An Exhaustive Review of the Solid Sound Festival:
North Adams is a quintessential mountain town: home to the highest (Mt. Greylock ) and quirkiest (MASS MoCA) points in the state; popular, but not populated; filled with friendly people who like art but dislike disorder; bisected by sleepy streets lined with stores with short hours. The three-day, Wilco curated Solid Sound Festival at MASS MoCA both celebrated these qualities, and shook them, by bringing a dynamic piece of performance to the quiet Western Mass town.
The best part? We at soundproofblog became bonafide. Yes... we were granted press passes.
But how do you solve a problem like Maria: how do you put words to a whirlwind of art, culture, music and Magic Hat, in a space so awesome (in scope and size) that maps confuse even museum employees? Hopefully, we can navigate through narration.
Press Conference
We hadn't been to a press conference before, but even we knew that opening with a question about Jeff Buckley would raise a few eyebrows. Even so, Wilco let little more loose than what surfaced in our interview with Glenn Kotche: Nels proclaimed the festival, "all about illumination"; Jeff, "some sort of hootenanny," and more specifically, "some sort of collective--what our band is about." The most poignant quote, however, goes to John: "it takes the pressure off when you have your festival at a world class destination."
We hadn't been to a press conference before, but even we knew that opening with a question about Jeff Buckley would raise a few eyebrows. Even so, Wilco let little more loose than what surfaced in our interview with Glenn Kotche: Nels proclaimed the festival, "all about illumination"; Jeff, "some sort of hootenanny," and more specifically, "some sort of collective--what our band is about." The most poignant quote, however, goes to John: "it takes the pressure off when you have your festival at a world class destination."
Off topic: Jeff's work with Mavis Staples arose "organically." The last tour was more shows "strung together," than since the band's inception. And they discovered the band Brenda via a Portland record store.
Music
Side Projects
Glenn played with On Fillmore on Saturday afternoon. He and fellow Fillmorian Darin Gray brought a unique percussive environment to the courtyard. I was only able to hear a couple of songs, but before I got carnival-called to the dunk tank, I heard the unmistakable sounds of musicianship and creativity.
With the Nels Cline singers, Nels takes his god-like guitar riffs and slows them down for some avant-garde jazz. NCS took the largest courtyard stage on Sunday, and they needed it. I'm not sure if there was a small army of jazz enthusiasts or if people were just curious, but it was the largest non-Tweedy turnout of the weekend. Nels looked serene and angelic on stage, and his fellow band members took great liberties to create unique soundscapes. The sound on the stage was a bit overpowering, however, and after snapping up a few up-close photos, we retreated to the back to avoid ear-drum damage. The use of volume as expression is a large part of experimental jazz, and the over-amplification obscured the subtleties of the band's music. Nonetheless, the performance was great, and the crowd ate it up.
John and Pat team up in the Autumn Defense, kicking out rich harmonies in the form of Americana roots and folk. Originally scheduled for a courtyard stage, the threat of rain forced the show inside on Sunday afternoon. This was probably better, as an indoor venue allowed them to really concentrate their sound and get a balanced mix. This however severely limited the number of people who could see the show - many lined the hallways trying to get in, in a one out, one in situation, but most got to hear at least a piece of the band's work. The musicianship on stage was palpable: diverse instrumentation, tight and winding harmonies, and just a great vibe as a band. Some of the songs were a bit cheesey, but hey, there's nothing wrong with a clear message (stop rolling your eyes hipsters). If they come to DC, I know I'll be there.
Other Bands
Wilco/Tweedy Plus
As we mentioned previously, this was a Wilco-centric festival. And as such, Wilco was the headliner Saturday night, and Jeff Tweedy was the headliner Sunday evening. Its rare that a festival puts the primary headliner on Saturday, but it worked splendidly, as the weather was spot-on perfect for a late night show Saturday, and the drizzly afternoon rain added to the ambiance of the solo Tweedy set. But I digress.
The band's stage presence was incredible as always. Jeff has good energy and banter; Nels moves so quickly only his essence is captured on film; John is the band's Gibraltar; and Glenn, Pat, and Mikael all provide the base from which the band can launch. The staging was the same as their spring tour (see epic review here), and that's a good thing.
My one complaint, and I'm starting to shake my fist old-man-like, was the overpowering sound. Ear plugs were a must - although I saw very few attendees wearing them (don't get me started on a-holes who bring kids to shows with no protection). And depending on where you were in the crowd, strong echoes pounded sound right back at you. I'm actually incredibly impressed that the band was able to play through them, as the echoes were strongest at the stagefront.
All tolled, it was truly an experience: the stars out, the temperature cool, the band on fire. We're not posting a scorecard for the festival, but I would score this show at a 9.2, with the only deficiencies coming in the sound category.
Here's how the setlists shake out:
Art
MASS MoCa is a mecca: a textile factory turned electricity plant turned, well, a combination of both of those things; we marveled at the exhibits on display. Dwarfed by a "Material World," we took in massive installations of toilet paper, wire and weaving that transformed simple rooms into wonderous experiences. We walked through taxidermy trees hung with dark dyed birds, transporting us back to middle school, to the seat next to the goth who insisted on drawing bloodshot eyeballs in art class. We did a double take upon reading the artist's name on a life-sized portraiture exhibit of ordinary people with "Secret Selves": Leonard Nimoy. And we shielded our eyes the numerous times we were blinded by the Sol Lewitt exhibit of ink washed walls.
The incorporation of Wilco's art projects only served to totally solidify the Solid Sound space takeover. Nels, Glenn and Pat each brought their own brand of band to the gallery. Pat went traditional with Polaroids of vintage America, yet it's truly difficult to believe that they weren't doctored--how else do you get the exact same shades of creme-yellow, rust red and light blue in every shot? Skeptical. Glenn's custom drum heads hung throughout the Lewitt exhibit, readied for audience participation, though a few times it was unclear just how to make some noise. And in a similarly loud set-up, Nels installed several series of the band's actual pedals in tandem, which sent a signal through a loop and coerced visitors into manipulating the sounds together. Sneaky teamwork, Solid Sound Stompbox.
And who could forget the Wilco concert poster exhibit: I want one for every room in my house. One complaint: a beautiful festival poster we received via email from a promoter was not available for sale as advertised. Shame!
Etcetera
The festival also featured comedy, films and a scavenger hunt. Actually, two scavenger hunts: can anyone tell us if they actually FOUND the films? We asked docent, after volunteer, after employee where these were located, to no avail (similar to our hunt for Pat's Polaroids, except we found those). And the mobile scavenger hunt was pretty much to keep the kids entertained.
An inside stage hosted four comics all day Saturday: Hannibal Buress, John Mulaney, Kristin Schaal, and Todd Barry. The coolest thing about the comics? We saw all of them offstage: shared an elevator with Todd Barry, saw Kristin Schaal exiting our hotel, Hannibal Burress in passing, and John Mulaney... well, where didn't we see him? We're pretty sure he was following us. This kept with the theme of the festival: totally down to earth and accessible from artists to administrators.
Of the four comics, however, we only made a real attempt to catch John Mulaney. Only incidentally did we catch the back half of Hannibal Burress's set, which was hysterical, however, and peppered with clean, food-related comedy (McGriddles? Always funny). Mulaney's set was similarly hysterical. Though he performed bits we'd already heard, his constant disclaimers about the nature of his routine ("folks, this is it." "I'm not introducing anyone." "I do not have a guitar." etc) kept us giggling. Check out youtube if you haven't, specifically The Best Meal I've Ever Had.
So what else? The food was great: Harrell's Ice Cream a must-have, too many hot dog options to count, and those Banh Mi's! Delicious. A travelling show of storytellers kept everyone entertained with their tomfoolery. Jeff Tweedy got dunked in the dunk tank, there were art demonstrations such as print and guitar making. Truly something for everyone.
MASS MoCa is a mecca: a textile factory turned electricity plant turned, well, a combination of both of those things; we marveled at the exhibits on display. Dwarfed by a "Material World," we took in massive installations of toilet paper, wire and weaving that transformed simple rooms into wonderous experiences. We walked through taxidermy trees hung with dark dyed birds, transporting us back to middle school, to the seat next to the goth who insisted on drawing bloodshot eyeballs in art class. We did a double take upon reading the artist's name on a life-sized portraiture exhibit of ordinary people with "Secret Selves": Leonard Nimoy. And we shielded our eyes the numerous times we were blinded by the Sol Lewitt exhibit of ink washed walls.
The incorporation of Wilco's art projects only served to totally solidify the Solid Sound space takeover. Nels, Glenn and Pat each brought their own brand of band to the gallery. Pat went traditional with Polaroids of vintage America, yet it's truly difficult to believe that they weren't doctored--how else do you get the exact same shades of creme-yellow, rust red and light blue in every shot? Skeptical. Glenn's custom drum heads hung throughout the Lewitt exhibit, readied for audience participation, though a few times it was unclear just how to make some noise. And in a similarly loud set-up, Nels installed several series of the band's actual pedals in tandem, which sent a signal through a loop and coerced visitors into manipulating the sounds together. Sneaky teamwork, Solid Sound Stompbox.
And who could forget the Wilco concert poster exhibit: I want one for every room in my house. One complaint: a beautiful festival poster we received via email from a promoter was not available for sale as advertised. Shame!
Etcetera
The festival also featured comedy, films and a scavenger hunt. Actually, two scavenger hunts: can anyone tell us if they actually FOUND the films? We asked docent, after volunteer, after employee where these were located, to no avail (similar to our hunt for Pat's Polaroids, except we found those). And the mobile scavenger hunt was pretty much to keep the kids entertained.
An inside stage hosted four comics all day Saturday: Hannibal Buress, John Mulaney, Kristin Schaal, and Todd Barry. The coolest thing about the comics? We saw all of them offstage: shared an elevator with Todd Barry, saw Kristin Schaal exiting our hotel, Hannibal Burress in passing, and John Mulaney... well, where didn't we see him? We're pretty sure he was following us. This kept with the theme of the festival: totally down to earth and accessible from artists to administrators.
Of the four comics, however, we only made a real attempt to catch John Mulaney. Only incidentally did we catch the back half of Hannibal Burress's set, which was hysterical, however, and peppered with clean, food-related comedy (McGriddles? Always funny). Mulaney's set was similarly hysterical. Though he performed bits we'd already heard, his constant disclaimers about the nature of his routine ("folks, this is it." "I'm not introducing anyone." "I do not have a guitar." etc) kept us giggling. Check out youtube if you haven't, specifically The Best Meal I've Ever Had.
So what else? The food was great: Harrell's Ice Cream a must-have, too many hot dog options to count, and those Banh Mi's! Delicious. A travelling show of storytellers kept everyone entertained with their tomfoolery. Jeff Tweedy got dunked in the dunk tank, there were art demonstrations such as print and guitar making. Truly something for everyone.
What about Mountain Man?
ReplyDeletepat does not doctor his polaroids - the nature (and beauty) of polaroid film is that the color palette is limited. also, you may have seen repeating color schemes as he was probably trying to curate a cohesive exhibition of his work.
ReplyDeletealso - how do you doctor a polaroid? the whole point is that it comes out of the camera instantly. no chance to noodle around in the darkroom or on the computer.
otherwise - great review!
We caught maybe two seconds of Mountain Man, that's a regret.
ReplyDeleteI know how Polaroid film works, but I imagined someone could "doctor" (digitally enhance) a photo and put the image back in its original frame. It was an observation, not an accusation, and seemingly a testament to his skill as a photographer! Thanks for setting me straight.
Yes, to set the record straight, we missed a couple other acts as well. Sorry Vetiver, taking in some comedy, but I've heard you live and you're great! Also, Outrageous Cherry, again, I'm sorry but we only caught the first few songs and then went in search of the film series. Oops.
ReplyDeleteI failed to mention, but we did catch a good portion of The Numero Group's DJ set, and I danced myself silly Saturday night. Very choice. You too can dance yourselves silly when you stream or download the set here:
http://numerogroup.wordpress.com/2010/08/18/solid-sound-festival-saturday-dj-set-mp3/
Sounds like a great festival. Hope you all didn't get too geeked out!
ReplyDelete