The first section of Wakarusa bands were announced last week. A lot of these bands have been there before, but there are a lot of good acts down in the fine print, so even if you've seen the headliners before, there are many reasons to go back. Wakarusa was so kind as to link a spotify playlist with a couple songs from each of the bands. From there, it's easy to go into the band's profile and listen to whatever albums they have available.
So here are some 'mini-reviews' of the first third of the bands that will be at Wakarusa. You should definitely check out these bands for yourself, but here's a guide to get you started. If you have spotify, you can simply click here to listen to Waka 2014 Round 1.
Sound Tribe Sector Nine (STS9)
These veterans of the festival circuit are extremely popular and have a lot of obsessive fans. It's funny because a lot of people don't get into this band until they see them live. Then they're hooked. This electronic jam band should not be confused with the type of techno that comes from a DJ. Having multiple musicians creates a layered sound that is intense and relaxing at the same time. Their jams combine a lot of electrical elements that are blended too well to stand out. Considering all of their shows got rained out last year, they will undoubtedly play two or three sets at Wakarusa.
Umphrey's McGee
These guys have a bit of funk, slightly psychedelic and alternative jam bandy sound. In other words, they blend a lot of styles. Like STS9, these guys have toured a lot and have collected a large following at festivals. You might have noticed the countless posts on Waka's Facebook page asking for these first two bands. They have some great guitar playing and get into some pretty lengthy jams. In many respects, they are a modern Grateful Dead. Look for them to play a couple sets and it certainly wouldn't be unusual for them to join STS9 on stage.
Lettuce
This is one funky band. They play mellow grooves that are mostly instrumental, but every few songs might have lyrics. To create their jazzy sounds, they incorporate a lot of sax and horns, complimented with keyboards and guitars.
Michael Franti & Spearhead
In many ways, Michael Franti is what Wakarusa is all about. Coming together to have fun and to create a culture where we all care for each other. There is no ignoring the problems of the world with this guy, but just when he has you on the verge of tears, he'll break out a song to remind you that it's a still a great world when we all get together to make it that way. His reggae based music combines a lot of rock, some hip hop, and even a little bit of electronic. When performing live, he gets the crowd going like no other. He'll take his guitar and run out among the people and make it absolutely impossible to leave with anything but a happy feeling.
Dr. Dog
This is a bluesy southern rock band. The singer has a rough but charming voice that also gives them a bit of a folky sound. They've been around for over a decade and have played Waka before, so definitely a band to check out.
Papadosio
They are kind of like STS9 but way more chill. While still relying on electronic quite a bit, their jams are a bit more spacey and relaxing. They have vocals the flow seamlessly between jams.
Cherub
This duo is sort of a glam technopop group. They have some good songs but kind of cheesy sometimes. Not that I mean that in a bad way - they pull it off. They use a high pitched singer who is supported by distorted backup vocals.
Boombox
Another must see for sure. These duo plays smooth jazzy electronic and prides itself on being able to read the crowd. They call themselves rock & roll, because labels just don't do them any justice. Their funky jams flow well with the lead singers voice. Really, his voice is just another funk producing instrument that adds another layer to their suave tunes.
Moon Taxi
They create a style of dreamrock that has a touch of the pixies' influence. They are mellow and very easy listening. This is the first band on the list that I wasn't familiar with and I'm definitely happy to have discovered them.
Turnpike Troubadours
This is a country band. They use a lot of the fiddle and a bit of banjo. Not to be skipped over just because they're country, but they play with a lot of traditional country style.
Nicki Bluhm and the Gamblers
Another country band, this time with a female singer. She's got a little bit of soul and a little bit of outlaw attitude.
Alvin Risk
Dubstep. What was that chipmunks last name? I ask because most of this guys songs distort the singers voice until it sounds like a chipmunk.
The Knocks
This group mixes whole songs, usually containing lyrics, with a heavier beat. The electronic combination is usually some sort of house or trance. It's decent; makes for some exciting tunes and allows for a lot of different styles of music to be 'electronicized', but you can only take this style so far.
Phutureprimitive
Psychedelic techno that rivals Shpongle. But where Shpongle is mostly tribal/worldly sounds, this is more of an industrial and glitch style that fades in and out with pretty melodies. He's really good at messing with your brain by creating layers and layers of constantly shifting tracks.
Break Science
A bit wompy. There are a lot of dubstep musical technique but it might be too slow to be considered dubstep. One tends to head bob back and forth while listening.
ill.gates
He plays some glitchy dubstep. There are some interesting tracks and he has some unique musical techniques.
The Hood Internet
This is a hip hop mixing DJ, will use different background electronic beats, some mellow, some more dubstep style.
Moon Hooch
They have a couple sax players and a percussionist, and thats it. Each sax is a different kind (maybe alto and baritone? Not sure which types). It's catchy and fun and moves at a quick pace.
Leagues
Some mellow indie rock. The lead singer sounds like the guy from Edward Sharpe, but the tunes are much less hipstery, good stuff.
Wild Child
Girl/guy duets that is very sweet sounding. They're kind of an Of Monsters and Men imitation, but even more hipstery.
Uncle Lucius
Melancholy southern rock sound. His songs tell stories and are heavy with metaphors. A lot of traditional southern rock guitar, but is supplemented with a sax. Some songs get heavier on the blues or southwestern country styles. Another band I hope to check out.
Mountain Standard Time
They have an alternative bluegrass style, though the banjo player isn't very prominent considering they're mostly bluegrass. Most of the songs are pretty choppy tunes and feature a few heavy piano solos. The lead singer has a mellow voice that evens out their sound.
Mountain Sprout
This is the band that really got me listening to more bluegrass. They're hilarious, vulgar, scurvy, redneck hippies. Their own words, not mine. The song 'Screw the Government' is awesome. You should check out this dirty bluegrass, even if you think you don't like that banjo music. Their fiddle player is as great as he is dirty, and trust me, he is shabby.
Dirtfoot
Rough hippy southern rock. Good stuff; Considering the style of music, it seems odd, but they have a heavy use of sax and xylophone and it works very well. Gives the southern rock style an exciting mood. They have some banjo but wouldn't quite be considered bluegrass. The singer's scratchy voice contrasts the sax quite well.
Mike Dillon
He plays instrumentals that sound like they should be in commercials or movies. The songs feature a variety of instruments. The few songs with lyrics are just weird and kind of awkward.
Rusty Shakle
This is sort of a pop punk of bluegrass. It's catchy and cleaner. Sometimes they're using more of a violin than fiddle (they're the same instrument, just different ways of playing) and the violin even gets a bit celtic sounding at times. Definitely not a bad thing, but probably not for purists...then again, if you're a purist you're probably one of those people bitching on waka's fb page all the time. They're certainly not afraid to throw in some random instruments once in awhile, so worth checking out.
Treetop Flyers
This band is mostly on the acoustic side. It's mellow and very folky with a bit of classic rock. The singer sounds a little older and gives the tunes a more authentic sound.
Thriftworks
Very downtempo glitchhop (glitchy techno, ambient, experimental). Most of the tracks have lyrics, but the voices get very distorted. Interesting but not all that exciting.
Buku
I'm not even sure how to describe it. Not sure what type of electronica this would be considered. It has some elements of trance, but it's slower, almost a bit glitchy, a lot of weird repetitive sounds, gets pretty old fast.
(edit: My friend Chad informs me this is trap music, electronic that evolved from the southern rap and 'getting crunk' style)
Up Until Now
Also hard to describe, but in a good way. They combine a lot of styles, but it's too melodic for dubstep, too smooth to be glitch, not terrible enough to be trance. This group features David Murphy from STS9, and there are some similar styles, so definitely check out if you like those guys.
So what bands are you most excited to see on this lineup? What new bands have you discovered that you're most excited to see?
No comments:
Post a Comment