Midtown Festival, Atlanta, May 1-3, 1998
Music Midtown is a carnival of music, food, people, and fun that takes place in Atlanta
once a year. There are multiple stages that reflect diverse musical interests like
rock, jazz, funk, reggae, country, alternative, pop, and the local Atlanta scene.
Where South by Southwest is an industry event,
Midtown is certainly for the masses. They come out in droves. Approximately
200,000 attend the three day event. As always with these festivals, I have too
aggressive plans to see everyone, and due to time, double-bookings, sleeping late, and
conflicts of interests with the others in my crowd, I just can't seem to squeeze
everything in. However, I did get to catch some very cool bands, some that I had
missed at past events.
Friday night was a beautiful evening and the crowds were already swelling. The first
band I saw was Memory Dean, a Georgia band with a
big following. They had a nice alterna/rock sound with songs "Pain" and
"So Complicated" from their current CD Shake It Up. Next up was a great
band called Eve 6. From Los Angeles, with songs
like "Showerhead" (something about his girlfriend taking a shower with his
friend), "Small Town Trap", and "Inside Out", they sound like a Green
Day/Third Eye Blind mix. Being a fan of neither of those bands, the combination in
Eve 6 provides a pleasant synergy. The clincher was a fantastic cover of Peter,
Paul, and Mary's "Leavin' on a Jetplane", giving the 60s classic a power punk
feel. I hope I can get that one on disk. I just found out that I'd be seeing
them again soon at the Q101 Jamboree in Chicago over
Memorial Day Weekend!
After that, things get a little fuzzy. I remember seeing Son Volt, a very good mellow, country sounding rock
band, much like some of the countryish Gin Blossoms tunes. However, I don't
remember a darn thing about any of their songs. Their half hour set pretty much runs
together. After that, we watched a bit of Paula
Cole on the big screen from the hill, as many, many folks were there to see her.
Too much exposure has soured me on Paula, but having seen her before in a more
intimate venue experience has shown me the pure talent she possesses. Regardless,
she was a crowd pleaser at this festival singing all the hits, "Cowboys",
"Me",and "I Don't Want to Wait".
On Saturday, I had all the best intentions to make it in early to see Fuel with their new song
"Shimmer", but a late night and oversleeping prevented anything from happening
until about 3pm. I did get there in time to see Fastball, the Austin band that I
missed at South By Southwest. They have a great new song that is getting much
commercial play these days in "The Way", a true story about an old couple who
hits the road in a Winnebago and is never heard from again. The song has a unique
hook and a chorus you'll find yourself humming all day long (as a matter of fact, my
friend, Curt, just stopped in as I was writing this and he was singing it as he came
through the door). From their current CD "All the Pain Money Can Buy",
Fastball mixes heavy alternative sounds with introspective lyrics. My friend, Dean,
called their sound by describing it like Dave Edmunds, which was confirmed by the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution ("Dave Edmunds singing an Elvis Costello tune").
I only wish I had come up with that comparison (I guess that's why I still write
for a non-revenue web site). I found a few of their songs to be a bit reminiscent of
one of my favorite bands that is no longer, Material
Issue. With songs like, "Sweetwater, TX" and "Slow Drag",
this trio proves musical diversity from ballads to the rocking.
After Fastball, Saturday was a whirlwind with Drivin'
and Cryin', with memorable tunes "I'm Goin' Straight to Hell (Just Like My Mama
Said)" and "Fly Me Courageous", Drivin' and Cryin' interchanges almost
metal rock with southern rock true to their Atlanta roots. Later in the evening, we
were treated to the sounds of Sister Hazel,
though we could barely get close enough to see the screen (check out my other reviews of
them in more intimate settings in my Review section) and Foo Fighters, which we again retreated to our hill.
Realizing that David Byrne
was playing the stage right behind us, we decided to check him out. We were not
disappointed. David Byrne gave a truly bizarre performance, complete with costume
changes that would make even Reba McIntire proud. We first see Dave with a tight
powder blue leisure suit, next in plaid tartan kilt and later for his encore of
Psycho Killer in a full body suit (head to toe) that look liked someone peeled his skin
off to exposure his muscular structure. Pleasantly disturbing! The Talking
Heads tunes were the highlight. Afterwards, we ran into a very subdued Byrne at a
local hotel bar with other members of his band.
Sunday morning was also filled with good intentions, but again I arrived late
for the Greensboro, NC band, Athenaeum and Letters to Cleo, but just in time for Big Wreck, more like Big Soundgarden Rip Off,
lead singer having the Chris Cornell impersonation to a T. Their one radio song,
"The Oaf", was the most pleasantly melodic of their set, the rest a retro
to the Seattle grunge sounds of earlier this decade.
Now to the highlight of
the entire event for me, causing me to stay at the festival until I had not another minute
to spare to make my plane back to Houston. Semisonic
is a great band out of Minneapolis with current song "Closing Time". When
I first heard it a while back, it rang strongly familiar and I was able to place the
vocals to that of a band out of my past, Trip Shakespeare. I used to listen to them
on an alternative station in Ohio and even had some of their CDs. Well, after much
searching, I did discover that two of the members of Semisonic had actually been in Trip
Shakespeare, particularly Dan Wilson, lead vocalist. Finally everything was coming
together. Trip Shakespeare is discovered and I get to see them live. Anyway,
it was a great set, I loved every song and am absolutely infatuated with Dan. His
vocals are sometimes nasal and monotone and others a high falsetto, his appearance that of
an artsy intellectual, making for a mixture that is strangely seductive. Highlights
were "Never You Mind" with a Star Trek reference as motivation, "Competely
Pleased", dedicated to all the guys who let their girlfriends sit on their shoulders
at rock concerts on hot summer days, "DND (Do Not Disturb)", and an
awesome Prince cover, paying homage to a fellow Minneapolian. With this trio, each
member of the band displayed diverse talent, each playing the keyboard at different times,
thus defining their full sound. At one point, the drummer was actually playing the
keyboard with one hand and drumming with the other. Their lyrics are introspective
yet fun and their sound runs the gamut of hard to ballad and that's all within the same
song. I must see them again!!! Please come to Houston, Semisonic. I'm
listening to their CD as I write this and find myself "Feeling Strangely
Fine", which by the way, is the appropriate name of their disk.
Other moments of the festival included a few popins on Anne Murray, Vonda Shepard (of
Alley McBeal fame), and Kool and the Gang, adding to the diversity of the festival's music
mix. A great time with fun and music in the sun. This is the last year at its
current Midtown Atlanta location. Right now they are searching for a new home, but
still plan to be back next year. Last year's was great as well, so check out my
review of Midtown 97.
On That Note, I'm outta here......
