Roughly 3 Hours at Noon to Midnight

On Saturday, June 1st, I went down to Disney Hall to check out the final event of the FLUXUS Festival. The Noon to Midnight event was a day, 12 hours to be exact, of pop-up performances throughout Walt Disney Concert Hall including the garden, BP Hall, the two amphitheatres, on the steps of the hall, and of course on stage. There were also food trucks on Grand Ave, and a beer garden in the Blue Ribbon Garden. According to the schedule, poster, calendar, “The season-long Fluxus Festival, staged by the LA Phil in collaboration with the Getty Research Institute, culminates in a Noon to Midnight intervention – five performances curated by Christopher Rountree and directed by Annie Saunders.”

We showed up right around 3 and I was sad that we missed some of the remarkable early performances like David Lang's Crowd Out, National Composer's Intensive featuring the International Contemporary Ensemble, and The Crossing, but sadly work obligations ate up the morning and early afternoon.

red fish blue fish in the Blue Ribbon Garden

Our first experience was Timber by Michael Gordon, performed by red fish blue fish in the Blue Ribbon Garden. Looking back on the performances and performers we caught, I feel confident that this was a fantastic first event. We sipped our beers outside in the not too hot, not too cold weather and sat on the ground watching the five performers of red fish blue fish stand in a circle facing one another and play saw horses with mallets. When we first walked outside, it was hard to hear or distinguish what we were hearing, and it wasn't until we stepped within the range of the speakers, each placed several yards behind a performer, that we started to experience the music. I moved around a little bit before settling on the ground with a view of the hall behind the "stage." The audience had a subtle, but different experience based on which speaker was closest. Acoustically, I think the best seat in the house was probably right in the middle of the performers because at that point, you get the most balanced output from the surrounding speakers. 

The piece itself conjured a meditative effect, and on the one hand, you feel totally absorbed watching the calmness of each performer and on the other pulled in the subtle different directions of the changes of the beat and subdivisions within the piece. Granted, we did not catch the very beginning of the piece, but there is a timbre to the saw horses that almost sounds like voices, making soft articulations. The piece never reaches a deafening climax, but I don’t think that was really the point, it carries you around like waves on a beach, sometimes overlapping seamlessly, sometimes running into each other, sometimes totally in sync. I almost felt like I was floating through this experience.

We left a few minutes early because I am a fangirl of Eighth Blackbird and I wanted to make sure we had seats in the hall for that performance. I’ve seen them play once before, at the Eaux Claires Music Festival in the woods of Wisconsin. They played Murder Ballades by Bryce Dessner on a wooden stage like it was the talent show at summer camp, so I was pretty excited to see them on a "proper" stage.

Eighth Blackbird onstage at Disney Hall

They started the set with learn to fly by David Lang, and it was AWESOME. I love this piece! In the program notes, Lang says "With learn to fly I wanted to make a music that danced and pushed forward, in the hope that it would encourage the musicians to do so as well." Lisa Kaplan, the pianist of Eighth Blackbird, definitely danced from her bench. I made a note during this performance that how a performer or ensemble moves directly influences how I experience and understand the music. Without reading Lang’s words previous to making that note, I now reflect on it feeling validated in my desire to groove with Kaplan and feel the energy that permeated the music and performers.

Their set ended with a world premiere of Ways of Looking by Pamela Z. The composer, a “pioneering composer/performer and media artist who works primarily with voice, live electronic processing, sampled sound, and video,” was onstage running electronics and contributing live vocals to this performance. This piece was so cool. It included live and previously recorded vocal tracks from each performer and in the program notes, Pamela writes:

"I have long been fascinated by the musicality of speech sounds, mining sampled fragments of spoken text for melodic, rhythmic, and textural content. For this work, I interviewed all six members of Eighth Blackbird and then meticulously selected sentences, phrases, words, syllables, and phonemes to create sonic building blocks. For "Looking," I chose to have the ensemble speak their own words live. "Name" is all about describing and identifying people. "Um" is a cloud of sound built around the sonorous, nonverbal, filler sounds we all make during speech. Finally, “Very” celebrates the ubiquitous intensifier.”

This performance was dynamic, funny, clever, beautiful, and in the words of Marie Kondo, “sparked joy.” In my notes, I wrote that Pamela Z brings out the beauty of ummm and the nonsense between thoughts. But she also begged the mind to ponder the pitch and timbre of your thoughts, which is a really enjoyable and amusing thing to think about. Some of the vocal tracks were mimicked on instruments, and passed around, re-tuned, and uttered elsewhere in the ensemble, placing the voice within the ensemble, above it, and sometimes subtly below the other instruments onstage. When blended together, what pitch does a choir of speakers create? I loved the combination of live and recorded vocals with Eighth Blackbird's instrumentation. All four movements of this piece were a pure delight!

Sō Percussion in BP Hall performing Forbidden Love

Next, we moved on to Sō Percussion in BP Hall. Due to the overlap with Eighth Blackbird, we missed the first piece, a diamond in the square by Suzanne Farrin but caught the entire performance, and world premiere, of perhaps my new favorite string quartet of all time, Forbidden Love, by Julia Wolfe. This last statement may seem confusing to many of you who know Sō percussion to be a PERCUSSION ensemble, but Forbidden Love calls for the use of the four instruments of a traditional string quartet to be played but using, as Wolfe says, “all the things you aren't supposed to do to string instruments." According to the program, Sō Percussion asked Wolfe to use the four instruments of a string quartet, and together they discovered and created some fantastic sounds. Some of them sounded like a low bass a la doom metal, some of it like wind passing through chimes, and when the performers through away their sticks and started rubbing the back of the instruments, it felt strangely intimate and loving, like a bedroom scene? Or a forbidden love? Sometimes they created rhythmic grooves that were really fun and "cool" and other times they made sound effects with yarn or string (I don't know what it was) pulled through the instruments like dental floss. I was so into it, and no instrument appeared to lose its life during this performance. 

I think at this point in the day I should have taken a sonic time out and grabbed another beer from the beer garden, and maybe a snack, but the problem with a really awesome festival like this is that you want to absorb so much, that perhaps you overdo it and then it backfires a little bit. I really wanted to catch HOCKET in the ampitheatre, but missed it in favor of Sō Percussion so moved right along to Wild Up on the concert stage.

Wild Up and Julianna Barwick performing Star Luz Black

I should have skipped the first two pieces. Rot Blau by Jessie Marino was silly and fun but the dark time between movements felt a little awkward and too long, and this felt more like a performance suited for a different stage or experience. The second piece, A Thing Made Whole by Andrew Greenwald, was overall very quiet and probably beautiful had this not been performed at a festival where there was extraneous noise from audience members coming in and out. I was not in the right space to appreciate this piece, and that feels particularly shameful because the performers were clearly working hard to create the correct effects and play their parts. The saving grace of this set was Star Luz Black, another world premiere featuring the composer, Julianna Barwick, on piano and voice and a string ensemble of 5 violins, 3 violas, 2 cellos, upright bass, and conductor. It was captivating. The string parts were simple in that Arvo Pärt repetitive way that makes you feel things in a deep and mournful way, coupled with the soaring beauty of the vocals and the twinkling quality of the piano. It was so compelling and wiped the slate of what had happened before. I think my frustration with this Wild Up set comes more from the lack of continuity between the pieces. It felt like such a jumble and the pieces were too disparate to leave the audience impressed. If the whole set had been more in accordance with Barwick’ s piece and presence, Wild Up would have gotten my vote for Los Angeles contemporary ensemble of the year. 

After this one, I needed a break. We grabbed another beer and meandered outside for a little while. Being semi-new to Los Angeles, I had no idea that there are two amphitheatres at Disney Hall, so we wandered up to the Carson Amphitheatre to check out the venue for FLUXUS: Composition 201960 #5. By this point we were a little worn out and distracted and not in the right place to observe and appreciate another performance, so we made our way to the food trucks and sampled some of the food from 8E8 Thai Street Food whose delicious smells were permeating the outdoor performance areas. It was delicious, and we needed a snack.

After Thai, we were filled with a mild yet persistent guilt for leaving our dog home alone (past her dinner time) and called it a night with every intention of making a comeback. I really wanted to catch the Dal Niente performance later in the evening but fell asleep immediately upon returning home. I will say that this festival blew my mind, I was so impressed with the international acts that came to perform, the local talent, the different sounds and environments, the enthusiasm for new music from the people of Los Angeles (the concert hall was completely full for the Eighth Blackbird performance), and the tangible enjoyment and curiosity from other attendees. I ran into several friends from different musical walks of life who were all excited about different acts or performing in different ensembles, or who knew people playing. I was so happy to catch Sō Percussion and Eighth Blackbird again and experience Red Fish Blue Fish and Julianna Barwick for the first time. Bravo to everyone who had a hand in this incredible day. I would do it again every month.

EOM20

Hallo! I am back from a beautiful musical celebration/reunion/adventure in Germany and want to share my thoughts and feelings about what took me across the pond.

For those of you who met me during my time in Oklahoma (or later), you might not know that many moons ago I used to play in bands, and toured all over the United States and Europe performing non-classical music. It really feels like a different lifetime, and sometimes I find myself thinking “Did I really do that? Did I really play there?” Those were the days before graduate school and orchestra auditions, and dissertation writing, when I was wild, young, and free without a care in the world or a smartphone anchoring me to virtual reality. How I miss those days sometimes.

The first band I ever worked with was called A Whisper in the Noise. It was not your typical “band” set up. The group went through many instrumental mutations, but by the time I joined, it was me (violin), Matt (drums), and West (vocals, keyboard, guitar), and electronic sounds that came from somewhere - maybe Matt? Maybe West? Who knows? We also performed occasionally with a bass player, although that was mostly programmed into backing tracks, and we also had a video that was synced to the music. Looking back, it was an exceptional time in my musical development, and working with Matt and West when I was just a little undergraduate music baby shaped me in ways I am just now starting to unravel.

A Whisper in the Noise had the good fortune of being uncovered or discovered or liked, or some odd combination of those things plus a little extra sorcery I’m sure, by a record label based in the town of Borkheide (just outside of Berlin) Germany called Exile on Mainstream Records. Exile put out 2 records for AWITN, “Dryland” in 2007 and “To Forget” in 2012. “Dryland” as far as I can remember was an unexpected success in Europe and fostered a fan base for us to do an 8-week tour in 2008 that took us far and wide across the EU and included some of the most hilarious and bizarre stories of my life.

Exile on Mainstream, it is important to remember, upholds a beautiful and specific artistic vision that celebrates uniqueness, small pressings, boutique packaging, and sounds that are not mainstream but come from fantastically talented and creative individuals and ensembles.  In fact, the landing page of the website reads

“Beware the lollipop of mediocrity; lick it once, and you’ll suck forever.” ~Brian Wilson

And that pretty much sums up the label. Every person I have ever met who is associated with Exile has a specific tangible energy. Not all the same type of energy, but something you can feel or hear humming at different speeds and frequencies.

Back to the performance...

We decided not to play the hits at this show. Nobody really felt like dusting off old songs and doing what we did 10 years ago. So much has changed in all of our lives and it didn’t seem like a fair representation to do that to ourselves. Instead, we put together a live performance of new sounds interwoven haunted by the ghosts of old songs. We (I should say West and Matt because I really didn’t play a significant role in all of this until the actual performance) created sound beds that were manipulated in real time. We referenced songs from the past, as well music from West’s most recent film score for the movie “Glass” while leaving space for me to improvise over the top and create new sounds only for that moment at that performance. Matt also created some incredible video art for this performance to enhance the show. We rehearsed once, 6 weeks before the concert. This is not my typical performance preparation process these days, and I was pretty nervous leading up to showtime (and I mean for about 2 weeks before the show). We talked and texted about everything regularly. West sent me sheet music from the Glass score to look at, I practiced with my cool new loop pedal at home, but this felt like a giant leap of faith for me, and mostly I didn’t want to let Andreas down.

EOM20 took place over four days in Leipzig, at UT Connewitz and Paul Gerhardt Church (where we played). The festival was a celebration of 20 years of Exile which means bands and performers from every era of the label showed up to perform. April 4-7 were filled with music and reunions both musically and social, with old musical family members and new friendships.  There were some very familiar faces to me, like Ostinato, Bulbul, the Antikaroshi, and the Winchester Club who I’ve had the pleasure of touring and performing with in the past, as well as totally new sounds to my ears like Darsombra, Dalek, Bell Rope, Kristian Harting and many more. Several bands reunited specifically for this occasion, like A Whisper in the Noise, Ostinato, and the legendary VOLT who I am so happy I finally witnessed live.

I hadn’t seen some of these people in nearly 10 years and returning to Germany and sharing the stage with these beautiful people was an honor and a privilege. It was also a great reminder that following an artistic urge or direction that is deeper than commercial success brings great satisfaction. That what you excel at, and how you express yourself may not be something that everyone can relate to, and that is incredible and beautiful. Resonating at a unique artistic frequency is something to cherish more than a paycheck.

Maybe it is the move to Los Angeles, or perhaps it is just the season of life that I currently find myself in, but preparing for and taking part in this festival jolted my system awake in a way that I have been in desperate need of for a long time. I forgot about the musical strengths I have that rarely get flexed. I forgot how important working with people I respect and admire is, and how much I need these relationships. I forgot what it means to close your eyes and trust that you can create something extraordinary onstage for yourself and the audience. I forgot how satisfying it is to just play, create, and perform and not constantly analyze. I forgot that the creative process cannot be summed up on social media (or a blog). I forgot that being marketable really doesn’t matter when you offer something genuine. I forgot, I forgot, I forgot.

...and now I remember.  

Upon returning home, all I can really say is “thank you” - to everyone who was there. To those who witnessed the AWITN reunion, to those I met and re-met, who helped me order a vegan burger or a beer (or both), to my fellow musicians, and most importantly, to Andreas who had the idea to call us out of the blue and invite us to reunite for this one-off special event. He knew. He always knows.

Love. Noise. Freedom. 

The Traveling Violinist - Eaux Claires

Eaux Claires, WI + Justin Vernon + Aaron Dessner = The newest, coolest music festival in the land.                    

This is the second year of this festival. We went last year, and then when we saw the line up for this year we hopped to and bought tickets again. I would never consider myself an avid festival attendee. I'm more of a 'here I am playing, and look at these cool other musicians I accidentally got to see because I'm already here'. This is the only festival I have ever wanted to go to as an audience member. I morph back into a version of myself that is geeky and excited about music in all shapes and sizes and wants nothing more than to hang out, listen, and watch.The variety of music, the diversity of performers, the collaborations that are encouraged are just so cool. This year they were even bigger and better than last year, which was a feat in and of itself because last year was AWESOME! 

Here is my festival story. I didn't get to see everyone or everything but there were so many great performances, art, performers, food, refreshments, you name it.

FRIDAY

We arrived promptly at noon. I really wanted to see So Percussion but I was pleasantly surprised to see and hear an organist sitting on the main festival grounds and played regularly throughout each day. Hark! Is that Bach I hear blaring between rock ‘n’ roll sets?

So Percussion 12pm (with Buke and Gase)

I was so excited to see these guys! They were in NYC when I visited a few weeks ago but I opted out of seeing them because I knew I would be able to soak them in NOW. And what a great surprise to see Buke and Gase with them! I can’t think of a better way to start a music festival!

Here is a quick excerpt from their bio -

With its innovative multi-genre original productions, sensational interpretations of modern classics, and “exhilarating blend of precision and anarchy, rigor and bedlam,” (The New Yorker), Sō Percussion has redefined the scope of the modern percussion ensemble.

Their repertoire ranges from “classics” of the 20th century, by John Cage, Steve Reich, and Iannis Xenakis, et al, to commissioning and advocating works by contemporary composers, to distinctively modern collaborations with artists who work outside the classical concert hall. 

So Percussion with Buke and Gase recording preview

So Percussion, Buke and Gase

My Brightest Diamond

I have loved this band for years. Shara Nova (new name) is a true talent. The My Brightest Diamond cover of “Feeling Good” by Nina Simone is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES EVER

In fact, here it is…

And from their website...

Not many people can front a rock band, sing Górecki’s Third Symphony, lead a marching band processional down the streets of the Sundance film festival and perform in a baroque opera of their own composing all in a month’s time. But Shara Nova can.

Her multi faceted career as My Brightest Diamond, which began with an acclaimed independent rock record, has reflected her journey into the world of performing arts. Born in diamond rich Arkansas and then raised all around the country, Nova came from a musical family of traveling evangelists. She went on to study operatic voice and then classical composition after a move to New York City.

Shara began issuing recordings as My Brightest Diamond in 2006.

Be Brave

My Brightest Diamond

S. Carey on a tiny stage in the woods

-He is not my type. I want to like him so badly! I don’t know what it is that just makes me think ‘meh…’ but the setting was perfect for his sincere and soft musical stylings.

Senyawa

By far one of the weirest most unexpected performances I saw. Very very cool! Glad I stopped at the Foxy Falafel and was accidentally enthralled with their exotic and totally captivating sounds

Here's a little bit about them...

Jogjakarta’s Senyawa embodies the aural elements of Javanese music whilst exploring the framework of experimental music practice, pushing the boundaries of both traditions. Their music strikes a perfect balance between their avant-garde influences and cultural heritage to create truly contemporary Indonesian new music.

Their sound is comprised of Rully Shabara’s deft extended vocal techniques punctuating the frenetic sounds of instrument builder, Wukir Suryadi’s modern-primitive instrumentation. Inventions like his handcrafted ‘Bamboo Spear’; a thick stem of bamboo strung up with percussive strips of the animal skin along side steel strings. Amplified it fuses elements of traditional Indonesian instrumentation with garage guitar distortion. Sonically dynamic, the instrument can be rhythmically percussive on one side whilst being melodically bowed and plucked on the other.

Since then they have gone on to perform at MONA FOMA Festival in Tasmania, the Adelaide Festival with Korean singer Bae Il Dong, toured as special guests of Australian supergroup Regurgitator, performed at the Glatt und Verkert Festival in Austria along side Japanese guitar master Kazuhisa Uchihashi, as well as the Malmo Sommarscen Festival in Sweden, Salihara Literature Festival in Jakarta, CTM Festival in Berlin, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Clandestino Festival in Norway and Oct Loft Jazz Festival in China. Senyawa was awarded a one month residency at AIR Krems as part of the Krems city wide festival in Austria where they were the star guests.

yMusic and The Staves

This was my absolute favorite performance from last year’s festival. The eerily haunting vocals of the staves blend perfectly with yMusic’s sound. They said they reworked some of their music and also reworked traditional English folk tunes for this performance. I cannot gush about this collaboration enough!

Art in the woods and rain

It started to rain, thank goodness we brought ponchos! We headed into the woods to see some of the installations, hide under the tree canopy and tromp around in the mud a little bit. We made some fellow festival friends but did not manage to stay super dry. My pink TOMS turned brown. Lovely

Sarah Neufeld

Sarah Neufeld is a violinist and composer based in Montréal, Canada. Best known as a member of Arcade Fire, she is also a founding member of the acclaimed contemporary instrumental ensemble Bell Orchestre, and most recently as half of an exciting new duo with renowned saxophonist Colin Stetson.

Neufeld began developing pieces for solo violin in a formal sense in 2011, though she has made improvisation and solo composition part of her process and practice since first picking up the instrument at a young age. Neufeld counts Bela Bartok, Steve Reich, Iva Bittova and Arthur Russell among the formative influences for her solo work, in tandem with an ear for the textures and sensibilities of contemporary electro-acoustic, avant-folk and indie rock music.

Vince Staples

A rapper in the middle of the WI woods? What? I'm not too savvy in this genre but he certainly put on a great show and used really provocative video footage and installations in his performance.

James Blake in the Rain

I have never seen so many people want to dance while the performer sits behind a keyboard. He didn’t stand up once and yet people were dancing and jamming out in the rain. Also, he composes and records everything electronically but performs everything live with a band. All of those beats are recreated in real time with an actual drummer. It is incredible

Also, I ate the most amazing cheese curds in the rain and have been craving them ever since. The Curd Girl A true love of my life…..I will never forget those curds (swoon).

Bon Iver

The Debut of new music. WOW. Just wow.

I love that every time I hear Bon Iver perform his songs have been reworked and reorchestrated, incorporating new instruments and arrangements every time. That is so special! I cannot gush enough about how awesome that is. Do you know how hard it is to continually breathe new life into ‘old’ works? Not everyone can do it and certainly not everyone wants to.

You know what else I love? That this is a great show to watch because of the music. No dancers, no (super) crazy light show, no videos just a dude from Eaux Claires and his band rocking out to some soulful, heartfelt, from the heart rock (if you can call it that) music.

I got back to the hotel, looked in the mirror and realized I resembled a drowned rat and I didn’t even care. Guys I’m telling you – music! Whoa!

Saturday

We had breakfast with friends AWAY from the festival before heading back for round 2. Our feet were sore and needed a break....and some coffee. 

Then off we went!

Coffee, Sunshine, and Eighth Blackbird playing Bryce Dessner’s Murder Ballads

Here is a little bit about them....

Eighth Blackbird’s “super-musicians” (Los Angeles Times) combine the finesse of a string quartet, the energy of a rock band, and the audacity of a storefront theater company. The Chicago-based, four-time GRAMMY Award-winning sextet celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2016: two decades of performing for audiences across the country and around the world with impeccable precision and a signature style.

A winner of the 2016 MacArthur Award for Effective and Creative Institutions, Eighth Blackbird has been described as “one of the smartest, most dynamic contemporary classical ensembles on the planet” (Chicago Tribune). The group began in 1996 as a six entrepreneurial Oberlin Conservatory students and quickly became “a brand-name…defined by adventure, vibrancy and quality….known for performing from memory, employing choreography and collaborations with theater artists, lighting designers and even puppetry artists” (Detroit Free Press).

Filament centers around a live recording of Philip Glass’s early masterpiece, Two Pages, and includes world premiere recordings of works by Bryce Dessner (Murder Ballades), Nico Muhly (Doublespeak), and two remixes by Son Lux, whose tracks gather sounds from the other compositions on the album, stringing together the album’s musical ‘filament’ and adding the voice of Shara Worden (of My Brightest Diamond). Filament was selected as Album of the Week by WQXR/Q2 Music, Seattle’s Second Inversion, and the Chicago Tribune. The San Francisco Chronicle called it “wonderful…a fine release…comprising both restless energy and reverence.”

Eighth Blackbird’s mission—to move music forward through innovative performance, advocacy for new music by living composers, and a legacy of guiding an emerging generation of musicians —extends beyond recording and touring to curation and education.

I love their most recent album Filament! Seeing this ensemble on the festival lineup was definitely an incentive to buy tickets. They performed several times each day. I am so happy we caught ‘Murder Ballades’ – an historical musical trend that I can get behind (traditionally songs written about famous murders and murderers but with a catchy upbeat vibe….dark, dark, dark, right?)

Anyone who thinks classical music is dead/dying/no longer relevant clearly needs to spend a weekend in the woods of WI! 

Mavis Staples

Mavis Staples will doubtlessly go down in history as one of the greatest gospel singers of all time, the breathtaking voice powering one of America's great family bands, The Staple Singers. From the traditional gospel music of the 1950s to the 1960s protest songs that underscored some of the decade's most dramatic social changes, from the self-empowerment anthems of the 1970s to the soulful love tunes and mature Americana of more recent years, Staples and her family have consistently created some of the best and most inspirational music of the past half-century.

And although Staples is now more than 70 years old, she has no intention of giving up the calling that has consumed her since she was a child. "Ain't no stopping me, I will sing," Staples declared in a recent interview. "You know, you'd have to come and scoop me off the stage. I'm gonna sing till I die."

What a great show! She has so much energy! She also brought Lucius on stage to sing some back up vocals and made it known that if Justin Vernon asked her out ‘She’s available!’

It was great fun!

Next up was Shabazz Palace.

Filling time before the yMusic performance (one of my ‘Can’t miss this!’ performance of the weekend)  Somebody recommended we check this one out. I had never heard of them but hot diggity they sound good with a meal of Cauliflower Steak with Saffron Aioli (Foxy Falafel needs to open a branch in Tulsa!)

That cauliflower.....perfect!

yMUSIC

Fan girl moment! I love this group! I love the music written for them, the collaborations they choose to take part in (pretty much everybody). Nadia Sirota hosts one of my all time podcasts “Meet the Composer”

Hailed by NPR’s Fred Child as “one of the groups that has really helped to shape the future of classical music,” yMusic is a group of six New York City instrumentalists flourishing in the overlap between the pop and classical worlds. Their virtuosic execution and unique configuration (string trio, flute, clarinet, and trumpet) has attracted the attention of high profile collaborators—from Ben Folds to Dirty Projectors to Jose Gonzalez—and inspired an expanding repertoire of original works by some of today’s foremost composers, including Nico Muhly and Andrew Norman.

In addition to performing their own repertoire, yMusic serves as a ready-made collaborative unit for bands and songwriters, and have lent their distinctive sound to dozens of albums, most recently, Ben Folds’ 2015 release “So there.”  Other recent collaborations include recording and tours with José González, The Tallest Man on Earth, Dirty Projectors, The Staves, Bon Iver, and Blake Mills.

Buke and Gase

I have friends who know these people. I have friends who have admired their music for years. Although not the most captivating live performers (I think what they have to do a whole bunch of very complicated things that I totally don’t understand but sound really cool) there music is really awesome! I walked away from their performance excited to listen to more (so did Jeff). I also really liked that the singer’s mom came to the show and her daughter enthusiastically greeted her from the stage. How cute is that? Who cares about being a ‘cool’ rocker? What’s cooler than having your mom in the audience for your show.

We tried to get into the Grateful Dead cover performance that featured pretty much every famous person they could get their hands on but none of us are really ‘Dead Heads’. I didn’t grow up listening to it, I’m not a super fan of tie-dye and I’m pretty sure I’ve never done the amount of drugs needed to get on ‘that level’ so we headed up the hill to catch a little bit of the Har Mar Superstar set

Here we are briefly ignoring the Grateful Dead cover.

Har Mar Superstar

Sounds like Justin Timberlake, moves like Jagger, looks like……ratatouille. Just kidding (kind of)

A crooner who likes to get naked and has not one bit of body shame. Always a good time. I’ve seen him live several times and seem to keep going back for more.

Erykah Badu

She may have been 30mins late to her own set.

But when she showed up she slayed.

She is an artist through and through. She clearly has a vision for herself, her music, and her performance.

Even though it was almost half as long as it was supposed to be, her performance knocked everyone’s socks off. No offense to Beach House but it would be hard for anyone to follow this act. I could seriously gush about how awesome she was, her band was, the performance, the vibe. I'd go again in heart beat!

Beach House

This was the last night of the festival. We were staying to the end NO MATTER WHAT!

Beach House is a band that I always enjoy and always forget to think about. Is that bad? I feel bad saying that because I would never want to be described that way.

I have to say that their website is delightfully elusive.

http://www.beachhousebaltimore.com

Francis and The Lights

The very last act of the festival. SO much pressure? I really didn’t know this guy or his music before looking into the festival line up. There isn’t a ton of current music available to listen to, some EPs that are a few years old, some collaborations etc. but he totally got a bunch of buzz due to this video:

So guess who everyone was assuming/hoping/expecting to show up? Kanye West.

This guy has the stage presence of Kramer and Edward Scissorhands rolled into one dancing, singing machine. It is amazing what one performer can do sometimes to keep a crowd’s attention.

For the very last song of the very last night of the festival he was joined onstage by Justin Vernon and……

Chance the Rapper.

Perhaps a stand in for Kanye? I know, after doing a little research, that they have worked together. They did the dance from the video (see above) and the crowd went wild. It was a great dance party to end the night and festival.

My feet were tired, my shoes were covered in mud, my legs ached from the walking and standing but it was another great festival. Music, man…..it is just the greatest.