Phuzz Phest Night 1 (Winston-Salem, NC, 4/15/16)

Winston-Salem's Phuzz Phest has really come into its own in this, its sixth year.  While not quite as expansive as its sibling here in the Triangle (Hopscotch), there are ample venues and musical choices to satisfy the most discerning and adventurous music fan.  One thing they did exceptionally well this year was the genre-groupings at the respective venues.

Take Friday night.  Looking for indie, psychedelic, guitar pop?   The Garage had you covered with Sunflower Bean, Lacy Jags, and Shadowgraphs.  Wanted a punkier edge?  Try Reanimator.  The fancy digs of Millenium Center could fill all your EDM desires with the likes of Quilla and Neon Indian.  More garage-y rock held sway at Bailey Park, headlined by Thee Oh Sees.  Krankie's had a great lineup of twangy, rootsy, female-fronted acts like Lera Lynn and Sarah Shook and the Disarmers.

But this festival is so compact that, despite 7 or 8 venues, you could catch a little honky tonk, walk down the block for a little psych weirdness, then close out the night with some dance grooves... which I did, not in that particular order.

I started the evening off before sunset, at the wonderful new Bailey Park (a venue still under construction, but great nevertheless).  Drag Sounds are now formally a Baltimore band, but have heavy NC roots.  They got the festival proper started with their own brand of Velvety phuzz.

Drag Sounds...

As Drag Sounds was finishing, I walked the furthest walk this festival required (only about 7 blocks) up to the Garage, to catch Carrboro's Teardrop Canyon. Rootsy, psychedelic pop that can start slow but ends up grinding it up pretty good.

Teardrop Canyon...

Teardrop Canyon... from the street seats

Then I hoofed it down two blocks to catch one of the sets I had most anticipated, Greensboro's Quilla.  Her new album, Beautiful Hybrid, leans heavily on piano and acoustic instrumentation.  The live set, however, was more electronic (as almost every acts' are, but talking more dance-y type of electronic here).  Both are excellent, and her strong voice is the heart of each.  Quilla is definitely a rising talent, one that we're lucky to call local (despite her Montreal origins and French-Canadian/Peruvian parentage).  Keep an ear out.

Quilla...

After Quilla, it was back up to the Garage for another much-anticipated set... that of Charlotte's Shadowgraphs.  These guys create a very good facsimile of a late 60s/early 70s psychedelic vibe, while never sounding derivative.  I'm really digging their self-titled EP.

Shadowgraphs...

Both Skylar Gudasz's debut album (Oleander) and live show are entrancing.  I wanted to leave halfway through her sett Krankie's to see Lacy Jags back at the Garage, as I'd seen Gudasz a handful of times recently and the Jags only once.  But the music was so beautiful that it really felt like a siren had cast a spell on me.  I was frozen in place, stage front.  Sorry Lacy Jags! (it ain't a good festival without some hard choices)  Gudasz is another NC act that I'm guessing will be going places fast.

Skylar Gudasz...

It's just as well I stayed at Krankie's though, because Sarah Shook and the Disarmers were up next.  This buncha honky-tonkers from Chapel Hill are SO good, they burn up the stage every time they play.  Buzzfeed recently put Shook on top of a list of "5 Women Who Are Kicking Country Music’s Ass".  Well-deserved, and accurate.  And that band!  They definitely keep up in the ass-kickin' category.

Sarah Shook and the Disarmers...

Back to the Garage, I returned mainly for one of the festival's headliners, Sunflower Bean.  But I lucked out and caught the last couple from Spirit System.  Winston-Salem's answer to Peter Murphy, with a little Cocteau Twins thrown in.  I felt a little musical whiplash from Sarah Shook to this! (no pain, no gain)

Spirit System...

Sunflower Bean did not disappoint.  Live, they brought a much harder edge to the sometimes almost twee songs on their album Human Ceremony.  I loved it, as did the capacity crowd.  Bassists/singer Julia Cumming was fearsome, a monster onstage.  AND... their guitarist did not look nearly as much like Michael Cera in person as on the album cover! :)

Sunflower Bean...

One last stop, a few doors back down Trade Street at Single Brothers, to catch a little of Sumner James' (of Bombadil) set.  A mellow, electronic set accompanied by drums.  It was a good way to close to night one of an excellent festival.

Sumner James...

Up next, Night 2 (and some day party stuff):  Shirlette Ammons, Zack Mexico, Brett Harris, Body Games, Boulevards, etc. etc. etc.