Venerable indie acts, lo-fi sounds and cool beats coalesce with a crowd of California dreamers at this year’s Street Scene. The 25th annual music fest was a steal: $95 for a 2-day concert, complemented with accessible trolley riding transit and the ability to get up close-and-personal without having to ju-jitsu other crowd members. Here are the winners and wankers that made the fest interesting.
winner: They may sound like an overly-sunned fuzz of punk enveloped by hypnotic melodies on acid, but yet I like the local band Wavves.
winner: I especially like the Wavves drummer Zach Hill.
winner: The hip and haunting lullabies of Band of Horses made for enjoyable indie rock.
wanker: Tattooing naïve concert attendees to promote shoe brand.
winner: Matt and Kim’s electro-pop lifted the mood.
wanker: The vendor’s jewel-toned phosphorescence lit up the night, but I felt the food options were lackluster.
winner: ...but the beer sampler was very refreshing. And there was at least a decent selection as opposed to be being forced to drink Heineken. Yay!
winner: “It all started with a casual joint after work five years ago. A year later it became an everyday habit. And now I can’t seem to leave the house without my weed suit.“
winner: Despite their annoyance (at the sound guys) and seemingly disinterested facial expressions, Deerhunter still managed to churn out rhythmic psyche-garage melodies to the crowd’s delight.
wanker: A drunk Conor Oberst & Mystic Valley Band.
wanker: Girl Talk involved a chaotic dance mess of top pops and old school hops.
winner: Calexico’s saxophones and Southwest serenading joined by Sergio Mendoza Y La Orkesta.
wanker: Wilma picks up angry meatman outside of San Diego warehouse.
wanker: Blow-up dolls?
winner: Skull-masked space-pajamed persons who “died” on the set at Of Montreal.
winner: Of Montreal continues to get weirder and weirder.
winner: And weirder.
winner: The Dead Weather’s Alison Mosshart must have been repressed singing in The Kills all these years. Her vocals were jolting, brash and thrillingly desperate.
winner: Jack White holds the power to a mesmerizing live show.
winner: It was easy to embrace No Age with their post punk allure especially when complemented by light moshing.
No doubt about it- this year's music scene brewed something magical on the streets of East Village. There was a delivery of solid talent, an effortless ease to scoping out different acts and an urban rawness that made you fall in love with the fest.