The Communist Musicfesto [part I: Dunegrass]

So you've probably heard the news already: Rothbury '10 is not happening. The one thing that had kept me going when I was dragging my trash can up the driveway through 6 inches of snow: 4 days of friends, fun, and the best live music lineup in America-- damn skippy, Bonnaroo-- definitely not happening.

There are rumors circulating that the "real" reason is that the neighbors were complaining about the noise, and the surrounding communities passes some sort of noise ordinance... Rothbury maintains that they "are not able to move forward with the integrity and high standards that we demand from ourselves and for the festival." Another rumor, which might actually support that one, is that Gorillaz were supposed to headline, and backed out (but DAMN how tight would that have been). I refuse to believe that the citizens aren't allowing it; West Michigan is not that dumb-- to refuse thousands of tourism dollars flowing into your community over a few nights of noise-- but, I guess we'll never know.

The good news is that bands will always tour and stoned college kids will always congregate.

2010 Festival Preview

[Dunegrass]
     Dunegrass is a roots festie which takes place on the lovely Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. I've never been, but from what I can glean it seems extreeeeeeeemely laid-back, "user-friendly" (attn first timers) and a whole lot of fun. There's a fantastic lineup this year, including a couple of Kalamazoo bands:

First and foremost, may I discuss:
[ROOTSTAND!!!!!!!!!!]
     That's right, Kalamazoo's own Rootstand is perched conspicuously near the top of the Dunegrass lineup (second only to Steppin' In It, from Lansing). You might remember my review of a Rootstand show at Bell's last October... ("might" being the operative word there).
     Rootstand is exactly what you want to hear when you think of Midwest roots culture: a highly danceable, uptempo style of country/ bluegrass/ folk, a style that the band (very aptly) describes as "swashbuckling." I mentioned in the aforementioned Rocktober post that one of the members of this band was a housemate of mine, and I'm recalling now that I'm listening to their Myspace a certain Rich & Rare-fueled jam sesh I sat in on with a couple guys from this band. And let me tell you, as someone who has seen these guys out of the context of a show: their musicianship; their sheer love for roots and for what they do-- these are the kind of guys that are MADE of music. And you can't fake that.
     Alas, to call them a roots band wouldn't do them justice. You have to hear a whole set to understand them, but Rootstand's set ebbs and flows between sounds that I hesitate to call "genres" for lack of depth; from the heart of the Ozarks to the underground voodoo clubs of New Orleans, to the grimy pubs of Dublin to-- yes-- Bell's beer garden-- Rootstand summons the powers of the grandaddies of folk, blues, and-- let's face it, whatever the fuck they want-- and harnesses it into a thrilling set that, well, just might change everything you thought you loved about music into something newer, deeper, more ornate. Rootstand, thanks for making the Kzoo scene proud.

[Graham Parsons and the Go-Rounds]
     Admittedly, I've never seen Graham Parsons play... however, you might remember he sort of MCed the Boogie Records Revival show at The Strutt (was that last week? perhaps the week before?) with Michael Beauchamp. And while I found what I described in my notes as their "shuckin' and jivin'" to be charming, I have heard good things about Graham Parsons and would have liked to see him play. But no dice.
     However, I'm listening to his Myspace right now and it is... well, ungodly impressive.
     Hearing his music created for me one of those "wait, are you an old black man? Oh, you're a skinny white college kid" moments (a la Johnny Lang). Silky, silky smooth... Almost John Legend-esque: soulful, fluent, rich as a cup of hot cocoa on a cold February day in Michigan.
     Parsons is dangerously talented; nestled snugly in the perfect place between the dichotomy of smooth, effortless vibrato and a soulful rasp, his vocals alone are schoolgirl-crush-inducing; alongside his band (vaguely reminiscent of the Black Keys) the effect is like buttah.
     Like two sticks of buttah.

As far as I've been able to determine, those are the only Kalamazoo bands playing at Dunegrass, but it is a largely Michigan-oriented festival; there will be other regional acts playing. A few of my faves: Steppin' In It (Lansing); Rachael Davis Band (Lake City); and Covert Operations (Flint).

I think tickets to Dunegrass are around $45... Gorgeous Michigan panorama and incredible music, featuring some badass Kalamazoo bands? What more can you ask for?

There's more to come for my Michigan summer festival preview: Hoxeyville, Wheatland, and maybe even more!

To be continued...