Sound On Sound: Lindstrom @ Cheer Up (11/10)

We all shed a tear when we learned that Sound On Sound was cancelled. We have a lot of good friends that put so much effort into making this year’s festival amazing, a quantum leap over last year.nnWe will not debate the valor of their efforts to save the festival or lament the missed opportunity of seeing Iggy Pop surrounded by a Ren Fair here.

The thing we may not understand about the festival circuit is that bands are on tour and need to use the festivals to home base around a few stops nearby before and after. Knowing this, the SoS team was able to schedule a few makeup shows to accommodate the travelers. One such show was for Lindstrom, a guy from Norway that was travelling a long way to hang with us. This set was high on my list for standing in a field with friends vibing. We replace the open spaces and axe-throwing for the friendly confines of Cheer Up Charlie’s.

Head past the break for more details and notes on DJ sets from Cap’n Tits and The Juan Maclean.

Cap’n Tits is Samantha Garrett. You may know her from her work in Whiite Walls. Her set was an excellent start. It is that thing where you are mad because you have no idea what song is playing, but it is your new favorite jam. There was a graceful hand-off to The Juan Maclean. Full control, multiple USB drives filled with songs being inserted into the Pioneer console, scanned and rejected as he feels out the crowd, showing off tracks we may have never heard before but still working in just enough recognizable hits for those of us not embedded in the scene to remain fully engaged. He gets angry when the song he needs isn’t immediately available. He is quietly smug when the song he picks nails it.

Lindstrom set up next to the DJ gear as John finished his set. It was a brief pause and then HP launched into a best-of collection. Constant tweaks were being made as sequencers kicked into motion and the beats flowed forth. He played my jams. Time on stage was spent setting up and then unleashing the next five minutes. He would look around, into space, like he was having an idea. …and then take a swig of beer. He knew how much everyone there loved the songs. At least, I hope he did.