The Fest VI

The Fest 6 is the weekend after next. As pretty much the biggest music-related thing to hit Gainesville every year, I figured it was worth mentioning.

Analysis: Not really worth attending this year, in my opinion. I admit I’m not a big punk/hardcore fan, so I probably shouldn’t even be talking about the Fest in the first place. Regardless, usually there’s one act that sort of appeals to the indie crowd (Mates of State, Ted Leo), but this year, not so much. Hell, Against Me! isn’t even playing.

My picks are Defiance, Ohio, Matt and Kim, Ghost Mice, and This Bike is a Pipe Bomb. Ghost Mice I’ve seen thrice, Defiance, Ohio once, and Matt and Kim once last time they were here, in one of the most fun shows I’ve ever been to.

Let me just say, Ghost Mice shows are some of the best. There’s something to be said for simplicity. With just acoustic guitar, violin and shouty voices, they play a packed, sweaty show of people just yelling along with the music. I’ve never seen a sad face at a Ghost Mice show.

As for Matt and Kim, they attract one dancy crowd. And their on-stage banter is simply hilarious. They probably wouldn’t like to be called “cute,” but it’s just such an accurate adjective.

Now, something tells me these four bands are probably going to be all in one show, which would be neat. I don’t want to pay for a pass, and I’m not sure how buying tickets to individual shows works. But if those four are all neatly wrapped up in one little Sunday package, that would be worth my while.