Austin Town Hall

I usually end up putting in more miles around a festival then those other two guys. That means I usually see and more importantly hear more bands than the average festival goer.

This year, I was able to relax a bit on Friday as I was with out photo pit access. Once all that was remedied, it was full steam ahead. I had plenty of fun chasing the sound. We’ll start with a Top 5 bands and then hit on festival observations.

Best Bands

1) Trust – This one is number one for me. It was the perfect storm of low expectations, catching me at a good moment, a solid group of photogs in the pit and a great crowd at the rail. To say that Trust is in the wheelhouse of my electro tastes is an understatement. There is just enough retro with plenty of current trending. Loved this.

2) De La Soul – I got called out. It wasn’t me. Midway through the second of the three songs the photographers can be in the photo pit, De La stopped everything, told us that the show would not go on unless the photographers danced. And so we danced. Except for the guy next to me. Of course, I get singled out when they stopped things again. Later, Pos took time to shake my hand; he knew it was the curly-haired kid next to me. Heh.

3) A Place to Bury Strangers – Hot mess isn’t enough. It is insanity on stage. Part of playing their instruments includes throwing their instruments. At one point, a guitar appeared to be headed right for my head, but the cord stopped progress and it harmlessly bashed a monitor. They should be sponsored by a wood glue company.

4) Gold Fields – This was another surprise set for me. I was just meandering by and camped out when they played the super catchy song “Dark Again”. Aussie Friendly Fires, catchy stuff. Not sure I will stick with them much past that moment, but they sounded great and had fun.

5) Helio Sequence – Ack. Maybe this should be higher on the list. Massive talent on drums, great vocal. Engaging for a two-piece that relies on backing tracks. The opened with new stuff and backwards and forwards and solid festival set. I met them a few years back during SxSW, not a post set chat or in passing hello, we were sitting in the backyard of a studio on the east side one-upping and telling a few lies. Good people, I will always root for them.

Honorable Mentions: Flesh Lights, Ume, Cult of Youth and Penguin Prison. Omar’s new project is a departure.

Suggestions for a Better Fest

1) Go Green – A friend of mine had a great observation. FFF, don’t be too proud to take a good idea from ACL. Crowd-source the recycling effort. ACL was cleaner and greener for it since they started that program.

2) Loosen Up – …on the free water thing. Not letting people bring in empty Camelbak bladders seemed pretty silly to me. Making them throw the $35 bladder away seemed sillier.

3) Invest in the Shores – If you plan to stay here a while, please work with the city to get the grass rooted and green. The dust at the Black stage was choking out canaries.

4) Pepper It In – Give a local or two per day a middle spot. I would have loved to have seen Flesh Lights pwn a crowd on Black around 6pm.

Things I’ll Mis Until Next Year

1) My People – Festival season is over and we all won’t be in the same place until SxSW, and we’ll be far more diluted. Sad face.

2) Themed Stages – True strong suit of FFF, of you are in the mood to mosh, you know where to go.

3) Malick Mania – The cast members eating popsicles, the Red pics hanging from steadi-cams, the drool from starlets digging the same band you dig.

Here is a little slice of Gold Fields and some best of pics.

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Download:Gold Fields – Dark Again (bandcamp) [MP3]

Big best of FFF7 gallery at the photo site…

Final day. Your feet, lungs and liver have taken a beating, but the pain feels good now.

I had a busy slate of things I wanted to check out on Sunday. I started bright and early to catch favorite locals on the upswing and kept after through the headliner. Final installment of shots from FFF7 will bring you Flesh Lights, Ume, Balmorhea, Cult of Youth, Bleached, A Place to Bury Strangers, Class Actress, Trust, Deerhoof, The Promise Ring, Omar Rodriguez Lopez, Black Angles, De La Soul and Edward Sharpe.

Tons of eye candy after the break.

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Ahhh. Home, sweet home. Back on the pit to bring you nine kinds of performance shots.

Saturday’s shots include Residual Kid, The Young, Gold Fields, Brendan Benson, Daughn Gibson, The Helio Sequence, Braid, The Spits, Surfer Blood, Tanlines, Paul Banks, Real Estate, Wavves and PiL. More from around the fest, of course. Fun was had by all, just bummed that I missed shooting Refused from the pit. It was “too busy”.

Click through to feed your eyes…

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We’ve always had one hell of a time at Fun Fest every year, and we always have some fun after the festival discussing our take on each day’s events.  This year, we’re letting each one of our writers provide their own take on the weekend with a personal recap of the goings ons so as to not compromise or impose on any one writer’s opinions.  I’ll be starting things off today with some random thoughts and favorite bands from the best festival in town.  Follow the jump for more from me.

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Minor set back for this photographer wasn’t going to slow me down. I had limited access to photo pits on Friday which luckily was remedied before getting going on Saturday. It meant I got to spend a little more time in the crowd, getting shots of the festival, the people.

I did manage to get some musicians doing their thing as well, don’t panic.

The Friday edition includes Sharon Van Etten, Orthy, Bob Mould, Napalm Death, Cursive, Dum Dum Girls and plenty of atmosphere. Hit the break.

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We’re all wiped out from a late night finish on the first Fun Fun Fun Fest evening, but we’re back up and at em’ ready to head in to Day Two with some rehydration and sunscreen.  Here’s my picks for Saturday, and they might not be your run of the mill pick, so be sure to pay attention!  Follow the jump for more. Read More

Fun Fun Fun Fest is here everybody!  As excited as we know everyone is, it’s important to have some sort of plan before you head out to the festival each day.  Before you head out, we thought we might give you some recommendations for the day just in case your head is about to explode when trying to decide who you should see.  We shall alleviate your pain with the top 5 bands you should make a point to see each day.  Now this is by no means a conclusive list and all festival goers should check the full lineup to accomodate their discerning taste.  In our mind, these are five bands that you don’t dare miss today!  Follow the jump for Friday recs.

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This is a troubling preview…do I swoon over the gorgeous Sharon Van Etten because of her music of her looks?  Can I do both?  I think I’ll do both.  It’s not enough that Sharon can play, and play incredibly well, but I can attest to her mesmerizing performances.  When I last caught her, her voice just took ahold of me, and refused to let go.  It’s not what one would describe as a “pretty” voice, which makes me appreciate what she’s doing all the more; she’s belting out her soul, not just trying to be adored.  Her recent album, Tramp, won over a lot of new fans, atop of accolades from many.  It’s moody and affecting, two things that translate to a good live performance by any artist, especially one the boys can swoon over.  Seeing Sharon on the stage is going to be one of my highlights of Fun Fun Fun Fest, but now that I think about it, it’s more for her incredible set of songs than the looks. But hey, those don’t hurt. 

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Download: Sharon Van Etten – Serpents [MP3]

Sharon plays Friday, November 2nd at 3:25 on the Orange Stage.