2007 DAM! Festival

[amnesiac]

Pela was a definite highlight for me. That was the third time I've seen them and they just get better each time. I left halfway through stellastarr's set to catch Craig Wedren at R&R Hotel. It's shame there weren't more people there because he and his band played such a  great set, including a bunch of Shudder to Think stuff. iLiKETRAiNS were also really good.
 
 Other shows I saw consisted mainly of local acts:
 On Thursday, Drunken Sufis (the guys from Exit Clov's tongue-in-cheek punk band) were alot of fun. Also saw Vandaveer (really good) and Hello Society (not so much).
 
 Friday, The Beanstalk Library were great as usual. More people need to check these guys out. Missed the Teeth, but saw Dragons of Zynth, who slowly grew on me throughout their set.
 
 And on Saturday, I was at The Synagogue from the beginning. I thought Sanowan was pretty good. And Exit Clov played a fantastic set. I agree it's a strange venue, but I think they actually sounded really good in there.

[falconetti]

I enjoyed the fest.
 iLiKETRAiNS was the highlight for me.  They have a sweep, intensity and drama that reminds me of bands like The Sound or The Chameleons, with a lyrical focus (historical failures and disasters) and the occassional horn part to set them apart from other post-punk derivative bands like Interpol, Editors, etc....  Unfortunately, they played for only about 20 people.  
 I found Craig Wedren tolerable (which is more than I could say for Shudder to Think shows- sorry) as his solo songs were more focused and poppy.  However, I still find his frequent vibrato and falsetto unappealing.
 Stellastarr* and Pela both played energetic sets (especially Pela) samey sounding sets in a difficult venue.  Of course, both were hampered by overly reverbed and muddy sound and short set lengths.  Stellastarr* played a few new songs but nothing that really stuck me.  I hope to check out Pela in a more suitable venue shortly.
 Exit Clov's sound filled the space better, but I found them unremarkable.  The crowd definitely enjoyed them however, so what do I know.
 A Place to Bury Strangers was decent, but the subpar drumming was very distracting.  They definitely had the Pyschocandy aesthetic down - but failed to add anything new to that template and did not have the big hooks of the best JAMC songs.  I admit I was slightly disappointed after all the hype.
 The Big Sleep played a proggy hard rock that I did not find enjoyable.  I only tolerated three songs.
 Dirty on Purpose, whom I have really enjoyed live in the past (and I love Hallelujah Sirens - reminds me of Swirlies and A Brief History era Lilys), seemed a little flat and were only give about 40 minutes to play. Still good stuff and the best band of the bill.
 Slaraffenland had some interesting ideas and arrangements (delayed drums, complex, harmonic horn parts) but the songs were a tad underdeveloped.  A band I wouldn't have seen otherwise, but a good addition to the fest.
 Also I really enjoyed the DJ upstairs at the Hotel on Saturday night.
 I missed Friday night altogether (I wanted to see the Teeth again and Hallelujah the Hills) and Via Audio and Julie Ocean due to scheduling snafus (SPX events went long) and pass difficulties.  
 
 One last note- turn out appeared very low for all the events I attended- nothing was more than half full.  I think DAM could attract more folks by bringing in better known anchor bands or consolidating shows, instead of so many nights and venues dominated by little known microindies.  Just a suggestion.