popwreckoning

For a long time, it seemed like St. Louis was only going to purport its stereotype of being a rap and hip hop town. Nelly was the most recognizable act from this gateway city. If a music fan wanted to listen to some indier acts, they’d have to traverse to Chicago or even Kansas City. Bands seemed to skip by this place unless they were of amphitheatre magnitude, and without anyone to step up and organize an event to draw these smaller indie acts, St. Louis seemed helpless as to how to change this.

But the people started speaking up – showing their musical tastes to be more diverse than just Top 40 radio. And guess what? The city answered. Slowly there has been a trend where these smaller rising bands and even more established, but not-quite-amphitheatre-status groups started visiting the Lou. And then the biggest boost: this year, St. Louis was presented with the first (hopefully annual) LouFest.

LouFest, a two-day music festival in the beautiful Forest Park, featured over 18 acts this past weekend with Canada collective Broken Social Scene headlining Saturday and the band crush of many, She & Him, on Sunday. Though the line-up seemed to focus more on indie folk or garage rock, it found its diversity in other ways: Jeff Tweedy and Built to Spill brought a classic touch, while Fruit Bats and So Many Dynamos brought a newer touch. Carolina Chocolate Drops gave a bit of a musical history lesson, while Gentleman Auction House, Kim Massie and others showed the range of local talents.

Bottle Rockets had the honor of being the first band to play at the first LouFest. Though their set was rocking for this established act, the crowd was sparse that early in the day. People were either trying to beat the heat or the steep ticket prices (lower cost is the number one suggestion for the 2nd LouFest!) because the crowd didn’t start filling out until around 5 p.m. Which is a shame because some of the best bands of the whole festival played that early afternoon.

Stephaniesid‘s music seemed to be unfamiliar to most everyone, but by the end of her set she had made everyone feel like old friends. She had a bit of a country alt rock thing but with the adornment of little, almost jazzy, freestyle yelps. This woman knows how to own a stage – she danced with the decorative drapings, sang her heart out and even got the crowd to singalong and participate, which wasn’t easy in that heat.

St. Louis’ own So Many Dynamos took over the blue stage after Stephaniesid and they had surprises in store for their hometown crowd. The boys invited out the Funky Brass Butt Band to amp up their set.

Adam Reichmann on the yellow stage had a harder time finding an audience for his slower jams, not to say he and his band were bad, but at least in this setting, the music and jokes fell flat.

But Titus Andronicus didn’t have any trouble finding enthusiasm for their brand of punk indie rock. Perhaps it was the contagious smile of violinist/guitarist Alexi Crawford or the New Jersey quips or catchy lyrics of frontman Patrick Stickles, but this was one of the best performances of the entire festival and that was evident by the crowd’s reaction.

That energy was set to carry over into Lucero’s set, but unfortunately the lead singer was ill and they had to call things short despite an admirable effort to play a rocking set even with his weary voice. St. Louis understands, but come back soon?

Word is that when LouFest organizers put out a survey to see what bands the city wanted them to bring – the number one response was Airborne Toxic Event. This is the viola-wielding, piano beating band that brought radio “Sometime Around Midnight” with a hushed intro that grows into a screaming, guitars blazing end. Yeah, they’re undoubtably good, but the number one request for the fest? Turns out Airborne Toxic Event had never played St. Louis in their 370 or so shows since their inception. So they were well overdue for an appearance. The band must have been feeling a little guilty for their extended performance absence and they spoiled St. Louis by debuting a bunch of new songs, which feature the same dynamic drive that powers their radio hits. You won’t have to worry about sophomore slump with this band.

Built to Spill as classic indie rock staples drew a huge crowd not just from LouFest attendees, but also from bands curious to see live one of their primary influences.

Broken Social Scene swamped the stage with their many collective members trading off vocals and instruments. There really couldn’t have been a better headliner for the night. Brass, double drums, great harmonies and tons of energy from staple Kevin Drew. While most bands save their big stunts for a big set closer, Drew showed by the second song that they weren’t holding anything back; he jumped off the stage and was embracing the audience. If you’ve never had the chance to experience this band live, you must. Their recordings don’t do the live show justice.

Sunday’s bands would have to really pull out all the stops to top what was delivered Saturday.

Since Sunday is the lord’s day, the bluesy, soulful voice of St. Louis’ miss Kim Massie delivered a special Gospel set to start the day before Magnolia Summer and then one of the more buzzed about bands: Carolina Chocolate Drops. They’re perhaps best known for their cover of “Hit ‘Em Up Style,” but the americana trio is more than just a novelty cover. Though the instruments are untraditional to what the typical guitar-based band, this act is all about the traditions: water jugs, fiddle and banjo. It was a fun lesson for what really is American’s musical history. But, of course, the fun cover made this set perfect.

Gentleman Auction House was another act representing St. Louis. Two drummers, two keyboardists and the enrichment of brass. St. Louis bands aren’t afraid to break out a little pomp to boost the volume of their sets.

Cory Chisel & the Wandering Sons continued the trend of delivering feel good Americana songs, unfortunately, with such stand up acts before them, they didn’t stand out quite as much as they usually would have.

Fruit Bats continued the festival’s trend of delivering feel good folk music over on the Yellow Stage. It was a bit more lively than the preceding set and got people moving.

Alejandro Escovedo was an artist that I hadn’t really heard, but had heard a lot about. Everything from “classic” to “best guitarist” ever were some of the excited boasts I had heard. However, while the music was good, it was too laid back to really take a grip. Perhaps Alejandro was just a little overhyped.

Jeff Tweedy might be St. Louis’ favorite son. Actually, earlier that day, the mayor had proclaimed that day “Jeff Tweedy Day,” to which Tweedy responded in true rebellious son fashion, “That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard.” The Wilco front man appeared without his usual band mates, but that didn’t stop him from performing the Wilco hits with his acoustic guitar. This set really was a treat for the Tweedy/Wilco fan, but for first time listeners, they might have had a hard time getting into – be patient, keep giving the music a chance and start with Wilco recordings before returning to the solo stuff would be my advice to those people.

Jeff Tweedy

She & Him closed off the weekend, but honestly, I could have done with an encore performance from Broken Social Scene. Sure Zooey is the band crush of many, but she didn’t really engage with the audience. M. Ward tried and I have to admit, I liked his songs about more for their rocking edge. I really enjoyed the cover of “Roll Over Beethoven,” that they closed with. But with how much praise this indie duo gets, I have to say that it was a bit of a letdown to see them deliver their set with lackluster energy and then short the audience of 20 minutes of performance with an early departure. Bring back BSS, please!

Though I found some of the 2nd day a bit more dry in the quality of performance, LouFest still did a great job and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for next year.

“Turn off, turn off this song. You can listen to it later, and go outside.” That’s what the Lonely Forest begs of us listeners on the first track on their new EP. You see, I would – but the thing is, it’s so good that I can’t possibly follow their instructions. Being the inaugural band to be signed to Chris Walla’s new Trans Records, The Lonely Forest will release the first round of new songs this month with a 5-song EP, out September 14^th. In keeping with their passionate pop rock, the Lonely Forest didn’t stray at all from their debut LP We Sing The Body Electric with this new effort. But I wouldn’t have expected anything less with fellow Washingtonian Walla nurturing this budding band.

The one glaring change on this EP is how personal it is. After listening through it several times now, I’ve connected with it on so many levels that it’s kind of crazy. The whole EP reads like a love letter to the Pacific Northwest, or more specifically, Anacortes, WA – where the band is from. “Turn Off This Song” begins the EP in a hook and harmony-driven self-deprecating plea for people to stop sitting around and to get out and do something. It takes all the cliché out of “live your life to the fullest,” and still resonates with anyone – teenagers to 30-somethings.

The next song, “Ramshackle House” almost seems like a 58-second lead-in to the song following it, but I wonder if it’s more of a preview for what’s to come on the full-length album in early 2011. Even so, it’s a short, intriguing track with a incessant humming in the background complimented by lead singer John Van Deusen’s powerful vocals. The most personal song on the EP, and one that hit me so deep that it’s almost brought me to tears several times, “Live There” is a lovely piano-laden ballad proclaiming the band’s fondness of where they live – Western Washington. In the song, we’re told that since LA is too obsessed with money and Nashville is “much too safe,” they always come back to the northwest. “Give to me miles of tall Evergreens, the smell of the ocean and cool mountain breeze, won’t you please?” Having grown up in Puget Sound myself, I can say that the Lonely Forest expressed the beauty of this region with a song equally as beautiful.

The penultimate song on the EP is the heavy “Let It Go.” And I say heavy because no aspect of the band takes a backseat on this song. Employing a much fuller sound, and most likely higher-quality recording equipment, the drums, bass, guitars, and vocals are all strong without competing for your ears’ attention. I also say heavy because “Let It Go” tells the story of a girl “pierced in the heart by a sinister dart thrown by an insecure tongue,” and it’s left to rot for years, pushing the girl further within herself until nothing’s left of her. It’s a familiar story, one that The Lonely Forest’s young fans can definitely relate to, but again – without the cliché. From here, we’re given the acoustic version of “Turn Off This Song,” which some people might find redundant, but considering the song’s message, I think it fits perfectly. We’re kicked at the beginning with Van Deusen telling us to turn off the song and go live our lives, and again as a reminder at the end. But it still doesn’t make the song any less good. We’re still going to listen to it.

Track Listing

1. Turn Off This Song
2. Ramshackle House
3. Live There
4. Let It Go
5. Turn Off This Song (Acoustic)

The Lonely Forest on MySpace

We at PopWreckoning know your wallet is hurting in these trying financial times. If you live in New York City, have we got a deal for you. DFA Records, the famed independent dance record label co-founded by James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy, has joined forces with New York’s upscale Hudson Hotel for a special (and free!) dance party from 9 PM to 12 AM Wednesday nights. It all takes place in the hotel’s Private Park, where you will be surrounded by 45-foot trees and ivy-covered walls – a world away from the usual hubbub of busy, frenetic Midtown – where you can enjoy DJ sets from the DFA family.

Justin Miller, DJ Kaos, and Matt Cash are just some of the names who have been announced as guest DJs for the month of September. And on September 15, James Murphy himself will be spinning, along with “special guests” yet to be announced. Seeing that it’s James Murphy we’re talking about, it’s probably going to be some pretty big names. (For starters, I’m going to guess Tim Sweeney and Holy Ghost!) So if you’re in town, check it out. For more information on the schedule, visit DFA’s MySpace.

Photo: Mary Chang