Hopscotch Music Festival Day Three - Saturday Night (Raleigh, NC, 9/12/15)

Closing night of Hopscotch 2015 spanned from old to new, and from one end of the Earth to the other.  It started with legendary L.A. punk band, X.  I'd seen them once before, some 20 years ago.  While the band, and the crowd, have aged significantly since then, the bands ability to kick out the jams has not.  My old punks can rock as good as your young ones!  Exene Cervenka's and John Doe's vocals still have that inexplicable link that is both harmonious and punk as hell.  See below for a video of X performing Motel Room In My Bed, from the classic album, Under the Big Black Sun.

X...

Popped back out of my milieu and into Kings on the way to Deep South (a recurring route at Hopscotch), to see thefacesblur, local musician and multimedia artist Adam Graetz' project.  The visuals Graetz creates go hand-in-hand with the deep, slightly dark sounds he puts out.   It makes for a stimulating and relaxing show, if those are at all simultaneously possible.  Jump to the bottom to see a video from thefacesblur's performance at Kings

thefacesblur...

One of the non-locals I'd heard about that I made a point of seeing was Warehouse.  This Atlanta band reminds me another Georgia band from quite some time ago, Pylon, both in their jarring, jazzy angular instrumentation and Elaine Edenfield's growled vocals.

Warehouse...

After a very tight and tense (in a good way) show, it was time to cut loose.  The closing three-band bill at the Pour House promised to be free-wheeling and high-flying:  Birds of Avalon, Zack Mexico, and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.  The line was long , even for VIP wristbands.  Seemed a lot of others had the same idea I had.

Luckily, I managed to get in in time to catch about half of Birds of Avalon's set, but they really lit the fuse for the night.  I've recently come to appreciate this band for the power and energy (and talent) they bring to the stage.  Their crunchy guitars and keys, Velvety-drones, and big-rock sound had the packed house hopping.

Birds of Avalon...

A few days before Hopscotch, I gave my "shows to see" recommendations, and they were:
- Zack Mexico.

Yeah, that was it.  And man-oh-man, did they live up to it.  I'm biased:  they're probably my favorite NC band.  But if this night was any indication, that club just gained a lot of new members.  Frontman John Saturley had been across the country for months, and the band had only recently re-united for a few rehearsals in the days before Hopscotch.  But you'd never have known it.

The crowd was INTO it, and Saturley was egging them on.  From the opener to the always excellent closer, Meric Clanson, people -- including bandmembers -- crowdsurfed, jumped on and off stage, passed instruments around... it was truly a communal vibe.  Everyone was part of the show.  Towards the end, the band donned safety gear as Saturley smashed a guitar, then passed the broken instrument through the crowd.  Cymbals and guitars "crowdsurfed" earlier, the crowd "playing" them along with the band. It was a madhouse of controlled fun and fury... without a doubt (and my biased ass isn't the only one to have said this) THE best set of Hopscotch 2015.

See below for a video of their last song, which despite the horrible sound quality from my camera (plug into a decent speaker set and it's slightly better), still captures the fun and intensity of this set.

The crowd at the Pour House waiting for Zack Mexico...

Zack Mexico...

Watering the band (note streaks of water)...

Much crowdsurfing was done this night, by both people and musical instruments, each in various stages of disarray...

Derek Torres (T0W3RS) takling in Zack Mex...

Guitar, mid-smash, levitating onstage...

I myself was rather spent after the sensory overload of Zack Mexico's set.  But King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, all the way from Australia, made a perfect coda for the night, and the festival.  A 70's-influenced garage band from Melbourne, I'm not sure if they expected this kind of reception in sleepy Raleigh, NC.  But the crowd were riding high.  The crowdsurfing continued unabated -- even moreso -- and their great visuals gave the ongoing party a decidedly more psychedelic edge.  By the end, no one wanted it to stop.

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard...

Nice tripod, dude! (I wanna see those photos)...

Craig Reed (Younger Brother Productions) rides the wave...

I think I see Jesus in here...

Those are feet in the air (to the left), btw...

Now THIS was the party I was looking for to end Hopscotch, and it definitely left me anticipating next year.  Hopscotch 2015 full of pleasant surprises and only a few mild disappointments.  But above all it was, as always, diverse as all get-out.  It's the shining light of this festival, and they just keep knocking it out of the park every year. Congrats to Greg Lowenhagen, Nathan Price, and the rest of the gang for another great one.  

Hopscotch Music Festival Day Three - Saturday Day Parties (Raleigh, NC, 9/12/15)

To start off Saturday at Hopscotch, Grandma Sparrow provided a whimsical introduction for Flock of Dimes over at the Pour House.  Click this LINK to see a video of that.

Grandma Sparrow...

After that bit of silliness, Jenn Wasner's beautiful voice was a perfect way to steel oneself for what would be a long, last day and night of Hopscotch.

Flock of Dimes...

While awaiting the "Indie" (east) stage of the outdoor Makers Market day party to kick into gear (and after just missing my last chance to ever see Astro Cowboy, the Wilmington indie-punk band that is sadly no more), I decided to drift over to the "Americana" (west) stage.  Caught a few songs by the rootsy, southern-rocky Michael Rault.  This guy came all the way from Alberta, Canada!  

The variety Hopscotch brings by just stepping a few yards over to another stage is amazing.  It's really the single best thing about this festival.  

Michael Rault on the Makers Market west stage...

Anonymous Hopscotch attendee shops for artisanal dog treats at the Makers Market...

I had hoped to catch another beautiful voice , that of Skylar Gudasz, and maybe Dead Tongues, at the west(ern?) stage later, but I hadn't seen one of my favorites, Jenny Besetzt, in quite a while.  Great great songs, and one of the best drummers of any local combo (they're from Greensboro); also sporting a new keyboard player since last time I saw them.  See the video below for their performance of Always from their debut album, Only.

Jenny Besetzt on the Makers Market east stage...

Some monks walking down Blount St. (no doubt heading home after a hardcore show)...

After the outdoor fun, I had to catch some of what is always among the best day parties at Hopscotch:  the Phuzz Sounds Day Party at the Hive.  Estrangers were another favorite Triad band that I hadn't seen in way too long.  Fun show, and their new(ish) bass player is all over the place.

Estrangers...

Then I was SO glad I stuck around for Naked Gods.  I'd only seen this Boone, NC, band once before, and a long time ago.  I liked'em that time.  But this was simply an AMAZING show.  Singer Seth Sullivan casts at once an intimidating and lovable stage presence, a big bear that's as likely to hug you as he is to scream in your face or climb all over you.  He migrated in and out of the crowd as he sang songs that are a much more intense experience live than the jangly psychedelia one hears on record.  

See the video at the bottom of this post... second best show of Hopscotch IMHO.

Naked Gods...

After a brief chill, I headed north again for the close of the day party at Person Street Bar.  There was a full line-up of great bands here earlier, but I had seen See Gulls and Ghostt Bllonde in the previous 2 days (and many times before), and Wild Fur, well, was just too early.  I did, however, catch Schooner.  So my day parties this year ended the way they started, although I only managed to hear Reid Johnson's voice echo through the parking deck as I approached Slim's on Thursday afternoon.  

Notably, this set was Patrick O'Neill's last of 6 (count'em, SIX) sets at Hopscotch this year... with The Wyrms, Schooner (2X), Some Army, Jphono1, who am I forgettin'?  Dwight Yoakum?  X?  Was he backing up Pusha T?  Anyway, O'Neill's playing second guitar to frontman Johnson in the photos below, and he's still standing! (though from what I understand, Reid was havin' a little trouble after this set due to dehydration... glad yer feelin' better dude!).  

Hey, at least summer's over... I think the last Hopscotch day party has become the official National Weather Service indicator of the start of fall.

Schooner...

Here's dem videos.

Jenny Besetzt performing Always on the outdoor stage...

Naked Gods performing Picture in a Picture (the sound quality's not quite as bad if you plug into some decent speakers, but it still ain't great)...

It was a fun last day of day parties, with an even better last night of club shows to come.  Coming up, X, Zack Mexico, and much more...