Saturday's Lobsterfest
'Party Hard' at Lobsterfest with Andrew W.K.
By Kristin Nehls, Staff Writer
June 6, 2008 | 9 a.m.
Excitement is pulsating more prominently than ever on the Ohio University campus for this year’s ACRN-sponsored Lobsterfest. Headliner Andrew W.K. hits the stage on day three, wrapping up the highly anticipated three-day musical festival Saturday night.
With initial plans to be held at Baker University Center, the All Campus Radio Network announced this week a change of location for day three based on the fact that this year’s Lobsterfest is the largest in the festival’s history.
ACRN is expecting a higher turnout than in years past, and found the visibility and openness of South Green lawn to be a more appropriate location, said ACRN’s public relations director Sarah Schaaf.
Expected high turnout rates can be attributed to headliner Andrew W.K., whose closing performance at 8 p.m. Saturday night surely will boost crowds unlike any other that previous OU performers have garnered.
Andrew W.K. is most easily recognizable from the cover artwork on his 2001 album I Get Wet, whereon W.K. is pictured with streams of blood running down his face. The musician’s rock-and-roll styling have frequented the OzzFest music festival, movie soundtracks and video games. His biggest hit, “Party Hard,” was the featured track for "Madden NFL 2003."
His musical endeavors include collaborations with noise-rock band Wolf Eyes and self-proclaimed art-rock band Sightings. Recently, W.K. also helped to produce and record reggae legend Lee "Scratch" Perry's newest album, Repentance, which will be released later this year by Narnack Records.
W.K. said that for the past year and a half, he has been preoccupied with the production of Perry’s album, and he now hopes to focus on more Andrew W.K. solo work.
W.K.'s performance at Lobsterfest will be like no other that he has ever put on in Ohio, and he looks forward to the enthusiasm and excitement that a college campus generates as opposed to the monotony and boredom that is relevant in more traditional venues, W.K. said.
When it comes to performing for college students, Andew W.K. appreciates crowd participation and celebration.
"It’s a party," W.K. said. "It really is a party where we jam out and all dance and sing along together with our friends...this time I’m bringing the solo show to Ohio, so I really encourage people...to get ready to dance with me, sing with me and have this very unique, new feeling.”
Playing alongside Andrew W.K this weekend will be many established musicians, musicians who can only aspire to the levels of success that Andrew has already attained. Andrew W.K., however, is not discouraging in his message to all of the hopefuls who may look up to him. No matter what stage any musician is in, be it writing a first song or distributing a first album, success is already in the making from the start, he said.
"If you were born and meant to be a musician, there is not a point where you become a musician," W.K. said. "...[I]t’s only a matter of a certain series of events or steps that establish it further."
For those unenthusiastic about rock and roll, Lobsterfest offers something for everyone with additional musical styling that include indie-pop, hip-hop and metal. Specific performers range from folk musician Kevin Devine, hailing from Brooklyn, to Columbus-bred hip-hop performer Blueprint.
Also excited to play day three of Lobsterfest is the locally bred Kaslo, a poppy-folk band comprised of OU students that frequents the Athens music scene.
“When you come in [to OU] as a freshman, you don’t know what’s going on in the town," Kaslo drummer Luke Brevoort said. “You see this big, old stage with bands playing on it and it looks so cool and you [aspire] to do that."
Besides the big-name headliner and local acts, this year’s Lobsterfest boasts the first-ever Lobsterfest Craft Bazaar, wherein local do-it-yourself artists and creators will have stations set up with homemade crafts. The crafts range from jewelry to handbags, all of which will be available for purchase. The DIY craft scene correlates well with the music festival, as "DIY" is a term that is being associated more and more frequently with self-recorded music.
“I’m sure that this sort of thing happens in Athens every few years...[but] people have been identifying [the Athens music scene] under a singular name, under the DIY aesthetic and ethic,” Brevoort said.
For the first time in OU’s history, DIY crafts and DIY music will be co-existing and supporting one another at the same festival, allowing Lobsterfest to serve as a microcosm of the indie attitude that is so relevant in Athens.
Two stages will be set up on South Green on Saturday, with half-hour-set performances beginning at 3 p.m. and alternating every half an hour between the main stage and side stage. Andrew W.K. will be given a one-hour set, wrapping up the show around 9 p.m.
As Andrew W.K.’s performance draws to an end, the official Lobsterfest afterparty will be held at The Union, which includes free performances by an additional five bands. Andrew W.K. said that a high possibility exists that he will be attending the afterparty festivities after his set.
After all, W.K. does like to "party hard."
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For additional information about Lobsterfest and specific performance times, visit the ACRN.com.