FYF Fest – Photos & Review – Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012

The Faint – Photo: Monique Hernandez

Sunday brought an end to the two day FYF extravaganza. Festival goers found access and security a little more lax on the second day as the hungover and heat-exhausted waited until later in the afternoon to roll in. Summer goths were content to watch from the beer gardens in the comfort of shaded trees, though there was still plenty of partying throughout the day. Sunday’s best included a heavy presence of vintage nostalgia and charming singers.

White Fence– Tim Presley’s band plays the kind of music that attracts Super 8mm-toting press girls, Rhino Records acolytes and a sea of paisley. Beyond some minor soundcheck issues with the vocals, White Fence played an immaculate set of psychedelic country twang that showcased their professional musicianship. Presley showed not everyone has to rock a Jaguar when he switched to a beat-looking Stratocaster mid-set and strummed his guitar effortlessly, throwing in little hip shakes and lip pouts as he switched chords with buttery ease. The band exudes a kind of subtle confidence that never strays into pretension. It really is a marvel to hear such new sounds executed just as masterfully as the heyday of the 60s counterculture. White Fence don’t want to be Pink Floyd or even the Kinks. Instead, they lie comfortably in a genre that is still all their own despite its obvious influences.

Nick Waterhouse– Nick Waterhouse is another guy making great strides in the continuing resurgence of authentic 60s sounds. With his clean pressed slacks and crisp dress shirt, Waterhouse looks as if he just walked off the set of the Ed Sullivan show. He sings and plays like it too but not without the help of a considerable stage ensemble. Along with the usual setup, Waterhouse’s band also includes a baritone and tenor sax, conga drums and a backup vocalist. Marlene Perez of the Rhythm Shakers provided her singing talent and took a bow along with the rest of the band as Waterhouse introduced them individually. Their sound harkens back to the best days of soul music and girls could be seen treating dirt like it was baby powder. Waterhouse got some handclapping going toward the end but there was a bit of reticence from the casual observers in the back of the crowd.

King Khan and the Shrines- Arish Ahmad Khan brings quite the bag of tricks for an Indo-Canadian now living in Berlin with a wife and two kids. Better known as King Khan, the flamboyant soul singer has played with more bands than most session musicians. His mark in the garage realm of music is undeniable. The tubby cult icon walked on stage Sunday in some kind of Fijian tooth necklace, a post-locks-for-love Rick James wig and a gold cape to go with his purple shorts. Horn players did spins, guitarists tremolo picked and everyone generally got down to the funky good times that Khan shows are legendary for. The sound got a little distorted from farther out, but most people were drunk enough on booze and sun that they got over it.

Dinosaur Jr.– J. Mascis gave a “Fuck Yeah Fuck Yeah Festival” shoutout and whipped his trademark grey hair and Jazzmaster into action Sunday to kick off the late afternoon. Kyle Gass (Tenacious D) could be seen rocking out from the VIP section and there seemed to be a pretty rowdy party going on backstage. Dinosaur Jr. was slated perfectly to introduce the setting sun and reenergize the older FYF crowd with reminders of their early 90s heydays. Video Thing provided some appropriately trippy visuals and Mascis sung The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven” as everyone took a moment to reminisce about VHS and VJs.

Words: Brian Noonan

Photography: Monique Hernandez & Dominoe Farris-Gilbert