Go-Go Garagefest
Scion event draws a crowd
Posted by: John Chandler on Oct 19, 2009 at 11:00AM
7 Comments
The trick to navigating Garagefest was planning your itinerary down to the minute.
View Slideshow »The line at Berbati’s Pan was long all day. Soon, event staff would only let a person in if someone left the club.
View Slideshow »Live from Scion Garagefest: The Dirtbombs took the stage with two hammering drummers, adding a thunderous backbone to their rip-roaring attack.
View Slideshow »Live from Scion Garagefest: Many of the concertgoers I spoke with proclaimed the Dirtbombs to be the best band at the fest. I would not disagree. Guitarist-singer Mick Collins absolutely scorched from beginning to end.
View Slideshow »Perhaps taking a cue from Monotonix, one of the Dirtbombs’ drummers moved his kit down to the floor toward the end of their set.
View Slideshow »Trying to keep the hyperactive Mick Collins in frame was no easy task.
View Slideshow »For some reason, Elvis was not asked to perform at Garagefest. But he took it to the streets—even in the rain.
View Slideshow »Live from Scion Garagefest: Kid Congo is a guitarist and bandleader who’s been a member of the Cramps, Gun Club, and the Bad Seeds. Resplendent in a cool cape, Kid Congo played a spine-tingling mix of R&B, psychedelia, and rock en espanõl.
View Slideshow »Live from Scion Garagefest: Cute band alert! Tennessee vixens Those Darlins displayed punk moxie, house-party chutzpah, and a tuneful approach that belied their tough-chick persona.
View Slideshow »Live from Scion Garagefest: The strangest thing about the Strange Boys, from Austin, was the front-and-center presence of a gal who didn’t sing but kept time tapping her umbrella.
View Slideshow »This is me and some guy named Ross. I told him he could be in the slideshow if he bought me a beer.
View Slideshow »Live from Scion Garagefest: Goodnight Loving deserved a bigger crowd than the spotty attendance at Satyricon. The Wisconsin combo’s blend of twang, fuzz, and harmony was scintillating.
View Slideshow »Kid Congo and his drummer get up close and personal. Nice mustache!
View Slideshow »I loved Canadian combo Simply Saucer’s honest, bar-band approach to psych-pop, but I was apparently in the minority. Someday Lounge was jammed for this set.
View Slideshow »Memphis legend Jack Oblivion’s set at Dante’s was a great way to finish off the night. Rough and soulful like the Stones, a hard voice of authority like Springsteen or Warren Zevon.
An entire day devoted to fuzzed-out, three-chord 1960s-style bashing? Kind of. It became evident early on that Scion’s Garagefest was operating under a fairly spacious umbrella, from the Dirtbombs sweaty riff riot, to Goodnight Loving’s sweet, twangy trash, to Kid Congo’s Latin-fluenced sonic spook show.
Speaking of umbrellas, there was more than one occasion where a bumbershoot would have come in handy, as Saturday’s weather proved to be as unpredictable as the 40-odd bands playing at the four Burnside corridor venues. I got soaked waiting for the Dirtbombs, and re-soaked making a dash for a slice of pizza an hour or so later.
Honestly, I was a little leery of a corporate-sponsored fest. Besides hardcore punk and Scandinavian black metal, garage rock is probably the most snotty, anti-authoritarian musical idiom known to mankind. And I do have a complaint to register with Scion. The swag bags left a lot to be desired. Other than the earplugs, socks, and a little package of mints that I haven’t been able to open, everything else was car propaganda. On the plus side, the socks are quite comfy.
While the lines to get in to see big names like the Black Lips and Roky Erickson at Berbati’s Pan were ludicrously long, causing many to give up on the early side of Saturday night, the Satyricon and Someday Lounge were usually an easy fit, making the fest a golden opportunity to see some little-known acts, among whom were several pleasant surprises. Those Darlins, Goodnight Loving, and the Strange Boys all delivered memorable—and varied—sets.
Get a gander at our web-exclusive slideshow from Scion Garagefest and soak up the sights, sounds, and smells of a full day dedicated to no-frills, no-nonsense rock ‘n’ roll. Sadly, we failed to get pictures of the matronly prostitute who asked me for a date or the drunk guy from Florida that tried to bite me while I was waiting for a late-night burrito. I guess you had to be there. Note: You may notice a drop in quality from the early photos, shot by ace photographer Cammie Toloui, and those that follow, captured by my Sony digital. Still, I firmly believed I was a triple threat, just like Peter Parker: fighting crime, reporting, and snapping the pics.
Oh, those are mints? I thought it was some kind of bait or tackle.
Argh, I picked the wrong weekend to be out of town.
no kidding, those swag bags sucked.
I have never been cool in my whole life. But, I must say, if those car people wanted to approximate cool—they should have at least provided a CD with some of the music on it. Even boys who wear their underpants on the outside could have gotten that far.
Those Darlins – the only reason I’ve ever come across to move to Tennessee! ;-)
A. Oh Bar Pilot a.k.a. Peter Parker, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. . .but WHY did you send Ms. Toulouie home? Must be a budget thing, her pics rocked. No offense intended, we know you work hard, biting Floridians- AARP hookers yikes, you deserve a medal. I’m just saying, those were some purty pictures by Ms. Toulouie and her website was bitchin’ too.
B.Um no offense Scion, but what the hey am I suppossed to do with a pair of Mens size 10-13 socks from my “swag” bag? Guess us chicas weren’t the target demographic here, eh?
Swag bag?
I didn’t get no swag bag!
So much for press access.