Hopscotch Music Festival Day Two - Friday Day Parties and Night Shows (Raleigh, NC, 9/11/15)

Friday was to be a mellower Hopscotch day for me.  There was no one I was dying to see that I hadn't seen before, and I the schedule Saturday looked like it was gonna be a burner... it's all about the pacing.  As far as the day parties, I'd just seen Echo Courts the night before, and I was planning on seeing Warehouse on Saturday night.  I did, however, manage to catch a couple of local acts I hadn't seen yet, and the always great Ghostt Bllonde.

Raleigh's Adult Science were one of the locals I had yet to see live.  Their electro-indiepop sounded more rock'n'roll live.  This is a band that sounds promising to me, but I think I'll have to take them in one or two more times to really get a feel for what they do.

Adult Science...

Ghostt Bllonde are one of my favorites, and I've written about them many times before on this blog.  So I won't say much more about them here, other than the fact that they put on a stellar, and fun, set as usual.  The crowd was a big one for a mid-day show, and they were really into it.

The crowd at Pour House wait for Ghostt Bllonde...

Ghostt Bllonde...

Octopus Jones has created a lot of buzz in these parts lately, and I can now see why.  Another local act I hadn't seen, and another that I'll have to take in again before really "getting" them.  But they bring a lot of fun to the stage... and fall sort of midway on the local music spectrum between Dad and Dad and Zack Mexico.  Someone told me they're like Zack Mex with fewer guitars.  I can see that. 

Yes yes, I'm comparing everything to ZM.  I don't think I know anything but local music anymore :p.  And really, that bunch from the OBX is the best around, and I think are beginning to influence many local bands (kinda like Love Language did a while back, which you can still hear in the general vibe of the scene today).  Plus, Zack Mex put on the best show of this year's Hopscotch... more on that later.

Octopus Jones...

I have to say, although I didn't attend much of it, kudos to Younger Brother Productions for a great set of shows at the Pour House and Tir Na Nog.  

Time to pace.  Checked into an Airbnb near Person Street Bar, just in time to head over there for the end of the northernmost Hopscotch Day Party, and Winston-Salem's Judy Barnes.  A unique act fronted by a someone whose pedigree also includes being a professional opera singer, Jodi Barnes.  Her strong voice is put to very different use in this sorta minimal, but still-very-rock'n'roll, combo.  Maybe more minimal than I remember from Hopscotch 2013 because they were missing their guitarist, a slot now filled by Estranger frontman Phillip Pledger.  But with Barnes' strong voice, nice accompanying harmonies, and rather pounding drum kit, it was quite enough.  Besides Barnes' vocals, her keyboard playing also excels, and has bits of 1920s pop laced into the rock. 

Judy Barnes...

Judy Barnes had some of the crowd doing... I believe it was "Gull-robics" or something (jk, it's members of See Gulls, who would play here the next day, and helped put on the party)...

When the night kicked off, I opted to skip TV On the Radio at City Plaza.  Probably not a good move, but #nohopscotchregrets.  I started my night with Raleigh's Naked Naps, seeing them -- criminally -- for only the third time (too many good bands).  

Again, this show was back at the great Hopscotch venue, Deep South.  A nice crowd showed up to catch their always-surprisingly full sound, being only a duo and all.  Catie Yerkes' guitar meshes with John Meier's drums so tightly... they MUST practice a lot.  And the result is a very complex, and still very punk, sound

Naked Naps...

The crowd at Deep South take in Naked Naps...

I stayed at Deep South to catch the almost-debut (2nd show) by new Triangle bunch, Faults.  Faults is Mike Dillon's (Gross Ghost) new outlet, and is in a similar vein.  Maybe a little heavier and not as breezy as GG can be; but this is another band I'll have to see a few times to process.  They're fun, and Dillon's same knack with a tune is there.  The band is a bit of a mini Who's Who of local music (Dad & Dad, Human Eyes, Love Language).

Faults...

Mandatory photo of Tommy 2straws gettin' into it (this seems to pop up in my photography a lot lately... Love Language, Soon, Eston & the Outs)...

Popped into Neptunes, and out of my milieu, for a bit of a DJ set by Luxe Posh on the way back to Tir Na Nog.  She was workin' it... intently focused on what she was doing, as was Sylvan Esso's Nick Sanborn (see third photo below).  Good to see a much bigger act so into a local up-and-comer.  

Luxe Posh...

Popped upstairs to King's before heading west to catch a few minutes of another genre out of my wheelhouse... hip hop.  L.A. rapper Nocando had the full crowd in his hands, and impressive feat for an MC who uses such minimal instrumentation and is, basically, up there all on his own.  Figures for someone who still hits the battle circuit somewhat regularly, despite his success.

Nocando...

There was a lot of buzz for the show by Mitski at Tir na Nog.  She was a bit too mellow for my taste, at least on this night, and an odd pairing with the follow-up, Pile (see below).  I can and do get into her type of music sometimes, but she's largely lyrically-driven, and I wasn't very familiar with her lyrics.  Her fans were out in force, however, wrapped and enraptured around the stage.  

Mitski...

Pile was another band that came highly recommended.  They were also right up my alley, a Boston band more reminiscent of a of a lot of DC bands I used to listen to (Discord Records, et al).  Like my night's opener,  Another intense and complex indie band, with a slight tilt towards a hardcore.

Pile...

Up next, a truly memorable Saturday, with the best two sets of Hopscotch, imho.

Hopscotch Music Festival Day One - Thursday Night (Raleigh, NC, 9/10/15)

After an excellent day party at Slim's, it was time to hit the "real" Hopscotch Music Festival (well, the real Hopscotch is the day parties, but...).  First stop was City Plaza for Ought.  They were a replacement for Deerhunter, who had earlier cancelled their summer tour dates, a bummer to a bunch of their fans.  Ought, however, performed admirably in their substitute role (what is this, a sports article?!).  Anyway, they brought their angular, 80's influenced guitar rock to the stage, and music fans were none worse for the wear.

Ought...

Godspeed You! Black Emperor were up next on the big stage.  Friends of mine have sworn by this band for some 20 years, and I always thought they were a band I would like.  I'd just never got around to listening to them (musical locavore that I am, see last blog post).  They began by setting an intense atmosphere with plugged-in cello and violin, very slowly building towards an eventual crescendo.   Other members trickled onstage, adding the more typical rock menu items, as rain began to likewise trickle.

Their intro did drag on a bit... part of me thought they were going to stop cold and break into Mark Knopfler guitar, and Money for Nothing.  Maybe waiting in the increasingly heavy rain added to that feeling.  But at the same time, the rain seemed appropriate for the sound of this band.  Several hundred fans hung around with (but mostly without) umbrellas.  As I left early to catch my first local band of the night, it was still raining.  GY!BE echoing across downtown made a fitting soundtrack for my trek through the dark, wet streets.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor...

Next stop was Deep South, always a good Hopscotch setting.  They know how to do lights and sound there.  Echo Courts are a local band (Greensboro; all NC is local to me) that, like Ought, also bring 80's influenced guitar rock to the stage.  Echo Courts' brand, version, is somewhat less angular and more curved.  Softer edges make their sound one you that you're more apt to melt with than dance to.  I had only seen these guys once before, and was glad I made it my first club stop of the night.  There's a lotta good music coming out of the Triad these days.

 Echo Courts...

The hard Hopscotch decisions really started at this point.  I had planned on catching Wildhoney at King's next, and some of both Advaeta's and Silent Lunch's simultaneous gigs starting midway through Wildhoney.  Yeah, impossible.  That's Hopscotch.  But you try.

However, people at Deep South were talking up Acid Chaperone, up next there.  Since I had a long weekend in front of me (and it was raining), I decided to stay put and check out a local band I had heard little about and never seen... always a good strategy.

Raleigh's Acid Chaperone came off as a more metallic Zack Mexico.  They were about four songs in before I realized there were little to no vocals.  I didn't even notice, or care.  Such was their rocking, veritably (the rest of this write-up will be in Olde English).  Yea, as they held the crowd enraptured...

Nevermind.  Basically, they rocked,  Very tight, ton of stage energy.  Much fun.  

Acid Chaperone...

Missing Wildhoney, and finally accepting that I couldn't be two places at once, I took the advice of the guys in Ghostt Bllonde and head to the Lincoln Theater for Brooklyn's Advaeta.  Pretty good, growling, Bikini Kill-spawned rock.  Didn't bowl me over, but what I caught of them was a good show.

Advaeta...

Back to King's to successfully (for once) fill of my Hospcotch calendar... Dad and Dad followed by Jenny Hval.  Sometimes Hopscotch makes me feel like a frazzled account manager:

So Dad and Dad are a Carrboro band I've seen a handful of times before, and each time, they've gotten better.  This night, as is often the case with locals at Hopscotch, they brought their A-game.  They always had a kind of dance groove to them,  It used to be a bit poppier, but has morphed into a darker, more electronic groove.  They've got a really great rhythm section.  The lighting fit (amazing what a little aluminum foil will do), and they put on an amazing show.  Unfortunately, they'll be laying low as a band for awhile, as one of the members has moved across the country.  Damn!  Just when they were getting good!

Dad and Dad...

What I had heard of Jenny Hval earlier was enough to make me feel that hers would be an interesting set, if nothing else.  Scandinavian, female vocalist, high pitched voice... Bjork light?  You could do worse.

Well, interesting it was, to say the least.  I wasn't up front at first, and just heard what I thought was feedback.  This turned out to be Hval caterwauling.  I didn't think she was onstage yet, but as I approached, I realized she was lying, stage front, on a partially-deflated yoga ball, face directly in the crowd.  Pseudo-twin fake blondes jumped around the stage in hospital gowns.  They were as feral children, dancing random steps, loving on each other -- and sometimes Hval -- and shredding plastic bags, or whatever else they could get their hands on.

At first, I thought this was just weirdness for weirdness' sake.  But the more she continued, the more I saw Hval was committed to what was, essentially, a performance art piece (probably about objectification of and violence towards women, but to each their own interpretation).  And the more she committed, the more I did as well.  Her wail would eventually morph into more controlled tones, revealing a refined voice belied by the initial impression.  The overall feeling at the end was that you had witnessed something intense... and entertaining, yes, but with disturbing undertones.

Jenny Hval...

Battles (another Brooklyn band; who isn't?) was likewise a band that I knew, at least, would be interesting.  More "fun", sure, but also different.  What struck me was that here, for the second time in a night, I was watching a band that I didn't realize until halfway through were basically instrumental.  And again, I didn't care.  On the recordings, I thought they sang some of these songs.  But live, it seemed that what vocals there were were pre-recorded (computer-generated?) samples.

Interesting way to get a singer.  But the members of Battles are so busy doing god-knows-what on their instruments that they wouldn't be able to concentrate on signing anyway.  While I couldn't really see what the bass player across the stage was doing from my vantage point, the drummer was, simply, a maniac.  And the guitarist/keyboardist was all over his multiple instrumentation, and at times the stage as well.  Battles made a kind of complex pop that got your brain and your feet moving all at once.  Between them and Jenny Hval, it was nice to get an injection of national (well, international) spice into my Hopscotch menu.  And it was a great way to close Hopscotch Day One.

Battles...

Up next, Friday day and night shows, including Ghostt Bllonde, Naked Naps, Faults, and Pile.