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My night at the DMF
I promised myself before the Dayton Music Fest that I was just going to go and enjoy the 28 talented bands performing and I would not do any work.
But, as I reflected upon my night and worked off the beer buzz I decided I should share my view from the DMF.
I only share my night at the DMF to demonstrate how the DMF is different for every fan who attends. I believe that is the coolest part about the annual DMF.
I began my night with a double expresso and a dose of down-tempo dream-pop with XL427. XL427, who got their name from the liner notes of a Starflyer 55 album, performed only the third time together as a four piece. The band’s line-up included the busiest man of the DMF Dan Stahl on drums. Stahl ended up taking the stage five different times over the coarse of the night and sold souvenir tee-shirts claiming the 2007 DMF as the “Day of the Dan.” He also performed with the American Static and Shrug.
With the catchy melodies of XL427 still in my head, I quickly made my way next door to the Nite Owl and watched the Goody Two Shoes play loud punk rock highlighted by the rough low-end voice of front-woman CJ.
I downed my beer and began the long walk down to the Trolley Stop. But in route I stopped back into the Cafe to catch the end of one of Dayton’s best singer/songwriter’s Joe Anderl. This was the first of two sets of the night for Anderl who would later close down the Trolley Stop. After a memorable and intimate show I picked up my second copy of Anderl’s new cd entitled I Heart Joe Anderl (for a friend). He seemed pleased with round one of his long night telling me that “anytime I can write a song in the morning and it not go completely horrible that night I would say it was a success.”
Down at the Trolley I was anticipating Mellonballer from Yellow Springs. The three-piece band hit the stage with a guitar, bass, keys, and dueling voices that added a lot to their striped down acoustic-pop sound. The band, who had the crowd dancing in front of the stage, ended their set by raffling off an autographed watermelon to a lucky fan.
Felling light-footed (and a little light headed) I walked back to the Nite Owl to catch the fun, upbeat rock of HQAX. Frontman Jeff was wearing a large marque belt buckle that lit up with different phrases during the band’s set. At one point (after their punk rock version of a Gin Blossoms song) the belt read “We are better than the Story Changes” who were performing next door at the Oregon Express at the same time. The Story Changes and HQAX are good friends so the saying was made just to be funny and I laughed so they succeeded.
The belt buckle reminder helped me speed walk to the OE and catch the tail-end of the Story Changes set. It was thrilling for me (a big Story Changes Fan) to hear the band bang out a few hits from their newest cd Way of the Dinosaur.
I stuck around the OE after the Story Changes, but I felt like I had tele-ported to LA to the Whiskey-a-go-go. This was because the always over the top Luxury Pushers were on stage asking the crowd if they “wanted to rock.” I of course could not say no and rocked out with the band and their tight pants, tattoos, and out-of-bounds stage antics.
Click the comments and share a few highlights that you would not soon forget from this year’s DMF. I would love to hear about them because, if you were there, then you realized that the DMF is entirely to vast to take in everything.
Visit www.daytonmusicfest.com to see pics from the fest and hear songs from the performers.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: dayton music fest
Comments
By Jeff
October 9, 2007 5:23 PM | Link to this
That was actually Adam who was wearing the marquee belt buckle. I would never display such a gawdy accessory! :) Jeff