Some anagrams of "Community Festival":

A Scummy Violent Fit
Fancily Veto Summit
Infamy Cum Love Tits
Vile Cum of Man Tits
Fecal Mutiny Vomits
Actively Unfit Moms

and my favorite...
Vasectomy Film Unit

good for a laugh (if you're willing to go to a site called thebeef)



*tags - music, Comfest, satire, local

As a fan of music that is in the genre known as "good" who should I go see this year?

I don't like the word "pussy" but sometimes it is the only one that fits.

I only looked at the pictures

What were some Friday highlights? Help an out of town brother....

WHOA NELLIE! played the 4:15 slot at OffRamp, and I couldn't believe how big the crowd was that early... fucking AWESOME way to start my weekend, BIG thanks to all y'all who told the man to suck it, cut outta work early, and made the scene.

The Ferals were throwing down some pretty tasty RAWK when we got to the stage, glad I finally got to check them out... godDAMN that Lara can holler!

The Friday OffRamp stage crew was WAY off the coolness chart. Two thirds of Scrawl and half of Righteous Buck carrying MY amp? Shit dog... I'm not worthy.

The set right before us was Old Hundred, and while they're not really my thing, people really seemed to dig them, and they play really well... just not my bag. My problem, not theirs.

Our set went really well, I thought... we had a great time, and I saw loads of familiar faces in the crowd. Sorry if I didn't chat you all up later, but god knows I tried... hope I bump into the rest of you over the next 2 days. Hey, did anyone get a picture of my piano dude, Bob Hite, playing keys with his daughter on his knee, who was blowing the shit out of a plastic blue recorder? I damn near fell off stage when I saw that, and I'd love to see it again...

Tin Hearts were sounding good after us, and holding the crowd, but I had to load up the gear and boogie. Dumped the stuff at my apt 2 blocks away, dumped the truck on Neil Ave another 3 blocks away, and made it back to OffRamp for the end of Karate Coyote...

Drank more, talked to a LOT of people, drank more, stumbled through the park, talked to more people... by the time I met Melissa for a Fish Boat (!) around 8:30, I was DONE. I slumped home and passed the hell out. Woke up this morning to retrieve the truck and write this.

So, somebody tell me what I missed!

mas bagua was pretty good tho' i'm glad i couldn't understand what that dude was saying most of the time. he seems pretty serious. i mean i can't even explain it to ya 'cause like for example at one point he was just totally going on about pepperjack on rye and i know that sounds fucking awesome for some dude to be talking about or at least fun while his disco jam band wails away but it was honestly the opposite of that. and the bellydancer had this look on her face like she was the most important thing ever to hit the planet and also why are you looking at me? they're prolly the only thing that has like a post-punk dance/funk vibe going on in columbus that i know of, tho' they do fall towards the hokey at least a good amount of the time.

i opted for the fish & fries (no bun or anything) over the fishboat this year and was pleasantly surprised to find that after eating it i didn't feel immediately like going home.

"remember to poop before you head to comfest."
-capaldi

saw some ferals, wasn't really feelin' it in the daylight. they sounded REAL GOOD tho', snarky had that shit dialed (slapback on starker's voice later on was SUPERB also). burleson said he thought he heard some new beats. can't deny 'em even if there was that whole daytime thing.

some band on th' main stage (fuck you, "bozo") played that awful meat puppets (not much) song from 1991 "backwater" or whatever. the meat puppets shouldn't even play that song at the terrible local festivals they hafta play. i'm sure.

some great collegiate jass (aaron quinn? can't tell from program 'cause i really have no idea whan i was over there.) with i'm pretty sure the blonde girl from superdesserts la-de-da-ing along, odd horn arrangements, loud drummer, pretty crack. better than cats, i'll see it again. and again.

WHOA NELLIE! are a damned blast to watch even if their tunes are kinda pedestrian or predictable or whatever ya wanna call it. there's a lotta freedom (for musicians and audience alike) in predictable music espacially of the roots-y variety and them nellies keep ya glued anyhows. everybody agrees th' addition of ms theresa fife on fiddle is the best one they've maybe ever made and yeah bob hite's kid on recorder (tho' she was a little hard to handle, constantly bitching about how she couldn't hear herself in the monitor, "am i even miked? i'm gonna have yr asses" &c.) was maybe th' hi-lite of friday in general.

i gotta say this year don't miss the shirtless juggalettes walkin' around with three 6-foot-5 rednecks behind 'em just DARING everyone to stare at these girls who prolly don't even ball 'em.

bastard sons of neptune: let's discuss why a band that traffics in something as codified as surf instrumentals would bother to play standards. you can ostensibly play ANY SONG while adhering to th' conventions of said genre and people will recognize it as such (SURF MUSIC) and boogie. (and then even snobs like me will have a good time.) if you aren't the mermen (very, very original/modernized take on surf/whacked-out way-out sounds) or the vultures (supremely talented/unhinged and writing yr own tunes 95% of th' time) i honestly don't understand why you wouldn't take a more thirteen ghosts approach (i.e. play all misfits covers). i don't want to hear "walk, don't run" or "rumble" or "pipeline" or that john travolta song or yr shitty take on "sleepwalk". ever.

lackluster - sorry if ya think me lazy here guys, but you really did nail it with that name.

had some chips at a party (they ran out, not recommended)//went to see evildead: the musical (recommended)//ate eggplant at jury room (not not recommended). all in all way decent.

alleyes path was fun as fuck, envelope was dope and town monster fucking slayed

Envelope pics, video should be up later.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/irregulara ... 045374996/

Rosa and George opening the Bush League All Stars set..

Plus everything Bobray and Cruise said.

Sadly missed envelope. Apparently, Donny had the look..

Hokay, here's my ComFest Saturday...

Dragged my ass and sax back down to the park around 2:30 and caught most of Total Fox from the beer line. Dug the set, I always do... got my first big beer just in time to spit out the first sip when I heard them launch into their last tune, "Truckin'" by the goddamn Dead. Really? Truckin' at ComFest? Oh, Dave, Dave, Dave... your inner hippy got loose!

After that, more people, lots of chatting, then up to the stage to catch sight of Mayor Mike in his tie-dye and khakis introducing Righteous Buck & The Skull Scorchers. Yeah, that shit just happened.

RB & the SS were fucking swamp-tastic awesome... my first time seeing them with the new guy, LOVE the harp. There was always something a little linear and sparse about these guys, which I don't think I was even aware of until I heard the harmonica gluing all the bits together. Nicely done, fellers! I remain a huge grinning fan.

Then I hopped onstage to blow some sax with Th' Flyin' Saucers... big stupid fun for me. Love a gig where all I do is show up and blow over blues changes. Sorry to the folks who dig more complicated fare, but that shit is smack DAB in the center of my wheelhouse... the first kind of music I learned to play, and I still love playing it. Anyhow, the set was a ball, and the crowd looked sweaty/happy/crazy. Dig it. Thanks for letting me sit in, Johhny, Rex & Danny... always a good time.

After that, one more big beer, more people, more yaketty yak, and by 6:00 I was on my way home to dig up a clean shirt and head north to Tutti and Jeff's 10 year Anniversary party. Now it's Sunday, time to clean the house, hang out on my porch, and toss back a few with whoever of my friends shows up... I may not go back to the park today at all, I dunno... seems the less time I spend at ComFest, the better I like it. Looking forward to having my 'hood back after the idjits clear out tonight.

SHAMELESS PLUG, BECAUSE I"M JUST THAT MUCH OF AN ASSHOLE: Did I mention that WHOA NELLIE's playing the Doo Dah Day block party? THAT'S how we REALLY do it in the Short North.... Peace, y'all.

Shortest volunteer-token beer line is still at the jazz stage. It's worth the walk.

Succeeded this year in not getting chastised by a comfest supervisor who takes his role a bit too seriously.

Did a shift at the Gazebo on Friday. Never again. Nice folks, don't get me wrong. Like Bob said, my problem, not theirs.

Opened up Offramp yesterday. In the cut-throat world of children's bands, the Shazzbots still rule. I also enjoyed Joey Hebdo and Total Foxx.

Nothing throws water on a fire quite like issue-oriented speakers at music tents.

Liked Flying Saucers and Lydia. That's really about all I had a chance to catch. I"m opting out of Sunday, mainly because I've already logged 28 hours at the park.

Talked to enough folks yesterday who were dismayed at the line-up and to one stage manager who says he's done. It's time for new voices on the committee.

I will say that in a crowd this intense, the ONLY way to enjoy it is with Volunteer tokens. Those volunteer beer lines are brilliant!!!!

As for the music, Phantods were flawless as expected. New Basics Brass Band is perfect fun Comfest fare, and a staple that I hope this city never loses, The Lost Revival seemed in a comfortable element with the image and grand scope of their medicine-man-traveling-preacher-vibe considering they were finally in an actual tent, but I don't know how well it seemed to connect with the crowd. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but maybe the sun had slowed some folks down a bit. From the stage, it was probably fun as hell.

Lydia Loveless was the best I'd ever heard her. Being out touring has really gotten her in top form, her voice sounds great and there's a bit more pop sensibility than I remember, which is a good thing in a situation where you may not be able to hear all the lyrics live. Also, Blammo is clearly her secret weapon. The stuff he adds on upright is exciting and tasteful all at once, which is hard to pull off.

Another Comfest and I had a blast, again. It hasn’t been the same as it used to be for several years now, having speakers other than the M.C. on the offramp stage was an absolutely horrible idea, this year’s logo was honestly horrid (I’m mainly concerned about what might come out of its mouth) and the music may have become more of a backdrop than a focal point, but the weekend still provided a reunion of the community I’ve grown up in, just like it has every year for going on close to two decades. And, I can safely say that none of us are quite the same as we used to be either.

This year I got to take my nine month old, Levi, to his first Comfest. He managed to make an appearance all three days; quick indoctrination on Friday followed by a good long stretch on Saturday and Sunday, rocked out to the Shazbots and pushed through a nap on Saturday. What can I say, the little man likes to fest. Like nearly every experience I’ve had as a parent so far, it provided a fresh perspective on an old event. Running into an entirely new generation of Comfesters, attached to their aging rock and roll parents, was very cool. Comfest persists, it provides, it ebbs and flows, and maybe someday it will also evolve.

P.S. Tim and JP blew it out on the Gazebo this afternoon, Crazy Motherfucker From Shelby, Ohio was my musical Comfest highlight.

I realize your dog is cool and all, and you treat it like your child, and you want everyone to see how cool your dog is -- but leave him at home. I think this is a bigger problem than bringing outside alcohol into the park.



It was way too crowded yesterday. Maybe Comfest is too big now?

Took off work early on Friday to check out a few bands.

Love Culture on the big stage was probably a wise booking decision but having them go on at 12:55 in the daylight was a terrible decision. The intro by the Comfest woman was pretty cringeworthy, something like, "We're all here celebrating a culture of love and now here's Love Culture." Bleech. I've never seen Love Culture before but really dug the 1995 sound (texted the wife during the performance and said, "Smashing Pumpkins + The Cure. You'd LOVE them."

Went over to Offramp to watch Intercontinental Champs. Every time I see ... jeez, what's his latest handle on these boards? (ha ha) ... Patrick ... he tells me that the ICs are kind of like The Damnwells. Can't say that I agree with that at all, but the ICs put on a fun show, kind of country-ish Rolling Stones stuff, lots of swagger (but I didn't expect less). Country-ish isn't really the right word but there's a midwest/rural sound. The rain started and helped ICs attendance out

Wing and Tusk sounded really pretty. Really, really pretty. I regret not seeing them before, very impressed. When I told my friend that the singer is Cabot Rae's son, she said, "They should just name their band 'My Dad's Fucking Cabot Rae'." I know what she was saying but found complete humor in the OTHER way to interpret that.

Had no waits buying beer, ate a tasty gyro (although I ended up with sauce all over my shirt ... damn, that was messy), walked around and then went home because we had evening plans.

Stopped by briefly on Saturday before going to the Clippers game and it was a totally different environment. Watched Unit One play to a big Offramp crowd - I've always known Aaron as a metal/hard rock dude so this Johnny Cash/trucker rock stuff is not what I'd expect but it sounded surprisingly good. Didn't even try to get a beer since the lines were outrageous and tried to walk around a bit but it was a slow process and decided to go over to the Clippers game early.

I'm not a Comfest veteran, the 5-6 hours I spent there this weekend probably totals the amount of time I've spent there in the last 10 years combined. I've read these threads year after year and have heard about the crowd sizes. As somebody (Spliney?) said, it's a cool opportunity to see people that you maybe haven't seen in a while (ran into a few people I haven't seen in 10+ years) but there are many other music festivals happening this summer that I'll attend for the music sake. As a music festival, which I know is not Comfest's main goal, I didn't have much interest this year.

lotta nice titties this weekend if nothing else

oh yeah

bourbon.chicken.