The Communist Musicfesto [part 2: Hoxeyville]

Hoxeyville: my second most highly-anticipated MI festival of this summer. With a fairly impressive lineup (blues superstar Buddy Guy is headlining) including plenty of Kalamazoo, regional, and Michigan acts, it really should be a fantastic time. Representin' the 'zoo:

[Greensky Bluegrass]
     Kalamazoo's most prominent bluegrass band (one of our most prominent bands period, I think) and a band I have seen and enjoyed on several occasions, Greensky Bluegrass, is a staple at Hoxeyville, and jam-scene royalty in Kzoo and throughout Michigan. With a name like Greensky Bluegrass, you might be expecting a gimmicky, predictable, wedding-reception-bluegrass band, and, truth be told, you wouldn't be too terribly far off: ranging from country-folk, Willie Nelsonesque road balladry (check out "200 Miles From Montana", available on their Myspace) to the stereotypical modern bluegrass sound (a la mainstream soundalike Nickel Creek), this band doesn't leave their audience with much reading to be done between the proverbial lines.
     Having said that, Greensky is the only Kzoo act to have ever played at the festival-leviathan Rothbury, these guys are definitely at the forefront of the roots/ bluegrass/ Americana scene in Michigan and throughout the Midwest.
     A rundown on their sound: Greensky utilize the aforementioned mainstream/ modern bluegrass sound throughout their set, occasionally flowing into fluent, mountainy jams that are really somewhat exciting (if you're into that sort of thing); the essence of which they sometimes manage to capture in their recorded work (check out "In The Rafters," also on Myspace). I have to say that they tend to play it kind of safe; this is the kind of bluegrass that you really have heard before. But they know what they do, they do it well and with a certain amount of (country) swagger, and an attention-getting precision. If you can't get enough jingly, standup-bass-driven, dobro-decorated, steering-wheel-tapping bluegrass, do check out Greensky; while they're probably not enough to convert someone who isn't already a bluegrass believer, they're sure to make a tasty treat for the devout up at Hoxeyville.

[Who Hit John?]
      I saw Who Hit John? on Night Two of Barking Tuna Fest in October alongside Michael Beauchamp and the Barn Roughs, as well as Th' Legendary Shack Shakers, and I am stoked that they are going to be up at Hoxeyville (as well as fellow [non-Kalamazoo] Tuna veterans, Airborne or Aquatic) and stoked to be listening to them again.
     While Who Hit John? is quite a bit on the country side of things-- a side I'm firmly on the record for being NOT on-- they're a hell of a lot of fun to listen to; not the "supernatural" experience I had hoped for, but  they're extremely listenable, even to me. They are reminiscent of 'zoo country comrades Brother Bill (only a little more sober and considerably less hyper).
     Though Who Hit John? was not on my list of noted best (or worst) Barking Tuna bands, after consulting my infamous Rod Stewart notebook of show reviews and revisiting my notes, I rediscovered that I had an awesome time at their show (of course). Their lively, clap-along canter makes for a hell of a listening experience, whether live or recorded; they swim flawlessly through the roots spectrum from straight-up hillbilly ("Cooter Brown") to an organic, almost Celtic sound ("Conscription Man") to a backwater-Baptist, Ozarks goin'-to-meetin' stomp ("The Plan") (all selections are available on their Myspace.)
     If you're thinking about catching these guys to get a little taste before Hoxeyville (I know I will be), you're in luck; Who Hit John? has several Kalamazoo dates coming up... consult their 'Space for further details.

 And that's kind of it for Kalamazoo bands at Hoxeyville, but I trust that both Greensky and Who Hit John? will represent hardcore. (Figuratively hardcore, of course.) AND, there are tons of other great acts at Hoxeyville, both regional and national.
     My faves: EOTO, ekoostik hookah, Airborne or Aquatic (one of my fave Tuna bands), Daisy May, Shout Sister Shout (a Rachel Davis-fronted, Antebellum-gospellish project; I saw them at Kraftbrau ages ago and loved it), Macpodz, UV Hippo, and lots, lots more!!!

Stay tuned for more MI festival previews! And if you need to forget the raging snowstorm outside, just curl up with a pair of headphones, close your eyes, and warm up from the inside out to your favorite festie bands.   

Barking Tuna 2009 NIGHT TWO PREVIEW!

Night Two: Fri 10/09/09 at Papa Pete's

The Legendary Shack Shakers (Nashville) {folk punk} [http://www.myspace.com/legendaryshackshakers]
You might have noticed that I categorized this band as "folk punk." If that sounds strange, it's because it is. While I love a good experimental band, they kind of sound like this: a hillbilly and a Russian met in a traveling circus, had a child, homeschooled it, and only allowed it to listen to Dropkick Murphys and watch Tim Burton movies. Infer what you will.
Sidenote on Nashville: while it calls itself "The Music City," I did fairly extensive research on Nashville's music scene for this blurb alone, to try to get a context for this band, and honestly didn't find a whole lot that didn't fall under the country/ blues/ etc category. There are some indie bands but, otherwise, not a whole lot going on. So while I give this band props for stepping out of their crowd, and while I have a certain amount of faith in WIDR's music selections for Tuna (especially after Night One) I'm not real optimistic about this show. But I'm going, and I have an open mind, and we'll see.

Who Hit John? (Kalamazoo) {roots/ americana} [http://www.myspace.com/whohitjohn5]
So, you have to know that moments after I first listened to this band on Myspace, my internet browser completely melted off the screen and left me with that excruciating helpless panic that only a computer malfunction can bring. Regardless, their first listed track, "Till The Last Dog Dies" KEPT PLAYING without so much as a skip between jingly banjo-and-fiddle stylings. Because of this, I'm led to believe that this band has supernatural powers, and am expecting a supernatural show. I hope they live up to it. (Just kidding. But seriously. And does anyone know anything about computers? Because I think mine is broken.)
Anyway. With names like Hamdog and Django, I'm sure these folks know how to party, and you guys already know how I love a good bluegrass show. With character-centric, party-oriented jams about gettin' drunk and causin' trouble, Who Hit John? plays it safe: not unappealing, but nothing we haven't heard before. With the right energy tonight, I'm expecting this show to go over fairly well. Personally, I'm kind of looking forward to seeing Papa Pete's-- a predominately rock/ metal venue-- full of skeletal vegans with dreadlocks and Peoples' Food Co-Op tshirts. I think it will be a more anthropological experience than anything. And hopefullly the music will be ok, too.

Michael Beauchamp and the Barn Roughs (Kalamazoo) {folk} [http://www.myspace.com/michaelbeauchampmusic]
After spending some time with Michael Beauchamp's music, I'm starting to think that what I took at first for a stripped-down, decidedly low-fi sound is actually just a bunk live recording. On one hand, I'm a little annoyed, but when I put my music snobbery aside and just pay attention to the music (when I'm not distracted by people coughing in the background [PS-- we're onto you!]) it's actually really good, pure, old-fashioned folk music. Like... old old-fashioned folk music. While he has the requisite Bob Dylan-influence-mention on his Myspace, there really isn't a whole lot-- if any-- 60's-folk influence that I can determine. I almost want to [please, let's not have the conversation about 'the impossibility of Bob Dylan NOT influencing an artist']. But Beauchamp has such an unbelievable backwoods purity to his songwriting-- and his voice itself-- that simply wasn't present in the 60s, when folk was so much more tense and aware; he seems to transcend this with a unique, reductionist take on music: letting it speak for itself. His warbly voice and wavelike strumming seem to lean against a beautiful croon of traditional fiddle, and the overall effect is simple, not overwhelming, but hauntingly pristine. Beauchamp, etc is probably my pick for tonight.