By Abel Berhanu:
Friday, Day 1
Zak and I arrive at the scene, and as expected, the crowd was a little thin. We’re talking Nicole Richie thin. Upon receiving our press passes, we venture inside and take in the scene for a little. Tents and various booths are sprawled over the beach area, with the tempting aroma of various foods hovering over the festival like the ghost of Billy Mays on every infomercial. We were then greeted with the reggae-ska sounds of the Sunshine Brothers doing a cover of Bill Withers’ hit “Ain’t No Sunshine”. They used Friday as more of a warmup for their ensuing performance the next day, which didn’t hurt them considering the turnout on Friday. I’ll keep my piece on them for Saturday, since there was an actual crowd for them to interact with on that day.
Loomis & the Lust: Following the Sunshine Brothers lively performance, an awkward looking group of teenagers who walked on stage and called themselves Loomis & the Lust. The lead singer looked like a goofier version of Kurt Cobain, the bassist seemed like somewhat of a tool, the drummer was great, and the other guitarist was solid but unspectacular. Throw all of those things together and you have…some pretty decent rock. There was definitely some talent in the group, but the trouble with that is the drummer was hoarding the majority of that talent. Not to say that the others were terrible, just less talented.
But I dug their Black Crowes-esque throwback rock, as if they were paying homage to the bands of the 70s. They did keep it current by throwing in a couple of covers, which were met with varying levels of excitement among the crowd. The first was a rehash of the Ohio Players’ 1975 hit “Love Rollercoaster” (which others might know because of the Red Hot Chili Peppers). The lead singer was bold enough to even perform Anthony Kiedis’ rap in the middle of the song, to which I say, better to have left that one at home (the rap anyway). The second cover they did involved a little switcheroo between the drummer and the keyboardist/percussionist; with the switch complete, they dove right into an alternative-sounding cover of MGMT’s “Electric Feel”, which I found pretty enjoyable. The talent was definitely there, but somewhere in between the bassist taking off his shirt mid-set and the lead singer smiling all goofy-like, it became a little awkward watching them. I almost wanted to turn my back and listen to the music only. Aside from the high school talent show stage presence they had, Loomis turned in a solid performance on a night that wasn’t supposed be spectacular by any standards. Also, I’m sure the fact that their mothers were in the crowd going around and asking people what they thought about their performance made them aware of the very pressing need of a PR team.
The Aggrolites: The self-proclaimed kings of “dirty reggae” took the stage shortly after Loomis and proceeded to make the crowd move with their stomping brand of reggae. Though the lead singer had a strong presence about his voice, there was little about them to get excited for. The 21 and over area seemed to enjoy just about anything they did, but the same could be said about anything that was even perceived to be music.
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Unfortunately, we did not stay through the entire set, but from what I saw, the Aggrolites’ brand of reggae is somewhat polarizing; those who thoroughly enjoy rocksteady and reggae will probably say that their performance was a great one, while others who casually toke to Bob Marley and Rebelution were probably left unimpressed.
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Our Friday adventures had to be cut short due to prior engagements, but the only act I regret not seeing was Donovan Frankenreiter. Zak and I then retreated to our respective Batcaves and reconvened the next day.
Saturday, Day 2
The Bravery: I’d like to start out by saying that I expected a little better from such a high profile band, and they deserved the early time slot. The vocals were pitchy, and the lead singer looked less composed than Ozzy Osbourne after a few shots of whiskey. They turned in a very business-like performance, with little crowd interaction, and I felt like they just plowed through their songs so the lead singer could run back to the trailer and do another line of blow. But my compliments do go to the band around him, as they had a good overall sound, especially with supporting vocals.
The Sunshine Brothers: Returning again to get a more fruitful West Beach experience, the Sunshine Brothers ran through most of the same songs they did on the previous day, but with a larger crowd to play to. The crowd’s favorite song seemed to be the number “Sex and Reggae”, and anytime the word sex is involved, it’s pretty easy to get the crowd involved too.
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The Sunshine Brothers realized this and turned in a solid call-and-response breakdown in the middle as a result. Their tropical sounds had the crowd grooving and swaying in melodic rhythm, and despite his psuedo-Jamaican accent, the lead singer showed off varying dynamics in his voice, especially at the end of “Ain’t No Sunshine”. They get props for being the embodiment of good vibes, with their straight-from-the-beach sound infecting the crowd of over 8,000.
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The only knock on them might be that since the festival was so ridden with reggae, it was hard to establish an identity and create a unique sound, and unfortunately, the Sunshine Brothers did not do enough to pique interest in them. It’s a shame too, because as a local group, they could really make waves in the reggae world soon enough.
G. Love & Special Sauce: The white rap revivalist movement was in full effect once the Philly-funk-blues-soul-alternative rap group took the stage, and the first thing I took notice of was the bass player. Timo Shanko, a new addition to the group, didn’t wait to dazzle with his astounding dexterity on the stand-up bass. His fingers were flying on the neck faster than a Mob boss on a jurist, and it didn’t end there. From the drummer to the keyboardist to the man G. Love himself, the musicianship was outstanding, and G. Love wailed on that harmonica like a old decrepit bluesman at the crossroads in the Southern delta.
Though he did look a bit ridiculous with the harmonica stand in front of hisface as he rapped, his stage presence during his rhyming was entertaining, and he didn’t stay rooted in front of the mic stand. They’ve already carved out a niche as a laid-back blues/hip-hop style, but their laid-back approach should not be mistaken for sloppiness. They were bold enough to even throw in a cover of “Why Don’t We Do It In the Road”, and I’m prepared to face the accusations of blasphemy, but I liked it better than the Beatles’ original album version. If there’s one thing that they could have done better though, the crowd interaction could have been better, save for the “Booty Call” number. Again, sex = success.
Shwayze: With the release of their new CD, Shwayze will either make it, or be forever remembered for Buzzin’ and Corona and Lime. Because they only have 2 hits, their performance was an energetic, yet pathetic attempt to fill a 40 minute set. With songs no longer than 8 words, the duo reminded me of opening act to child entertainment super stars The Wiggles.
Rey Fresco: While Zak was getting his ears mutilated by Shwayze, I decided to stick around and check out this new alternative band called Rey Fresco. The first thing that stuck out was the heavenly harp that made its way onstage, and initially, I wondered how the hell a harp would figure to fit into a band setting. But like most of my questions at the festival, it was answered. Beautifully, at that. Their sound bordered on R&B and alternative, with the harp adding a classical tinge, and the lead singer’s high tenor gives the band’s laid back feel a unique sound. As unique as their sound was, the harp was featured too heavily for my taste, and guitar took a backseat to everything else. Also, due to the mellow nature of their sound, crowd involvement could only be so much, and was limited to the traditional claps and hands up.
Ben Harper & Relentless 7: Most people were probably thrown off a little when Ben Harper announced “We are Relentless 7”, but the backing band was one that had worked him multiple times on past albums, and it showed. With the new band, Ben Harper has ventured into a more rock-driven brand of music, while maintaining the blues-soul style that made him so popular. The blues-rock style of Relentless 7 was loud but controlled, and energetic without being sloppy, even diving into a raucous cover of Jimi Hendrix’s slow blues tune “Red House”.
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Of course, he embraced the style of music that earned him legions of fans with his acoustic set at the end, playing “Walk Away” and establishing a very personal connection with the crowd. There something very powerful about an acoustic set, where it’s just the singer, guitar, and the audience, and there’s a certain feeling of exposure. That set is where Ben Harper established his talent and penchant for songwriting, dynamics, and melody. Out of all the acts, this one felt the most professional, the most polished, the greatest sense of “Wow, they’ve been doing this for a while”. The credit for that should also go to the band behind Ben Harper, where talent was no more lacking.
The drummer had explosive energy, hitting fills with precise rhythm; the bassist was rock solid, showing off his chops at one point during a bass solo; the guitarist was great, whether it was alternating with Ben on solos or holding down rhythm guitar. The stage presence was what you would expect out of a rock band, and even Ben Harper himself wasn’t afraid to do a very-eighties jump off the drum riser. A truly memorable performance, but I’m sure that even his most devoted fans were left wanting more of his older catalog, and that is the only criticism of an otherwise entertaining performance.
Sunday, Day 3
Rebelution: Isla Vista’s very own took the stage at a very appropriate time of 4:20, and the crowd of 14,000 couldn’t have been more eager for them to take the stage. They started right off with “Safe and Sound” off their record Courage to Grow, and as the set progressed, the haze of smoke rose thicker and higher. C-Money, the trumpeter from Slightly Stoopid, even made a guest spot on a couple of songs as the IV boys stomped through with their trademark sound of beach reggae. Stage presence was average, as lead singer Eric bounced around stage during solos and the bassist did a good job of not being a typical bassist by moving around and kicking a beach ball or two.
On the track “Green to Black”, the group got the crowd chanting about their favorite botanical activity with a call and respond. A good performance, simply because they stayed faithful to their style and sang the songs true to their original form, only occasionally jamming for a bit.
Dirty Heads: Part two of the white rap revivalist movement commenced with the arrival of Dirty Heads and their reggae/alternative rap hybrid sound. I braced myself for an onslaught of bland, generic Limp Bizkit rip-off…but to my pleasant surprise, they turned in a pretty cool show.
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There’s only so much middle class white boys can rap about, but Dirty Heads had their band and vocals to fall back on, and they did a commendable job of keeping a good balance between the two. The lead singer gets points for jumping down to the crowd in the best example of connecting with the crowd thus far. The only flak I have against them is, well, the rapping part.
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Pepper: By far the band with the most energy (and highest level of inebriation), Pepper stormed on stage and demanded that everyone groove to their music, and with the way that guitarist looks, few were hesitant to comply.
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Pepper’s brand of reggae-rock was in full effect, and a couple of guest spots from MC friends and Slightly Stoopid helped them rock the crowd even more. The band’s getup was attributed to the launch of their “Back in the Trenches” tour, and they performed like guerilla soldiers about to raid an entire village of women and children.
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From playing the “Charge” riff (that sounded nothing like the actual riff) to having onstage conversations, their interaction with the crowd was great, and combined with the raw energy, they had the components of a fun, engaging show. The talent was there, but whether you want to blame on the juice that had them feeling loose, I don’t believe that Pepper played the most skillfully that they could have. Understandable, due to the fact that they expended so much energy on trying to prevent everyone from looking away from the stage.
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Soja: No, not Soulja Boy, Soja. As in the group that looked most like a reggae band thus far, from the beat up jeans to the beat up dreads. The band plays a more traditional reggae style, and with a couple of guest spots from Rebelution, they turned in an OK performance.
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They encountered the same problem as the Sunshine Brothers, where on a day filled with so many reggae acts, they failed to make an impression on most casual reggae fans.
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In no way does that mean that they weren’t good; but if you’re booked on the same day with Rebelution, Slightly Stoopid, and Pepper, it’s a little hard to stand out.
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Slightly Stoopid: The most awaited act of the day took the stage at 8, and wasted little time in getting right into it. The versatility of Miles Doughty and Kyle McDonald as bassists, singers, and guitarists was particularly impressive, as they shared duties on a few songs. The musicianship of Slighly Stoopid is something that gets overlooked sometimes, but every single member of the band displayed a great amount of talent, often turning 4 minute songs into 10-15 minutes of jamming and improvisation. The guest singer for their cover of “No Diggity” by Blackstreet had no qualms about jumping down to the crowd level a la Dirty Heads style.
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Speaking of guest spots, Pepper brought their guerilla antics back on stage to help flush out the remaining energy that the crowd left, with multiple call and response routines. They even ventured into punk territory towards the end, inciting mass moshing and flinging of feces (just kidding about that last part).
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They utilized the screen to its max, putting up wildly different graphics, from a naked chick with everyone’s favorite leaf covering her no-no regions to surfing in heat vision.
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It was a true stoner’s kind of a show, and overall, it was great for being after so many worthwhile acts; however, the band’s tendencies to want to extend songs might have turned some off, especially those wanting them to run through their catalog of songs such as 2 am (which they did).
Cool article but have you ever heard of photoshop, or any other photo editing software (including the basic Windows Photo Gallery) that will rotate your pictures 90 degrees? Pretty lame with the sideways photos. I had to flip my monitor 90 degrees to get a good perspective on most of your pictures.