{"id":3079,"date":"2012-09-21T05:18:33","date_gmt":"2012-09-21T09:18:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=3079"},"modified":"2012-09-21T05:18:33","modified_gmt":"2012-09-21T09:18:33","slug":"fantasy-festival-yep-roc-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2012\/09\/21\/fantasy-festival-yep-roc-15\/","title":{"rendered":"Fantasy Festival: Yep Roc 15"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"I’m not a fan of professional team spectator sports; that kind of thing has never held any fascination for me. But I sort of understand why others like it, I guess. I also (thank goodness) don’t work in a cube-farm office \u2013 got that out of my system back in the mid 90s \u2013 so I don’t have to endure endless water cooler chatter about who won the big game last night. My coworkers of that era quickly figured out that I was clueless when it came to sports: then as now I don’t know if the Cardinals (to pick a random example) are a baseball or football team. And I think I heard that the Rams don’t even play in Los Angeles any more.<\/p>\n

But I do remember a game-of-sorts that my sports-loving coworkers used to really get into. It was something called \u201cfantasy football.\u201d It isn’t, I don’t think, anything like \u201cband camps\u201d in which you play a vast sum of money to hang out with rock stars slightly past their sell-by date; no, I think it has to do with picking a bunch of your favorite players and somehow pitting them against your friend\u2019s list of players. Maybe I’m wrong.<\/p>\n

But if that is<\/em> what it is, then it’s slightly similar to a little imagination exercise I occasionally engage in: a fantasy festival<\/em>. If I were a rock impresario with unlimited (or at least substantial) resources, and I wanted to put together a festival with a list of great acts, who might make the list?<\/p>\n

As it happens, someone else has done this for me. And as luck would have it, that \u201csomeone\u201d is the staff of Yep Roc Records, based in the Raleigh\/Durham\/Chapel Hill region of North Carolina. I live a mere four hours’ drive from the Triangle, and I’ll be attending the festival, designed to celebrate the label’s 15th<\/sup> anniversary. It’s called Yep Roc 15, and the lineup \u2013 all acts signed to Yep Roc \u2013 is stellar. I’ll be reporting on it a number of times both before and after the three-day festival (October 11-13), and if my smartphone battery holds up, I might do a bit of liveblogging straight from Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, home to the three-night extravaganza.<\/p>\n

For a full rundown of the acts who’ll take the stage, visit www.yr15.com<\/a>. But here’s a survey of some (not all) of the acts I am most excited about seeing, hearing, and in some cases, meeting:<\/p>\n

As co-leader (with brother Phil) of The Blasters<\/strong><\/a>, Dave Alvin<\/strong> was a pioneer in what we now call roots-rock. I saw The Blasters way back in 1981, in my fake ID era; that was the only way to get into Atlanta’s Agora Ballroom if you were under age. Alvin’s Romeo’s Escape<\/em> LP (known outside the USA as Every Night About This Time<\/em>) featured the amazing, heart-rending \u201cFourth of July,\u201d a song he’d re-record (in an arguably inferior version) when he subsequently joined X<\/strong>. I saw Alvin onstage last year, and while he leans a bit more toward country than he did in his Blasters days, his story-songs and colorful personality make him a must-see.<\/p>\n

There’s so much I could say about Nick Lowe<\/strong>. From his work with Kippington Lodge<\/strong> to Brinsley Schwarz<\/strong> to (most notably) Rockpile<\/strong> and his solo records, he’s consistently turned out some of the finest songs in any genre. While he made his name to some degree as a house producer at Stiff Records in the 70s, his biggest claims to fame are the classics \u201cCruel to Be Kind\u201d and a song that’s become a standard, \u201c(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding.\u201d The success of the latter set Lowe up so as not to have any financial worries. Like Alvin, Lowe has moved in a singer-songwriter direction; his current tour brings him to my hometown (Asheville) the night before Yep Roc 15, and in fact my interview with him will run in the local altweekly Mountain Xpress<\/em> that week (it’ll be on this blog two weeks after that).<\/p>\n

Robyn Hitchcock<\/strong> is in many ways the successor to Pink Floyd<\/strong>‘s Syd Barrett<\/strong>. But he’s much more than that. A prolific artist who has recorded with his groups (The Soft Boys<\/strong> and The Egyptians<\/strong>) as well as solo, the Cambridge-based Hitchcock can always be counted on for droll lyrics fused to winning melodies. I interviewed him many years ago<\/a> in connection with a reissue of his albums. This will be my first time seeing him onstage.<\/p>\n

Los Straitjackets<\/strong> are, quite simply, the world’s greatest instrumental surf guitar band. With their high-concept look and flawless choreography, they’re among the most distinctive bands you’ll ever hope to see. I’ve seen them twice and interviewed them twice (in 2007<\/a> and 2011<\/a>). The current live dates are a special treat: guitarist Danny \u201cDaddy-O Grande\u201d Amis<\/strong> returns to the lineup after wrestling cancer to the ground.<\/p>\n

Fountains of Wayne<\/strong> rank among the finest exponents of intelligent powerpop; every one of their albums is filled with wry observations on life, and more hooks than seems fair. I first saw FoW onstage at Bonnaroo 2007<\/a>, and covered the release of a live concert DVD<\/a> as well as a break-out solo album by their lead guitarist Jody Porter<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Liam Finn<\/strong> comes by his talent at least in part thanks to genetics. His dad is Neil Finn<\/strong> of Crowded House<\/strong><\/a>, and Tim Finn<\/strong> (Split Enz<\/strong>, Crowded House) is his uncle. Liam tours sometimes as a member of Crowded House as well, but his own music offers a more modern take on the classic sounds of his dad’s band. I’ve seen him both as a Crowdie and as a solo opener; in the latter situation he made intelligent use of looping to create rocking songs out of nearly nothing but his voice and guitar.<\/p>\n

The Sadies<\/strong> are an astounding band; their 2007 New Seasons<\/em> album just might be the finest synthesis of rock, country and Americana since early Flying Burrito Brothers<\/strong>. But that’s not all they can do: though their vocal harmonies are a thing of beauty, their soundtrack to the documentary about Ed \u201cBig Daddy\u201d Roth<\/strong> (Tales of the Rat Fink<\/em>) is an instro-surf extravaganza of the first order.<\/p>\n

And that’s just some<\/em> of the acts on the bill. Also scheduled to appear: John Doe<\/strong> (formerly of X), Chuck Prophet<\/strong>, Minus 5<\/strong>, Sloan<\/strong>, Chatham County Line<\/strong> and host\/emcee John Wesley Harding<\/strong>. And several more. And<\/em> the organizers promise more names are yet to be added.<\/p>\n

I’m telling ya: Yep Roc 15 is my fantasy festival. I can’t wait; I’m already working on lining up some interviews. Stay tuned.<\/p>\n

Tickets have long been on sale, and both discounted-advance and VIP tix are long gone. But individual day passes remain, at least at the time of this writing. Go get yours now<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\nwhen new features, reviews and essays are published.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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