MainFest Alhambra: Block party turns out to be a capital idea
Trina Green on
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Because Southern California can never have too many music festivals, the region on Saturday welcomed Alhambra’s MainFest to the fold.
Like all inaugural events, there were only two ways for this first MainFest to go: Either with a minimum of hiccups resulting in an overall good time or it would be a hot mess — emphasis on hot, considering the temperature made it to 80 degrees. With the fest’s main action taking place on the stretch of Main Street between Garfield Avenue and 2nd Street, the entirety of the event covered three blocks occupied by native businesses with a main stage, three local stages, a DJ stage, miscellaneous vendors, a beer garden (shocking, right?), food trucks, and even a rock-climbing wall for those wanting to get some exercise. Think a mini-Make Music Pasadena, sans the need for bus rides between its distant stages.
||| Photos by Jessica Hanley
As far as the main stage action was concerned, what was clear was that the day was divided into two distinct camps: those who rock and those who dance. The guitar-driven, harder-edged artists like Dead Sara and Thee Commons played under the sun; once that sun began to set, it was all grooves and glow sticks with Miami Horror and Capital Cities.
MainFest was dreamed up, created and produced by Alhambra native Joanna Vargas, with the aim of doing something for the city and its businesses (Vargas herself owns a fitness studio at Main and 1st streets) and putting the San Gabriel Valley city “on the map.” Gates opened at 1 p.m., and while attendance fluctuated throughout the day depending upon who was playing, by the end of the night Main Street was flush with bodies enjoying what turned out to be an easy-going and hassle-free good time. Volunteer coordinator, Virginia Casado is already looking forward to next year’s version of MainFest with the enthusiastic prediction that, “It will only get better.”
Do you, Alhambra.
Main stage highlights
It’s been a minute (read: three years) since Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonian, aka LA’s electro-pop duo Capitol Cities, released their full-length debut, “In a Tidal Wave of Mystery,” but never fear: New music and a new album are under construction. A handful of those fresh songs like “River Phoenix” (yep) and “Vowels” (imagine the chorus … we’ll wait) peppered their dance party-inducing set, and it all began with introducing the new, lively tune, “Space,” which falls well within the Capital Cities wheelhouse. Crowd participation was requested and received during “Center Stage,” Merchant and Simonian provided their own synchronized dance moves for “Chartreuse” and — yes — that was an unusual (if unrecognizable) and punchy version of Prince’s classic, “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
The atmosphere got just a tad bit rave-y when Miami Horror took the main stage. The sun was officially down and the darkness was just the thing to bump Ben Plant and his mates into neon party mode with smoke machines and light show in tow for rave effect. It was also the part of the program where having to dodge and/or catch constantly airborne glow stick necklaces became a thing for everyone, onstage and off. That glittery place where electronic and rock music meet and get pleasantly frenetic: That’s what Miami Horror traffic in, but that snippet of Echo & the Bunnymen’s “The Killing Moon” momentarily brought out the swoon. And, hey, don’t mind Plant: He was just stretching his legs when he climbed the scaffold and took the party to the roof of the stage. Cue “Dancing On The Ceiling.”
As those who’ve had the “pleasure” of experiencing !!! from the front row or the photo pit can attest, it’s an unusually physical affair. Physical in that there’s no shame to front man Nic Offer’s game when it comes to shaking what his mama gave him along with cruising the pit, the audience and the sidewalks for unsuspecting and willing folks to vamp, vogue, shimmy and all around get down with. Well, hell, that was fun.
Yes, their set began at least 10 minutes later than its noted start time and, yes, that amounted to a seven-minute rendition (aka the “punk-rock version,” according to frontwoman, Emily Armstrong) of their seminal hit, “Weatherman” as opposed to its more natural nine-minute sprawl. But even an abbreviated set from Armstrong, Sean Friday, Siouxsie Medley and Chris Null is everything. Everything that potent, powerful, driven and, yes, anarchistic rock should be in order to rage against whatever machine ails you. That railing separating the general admission from the VIP section ailed Armstrong (truth be told, it ailed just about everyone) so much so that she launched into an impromptu and free-form anthem about barriers between us. That may have been an adlib, but it felt appropriate and timely with the general elections around the corner and airing out two new rebellious, high-octane rockers, “F*ck Your Rock ’nÆ Roll Blues” and “Alien.”
What locale but East Los Angeles could spawn such a seemingly off-kilter, genre mash-up as Thee Commons? It’s that juncture where psych-rock, Cumbia, punk, surf-rock and even a touch of funk meet that distinguishes these local heroes from any other. Throw in a little clown college and a go-go dancer and there you go. While some in the daytime audience were mystified by the goings on of David Pacheco growl-singing Spanish lyrics over rivers of rhythm while a clown juggled, swallowed a sword, discharged balloons into the crowd and a pink (or purple, depending upon who you ask) Yeti-like creature engaged in interpretive dance, Thee Commons set was a fine example of music being the universal language: you don’t have to understand it in order to simply dig it.
SWIMM
Freshly returned to Los Angeles (as in, flew in that morning) from a mini-tour in their home state of Florida and setting foot in Alhambra for the very first time, Chris Hess of SWIMM was an existential piece of breezy charm splicing their set with thoughts of universal love and togetherness under the California sun. Fortunately for them, the stage was perfectly shaded from that sun during their set. With a full band behind him and Adam Winn, the beauty is in the spacey punch that their psych-rock songs “Belly,” “Souvenir” and “All The Time” pack which you can (and should) find on their latest EP, “Beverly Hells.” There was also stripping Ready For The World’s “Let Me Love You Down” down before playfully expanding its groove in typical SWIMM fashion, as well as how Hess allows the music to move him: Slinky/coquettish dance moves, aisle 5.
Side stages
Three bars along Main Street — 28 West Bar, Azul and Taco Republic — served as local stages hosting a bevy of local artists: a little something for everyone. Over at 28 West Bar, there was NorCal transplant HiRSH (neé Beau Hirshfield): a guy who gets elevated when he sings his truth. Literally. Approximately one-third of his set time is spent atop a wooden crate belting out socially conscious lyrics that would probably be folk songs if not for the synth/electro-pop backing. And it was all darkly emotive, yet danceable, moodiness from Lauren Pardini and Danny Sternbaum of the electro duo, Pr0files. Sternbaum’s green faux HAZMAT suit was a curiosity, but not too distracting.
Over at Taco Republic Kimi Recor reinforced what an unusually dynamic and well-lit front woman she is and how deep her lungs go as Draemings punched out a bold set of music fashioned as creature pop. Things glowed, like Recor’s sneakers and drumsticks. And closing out the night was the high-brow harmonies and guitar deftness of King Washington. FYI, they are the resident band at the Satellite in November and when you go (which you should) look out for a new song called “Evelyn.”
MainFest, let’s do it again next year.
Definitely missed out on Dancing Tongues on the Taco Stage as well
[…] The festival debuted last September with 40-plus bands playing over five stages, two outdoors. […]