popwreckoning

Those in Kansas might have spent the last few months mourning the loss of the Wakarusa music festival. Now the only fest that this area of the country could claim is the mohawked, beer belly-filled Rockfest. But not anymore! There’s a new fest in town and in this blog’s opinion, it is pretty kick ass.

Scion Garage Fest will showcase local and national acts Saturday October 2 in downtown Lawrence, KS. An RSVP by August 30 gets fans in to the fest for free.

It’s set up like a mini-SXSW. You get to pick and choose what bars/venues you go into, but you need to plan accordingly for age restrictions (Jackpot is 18+) and capacity. The shows start at 4 p.m. and run until 12:30 a.m.

Some of the acts of note include The Oblivians, The Raveonettes, The Ponys, Best Coast, Thee Oh Sees, Times New Viking and Rooftop Vigilantes.

Sure, they’re some other hipsterfest going on at Starlight (*cough* Vampire Weekend *cough*), but this is FREE!!!! Make sure you RSVP here by August 30 so that it stays FREE! This is something you won’t want to miss.

Line Up:
THE OBLIVIANS
THE GORIES
THE RAVEONETTES
THE GREENHORNES
THE PONYS
KING KHAN & THE SHRINES
CLOUD NOTHINGS
BEST COAST
THEE OH SEES
HUMAN EYE
TIMES NEW VIKING
HUNX & HIS PUNX TYVEK
COLA FREAKS
THE LAMPS
NODZZZ
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
GAYE BLADES
DIGITAL LEATHER
BAD SPORTS
SEX BEET
NATURAL CHILD TEENANGER
ROOFTOP VIGILANTES
GAROTAS SUECAS
WHITE WIRES

Times New Viking are on a voyage to rock you with their loud noise rock. On their Stay Awake EP, Times New Viking carries you on a whirlwind of a rock album with influences from punk to shoegaze.

Fittingly to the track title, “Call & Respond” has a nice back and forth between the vocals and the guitar. Fans of Los Campesinos! will love how Beth Murphy and Adam Elliott conquer the vocals and lead the song into the repetitious “Pagan Eyes.”

“Hate Hate Hate” is fast number for an already high-energy EP. “No Sympathy” follows, but its spiraling intro leads into a slower ending before the album closes out with its most accessible number “Sick & Tired.” The guitar and drum style make this song sound more punk than the others.

My main problem with this EP is that nothing really stands out about any of the tracks and they all blend. So if you haven’t listened to this band before, maybe start with one of their full-lengths like 2005′s Dig Yourself or 2007′s Present the Paisley Reich.

Times New Viking will be begin touring the EP, which was released on October 21st, this Friday, October 31st.

Tracklisting:
01. Call & Respond
02. Pagan Eyes
03. Hate Hate Hate
04. No Sympathy
05. Sick & Tired

Times New Viking: myspace

Written by: Bethany