This is fun. One of the band members is part of FUN.
It’s pop in “Walking on Sunshine” way. It’s big and dramatic. This might not be the sort of thing I will listen to obsessively, but I will dance my pants off at this show none the less. Bleachers play at 545 on Friday at Bunbury 2015.
This is going to get weird. Watch this and listen to the lyrics.
I had to fall in love with Jeff Buckley’s cover of “Hallelujah” before I could wrap my brain around Leonard Cohen. Cohen’s style felt unapproachable to this punk kid. His songs were way too slow and employed way too many instruments for me to relate to them. Once my musical pallet was attuned to Cohen, I fell in love with him. But my warm-up to him took years. I will follow a similar process with Father John Misty. My age and experience has only gifted me the good sense to see him now anticipating my future love.
Yeah. Right? I’m not going to say this show will be fun, exactly. I think it will be something worth seeing. Any man that writes “save me white Jesus” in a song is worth watching. Father John Misty plays at 4 on Friday of Bunbury 2015.
I’m not really into rap. But that sure as shit wouldn’t keep me from seeing Snoop Dogg on Sunday at Bunbury. I will gladly tick this off my bucket list for the price of admission. And really, who doesn’t enjoy this song? This show is going to a heaping helping of big fun. Snoop will wrap-up the fun perfectly. Snoop plays at 915 on Sunday of Bunbury 2015.
What can I say that hasn’t already been said about The Avett Brothers? Nothing really. But if you are unfamiliar with them Pitchfork has a really nice review of their 2012 album. That ought to tell you what you need to know.
Bunbury will be my first time seeing them, and I am really excited. If you haven’t checked out Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield’s cover of “Between the Bars” you really should. And oh look, I put it here for you. They did a whole album of Elliott Smith covers, and they are just gorgeous. Elliott Smith, I miss you so much. Not gonna lie, I have a secret hope they cover Elliott Smith at the show as unlikely as that is. And my love of Elliott Smith just hijacked this post. Sorry. Not Sorry.
Avett Brothers play at 945 at Bunbury 2015.
This video has one of the nicest depictions of a mental hospital I have ever seen. By nice, I mean beautiful and completely unrealistic. I won’t hold that against them. This song has some good hooks, and the rest of their catalog sounds solid.
I failed to start my Bunbury research early enough. One of the consequences of that is that I can’t give as much time to each band that I take an immediate liking to. I suspect that with more time to sit with these guys, they would grow in me. I would have a deeper connection than my current flirtation. Hopefully, when I see them, their performance will help reign me in. They play at Bunbury 2015 at 5 on Friday.
This band isn’t exactly in my wheelhouse. But when I saw them at Bunbury a couple of years back their performance was really entertaining. When they took the stage the pianist launched off the top of his upright piano. The piano thudded to the stage; stage hands scurried to the rescue. But Twenty One Pilots didn’t miss a beat. Later in the show the drummer passed a platform to the crowd and set-up his kit there and played. Regardless of how you feel about the music, you will be entertained.
Americana seems to be a thing right now. Slickly produced well manicured bands with banjos and mandolins abound. Hey there Mumford and Sons and Lumineers. I’m sure the lack of banjo on Mumford’s most recent release will be the cause of much consternation.
American folk music has such a rich history. It’s been a tool for telling stories, sharing misery, and speaking out against systemic oppression. All these bearded pretty bands feel hollow when I consider the history of the product they are hustling.
But then there’s really gorgeous music happening just out of the spot light. Shakey Graves lives in this space. His voice is captivating.
I am curious to see his one-man performance. Typically, solo performances aren’t dynamic enough to hold my attention for long. But I love being proven wrong.
Shakey Graves performs at Bunbury 2015 Sunday at 530.
The context matters when I am introduced to music. Much like a first impression, it’s like nicotine in walls. They never quite leave. They only fade, but never quite disappear.
I worked at a bar for some years; it was sort of place that wait staff would gather to drink away their nightly tips from midnight to last call. At mealtimes it was a wholesome family environment. In the wee hours of the morning, people were drowning their loneliness and making small an steady steps to heart failure and lung cancer.
I was introduced to “Wagon Wheel” in those wee hours of the morning. Fatigue was nipping at my heels while I struggled to find humor in jokes only funny to those three shots in. Inevitably, “Wagon Wheel” was the center of a “Crazy Hand of Poker” and “Ants Marching” sonic shit sandwich. And so, Old Crow Medicine Show got shoved into the malice-filled corner of my brain reserved for people who wear patchouli and like jam bands.
Regardless of my past impressions, I researched Old Crow Medicine Show as I have all the other bands in the Bunbury line-up. I was surprised to find that they are legit. I am delighted to be wrong. Now, my only concern is all the people turning up to see them that only know “Wagon Wheel” and will most likely be wearing patchouli.
Old Crow Medicine Show plays on Saturday of Bunbury 2015.
Three cheers for local music going national! Cincinnati loves their hometown band as much as the band loves Cincinnati. Their last show at Bunbury was high energy and loads of fun to watch.
And congrats to Walk the Moon for having a radio hit right now. I’ve seen these guys numerous times before, they were signed to a major label. They always put up a fun show. While many might complain that their fans are rambunctious, I like to lean into their exuberance. FYI, this video was recorded here in Cincinnati; the building they are in is The Mockbee in OTR.
Walk the Moon play on Friday on Bunbury 2015.
I love this band. I saw them some years back, and got the added bonus of seeing The Head and the Heart as openers. At the time, I believe that Jenny Conlee, pianist among other instruments in The Decemberists, had recently been diagnosed with cancer. The show was subdued, and Conlee was absent. There seemed to be a pall over the band. Regardless, their technical execution was flawless. They just seemed disengaged from the audience.
Since then, Conlee’s cancer has gone into remission. I am curious to see the band now; the change in context might affect the band’s performance. I am hoping for a little more engagement this time around.
I love these songs. I love them so hard.
The Decemberists play on Saturday at Bunbury 2015.
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