The 2013 Sunset Strip Music Fesitval – Linkin Park, Wale, Sabrosa Purr, Stolen Babies, Awolnation, Finch, Zeale & More

For the sixth year in a row, the most infamous section of Hollywood’s Sunset Strip, was shut done for the finale of the Sunset Strip Music Festival which took place on August 3rd. Like in years past, two large stages book ended the well known boulevard. The festival shut down the stretch in front of the few blocks housing some of the most legendary nightclubs in rock legend.

This year’s festival, however, saw several changes to the event. After last years sweltering heat wave made midday attendance at the festival very uncomfortable, organizers decided to move the event up to the first week of August, in hopes of cooler weather. In fact, it was a near perfect day with cool morning overcast skies giving way to afternoon sunshine and the temperature topping out at about eighty degrees. Like in years past, early bird music fans were greeted to sparse crowds, allowing quick and easy access to most of the stages outside and inside. Also, like in years past, The Roxy, The Whiskey, and The Viper Room, offered up a steady stream of rock and rap bands to choose from. This year, the Key Club was removed from the mix, however, with a temporary closure and make over in progress. Instead, a third outdoor stage was added in its place, featuring new indie bands and sponsored by the Viper Room and Gibson Guitars.

sunsetstripposterLos Angeles based experimental rockers Stolen Babies, opened this year’s show, with an early afternoon set inside the Roxy. The band features drummer, Gil Sharone (+44,Dillinger Escape Plan), his brother Rani on bass and guitar, and colorful Dominique Lenore Persi on lead vocals and accordion. The band describes themselves as a post everything band, and within a goth backdrop they weave together some interesting pulsating sounds that resonate well with the fans of dark brooding melancholy music.

Meanwhile, the music was getting underway on the Viper Room outdoor stage. One of the first bands to play there was the Los Angeles based quartet, Sabrosa Purr. Every year at the festival, there seems to be one local band that stands out as a potential phenomenal new force in modern pop music. Last year, Dead Sara performed an opening showcase set that had national critics buzzing about their potential as possible new rock stars. Sabrosa Purr may have been this year’s surprising new gem.

The band led by quixotic singer and guitarist Will Love, travels a road somewhere between the Smashing Pumpkins and RadioheadAnd what a fascinating road it is, with frenzied guitar drenched jam sessions, punctuated with eerie electronic overlays, producing their own unique sound. Love pranced around like a madman playing his guitar, even leaving the stage and strolling through most of the small crowd gathered around. Jeff Mendel also frequently takes turns playing a frenzied lead guitar, laying down masterful wailing solos. The rhythm section features Angie Mattson on bass and an unnamed female drummer, both bringing a Gothic element to the group.

Outside, on the East Stage, the music got underway with emerging Austin hip hop artist Zeale. The East Stage has been the experimental main stage during past festivals, with a mix of old school hip hop, rap, reggae, and top EDM DJ’s like Steve Aoki. In addition to Zeale, other sets included; young long blonde haired rapper Asher Roth, veterans Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh, young baby faced Maryland Rapper Logic, and current chart topping artist Wale. All the acts on the East Stage were politely received by festival attendees, but the old school sound of Slick Rick and Doug E Fresh was the only set that inspired a large crowd to gather and break into a dancing frenzy. The veteran artists also had a surprise appearance by actor and singer Wayne Brady, cementing the Hollywood connection to the music festival. Wale also turned in a strong set, featuring surprise appearances by Chris Brown and Rapper YG. But his closing set on the East Stage was eclipsed by the immense sound emanating from the West Stage during Linkin Parks’ closing set, which attracted the lion’s share of the crowd, estimated to have peaked at about 15,000.

The West Stage is always considered the main focal point of the festival and usually features all genres of hard rock. The Street Drum Corps opened with a thunderous performance complete with scantily clad dancers on stilts. Bringing a style akin to the Burning Man  vibe to the stage, the energetic trio of percussionists pranced about,  playing all sorts of unusual drum like instruments. The band was even joined by No Doubt’s drummer, Adrian Young for a booming finale.

The Temecula based post hard core band Finch played classic Southern California style hard rock in the most sweltering part of the day. San Francisco based veteran guitar distortion masters, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, played the next set with a blazing summer sun as a backdrop. The band, formed in 1998, is credited with the revival of distortion rock. The sound has roots as far back as the Velvet Underground and later Love and Rockets.

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By the time Awolnation arrived on the West Stage, just before sunset, a large crowd had swarmed the area stretching far up the iconic street. The band has become a big draw, largely on the back of their first hit single“Sail,” which has gone platinum in the US and double platinum in Canada. Charismatic lead singer, Aaron Bruno, has grown his hair long and seems to be channeling the persona of Kurt Cobain, these days. The singer led the band in a frenzied set that whipped the tightly packed crowd into a sweaty, fist pumping mantra.

By the time Linkin Park was set to take the stage, the sun had long set and the surreal backdrop of the massive billboards lit up over the boulevard began to dominate the landscape. The crowd had become tightly packed nearly two blocks down the boulevard making access in either direction impossible. The festival basically came to a standstill as most people literally just stood in the place that they happened to be in when the headliners exploded onstage, playing one of their signature songs, “A Place for My Head.”

Lead singer Chester Bennington seemed to give it his all right out of the gate, belting out lyrics that literally brought him to his knees. Mike Shinoda joined in with his powerful distinctive rap oratory, a perfect juxtaposition to Bennington’s high pitched voice. The band played so tightly throughout the evening that they almost sounded like a pre recording. But close examination revealed Rob Bourdon playing thunderous drums, Dave Farrell laying down a booming bass beat, guitarist Brad Delson, shredding ear piercing guitar licks, and  DJ Joe Hahn, adding in layers of EDM, indistinguishable from the live instrument sound.

Although music continued on the Viper Room outdoor stage and in the clubs until early the next morning, most festival goers left en masses after Linkin Park finished their set. It was another successful year for one of the most unique destination celebrations of the history of hard rock on the Sunset Strip.

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