NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL KICKS OFF!

Yesterday marked the beginning of 2009’s Northside Festival. We went to pick up our badges and got outside just in time to catch pow wow! playing an acoustic set on the sidewalk of N 6^th Street and Kent Avenue. Brightening up a dreary, damp late afternoon with a few of their signature catchy tunes, the group got the crowd outside to put their hoods on and stay awhile. A pair of Brooklyn-hip pre-tweens ran up with smiles on their faces; it was hard to tell if they were tossing dollars into the comically cliché open guitar case, or trying to snag the cash for themselves. Times are hard.   

 

A fellow cadet and I were musing about how mellow the band’s drummer, Mikey, seemed to be without a full drum kit. But sure enough, Mikey spotted Greg Sullo from Dinosaur Feathers in the crowd and got up to the usual antics that make this band so much fun to watch. Marching through the crowd and then down the street, Mikey continued to play the snare drum as a haphazard troubadour, leaving Greg to keep the beat with the remaining floor tom as the other boys strummed to the finish.

A burrito, two tacos and many Heinekens later, we headed over to The Cameo to see Ducktails perform. The crowd stood scattered and slowly swaying to the electronic permutations, in an almost reverent trance. This is how imagine visiting the Rothko Temple would be like, you know, if the lights were off. The seats lining the walls of the space were being stood upon, so as to see the solo act perform, crouched on the floor amongst an intricate web of effects pedals. After a quick break for applause, Ducktails stood up to play a song with guitar and vocals, staying true to the dreamy, mesmerizing but bringing it back into a more down-to-earth feel. 

 

We finished up the night with Free Energy at Public Assembly. The band cranked out hooky 80s-esque rock tunes one after another, smiling all night and never losing steam. The band’s singer had a swagger that was cocky yet endearingly so; I caught more than a few people in the crowd pumping their fists and shaking their hips. Its always nice to see a band perform that is having as much fun as the people watching them. These boys may be from Philly but I think they fit in just fine in Brooklyn.