SoundTown 2011 @ Somerset Amphitheater (Concert Review)

SoundTown, the 2-day festival marking the musical rebirth of the newly renamed Somerset Amphitheater, has come to an end, and despite possibly the most telling aspect seemed to be a negative (lack of attendance), it can be deemed a success. The Flaming Lips, New Pornographers, DeVotchKa, Delta Spirit, Okkervil River, Sims, Solid Gold, Pink Mink and more charmed crowds varying from a couple hundred up to 5,000+. While the turnout was definitely modest the bands (for the most part) acted as if they were playing to 10s of thousands, something definitely welcome for a festival in its infancy.

SoundTown Artists Mural

HIGHLIGHTS

Delta Spirit - Coming off a raucous Lollapalooza set a couple weeks back, the impassioned Californians truly broke-in the new massive mainstage with their energetic early Friday evening performance. They weren't the first to play on it (Cory Chisel played an endearing but less spastic set earlier in the day), but they did inaugurate it by truly exploring it's ridiculous size. Matt Vasquez bounded back and forth and hit all the right notes with a crowd eager to start their weekend party.

Sims - This year's breakout Doomtree member packed the Summit Tent for his prime Friday 8:00pm time slot. While he expertly delivered a high-powered set drawing mainly from his new album, Bad Time Zoo, it was hard for the crowd to keep their eyes off of Sims' partner in crime, Lazerbeak, who recreated most of the intense beats for the live setting. (Note: I recorded video of "Burn It Down," but the bass is overwhelming, drowning out everything else. I'll post it if it can be fixed)

The Flaming Lips - The festival veterans and appropriately chosen headliners delivered the kind of spectacle you would expect but could never fathom. Hell, I had seen it before, yet it still induced a jaw-dropping reaction. As they marched through their set, delivering the psychedelic showmanship that has garnered them such a devoted fan base, Wayne Coyne continuously urged the crowd to let their inner wildness loose. The countless balloons, confetti cannons, inflatable catfish and Wizard of Oz themed dancers didn't hurt either. They drew their set (and the festival) to a close with the communal "Do You Realize?," making for a truly sincere moment of appreciation from the glowing crowd.

The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne

The New Pornographers - The people that were complaining that The New Pornographers were without Neko Case or Dan Bejar for their Friday night headlining slot probably haven't seen the band live; the crowd is lucky when either or both of them are on tour with the group. Frankly, after Neko Case's disappointing Rock the Garden set, I was fine without her; Kathryn Calder shines a bit more sans Neko, and her voice pleasantly pierced through the crowd all evening. They played the songs fans would want them to play, even throwing in a Bejar-less "Testament to Youth in Verse," which thrilled the small number of devotees in attendance.

Best of the Rest - Solid Gold gave off the ideal sunny day vibe with their Saturday afternoon set, focusing heavily on new material (which sounds excellent) / Heiruspecs closed off the Summit Tent with authority Saturday night / Pink Mink was blistering as always

Solid Gold

LOWLIGHTS

Slick Rick - It didn't help that Doug E. Fresh was a last minute cancellation, but the old school hip-hop icon was out of place and seemingly out of breath, almost remaining stationary during his 30+ minute set. The Lifted Crew proved to be a commendable backing band, but let's be honest, no one was there to see them.

Ghostland Observatory - Their Friday night set looked impressive from afar (lasers! lasers! lasers!) but their synth and beat-heavy output sounded repetitive, obnoxious and dated.

Ghostland Observatory

Okkervil River - After putting on one of the better First Avenue shows I've seen this year, Okkervil River (unlike Delta Spirit the day before them) seemed taken aback by the lack of people attending their main stage set. It took a solid 40 minutes for Will Sheff & company to really hit a groove, but the late inning rally couldn't save the performance as a whole. (Note: bassist and all around good guy Patrick Pestorius hung out with the crowd to catch The Flaming Lips, and graciously offered to go on a backstage beer run for me and my friends...which we of course agreed to with no arm-twisting required)

Other Misses - Roma di Luna's much publicized planned split brought them a nice sized crowd for their Friday night set, but the shock of seeing the band without key/founding member Alexei Moon Casselle was too much to overcome, ultimately giving us a band that was just phoning it in / White Light Riot failed to connect with a crowd trying to rock out while Slick Rick was napping on the main stage.

WELL DONE

The Grounds - The new festival grounds were a welcome improvement for those of us that remember the Edgefests of yesteryear. The concrete floor eliminates the risk of mud pits on rainy weekends, while the permanent seating was a nice touch for concertgoers wanting to be closer to the action, but not on their feet.

Drinks - No Bud Light here. SoundTown's main beer stations served up Summit EPA and Summit Pilsener (and rumors of Summit Oktoberfest being available in the VIP area turned out to be true) for a reasonable $5 (in ticket form). For the same price, a variety of bottom tier mixed drinks were available as well, and were poured with a heavy hand.

Local Influence - Minneapolis loves its musicians, and its musicians love Minneapolis. Some of the most rabid sets of the weekend were headlined by local bands/artists, and many lesser known local acts got a nice taste of a larger crowd. The Arms Akimbo played a crisp early Saturday set and Pink Mink rocked as expected, but I was especially impressed by live hip-hop troupe More Than Lights, who delivered an early Friday set that really worked up the crowd.

The Arms Akimbo

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT

Food - Upon arriving back home Sunday morning, the only thing I craved were vegetables, lots and lots of vegetables. The fest's noticeable lack of variety in food vendors was incredibly disappointing (and I'm a carnivore...a Polish carnivore). Next year, maybe tame down some of the stereotypical fair food and focus a bit more on a quality/real ingredients. It took Rock the Garden a couple years to get it right, and I have the same hope for SoundTown.

Restrooms - I'm shocked that it took until Day 2 for my female compatriots to start tweeting about the lack of locks on the new [surprisingly nice] permanent bathrooms. Both sexes' bathroom stalls were sans locks, and that made doing your business all the more adventurous (but hey, still beats a porta-potty). These were a great addition, now they just need to be completed. 

Stages - While all three stages were impressive in their own right, it was the two temporary stages (The Summit Tent and Metromix stage) that were placed all too close to each other. While their speaker systems rarely competed, there was occasional overlap, making it more logical to move the confined tent to the other side of the grounds. The tamer Metromix stage also suffered from the immense sound delivered from the main stage, often drowning out its performers completely. 

SoundTown Festival Grounds

While it would be impossible to not notice this was SoundTown's first year, the experience was overall a positive one. The organizers were absolutely clued in on where to start, and can easily improve on the festival for the future. Throughout the day Saturday, buzz started to pick up regarding SoundTown 2012, to the point where 89.3 The Current's DJs (who introduced many of the bands) pushed fans to head to Facebook for recommendations on next year's lineup. SoundTown was definitely a step in the right direction, and it's comforting to know that the organizers are committed to making it bigger and better in the years to come. We need this kind of festival near Minneapolis, and it's on the right track.

89.3 The Current's 6th Birthday Party (Concert Review)

Over the past couple years, Minneapolitans (and you crazy St. Paulites) have become accustomed to The Current Effect. Ever since our beloved public radio station started pushing and promoting concerts a little heavier than in their infant years, those live performances have been selling out at a rapid clip, and it's created a lot of disdain in the local concert-going community that tickets have to be snatched up as soon as they go on sale. Boo-freaking-hoo. You can't have one with out the other, and I for one am thrilled with the amount of attention some of these bands & musicians have received on account of The Current. Last night at First Avenue, The Current continued to give back and be thankful for their success by presenting their [very affordable] 6th Birthday Party, which to nobody's surprise, sold out in about 22 seconds.

While it was a bummer that Cloud Cult had to bow out of the opening slot due to Craig Minowa's health, 11th hour replacements Trampled by Turtles filled in more than admirably...and provided fodder for some of the best tweets of the night (thanks to the #CurrentBday hashtag). While the manic Duluth bluegrass band blew through song after song and worked the early evening crowd into a frenzy, a tremendous amount of pride was in the air. We all knew that this was going to be a great night featuring our community's best. After absolutely shredding the stage with Current favorite "Wait So Long," the moonshine-sippers tipped their collective hat to the band they unfortunately had to replace on the bill, closing with a fantastic rendition of Cloud Cult's "The Ghost Inside Our House."

I'm pretty sure that once Trampled by Turtles left the stage, 86% of the First Avenue crowd instantly felt bad for Roma di Luna. They had some big overalls to fill, and despite getting the all-important Mayor R.T. Rybak introduction, they ultimately fell flat. After our ears were fiddled to oblivion, Roma di Luna just seemed a little out of place. Their sultry sounds are more than enjoyable, but it was one difficult room for them to play. The crowd did get into the closer "Before I Die," but it all seemed too little too late. Now, if The Current ever decides to expand their annual celebration into all of the building's digs, Roma di Luna would have been a perfect fit for a mid-evening set in the 7th Street Entry.

Jeremy Messersmith, arguably the strongest singer-songwriter currently calling Minneapolis home, was up next. And thankfully, he had the full band with him. After making the local television rounds Friday morning promoting the gig, Messersmith got to show off why The Reluctant Graveyard was one of the best local releases from 2010. With a slow and steady build-up that featured each of his band mates joining him onstage donning all white, Messersmith immediately grabbed and held the crowd's attention. Featuring a string quartet (or at times, trio) in the large majority of his set was the spectacled singer's wisest decision. His entire half-hour went all too quickly, but he made sure to enjoy the rest of the evening, culminating in this early morning tweet (via @jmessersmith):

3am. Trophy in hand. Slightly inebriated. Eating pie. Some days are too much rock and roll. Thanks for the love tonight Minneapolis.

The trophy he references was one of the many "Current Awards" handed out throughout the evening. Messersmith won for best album. Also staking claim to one of the bowling trophies handed out by Current DJs were Dessa (best local tweeter...who ripped off a sweet 140 character rhyme) and Adam Levy (best dressed...although he said his wife says he looks like a "blind Jewish man"). While the awards were fairly entertaining and made for some solid memories (i.e. Mark Mallman's "Weird" award), the presentations took a little too much time away from the music off the evening.

Enter Brother Ali. Taking the stage as if he rightfully owned it, the North Minneapolis rapper instantly gave the crowd a kick in the pants. After Messersmith's soothing set, Brother Ali brought the second wind many of us very much needed. Very few people can command a room the way Ali did, but two songs in, I resigned to the fact that I would do whatever he told me to. After his mic cut out during the third verse of "Fresh Air," Ali commented that he had always had that exact nightmare, but now that it happened, "it ain't that bad." He didn't skip a beat and ripped through rhyme after rhyme, song after song. Ali's positivity is indicative of the Minneapolis hip-hop scene, and he had to have won over a ton of new fans last night. To wrap up his set, he provided one of the more poignant moments of the night, covering the late Eyedea's anthem "Smile." Awesome.

By the time Free Energy took the stage a little before 1am, several hundred people had already decided to call it a night. They lose. The Philadelphia (by way of MN) party rockers proved why they were chosen to close out the evening. Opening, as expected, with their self-named jam, Free Energy were the perfect end to a night showcasing the Minnesota music scene. Not only did they feature a bunch of tracks from last year's Stuck On Nothing, but they also introduced us to the newly-christened rocker "Backscratcher," as well as a throwback from their Hockey Night days, complete with all original members on stage. By the end of their set, they really made the crowd thankful for the free earplugs supplied at their merch table.

Before Free Energy's set, Jill Riley teased a "special encore," which turned out to be an all-star rendition of the Lipps Inc. classic "Funky Town." Joining Free Energy on stage were Jeremy Messersmith, David Campbell, members of Roma di Luna and others. I know I'm not the only one that wanted to see Brother Ali come back on stage and lay down a few more rhymes during the breakdown, but sadly, that didn't happen.

As trendy as it's become to knock on The Current and its "effect," we all have to be thankful that we have a station that gives us nights like these. Five uniquely different acts for $12? Plus a copy of Local Current V1? Plus a young couple dry-humping in front of me during Free Energy's entire set?

Yeah, more than worth it.