Show Review: Hopscotch Music Festival 2014

St. Vincent at City Plaza

I feel like every Hopscotch has just gotten better and better. Each year the lineup finds a new way to break down barriers, to pack in artists of every genre imaginable for one loaded, sometimes spastic three-day marathon of music (or four if you're some showzilla who knows no limits.) 2014, surely enough proved to be my favorite Hopscotch yet thanks to the all of its eccentricities and unforgettable performances. Though this is the first year I was unable to attend the Thursday and Friday day parties, there was still tons of music packed into that brief weekend that we all yearn so long for. Between the prodigal return of Lonnie Walker, T0W3RS' exhilarating full-band debut, and Valient Thorr bringing that Venus weirdness to City Plaza, there was plenty of local love going around downtown Raleigh. Regional acts were some of the most exciting of the festival, but that didn't stop folks like Lunice, Jamie XX, Ava Luna and others from bringing their 'A' game to this nationally acclaimed event.

Thursday

De La Soul at City Plaza
Photo Credit: Agatha Donkar

Things started off late for me on Thursday as I showed up towards the end of an excellent display of showmanship from Toon & The Real Laww. This Durham based duo garners quite a few OutKast comparisons with their lyrical wit and brilliant, charismatic interplay. Throw in their stellar crowd participation antics and you've got one hell of a kick-off to this four-day festival. Things were immediately followed up by the hip-hop visionaries De La Soul, a set that even had the photographers in the pit dancing along with their cameras hanging down. While the evening got off to a hip-hop oriented start, I took off from City Plaza around twenty minutes in to catch the brilliant acts at Kennedy Theater. Body Games brought the venue to capacity as fans were entranced by Adam Graetz's mind-bending visuals. Last year they had one of the weekend's most memorable moments with a Michael Jackson cover, and surely enough they raised the bar once again this year with a "Kiss From A Rose" cover that everybody pretending like they knew the words to the verses. After Body Games came Marley Carroll, the Asheville-based producer with a knack for engaging yet trancey electronic sets. Carroll perfectly blends four on the floor house beats with spacey fills, turntable scratches and serene vocals. It was difficult to pull myself away from the dance marathon, but it's also important to take in some low-energy stuff throughout the weekend as well. Thus, it was next door to Fletcher to check out IIII, the drum-circle marathon that started out strong and ended up droning on.

The drum circle was rooted with an electronic drone that was gradually engulfed by the slew of drummers circled around the stage. It was a nice pause to sit down and mindlessly enjoy some instrumental music, but I'd hardly call it one of the weekend's highlights. It was a nice break regardless, and gave me everything I needed to soak in Deniro Farrar and Lunice with every ounce of energy possible. Deniro played to a small crowd, but you'd never know by the energy and showmanship that he displayed throughout the evening. Rapping about pampers while staring lanky photographers in the eyes, spitting out profanity laced statements that proclaim himself the king of cult rap. Frankly I wasn't expecting to enjoy this show as much as I did, but it was emanating heavy Danny Brown vibes, Farrar has a keen stage presence and knows how to get a crowd involved with his set. Regardless of whether he was simply sharing his brothers music or baring his soul on the mic, he's a man that knows how to get the people going. Farrar was also the perfect segway into Lunice, the early 20s trap wunderkind. Lunice provided a set filled with originals and remixes that ranged from a handful of Kanye West tracks to Future, mostly sticking to heavy rap throughout the night. While that made the pacing a bit difficult for those of us that danced throughout the whole set, it's one hell of a way to end an evening. Lunice had another surprisingly small set, but once folks planted themselves inside of Kennedy they stayed through the duration. A small pack of dedicated fans beats a crowd full of bored concertgoers any day.

Friday

Spoon at City Plaza

City Plaza once again kicked off the night's festivities and provided for some truly surreal moments. Getting the chance to see brand new Lonnie Walker tunes amidst a sea of thousands is something that fills folks like me with an immense amount of joy. I got into local music in late 2008 and Lonnie Walker were the kings of the scene, pounding out show after show of high-energy singalongs that struck your core as much as your sense of rhythm. While their newer tracks are a bit more subdued, they're just as powerful as the fan-favorites, making for an incredible comeback show for this high-profile local favorite. While the transition from hopped up, twangy indie rock into the art-rock auteur St. Vincent was a bit shaky, Annie Clark's guitar mastery more than made up for it. While I'm a huge St. Vincent fan the set felt a bit impersonal, perhaps it's the wide-open spaces of City Plaza or maybe it's the choreographed stage antics, either way the content was still precisely on-point. Fans of St. Vincent sang along in unison to favorites from her latest self-titled record, Strange Mercy and some deep older cuts as well. After what felt like a brief St. Vincent set, Spoon took the stage as the crowd was at its peak. Going into this kind of blase was the best thing I could have done, because Spoon frankly surprised the hell out of me with not only their live energy and performance but also by their songwriting. I've moved a bit past the straight-forward indie rock that they showcase but I'll be damned if they don't do it well. I left about a half-hour into the set though to trot over to The Pour House for one of my most anticipated sets of the weekend.

Dark Rooms at Tir Na Nog

Crowdsource kicked off my night of venue shows and proved to be one hell of a way to start the night's marathon. Blending sprawling midi-arrangements with pounding rhythms and stunning visuals, Crowdsource's crowd grew swiftly throughout the set and compelled all in attendance to get some dancing on. I ducked out early to head across the block for Enemy Waves, mostly because heavy psych-rock in a church is so Hopscotch it hurts. Seeing sax-lead psychedelic jams inside of a gorgeous church hall is something you can really only experience at a festival as unique as Hopscotch. It's one of the perfect examples of a show that seems to be totally bizarre on paper but brilliant once you step foot in the door. After a bit of jammage it was off to check out Celestial Shore at Fletcher, a set that was exactly as perfect as I'd imagined. Expansive indie-pop just works inside of this opera hall and made me yearn for more shows at such a gorgeously built venue. The acoustic lent itself to Celestial Shore's reverb-washed style and made for an excellent chill set to refresh your energy at. From there it was off to Tir Na Nog for Dark Rooms, arguably one of my favorite sets of the weekend. This was an invigorating set that blended dream-inducing violin lines and Daniel Hart's earnest, evocative brand of songwriting with some melodically focused indie rock. While I only caught the first four or five songs, it was a set that relied heavily on ambition and it paid off immensely, as their gorgeous harmonies and unique arrangements stuck with me throughout the weekend. I darted off from here to check out Mas Ysa, but sadly enough I almost immediately left as I simply couldn't get down to what I was so excited to see.

After a trek out to CAM, I decided (poorly) to see what was going on with Sun Kil Moon at the Lincoln. Apparently I walked in shortly after those fuckin' hillbillies got berated because the crowd was sparse and the vibe was all kinds of odd. I took that as my cue to check out what else was happening around town. I walked in for the last moments of Purling Hiss then booked it over to CAM to catch as much of NGUZUNGUZU as I could. After vibing for a while to their skittering remixes, I decided to check out the greatly hyped Clipping. over at The Pour House to end my evening, and man was that a great call. Jarring beats with a surprisingly smooth flow lead the sizable Pour House crowd to jumping, bobbing and swaying their way through the evening.

Saturday

Valient Thorr at City Plaza

The first full festival day for me was also of course the last festival day. Things got kicked off early with some delicious brunch from Fiction Kitchen and a few sets over at Legends. Family Bike, a new project from Karl Kuehn of Museum Mouth, stood out amongst the early sets but shortly after that it was time to post up at Trekky's day party for a bit. I walked in to see Hi Ho Silver Oh in the middle of their full band set, and frankly it was one of the best sets I saw all weekend. Last year I was floored by a stripped down set from Casey Trela, but finally seeing the full band experience got me totally sold. Their cover of Tom Petty's "Time To Get Going" was without a doubt the most beautiful track I heard all weekend, a sparse arrangement of a classic tune that ends in a subdued singalong. The rest of the day was great, including some great sets from Celestial Shore, Phil Cook and Caitlin Rose and a rooftop view of Lonnie Walker at Slim's, but Hi Ho Silver Oh definitely won the day parties for me. Things swiftly changed direction though once City Plaza started and the metal fans poured in in bunches. It was one of the most unique crowds I've ever seen at Hopscotch and it was fucking excellent. Valient Thorr has become one of my favorite bands to see live because they're just such excellent showmen. I'm not really the type to sit around and listen to them in my house, but I'll be damned if I won't throw my fist in the air when prompted by some dude from Venus. Death and Mastodon were equally impressive, but really when you've got Valient Thorr opening it's hard to live up to that kind of energy.

T0W3RS at The Pour House

As quickly as I fell into the metal hole I came back out to check out the highly touted set from See Gulls at Deep South. It was one in one out and packed wall to wall, which is always a fantastic feeling when you're checking out a swiftly rising local act. I'm sure the NPR coverage didn't hurt in terms of attendance either. See Gulls' gritty garage pop was an excellent way to transition into Y'ALL, a band featuring various regional musicians producing some pretty simplistic but interesting pop-leaning indie rock. After that I surprisingly decided to forgo the soft folk at Fletcher and rock out to some orchestral metal from Subrosa. I was surprised at how in to this band I was, but I feel that for my level of intoxication I shouldn't be too surprised. My drunken self did make a pretty excellent call though in foregoing a trip out to CAM to check out How To Dress Well (which I'd have positively balked at if you'd told me a week ago), to check out Ava Luna and T0W3RS at Tir Na Nog and The Pour House. T0W3RS put on hands down the most elaborate, engaging and all-around incredible performances of this year's Hopscotch. T0W3RS has kind of grown into the Hopscotch band for me, really. It started with a shoulder to shoulder day party at The Hive, grew into a psych-rock excursion at CAM and has ended up at electronically oriented indie pop mastery. Whether T0W3RS was cranking out the brilliant tracks from the forthcoming album TL;DR or pulling out Don Henley covers (seriously though, "Boys of Summer" was the last thing I'd have expected from this Hopscotch), the band was giving it 100% the entire time. Plus some of the most talented artists in the Triangle were rotating around the stage to provide support for what is already an impressive one-man show. So getting to see the T0W3RS experience as it should be was easily the most enjoyable aspects of this year's Hopscotch.

Jamie XX at CAM

Ending the night at Jamie XX though. I feel as if I need to type out a moment of journalistic silence in appreciation for how incredibly arranged that set was. Mastering the push and pull of energy, Jamie XX's pacing allowed fans to lose themselves in the melody or dance until they fall out. Frankly there was a good bit of both. Roaming throughout the venue one could find dance circles, crowd surfers, bathroom pot smokers and pretty much every type of person you could imagine just jamming out and enjoying the music. It was the perfect way to end this year's festivities. With us all under one roof raving.

Ears to the Ground: "Doldrums" by Dad & Dad

I'll never forget the first time I heard the slow-rise of "Moonbreath" Virgins Family Band's opening track from their debut album Honeylion. The slow sense of awe, serenity and infatuation that washed over me is indescribable. It was one of those moments where the music you've always yearned for perfectly coincided with what you were actually experiencing. Sadly enough Virgins Family Band disbanded earlier this year, but they've wasted no time in re-establishing themselves as local staples with their new electronically-oriented project Dad & Dad. They made their pseudo-debut here in the Triangle this past weekend as the bulk of Derek Torres' backing band for the massive T0W3RS set at The Pour House and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they're some of the most versatile and talented musicians in the region.

Now, on the heels of their huge Hopscotch performance, I'm absurdly excited to premiere the first track from Dad & Dad, "Doldrums." As the track slowly unfurls there's gradual bursts of bubbling synths and airy slide guitar mixed in with delayed guitar licks and washed-out vocals. It's like if you took all of the eccentricities of Virgins Family Band and dipped them in a psychedelic wash. Saman Khoujinian's vocals feel simultaneously distant and all-encompassing, as if they're narratives from a dream, guiding the listener through a transcendental adventure. Images of afghan-wrapped travelers in the distance of a blue city, far from the doldrums, propel the song's choppy narrative, but add to the disjointed and angular nature of the track.

Whether you're focusing in on the slow-churning, astonishingly spacey instrumentation or the smooth, airy vocals that help give the track its dream-like nature, there's plenty to fall in love with about "Doldrums." It's a psych-rock track unlike any I've heard before, especially from a local crew. Dad & Dad appear to blend the most agreeable aspects of electronica and psych-pop to create something entirely new and fascinating with an infinite amount of potential. When a band comes so strong out of the gate with such a clearly defined sound, it's always exhilarating to see their progression into musical excellence. Frankly I'm already giddy to hear what comes next.

WKNC announces Fridays on the Lawn lineups

It goes without saying that two of my favorite things in the world are free food and free music. When the two come together for three special nights then all of the woes and stresses of life suddenly seem worth it. Okay, so that may be a little bit over the top, but it's still pretty damn close to how excited I am about this spring's Fridays on the Lawn lineup. Every semester WKNC, N.C. State's student run radio station, puts on a handful of free concerts on the titular lawn at Harris Field on N.C. State's campus. The past few events have been displaced due to construction on Witherspoon Student Center, but alas the event has returned back to it's home on the corner of Dan Allen Dr. and Caites Ave. and this spring has one of the most impressive lineups in recent memory.

On Friday, March 21, T0W3RS will be headlining the free event alongside openers White Cascade. Recently T0W3RS has become the talk of the Triangle, going into showzilla mode with the new solo set-up. The band was previously best known for their psych-leaning indie rock, but since the beginning of 2014 the band has shrunken back to the solo guise of Derek Torres. But despite the truncated lineup, T0W3RS' sound is bigger than ever. Torres' new live act boasts an unparalleled stage presence amongst the region, he's meticulously crafted an entrancing set filled with disco infused rhythms and inundating melodies that linger in your head for days. The sense of showmanship is usually worth the price of admission alone, but when the show is free AND includes some Jimmy John's to boot, there's no reason not to check it out. Openers White Cascade will ease fans into the evening with some heady shoegaze-inspired tunes that will serve as an excellent soundtrack to soak in the sun and celebrate the beginning of spring.

On Friday, March 28, Gross Ghost will be taking over the lawn with openers Cat Be Damned. Allegedly set to debut some new tunes, Gross Ghost will be bringing a high-energy set filled with fuzzed out semi-garage rock anthems. While the band's instrumentation never gets too complicated, the sense of symmetry amidst the melodies and instruments is enough to hook the listener in and leave them in a daze, singing along to songs that they never even knew. Song structures may be simplistic, but Mike Dillon's lyricism is nonetheless poignant, combining hard-hitting emotionalism with driving rhythms and the occasional nonchalant punkery together for an immensely enjoyable time. Openers Cat Be Damned kick off the evening with a sly twist to the folk rock formula, combining the lyrical prowess of bands like Built to Spill with the dynamism of experimental college rock and the simplicity of folk music. Oh and how could I forget that there'll be free burritos from Moe's?!

Lastly on Friday, April 11, J Kutchma and The Five Fifths will close out the series with what's sure to be a raucous night of roots-leaning rock n' roll. It's hard to put the intensity of Kutchma into words, he's a showman cut from the same cloth as Springsteen with the intensity of a punk rock frontman. One minute the frontman can be seen gently strumming his acoustic and crooning into the microphone over pastoral landscapes, but the next he's dropping to his knees and swinging his guitar wildly whilst beating his chest and shouting to the sky. Kutchma's lyricism is simultaneously intensely personal and insanely relatable, a line that many songwriters struggle to tow. While the openers for this date have yet to be announced, Kutchma alone is reason enough to pull yourself out to Harris Field and soak in some of the free sounds of some of the area's finest local musicians.

Each event will kick off at 5:00 and last until 7:00, with food being available on a first come first serve basis. Maybe I'm a bit biased due to my involvement with the station, but I can proudly say that Fridays on the Lawn is one of the most enjoyable events that local fans can take in. When the weather cooperates what's better than plopping a blanket down on the grass, eating some free food and supporting your local music scene. Absolutely nothing in my book.

Ears to the Ground: "Creme Brulee" by Virgins Family Band ft. T0W3RS

Watching a band grow and evolve is probably one of my favorite parts of being a music listener. It's what makes it such a joy to find a band in their infancy, it's like aural cartography, watching this rich voyage taking place in front of your eyes. Such seems to be the story with Virgins Family Band, I was beyond thrilled to come upon the band before they released their first full-length record Honeylion around this time last year and sure enough here we are debuting their first new track since said debut.

"Creme Brulee" is a big step into the psychedelic frontier for Virgins, it's a fresh and invigorating take on a sound that was already brilliantly polished. While Honeylion was filled with sounds that just felt natural, "Creme Brulee" makes the listener reach a bit. Playing on heightened tensions and sharp synth lines, Virgins Family Band have taken my expectations and shattered them with a tightly focused bit of electronic experimentation.  The track reels the listener in with smooth melodies and throws them for a loop with brisk rhythmic changes and seemingly random guitar and bass fills, but there's a sense of structure to all of this absurdity. The vocals initially float wistfully atop the mix, reminiscent of their previous work, but as the track progresses they slowly mesh together with the instrumentation as harmonies bleed in and help to create a lush lyrical arrangement.

All in all "Creme Brulee" serves as a welcomed change to what I thought was an un-toppable sound. When speaking with the band about their inspiration for Honeylion they said that they chose the name for the album because that's what they felt their music sounded like. The same can be said for "Creme Brulee," while the base of the track is built around sweet and delectable melodies, it's contrasted brilliantly by a crunching synth,  and spastic instrumentation. Or maybe I just really dig food, who knows.

Check out the trippy, kaleidoscopic video for the track below or stream it on Virgins Family Bands' bandcamp page.

No Age, Kool Keith & White Fence to headline Phuzz Phest 2014

Phuzz Phest is held from April 4-6 in Winston Salem, NC

Throughout the past few years the Winston-Salem music scene has slowly been revitalized, thanks mostly in part to the good folks behind Phuzz Phest. Whether it be their recently started record label (aptly titled Phuzz Records) or their work within Estrangers, it seems like Winston is firing on all cylinders lately. While previous incarnations of the festival have boasted some pretty impressive lineups, none have been as large as the just announced 2014 roster. In previous years local and regional standouts like William Tyler, Lost in the Trees and The Love Language would headline the festival, but this year there's a crew of highly esteemed nationally acclaimed acts that have filled in the marquee slots with a diverse array of locals rounding out the undercard.

Headlining this year's Phuzz Phest, which will take place at various venues around Winston Salem from April 4-6 will be No Age, Kool Keith, White Fence and Jessica Lea Mayfield, providing an incredibly rounded group of widely respected acts from multiple genres. No Age have been spearheading a new wave of D.I.Y punk, taking part in every aspect of the release of their latest album An Object (that includes packaging, recording, producing AND writing). Kool Keith has long been heralded as one of the premiere experimental hip-hop MCs, whether it be through his variety of pseudonyms like Dr. Octagon (an extraterrestrial gynecologist from Jupiter) or under his regular alias, Keith weaves together bizarre images with lyrical acrobatics that leave the listener yearning for more. White Fence is the name that Tim Presley has adopted for his fuzzed out, crackling brand of intimate rock n' roll that will fit in perfectly with the Phuzz Phest aesthetic. Jessica Lea Mayfield rounds out the national headliners with an earnest burst of heartfelt songwriting inspired by equal parts folk and country for a set that's sure to tug at heartstrings.

And while the top bills are pretty damn impressive for this local festival in its fourth year, the undercard shines just as bright. Diarrhea Planet will be bringing their highly buzzed about brand of guitar rock to Winston alongside touring acts like Ex-Hex, Yip Deceiver, Woodsman and Ex-Cult. However, the local aspect of Phuzz Phest is certainly where fans like myself are foaming at the mouth. Standouts like Mount Moriah and The Love Language are on the bill alongside punk rock mainstays like Brain F≠ and Whatever Brains. Local favorites T0W3RS, Josh Moore, Loamlands and seldom seen Trioscapes will be performing in Winston as well. Really I could just run down the entire lineup with enthusiastic boasts about these performers, but I'll leave that until closer to showtime.

Tickets for Phuzz Phest are now available on Phuzz Phest's website. A 3-Day pass runs a cool $50 while single-day wristbands are $20. Phuzz has also taken on some non-musical activities this year as well as well, as daytime events include bike races, hangover curing brunches, and a skate competition. The festival will take place across various venues in Winston-Salem including The Garage, Krankies, Ziggy's, Single Brothers Bar, Small Beer Batch Co. and West End Mill Works. Be on the lookout for more Phuzz Phest updates as they come in!

Hopscotch '11 In Retrospect

So after allowing myself a week to really absorb the events that transpired at Hopscotch (that's code for eating snack cakes and lounging around all week because seeing live music all weekend takes something out of us bloggers) I can sit back and appreciate all of the great things I got to experience at this year's Hopscotch Festival.  So here is The Bottom String's Top 6 Hopscotch Moments: