Last year I went to the Siren Music Festival at Coney Island and didn't have such a great time. By the end of the day, I was pretty unsure that I wanted to attend again, regardless of the quality of the lineup. With this year's fest today, as of 10:30 AM this morning, I still wasn't sure if I was going to go. The memories of last year -- the heat, the discomfort, the horrible sound -- coupled with the weather report (thunderstorms, anyone?), plus the fact that I actually was only familiar with a few of the bands, and finally the realization that I was probably going to have to go alone since both of my friends who were going to go with me flaked (or something ... hey, it's my story!) ... well, it all had me leaning against.
I knew that if I was going to go, I wanted to make it there by 2 PM to see Ambulance Ltd., a band I've enjoyed for a while and who I was supposed to see live back in March (I think) but at the last minute found myself unable to go because of Tribeca Film Festival schedule planning. And somehow, even though I had spent hours on my feet watching Broken Social Scene and Dinosaur Jr. on Thursday, and I didn't get home until after 2 AM last night because of watching The King of France and Robbers on High Street last night, I actually did manage to get my ass into gear, hop on the 1 to the D, and get o Coney Island just before 2 PM.
So was it worth it? Well, my face is as red as the inside of a super-ripe watermelon thanks to my sunburn (nice thunderstorms you weather.com bastards), and it certainly was hot and sticky just like last year. And again, like last year, it suddenly became really overcast around 5:30 or 6, with a nice cool breeze that actually made the rest of the evening very comfortable. (In fact, this was a thick fog that looked more like something I was used to growing up in San Francisco.)
But yeah, for me Siren was definitely worth it if for only one reason. Morningwood. I love Morningwood! (Hmm ... that sounds different than intended, but whatever.) This band ... I hadn't even heard of them until they joined the Siren lineup, and I only listened to any of their music this morning. But what the hell have I been missing? They were absolutely the highlight of the entire day for me, and I think it was a pretty good day with no big disappointments or anything. They're like Hole witch less whine, more growl, more punk and somehow less schtick (even though they've got some). Singer Chantal Claret has amazing stage presence, not just singing the songs but performing them. She engages the crowd between every song and isn't satisfied until she's succeeded, even if that means not starting the song until everyone's clapping (like during "New York Girls"). This band seriously blew me away, and if it wasn't for the fact that their self-titled EP is apparently sold out and their full length self-titled debut doesn't come out until August 30, I would have ordered/downloaded/whatever their stuff as soon as I got home. As it is, I can't wait to see them perform in New York again, in a smaller venue with the energy really popping! (In the meantime, you can hear three of their songs on their myspace page.)
The other thing that was great about Siren this year was I found the sound to be tremendously improved on both stages.
I read a comment already that someone thought the sound on the main stage wasn't too good, but I totally disagree. I thought every band today really sounded great, and kudos to the Siren staff for a dramatic improvement over last year. Outdoor shows are always hard to do (and being next to a creaky old wooden rollercoaster doesn't help), but they managed it this year. I even called a friend during Spoon, and he told me that through my cell phone the damn thing sounded great.
The one thing I didn't do this year is try to rush too much back-and-forth between the stages. That meant that I deliberately missed The Dears (I know a lot of people like them, but what I've heard kind of bores me), and because I got so caught up with Morningwood and temporarily forgot the schedule, I accidentally missed Q and Not U. I also didn't get to VHS or Beta or Saul Williams, and I only saw the last song-and-a-half of Mates of State, but that was kind of enough. They were fine: didn't love them, didn't dislike them either.
After Ambulance, I headed over to the Stillwell Stage to try to see Be Your Own Pet, but did they not show or something? I got there by what should have been the middle of their set (about 2:50 PM), and people were walking away and there was no band onstage. I guess I could have rushed back over to catch The Dears, but instead I went to Nathan's for some food. Then I stuck around for Morningwood (have I mentioned that they rock!) and then Diamond Nights, who are a lot of fun in a less-kitschy The Dakrness sort of way, but I found their sest a bit uneven. I left at 5 to head back to the Main Stage in order to check-out Dungen who a lot of people seem to be talking about. I figured I'd just miss a song or two, but that wasn't a problem because they started over 20 minutes late. I wasn't too thrilled with them, but I think it's just because of the venue. Their kind of music is something I think I'd prefer to be listening to in a mix with some Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull while kicking back in a lounge with some lava lamps and ... well you get the idea. I found myself spending more time talking to a few friends who were there rather than paying attention to the band. I guess that's not a great sign. About this time, I was also starting to hit my low point, starting to feel the sunburn and my aching feet.
I stayed at the Main Stage the rest of the day, through Brendan Benson's perfectly good set and then most of Spoon. I love Spoon, and their show at Webster Hall about a month ago was fantastic. They played great today too, but by 8:45, I was pretty wiped out, having been on my feet for most of the previous almost-seven hours. I swung by Stillwell for a peak at Mates of State and then boarded that lonely D train home. (You know, kids, you should consider the D if it's not too inconvenient for you. That shit was EMPTY!)
But all-in-all, I had a good time, and unlike last year, I have no leanings towards whether or not to go next year. Oh, and if you're wondering exactly HOW red that sunburn got, well as Marcia Brady once said, "OW, my nose!"
I could not agree more. Morningwood was out of thos world. What a fuckin show. I ran into the bass player later on in the day and was told the record is now coming out in January though. bummer. but he said the video is debuting on SMTV2 next week and the the song "Jetsetter" will be getting some airplay hopefully.
What a great band. They are going to be huge.
Posted by: Jeff | Sunday, July 17, 2005 at 11:03 AM