Sunday, November 7, 2010

Fun Fun Fun Fest has once again come and gone, and I had a good time.  Below you'll find some quick thoughts on the two acts I saw at the festival on the intro-day that was Friday.  There's also a few pics and such from the afterparty that I attended that night at the Mohawk.  Enjoy.

Fun Fun Fun Fest - Day 1 Review



The Apples In Stereo

I've long wanted to see this band play, and they came through for me  Although, that's not say they blew my mind or anything.  It was an upbeat set that had a lot of "dad" humor in between the songs, which gave it that extra bit of charm.  Hope they tour back soon.

:The Apples In Stereo - Energy:

Weird Al Yankovic

Not sure if it was on purpose, but Weird Al had ... a weird show.  The first 35-40 minutes were surprisingly slow because of repeat costume changes, a forever long polka medley and newer songs that the crowd didn't seem all that interested in.

Then, just as you could feel everyone starting to check out, the show kicked in to high gear.  All the hits rolled out, the videos being played were just egotistical enough to be hilarious, and the costume changes started to serve a real purpose (for instance, the fat suit) and were worth the wait.  In other words, by the end of the two hour set I couldn't have been happier.  Weird Al will always be considered a novelty act, but you can tell he puts a lot of work into his live show, and it's definitely worth checking out at least once.

:Weird Al Yankovic - Amish Paradise:

Memory Tapes

This was a really nice set.  Memory Tapes can be hit or miss for me (they hit this past Friday, if you're interested in hearing more music from them), but I thought they were great live.  Probably because they can't over-haze their sound, so you end up with some really cool danceable stuff.  Someone needs to give them less time in the studio.

:Memory Tapes - Bicycle:

The Antlers

The cold weather had really rolled in by the time the Antlers took the stage at the Mohawk, but they got going quick and made sure to try and blow out everyone's ears.  There was one new track, which felt oddly danceable, and overall I'd say the set was two thumbs up.

:The Antlers - Two:

Fol Chen

Of all the bands scheduled for afterparties throughout the weekend, Fol Chen was the one I really felt the need to see play.  They didn't disappoint.  Or overwhelm.  It was solid, but also fairly strange.  Music-wise, all was well, but the vocals were distributed in the most odd manner.  There were falsettos coming from unexpected people and the girl in the group seemed to be handling the deeper parts.  None of it made sense.  At least it was fun though.

:Fol Chen - In Ruins:

- John Laird -



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