Festival Review - ATP New York 2008

Now I see how lucky the Brits are, with ATP-run festivals sprouting up like mushrooms after a wet summer. The three day weekend I (and 3000 of my soon-to-be-close friends) spent in a not-so gracefully decaying resort listening to almost thirty bands certainly ranks among the highlights of my time spent on this whirling orb. The camaraderie, sense of purpose, abandon, dizzying array of things to do, see, and hear...it soon won't be topped. I won't go into a ton of detail, but will attempt to briefly give an overview of each day. Since I spent a fair amount of time either hoarding a spot up front in the main room (no photo pit), or hurrying back and forth between the two rooms which were about a four minute walk apart, I rarely got to take in an entire band's set (never mind any of the excellent films that Criterion were showing, including a live Q&A with famed screenwriter Paul Schrader). However, I did get to see most of the 30-odd bands which played, so here goes.

Day one was the Don't Look Back portion, featuring bands playing a selected seminal record from their past. The weekend kicked off with the hazy, lysergic cloud of Bardo Pond's 'Lapsed'. Since I spent a fair amount of time sorting out my photo pass, I missed most of it, but did get to hear the thundering feedback of Clint Takeda's bass against the churning pedal-driven guitars of the Gibbons', with Isobel Sollenberger's lovely vocals and occasional flute lithely cutting through the thick haze. A nice way to start this shebang. Meat Puppets were next, playing 'II'. Not their best record, nor their most inspired playing. Curt Kirkwood looked like he just trudged in from his bedroom wanting brunch, wearing sweatpants, a t shirt and some slip-on Vans. This record probably got a massive resuscitation via Nirvana's co-opting of "Lake Of Fire" and "Plateau," as well as the previous boost when SST label mates Minutemen covered "Lost." Personally I would have chosen 'Up On The Sun' or 'Mirage'; their set was revived a bit when "Up On The Sun" was played, a comforting orange glow coming to join the room. Some bonus points were also earned by a neat segue into "Tomorrow Never Knows."

Tortoise were up next, playing 'Millions Now Living Will Never Die'. I saw them on this tour back in '96 or so, but with David Pajo playing instead of current member Jeff Parker. Phenomenal. These guys can flat out play, probably the most talented group to set foot on stage over the weekend. Tight at the right times, and loose at the right times. It doesn't hurt that the band has a cast that can play a variety of instruments, including three incredible drummers (John McEntire, John Herndon, Dan Bitney). The best show of the night. The peripatetic Thurston Moore was on next, playing his first solo record 'Psychic Hearts', though not in the same order as the CD. He had his same band who played with him on the more recent 'Trees Outside The Academy' tour; Chris Brokaw on guitar, Matt Heyner on bass, and Steve Shelley as a familiar face behind the drum kit (Samara Lebeski was not enlisted for any extraneous violin duties). Though the record doesn't get much play from me, it sounded good, Thurston's always an engaging stage presence, and the band was on top of the material more than Thurston (a music stand and lyrics helped out a bit). Little known fact - "Cindy Tanx" is *not* written about possible first lady Cindy McCain. I stepped out of T Moore's set briefly to catch the very tail end of comic Eugene Mirman, who wasn't bad, but then was followed by a howlingly funny Patton Oswalt. Hot damn is that guy funny. Tears rolling down the cheeks funny. Nice break from the music. Built To Spill closed on the night with 'Perfect From Now On', and I'll swipe someone's perfectly apt description of them as 'Death Cab for Cutie past puberty.' Tons of guitar wanking, somewhat interminable songs, and the ~24 minute closer of 'Car' seemed to me like the night would never end. Probably my least favorite set, but clearly a lot of people dug it, based on informal conversations I had with random people over the weekend.

CLICK HERE to see Day One in pictures!