Kevin Bronson on May 14th, 2017

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Saturday’s Mini Fest was indeed mini (turnout was light), but the lineup was good to the max. Plus, there was a canine VIP who wouldn’t stop wagging her tail.

Anyway, the festival was held at an event space in Cypress Park called the Forge, which felt like somebody’s well-appointed tree fort, complete with library bookshelves. And the stage got its juice from the band Trapdoor Social’s solar trailer.

Blondfire closed out the night with its recent single “Here and Now,” songs from the 2016 EP “True Confessions” and, of course, the 2014 single “Where the Kids Are.” Trapdoor Social played songs from last year’s self-titled full-length, with Skylar Funk frolicking through the crowd during his saxophone solo; Groves ended with “Ender,” the big single from their “Not for Nothing” EP; fresh from their appearance playing Coachella, desert quartet Yip Yops impressed with a set of unhinged New Wave; the Knitts jammed songs from their new album “Retreat;”  and both Ramonda Hammer and Paper Pilots got the small gathering excited about their new songs. Family Lumber, Detoure and Name the Band opened the afternoon.