Ain't nothing but a rock'n'roll blog: Nelsonville Art and Music Festival
Live coverage of Nelsonville's three-day culture fest
By Jillian Mapes, Assistant Managing Editor
May 18, 2008 | 1:12 a.m.
There exists a sense of community within Athens and surrounding areas that I’ve been hard-pressed to come by in other locales. I was overwhelmed by this feeling as I approached Robbins Crossing at Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio, otherwise known as the site of this year’s fourth annual Nelsonville Art and Music Festival.
For those of us who spent our formative years far from the Appalachian hills of Athens County, going to school at Ohio University can be a bit of a culture shock. There’s an undeniable charm about Southeast Ohio – one that in no shape or form resembles the very different brand of decaying charm that accompanies my hometown near Youngstown, Ohio.
Saturday, May 17, 2008:
1:12 a.m. – The Avett Brothers
Tracks from The Avett Brothers’ 2007 album Emotionalism currently take up three slots on my iTunes’ “top 25 most played” list. To say I was mildly excited for their performance at Nelsonville Fest would be a gross understatement.
An even more extreme understatement would be for me to say that Saturday’s NAMF crowd was kind of pumped to see the Avetts. My fear – and fear for my computer, which resided in my backpack throughout the show – of being crushed by drunken, crowd-surfing fans suggests otherwise. It feels as though everyone surrounding me in the crowd is heavily fucked up, except for me.
The scents of reefer, booze, dirt, B.O. and incense could easily be detected within Saturday’s rowdy crowd. Tally that one up to the two days of camp mischief that preceded the performance.
The band has an interesting history in Athens County, with past performances including numerous shows at Stuart’s Opera House and Casa Nueva. The brothers Avett are from North Carolina, but the lyrics of “Salina” allude to their past in Ohio. The band even ripped into a song Scott Avett introduced as “A Pretty Girl from Nelsonville, Ohio.”
As for The Avett Brothers' performance, the four suit-clad members played an eclectic mix of old and new songs, though the crowd seemed to respond most boisterously to the songs that mention drinking too much and lying like some smarmy asshole. The band seems to have a quite few of those kinds of songs in its arsenal, sure, but it is to be expected considering the country charm and good looks of the brothers and upright bassist Bob Crawford. And don’t even get me started on the knee-weakening three-part harmonies of those fellows.
The Avett Brothers’ performance brings us back to the hybrid genres of grungegrass and folk-punk, which the band does oh-so-well. Furiously jumping around the stage, Scott Avett plucks at his banjo with the fervor of a pissed-off, anarchist lead singer of a punk band. The sound that escapes from his amp, however, retains a distinct “down-home” twang, while his band's ballad-style lyrics remain true to old-fashioned country roots.
As I walk back to my car after the band’s performance, part of me feels sad that I won’t be returning to cover the festival tomorrow. Homework wins, for once, in my ongoing battle between writing frivolous music stories and writing history papers.
8:00 p.m. – Southeast Engine
If you know one local band from Athens County, it’s most likely Southeast Engine. The band, whose latest album A Wheel Within a Wheel recently received a positive review at Pitchfork Media, ran through a usual mix of old and new songs at its Nelsonville performance.
One thing that bears mentioning, however, is the fact that Southeast Engine seems to be shrinking little-by-little. Once a six-member band about two bassists ago, the Athens’ Americana act is now a quartet. Despite the line-up confusion and reduction, the band seems to have its sights set on national success. I am interested to see what happens to these local boys with the release of their next album.
6:50 p.m. – Michael Hurley
Michael Hurley is the cutest old man I’ve seen in quite some time. His impressive blues guitar chops probably have something to do with it. Hurley adds a twist to his appeal when he uses his mouth to create unique sound effects resembling those of a trumpet.
Wailing on about “booze, blues and bitches,” Hurley strums and picks at his guitar strings with a relaxed expertise. The crowd is equally relaxed as they take in both Hurley’s talent and the rustic atmosphere of the back porch stage upon which Hurley performs.
6:20 p.m. – Moviola
Leave it to aging rockers like Columbus’ Moviola to create the type of music that really makes you want to kick off your shoes and kick back a cold one. Slightly mellow yet still funky, Moviola seems to satisfy the parental crowd with its classic rock influences and lyrics about married life. Leave it to the thick basslines and the lead singer’s resemblance to comedian Judah Friedlander (of “30 Rock”) to entice members of a younger generation.
As I casually scribble notes in my notebook (as every good reporter should), I notice my former Journalism 221 professor strolling around the premises without a care in the world. It was surreal seeing this same prof last night as I glimpsed back during Akron/Family’s set, at which point I saw her wave while mouthing the words “I know you.” Oh how I adore the faculty at Scripps.
5:17 p.m. – Nostra Nova
Mumbling obscenities the whole drive to Nelsonville, I got a really late start at day two of the Nelsonville Art and Music Festival because I essentially forgot how to drive on my way here from Athens. I’m strictly a pedestrian when at school, but a friend of mine was kind enough to lend me her car so I could drive here.
A 25-minute drive took me about an hour, perhaps more after stopping for food. Either way, I’ve missed Tommy Ramone’s workshop and performances from Ramone’s bluegrass band Uncle Monk and a new favorite of mine, vaudevillian folkster Woody Pines. I’m fairly irked, kids.
Nothing like Athens’ Nostra Nova to brighten my mood, though, and next thing you know I am in high spirits again. Adam Torres and co. run through their usual set of shimmering, delicate acoustic indie tunes, with a Sam Cooke covered included. The weather gives way slightly, with on-and-off rain coming in toward the end of the band’s set. The capricious nature of Mother Nature actually seems to follow the highs and lows of Torres’ songs.
Catch Nostra Nova when you can because the rumor around town is that Torres is slowing down after his June Lobsterfest performance.
Friday, May 16, 2008:
10:30 p.m. – Akron/Family
I was immediately endeared to Akron/Family’s lead singer/vocalist Seth Olinsky even before he played a single note. He bent down during sound check to talk to a little girl who was standing directly in front of the stage only to ask, “How old are you?”
“Seven,” the girl replied, to which Olinsky said, “That’s a good age!”
The freak folk sounds of Akron/Family begin all at once, transforming the silence of nature into noisy guitar distortion and shattering cymbal crashes. But the chaos breaks way to control as vocal harmonies appear out of thin air and lead the band into the song “Phenomena,” from last year’s Love is Simple.
Love may be simple, according to Akron/Family, but the band’s set in Nelsonville is far from it. Akron/Family’s performance at NAMF is, without a doubt, the best live show I’ve seen all year. But why?
Well, it’s not because Akron/Family is one of my favorite bands – because they aren’t.
The reason I associate the word “best” with Akron/Family’s show is because, despite the obnoxiously drunk, super-fan hipster boys bumping into me for most of the set, I felt entranced by the band’s music. And on top of that, bassist Miles Seaton rips into a highly entertaining rendition of the “Thriller” dance.
What begins as meandering indie-folk quickly progresses into highly experimental rock’n’roll comparable to that of Animal Collective, which eventually breaks down into 20-minute tribal drum circles complete with sing-along vocal chants and hip thrusts. Members of O’Death, all of whom are clearly intoxicated, add to the rhythm section as they jump on stage holding old gasoline cans and drum sticks.
Akron/Family carries on this way for roughly two hours, during which time the band establishes its commitment to friendship and all that other mushy shit. The members embrace dancing, use a glittery pink drumset and give fans swigs of Jamison Whiskey just because they love them. A bottle of Jamison is like, $35, so I guess the love runs deep.
Akron/Family’s appearance at Nelsonville Fest just makes sense. The festival has a longstanding spirit of folk music and culture, which Akron/Family exhibits in its complex percussion rhythms, call and response chants, group singing, hand clapping and extended jam sessions – all of which sounds similar to traditional African and Native American folk music. Overall, the beauty that exists in Akron/Family’s quiet moments represents the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains.
Could I sound any sappier?
9 p.m. – O’Death
This act, whose members were introduced as Tina Turner’s illegitimate children, revved up the somewhat sleepy crowd of adult beer-drinkers sitting in lawn chairs underneath blankets. Two heavily tattooed members of O’Death are shirtless, despite nippy temperatures that surely reach below the usual temperatures adhered to by most half-naked people.
The banjo skills of O’Death’s banjo player are highly admirable. (I am intensely envious because my newest instrumental aspiration is to know the easy strum of a banjo.) The banjo lines of O’Death are seminal to the band’s punk-bluegrass sound, as are the high-energy fiddle parts that are played by a crazy, crazy man toting a broken bow.
Some hybrid genres are truly disastrous. Who wants to hear country-Western rap music? Nothing like some Garth Brooks featuring Nas to get the party started and the shorties grinding up on their gentlemen callers. But really, punk bluegrass works – and it gets the drunken crowd instantly dancing and screaming.
O’Death’s punk-style energy is almost exhausting to experience, simply because the crowd’s energy is demanded from the band in return. If you were to watch video footage of an O’Death performance on mute, you’d probably assume the band sounds more like Social Distortion than Earl Scruggs.
The drummer’s shirtless body exudes a truly shocking amount of visible steam, which O’Death’s lead singer points out in a confused tone. He doesn’t seem too phased, though, as he launches into a drum-heavy, jangly jig featuring Isaac Brock-style (of Modest Mouse) vocal wailing.
The festival was bare in its early hours, but it starts to take on the distinct energy of the county fair as the sun goes down. The aroma of food permeates the air, at which point my editing associate Jen continually insists that she must devour a hot dog, despite the fact that she is not “a hot dog kind of girl.”
6:45 p.m. – The beginning/Silo Circuit
I arrive just in time to catch Silo Circuit, the first act of the night and Athens’ resident accordion act. I cannot say enough good things about the band’s distinctive brand of Eastern European flavor similar of Beirut, so I won’t waste your time or my own. I’ve said it all before.
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