On a busy June weekend that found musicians, comedians, and media moguls heavily gathered in middle Tennessee for Bonnaroo or north of the border in Toronto for NxNE, the Williamsburg and Greenpoint neighborhoods of North Brooklyn found time to host an event of their own with the music and technology portion of the annual Northside Festival. Not so much a “festival” in the classic sense, but more of a gathering of creative minds, Northside’s niche lies in its’ intent to showcase the vast amounts of energy emanating from one of America’s hippest locales.
Since starting the endeavor in 2009, founders Scott and Daniel Stedman, publishers of essential local zines, The L and Brooklyn, have been ramping up the activities and expanding the focus beyond music and film. This year found them hosting the biggest platform yet, as key players in the technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship fields held court in conference rooms alongside the myriad of local and national acts who set up shop onstage. As part of the NExT Expo, over 100 of Brooklyn’s local companies and startups were showcased as part of a free trade show that kicked off the weekend, while panel discussions, demonstrations, and industry Q&A’s took place side by side. On top of all this, a pretty substantial film showcase carried over into the following week.
Though intrigued by some of the innovators and always game for a good movie or two, I was predominantly in the area for music. And with 27 different hosting venues scattered across a few, tightly wound square miles of land, music was definitely at a premium over the weekend’s four nights of events. The all-access badge I wore around my neck secured my admission to many of these events, the only thing I was lacking was time and the ability to clone myself, as it was a shame I couldn’t be in two places at once.
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Thursday night presented many choice dilemmas, though I found myself wedged inside Warsaw, getting pummeled by the sheer iridescent force of Swans. Michael Gira and Co. have been touring hard and heavy behind last year’s critically acclaimed The Seer and all that time on the road has only served to add an even greater thunderous roar to their already pummeling live show. A bit more garrulous than I’d expected him to be, Gira leads with a theatric flair that humanizes the otherwise intense stoicism that lies at the core of the music. Obviously, I left the venue with a sharp ring buzzing my eardrums. Appropriately, Swans’ music had appeased the rain gods and my walk back to the train was a drenching one.
I don’t regret my choice of show for the night, but it came at the expense of several others, including a White Fence and Mac DeMarco’s raucous set at Brooklyn Bowl, NPR-approved folk duo Ivan & Alyosha, who charged through with their set at Europa despite having their touring van swiped a few days earlier, and the breezy upstart punk of Brooklyn faves Bleached, who headlined Knitting Factory. Had I also had the liberty of skipping work on Friday, I’d have had plenty of tough calls to make for the late night sessions as well, as the soulful singer-songwriter Kendra Morris, Long Island-based chillwavers Twin Sister, and Body/Head, the new project from Kim Gordon, all squared off in simultaneous slots.
Friday evening brought just as strong a lineup and decisions galore. Fans of sludge metal were more than pleased with the bookings, as Kylesa lit up the Music Hall of Williamsburg stage, while Miami’s Torche ripped it up down the street at 285 Kent. Elsewhere, local stalwart Har Mar Superstar laid down the snarky charm, Montreal’s Suuns brought their sizzling beats and soundscapes to the psychedelic stage of Glasslands Gallery and the crowds again flocked to Warsaw to witness the Greg Ginn/Ron Reyes led reconfiguration of hardcore legends Black Flag, one of the festival’s most buzzed about sets.
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I, however, settled in for the Rhys Chatham & Oneida collaboration at Europa and came away pretty pleased with my choice. With a little bit of every style and arrangement thrown out at the audience for absorption, the show featured a lot of improvisation and imagination, while at times lending the feel of a late-night rehearsal. It was less wonky that I had anticipated, and the ability to witness an influential figure like Chatham work his wonders from up close was a definite advantage of the Northside club setup.
Saturday and Sunday afternoons featured the use of the McCarron Park Stage and its’ large outdoor gathering center. Serving as both centerpiece and ground control for the festival, a large, open concrete field was cordoned off and peppered with beer and food tents, a Heineken sponsored lounge, and the Red Bull Creation Tent, which hosted a weekend-long innovation competition where unique minds worked on building and testing products right out in the open under the watchful eyes of judges and curious onlookers.
On Saturday, I spent a bit of time browsing through the happenings, and while I was impressed with the efforts, I lacked the comprehension to fully grasp the details of all that was going on. Science was never my bag, so I wandered back out in the sun and turned my focus once again to the music where Phosphorescent and The Walkmen both left the sweat-soaked assembled audience in awe with soaring and triumphant performances.
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As both bands’ frontmen reside nearby, it was a sort of homecoming party where they’d have occasion to be greeted warmly even if they played hour-plus sets of tried and true bar band covers. Fortunately, though, both bands chose to showcase their strong individual repertoires, with Phosphorescent highlighting their magnificent new release, Muchacho, and The Walkmen howling their way through a polished and intense set of classics both recent and legendary.
After some pizza and the respite of a coolly lit pub, it was onto the Music Hall of Williamsburg to witness Jay Farrar’s latest incarnation of Son Volt. Tonight, backed by Mark Spencer on pedal steel, Gary Hunt on guitar/mandolin/fiddle, Andrew Duplantis on bass and Jay Edwards on the drumkit, Farrar rolled through his sturdy catalog of alt-country winners, augmented with a good chunk of his latest effort, the Bakersfield ode, Honky Tonk. As always, it was a steady and loyal crowd of alt-country loyalists, comprised mostly of those of us who’ve been hanging on Farrar’s words since the days of Uncle Tupelo and the Trace-era Son Volt lineup. But, as was the theme, all good things came at the expense of others, and I missed the opportunity to see upstart Chicago rapper Chancelor Bennett, aka Chance the Rapper, who apparently put on quite the show and who we are certain to hear more from in the near future.
Sunday afternoon’s park set featured a headlining set by Beyonce’s kid sister Solange Knowles, and while I heard a bit and was impressed, the threat of rain and the rush to make it over to Lambchop’s impending set forced me to cut short the outdoor time. Ah, Lambchop. Yep, they sounded pretty good and yep, they’re always pretty acerbic and charming in their own unique way. A lot of words and a lot of time could be spent analyzing the intricate nature of their songs and craftsmanship, but on this night as they worked their way through gems from last year’s gorgeously lilting Mr. M accompanied by Yo La Tengo’s James McNew, the music simply served as a pleasing encapsulation of a long and satisfying musical weekend. The Stedman brothers did well and can take pride in their work. Hopefully, after some rest and relaxation, they’ll delve back into the planning of the next Northside Festival which should serve as a seasonal anchor in this plot of Brooklyn.
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