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.

MeVersus MONOLITH 2009:

Saturday, September 12

sold out emergency ponchos

From the moment we walked onto the grounds of Red Rocks, it was obvious the weather would be the starring attraction for the day. Rather than the intermittent and quickly passing rainstorms that had been described to us by countless Denver natives, the rain remained a constant annoyance from minute one with few breaks from the incessant, spitting drizzle the rest of the day. The gray, hanging clouds robbed the famous surroundings of any color and the temperature was just low enough to affect anyone without a rain poncho – of which there were many.

The Answering Machine

Still, we didn’t fly out to Denver to bitch and moan and they don’t sell hater-aid at Red Rocks. For any newb to Red Rocks, it’s surprising to see how much they’ve built around the natural stage. The impressive guest center and additional stages complimented the festival proceedings well. We first caught the UK’s The Answering Machine at one of the indoor stages and left intrigued by their similarity to an American band, The Ramones.

Our first impression of the famous amphitheatre itself was OK Go at the main stage. They were able to get the crowd moving to their trademark anthem “Here It Goes Again,” but their formal dress stood in stark contrast to the dripping festival goers. Lead singer Damian Kulash admitted as much in saying, “It’s a little sissy ass of me to be under this tent,” after which he jumped from the stage to perform his next song in the rain as well (half jokingly describing a possibility of death by electrocution .)

At the top of the amphitheatre was The Walkmen on the Southern Comfort stage. Hamilton Leithauser’s amazingly sharp voice cut through the gray midday, reaching a crescendo with the churning drums and long wails of the song “The Rat.”  Still, they could muster little out of the crowd, whose initial festival enthusiasm was visibly blunted by the increasing rain and chill wind.

Back on the main stage, M. Ward’s eerie Western folk actually made for a great accompaniment with the day’s melancholy; finger picked twangs of his acoustic guitar sounding especially rich. Perhaps it’s only natural a Portland native could seem so at home in the soaked surroundings.

Doom

We ascended back up to catch Doom, which suffered from technical difficulties and was delayed into half his set. You could tell the audience had a short fuse: catcalls and yells began despite the emcee’s best efforts to please the waiting mob with off-the-cuff freestyles. The crowd noticeably began to thin soon after the show began. Doom himself didn’t help much, stomping around stage doing little to match the mindless bouncing posse around him. Though our noses were stuffed from the cold weather, the stink of predictable generic hip-hop antics still made it through. MeVs has strong suspicion that Doom was lip-syncing the rhymes as well, recalling a SXSW show that sounded nothing like this set.

Greg Gillis and company

Girl Talk then did his best to rally the masses, bringing his signature party atmosphere, toilet paper guns, balloons, confetti, and dance troupe to the amphitheatre stage. He did as good a job as can be expected under the worsening rain: standing next to the main speakers as my body vibrated like a Mexican jumping bean, it was easy to ignore the evening chill as we danced to his lighthearted mixes. Gillis managed to corral a rain soaked mob to sway with his mash-up masterpieces. One might say the drops of moisture added to the chaotic awesome, like confetti at a parade. Still, the Red Rocks stage did come with its drawbacks. Unlike aforementioned venues Lollapalooza and Sasquatch, the main stage had a gaping VIP and media area that created a visible and emotional division between the stage and the crowd, an uncharacteristic distinction for a Gregg Gillis performance.

Kevin Barnes of Of Montreal

The low point of the day came with the Of Montreal set back at the SoCo stage. MeVs was eagerly anticipating this set after being notably blown away by their shows at Norman, Sasquatch, and Houston’s Summer Music Fest. But this entry left much to be desired. Perhaps the stage was still suffering from the sound problems which had plagued Doom, but the music sounded surprisingly flat and droning, and even Kevin Barnes seemed listless. After the show, murmurs of,  “what the hell just happened?” lurked throughout the dissipating crowd.  It seemed the weather had claimed another victim. We hope to see a resurrection at Fun Fun Fun Fest.

Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Alas, day one would find some redemption. Surprisingly, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were the antithesis of the day’s drawbacks.  Lead singer Karen O seemed hell bent on saving the day with her uninhibited dancing, soulful crooning, and dramatic poses,  re-injecting some electricity into the evening. An especially poignant moment came with recent popular track “Maps” – after she had quietly whispered the lines “They don’t love you like I love you,”  paused a moment, then ran forward to the crowd with an emphatic “I DO!” She could have been speaking about every other act at MONOLITH. There’s no doubt this was the premier act of Day One.

We ended the day grateful for warm showers and dry drying socks.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Kid vs. Wind - Kid ftw

After much needed rest and shelter (Thanks Cassie and Kyle!), MeVs recharged and fueled up in anticipation of the day’s events. Things were going to be much better for the festival’s second installment when seeing first clear sight of Red Rocks, rather than the uniform gray from the day before. Though clouds and intermittent sprinkles did threaten from time to time, the weather was far more agreeable and the sun even made a few bold appearances.  In turn, the festival not only drew more attendees that second day, but also began with a palpable sense of renewed energy in the air.

Cheeky vocals from lead Ami Shalev

And what better way to kick off the events than with our favorite Israeli garage band, The Monotonix. They brought their fist pumping, hair-ridden act to the same Southern Comfort stage that had taken so many casualties the day before. Lead singer Ami Shalev led the crowd through primal choruses of whoops when he wasn’t dousing them with nearby liquids or ass-cheek monologues, sprinkled with classic stints of crowd surfing and instrument tossing. Though, we suspect they were told to turn the crazy down a notch for MONOLITH: the show stopped oddly short and Shalev didn’t climb or launch himself from the stage rafters as he has done at every other opportunity. Still, the show was trademark chaos from start to finish and we left disheveled, sweaty, and bruised.

Due to MSTRKRFT canceling , some shows were reshuffled in the afternoon and the resulting confusion was only increased by the poor communication – a remarkable mistake for such a small festival ground. Still, we were able to catch a couple of groups bringing dance and electronic beats to the afternoon crowd: the trio The Glitch Mob on the main stage, and the French Horn Rebellion in the diminutive MadeLoud.com stage.

Red Man

This dance warm-up was followed fittingly with Method Man and Redman on the Main Stage, who were surprisingly entertaining in a scene not often associated with hip-hop prowess.  The duo incessantly jumped from one end of the stage to another, constantly evoking the crowd’s love of all things 90’s and Wu-Tang.  At one point, Method Man, dressed appropriately in Colorado Rockies merchandise, eagerly ran into the midst of the crowd with an unrestrained and infectious enthusiasm. It did seem as though their entire tour was a brilliant marketing act to reinvigorate viewers for 2001 Emmy award winning How High. I would’ve kindly left this conspiracy at that, until they unveiled their current efforts for upcoming blockbuster,  How High 2… Though it was obvious the group was relying upon cached star power from their glory days, they still managed to channel it into a riotous midday set. Word.

The early evening slot was filled with a pleasant surprise from rising stars Deer Tick, who played on the intimate Woxy.com indoor stage. Their mix of folk, country, and grunge definitely suited the cozy room.  Then a small taste of Passion Pit back at the Southern Comfort Stage, whose spirited electronic rock helped carry us over as we began to wait for a MeVs favorite, Chromeo.

Dave 1 of Chromeo

Coming out to flashing strobes and the wailing chants of “Chromeoooo…” P-Thugg and Dave 1 went through the full line of their greatest hits, taking time in between songs to talk of upcoming plans (Texas tour!!), give props to fans, and spit on the talk box from behind their instantly recognizable stiletto-heeled keyboards. Dave 1 mentioned the release of a song in the coming weeks from a yet-to-be-named new album in development. Finishing the set off with an encore of the tender “100%,” the two even stayed after to sign autographs and take photos with needy girls. As much as Karen O had done the previous night, Chromeo produced some true Bonafide Lovin’ for their devoted fans.

Still dazed and confused from the electricity of the Gangsta duo, we made our way over to see The Mars Volta and were treated to a taste of their high-energy mix of heavy metal, punk, and psychedelic rock. Singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s wailing ballads were an oddly serene send off as we got our final view from the Red Rocks amphitheatre, a shrouded downtown Denver glowing in the distance.

Happily dying Chromeo fan

And so ended MONOLITH 2009.  Those who were able to overcome the difficulties of weather visibly demonstrated what separates the average artist from a true performer.

It’s a shame Saturday was so affected by the gloomy conditions, but it’s simply a case of bad festival luck. If anything, a valuable lesson was learned: always pack that emergency rain poncho. Thanks Mom.

More pictures after the jump >>

What to pack:
Depending on the festival type, you’ll either be camping or heading home to a bed/couch each evening. In either case, you’ll want to pack light, yet comfortable. Most festivals being in the summer allow for t-shirts and shorts to dominate your festival wardrobe. I personally recommend some serious headgear. Hippies, cowboys and Jews all agree, covering your dome is crucial in that scorching heat.

Snacks. You’ll be traversing up and down amphitheater stairs till you’re content with watching Girl Talk on your back under a tree. The body needs fuel and those $8 gyros aren’t going to cut it. I’m a huge fan of the Nature Valley line of health bars. They’re everything you need and nothing you don’t. A couple fistful of these bad boys and you’ll be out-dancing even the most colorful hipsters at Thunderheist.

Shades. No point in being at the festival if you can’t see wtf is going on. Blu-Blockers, they’re hip.

Shoes. Skip the sandals people. A) Festival feet are gross. B) You’ll be walking at least a couple miles in the heat from 2-12 at night, not including the multiple dance parties you’ll be partaking in. C) Festival feet are really, really gross. If the hippie in you is dying to air out, just take those kicks off and waft around a bit. Ever try to walk 10 ft. with a busted flip-flop. Epic fail.

Homework. Festivals are the Barcardi 151’s of the music scene, best bang for your buck and you’ll have no recollection of what the hell happened come Monday morning. Hundreds of artists all packed in a couple of days for you weekend warriors looking to get loose. Do your homework. Load up your ipods, zunes, izunes, and zunepods with upcoming shows and give those artists at the bottom of the line-up page a listen. Their grueling 1pm afternoon set might be the show of the weekend.

Memory machines. Show off to all your friends Monday morning by updating your wickedly cool profile pictures. Whether you’re a pro photographer or just a top-seeded amateur, chances are if you had a good time, you won’t remember much. Forget the fancy gizmo-porn. Just take copious amounts of photos. Flickr doesn’t care if you use your iphone or a disposable camera (yes, they still make these), great shots are made from great opportunities. Think Monotonix.

Punctuality is key. Get a schedule. Print it out. Download it to your phone. Memorize it. Pneumonic device it. Whatever. No excuses. I’d hate for you to miss Deer Tick because you were too busy hover-squatting in the portapotty on the other side of the festival.

Now the trick it to stay focused the rest of the week at work. Fake excel window anyone?

Some Recommendations:

• You vs. the heat – H2O. The stuff is solid.
• You vs. parking – not a big deal. parking garages and bike lots galore.
• You vs. the hot sauce – Bearable all around. Oh, try the one in the skull bottle if you like tasting Death on this particular August weekend. Bread and prayers help.
• You vs. the music – music wins. be prepared to move those hips.

I would usually recommend heading out early to avoid that Texas UV blast and get a good nights rest for the following work day – this is not one of those times. T Bird and the Breaks headlines the music scene at 4:00 pm to distract you from the near suicidal ingestion of habeneros, chilis, and the under-preparation of both. Their mixed fusion of funk, jazz, and sexy are a perfect combination for a Sunday afternoon groove in Austin city limits.

Join the fun, music and hot sauce from 11am to 5:30pm at Waterloo Park, 12th and Red River. Cheers!

More info after the jump >>

MONOLITH Music Festival 2009

After much anticipation, MeVersus is happy to announce that we’ll be heading to the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre to cover the MONOLITH Music Festival the weekend of September 12-13.

Among the artists appearing will be MeVersus stalwarts Of Montreal, Girl Talk, and Chromeo. Don’t be afraid to gawk at the rest of the lineup though: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Mars Volta, MSTRKRFT, MF DOOM, and Method Man & Redman are just some of the other notables crammed into two solid days. 

And remember those crazy Israelis The Montonix?  They’re making sure this will be a hairy event. 

Stay tuned for preview posts about some of our favorites artists and more leading up to the fest.

Free Press Summer Fest

MeVersus is set to cover the Free Press Summer Fest, going down in our own backyard of Houston on August 8^th and 9^th. The two day fest features national and local bands, including favorites Of Montreal (again!), Broken Social Scene, and Austin’s own The Octopus Project.

Tickets are very reasonable for the talent coming into town, with two day passes going for $16 and one days selling for $10. Plus, there’s going to be water gun and water balloon battles going down – a perfect way to combat the grueling Texas heat that will be decimating festival goers.

For the price, acts, and entertainment, this is a fest you don’t want to miss.

MeVs is off to Wakarusa! 3 days of love, music, and absurd amounts of patchouli in the heart of the Ozark Mountains. Economic downturn has forced us to travel on wheels – but hey, we still have room for more. Any spontaneous, unemployed music lovers out there looking for life changing experiences shoot us a message. Updates soon!

For a group raised with Texan cynicism towards all things Oklahoma, this was to be as much of an eye-opening experience as an enjoyable one. We were expecting a rural atmosphere with little metropolitan spirit and a folksy festival supplied with weak beer. Our final impression would be much different.

The music was as eclectic as any major festival: country folk and bluegrass wailed against a backdrop of psychedelic pop rock and 80’s dance grooves. The recurring theme of NMF was the desire to expose local Oklahoma talent by putting them shoulder-to-shoulder with more nationally recognized acts; in this regard, the festival succeeded. Our biggest regret was not having the correspondents needed to catch more of OK’s finest, but the acts we saw and spoke to gave a tantalizing preview of the emerging local music scene.

Every festival has its standouts, and Norman Music Fest was no exception. Stillwater native Sheree Chamberlain brought a soulful sound to the afternoon set; her haunting vocals and acoustic folk sound blended nicely with the atmosphere of Main Street Norman, classically framed in railroad iron and wood. Sugar and Gold brought a pumping dance rhythm and blew away the stagnant afternoon heat with a Chromeo-esque energy that demanded your hip’s attention. Philadelphia band Man Man soon matched with their own sweaty, high-energy set, followed by a more subdued Starlight Mints performance punctuated with carefully timed moments of bravado. Main headliners and final performers Of Montreal did not disappoint with their closing ceremonies. The Athens, Georgia band displayed their mastery of blending performance art, electric pop soul, and a theatrical style reminiscent of Greek tragedy into a truly unique and jarring live concert experience. It was a befitting end to a festival that made constant allusions to the great heroes of modern Oklahoma music, The Flaming Lips.

But for all of the the amazing acts and turkey legs, the strongest impression was made by the local community and the festival acting as vanguard. The classic prejudices of a backwards, culture-starved Oklahoma were trampled under the feet of an art performance troupe and with each local artist and volunteer we spoke with. There’s clearly a creative element yearning to create a new identity in this historically conservative state.

If you’re a newbie to the festival scene, you should know that almost all medium to major festivals charge entrance fees per day on top of overpriced food and drinks you’re inevitably obligated to purchase. Thankfully, NMF stayed grass roots during these hard economic times. Cheap beer and food prices are good, but the option to bring your own food/drinks is great!

Many, many thanks to Oklahoman cutie Mary Ann Osko for helping us get through the press pass process smoothly. This lady has a lot of great plans for that city and is a shining example of the ambassadors that are redefining the area. Treat her well, Norman.

With attendance tripling yet still in manageable numbers, my only fear is that this great, authentic event will be touched by the mighty hands of the corporate gods and thus transformed into any other unidentifiable commercial weekend money pit. With various industries taking budget cuts left and right, any Oklahoman or Texan would be a fool to pass up such a great source of free, spectacular entertainment. Let’s hope this festival remembers to stay humble.

Shout-out to Natalie A. and her equally bodacious roommate Julia for graciously hosting MeVersus+3. Those pbj’s rocked.