10th Annual Arts, Beats, And Eats Fest 2007 Part 1
10th Annual Arts, Beats, And Eats Fest 2007
The Allies
What an absolutely perfect weekend for this hot fest now in it’s 10th year in Downtown Pontiac. From the day’s early morning cool breezes to the blazing mid afternoon sun, this years Saturday lineup on the Detroit News-Comcast Stage refused to cool off, even as the sun was setting on one hell of a long day of rock and roll mayhem! Today was an early day for all of us here @ Dr2 as we where entirely focused on getting to the Fest in time for the Opening Set by one our fav’s Radiocraft. Arriving early we were able to catch the unscheduled performance of the Allies, an acoustic duo that includes Overloaded’s Chris Gillen and Mindcandy’s Cmak. These guys rock out with their respective groups, but turn it down a notch or two while performing as the allies. We at Dr2 really like this as it certainly “showcases” each of their talents both individually as the Allies, as well as when they perform with their groups. What better way is there to hear what someone is made of than when you strip away the flash and let the music do the talking? An awesome beginning to the day, The Allies Rocked! Check them out @www.myspace.com/thealliesacoustic.
Radiocraft
After a short load in, Radiocraft was set to take the stage, but not before a brief Public Announcement warning whoever parked their cars “over there” needs to move them now before they get towed. As we expected, no one moved except for Suzie as Radiocraft kicked into high gear! Having seen these guys a number of times, it was awesome to finally hear some of the newer stuff that will be on their new disc that is scheduled to drop in November. Running through a few of the new ones, Radiocraft confirmed that they do indeed deserve to be on this stage today. With a rousing rendition of a song that had no name- “today we’ll call it, tow my car” (which by the way has nothing to do with the song) , Dr2 was blown away by this new “No Name” song and are extremely anxious for this new release! Stay tuned to Dr2’s CD Release schedule for the exact date as it comes available. You can find Radiocraft on the web @ www.radiocraftmusic.com .
Boom Boom Room
A quick walk around the fest revealed that they had just about anything one could want when it came to food! Hot sun, delicious food, ice cold beer, and lot’s of people watching! They had stages set up at the end of every street, which was a cool way to get all the people through the vendor areas. Bad part about it was that there were so many people that getting from stage to stage took a bit of agility! And where the hell where all the Porta Johns? Every time you had to go, you had to go a distance! Oh well, if it wasn’t for this, we wouldn’t have found the Boom Boom Room! What a riot Dr2 & Crew had in between all the sets, with the place decorated with a retro style that put you in that “Jetsons” style era. Located at the corner of Pike & Saginaw, it was a great place to cool off and grab some “less expensive” munchies.
Frequency 54
Grabbing a few of the $2.00 beers to go from the Boom Boom Room, we slide back down Pike Street to the Stage, were Frequency 54, an awesome band from the Flint area, was just getting underway. Not quite sure what happened next but like five minutes into their set, the PA just cut out! Now Dr2 is always one who likes to see how bands react to adversity, but this one was totally unfair! Frequency 54 had no choice but to stand there and wait for the sound crew to get them up & running as quickly as possible. After about a 10 min delay, the power came back up (tripped circuit they tell us……) and Frequency 54 was able to continue their set. These guys always put on a great show and today were no different. Their latest CD “beginnings”, their third, was just released this past June, and the boys from Flint played plenty of the new stuff, including their remake of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” & everybody’s favorite “The Waltz”. Keep an eye on these guys @frequency54.com and check them out next time they are in your town.
Soul Circus
How do you throw an afternoon party? Invite Soul Circus to your stage! These guys will get you up on your feet and rock your socks off! Probably one of the most improved bands out there today, Soul Circus continues to impress Dr2 with their ability to pull off mixing in a cover as if it were their own! With Kevin Kanka’s knee healing up, the band comes together as the guys really played off each other, giving everyone a heck of a show. At one point in the show, their Lead Guitarist Tommy Furbacher went “wireless” as he roamed the street in front of the stage & finishing up on the Merch Table next to the sound booth! From the riveting Soul Circus tunes of “Dirty Little Habitz”, “Flesh and Bone”, and their take of Aretha’s “Chain Of Fools”, to actually cranking out Michael Jackson’s “Beat It”, Soul Circus actually pulled it off as they nailed it! Another fun party set from one of Detroit’s Ultimate party bands! Check them out @ www.soulcircus.us , they play everywhere around town, go see them!
Clear
So Clear is a Band from Detroit that we had not seen before this afternoon, even though they have been around for 8 years. Well it was worth the wait. Clear throws down on stage and never lets up as Mike Hughes (vox), Derek Cooke (guitar), Jason Lollio (bass), and Rick Downey (drums) come crashing down on you. With some heavy hitting melodies like “The Machine”, “The Replaced” and “Fragile Divine” Clear has a very distinct rock sound. Hughes with his huge vocals, comes across crisp and “Clear” over top of this thunderous rhythm section. We had a chance to talk with them for a while after the set at that hot spot called The Boom Boom Room. Dr2 really dug this band and will certainly be checking in with them from time to time. You should too! Check them out @cleardetroit.net
Stay tuned for “Part 2” where we’ll be covering the 2nd half of the 10th Annual Arts, Beats, And Eats Fest with The Unheard, Ugly, The Matt Austin Band, The Brian Schram Band and more raucous happenings from the Boom Boom Room and more!