersmobile.

So ’til then, cheers MeVersus readers and lovers. We wish you the best and look forward to another great year with numerous adventures to come.

Flaming Lips NYE Freakout

MeVersus is heading East to sister-state Louisiana for a Cajun-style monster mash this Halloween. Goblins and ghouls will be accompanied by the likes of Justice, K’Naan, and The Flaming Lips at this year’s Voodoo Experience 2009. Get dressed, get tickets, and get funky!

The History: The Red River Rivalry a.k.a. the Red River Shootout is the annual battle for pride between the University of Texas Longhorns and the University of Oklahoma Sooners. It is arguably the greatest rivaly in American sports. For both teams, the rivalry is bitterly emotional and territorial in nature relating to the two states’ close proximity, past border disputes and economic and cultural differences.

The Venue: The series began in 1900 and has been played in Dallas since 1912. Dallas was chosen as a “neutral” site since it is situated approximately halfway between Austin, Texas and Norman, Oklahoma — the locations of UT and OU, respectively. Besides being the stomping grounds of local business Victory Sport Taekwondo, the Dallas Fair Grounds really only exists for one reason, TX/OU weekend. Vendors, investors and small business owners alike rely on this Texas phenomenon to propel their sales out of the red. Since the weather in Dallas has been quite gnarly the past week, I’m sure cotton candy sellers are rejoicing all around.

The Atmosphere: Any blindfolded Dallasite can tell you when TX/OU weekend is approaching. The city inherently changes character. Burnt orange and crimson become acceptable work colors and all your co-workers coincidentally disappear after lunch on Friday. You really can’t blame anyone though. For a city that claims itself as a booming metropolis, there really isn’t anything the entire community can get behind. The Dallas Cowboys continue to disappoint and even Joe the plumber couldn’t get tickets to a game if he could afford it. With basketball season in its infancy, post graduates who have flocked to Dallas for jobs have a chance to taste the sweet flavor of college football again this very weekend.

The Importance of being Orange: Since the 2006 National Championship domination commanded by the once golden Vince Young, the University of Texas brand has undeniably increased in merit and credibility. In an economy where times are hard and jobs are being cut without warning, a solid backing of a National Championship school definitely gets your name in the conversation. In short, Vince Young helped me get a job. With the new rise of local country boy Colt McCoy, my diploma is becoming more and more valuable. Yes, I like the game of football. Yes, I’ve been seen in the wave of burnt orange at Darrel K. Royal on more than one occasion. But after those short-lived super Saturdays, I’d like to think my allegiance towards Texas Football went towards something greater, contributions toward a bigger picture. So if you’re out at the Fairgrounds chomping down on turkey legs and fried butter at 10:00 a.m. or snuggied in your bed enjoying your day off, show a little color this Saturday. You never know, Colt Mccoy might be your best referral at your next job interview.