So many good bands in Pittsboro and such good vibes. I arrived at 2:30 and stayed until the end, which was around 1:30 am.
The 13 band lineup was:
The Never
The Strugglers
Vibrant Green
Liza Kate
Mount Moriah
Butterflies
Midtown Dickens
Embarrassing Fruits
Des Ark
Hammer No More the Fingers
Ivan Rosebud
Lost in the Trees
Megafaun
In addition to the music, there was a Cakewalk, Pants-off Dance-off, Bliss Tent, baked goods, free haircuts, art sales, tours of the Piedmont Biofuels facilities, and other info from local organizations. The festival started at 2:00 pm and Megafaun played well past 1:00 am.
Things were pretty chill with the crowd in the afternoon. The sun kept most people in the shade and on their butts.
The Never kicked things off with a nice three across the front set. It's too bad there weren't more people there to enjoy their set. If you don't already have it, definitely check out one of the greatest and most moving concept albums of the century (The Never - Antarctica).
The Strugglers unleashed a large batch of great songs with James Wallace playing a mean keyboard. The upcoming album, still in its infant recording stages, will most likely be their best yet, which is saying something considering how solid all of their releases have been so far.
Vibrant Green played an all too short set, but inspired nonetheless. They'll be playing the Nightlight soon, which is great news.
Liza Kate's dry wit and some pretty folk happened during the hottest part of the day. I swear I saw her melting.
Mount Moriah brought the heat with some real driving beats and infectious melodies. I'm still listening to Social Wedding Bands multiple times daily. It sounds like it'll be a while before they release anything, but it will be well-worth the wait.
Butterflies brought the jams. My buddy Scott Carle was saying how they reminded him of early Grateful Dead. Never thought of it that way, but the way they transitioned into Forklift was certainly remniscient of some great Dead transitions. The band was tight, with TJ holding down the beat like a champ. They threw in some great Mortar and Pestle tunes, including one of my favorite jams at the moment "Sister". Josh was up for some good banter and the interplay between Bobby Britt on fiddle and Josh on guitar was beautiful. Katie did a great job on covering Joanna Newsome's "Bridges and Balloons". It looks like the Butterflies will be doing some touring this summer and if you don't already have it, go get their debut album on Trekky Records.
Midtown Dickens, one of my favorite bands ever to see live, was awesome as usual. It seemed appropriate to have them bridge the afternoon to the evening portions of TRKfest. They played several classics, including the very appropriate "Best Summer Ever", which this is shaping up to be in terms of live music in the triangle. They unveiled a new arrangement of "Red Shirt" and a cover of Megafaun's "Drains". I was hoping to see "Guitars" and "The Fish Song", but since everything was running behind schedule, I'm guessing they had to scrap these. Brad Cook of Megafaun joined Midtown for "The Job Song" and the always stellar and rousing closer "It's Alright". As always, they left me feeling good about life, in general. There's nothing I'm looking forward to more than the release of their new record (literally, it's going to be on vinyl, hooray!) which apparently is coming out in August. I don't know if I can wait that long.
Embarassing Fruits kicked off the rockout portion of TRKfest 2009. You know you kick ass when the hecklers come out, and they were definitely out for the Fruits. They got people on their feet and yelling obscenities and requests. Like Butterflies, they have a new record on Trekky that everyone should go out and buy right now. If you like good indie rock, you'll love the Embarrassing Fruits. If you don't like good indie rock, what the hell's wrong with you?
Des Ark brought a whole crew of younger fans that were in a frenzy from the opening note. There was a ton of energy as the darkness descended on TRKfest 09. I believe a mosh pit formed for the first time during the fest. After a long day in the sun, I had to take a breather and chill out in the back, but I could tell Des was bringin it hard.
Things got a little wild with the Pants-off Dance-off. Grayson Currin drafted a couple of NBA legends for his "Team Hey Can You Hold My Embarrasing Fruits I've got to Win this Pants-Off Dance-Off". Will was nearly paralyzed (40 second mark in the video) and there was some terrible dancing. Eventually, Grayson's team claimed victory, but one might question how impartial the judges could be given their relationship with Grayson and Brad Cook. In their defense, I will say that based on dancing skills and willingness to strip off their pants, Team Hey Can You Hold My Embarrasing Fruits We've got to Win this Pants-Off Dance-Off did deserve to win.
After the insane dance off, I didn't think the energy could get amped up any more, but then Hammer No More the Fingers proved me wrong. They had a blistering set and opened with "Shutterbug", a track that I can't stop listening to. In fact, I can't stop listening to their new record or their debut EP. I know they don't listen to some of the classic indie rock of the 90s, but it doesn't matter to me because what they're making now is better than any of the classic stuff. They're playing a lot of shows in the area, weekend shows along the east coast, and heading all the way out to Texas for the first time soon. I forsee great things from this band as long as they keep doing what they're doing. And yes, you should buy the new record and see them as many times as you can. By this time, the crowd was up and movin, so I couldn't get any video for these sets, but trust me, it was awesome!
Ivan Rosebud then gave everyone a much needed breather with some great acoustic songs that he's been writing lately (perhaps for a solo record?). After 8+ hours of great music, it was nice to get a chill and intimate set from Ivan. Ivan's grandma was there to enjoy it too. His set transitioned seemlessly into Lost in the Trees, as they joined him for Border Guard and his set closer.
Lost in the Trees was, as they always are, mindblowing. Despite some sound issues and some rain drops, they still gave me chills with each song. (Will's mandolin was barely audible) Even though I've seen them 4 times in the past two months, I'm still going to drive 2 and a half hours to see them at Bernaroo ( I hate increasing my carbon footprint, but they're so good that I throw my morals out the window). I really love the unreleased track "Church", which they played near the end of the set. They closed things out by unplugging their instruments and coming into the crowd, punctuating the communal vibe of TRKfest. It's always a special event when Lost in the Trees plays and playing at home with their friends and family made it incredible. (oh, and get their records)
By the time Megafaun took the stage, people were either worn out from the long day or amped up by what Lost in the Trees just did. It made for an interesting late night vibe. Megafaun always has a great way of making their shows a really really personal experience. Their on-stage banter is second to none, but their music is also really heady, and they take their time crafting a song and a mood that seems to drift in and out like a dream. It's spellbinding and after the long day, it was perfect. They just always feel the pulse of the crowd and know what to do. They ended with a couple songs down on the grass with the rest of us and got everyone to sing along.
(Just a few days later at the Dook Gardens, the crowd and vibe was very different, and their show reflected this, but it was no less personal.)
TRKfest 2009 was a long, sweaty, communal festival with a great great lineup. Somehow the rain held off for the Lost in the Trees and Megafaun, but it was fitting that rain started to come down hard as I pulled out of the lot.
thanks Trekky Records for putting on this epic event that will be hard to top!
here's all 43 videos from TRKfest:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=C57B132C03596E38
