Anthony and J.D. run through their top picks of FFF Fest's final day.
Balmorhea
Orange Stage, 1:00pm
While watching the tail end of UME who performed on Orange Stage right before Austin post-rock band Balmorhea, my eye caught the enchantingly dreadlocked violinist Aisha Burns setting up. Cute black chicks with dreads always catch my eyes, especially when on an indie rock stage wielding a violin. Eventually, I saw an even fuller string section which includes a cello and double bass. My curiosity was certainly piqued. The sextet play beautiful, swelling songs that bring to mind Explosions in the Sky with more diversity in instruments (a comparison I'm certain must irritate the group to know end, not all Austin post-rock bands sound the same, geez!) or Pat Metheny (one might even throw Yanni in there [no joke], they are playing well-crafted instrumental music and they do have the aforementioned black, dreadlocked female violinist). Combine this with the fact that many of the folks in this band jumped from instrument to instrument, shaking maracas and moving from guitar to keyboard, and it became clear that this band is an auditory force to be reckoned with. However, my jazz heart could only think about the further potential this band could go musically if every now and then some improvisation would rear its head, but I guess this wasn't the time and the place. Nevertheless, I walked away from Balmorhea quite impressed.
Fang Island
Orange Stage, 1:35pm
Almost immediately upon hearing Fang Island throttle Orange Stage with their sheer forceful noise, my first thoughts were of Andrew W.K. There is a sort of ebullient explosiveness in this group's sound. It's metal without being so... metal. No one in this quintet is by any means a musical slouch. The group's three guitarists, bassist, and drummer are all quite impressive. It may in fact be breaking the law (state, not federal [yet]) to review this performance and not include the word "shred", which they certainly did in spades. If the sound guy turned the vocals up a tad (sound issues seemed to prevail Orange Stage for much of Sunday's early sets), the euphoria one felt with this guitar heavy band could be met with appropriately anthemic vocals to take this party vibe to the next level. It was a really fun set to witness.
Times you'll get swept up listening to these guys over 40 minutes: at least 3
-Anthony
Nikki Da B
Blue Stage, 2:30
I have only two pieces of information to impart following this show.
1. When given the opportunity, always go to the New Orleans bounce show. Nikki Da B, Big Freedia, doesn’t matter.
2. Here's why:
-J.D.
Titus Andronicus
Yellow Stage, 5:45
While I must not have been paying attention, Titus Andronicus somehow developed perhaps the most rapid fan base of any touring band today. Either that, or all of their most hardcore fans managed to squeeze in under the Yellow Stage tent for their Saturday evening set, and all of them were more than a little ready to loose their shit. All of this isn't to discount the band's own impact: in the three times I've seen Patrick Stickles and his bunch of Jersey boys, I've never seen them as tight, forceful and loud as this. But really, this show was about the crowd, who took advantage of the tent's lack of a pit or upfront security by stage diving, moshing and performing all the other hallmarks of a dive bar show. The tracks from the latest TA record Local Business carried well, but it was all the material from 2010's instant classic The Monitor that really sent the place into a frenzy. Wisely, the band was eager to please.
Set Highlight: A More Perfect Union/The Enemy Is
Most impressive audience feat: Dude sticking backwards summersault stage dive, with perfect crowd surf landing.
-J.D.
...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead
Yellow Stage, 6:40
Perhaps the biggest hometown heroes of the Fest, Trail of Dead came out with a whole lot to prove. Stripped down to a four-piece, the band laid heavy on the most aggressive tracks they could muster from their 15-year run of albums, relying primarily on the more brutal material of their early days and even more so on their particularly fierce new record Lost Songs. The band radiated energy, and offered up some of the most passionate performances of the day. Oddly, the crowd who had just half an hour before gone apeshit over Titus Andronicus was listless throughout the set, strange considering the similar attack of both acts, and the the fact that Trail of Dead, particularly with their 2002 masterpiece Source Tags & Codes, laid so much of the groundwork for bands like Titus. But then it's been a long and winding road for Trail of Dead, including a nearly decade long detail into the depths of prog-rock concept album hell. Though their latest Lost Songs offers all the venom of their earlier, more potent material, I suspect it will take awhile for audiences to catch back up with them
De La Soul
Blue Stage, 7:45
The short of it: the NYC rap legends killed it, erasing their wildly outdated reputation as ‘hippie hip-hop’ by turning in one of the fiercest sets of the Festival. The band sampled tracks from across their 25-year long catalog, and I along with the fellow Gorillaz fans in the audience were pumped to hear Mason reprise his famous maniacal laugh from this. But if I’m honest, it was the stage announcements from hip-hops most cantankerous MC Trugoy that stole the show. So with that in mind:
Top 3 Things said by Trugoy of De La Soul (disclaimer:they’re all wildly profane)
1. “I know y’all hate this talking shit, but...” (beginning his longest rant of the night)
2. “You best know I don’t give a fuck about y’all VIPs back there. I’ve been doing this too long to give a shit about that. These are the people who put me here.” (targeting the privileged few watching the band from the stage)
3. “Excuse me for pulling my dick out.” (closing the aforementioned rant)
-J.D.
Balmorhea
Orange Stage, 1:00pm
While watching the tail end of UME who performed on Orange Stage right before Austin post-rock band Balmorhea, my eye caught the enchantingly dreadlocked violinist Aisha Burns setting up. Cute black chicks with dreads always catch my eyes, especially when on an indie rock stage wielding a violin. Eventually, I saw an even fuller string section which includes a cello and double bass. My curiosity was certainly piqued. The sextet play beautiful, swelling songs that bring to mind Explosions in the Sky with more diversity in instruments (a comparison I'm certain must irritate the group to know end, not all Austin post-rock bands sound the same, geez!) or Pat Metheny (one might even throw Yanni in there [no joke], they are playing well-crafted instrumental music and they do have the aforementioned black, dreadlocked female violinist). Combine this with the fact that many of the folks in this band jumped from instrument to instrument, shaking maracas and moving from guitar to keyboard, and it became clear that this band is an auditory force to be reckoned with. However, my jazz heart could only think about the further potential this band could go musically if every now and then some improvisation would rear its head, but I guess this wasn't the time and the place. Nevertheless, I walked away from Balmorhea quite impressed.
Fang Island
Orange Stage, 1:35pm
Almost immediately upon hearing Fang Island throttle Orange Stage with their sheer forceful noise, my first thoughts were of Andrew W.K. There is a sort of ebullient explosiveness in this group's sound. It's metal without being so... metal. No one in this quintet is by any means a musical slouch. The group's three guitarists, bassist, and drummer are all quite impressive. It may in fact be breaking the law (state, not federal [yet]) to review this performance and not include the word "shred", which they certainly did in spades. If the sound guy turned the vocals up a tad (sound issues seemed to prevail Orange Stage for much of Sunday's early sets), the euphoria one felt with this guitar heavy band could be met with appropriately anthemic vocals to take this party vibe to the next level. It was a really fun set to witness.
Times you'll get swept up listening to these guys over 40 minutes: at least 3
-Anthony
Nikki Da B
Blue Stage, 2:30
I have only two pieces of information to impart following this show.
1. When given the opportunity, always go to the New Orleans bounce show. Nikki Da B, Big Freedia, doesn’t matter.
2. Here's why:
Titus Andronicus
Yellow Stage, 5:45
While I must not have been paying attention, Titus Andronicus somehow developed perhaps the most rapid fan base of any touring band today. Either that, or all of their most hardcore fans managed to squeeze in under the Yellow Stage tent for their Saturday evening set, and all of them were more than a little ready to loose their shit. All of this isn't to discount the band's own impact: in the three times I've seen Patrick Stickles and his bunch of Jersey boys, I've never seen them as tight, forceful and loud as this. But really, this show was about the crowd, who took advantage of the tent's lack of a pit or upfront security by stage diving, moshing and performing all the other hallmarks of a dive bar show. The tracks from the latest TA record Local Business carried well, but it was all the material from 2010's instant classic The Monitor that really sent the place into a frenzy. Wisely, the band was eager to please.
Set Highlight: A More Perfect Union/The Enemy Is
Most impressive audience feat: Dude sticking backwards summersault stage dive, with perfect crowd surf landing.
-J.D.
...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead
Yellow Stage, 6:40
De La Soul
Blue Stage, 7:45
The short of it: the NYC rap legends killed it, erasing their wildly outdated reputation as ‘hippie hip-hop’ by turning in one of the fiercest sets of the Festival. The band sampled tracks from across their 25-year long catalog, and I along with the fellow Gorillaz fans in the audience were pumped to hear Mason reprise his famous maniacal laugh from this. But if I’m honest, it was the stage announcements from hip-hops most cantankerous MC Trugoy that stole the show. So with that in mind:
Top 3 Things said by Trugoy of De La Soul (disclaimer:they’re all wildly profane)
1. “I know y’all hate this talking shit, but...” (beginning his longest rant of the night)
2. “You best know I don’t give a fuck about y’all VIPs back there. I’ve been doing this too long to give a shit about that. These are the people who put me here.” (targeting the privileged few watching the band from the stage)
3. “Excuse me for pulling my dick out.” (closing the aforementioned rant)
-J.D.
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