Sunday
Come Sunday there’s a mass lethargy. A glance between bands will show a 50-50 split of waters-to-beers in the crowd, and usually a few people hunched over on the verge of calling it a day before it’s even started. Of course, performers also have to endure the early set times.
Dopamines
“It’s too early for rock’n’roll,” bassist/vocalist Jon Weiner muttered before they started their set. While his speech was defeated and unenergetic, their set was anything but. With Mikey Erg on guitar and a room full fans of the gruff-vocal pop-punk style, the band played a solid set with a constant stream of stage dives (including an impressive octopus costume). They may have been the first band to play, but they managed to get a hung-over crowd dancing like it was after sunset.
Monikers
Besides Bryon Lippincott’s endorsement in our pre-Fest New Bruises interview, I’d enjoyed Monikers’ debut <Wake Up quite a bit and was excited to see the band for the first time. Naturally, ringleader Ryan Seagrist took the stage and announced, “We’re Monikers. This is most likely our last show.” He went on to explain, in less than glowing terms, that a couple band members chose not to come to Fest and that they were playing short-handed. To make things even more interesting, Josh Jordan (Stolen Parts, Jonesin’, ex-Off With Their Heads) was on bass—and was clearly learning their set on the fly. Throughout the set, he crossed the stage often, intently watching the guitar for ques. It sounded passable, which is clearly more than Seagrist thought of it, but they toughed it out with a mix of exasperation and whimsy, ending with not only a fun set, but a memorable one at that. I can’t say I’d buy any records based on their performance, but it was a stark reminder of how hard it is to perform on stage and I look forward to seeing their next project.
Frank Turner
With the official Fest ending at 10:30 Sunday night, Frank Turner was the last to take the stage. I only had a passing familiarity with Turner, mostly from his split with Tim Barry, but he didn’t disappoint. Not only did he play his song off the 7”, but he proved to be a great entertainer. With clever discussion between songs, a good back and forth with the audience, and general bemusement at their crowdsurfing to folksy music, he kept things down to earth despite his headliner status. He stirred the pot with an anti-Christian singalong and peaked the crowd’s enthusiasm by calling Fat Mike onstage for an acoustic version of “Linoleum.” All in all, while I might have been worn out from four days at the bar, Turner did more than merely capture my attention—he won me over as a fan. As time expired, he announced that he’d meet everyone in the street for a couple more songs. Of course, the Gainesville PD was privy and it never got started, but it serves to illustrate his passion, enthusiasm, and everyman ethic—all from a guy who’d just flown down on a day off from opening for Social Distortion.
My Fest 9, official and otherwise included the following band (likely missing a few): Worn in Red, Bridge and Tunnel, Young Livers, Claymonster, Julie Karr, International Dipshit, Night Birds, Soviettes, Too Many Daves, Future Virgins, Gateway District, HIDDEN SPOTS, The Tim Version, Tiltwheel, Chinese Telephones, Iron Chic, Brokedowns, Hot New Mexicans, That's Incredible, Born in a Cent, Bedford Falls, The Measure [SA], Laura Stevenson and the Cans, Toys That Kill, Tim Barry, God Damn Doo Wop Band, ADD/C, Dopamines, O Pioneers!, Sidekicks, Monikers, New Bruises, Arrivals, Underground Railroad to Candyland, Emotron, The Moaners, Ex-Boogeymen, Frank Turner.
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Photos by Loren; homepage photo (Frank Turner) by Nicole Kibert / www.elawgrrl.com
