Hopscotch Music Festival - Friday Night (9/9/16)

This night of Hopscotch Music Festival was centered around CAM Raleigh for me.  Others have complained about the sound at CAM, and it is a bit hollow.  But I just think it's made for a great setting when I've seen bands there at prior Hopscotches (can you pluralize that?).  Plus, I was really looking forward to this particular line-up.

The large room was eerily empty before the show...

But it would fill up fast before the first band, Carrboro's Wyrms, took the stage, and stay packed for the duration of the three consecutive sets I watched.  The Wyrms haven't played much lately, thanks to the addition of a little baby grub :), but they haven't missed a step.  Loud, tight, garage-y goodness oozed from the stage.

The Wyrms take the stage...

I set my Friday night sights on CAM mostly to see the Wyrms and Car Seat Headrest.  But the band in between, Beach Slang, sounded okay online.  Plus, many friends, including some who were in the middle of touring with them, said they were not to be missed.  I was glad I stayed.  Singer James Alex channeled Paul Westerberg's voice and Pete Townsend's moves for almost an hour, with a little emo thrown in for good measure.  Very energetic show, a lotta fun to watch.

Beach Slang...

Car Seat Headrest... I admit I only discovered this band in listening prep for Hopscotch (despite the vaunted dozen or so bandcamp releases in the 5 years leading up to their Matador signing).  And I really shouldn't like them.  Will Toledo looks about 17, and as far as subject matter, sings about the life of someone that age or not much older.  Yeah.  But he does it with an old soul and a poetry not often seen in this type of music.  I'm not a lyrics guy, but it's hard not to notice lyrics like "In the back of a medicine cabinet / You can find your life story / And your future in the side effects."

The music was great, too.  I read a write-up that described this show as very much about nostalgia, recalling to the 90s "indie guitar" era.  I was big into that shit, but I just didn't hear it.  Sure they're in that general mode.  If anything, more '70s-'80s NY art-punk a bit.  But they didn't sound derivative at all to me live (or on Teens of Denial, for that matter).  While the show started very quietly -- almost folky -- it didn't stay that way for long.  Despite the punk outbursts, though, Car Seat Headrest are never afraid to rein it in, dispensing as needed.  They've got the kind of tense restraint and release of an early Versus.  Car Seat Headrest's live show only confirmed for me that this kid's a real original.  This music's going to be remembered for years to come.

Oh, one thing might be kind of derivative, if unintentionally.  Toledo looks for all the world like a very young Conor Oberst.

Conor Oberst with his first band, Commander Venus (Sluggo's in Pensacola ~1996; he was about 16 years old)...

Car Seat Headrest (CAM Raleigh 2016; tell me I'm wrong)...

I could've stayed for Twin Peaks, who I'm sure were good (though I heard they threw a mic stand and hit some kid in the head, apologizing profusely afterwards!).  I also thought about going around the corner to deep South for Diet Cig, who were on my short list to see.  But between the day parties and these CAM shows, I had just about had my fill of the indie/guitar rock.  Plus, I felt guilty that, as a NOLA native, I had never seen Big Freedia before.  I was listening to her raps in Galactic's music and some really cool NOLA remixes years ago, and telling people up here all about the "sissy bounce"  trend down there (I think it's pretty much just merged into bounce now).

Although there was a huge line at Lincoln Theatre when I got there, it moved quickly and I managed to see about half the show.  Freedia invited audience members onstage to "shake that azz," and many did.  Between raps, members of Freedia's entourage showed off their own acrobatic moves, much more impressive than run-of-the-mill twerkin'.  It was as much party as concert.  I got the feeling it would have been more fun in a different setting though.  Maybe a smaller club (Lincoln's almost as big a setting as I can really enjoy a show anyway), and with a more diverse crowd... a little surprised that it was just about all white hands reaching up at the stage.  But it's great that she's reaching a larger audience.  I while this show was just with a DJ (and the dancers), I hear she'll be touring soon with a full band.  THAT should be fun.

Big Freedia...

Up next, Saturday day and night:   Zack Mexico, ET Anderson, Downtown Boys, et al.  Maybe I'll get those posted by the time next year's Phuzz Phest is coming up. :p

Hopscotch Music Festival - Friday Day Parties (9/9/16)

On the second day of Raleigh's Hopscotch Music Festival, I hung close to the west side of town for the day parties.  I was staying at an AirBnB in Boylan Heights, so this gave me a chance to freshen up (i.e., shower, nap) before another long night of shows.  As I posted earlier, it's all about the pacing.  Plus the west side of town leaned indie rock that day, which is fine by me.

The first set I caught was Greensboro's the Kneads, at Crank Arm Brewing Company. They've added a fourth member and filled out their sound.  Nice taste of jerky stop-starts, with a side of LOUD, to get me going for the day.

The Kneads...

Then just across the street, at Boxcar Bar + Arcade, I wanted to catch my third -- yes third -- set of the weekend by Secret Guest.  Having seen them in three totally different settings (house show, big club, daytime outdoors on a patio) on successive days, I can verify that they brought it each time.  Slight disappointment this time in that they didn't have quite as much room to jump around; made up for the fact that their end-of-set physical implosion was all that tighter. :)  They had their own secret guest in singer Hunter Park from She Returns from War, who played the Boxcar day party earlier.

Secret Guest...

Just outside on Commerce Place was the Hopscotch Makers Market, with it's own day party.  I just caught the tail end of Palm, who I had seen warm up the crowd for the Snails the night before.  Then I took in See Gulls for the second day in a row.  Yeah, a lotta repetition in my Hopscotch scheduling this year.  But this was special, because it was the last show for Duncan Webster and Leah Gibson with the band.  Check out their own band, Beauty World, who'll be having a release show for their EP, Joypop Turbo, at the Carrack in Durham on October 8th.  

See Gulls...

Closed out my stint of day parties by popping back to the Baxter next door (after a few games of Frogger), seeing a local band I'd never seen, the Affectionates.  They make indie pop with a big stride and a nod to the traditional, banjo and violin weighing in heavily.  Come to think of it, that's the second band I saw in two days to rock the banjo, the previous being the afore-mentioned Beauty World.  Can be tricky, but I love it when it works (it did both times).  Affectionates are a bar band in the best sense of that phrase.  Nice harmonies, too.  

The Affectionates...

So, um, I've still got a ton of Boxcar tokens if anybody needs some.  The music was just too good... plus Frogger was giving free credits!  

Next, I'll post about Friday night; great line-up at CAM + Big Freedia at Lincoln Theater!

Hopscotch Videos: The Snails, Car Seat Headrest, Big Freedia (Raleigh, NC, 9/8-9/16)

Before I continue trickling out photos from Hopscotch Music Festival 2016, here are three videos from three of the best sets of the weekend.  I think these demonstrate the diversity of music featured at this year's festival.

Hopscotch 2016 - Thursday Day Parties. Well, PotLuck's, which is the only one that really matters. (9/8/16)

Hopscotch Music Festival's day parties are always a highlight of the festival.  Free all-day lineups of music (and in this case, PIZZA!) at clubs throughout downtown Raleigh provide the budget-conscious music fan a way to see many local, and a handful of touring, bands perform on the cheap.  And there is usually no better day party than PotLuck's Annual Rock'n'Roll Pizza Party, at Slim's.  

So good is it, in fact, that I never ventured to another day party on this Thursday afternoon, despite the fact that there were many within a few blocks' walk.  Durham label / co-op / community PotLuck have so many great bands in their orbit that there was no need to go further for music.

At the PotLuck Pizza Party, bands alternate between indoor and outdoor stages, with barely a minute break between sets.  This year featured:  Teardrop Canyon, The Second Wife, Knurr and Spell, Beauty World, See Gulls, Schooner (above), and Some Army... among others, these were all I saw.  I've written about most of these bands here before, and they're all good.  But The Second Wife, Knurr and Spell, and Beauty World were new to me (though I'd caught snippets of the latter once or twice before).  The Second Wife features powerhouse singer Reese Henry in a pretty raw, stripped-down rock'n'roll setting that's great for her voice.  Knurr and Spell is fronted by a couple of North Elementary members doing their own, more synthy/Brit-sounding pop.  Beauty World feature (until recently) half of See Gulls, Duncan Webster (Hammer No More the Fingers) and Leah Gibson.  Their amalgam of cello, banjo-uke-guitar, drums, etc, although clearly very structured and complex, still comes off as fun and whimsical.

Lazy photog's way out:  I've still so many Hopscotch shots to process that I just don't want to edit them all, so these have been converted to Black & White.  Actually, the stark light (especially outside) at Slim's that bright day lent itself better to B&W.

Except for one shot of See Gull Tom Sowders.  That shirt! (bought in a Magazine St. shop, for extra  NOLA points)  I just couldn't bring myself to wash it out.  In fact, I bumped that shit to 11.

Teardrop Canyon...

The Second Wife...

 Knurr and Spell...

Beauty World...

See Gulls...

I apologize in advance for any seizures this may cause...

My colleagues were out in force for See Gulls...

Schooner...

Some Army...

Check out the PotLuck link above.  Several of these bands have recent releases which are excellent, including Magnolia Collective and Jphono1 (who, though I missed each, opened and closed the party, respectively).