After giving ourselves a few days to recuperate (and let our sunburns heal), Team ENS is ready to share our experiences at Forecastle Festival. This year marked the three-day music festival’s first time at Louisville’s Waterfront Park, an appropriate venue for the thousands who came for the amazing lineup, which included The Smashing Pumpkins, The Flaming Lips Cake, Devo, She & Him and Cap’n Jazz.
It was a long weekend, so the review is split into three parts:

Part I: Saturday
Part II: Sunday
Part III: Final Thoughts + Camping at Forecastle
Part I: *Saturday

*Note: I had every intention of seeing bands on Friday, but due to unfortunate circumstances, instead of watching people hula hoop to Widespread Panic, I ended up playing pool at a bar in downtown Louisville.
The 90-degree humidity made my whole group pretty sluggish, so I didn’t make it to Waterfront Park until late afternoon, just in time for Cake. The band was on my list of shows to check out that day, but after catching crowd favorites “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” and “Going The Distance” – both of which sounded awesome, by the way – I decided to explore the rest of the festival and hide under the forgiving shade of the Red Bull tent.

I returned to the main stage to watch the end of Cake’s set, but stuck around for DEVO. Despite my love for Mark Mothersbaugh as a film score composer, I fail to own any DEVO albums – I know, blasphemy – so admittedly, I was there for the experience. In typical DEVO fashion, the new wave icons performed the first few songs in silver space suits and masks.

Oh, fun fact: lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh is legally blind without his glasses, which explained why one of the space men wore glasses over his mask. The band played some songs off their new album Something For Everybody, but the crowd really went crazy once the band donned pyramid hats to play “Whip It.”

I was pretty satisfied after that so I grabbed some food and then headed to the East Stage for we were promised jetpacks. I didn’t know much about the band other than Bad Veins recently toured with the Scottish four-piece, and WOXY (R.I.P.) played them fairly often.

I realized pretty soon into their set that this entire time, I might have been confusing them with fellow Scots Frightened Rabbit. Still, it was a decent set despite technical issues and a plague of mayflies that constantly swarmed the stage.
Now, I’ll probably lose whatever readers I’ve amassed at this point because of this one statement: I didn’t see the Smashing Pumpkins. Though 98% of Forecastle was at the main stage on Saturday night, I found myself amongst a handful of others at the East Stage to see Cap’n Jazz. It was the band’s first real performance in 15 years, and the first date of their reunion tour in support of the re-release of Analphabetapolothology.

“We’re just going to play every song we know how to play,” singer Tim Kinsella told the unwavering audience of 200 before launching into the first song of their hour and a half long set. Despite the small crowd, Kinsella screamed and flailed through songs like “Little League”, “Messy Life” and their cover of “Take On Me” with all the force of an arena band, in the company of fans who knew every word to every song and couldn’t care less that Billy Corgan was one stage over.

The intimate concert was the best possible end to the second day of the festival, and one that I’m totally grateful I didn’t miss.

Part II: SUNDAY

Our final day of Forecastle started early (and by early, I mean 1:30 PM) to catch Cincinnati’s own Pop Empire. The band unveiled a set of all new songs to the small but receptive audience. Personally, I thought the new songs sounded great, but I would have liked to hear at least one or two songs off the Rainy Child EP. We didn’t have to stray far since Vandaveer immediately followed. Louisville native Mark Heidinger was joined by his sister Rose, who lent her gorgeous voice to the beautiful, understated folk tunes.

Afterward, the three of us headed to the main stage for Sarah Watkins of Nickel Creek. I hadn’t heard much Nickel Creek, but Keith and Joe encouraged me to check out the show. Watkins immediately won me over with her adorable charm and killer fiddle skills, not to mention her cover of Morrisey’s “The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get.” Later, she brought tour mate Dar Williams onstage to sing a few tunes.

The sun continued to slow cook my friends and I as we sprawled on the lawn during Minus the Bear’s set. It had been over four years since I last saw MTB in Louisville with Thursday and mewithoutYou. The band had evolved significantly since then; their music still held that summery, prog-pop sound I fell in love with on Highly Refined Pirates, but the set didn’t blend into one never-ending song.

The Minus The Bear set kicked off my campout at the West Stage, for the sole purpose of getting up front for the Flaming Lips show. Of course, there were two other bands to watch until then, so I inched my way forward in the crowd for She & Him. Don’t get me wrong, sitting through She & Him and Spoon wasn’t torture. But in all honesty, She & Him’s show was almost as boring as their albums. I felt like half the audience was there to watch M. Ward smolder on guitar, or to drool over Zooey – as exhibited by the guy next to me who kept saying creepy things like “No, I saw your face today.” The duo played an encore of covers; M. Ward got a chance to shred on “Roll Over Beethoven”, while Zooey Deschanel sang a steamy cover of “I Put A Spell on You.”

Spoon followed soon after, opening with “The Beast and Dragon, Adored.” The set from then on out was a solid mix of songs off the older albums and their newest release, Transference. Some songs got a welcome revamp (“Stay Don’t Go”, “Written In Reverse”, Jonathon Fisk) with lots of reverb and horns, while some songs like “The Underdog” kept the energy of their album versions. The band also played a killer cover of The Damned’s “Love Song” (you can hear the recorded version here).

By the time Spoon left the stage, the whole audience seemed anxious. It was nearly 11 PM by the time The Flaming Lips hit the stage, but in all honesty, as soon as that LCD screen was fired up, I forgot all about how exhausted I was. Lead singer Wayne Coyne entered in typical fashion, walking across the audience inside a giant plastic bubble.

It’s a weird thing, trying to describe a Flaming Lips show to someone who has never seen them perform, because the whole experience is just so weird and beautiful that, unless there’s photographic proof, it’s easy to sound like a crazy person on some kind of trip. What starts off as a normal review (Everyone was dancing during “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song”, the songs off Embryonic sound way better live, Wayne Coyne got kind of political) can easily turn into a crazy stream-of-consciousness ramble about Wayne Coyne riding on the shoulders of a bear and having giant hands and bonking people on the head with huge balloons and there were dancers dressed like DJ Lance Rock from Yo Gabba Gabba! And oh man, the confetti cannons! And the lights were crazy! And then suddenly, someone’s calling a mental health hotline on your behalf.

So maybe it’s just easier to wrap up the review with this: As expected, the Flaming Lips show blew my mind, and once again proved the Flaming Lips put on The Best Show Ever. Check out the photos to prove it.

-Caitlin Behle @cutelin

If you have ever been to a multi-day music festival, you know that the day after a long day of heat can be pretty tough to keep going. I think that is the way we felt when the day started, but the lineup for the final day of this years festival was more than enough to keep me excited about the day.

The heat was back in a big way, but it didn’t keep us from hitting up some local music to start our day from Pop Empire. The Cincinnati duo started the day right with a set of seven brand new songs, and each one got me more and more excited for their next recording. After their set I didn’t need to budge because the good folks that make up Vandaveer was up next. Mark was joined as usual by his lovely sister Rose and was also flanked by Robbie from These United States on percussion. They had a good deal of family in the crowd and kept the afternoon heat away with their crisp, cool set.

After taking in part of Sara Watkins set over on the main stage, I needed some shade and H2O and thankfully found it to recharge a bit. I heard the crowd gathering not long afterwards for Minus the Bear and made sure to get over there for a good spot. It was worth the hustle too, as Minus The Bear sounded as tight as ever while performing alot of new material from their excellent new album Omni.

No more time to relax at this point in the day, as the rest of the evening was jam packed with headliner material. She & Him were up next for me, and as a huge M. Ward fan, this was a set I wasn’t missing no matter what. Both She & Him albums are fairly boring but who passes up a chance to see Zooey croon while Matt plays his guitar unlike most can. Surprisingly, a couple M. Ward songs made their way into the She & Him set as well, including “Rave On” and “Magic Trick.” The well attended set was the only one in which I actually saw the band come out for an encore all weekend as well, and it was an encore worth it’s wait because an M. Ward led cover of “Roll Over Beethoven” started it while Zooey brought it home with a great version of Screaming Jay Hawkins “I Put A Spell On You” which was every bit was enticing as Nina Simone’s version of the classic.

Once again I stayed put, this time to wait for Spoon, who I knew would be in fine form for the Louisville crowd. And in fine form they were, opening with “The Beast, The Dragon Adored” and playing a set that was in my opinion, the best from front to back of the entire festival. No offense to the Smashing Pumpkins and Flaming Lips, who did an amazing job themselves, but Spoon’s set the king of the weekend for this reviewer.

After only catching part of a raucous Ted Leo & The Pharmacists set because I was glued to what Spoon was dishing out, it was time to hit the main one last time for The Flaming Lips.

What more can you say about The Flaming Lips. Well, this is the fourth time I’ve seen them and no matter how similar their festival show is, it’s always beyond spectacular. I think our photographer Keith Klenowski not only captured their set in a perfect way, but the whole festival, so I encourage you to go through his photoset below. It will give you a good view of what this years Forecastle Festival looked like, and we hope it gives you cause to be in attendance next year down in Louisville when the midwest connects again. Ahoy!

The Forecastle Festival is where the midwest connects. In the ten years the festival has been going on, one of my favorite things about the event is the fact that bands from the midwest are always represented. So this year, when the likes of The Flaming Lips, Smashing Pumpkins and Spoon were announced as headliners, I wondered if our boys from Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Louisville would still be represented.

Of course they all were, and they were the perfect compliments to the big boys throughout the weekend. When we arrived on Saturday, the first thing that really turned my head was the new venue. Forecastle is now on Waterfront Park, taking 70 plus acres over for the entire weekend. The park is right on the mighty Ohio river and the backdrop and logistics of the entire place are perfect for an outdoor festival.

[singlepic id=70 w=320 h=240 float=left]
So what a great way to start my day with the nostalgia of Modern English on the main stage under the burning sun. We all got sunburned waiting to hear “Melt” and hear it we did. The dudes from Modern English might be past their prime, but seemed to be having a blast regardless. I hit up the East stage next and got a nice dose of home cooking from The Tillers. The Cincinnati trio sounded as fresh as the occasional breeze that drifted in from the Ohio and when it was all said and done, might have been the best thing I heard all day long.

The rest of the afternoon was good but nothing was really helping me overcome the rising temperatures. Of course, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals looked the part, but had a sub-par set in my opinion, possibly due to the heat as well. Walking around more I saw energy domes everywhere on [singlepic id=42 w=320 h=240 float=right]peoples heads, a sure sign that DEVO was near and ready to save the day. And they pretty much did just that. Their set was as high energy as bands half their age and complete with four costume changes to boot. The new stuff is not what anyone came for and the band knows that, mixing in the big hits and satisfying festival goers from 18-55.

When the sun finally gave us some relief in the evening, I made a bee line towards the east stage again to see Cloud Cult followed by We Were Promised Jetpacks. Even though I have seen both bands a few times, both are a real treat live and I was interested in Cloud Cults new material. Sadly, both sets were not up to par for different reasons. Cloud Cult had the most frustrating time, dealing with tech issues that could have amounted to a poor representative behind the boards. While WWPJ’s issues were with their pedals and the suddenly attacking mayflies around the stage. I fear that neither band was happy with the end result but both were good natured and I know I enjoyed their sets regardless.

Of course, all of this was to set up the night featured headliner, Smashing Pumpkins. Talk to anyone that is a fan of the band or a casual observer and you are likely to get some snark in [singlepic id=3 w=320 h=240 float=left]return. After all, Billy Corgan has not exactly been the nicest guy to front a rock band in the past 20 years. He has run off band-mates and fans alike but the Pumpkins are still alive and kicking, even if I did hear some fans refer to the latest iteration of the band as “The Billy Corgan Experience.” So imagine my surprise when the Pumpkins not only opened their set with “Today” but sounded really amazing in the process. The new material is pretty forgettable, but the hits are still the hits, and for this night at least, Corgan had Louisville eating out of the palm of his hand.

[cincopa 10671305]

all photos by Keith Klenowski

(all images by Keith Klenowski)

Smashing Pumpkins headlined the second night of the Forecastle Festival tonight, and really had the crowd in the palms of their hands. We have some words and pics from the whole day to share soon, but wanted to give you an instant reaction and a couple photos right away.

Forecastle Festival starts tonight, and Team ENS is getting pretty psyched. Fearless Leader Joe, Keith and I will be down there all three days to tweet, take photos and sweat through at least 6 t-shirts a piece. Blazing heat aside, I’m looking forward to my first trip to Forecastle for what promises to be an amazing lineup. I mean, seriously – Flaming Lips? Devo? Spoon? Cake? It’s an endless list of awesome, and ENS will be there for all of it. Here’s a preview of some of the bands I’m anticipating at 2010’s Forecastle Festival.

Day 1: Friday, June 9

Dead Confederate
After driving a couple hours after 8 hours at work and then setting up a tent, I can’t think of a better way to start off the night than with Dead Confederate. The psychedelic rock band from Athens, Georgia will be touring with Deer Tick later this summer.
8:40pm – 9:20pm at East Stage

Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s
Indianapolis’ Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s have been a favorite of mine since 2006’s Dust of Retreat. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the 8-piece indie collective, so it will be a welcome start to the festival.
9:40pm – 10:20pm at East Stage

Widespread Panic
I’m not a huge fan of jam bands but come on, what’s a summer music festival without a jam band? It’s a Friday night – what better way to unwind before the chaos that will ensue on Saturday?
9:45pm – 12:15am at West Stage

DAY 2: Saturday, June 10

Booty Sweat
I don’t know anything about this Lexington DJ, but who cares? They’re called Booty Sweat, and they have a song on their Myspace called “Pussy Hound.” Win.
2:40 – 3:30 on Ocean Stage

Wax Fang
Add this to the list of “leap of blog buzz faith” bands I’ll be checking out. I haven’t heard anything by Lexington psych group Wax Fang but what kind of music blogger would I be if I didn’t check out bands based solely on hype?
3:50 – 4:20 on East Stage

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
Grace Potter is the newest addition to the indie’s retro rock resurgence, and she seems to be fitting in pretty well. Potter holds her own as a soulful blues rock, taking notes from singers like Tina Turner and Stevie Nicks.
4:15pm – 5:15pm at West State

—Follow the ENS crew on twitter during Forecastle @eachnotesecure & @cutelin


Cake
It’s been six years since the release of Pressure Chief, so Cake has been kind of off my radar, but I was pleasantly surprised to see them on Forecastle’s lineup. The band has been busy touring this summer, and recently finished their new album, which will be released later this year on their label, Upbeat Records.
Saturday @ 5:40 – 7:00 on West Stage

DEVO
Do I have to explain why I want to see DEVO? I mean, it’s DEVO. The band recently released a new album, Something For Everybody so…I guess there’s that. Fun fact: every Thursday Jerry answers questions from fans who call in from the website.
7:30pm – 8:45pm at West Stage

Cap‘n Jazz
Why does Cap ‘n Jazz have to play at the same time as Smashing Pumpkins?! After much debating, I’m going with Cap ‘n Jazz. I feel guilty because Smashing Pumpkins is like, one of the biggest rock bands ever, but come on. The short-lived but highly influential emo band is reuniting for a minute to celebrate the rerelease of the epic 34-track anthology, Analphabetapolothology on vinyl. They released just one full-length album before its members went their separate ways to form a handful of bands – most notably, Make Believe, The Promise Ring, American Football, Owls, Ghosts and Vodka, Joan of Arc and Owen.
10:30pm – 12:00am at East Stage

Day 3: Sunday, June 11

Minus the Bear
Looks like I’m camping out at the West Stage all Sunday, starting with a set from Minus the Bear. I haven’t followed MTB’s last couple of albums too closely, but the prog pop group provided my summer soundtrack before I went to college. Every time I hear Highly Refined Pirates I can’t help but feel the warm fuzzies of nostalgia.

5:30pm – 6:30pm at West Stage

She & Him
Like many before me, I have succumbed to the power of Zooey Deschanel’s cuteness. Yeah, Volume I put me to sleep and Volume II got maybe two listens from me, max. Still, how can I complain when Zooey’s onstage being her cute, quirky self and M. Ward is being…well, the man? It’s fluff, but it’s fluff in cute packaging and I’m alright with that.
7:00 – 8:15 at West Stage

Spoon
Spoon is pretty busy these days. Between touring in support of their latest album Transference (including a stop at Madison Theater in Covington!), they performed on Jimmy Kimmel and Letterman. They’re also playing a handful of gigs with some band named Arcade Fire, and making stops at Austin City Limits and Matador’s 21st birthday party in Las Vegas.
8:45 – 10:00 at West Stage

The Flaming Lips
Ask anyone about a Flaming Lips show and the response will usually involve a combination of the following phrases: “Wayne Coyne in a bubble”, “confetti cannons”, “dancing aliens” and/or “I don’t know man, I was really high.” The Flaming Lips put on one of the most elaborate, spacey concerts of any band I’ve ever seen, and though I’ve seen them twice already, I’ll probably be camped out on Sunday at the front of the stage so Wayne Coyne can walk over me in a giant hamster ball.
10:30 – 12:00 at West Stage

-Caitlin Behle

In addition, check out this great feature our friends at Cincinnati.com did about the Cincy bands playing Forecastle.

We have been a supporter of the Forecastle Festival for years now, and each time a new lineup is announced, the organizers seem to ramp up its appeal. This year might be the best when it comes to bands, as evidenced by headliners like Spoon, The Flaming Lips, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Drive-By Truckers and She & Him.

Well, the festival recently announced a huge number of new artists to their already impressive lineup and there are Cincinnati bands on the bill as well. Since Forecastle has always been a festival where The Midwest Connects and is in Louisville, Kentucky, it should be the summer festival of choice for Cincinnatians. Here are the Cincinnati area bands currently on the Forecastle schedule.

All The Day Holiday
The Tillers
Foxy Shazam
Pop Empire
500 Miles To Memphis

Not bad eh? I think it’s brilliant that new local bands like Pop Empire will be able to say they played a festival with The Flaming Lips, for example. Should be a great year for Louisville and the Forecastle Festival, to check out the entire lineup, go here. The festival is July 9-11 and you can grab tickets now right here.