Camp Bisco Day 2
Even with the sun drying the mud covered terrain, every step was met with the threat of becoming very close with the water-infested soil. Sloshing about, we made our way to the Hill Stage and stumbled upon Mike La Sage and the Stumbling Troubadours. Having never heard of Americana music, I was intrigued. The intertwining of fifties rock chord progressions with a folksy twangy sound gave their music a deceptively playful sound, which was counter intuitive to the depth of their lyrics. Now when I say, “depth”, I am referring to subjects they cover, not the delivery. One song discussed what would happen if Jesus saw the remains of New Orleans after the Katrina Disaster and yet another spoke of the celebration that occurred when Obama assumed the Presidency. The sugar-coated lyrics are littered with politically and ideologically charged lyrics that play against the Stumbling Troubadours’ sound.








Walking away from the Stumbling Troubadorrus, James, Ben and I made for the Main stage towards Dr. Dog. Watching the band set up, I realized one of the guitarists looked exactly like Austin Powers (Mike Myers). However, once the band started playing, my planned allusions to movies faded. It took me from alluding to a goofy sixties secret agent to another sixties cultural figure, Pink Floyd. Their sound reminded me of a jazzier version of David Gilmour’s most recent solo album, On an Island, with a touch of influences from Grizzly Bear. I feel as if this music has the ability to cross eras and could be enjoyed by anyone. At the same time, a local band, Dirty Paris, was playing at the tent stage. Dirty Paris floored me with a myriad of influences; think of a Mars Volta’s influence but producing a different sound. The guitar solos reminisce of a psychedelic Santana and show cased their talent with a tight sweep scale.

On the Hill Stage, Otherwise was playing. I particularly did not enjoy the set. Maybe the rock- influenced reggae fusion has been done before, but they had a rapper. I can’t sit here and say they sounded completely terrible, in fact they weren’t bad, but I believe Otherwise has delved into a sound that needs more creative inspiration to gain attention.








Continuing on our great trek, we sauntered down to the main stage, and I noticed the clouds darkening. Younger Brother Live started their set as the rain began to fall; the opening song seems to be a prayer to the rain. As the rain slightly drizzles, James leans over and says, “The singer sounds like the guy from the Music.” I thought of a more rock based Ott; however creative ears never hear the same. Younger Brother Live performed an awesome and very personal set. Keeping with the shift of themes, we moved next to see Bonobo Live.











Sitting six feet away from the Hill stage, the usually annoying pounding I take from the speakers was absent. I was comforted by the new-age jazz fusion and the sultry sound of the singer’s voice. Bonobo’s mix of jazz-style drumming, funk bass lines, and New Orleans influenced obo rocked the hill and I as if we were watching the show from an old New Orleans jazz club instead of our hillside field.

I immediately smiled as K’naan began his set. He started a little late but gave us an explanation, “I don’t want to do a set on you, but for you.” The materialistic world, which has ensnared today’s mainstream hip-hop is completely absent in his lyrics. K’naan replaces the materialism with a message about life, hope, and the reality of living in Somalia. His heavy lyrics burdened the crowd with emotion when he went a capella, “Somalia, I cried today/ you were faced down, the dragged you away/ When I told the world not one bat an eye/ they said if you know how to kill, you must learn to die.” The girl next to me, Angelyn Friend, coined best K’naan’s future,” The next Matisyahu…except he’s from Somalia.” I hope hip-hop follows K’naan’s example and rids itself from instantaneous pleasures for a deeper meaning.











I usually try to write about shows in chronological order; however, I believe Khronos will forgive my disobedience to protect the inspiring message sent with Nas and Damian’s show. As expected, the show was incredible; my notes are blurred because my pinky went numb for the duration of the show. I have no idea if my digits and the energy Nas and Damian brought with “One Mike” and “Welcome to Jamrock” are connected, but I like to think so. However amazing the show was, it is not the best aspect of this concert.
Nas and Damian finish the set and walk off stage to a colossal demand for an encore. The mere formality of exiting the stage before the encore was executed as one of their people came out and proclaimed everyone to be “distant family”. The message of family and brotherhood was strengthened when K’naan came out to do a verse for the encore. As the three bowed, I realized that this was a message to hip-hop. With allowing K’naan in on the encore and the final bow, Nas and Damian told the world that K’naan is the future of meaningful hip hop.

















Later that night, Pretty Lights played at the Tent stage. Walking about, I realized the bigger the acts, the heavier the drugs get. My thought was rationalized when I asked a man for a quote about Pretty Lights, he said, “You ever watch pig races? Yeah, pig races.” I left him to his spun reality. Pretty Lights did draw on an impressive variety of influences, such as, bass lines resembling Earth, Wind, and Fire and reggae riffs. Pretty Lights, to me, was more about the experience than the show. I walked about the crowd focusing on the light show. I watched as blue swirling eyes mingled together like a kaleidoscope. It was then I may have heard the most thoughtless phrase of the night, “I just saw some pretty lights.”








As Pretty Lights exited, I realized that Two Fresh was about to play. I have been waiting to write about them since I went to a house party they played at in Knoxville. I ended up hobbling over their drum set when the cops showed up. However, their set at Camp Bisco was entirely different from the house party. In Knoxville, they mixed a lot of N.E.R.D., Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg, while at Bisco they broke down the music to the bare essentials to keep a classier sound. But keeping to a tight schedule, Two Fresh only played an extremely short set; they do deserve more time to play. Hopefully the next time I see them they will.

It’s rare when a strictly instrumental band can hold my attention like STS9 has. It is not as if I am caught up in a barrage of odd tweaks and twacks but rather, I am listening to a beautiful mass of music. The drummer dominated the set and left me searching for a suitable description. I feel unprepared not being able to tell you any of the songs STS9 played, but what I can give you is the experience, after all, that is why you are reading this. I had a hard time finding a description for STS9 that catches the diversity and intricacies of their influences. I looked to the top tent to see green orbs of light like the sun in, Superman #155 “Superman Under the Green Sun”. As I came back to Earth, the music instilled an image of a little Kryptonian flying through the cosmos to Earth; I was then satisfied for the night and returned to the camp site.

 




 

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