Saturday's festivities were well under way when Lumino arrived at the gates of Union Park to find several thousand concertgoers, most of whom were sporting either a bandana, skinny jeans, a designer t-shirt or a combination of all three, darting between two stages. We took in the lay of the land and purchased beer while Montreal's The Stills finished their late afternoon set on the “vice” stage.
At 6 p.m. we headed over to the “virtue” stage and caught Roky Erickson, former leader of the seminal '60s psych outfit the 13th Floor Elevators. Splendidly mulleted and surprisingly lucid given his history of mental illness and drug use, Erickson turned in a fine set of acid-tinged roadhouse blues, including fan favorites “Don't Shake Me Lucifer,” “Two-Headed Dog” and “I Walked with the Zombie.”
On our way back to the second stage, we were reminded of just who our hosts were when a Vice staffer, dressed in a filthy raincoat and creepy wig, “flashed” several young indie girls to the delight of onlookers. We laughed well into The Boredoms set of tribal space rock. The long-running Japanese noise collective, led by the mercurial Yamatsuka Eye, was an absolute juggernaut of rolling percussion, electronic squeals and fire drill vocals. A small dose of this was all that was necessary as we moved onto the retail bazaar, which featured a dozen vendors selling everything from designer toys to silk screen posters to records and zines.
Next up was Ghostface, an original member of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan, out in support of his critically acclaimed Fishscale LP. He and his crew took the stage dressed in colorful, striped polo shirts and treated the crowd to a set of boomin' bass, skittery beats and lyrical shout-outs before being joined onstage by a gaggle of girls in “terry-tube-top rompers and tube socks” (thanks to Susan Lake for the fashion-speak).
Lady Sovereign cranked it up back on the vice stage, bringing a now-sizeable crowd front and center. The diminutive grime diva was all about sass and rapid-fire delivery, earning every bit of praise as she extolled the virtues of drinking, showed disgust for fake tans and brought down the house with an anthemic version of the future-classic “Hoodie.”
With the late evening attendance at a peak (and Lumino five beers in), there was no need to switch back to the virtue stage; so, after a short break, The Streets sauntered on to the vice stage to close things down. Led by the rakishly clever Mike Skinner, the London group punctuated its patented mix of two-step, garage and hip-hop with hints of calypso and new jack soul. Comfortable and supremely assured, Skinner and company performed a strong sampling of material from all three of their albums. Highlights included a propulsive “Let's Push Things Forward,” a staccato “Prangin' Out” and the beautiful “Dry Your Eyes.” Day one ended nicely and Lumino was off to sleep.
Day two got off to a thrilling start shortly after 1 p.m. with Tyrades, a local group who specialize in super-charged '70s punk. Recalling The Avengers and pre-MTV Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, the four-piece was nothing less than astonishing from beginning to banged-out, blood-splattered end.
Heads spinning, Lumino wandered over to BBC America's Underground tent, a mock-English parlor offering free t-shirts and (much-needed) bottled water. From there, it was off to see Panthers, a NYC sleaze punk-metal hybrid who were introduced by yet another Vice prankster claiming to be Carlos Santana.
Local poet Thax Douglas was on hand to introduce Constantines, a five-piece from Canada who recalled every gruff band of malcontents from The Clash to The Pogues to The Walkmen. The band celebrated its 500th show in front of the Intonation masses with textured, rhythmic workouts and a heartfelt nod to Jonathan Richman's classic “Roadrunner.”
Lumino took a break to grab some lemonade and shop for CDs, but was back at the vice stage for local hotshot Lupe Fiasco's 4:20 p.m. set. The Muslim/skateboarder/toy collector/MC lived up to the hype surrounding his soon-to-be released debut on Atlantic Records and all but owned the crowd by demonstrating just what a born performer is made of. His skater's anthem “Kick, Push” will be this summer's jam, for sure.
Another break and it was back to base to catch Blue Cheer, the proto-metal power trio who gave new meaning to the term “grizzled veterans.” A forgiving audience, fueled less by nostalgia than by late afternoon beer consumption, sang along to the classic “Summertime Blues,” no doubt making original bassist-vocalist Dickie Peterson's year.
Lumino then decided that food was in order and dined on a tasty mix of hotdogs, Cajun fries and Chinese food while being serenaded by LA-based producer/composer Jon Brion and his musical guests Bentmont Tench (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers) and Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche.
Next up was Robert Pollard, former Guided by Voices ringleader and all-around good guy. Flanked by Jason Narducy (Verbow) and power pop legend Tommy Keene, the veteran songsmith treated his fans to a sampling of GBV favorites and recent solo material, including the cuts “I Surround You Naked,” “Girls of Wild Strawberries,” “Dancing Girls and Dancing Men” and a bouncing “Do the Right Thing, Baby.”
Lumino met up with old friends and sprawled out on the lawn for Dead Prez's politically-charged set, although it was hard to relax given the duo's radical message and forceful command of the stage.
The Intonation Music Festival, 2006 came to a close with a much-anticipated performance by Bloc Party, a moody English quartet who scored a massive hit with 2005's “Silent Alarm”. Playing beneath an impressive rig of lights and wreathed in smoke, the group had the still-sizeable audience in a frenzy, hinting that they might live beyond the hype that has crushed many of their peers.
Lumino made its way for the gates as Bloc Party was winding down. All in all, we had a great time. We heard some groundbreaking music and had a lot of laughs. We promise to purchase bandanas and skinny jeans in advance for next year's fest.
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