Siren Fest...

[walkman]

was amazing.  Kurosawa and I went, and had a blast.  I know some other board folks were talking about it a while ago...was anyone else there?

[ggw]

My girlfriend and I went also.  Impressions:
 
 The Pattern -- They may sound like a lot of other bands, but they were very good.
 
 The Kills -- awful.
 
 Oneida -- The three guys in the band seemed like they might be talented musicians, too bad they never seemed to be playing the same song at the same time.
 
 The Dirtbombs -- They were very good, but I think they would be even better in a club.
 
 Sahara Hotnights -- They were fun.
 
 Hot Hot Heat -- Ho Ho Hum.  Should have gone to see Ted Leo, but opted to stay put for these guys.  Not bad, but not great.
 
 Radio 4 -- We had a hard time deciding whether to go see Radio 4 or The Datsuns.  We opted for Radio 4 and, while I don't know how the Datsuns were, Radio 4 was fantastic.  The sound guy had the bass too high in the mix, but the band put on a very impressive set - lots of energy.  I don't think they can be accused of sounding like anybody else.  Was that Ted Leo doing a cameo on tambourine?
 
 Idlewild -- Excellent.  The set seemed a little short after Wednesday's stupendous show at the 9:30, but they were just as good, microphone problems not withstanding.  Unfortunately, many people left after Radio 4 (to go see Modest Mouse maybe?), but the crowd responded very well.  I was glad to see the Capitol Records street team in their Hail to The Thief replica Econoline van pimping Idlewild all day.  It's kind of funny how one's perspective on street teams changes when one likes the band they're pushing.
 
 Also picked up the new 3-disc live Zeppelin album for $15, which provided a great soundtrack for the ride home.  John Bonham truly is God.
 
 Non-musically, the people watching was top-notch.  Never before and possibly never again will I see such a sea of bad haircuts and thrift store clothes.
 
 The Irony Award goes to the guy who had a tatto of the word "tattoos" inside a circle with a slash through it.

[walkman]

Yeah, that sounds about right...especially re: thrift stores, hair and irony.  My musical thoughts:
 
 The Pattern - ditto
 
 Oneida - absolutely won me over.  I was familiar with their music before the fest, but the live show was eversomuchmoreso.  
 
 Dirtbombs - best set of the show, IMHO.
 
 Ted â?? played very well...too bad the crowd sucked.
 
 Radio 4 - ditto.  I had fun up front with those
 who weren't afraid to dance.  Too bad 90% of the hipsters are paralysed from the neck down.
 
 Idlewild - closed it out with style, grace and much guitar.  I thought Gavin, in particular, really went off.
 
 Non-musical highlight:  Riding the Cyclone with Kurosawa and her friend the Idlewild sound tech.  Showed her some good, clean American fun.  May its creaky wooden slats hold fast forever.

[jadetree]

so nobody saw Modest Mouse? was hoping somebody could tell me if new material sounds as different as I think it might

[sonickteam2]

I also made the 5 fucking hour trip to Coney Island, so i didnt see as much as everyone else apparently!
 
  the bands i saw:
 
   !!! - This band although i was too freakin far to see them, were very good. I couldnt really tell what they were doing but definitely made ya wanna dance.
 
   Sahara Hotnights - Not too bad, but not too interesting either so we went to....
 
   Northern State - I figured i had to see them ONCE, and i sure did.  Not only was the sound so bad for them, they are overweight, overperspirating, non dance-move having, beastie boys couldnt be's.  All it really sounded like was bass from some white trash kids Honda Civic, and then you could barely even HEAR these girls, not that youd want to.  It became apparent that they may have been to blame, not really even singing "into" thier mics. Did i say singing? oh no, it was not singing, they are horrible. But it was very very fun to watch people stare at the stage in horror.
 
  Hot Hot Heat - oh my god, people in NYC SUCK!!! talk talk talk talk talk talk talk , look pal, i know this show was free and you are hip like shit, but if you dont want to hear the band, go grab a beer or hot dog, or fuck yourself or something.  Other than that, when i could HEAR the band , i liked them.  
 
   we skipped the Datsuns because the main stage sucked and you couldnt get close.
 
   Radio 4 - i have always like this band, the guy playing bongos wins the best musician of the day award.
 
   Idlewild - well, never saw them before, and we were about 2 people back from the gate so we had one wikked close view, and i am totally sold. These Scots fucking rock.  Every song they played was played well, loud, and with a ton of emotion. I will go see this band every single time they come around forever.  They made my quasi-fun NYC day a wikked good time.
 
    Non  musical highlights - $3 22's of Corona made this the cheapest beer EVER!  The Cyclone kicks ass, cause its like, is this the time is gonna go off the tracks. and hipsters hipsters and more hipsters!!!! wow, its like i was looking for the queen bee of hipsters.  
    chillin on the beach afterwards was nice as well.
 
    fuck that was long.

[dtqjr]

Originally posted by Bob Pollard:
  so nobody saw Modest Mouse? was hoping somebody could tell me if new material sounds as different as I think it might

Yea, I saw them.  They played three new songs and I thought it sounded similar to their other records.

[Relaxer]

Great weekend, but traffic up there (Friday night) and coming back (Sunday afternoon) was a drag.
 Very good time though. Coney Island is a trip, and as pointed out, the people-watching was really fun. The only bands I saw that I can testify on were The !!!s, which were really good, and Modest Mouse, which were... ehh.
 
 Other than that, we didn't see much, prefering instead to sit on the beach and drink $3 Coronas.
 
 I hope The !!!s come around here soon. They had kind of the Primal Scream mean-beat evil vibe going and it sounded great. As long as they stay away from good-guy-music territory (having a saxophone in the band can do that), they should be okay.

[vansmack]

Originally posted by ggw:
  John Bonham truly is God.
 
 

GGW, you're wayyyy too intelligent to be figuring this out now....this isn't news to you, right?

[ggw]

Originally posted by vansmack:
   

Originally posted by ggw:
  John Bonham truly is God.
 
 

GGW, you're wayyyy too intelligent to be figuring this out now....this isn't news to you, right? [/b]

No it's not news, but "How The West Was Won" just affirms the fact.

[vansmack]

Originally posted by ggw:
   

Originally posted by vansmack:
   

Originally posted by ggw:
  John Bonham truly is God.
 
 

GGW, you're wayyyy too intelligent to be figuring this out now....this isn't news to you, right? [/b]

No it's not news, but "How The West Was Won" just affirms the fact. [/b]

Word.  I was sold at the "Bonzo's Montreux" version of Moby Dick.  Dear god!

[Samantha]

I should've gone but I forgot.  NYC has so far been LAME for me.  

[paige]

Originally posted by walkman:
  was amazing.  Kurosawa and I went, and had a blast.  

Starting Rumor....
 
 now.
 
 
 walkman + kurosawa = lurrrve

[kurosawa-b/w]

Paige, I would never dream of taking Walkman from you. Beside, my heart belongs to and will always belong to a certain Mr. Roderick Woomble.
 
 A great day at the Siren Fest, though. A superb location, good vibe, cheap food/drink, and fantastic music. Oh yeah and it was free. Wow it rocked.
 
 GGW, I saw you, waved and you looked right through me. I can only hope that you didn't see me. Otherwise, I will feel insulted.  
 
 Highlights were Radio 4 (yeah yeah yeah!!!) and Idlewild. But I loved The Dirtbombs as well. And Ted Leo won me over. He rocked with a tight set. (And yes that was him on stage with Radio 4.)
 
 If I ever have to hear Northern State live again, I will scream loudly and fall into a fit of madness. They are awful and irritating. Who could possibly like them? Ugh.
 
 Let's hope next year's line-up is as good. I will definitely go back.

[ggw]

Originally posted by kurosawa-b/w:
  GGW, I saw you, waved and you looked right through me. I can only hope that you didn't see me. Otherwise, I will feel insulted.    
 

Ooops...
 
 Um.....yeah......I didn't see you   :roll:  
 
 No, seriously, I didn't.  Sorry.  I was probably just mesmerized by the supreme people-watching.
 
 I hope Radio 4 comes down here soon.  I've always liked Gotham, but was totally impressed with their live show.

[kurosawa-b/w]

GGW, I figured that was the case.
 
 That was my 4th time seeing Radio 4 and was the best I've ever seen them play/sing/dance. Great show. Radio 4 has my favorite keyboard player of any other band. He's the best!