{Baroness photo by Dave Lichterman.}
Bobby Bare Jr is an imposing man, and not necessarily because of his stature. He’s wild-eyed and gregarious, his errant curls flying willy nilly around his head. He’s also a phenomenal performer and band leader, warm and earnest and open-hearted with his music, and his humor.
Bare Jr and his band, Portland’s Blue Giant, had a bleary-eyed early day slot, not a fabulous slot to be in if you plan to rile up a rainy day crowd. Bare Jr didn’t disappoint though, strutting out onstage in a green polyester suit with an air of confidence that could knock down walls. They’re garage gone southern fried, a freewheeling alt-country-podunk-psych-rock spectacle that’s best when it’s at it’s most erratic.
Blue Giant boasts the impressive Anita Robinson on guitar, formerly of Viva Voce, a famed NW band she’s in with her husband Kevin. Anita was fearless on guitar, shredding away and cooing backing vocals like an alt-country champ. The addition of her vocals really fleshed out their sound, stabilizing it and lending a gentleness to the boastful sound of Bare Jr.
Bobby Bare Jr was playful with the crowd, jumping around onstage swinging his guitar vehemently. He joked, “this is another song about my feelings and emotions”, and then several songs later mocked his song called “Swollen But Not The Same” (which references necrophilia of all things), laughing “its popular in California, it’ll make it’s way up here”.
During my wait between bands in front of the EMP Skychurch, I was lucky enough to experience a Circus Una motorcycle thrill show performance. A lovely dreadlocked lady rode a motorcycle down a thick steel wire suspended in the air, while a female acrobat on a trapeze swung gracefully below. It was impressive and a welcome distraction from crowd-watching. They elicited quite the response from the crowd, ranging from “oohs” and “aahs” to lewd cat calls.
The Baroness performance I experience was a very unexpected and intensely brutal, but a definite highlight of my day. This band was decidedly metal, heavily laden with double-bass thump and ferocious crashing cymbals. The minimal vocals were more of a grunt-meets-scream, reminiscent of Froberg greats Drive Like Jehu. Baroness kept the spoken words to a minimum however, successfully focusing instead on the barrage of cock-slide laden guitar solos and merciless pummeling of the drums.
They’re opening for the likes of Metallica, Mastodon and the Deftones these days, but I feel like these Savannah natives are a step above, ruthless yet insanely intelligent. Baroness ripped my face off with their raging prog-metal guitar solos and beautiful, beautiful long swinging hair.
Bomba Estereo are a Bogota, Columbian outfit that takes traditional cumbia and stands it on it’s head, melding electro, hip hop and psychedelia influences into one very danceable genre-bending sound. Bassist Simon Mejia started this project in ‘05 and soon after recruited the remainder of the group, including firecracker Liliana Saumet.
Saumet choppily rapped over smooth whirling synths and deft bongo drumming as blissed out-psychadelic sounds blared from the multiple effects boxes and pedals the band utilized. She stole the show, owning the stage and perpetrating the kickin’ trip through cumbia that we were all experiencing. She’s small, but packed quite the punch, exuding a ridiculous amount of confidence and sexual energy that was absolutely beguiling. The crowd was bouncing and yelling, cheering enthusiastically when she attempted an English-spoken “thank you, thank you so much”.
Bomba Estereo are the exact vision of psych-cumbia, with a sprinkle of bouncy hip hop thrown in the mix. The combination of the rat-a-tat drums, deep bass thump and Saumet’s monotone chanting one second, and frenetic flow the next, made for an irresistible romp through a tripped-out cumbia wonderland. Suffice it to say, Bomba Estereo was one of the most solid and energizing musical sets of the entire festival. Viva la Bumbershoot!
Recent Comments