A Small Project / LouFest 2014 In Review, pt. 1

So, I haven't posted on this blog in several months. I planned to write between shifts of my job, but the summer kind of sped by to be honest. I've had some terrible writer's block, too, so that definitely wasn't helping. But here I am, three weeks into my junior year of college, and I'm feeling the itch to write something. And what better to write about than the music festival I just got back from?

LouFest 2014!

It. Was. Great. I had an amazing time at LouFest last year and jumped at the chance to buy tickets to this one. It didn't hurt that the lineup included some amazing names - Glass Animals, San Fermin, Washed Out, RAC, Cherub, Cake. Oh, and OUTKAST.

I've got some videos and a decently accurate memory of the shows I saw (which will only deteriorate the longer I wait), so let's get to it!

San Fermin

So we started out Saturday with one of my most anticipated acts of the weekend. I hadn't heard of San Fermin before the lineup had been announced, but I fell in love with their song "Sonsick" almost immediately after hearing it. A little further digging into their catalog found me their song "Renaissance!", a similarly hypnotic song which I almost didn't recognize as them thanks to the lead singer switch-up. Unlike Rae Cassidy's soaring, catchy melodies, the husky voice of frontman Ellis Ludwig-Leone is firmly grounded with a low growl.

San Fermin filled the Bud Light Stage with no less than eight members including the two lead singers, a guitarist, a drummer, a violinist, a trumpeter and an impressive tenor sax player. Where the daunting task of opening the main stage at the fest got the best of Youngblood Hawke last year, San Fermin rose to the challenge. Each instrumentalist got a solo, and each displayed their immense talent succinctly.

While founder Ludwig-Leone's deep tenor was in full display, the band's previous female lead, Rae Cassidy, left about a year prior. She was replaced by Charlene Kaye, a woman with a powerful voice built for loudness. Unfortunately, this didn't translate well to "Sonsick". Where Cassidy's voice was able to easily flow through the high notes in the chorus, Kaye struggled while allowing the horn section to take center stage. Kaye's inability to match Cassidy's high range was highlighted in a few other songs, but was mostly forgotten thanks to her otherwise stunning pipes.

We hit the Nosh Pit for lunch during SKATERS, but we were still able to hear the familiarly bubblegum-rock melodies of "I Wanna Dance (But I Don't Know How)" from across the park. From afar, it certainly sounded good.


Washed Out

Back at the main stage, we closed our eyes and swayed to and fro to the waves of synths provided by Ernest Greene, otherwise known as Washed Out. In what must have been the most beach-ball-filled set of the weekend, Greene matched his reverb-soaked vocals with a very capable backup band to bring a live flair to his usually computerized instrumentals. It was particularly cool to hear songs like "New Theory" with heavily distorted guitar replacing the opening synth, or "Eyes Be Closed" with a double-layered tom/kick.

Interestingly, with three albums to choose material from, Greene mostly stuck to his debut EP, Life of Leisure. This was entirely okay with the crowd, however, with favorites like the aforementioned "Eyes Be Closed" and "Feel It All Around" turning into passionate... well, not sing-alongs. More like sway-alongs?

As a big electronic music fan, I'm always interested to see how electro-tinged bands like Washed Out fare in a live setting. For this particular set, the consensus seemed positive. I remember getting chills when the opening string samples of "It All Feels Right" boomed through the speakers over Greene's perfectly crafted live setting. For an act so heavily rooted in electric psychedelia, Washed Out at LouFest gave more of a rock vibe than I ever expected.

I'll continue my LouFest experience shortly with set reviews from RAC, Future Islands, and Yo La Tengo!