BY MELISSA RUGGIERI and YVONNE ZUSEL
There would be no Eurythmics refrains of “Here Comes the Rain Again” at the third installment of the Shaky Knees Music Festival.
It can be debated whether or not the evil sun that seared festivalgoers all weekend was a worthy trade-off, but by the time Australian psychedelic rockers Tame Impala officially called a wrap to the 2015 installment Sunday night, not a speck of mud marred the sprawling area of Central Park, just outside of downtown Atlanta.
Maybe the third time was a charm?
Festival organizers declined to provide an attendance figure for the weekend – and trying to guesstimate would be like counting the ants dashing from an anthill – but it appeared that a sweaty, sometimes shirtless mass was always roaming the grounds.
As we say goodbye to Shaky Knees 2015 – and prepare for next week's sister festival, the country-fried Shaky Boots in Kennesaw – a few observations to share:
- It appears that the festival has found its future home. If the goal is to keep expanding, as promoter Tim Sweetwood indicated in our recent interview , then Central Park offers the ideal amount of space. And those who complained about last year's asphalt jungle at Atlantic Station had to appreciate the numerous areas to spread blankets and hang around the park.
- Also, while there is no denying the stellar musical lineup and the clockwork schedule that accompanied it, that precision was sort of a downfall. Maybe next year Sweetwood and his team could etch in a five-to-10 minute gap between acts to allow for schlepping between the stages.
- And finally, more food trucks, less smoking. We wish we could have sampled some of the interesting offerings from the food trucks on site, but with lines regularly 30-40 people deep, it was impractical to stand there instead of listening to music. As for the smoking, well, since the fact that the city banned smoking in public parks three years ago coupled with the myriad signs around the area didn't seem to deter many from burning through a pack of cigarettes, some enforcement would be appreciated next year.
But Shaky Knees has blossomed dramatically and deserves its inclusion in the national festival conversation.
Toby Leaman, bassist for Dr. Dog, might have summarized the weekend most appropriately: “You guys got a good thing going on here, man.”
Here’s a look at some of Sunday’s performances:
Matthew E. White: Getting assigned to play the 12:30 p.m. slot on a Sunday would seem to be a rough break, but soul pop singer Matthew E. White and his backing band seemed grateful for the opportunity, thanking the crowd -- which grew to be pretty sizable about halfway through the set -- for coming to see them. White expertly ran through tunes from his two albums, including the psychedelic cacophony of "Fruit Trees" and the baby-makin' slink of "Will You Love Me." Those who didn't hit snooze on their alarm clocks got an unexpected treat -- a soulful, musically tight performance from a musician who's sure to start working his way up to later festival slots in the near future.
--Y.Z.
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
Old 97s: It's hard to believe that Rhett Miller and his band of alt-country merrymakers have been around for more than two decades, because Miller, with his floppy hair and lithe frame, still looks like he could blend in with the 20-something contingent at Shaky Knees. The band's energy level certainly belied their age, as they cranked out rockers including "Doreen," on which Miller displayed an impressive windmill guitar-playing style, the "love song" "Let's Get Drunk & Get It On," and the foot-stomper "West Texas Teardrops," on which bassist Murray Hammond took the mic. It was a rollicking set that showed that in spite of the alt-country and bluegrass boom of late, we shouldn't count these stalwarts out just yet.
--Y.Z.
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
The Both: The musical marriage of Aimee Mann, who has a quiet, folk pop sensibility and Ted Leo, who skews more punk, might seem a bit odd on paper. But the duo, who joined forces as The Both in 2013, manage to make it work, with tunes that mostly trend toward Mann's style but which still have a bit of Leo's edge. The pair fed off of each other on the Broadway musical-esque "The Inevitable Shove" and the sad, sweet "Pay For It," and had a charmingly dorky conversation about the difference between sci-fi and fantasy. It was a pleasant set that lent itself to sitting down to enjoy it, providing a nice musical respite for those who needed a little break.
--Y.Z.
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls: The 3:45 p.m. hot-as-Hades time slot on Sunday called for a band that was able to make the crowd forget the heat, and Brit Frank Turner and his band more than fit the bill. The consummate frontman, Turner thrashed his way through a number of songs that turned into raucous singalongs with clear diehard fans who knew every word. Even newbies were able to catch on quickly, with accessible choruses on the anthemic "The Road" and the roaring "Peggy Sang the Blues," about the first time Turner tried whiskey as a kid. Turner clearly thrives on interacting with the crowd, telling little stories about the origin of his songs and, during the dancey "Photosynthesis," encouraging festivalgoers to sit down for a moment before popping up again during the chorus, just because "you never see people sitting down" during performances. Turner ended the set by jumping into the crowd on the headbanger "Try This At Home," getting him even closer to the audience that he very clearly connected with.
--Y.Z.
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
Dr. Dog: The chameleonic Pennsylvania rockers are Shaky Knees veterans, and the band appeared to relish its time on the main stage, where they performed in front of a multi-colored patterned backdrop. From the syncopated soul rock of "I Only Wear Blue" to the winding "Army of Ancients," the sextet oozed with vigor. These guys can never be musically pigeonholed and they demonstrated that again on Sunday by zig-zagging between the bass-propelled "Turning the Century" and psychedelic jams. During "Lonesome," bassist/co- lead singer Toby Leaman jumped into the crowd and unleashed a torrent of emotion to match Eric Slick's thundering drums. After Leaman caught his breath, it was time for another musical shift, this time into the video game-sampling pop swirls of "How Long Must I Wait." Probably not very, as Dr. Dog will most likely be back for another round at Shaky Knees.
- M.R.
Spiritualized: Despite a revolving door of members – aside from the steady presence of band founder and singer-guitarist Jason Pierce – Spiritualized has never lost sight of its musical identity. The current incarnation of the English "space rock" band is a five-piece along with two backup singers who added lovely gospel tones to songs such as "Lord Let it Rain on Me." Spiritualized's music is more about lulling and being atmospheric – and, as opener "Here it Comes (The Road, Let's Go)" demonstrated, burning slowly – and it was difficult not to get swept up in the hazy cacophony. Even the slightly rougher-edged "Electricity" offered a soothing undercurrent while still making plenty of noise.
- M.R.
Ryan Adams: "What's going on, party people? Let's have some fun!" And with that, the shaggy-haired Adams, clad in a black and green Misfits T-shirt and bopping around a stage adorned with an arcade game, a Dr. Pepper vending machine and an American flag decorated with a peace symbol, burst into the Tom Petty homage, "Gimme Something Good." Adams' melodic alt-rock is stuffed with toe-tapping choruses ("Let it Ride," "To Be Young [Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High]") and he and his band nailed every harmony. Adams wasn't only in fine form vocally, but his guitar playing was superb. As he picked through a graceful solo during "Magnolia Mountain," a stray smiley-faced balloon floated over the crowd and out of sight, for a brief moment mirroring the emotion of thousands at the festival. While he fit in his bittersweet breakup with "New York, New York" (which included famed rock photographer Danny Clinch on steaming harmonica) and the swoon-y "When the Stars Go Blue," Adams also detoured with a cover of Danzig's "Mother," complete with another searing solo.
- M.R.
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
Trombone Shorty: When it comes to popular music, the trombone doesn't typically get the respect, say, that the guitar or the drums do. But New Orleans native Trombone Shorty seems like he's on a one-man mission to change people's minds about what the brass instrument is capable of. Shorty -- aka Troy Andrews -- played a joyous set that spanned funk, pop, jazz and blues in the course of an hour, including covers of Green Day's "Brain Stew" and Big Tymers' "Still Fly." Andrews received an impressive assist from his band, Orleans Avenue, with scorching guitar and sax solos of particular note, but the true star was the trombone, which really was an extension of Andrews' own voice (though he also sang on several songs). If there was a trombone doubter by the end of the set, it certainly wasn't for Andrews' lack of trying.
--Y.Z.
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
Credit: Yvonne Zusel
Ride: It was a rather big deal among fans of England's "shoegazing" scene of the early '90s when Ride, pioneers of the genre that mashes melodic with distortion, announced at the end of 2014 that they would reunite. In their downtime of, oh, 20 years, members dispersed for various projects, with its most famous alumnus being guitarist Andy Bell, who played bass in Oasis and later reunited with Liam Gallagher in his now-defunct post-Oasis project, Beady Eye. It was nearly impossible to decipher any lyrics over the heavy guitar and potent bass lines flying off the stage – though singer Mark Gardener could be understood quite clearly when he saluted the Shaky Knees festival ("You've got a great place here – it's lovely," he said). But songs such as "Black Nite Crash" and "Cool Your Boots" offered appealing hints of melody underneath the noise. The midtempo chugger "Dreams Burn Down" showcased a quieter side of the band, which performed earlier in the week at Terminal West, but one gets the feeling that Ride's longtime fans were thrilled to hear their set turned up to 11.
- M.R.
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