A perfect sunny day to host a free day of killer music from a biodiesel powered stage. Co-hosted by Brooklynvegan, the line up included highlights OCDJ, O’Death, The Besnard Lakes, Land Of Talk, and Les Savy Fav. The crowd was great and some of the art sculptures were intriguing. It was also a good platform for some public awareness on some global issues and a great day for some live tunes.
But let’s also talk about the rock n’ roll! I liked Land of Talk before today but left the night absolutely loving them after seeing them perform live. This trio from Montreal, Canada play some infectious post-punk rock that is sometimes aggressive and sometimes quietly poignant. Singer Elizabeth Powell is a bit of a crazy on-stage and you can never predict what she’ll say next. This level of uncertainty comes through her lyrics and driving melodies. A band to keep an eye on.
But the crowd’s energy was saved for Les Savy Fav and the eccentric lead singer Tim Harrington. The first song had bassist Syd Butler with his baby strapped to him with huge earphones while he played. The music has lots of energy – but it’s Tim’s antics that make the show hugely entertaining. He is like a huge gorilla with the wide eyed openness of a baby seeing the world for the 1st time. He constantly changed clothing between songs adopting hilarious persona while ranting on stage. He went into the crowd several times, singing on top of parked van for a song and another time blowing bubbles without the aid of the plastic blower. Although the songs are ok on record, it’s better seeing this band live. The crowd erupted when they played “The Sweat Descends” and rightfully so as the song packs a punch. The bassist mentioned that they wouldn’t play the song anymore live which is just silly as it’s one the few great songs they have. Later they play Bowery for 20 bux later which is just insane but I’m going to see if their shtick and punky songs translates to a larger stage.
Links:
http://www.landoftalk.com/
http://www.lessavyfav.com/
http://www.solar1.org/education/citysol/