» Wall Of Sound Festival 2007 w/Photos Sonic Itch Music

Wall Of Sound Festival 2007 w/Photos

All of the local blog kids have been talking about this year’s Wall Of Sound Festival for the past couple of weeks, trying to hype it up as the indie-rock fest you don’t want to miss, and given the line-up, one would love to believe it to be true. What did we expect from this years Wall Of Sound? I’m not exactly sure, but what took place was a mix of disappointment, frustration, confusion, discovery, and pure euphoria with a touch of the surreal.

This years Wall Of Sound Festival boasted 40 bands on 3 stages in one day, with many of the bands being some of the most sought after in the indie-rock community such as, Midlake, Ghostland Observatory, Explosions In The Sky, and others. Let’s keep in mind that 40 bands on 3 stages in one day is not an easy task, and to pursue such a venture and pull it off well, might be a small grand achievement. This adventurous agenda would be one of the downfalls of this event along with a few other minor flaws in the execution.

A quick breakdown of some of my observations from the festival, followed by more ranting about the experience. I’ll do my best to keep it short.

1. Being a media attendant with pre-approved credentials, it was a disappointment to find out that some of the list didn’t make it to the front box office including our names. Luckily the front gate was a little loose with the handing out of credentials and we were granted access. Loose comes into the fold later in the day as well.

2. No specified security for the festival……huh? You could pretty much bring whatever you wanted to into the park, and wander around anywhere you wanted. From what I witnessed this meant back stage, on stage, and everywhere else in between.

3. Available food for the 12 hour festival. Barely edible. Okay, edible but tasted like cardboard.

4. Beer: Complaints about only having two options on this is ridiculous. Coors or Coors Light? What more could you ask for?

5. A couple of pluses aside from the lineup: No lines for the bathroom and the grass was awesome. The grass on the ground. Who calls it grass these days anyway?

All of that aside, the festival felt like a disorganized field party that had some really great music. The beginning of the festival was consumable, but when the bands began to run long with no intervention from the festival staff, it became clear that there was a lack of control on the end of the promoters. Not to site any one particular band, but from what I understand OM (worst sound I have heard from a stage in eons) played well beyond their alloted time, and if anyone should have been completely eliminated from the set, well I think you know who might get my vote. Fast forward…..Ghostland Observatory plays in the time slot allotted for Midlake and Midlake takes the later spot. Speculation as to why this happened is…speculation, but I personally think that Ghostland was ready to play and get out. And as everyone may have already heard, Explosions In The Sky who were the headliners and scheduled to play for an hour, were only allowed to play for 20 minutes. That’s only about 3 songs for those guys, but those 20 minutes were glorious for myself. Enough talk for now, enjoy some photos from the day and random comments will follow.

Astronautalis

photo : valerie@fremin.net

Now, I’m not one for the Hip-Hop or Rap genre, but I enjoyed this white kid’s raps quite a bit. He’s funny, and he can take any myriad of subjects and put together an entertaining little piece. Astronautalis was happy with the beer option of Coors original, and kindly referred to the 3rd stage as the “loser” stage. It was on a sidewalk outside of the park.

The Sword

photo : valerie@fremin.net

Brothers and Sisters

photo : valerie@fremin.net

Micah P Hinson

photo : valerie@fremin.net

It was nice to finally see Micah P Hinson, as I have been a casual fan of the recorded material. Brothers and Sisters should have a new recording coming out soon..stay tuned.

Midlake

photo : valerie@fremin.net

Mp3>>Midlake ‘Head Home’

Midlake soothed any irritations or negativity that may have resided for the day and the live show allowed me to see the true talent and creativity of these guys from Denton, who have a bright future ahead of them.

Before I continue on with the photos, I should establish that, I’m not trying to bash the festival, just trying to point out some areas that could use some improvement for next year. Aside from all that I have said about the festival, I enjoyed myself especially during the last three performances. Yes, it was a bit chaotic, but everyone pretty much behaved themselves and things could have been a lot worse. I think if anyone suffered from the lack of organization the most, it was the bands. Hope to see you in ’08 Wall Of Sound.

Ghostland Observatory