Last year was the first time I had been to the Summer Camp Festival in Chillicothe, Ill. I covered it for another publication, but this year it's all me. I will be there (if all stays the same) alone, doing photos, interviews, recording audio and everything else imaginable.
This isn't a "woe is me" kind of post, but rather an "I'm excited" one. It will be a lot of work, but I think it will be worth it.
The schedule for the festival can be found here. Plan accordingly.
In the meantime, here are just a few bands I think will be good, okay or bad
Worth seeing
-Girl Talk - last year was the first time seeing Gregg Gillis, and I loved it. He was able to transform a somewhat skeptical crowd into a sweaty mess. An early highlight for me
-Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood - The first album I heard by Medeski Martin & Wood was "Friday Night in the Universe." It was strange, but I loved it. This time though, they will be playing with John Scofield (he played with Miles Davis). This will be my first time seeing them, and I'm pumped.
-Les Claypool - He's a weird guy, but his bass-playing style is uncopied and his vocals are weird to a fault. Should be awesome, and make for much more interesting jamming than half the bands at the festival.
-moe. - My regret last year was that I didn't stay for the full final set. I liked what I saw (and was able to shoot in the photo pit), so this year I think I'll be sure to see more of them.
-Willie Nelson - I saw him at Assembly Hall in Champaign last December, and his saving grace at age 76 is his guitar-playing skills. That man shreds on a classical guitar, and it's pretty sweet. It lifts his tunes above the standard three-chord country ditties.
-The Easy Star All-Stars - Reggae covers of famous albums and bands. Enough said.
-Backyard Tire Fire - Great country-rock from a band based in Bloomington, Ill. They had a great set in an early slot last year.
Interested in
-Hill Country Revue - It has some members of the North Mississippi Allstars. I'm in, but I'm not terribly familiar.
-Dark Star Orchestra - I never saw the Grateful Dead live (though my dad took my mom to one of their concerts when she was pregnant with me. Probably explains a lot), so I'm interested to see how their setlist-recreating shows turn out.
The Wood Brothers - I have heard good things about this bluegrass-infused duo, so I am looking forward to seeing at least one of their sets.
I'm on the fence
-Umphrey's McGee - I was not impressed by one of their sets at least year's festival. Yeah, I know, they are a mainstay and that's why they play umpteenth amount of times, but I still wasn't buying it. I am ready to give them another chance though. Boys, impress me.
-Buckethead - Pro: He was in Guns 'n' Roses. Con:...He was in Guns 'n' Roses. I'm interested to see how his guitar wankery will go over, but it will be interesting if nothing else.
Bands I think will be poorly attended
Note: Last year, one of the worst-attended shows was the set by The New Pornographers. A misbooking possibly, since I don't think the Summer Camp-goers were that interested. It's great to be eclectic, I agree, yet it was a shame to see a great band go unnoticed at such a big place. Here's who I think will suffer a similar fate:
-Los Lobos - These guys are so much more than "La Bamba," but I bet few others else knows that. They are consistently innovative, funny and rocking, but I bet few others know that. My cards are on this for one of the smaller crowds.
-Gomez - They will have less of a turnout than Los Lobos, because they really haven't made that big of a mark in America. I hope I'm wrong, but I think it will be quite intimate.
Note: Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eheisig. I don't know how the Internet will be there (free? too expensive? spotty?), but I can guarantee I will be updating on Twitter. All you need is a phone and a way to say something in a short way.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment