FYF Fest 2013, Day 1: Notes from Samantha’s Tent
Kevin Bronson on
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Roky Erickson, Classixx, Eleanor Friedberger
- ||| Photos by Carl Pocket
After the jump, more photos and capsule reviews:
You Should Have Been Here Because: At 66 years old and with a litany of mental health issues and drug problems in his rear-view mirror, Roky Erickson has been known to have good days and bad days since he resumed touring a few years ago. The psych-rock forerunner and founding member of the 13th Floor Elevators had a very good Saturday, backed by four young charges and getting a hero’s welcome when he walked onstage. Erickson reissues are on their way in September thanks to Light in the Attic. It’s a beautiful thing, seeing an original honored by acolytes. And that, as Forrest Gump would say, is all I have to say about that.
Downside: Strangely, the mix inside the tent was muddier than a Texas back road after a gullywasher. But if you stepped outside the enclosure, Erickson’s vocal levels were damned near perfect.
– Kevin Bronson
You Should Have Been Here Because: The revelers were not to be confined to the darkened corners of Samantha’s Tent. No, before Classixx even took the stage, they spilled out onto the hill behind, jumping and whooping in ever widening circles to Pink Floyd. Really all Classixx had to do was show up. The crowd had their cigarettes lit and was ready to boogie. The L.A. duo took the stage as the sun kissed the tops of the trees. Looking clean on such a dusty day, one in a white T-shirt and the other in a striped one, Michael David and Tyler Blake looked remarkably unthreatening, but as soon as their heavily disco influenced synth-pop hit the air, the already charged crowd erupted. Every tune off of their album “Hanging Gardens” was met with unmitigated adoration, manifesting itself in unrelenting clapping. By the time they played their famous remix of Phoenix’s “Liztomania” and the place went bananas. Under no illusions about their front-men abilities, Classixx had a number of guest singers come out on stage, which the gave the set a much needed organic feel. The most capitivating was Superhumanoids’ Sarah Chernoff, who came out to sing “A Stranger Love.” Dressed in shorts and a stripy top, when Chernoff shimmied across the stage with her cool, soothing voice floating above the crowd, they looked like a band that could go places.
Downside: For their single “All You’re Waiting For” they decided to use a recording of Nancy Whang’s vocals. It gave it a very cold feeling. Sometimes live doesn’t have to be perfect, dudes. Hire one of your friends to sing that part if Nancy can’t be there. Give it a little human warmth.
Postscript: Fist pumps are never going out of style, huh.
– Molly Bergen
Delorean was great but the sound for them was not the best either