WSOF ’07 A.D.D. Style

When you have a show the size of the Wall of Sound Festival, it would be easy to write an excessively long review of the show. To discuss all the bands that played, it would almost be unavoidable. That could make for a painfully long read that could really tax one’s attention span. Not like that would be a problem for me; I show no signs of A.D.D. whatsoever and I resent anyone who would dare imply… ooh, shiny.

Where was I? That’s right. While I clearly don’t have A.D.D., I wanted to present my review in such a format that it’ll keep your attention. So what follows is a review of every artist I saw, with one catch. All performance reviews shall be 25 words or less. Here we go:

Daniel Folmer – Didn’t see much of his set, but it sounded promising. Worth a second listen.

Sarah Jaffe – Great acoustic sounds featuring Kris Youmans on cello. Sarah, you are a brilliant songwriter and wonderful singer. I think I’m in love with you.

Eleven Hundred Springs – One of the better country bands from around these parts. The perfect soundtrack for a day spent in Cowtown.

The Lemurs – New wavish style band from Austin. If you like Black Tie Dynasty, you’ll probably like this band too.

The Burning Hotels – I originally dismissed them as standard EDGE fare. Their songs are way too catchy and fun to put down. I was wrong. It happens sometimes.

Astronautalis – He performed the best rap I’ve ever heard about a girl in a hurricane. Honest.

Red Monroe – First curse to SPUNE: The 15 minutes I saw was not long enough. A great rockin’ set from a band destined for stardom.

Calhoun – Curse number 2: Scheduling conflicts only allowed me a mere two Calhoun songs. This band is a fine wine that gets better with age.

Pleasant Grove – Chillin’ on the lawn with DB and his buddies, listening to Pleasant Grove. Good times, good friends, good music. Pure awesomeness.

Ghosthustler – They could’ve been the soundtrack to a perfect dance party, if only it wasn’t too damn hot to dance.

Record Hop – A solid set by this great noise rock band. Ashley Cromens, you have one hell of a set of pipes on you.

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Black Tie Dynasty – Sound issues, allergies, and burning eyes tainted what should have been a highlight of the show. The band still played its ass off.

The Baptist Generals – I was sitting in the back of the stadium, relaxing to the pleasant sounds of Baptist Generals.

The Sword – They sounded as loud in the back as Record Hop did by the speakers. Too damn loud, guys. Way too loud.

Micah P. Hinson – His Springsteen-esque voice acted as a salve to my ears after the Sword. This is one talented dude.

Brothers and Sisters – Country/pop group from Austin reminiscent of the Byrds. This band knows how to write catchy tunes. Please, come to Dallas again soon.

Doug Burr – His perfectly written songs had the audience captivated. Hands down, this was the best performance I saw all day.

Alas, my friend was too tired to stick around later, so that’s all I can review. I regret missing Midlake and Explosions in the Sky, but I was also sunburned and exhausted and glad to get home to rest. Note to SPUNE: there’s something to be said for INDOOR venues. Still, in spite of sound difficulties during the sets of both BTD and Brothers and Sisters, scheduling difficulties on Stage 3, as well as the heat, it was still a wonderful concert. Let’s see what Lance Yocum can do to top this year. Again, might I suggest an indoor venue? Just a suggestion.