Sunday, August 9, 2009

This just keeps going and going and going

An update about the music? Okay, I can do that.

First was Ra Ra Riot, a band that's been to Omaha quite a bit in the past year or so. Kind of like Vampire Weekend, but sub the guitars for keyboards, cello and violin.

The guy standing next to me said they were one of his top three bands to see all weekend. They're not that high on the list for me, but still excellent stuff.

Let me also say that one of the things that I love about festivals like this is seeing bands you've never heard of. Discovering new and hidden talent, we could say. One such group was Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam, a British blues-rock group.

I was heading over to catch Portugal. The Man (more on them in a second) when I heard these guys jamming out on one of the smaller stages. The group had tight, slick blues riffs and solos mixed in with an electric organ while their singer (the aforementioned Mr. Knowles) had a deep voice dripping with blues and emotion.

Knowles said he's writing songs and co-producing a new album with Peter Frampton (of "Frampton Comes Alive" fame). I caught one of his Frampton co-written tunes, a CCR cover and a few other songs.

Then I was onto Portugal. The Man, which looked like a band right out of 1975. Sounded like one too. Long hair, beards, thrift store clothes and the most enormous White Falcon guitar made the band's images on the big screen next to the stage look like a scene from the movie "Almost Famous."

They played tripped out guitar jams while their singer belted out sosme high-pitched lyrics. Check them out in Omaha on Wednesday at the Waiting Room.

Currently listening to the Airborne Toxic Event (thanks Julie in Boston for the suggestion). Right now they're doing a version of "Goodbye Horses" by Q Lazzarus (the song that Buffalo Bill dances to in "Silence of the Lambs"). Love it!

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