Bedrocktoberfest kicks off its inaugural year with RZA, Liam Finn and other assorted magic

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BEDROCKtoberfest 2013

“If you build it, they will come.” Or more specifically – if you have a will and a parking lot, you can build a music festival, and they will come. Such was the case at Saturday’s inaugural Bedrocktoberfest, located at Echo Park’s Bedrock LA complex off Glendale Boulevard, which had the feel of a fun neighborhood block party. You know, a fun neighborhood block party – only with RZA rapping classics from his entire discography, Liam Finn tearing through new songs, and Twin Shadow spinning 80s gems as the sun faded.

A few minutes after 9 p.m., RZA took the stage to a backing band of seven or eight, including a drummer, two percussionists, guitarist, keyboardist and DJ. He was clad in a black W cap, glasses, a black blazer with a sparkly skull and crossbones on the back and a loud red belt. He rocked his left-handed fingerless glove with as much swagger as he rocked the mic all night, delivering a career-spanning set and dropping knowledge in the guise of banter. The live band gave the material an R&B feel, soulful and funky, as the bass-and-drum backbone propelled the songs while the female back-up singers, electric guitars and turntable-scratching elevated it.

He began with “Brooklyn Babies” and plowed through “Long Time Coming,” “Booby Trap,” “Grits” and “Glocko Pop.” In between songs, RZA explained the history of certain tracks, shared a few stories and offered advice, including, “Don’t let nobody stop you from achieving your dreams” … “It takes 10 years to become a master in any craft” … “Keep striving and one day the world will hear your art” … And last but not least, “Life is not complete without good sex.” But above all, he said, “The main thing I try to do as an artist is have fun, and express myself,” and then promptly led by example.

RZA marched in place before the microphone, spitting in various speeds, dancing in place at times, shimmying side to side at others. He growled at times, his voice deeper than “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” two decades ago, and flowed with that authority and command. He emerged from backstage with two female dancers, each with a bottle of champagne, popping and spraying the crowd before launching into “Drink, Smoke & F*ck.” He sipped on a bottle of Belvedere and asked the crowd, “You wanna get faded with me?” then passed the Belve into the crowd stage left and retrieved it a moment later from an audience member stage right.

He talked about touring Europe this past summer and when displeased by the audience’s energy, asked, “You can’t out jump those foreign mu’f*ckahs?” to which the crowd proved foreigners could be out-jumped. He led the crowd in many call and responses, from “take money” and “make money,” to “RIP” and “ODB” while covering Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s “Shimmy Shimmy Ya.” And he asked turn DJ Skane all the way up to “take you back to some wild sh*t,” then blasted “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing ta F*ck Wit,” possessing the crowd to jump and yell the repeated reply. The set also featured the Gravediggaz track “1-800-Suicide” with a reggae groove, a cover of The Beatles’ “Come Together,” and a medley of “C.R.E.A.M.” / “Shame On A N*gga,” amping the crowd up even further.

New Zealander Liam Finn and his band roared through their 7 p.m. set just after the sun dipped below the horizon, playing multiple new songs with a new band, who he kept referring to as “The Salty Women,” but still joined by longtime collaborator Eliza Jane Barnes. The new material was awash with awesomely scuzzy eclectic guitar and shaded synth textures, expanding on their sound since I last saw them in Portland in 2008. The harmonies highlighted “Better To Be,” and “I’ll Be Lightning” shined with its shoegaze delay, lively bass, and hushed wind down. He also plugged his upcoming show at the Largo this Tuesday, calling it “his favorite venue in the world,” and chided the beer garden for their alcoholism before toasting to them.

Twin Shadow followed Vanaprasta’s 4 p.m. by teaming with Wynn fora DJ set and declaring, “We’re here to make you dance.” Then they hurled into it, dropping cuts like Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight,” Disclosure’s “Stimulation,” Soul II Soul’s “However Do You Want It,” New Order’s “Bizarre Love Triangle,” and a remixed Michael Jackson’s “Remember The Time” with a killer flute solo.

Magician Rob Zabrecky performed a set on the ledge above Bedrock LA’s pinball gallery, with people spilling out into the blocked-off street. The former rocker’s sleight-of-hand was impressive, ripping string to pieces and reconstructing the thread intact, and folding playing cards in half to produce smaller playing cards. David and Leeman, and Jon Armstrong, also performed sets between musical acts. The one-and-only Flula MC’d the event in a fabulous magenta-yet-pink-polka-dotted suit.

Photo by Timothy Norris via LA Weekly; view his entire Bedrocktoberfest slidshow here.