Review: W.E. Fest 2007 - Saturday
SATURDAY
Saturday afternoon I caught Second Dan for a second time, playing a semi-acoustic set in the parking lot of Fanboy Comics. It's always interesting when bands play in non-traditional places. During their set several cars parked in spots, partially obstructing the audience (who were staying in the shade of the building's awning) from seeing the band, but the parking lot also allowed drummer Sonny Ratcliff to get up from his drum kit and try to direct some traffic from the road into Fanboy Comics. What amazes me is whether it's 2am or 3pm, whether fully electric or mostly acoustic, and whether in s smoke filled club or under the hot summer sun, Second Dan rocks!
Jared Migden, Jim Testa and I went to a place called Sticky Fingers for dinner. This is only worth mentioning for two reasons. One, they are one of the few restaurants I've been to in recent years that does not have an entree for vegetarians. I ended up with the artichoke dip appetizer and a house salad...not bad, but not a meal. Two, as Jared pointed out, how funny is it that Sticky Fingers is right next door to a Hooters. Note: if you do not find that funny, maybe you don't have a sick sense of humor.
Saturday night at the Soapbox was kind of a blur. No, I didn't drink too much, there was just so much going on that night, and several bands had canceled at the last minute and new acts added to the show. New Jersey was definitely in the house with in addition to all the people who had been there the previous nights, Cole (from, Hey Cole) showed up with Anthony Fiumano and The Chilling Details. More and more I felt like I was in New Jersey.
Highlights from Saturday night:
Anthony Fiumano - He wasn't supposed to play until Sunday afternoon, but due to the cancellation of several acts, Anthony wound up playing on Saturday night. He said he was feeling sick, but you wouldn't know it from the set he put on. Anthony is one of the best modern folk singers I've had the opportunity to hear, and I can't wait to hear more from him as his music continues to develop.
The Chilling Details - Yeah I know I'm mentioning two NJ acts in my highlights, but just because I'm down in North Carolina doesn't make them any less good. The Chilling Details do catchy post-punk indie rock, with lyrics that one should really pay more attention to then you normally would with a rock band.
Weird moments from Saturday night:
Clang Quartet - Not actually a quartet, Clang Quartet is a one man percussion band re-enacting the birth and death of Jesus through weird percussive beats. Sounds strange? Well, after a few minutes I didn't care what he was re-enacting, I just found the "drumming" to be dull and annoying.
Poingly - Poingly on the other hand was weird in a good way. Another one man band, Poingly is a man backed by his laptop computer music, doing electro-clash. There's not much to the lyrics, and the music is a bit repetitive, but man oh man does this guy have stage presence. It's all about the show...which sadly means the CD he has for sale may not work as well as his live show.
Also on Saturday night, we hit a late night pizza shop and bar. Now here's the thing I don't get. In Jersey or NYC if you ask for 2 slices they know what you're talking about, but time and time again in North Carolina they looked at me and asked, "what type of slice?"...um...pizza slice, duh. But apparently that's not what they mean, they want to know if I want cheese or pepperoni. If I wanted pepperoni I'd go, "hey give me a slice with pepperoni." It's just one of those differences between the north and south I suppose.
At the end of the night, my new friend Elizabeth and my old friend Jared both needed rides, so the 4 of us got into my car and headed to drop Elizabeth at her home.
Having dropped Elizabeth off at her home, I was now heading back towards the hotel Jared was staying at. On the way we passed a mall like you'd see littered throughout NJ. Which is why it surprised me when Jared said he had to go there tomorrow. "Why?", I asked. Jared replied, that he had seen an Orange Julius cup on the side of the road earlier in the day and figured if there was still an Orange Julius down here, it must be in the mall.
Orange Julius?!? Wow, I had not seen an Orange Julius in over 10 years! Apparently Jared had that same fondness for their frothy, sugary, smoothie-like beverages. When I was young the mall near me had an Orange Julius and I went there with my parents often. Just hearing the name made me remember the taste. I think the last time I had one was in the early 90's when Great Adventure still had an Orange Julius. Would I still find it as tasty as I did all those years ago? I had to find out.
Other Photos From Saturday
SATURDAY
Saturday afternoon I caught Second Dan for a second time, playing a semi-acoustic set in the parking lot of Fanboy Comics. It's always interesting when bands play in non-traditional places. During their set several cars parked in spots, partially obstructing the audience (who were staying in the shade of the building's awning) from seeing the band, but the parking lot also allowed drummer Sonny Ratcliff to get up from his drum kit and try to direct some traffic from the road into Fanboy Comics. What amazes me is whether it's 2am or 3pm, whether fully electric or mostly acoustic, and whether in s smoke filled club or under the hot summer sun, Second Dan rocks!
Jared Migden, Jim Testa and I went to a place called Sticky Fingers for dinner. This is only worth mentioning for two reasons. One, they are one of the few restaurants I've been to in recent years that does not have an entree for vegetarians. I ended up with the artichoke dip appetizer and a house salad...not bad, but not a meal. Two, as Jared pointed out, how funny is it that Sticky Fingers is right next door to a Hooters. Note: if you do not find that funny, maybe you don't have a sick sense of humor.
Saturday night at the Soapbox was kind of a blur. No, I didn't drink too much, there was just so much going on that night, and several bands had canceled at the last minute and new acts added to the show. New Jersey was definitely in the house with in addition to all the people who had been there the previous nights, Cole (from, Hey Cole) showed up with Anthony Fiumano and The Chilling Details. More and more I felt like I was in New Jersey.
Highlights from Saturday night:
Anthony Fiumano - He wasn't supposed to play until Sunday afternoon, but due to the cancellation of several acts, Anthony wound up playing on Saturday night. He said he was feeling sick, but you wouldn't know it from the set he put on. Anthony is one of the best modern folk singers I've had the opportunity to hear, and I can't wait to hear more from him as his music continues to develop.
The Chilling Details - Yeah I know I'm mentioning two NJ acts in my highlights, but just because I'm down in North Carolina doesn't make them any less good. The Chilling Details do catchy post-punk indie rock, with lyrics that one should really pay more attention to then you normally would with a rock band.
Weird moments from Saturday night:
Clang Quartet - Not actually a quartet, Clang Quartet is a one man percussion band re-enacting the birth and death of Jesus through weird percussive beats. Sounds strange? Well, after a few minutes I didn't care what he was re-enacting, I just found the "drumming" to be dull and annoying.
Poingly - Poingly on the other hand was weird in a good way. Another one man band, Poingly is a man backed by his laptop computer music, doing electro-clash. There's not much to the lyrics, and the music is a bit repetitive, but man oh man does this guy have stage presence. It's all about the show...which sadly means the CD he has for sale may not work as well as his live show.
Also on Saturday night, we hit a late night pizza shop and bar. Now here's the thing I don't get. In Jersey or NYC if you ask for 2 slices they know what you're talking about, but time and time again in North Carolina they looked at me and asked, "what type of slice?"...um...pizza slice, duh. But apparently that's not what they mean, they want to know if I want cheese or pepperoni. If I wanted pepperoni I'd go, "hey give me a slice with pepperoni." It's just one of those differences between the north and south I suppose.
At the end of the night, my new friend Elizabeth and my old friend Jared both needed rides, so the 4 of us got into my car and headed to drop Elizabeth at her home.
Having dropped Elizabeth off at her home, I was now heading back towards the hotel Jared was staying at. On the way we passed a mall like you'd see littered throughout NJ. Which is why it surprised me when Jared said he had to go there tomorrow. "Why?", I asked. Jared replied, that he had seen an Orange Julius cup on the side of the road earlier in the day and figured if there was still an Orange Julius down here, it must be in the mall.
Orange Julius?!? Wow, I had not seen an Orange Julius in over 10 years! Apparently Jared had that same fondness for their frothy, sugary, smoothie-like beverages. When I was young the mall near me had an Orange Julius and I went there with my parents often. Just hearing the name made me remember the taste. I think the last time I had one was in the early 90's when Great Adventure still had an Orange Julius. Would I still find it as tasty as I did all those years ago? I had to find out.
Other Photos From Saturday