| New Orleans Indie Rock Fest III: Night 1 |
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| Written by CaptAbernathy |
| Thursday, 03 December 2009 00:00 |
 With a clear head, and one month left until New Year’s, my plan is to empty out my notebooks of all the concert reviews that have built up over the past few months. Fittingly, I figured that it would be a good idea to start with an event that should still be pretty fresh in everyone’s minds… the third New Orleans Indie Rock Fest. It’s hard to imagine that just over a year ago, the New Orleans Indie Rock Collective held the first NOIR Fest. Since the initial rally, the semiannual showcase has become the centerpiece of the burgeoning local, indie scene. If you haven’t caught on to what’s going on around these parts, I highly recommend you check out the Collective’s most recent sampler CD, and then download the previous 2 samplers, and then check out these articles to find out exactly what you’ve been missing out on. But for now it’s time to talk about NOIR Fest III, which, over the course of two nights, November 20th and 21st, featured 8 bands . The first night’s concert was held at One Eyed Jacks and included performances by singer-songwriter Vox and the Hound (Leo DeJesus), experimental project One Man Machine, NOIR Fest I vets MyNameIsJohnMichael, and college rockers Gamma Ringo. Vox and the Hound, the official moniker of MNIJM’s Leo DeJesus’ one man solo act, opened the show with a set filled with drifting, atmospheric acoustic numbers. A few weeks ago, I featured DeJesus here leading into the show he opened for Blitzen Trapper. Easily one of the most recognizable characters on the local indie front, many fans have become familiar with him from his former outfit The City Life (who performed at NOIR Fest I), his stint as the drummer of Big Rock Candy Mountain (who performed at NOIR Fest II), or his current role in MyNameIsJohnMichael. This night, DeJesus delivered a short but strong performance, engaging the crowd with his riveting lullabies and soaring vocals – and humor… He actually threw in an abbreviated cover of “Maria” from West Side Story. The second act of the night was One Man Machine, an unorthodox musical ensemble under the creative direction of frontman Bernard Pearce. The performance, which was my most anticipated set of the festival, unfortunately turned out to be my biggest disappointment. Their show just sort of happened, beginning with a grungy, psychedelic jam that emerged from what I thought was their soundcheck. Maybe I wasn’t on the right level, but I wasn’t sure what to make of One Man Machine’s set. In fact, I’m still confused about it… seemingly mystified… though more befuddled than anything else. In any case, their set combined jarring noises, trippy soundscapes, and unexpected jams with Pearce’s bracing stream-of-consciousness antics.  Perhaps no other group in New Orleans has had as big a year as six-piece indie troupe MyNameIsJohnMichael. For many, their first introduction to MNIJM came at the first NOIR Fest. Since then, the group literally has not stopped, touring and performing relentlessly in support of their debut album The People That Come and Go . I’ve done my best to keep up with them, featuring them several times over the span. If you’ve kept up with Groovescapes , you’re probably tired of hearing me talk about their big gushing melodies, winsome underdog tales, and wild, euphoric stage shows. So, I’ll leave it at this… The camaraderie that the band shares with each other and the fans has played a crucial role in the groundswell. But, from what I saw at NOIR Fest III, MNIJM has moved beyond the point being a really exciting, cool, new band to point of becoming one of the most exhilarating, invigorating, and dynamic bands in the country. With each show, the songs are tighter, the rhythms more propulsive, and the grooves more contagious. The final group of the evening was college rock power trio Gamma Ringo. From their opening number, the three-piece seemed to be concerned with only one thing… rocking out as hard and as much as they could – which isn’t always a good thing but was in this case. All dynamite musicians, their set moved from spacious alt-country chorales to raucous, high-energy rockers to carefree lo-fi jams, which they carried off with a certain early-twenties slacker flair that resonated throughout the crowd. Sometimes a group of loud, boisterous, unabashed, and unconcerned kids playing whatever they feel like with everything the have in them can have it’s upsides. CaptAbernathy Remixing the Musical Landscape Groovescapes 2009 Comments (0)
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| Last Updated on Wednesday, 16 December 2009 23:31 |
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- Bravo!!!!! The best touring Jam band around!!!! Not saying that because we are from Chicagoland . But because it is true DSO puts on a true Dead show ...
- Way to go EatPizza! I'm looking forward to reading more of your reviews soon.
- Theresa Andersson is great in glory bound. It's fun to see her featured amongst these legendary artists. It's also a fun reminder for some of us who h ...
- The song with Allen is a great addition. Galactic does a great job bringing the New Orleans tradition into the modern music scene. That's what's so gr ...
- Local Louisiana favorites Norcio also played VooDoo fest in '08! don't forget you're locals!
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