Fun Fun Fun Fest Sunday Recaps: Mission of Burma & More
At this point, Mission of Burma has made more albums after reuniting than during their post-punk heyday, which is kind of incredible. The world wasn’t as appreciative of their brainy rock back then, but time has corrected the oversight. Guitarist Roger Miller, bassist Clint Conley and drummer Peter Prescott all contributed vocals and their own songs to the band’s repertoire, and the same philosophy was applied to their live set - which included the timeless anthem “That’s How I Escaped My Certain Fate.” It’s a fantastic thing to see the band at what might be their second peak - each onstage member of Mission of Burma seemed utterly devoted to the performance, and we can only assume the same for tape manipulator Bob Weston, apparently hidden away in the sound booth. -Adam Schragin
Mika Miko:
If you need any further evidence that the black stage was the place to be this year, the fact that it played host to the penultimate show by LA punks Mika Miko should be plenty. The band definitely didn’t play like a group that had recently decided to break up: with members of No Age and Vivian Girls lining the side of the stage, they delivered a rambunctious, noisy set heavy on tunes from this year’s excellent We Be Xuxa that vacillated between straight up raw punk rock, and when singer Jenna Thornhill occasionally busted out her sax, punk-funk that channeled Lora Logic and James Chance. Early on, the crowd was respectful but sedate, but that changed quickly when Jennifer Clavin (the band’s other primary singer) reminded those assembled that this was their last chance to crowd surf at a Mika Miko show. With that in mind, the pit boiled over and never simmered down; highlights were watching a kid who was literally trying to ride the crowd on a skateboard, and a cameo stage dive by No Age’s Dean Spunt. By all accounts, it was great. Mika Miko are going out strong, which is bound be incredibly frustrating to fans that wanted to see where the hyperactive, brilliantly snotty quintet would’ve headed next. At the very least, we have a slew of great records and memories of an awesome set at Fun Fest to hold onto until the band (hopefully) reunites. -Bryan Carroll
This Will Destroy You
It was during This Will Destroy You’s set when the rain began to lightly fall, and then more or less continue for hours. It’s odd; the peaceful, moody and evocative music of This Will Destroy You would normally be perfect for a rainy day, but it turns out that’s only a true if you’re inside and out of the rain, keeping warm. Patience is close to the last thing anyone has when they’re starting to get drenched, and sluggish moods were probably not assisted by the instrumental band’s thoughtful crescendos built out of bass, guitar, and keyboards. Comparisons to Explosions in the Sky are fair, but their sonic palette is closer to that of their friends in Lymbyc Systym, who usually prefer their drum sounds tied up in electronics. Until next time, guys, when it’s less rainy and we have some coffee on hand. -Adam Schragin
Of Montreal:
While a survey of French Modernism will grant you to pleasure of catching many of the literary allusions in Of Montreal’s lyrics (see: Apollinaire, Bataille and Genet), we’re not sure what sort of qualifications prepare you to unravel the bizarre threads of passion play, pantomime, and pornography that run through an Of Montreal set. Sunday’s Gender Studies syllabus-ridden antics included a looming Santa Claus, sadomasochistic ninjas, and, of course, a radiant Kevin Barnes presiding with mock haughtiness (in a jacket to get martyred for) over the whole mad affair.
The bulk of the headlining set came from 2008’s “Skeletal Lamping,” which for better or for worse is as much a series of music-driven sexual postures as an album. This caused Barnes to be interpreted by many as having called off the intellectual hounds that bay throughout “Hissing Fauna” in favor of an Id- dominated romp courtesy of his alter ego, Georgie Fruit.
But experiencing “Skeletal Lamping” can take plenty of interpretive brain power- if interpretation’s your thing. On the other hand, why not just sit back and have fun? We’ll leave the Jungian analysis of horsewhipping ninjas to someone else, because here’s the thing about music: it’s the natural playscape of the Id anyway. And we’d be hard pressed—whipped, you might even say—to find something more fun than dancing under the stars to the provocative and primal calisthenics of Of Montreal. -Rachael Sawyer
The Strange Boys:
The Strange Boys formed in Dallas in 2001 and relocated to Austin in 2006; whether they came seeking to adopt Austin as hometown, or Austin has simply absorbed another talented young band seems unclear. But in any case, The Strange Boys have become synonymous in the press with Austin’s sound. This is largely because, geographical considerations aside, Austin is culturally situated smack at the crossroads of punk and country- two genres which The Strange Boys marry with much success, but little to-do.
In fact, what’s refreshingly addictive about The Strange Boys is their nonchalance about whether or not you get interested. This affect—or lack thereof—was especially endearing in a festival setting, as FunFunFun Fest naturally contains a bit of insecure clamor surrounding the shuffling of the crowd between stages. Maybe it’s a natural consequence of their youth, or just a purity of garage rock sensibility (hell, it’s only more cool the fewer people get it). But the shrugging off of Sunday’s rain, which caused more real problems on the Yellow Stage than anywhere else, seemed to be an extension of their musical sensibilities.
Although Jenna Thornhill (then very, very recently formerly of Mika Miko) had a tough debut as saxophonist/backup vocalist, what with the danger of electrocution accompanying her performance and all, we saw a lot of promise in adding some skuzzy sax to an already delightfully downtrodden set. The real draw, though, is in Ryan Sambol’s vocals. They’re the musical equivalent of a sidelong glance- a shambling limp that ends up covering much more ground than a head-on approach to frontsmanship. This may not be a sound that makes a fan out of every stray passer-by, but it will make many a devoted fan out of the earnest listener. -Rachael Sawyer
Astronautalis
When Andy Brothwell, aka Astronautalis, took plight to the blue stage Sunday, the rain was steadily pouring and most people had yet to make it back to the festival grounds. Brothwell announced that this was either going to be the best show of my life of the worst. "I think it's going to be the best," Brothwell proclaimed assuredly to an unsuspecting crowd. Tromping into mud and plowing through people, Astronautalis delivered most of his set face-to-face with fans. Standing upon a tree stump with finger pointed to the sky, the southern hymn, "The Wondersmiths and His Sons," sounded even more inspirational and reminiscent of baritone-voiced Baptist preacher of the 1950s. Brothwell is known for his witty free-styling, raunchy voice and mad rhymes, but his stage presence deserves its own separate cloud of recognition. Never showing signs of nerves or worry, Astronautalis kept all audience eyes glued to him as he traipsed aimlessly about the muddy field. At times, he climbed back upon the tree stump, keeling over in musical agony in order to get his emotional words out. He sings a lot of whiskey, love and getting stabbed by an ex-girlfriend, but Brothwell is also a wizard of light subject matter as well. He did an astounding free-style about Fun Fun Fun Fest when we spoke to him backstage (check back soon for the video!) and delivered an impressive impromptu crowd-collaborated freestyle during his set. Audience members gave him five things to rap about—squirrels, syphilis, a lost sack lunch and the Twilight Zone—which Astronautalis used to concoct a humorous rambling to the tune of Dr. Dre's "The Next Episode." We rest assured knowing that this was his best performance to date, especially after reading his tweet, "Well...yup...best show ever. Thank you to everyone in that wonderful, huge crowd that braved the rain. Thank you! I love all of y'all!" A charming, witty guy all around, Astronautalis knows how to connect with his audience while keep them laughing and guessing. -Candace Birkelbach
WHY?
Still trying to find their place in the sun, the Cincinatti-based band WHY? might've gotten a little closer after their performance at Fun Fun Fun Fest Sunday. Despite their being no actual sun, damp-footed fans were graced with skating melodies and fine craftsmanship of musical sound. The men of WHY? delivered a slew of hauntingly accurate anthems of life and meaning, no doubt winning over new fans and charming old ones. "The Vowels Pt. 2" got listeners super-pumped along with "January 20 Something" and "Song of the Sad Assassin." Masterful rhyming, concise snippets of percussion, throwback harmonies and stunning guitar riffs filled the air over and over. The great thing about WHY?s songs is that they bring the best of two musical worlds together and weave those positive elements into a basket of originality. We stood struggling to decide upon a good clarification for WHY?s sound during their set and kept coming up dumbfounded. It's hip-hop. It's indie. But not quite, but still both at the same time. Hipindie? Indiehop? The music defies genre classification and is probably best left as such. If there's was a name it, everyone would be doing it. -Candace Birkelbach
