Wakarusa 2009: Friday in Review

Submitted by eggs on Sun, 06/28/2009 - 03:45.

Thursday of Wakarusa served as a nice opening day to our festival season, but it was Friday's acts that I was most excited for. I'd never seen several of the bands playing, so I found myself pretty excited for the entire day ahead of me.

Read all about Friday, June 5th at the Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival after the jump

I woke up with a sore shoulder and a slight hangover, but after slamming my morning Gatorade and banana breakfast, I was good to go. Our first show of the day was slightly later than Thursday, so we took our time to get ready for the day while listening to the opening tent acts in the Revival Village. Our first performance of the day came when legendary reggae drum and bass duo Sly & Robbie took the Main Stage. Knowing their storied history, backing such legends as Peter Tosh, Black Uhru, Bob Dylan and Mick Jagger, we were quite excited to see what kind of set we would get from the duo. Upon arrival to stage, Sly and Robbie were being supported by a full band of horn players, a keyboardist and guitarist. Taking the lead duties was the boisterous trombone player that also stood up for vocals throughout the set. It was solid reggae dub that fit perfectly for Friday afternoon. I was glad to finally catch Sly & Robbie, but with the full day of music, we decided to move on in favor of shadier grounds.

The Backwoods Stage was laying host to singer/songwriter Joe Purdy, who was highly recommended by a few friends also attending the festival. We decided to to lay back and enjoy the smooth melodies that Purdy and his band were emitting throughout the forest. It was a feel-good set of music that had our toes tapping, and our heads bobbing in the shaded trees that lined the stage. While we only caught the last few songs of Purdy's set, I left feeling as if I needed more. I'm awaiting Mrs. Bacon burnt copy of his latest disc, so I'll be able to form a complete judgement on his work.

One of my most anticipated sets of the weekend came mid-afternoon at the Revival Tent, where Langhorne Slim was holding down his only set of the weekend. Leaning heavier on the indie-rock side of Americana, Slim and his War Eagles had no problems entertaining the small crowd. A few songs into their set, Slim decided that the audience was not nearly close enough, and that the empty gap that encompassed the VIP area made it too hard for the fans to get in to the show. Breaking the rules for just his show because of the pressure being put on by Slim, the security guards broke down the barrier for the entire set, bringing the somewhat rambunctious crowd to the lip of the stage. The set ranged from quiet love songs to foot-stomping barn burners over the course of the hour-plus they were alloted, and even included a beautiful solo version of one of his most recognizable tunes "Rebel Side Of Heaven," that brought the entire audience to a complete and utter silence. It was a great set of music, one that I left saying was the best of the weekend so far. To be honest, it might have been the best set of music I heard all weekend.

We headed back to camp to re-up on supplies before returning to the Main Stage to catch Hasidic reggae-rapper Matisyahu. While we only caught about a half-an-hour of his set, what we did see was actually quite good. I had low expectations going into the set due to not really enjoying his studio work, but after seeing what he does live, I respect him much more as an artist. Once you get past the fact that he looks like he belongs in a synagogue full time (he did have his own Shabbat Tent at Waka), you quickly realize how smart his rhymes are, and how on point his delivery is. "King Without A Crown" was well received by the massive audience that had gathered, and it also served as the "crown" of his performance, as the set ended with the song.

Les Claypool was the next to take the Main Stage by storm. Although his set was cut short in 2007 due to a breach in Sunday curfew, it was still one of the most highly regarded shows of that weekend. Giving him a full hour-and-a-half to showcase his most recent band incarnation, which features his right hand man percussionist Mike Dillon, and newer Claypool-collaborators Sam Bass on cello, and Paulo Baldi on drums, Claypool ripped through a bass-heavy set of improvised originals. Inviting Matisyahu to the fold for a freetyle rap, Claypool seemed like a kid in a candy store doing what he loves. Highlights included "Whamola" which featured his signature bass of the same name, a "David Makalaster"/"Southbound Pachyderm" sandwich, and a raucous set-ending version of the Primus hit "D's Diner" that had the entire crowed shouting out in call and response. This was by far one of the most fun sets of Wakarusa 2009.

With only a half hour to kill before another set from Yonder Mountain, we headed towards the Revival Tent where BOT-favorites New Monsoon were already well into their first of two sets of the weekend. On our drive to Wakarusa, Toast and I were trying to decide which bands we had seen the most, and I came to the conclusion that for me it was New Monsoon. With numerous extended runs taking place in Houston, it's hard not to see this band whenever they come to town. Added to all the festival appearances, and I've seen them upwards of twenty-plus times. They've changed their line-up several times in the years since I've first seen them, also developing their sound from the Indian-influenced jam-rock of a few years ago, to the straight forward psychedlic rock of today. They have become a much tighter unit since the addition of their latest rhythm section of Marshall Harrell on bass and Sean Hutchinson on drums, and original members Phil Ferlino, Bo Carper and Jeff Miller have become so in tune with each other's playing, that whatever song they attempt, original or cover, it always turns out quite well. With another set on the Main Stage the following afternoon, we took off in favor of the Main Stage performance.

For the second time in about eighteen hours, our favorite bluegrass group Yonder Mountain String Band was taking the stage. We were blown away by the performance the night before, and we knew this one had the potential to be even better. After a "Fingerprint" opener, YMSB busted out an extended version of The Talking Heads' "Girlfriend is Better" that brought very wide smiles to Toast and my faces. While I'd heard their version on recording several times (most recently on the car ride to Wakarusa), hearing it live for the first time was quite the treat. If I had to choose between their version and the original, I'd always go with the OG, but if David Byrne or the Talking Heads aren't around, I'll take Yonder's version anyday. Unfortunately, it was very hard to top that song during the rest of their set which favored heavily on some of their slower material. Any Yonder is good Yonder, though, so I happily danced along throughout the entire hour-and-a-half.

We stuck around for a brief costume contest that seemed to be missing several of the best costumes that had been on display all day. It was a fun idea, but the execution could have been a bit better. The winner was damn cute though...

While our daytime events included a fair share of bluegrass, roots and jam rock, the night was devoted to the sounds of electronica, dance and funk. One of the most talked about up-comers in the "jam-tronica" genre, The Egg had already started their dance party in the Outpost Tent, and had no problems packing the house. Their beats were infectious, and drew us into the fold to sweat it out with the rest of the crowd. A quintet from Oxford, UK, they have established quite the global recognition during their lengthy 15+ year career. They stood out as one of the best late-night acts of the weekend, which is cause enough to try to catch them again in the near future.

The first of two sets from STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9) was currently under way on the Main Stage, and I was determined to give them at least a bit of a chance. They have fast become one of the biggest acts in the jamband world, now headlining a night of Wakarusa for the second year in a row. Their light show was nice as we walked in from the back of the venue, and their sound wasn't all to bad either – nothing outstanding, but not bad. I have seen STS9 on a few occasions, and every time I walk away from one of their shows, I'm never truly impressed. I understand their appeal to the candy-poppin' club kids, but I'm lost at why they're so damn big. If anyone can give me a legitimate reason why they are so big, please feel free to leave a comment below. For now, I'll remain lost.

Another band that I've seen loads of times due to their constant love for the city of Houston is the electronic duo EOTO. Consisting of String Cheese Incident's rhythm section, Jason Hann and Michael Travis mix live drums with looped instrumentation and samples to make a funky, completely improvised sound that is unlike any other act going today. We always have fun at their sets, and don't need to toot their horn any more than we already have. If you haven't seen them yet based on our recommendation, then you probably never will. This set did feature live glow hoopers, painting, and these two chicks that had what seemed like floating rods that they'd control by close proximity movement, almost like a floating theremin rod. Cool shit. I'm looking forward to another set this weekend, when they take the stage at Rothbury's Tripolee Domes.

New Orleans funksters Galactic were blowing up the Revival Tent with their signature manic funk sounds, those that as of late has been focused on the triple horn attack. Joining saxophonist Ben Ellman recently are trumpet player Shamarr Allen (Rebirth Brass Band, Willie Nelson) and trombonist Corey Henry (Treme Brass Band), who have taken center stage during their sets while trading off mind-altering solos throughout each song, new and old. Dropping the horns briefly, Henry and Allen showed off their ability to flow when subbing for Juvenile on the song "From The Corner to The Block" that served as one of the only brief moments of hip-hop that we caught all weekend. Soon Galactic were running through a pretty mean version of Led Zeppelin's "Trampled Under Foot" that sent the crowd into a tizzy. After finishing this set, Stanton Moore reestablished himself as my absolute favorite drummer going today. Great set from the veteran NOLA funk group.

Revival Tent during Galactic

After dropping off my camera, the next half-an-hour featured a quick trek to the Outpost Tent to catch another rising UK dance power, 2020 Soundsystem. The quartet had a very similar sound to The Egg, but just didn't do it for me as much. Maybe it was the impending P-Groove set, or the fact that I was well in need of my third wind, but the time I spent with 2020 just didn't do it for me. I would love to partake in a full show to get a better judgement, but for now they weren't my favorite. Good, but not great.

I skipped Perpetual Groove's set earlier in the weekend due to a conflict with The New Mastersounds and Blue Mountain, and also because I knew their 2:30-4:00 am showing would be one of the best of the weekend. This group feeds off the late night crowd, and they used their prime slot to show us just how good they really are. They are the latest in a string of jambands that just really know what their doing. Like Umphrey's McGee, moe., String Cheese Incident, Widespread Panic, Phish and The Grateful Dead before them (in that order), Perpetual Groove consistently perform unique shows every time they take the stage. This performance was no different. Highlighting the show was an on-point 15-minute cover of LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends," that had Steve Molitz (Particle, Phil Lesh & Friends) joining the fold on keys. It was the most unexpected cover of the weekend until moments later when they finished their set with an incredibly fun(ny) version of A-Ha's "Take On Me" that had the entire crowd belting out lyric for lyric. Midway through the set, our new writer Bacon joined the fold which sparked a new burst of energy in me, and immediately called for a few more beers.

We walked around for a while, finally making it to Bacon's camp for some R&R. It was about 5:00 am, and we were still hearing music coming from the Outpost Tent, so we shipped off to see who was performing. When we arrived, Radiohiro and DubFi Soundsystem were running over their scheduled finish time. Their sound was an interesting mix that featured the dance beats of Radiohiro layered with the hip-hop flows of MC Zulu. While entertaining enough for the extreme late nighters, I had seen enough, and wandered off to camp after purchasing an amazing steak and guacamole ciabatta from one of our favorite vendors ever, the Jam On Cafe.

The second day had come to a close for BOT at the 2009 Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival. With only one full day to go, my head finally hit the pillow like a rock. It was another night of falling fast asleep on our slanted, rocky campsite – another night of the best sleep ever.

Saturday's review is in the works...

-Eggs