Fun Fun Fun Fest

Fun Fun Fun Fest was an outdoor music festival that took place at Waterloo Park in Austin, TX on the weekend of November 7th and 8th. I liked the look of the lineup and I knew friends who were going so I decided to reward myself and fly on out. Ultimately, I do believe it matched the amount of fun the Beach Boys had in that one song about the car.

We showed up early on Saturday as people were just starting to show up and walked around to get accustomed to where we would be spending the next 2 days. There were a lot of stores and reasonably priced food and drinks, which made it easy to handle any down-time between the bands. The first band we actually sat and watched was called Royal Bangs. They are 5 guys who played dancey indie stuff. You know what I mean. Lot of percussion and driving bass lines but the singer had a really refreshing style. I think it was a good start to the day. Worth checking out.

Then we wandered around to different stages but nothing quite stood out. We took a break to eat barbecue and get happy hour drinks so we could prepare for DEATH. The band Death. They were one of the bands I was excited to see, as they were one of the first bands to embody the punk aesthetic but broke up in the mid-70’s after struggling to make an impression. They decided to reform because their material was rereleased earlier this year to very positive reviews, and their live show was indeed very powerful. It’s always nice to see a band stay true to their music even if the payoff doesn’t come for over 30 years.

Afterwards we took a break in the grass and watched people fall off of a mechanical bull, while enjoying some hardcore band playing in the distance that sounded like the Tazmanian Devil was singing. Then it was time for Les Savy Fav, who have always provided me with a good time. The band plays jangly and upbeat rock music while the singer entertains the crowd with props and stunts, but with an aloofness that doesn’t make it obnoxious. They ended a set of their hits by having the singer crowd-surf with fans on a giant ladder. It was silly.

Right after this, we ran to catch the Jesus Lizard who were playing on another stage. I hadn’t seen any of their reunion shows up to this point but they haven’t missed a step during their 10-year break. The mix was perfect in making the overall sound, and especially the guitar tone, as frightening as their albums. They make heavy music that isn’t overtly metal-sounding or shocking, giving it a sincerity that I believe makes them one of the more important rock bands of the 90’s. Hopefully they will remind a few kids how to rock again. They added a 4 song encore to their energetic set to end the Saturday on a very good note.

Sunday was not as beautiful a day as Saturday at all. The rain barely let up all day and turned the park into a giant mud pit. We tried to watch Fuck Buttons, Mika Miko, Strange Boys, Health and Atlas Sound, who were all good, but the rain was still killing our spirits. I did get to see one of my favoritest bands ever Mission of Burma and it was nice to get to hear some of the material from their new album, which continues to showcase their ability to blend melody and chaos. We then got tired of cowering under umbrellas and getting stuck in mud so we ended up leaving before the headliners (sorry GZA and Danzig) and went to eat more barbecue at a local restaurant. That’s it!

Thanks Leilani for the pictures.