Festival season is upon us, and in a major way. But these aren’t your average hootenannies put together by the powers that be. Oh no. A new trend in the already fad-addled music biz is taking summer festivals by storm. The craze du jour? Guest curators. It’s like Trading Spaces for the music world except with important, existential cultural implications! Not to mention the prosaic–but equally important–concerns that festival coordinators have to take care of.
Metric saw firsthand what can happen when random muttonheads are given free rein (promises of crowds numbering 15,000 turn up 300; beatings; a bottle of whiskey and four Power Bars). Share their pain:
Before we start panicking, let’s take a deep breath and a closer look at this little dernier cri. Here are our top five picks for festivals that won’t suck, given the brains behind things.
5. David Byrne, Curator, Bonnaroo
The sonic polymath (because founding the Talking Heads, snagging Grammys, Oscars, Golden Globes, writing operas and being a photographer only takes up so much of one’s time) is taking on the legendary festival. He’s approaching it with the same level of stress and OCD-obsession with which a normal person might approach figuring out which bagel shop to hit Sunday morning. “I thought, ‘OK, then, I’m just gonna reel off some names that I like…and we’ll see where it goes,’” Byrne told reporters. Alrighty then! The laid-back attitude seems to have worked; so far, the lineup includes Santigold, the Dirty Projectors, Katzenjammer, Public Enemy, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Band of Horses, St. Vincent and of course–David Byrne and Brian Eno. The show goes on June 11.
4. The Flaming Lips, Curators, All Tomorrow’s Parties
The Oklahoma all-stars are playing the show too! Woot! It’s tough to predict what a band that produces gems like “Psychiatric Explorations of the Fetus with Needles” and shows that feature puppets, confetti and big, scary hands will come up with, but that’s part of the fun. Set in Monticello, NY, just as summer winds down, this promises to be one final outdoors Bacchanalia anyone can get behind. And with bands as disparate as The Jesus Lizard, Suicide, Black Dice, the Feelies and the Melvins playing, maybe this is a show all of your friends will actually enjoy (for once). The show goes on Sept. 11.
3. Fans, Curators (Kind of), Pitchfork:
This is one of the most insane notions in the annals of musical festivaldom–ergo, BRILLIANT. Pitchfork actually decided that the unwashed masses (that’s us!) will be able to formally request songs in the hilariously titled “Write the Night.” That’s instead of our usual wild shrieking, flashing various body parts and holding up misspelled signs. Unsurprisingly, the Flaming Lips are the guinea pigs. The DL: all ticket buyers will be sent an email so they can vote which songs they want bands to perform. Yo La Tengo, Beirut, Matt and Kim and Vivian Girls are also playing (among dozens of others). The show goes on July 17.
2. Brian Eno, Curator, Luminous:
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno–music theorist, producer, singer, grand poobah of ambient music–is taking on Sydney’s Luminous Festival. Naturally (Eno being involved n’ all), this is no mere slapdash musical get-together. It’s going to include 30 acts, performances, various light and sound installations and relatively formal intellectual chats. Some artists set to perform are Battles, Ladytron and Lee “Scratch” Perry. The festival starts today and will continue until June 14.
1. Uncensored Interview, Showcase Curator, Northside Festival:
Clearly, our showcase in this festival will be the most seamlessly coordinated and brilliantly executed in the bunch. But seriously, The Speakeasy: A Showcase of Transatlantic Alt-Folk, featuring Ólöf Arnalds with François Virot, Lisa Li-Lund, Sharon Van Etten and Ivana XL will provide a veritable cornucopia of troubadourian fun sprinkled with Hank Williams fairy dust and general offbeat tweeness. The show goes down at Union Pool on June 11. The Northside Festival itself, featuring Screaming Females, the Hold Steady, Brightblack Morning Light and many many more, promises to be a good time.
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