Festy Fest is the best Saturday night

As the sun set on the second day of Festy Fest a fantastic lineup of bands came on both stages, providing continuous, rockin music all night. Lawrence's fourth annual Festy Fest music festival was the biggest yet, with great local bands and friends from other states came to play together for three days straight.

The open fields and forested path between stages were soft but comfortable after days of rain last week, with perfect weather all day Saturday for the outdoor festival. Despite the humidity a day earlier, there were no bugs, and a cool breeze to keep hot bodies from getting tired too early.

Mouth really got the crowd going on Stage 2 around 8:30 p.m. with funky, dance jams. The audience filled the tent with dancing bodies, and surrounded it with folks chillin on their blankets. The band had Evan Leitnaker adding extra percussion beats and rhythms to their own funky jam, making it a more intricate, exciting experience. The band finished a rockstar set just in time for the crowd to migrate back to Stage 1 for Mountain Sprout.

Unfortunately for Mountain Sprout, the sound technician working behind the scenes was messing up horribly. Despite the band's best efforts to put on a good show, playing many of their best songs with their signature wild energy, issues with the band's ability to hear themselves, and microphones cutting out made it difficult to get into the music. Fortunately it wasn't long before another awesome band would be playing on the second stage.

Sonic Sutra jammed with fierce passion on Stage 2, crowding the tent with pumped up music lovers getting groovy. The local minstrels played their hearts out to an audience that loves them, and made the night theirs for a while. Even so, the fans were eager to get back to Stage 1 in time for Split Lip Rayfield.

The punky bluegrass trio took the already-hyped crowd and blasted off with the energy. The band broke out some of their best hits, getting everyone cheering and dancing. Split Lip Rayfield always puts on a great show, and held the audience until the end of their set.

Soon after Split Lip was over, The Floozies got going on Stage 2. The Hill brothers rocked out, when their equipment was working, but once again sound guys were doing their worst. Right in the middle of great jams and funky dance tunes the synthesizer would suddenly go mute, as if the sound guy had simply unplugged the amps. Mark kept on with the drums for a time, to make up for the awkward silence, but there's nothing worse than an awesome song getting cut short.

Somasphere was up next with heavy, electronic drum and bass. The thumping, pumping beats make this band's shows a dance party. By this time of the night the audience was going full-throttle, and Somasphere rode with the energy, making the night feel endless.

Last, but not least Rocket Science came on, throwing down sick beats and rhythms for a dance party to get funky with. IDM, or Intelligent Dance Music is too clever and slick to resist getting down to. Everyone at the festival was still raging it throughout the set that started at 3:30 p.m.

Aside from the weak sound guys messing things up for some of the great bands' sets, Saturday night was an epic first taste of the festival season starting up.

Next week: Summer Camp Music Festival!

Top 10 reasons you have to go to Festy Fest

Friday, May 21st through Sunday, the 23rd, Lawrence will be having the biggest, best music festival since Wakarusa packed up and moved to Arkansas. (1.) While still a small, intimate gathering, Festy Fest is sure to be bigger than any of it's first three years. The land outside of town where this two-stage event is being held is big enough to comfortably fit the 1200 music-lovers. (2.) The festival will be held in a beautiful stretch of land, less than twenty minutes away from town, where music lovers can camp out, or easily drive home - but no drinking and driving! According to the festival's website, GTI Taxicab service is available out there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It's easy to find a nice, flat spot of land to park and pitch your tent, but if you'd rather enjoy the comforts of home between day-long music events, it's not a long or complicated drive to make.

(3.) The line up for this years festival is far epic in size and strength. There are 16 bands playing at Festy Fest that always put on fantastic shows. This writer's favorites are as follows in the order they will play at Festy Fest:
Deadman Flats
Calamity Cubes
The Ben Miller Band
Irietions
Great American Taxi
Cosmopolitics
Brody Buster
Mouth
Mountain Sprout
Sonic Sutra
Split Lip Rayfield
The Floozies
Somasphere
Rocket Science
Tyler Gregory & the Blues Shuffle
Carrie Nation & the Speakeasy
(4.) These bands, with about 23 other bands will play simultaneously or in shifts, on Stage 1 and Stage 2, guaranteeing good music at all times. Most every band listed to play is well-known, this writer just hasn't had the opportunity to see them all, and can't speak from personal experience. Festy Fest's website has links to all of the bands' websites. (5.) The music ranges from bluegrass to electronic, from jazzy, funky jams to punk, psychedelic rock and more. There's something for everyone. (6.) Festy Fest supports local bands, all the bands playing are either Lawrence-originals or friends who are playing to support music for life.

(7.) The creators of Festy Fest are in the process of launching a new website called bandorbar.com, which will help bands and bars/venues line up gigs together. The idea is to make it easier for bands to find bars they want to perform in, that are looking for bands to play there (and vice versa). According to the Festy Fest website, membership is free to any band or bar/venue that signs up before the site's launch. Every band member or bar employee reading this should take a look!

(8.) Supporting this festival means supporting local music, Lawrence, and the music scene at its roots. (9.) Festy Fest may be more expensive this year than ever before, but that's because the lineup is so star-studded, the set-up is ideal, in terms of space, stages, and location, and this is all still MUCH cheaper, closer to home, and jam-packed with good music than any other music festival in the Midwest. According to the Festy Fest website, a full-event pass costs between $75-85, a Friday pass costs $30, Saturday costs $45, and Sunday costs $35. Anyone most interested in the bands playing on one particular day, or with limited funds, can still come out for one day of awesome music, for hours on end, and have a grand time. But the 3 day pass is definitely the best value, with the ridiculous lineup of fantastic bands set to play non-stop, each day, all weekend. You can buy your tickets online through pipelineticketing or at the Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire Street in Lawrence.

(10.) School is over. It's summer now. Time to start celebrating! And what else are you going to do that weekend? There are virtually no other good shows going on that weekend, because everyone will be at Festy Fest. You should be there too!

Sonic Sutra dominates the Granada then Mouth busts out at the Jazzhaus

This review is late because it's been such a busy weekend for music in Lawrence. Anyone familiar with the wide range of epic concerts playing the last few nights will understand.

Friday night Sonic Sutra opened for California Voodoo at the Granda, starting the night early, around 9:30 p.m. Sonic Sutra is a local jam band that uses a variety of instruments to put together songs that stream smoothly from one style to another. Every song has a way of moving and progressing like a jazzy, funky, rock jam, taking your ears for a roller-coaster ride. As mentioned in a previous review, the band includes a guitarist, second vocalist adding percussion, keyboard player, bassist, and drummer that combine their skills in their respective sounds to create a strong, explosive harmony. Although Sonic Sutra always promises to be a fun time, this show was something else, like a new level of professional performing had been reached. This was the best Sonic Sutra show this reviewer has seen yet.

The band played an impressive set, going on over an hour, with nonstop jamming. Their songs are so well practiced, intricate, and rhythmic, it's exciting just to feel the progression of each piece, while dancing to the beat.

Sonic Sutra always get the crowd going with their energy and enthusiasm. Every venue, no matter how large, this band always fills the space with a contagious fun vibe that's impossible to ignore. Even in the wide space of the Granada, everyone gathered to the dance floor, people staring in awe from the rails, or getting funky up in front.

With every song, you could feel the crowd getting more excited, strutting their stuff to every funky song, rocking out to every jam, swinging to the jazzy beats. Aside from their own brilliant songs, Sonic Sutra plays fantastic covers. The finale for their set was The Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer", at which point the audience finally lost control, getting down like it was a summer festival.

Having seen what this reviewer came to see, the night was still young when Sonic Sutra finished, and Mouth was already playing at the Jazzhaus.

Although it was a tough act to follow, Mouth met the challenge admirably. The local funky, jazzy, jam band is like a force of musical nature. Mouths has a distinct sound, and a hip, clever quality that's hard to come by whether you're looking at concerts, or on the radio.

Every show is a party, because the drum beats are so fun, the guitar riffs are so groovy and the bass lines are so slick. The band has a list of memorable tunes they play with creativity that makes every show different, but familiar in a good way. With Evan Leitnaker on a second set of percussion instruments, the band had a stronger rhythm, complex, heart-racing beats, and another layer of brilliant talent to give the band even more power.

The show was already in full swing by 11, with the dance floor completely packed, chairs full, and the bar unreachable. Everyone seemed to have a smile on their face, like it was all one grand party of friends. Mouth was opening for Funkotronic, but the night out that starts early sometimes ends early, and this was one of those nights. After waiting to make sure Mouth was really finished with their set, it was time to rest weary legs from a night of funky, jazzy, jamming dance parties at the best shows in town.

Sonic Sutra opens the Bottleneck with funky jams and Dirtfoot gets the crowd wild with a powerhouse set

I have exciting news! I'm getting a position on Examiner.com writing a column called "Lawrence Guys Night Out"! I'll be writing about the same shows, concerts, bars, parties and events that I write about here, with full control and freedom to use my writing how and where I want. Therefore there is no conflict of interest with this blog.
That being said, this blog will continue as it has been, and I will use this place to be more personal, and also to practice what I mean to say, so I can write my Examiner articles with the professional style they want.

So, Friday night I meant to see Boombox and EZ Brothers at the Bottleneck, but, one thing after another came up, and when I passed by the Bottleneck around 10:30, I saw a line from the door, all the way to the street, consisting 100% of old, preppy people. Not really the Bottleneck crowd. Not really the Boombox, or EZ Brothers crowd. But there they were, all being stuck up and boring. So I left, and went from one friends' house to another. Everyone seemed to be chilling at home that night, with a few friends, sipping drinks. But I wanted something more, so I kept moving from one place to another.
Around 12:30 I stopped at the Jazzhaus, where I heard Sonic Sutra was opening for the Cosmopolitics. A couple of my friends were there, but had missed Sonic Sutra. I shrugged that off, knowing I'd see them the next day.
But Cosmopolitics were on, and jamming hardcore. The dancefloor was filled, and the bar was busy.
Unfortunately the crowd couldn't properly appreciate the dance-able jams, so I sat with my friends and simply enjoyed the music with their company, before calling it a night when the bar closed.

Last night was even more exciting!
Pre-partying at a friends before a show is always a good idea. It's fun and if the party is close to your destination, it's safe to walk, or use a designated driver. Drinking at home is a lot cheaper than at a bar, and it's sometimes more fun to be able to relax while you get your drink on before hitting the dance floor. My friends around the corner from the Bottleneck are always having people over before the good shows, so we kicked it there until about 10, when we made the short trek to the show.

It cost $7 for one of the best shows I've seen in Lawrence in a while, which impressed me greatly. I forgot how a great band can put on a fantastic show in a smaller venue, before they get too famous, and the fans reap the rewards.

Sonic Sutra is a local band made up of talented musicians who know how to choreograph their sounds to make a great variety of sounds to their songs. Their music has a classic rock harmony about it, with great vocals, impressive guitar solos, hip bass lines and tight drumming. Courtney Rose Smith sings vocals and also plays with a shaker and other percussion and rhythm instruments for different songs, just one example of how every song has it's own style and form, while the band always makes a strong blend.
The set was long, without dragging. Sonic Sutra must have played consistently funky, fun, dance-able songs for at least an hour and a half, with hardly a pause.
As Bottleneck regulars, a basically the most hardcore, badass, party-animals in town, my friends were front and center, holding it down on the dance floor for most of Sonic Sutra's long, but seamless set. The crowd sitting at the bleachers, booths, tables and leaning up against the bar appeared to be too old, self-conscious or unfamiliar to get down. But once Dirtfoot came on, the bar was full, and people who knew how to have fun joined us.

Dirtfoot is a band of professional musicians whose experience together has made them a phenomenon of bluegrass, jam and funk combined. They take pride in the music they play, and they play it well, at every show.
The blend of instruments, played with expert skill, is what makes Dirtfoot special. The lead singer and guitarist plays with boundless energy that exemplifies the bands' tone of wild fun. The bassist plays a stand-up bass, even using a bow for a couple of songs. Even the banjo player took up a bow for a song, which blew my mind.
The core of bluegrass instrumentation worked well with a drummer who played clever solos. On top of the regular drummer, keeping rocking dance beats, there's a second percussionist who used a variety of tambourines, pipes, and even a washboard to add spice to the songs.
To top it all off is the saxophonist, whose slick, veteran playing takes the band to a whole other level. When the saxophone doesn't bring the funk, the saxophonist brings out a clarinet, which can throw down harder that one might expect the woodwind to be capable of.
Dirtfoot puts on an especially fun show, because they know how to get the crowd involved. They pass out cans with dried beans rattling around inside, that the audience is encouraged to shake along to the steady beats. Many songs the band calls out for the crowd to sing a part, something short, like a reply or a holler that completes the chorus. Everyone is drinking and dancing, so it's not asking much for everyone to join in the songs themselves.
Dirtfoot's following must not be as big as it ought to be, because the set was ridiculously fun, but the bar was only comfortably full, not packed. The Bottleneck has hired a waitress who walks around the crowd, asking anyone if they need another drink. It makes it a little more convenient, when the dance floor is crowded or you don't want to fight for a bartenders' attention. As soon as Dirtfoot came on, the dance floor was full and it never quieted down. The band played almost two hours, without pause. Their range of music goes from rock and funk to bluegrass jams, but every tune is the kind of polished, refined quality that it's hard to believe they're still playing the Bottleneck for $7.
It's easy to get friendly at a fun show like Dirtfoot, and people are always prone to put together an after-party on a Saturday night. Sonic Sutra and their friends came over to two of my friends' house, where we played drinking games and hung out even later into the night.
But as I always will preach on this blog, even if I don't harp on it in the Examiner: what made this show really great for me, was being there with a great many of my good friends. Together, we make it less of a concert, and more of a party, and really, that's the way life should be.