City Fest So Far

City Fest - Friday - at the Pure Detroit Stage

Detroit - Friday

Mike Milo, (armed with a new camera and ready to shoot you all...) was unable to capture any of the acts before today - since the old shitty shutter contraption died..., So, we only have material so far from Friday Night. All of Wednesday and Thursday, anyone I talked to would have similar conversational refrains of "...but I'm really looking forward to Friday Night..." or, "I'm just going to camp out at the Pure Detroit stage all Friday night..."

This is because it had a sturdy, and healthily varied line up of local bands and...because most of whom I spoke to when I say "anyone I talked to" were in other local bands and thus, either natural fans of them, or their close friends (well, likely both, one hopes).

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Marco Polio & The New Vaccines - continue to compel, never holding back in unabashed weirdness, born from, earthly speaking - penchants for experimental noise pop, beatboxing, synthy-dance-pop and shredded no-wave, but temporally speaking, this band is on a whole other level, often turning their shows into seance-like events that involve torn up books, pinatas and umbrellas.

Rogue Satellites joined MP&NV at the end of their set to give a bit more of a fleshed out-indie-rock flavor to their sound. The band transitioned nicely (and punctually) into their set, which featured a stately rock/pop, with intricate rhythms, and steady strummed guitars, blended nicely with a sequencer and drum machines. (Look for a 7" from them soon).

Child Bite - still recovering from the odyssey into the Yukon to the World Beard & Mustache competition. Guitarist Zach Norton trimmed up, while former friendly-neighborhood-Rasputin-look-alike singer/keyboardist Shawn Knight went for a complete clean-shaven overhaul. They presented three (maybe four?) new songs, already on the level of barrel-roll, bass blasted herk-n-jerk metal pop presetned on their latest, Fantastic Gusts of Blood, with even more shimmy to them, and harmonics between Knight and Christian Doble. Danny and Sean on drums and bass held it down as usual, with the wide-stanced Sean often rocking back and forth, locking in physically and spiritually with his hard pounding rhythm comrade. With Sean shaving just the beard part of his face, he reminded me of Billy from Easy Rider.

About 50+ more folks swaggered up for the next set. The hipster crowds are growing consistently for Desatro shows. I felt unworthy, in toggery and hairstyle, to stand amongst them, but I kid...deep down I'm glad to see this crowd, of at least 200 or more, clamber over for the Deastro set - and see shouts of victorious glee at encores that included b-side add-ons to his debut Moondagger - that ended with a rush of people climbing onto the large DJ-stand at the front of the stage at the encore, almost causing it's collapse. The guitars needed to be up, the synth needed to be up - but I could say that about every band that's been on Pure Detroit all week long - Silverghost included (more on that later). That aside, having already played once this week, having toured this Spring and having to get ready for another show on Sunday night at the Garden Bowl, the band were as passionate and energetic as always. Old favorites like, "Old and the Treacherous" came out - as well as opening with a new one, "Zilwaukee."

Silverghost were strong and their set felt really special for some reason. I don't know what it was, but maybe since the 5 bands, as well as many other musicians, be they from The Questions, The Javelins, I Crime, Electric Fire Babies, or whoever else were all hanging around that not-so-cozy strip of pavement all day, it finally clicked, the warm fuzzy fun we'd all shared together that day - when the duo of Marcie Bolan and Deleano Acevedo were rounded out with a drummer, second singer and guitarist. The crowd stayed, to what seemed as packed in as Deastro, and Silverghost delivered - with a closer that felt like it had the vigorous roll and punch of punk-like pop/rocker ballads one used to see at the Lager House on a sweaty summer night. Again, the guitars needed to come up, and--did--in time for "Bad Blood," as Mr. Carjack traipsed back to the sound guy and humbly requested that the levels be turned up. The Deastro dancers were so in to this set, that Frank Woodman (of Woodman) as well as Brandon Weiner (of The Clapp)...and maybe me...started folding (and kicking) some chairs to clear space for dancing in the street.