In our Stopover preview, we highlighted a bunch of locals acts worth making a point to check out. A number of them managed to stand out from the pack, even within the mix of touring acts. Cusses, Crazy Bag Lady, and Boy Harsher all pulled decidedly large crowds and delivered truly epic performances. The Furious Hooves label showcase was a hit as well, with fantastic performances from the likes of Black Water Choir, Heavy Boots, and Blackrune. But discounting those acts we’ve already spoken about, here are our top five picks from the weekend… some more expected than others.
The Prettiots
NYC-based all-girl trio The Prettiots play sweet and innocent-sounding art pop tunes about boys and heartbreak. With a drummer that looks straight-up like a baby doll and lead singer Kay Goldberg crooning away with her ukelele, it couldn’t get much sugary and cute, but they do it so damn well. All the members are under 25, and that may account for why Goldberg has such a fresh memory of all the boys that she dated in high school. They played an early evening set at Hang Fire Bar on Friday to a modest crowd, but no doubt these girls have bigger crowds and bigger stages in the near future.
Penicillin Baby
There will always be something to be said for some good rock music. And people will always appreciate it. Take note of Penicillin Baby, an up and coming group out of Nashville that push the boundaries of rock n roll with their fuzzed out psych pop tunes. Their energetic performance at Ampersand Friday evening was as crowded as I’ve ever seen the place, and speaks to the truth of my earlier statement. Grunge rock, surf rock, cosmic rock… call it what you will. We’ll just call it good.
Generationals
With arguably the most hype leading into Stopover weekend, New Orleans electopop duo Generationals put on a fitting showing late Friday night at Club One. The perfect spot for a dance party, this venue is a gay club every other weekend of the year, and boasts an impressive light rig, massive disco ball, and sizeable dance floor to hold the feet of a bunch of jazzed up festival attendees enjoying the hits like “Gold Silver Diamond”. Generationals put out their fourth LP on Polyvinyl last fall to a wave of success and they’re not ready to slow down just yet.
San Fermin
San Fermin’s performance in Trinity United Methodist Church Saturday evening was both energetic and serene. With a big stage and an even bigger arena to fill, the Brooklyn-based chamber pop group brought out all the horns, strings, and sireny vocals to have folks both glued to their seats in the pews and dancing dancing in front of the altar. The group is helmed by classically trained composer Ellis Ludwig-Leone but the impressive vocals of Allen Tate and Charlene Kay take center stage in beautiful ballads like the glorious cut “Sonsick” off their debut self-titled album. We eagerly await the follow-up.
French Horn Rebellion
French Horn Rebellion’s set at Hang Fire Bar was perfectly placed and timed for a dance party, and that’s just how it turned out. Where the “cool kids” would hang out on a Saturday night anyway, and being one of the last shows of the weekend, out-of-towners and locals alike were able to let loose, down maybe one too many drinks, and soak in the lush and danceable tunes coming from the tiny stage in the corner. The NYC-based duo have been cranking out remixes for the likes of Beyonce, Savoir Adore, and Sleigh Bells while collaborating on original tracks with Haerts, JD Samson, Ghost Beach, and plenty more. According to their Twitter, “We used to play French horn. Now we make hot dance beats.”
Michelle King is the executive manager and director of publicity at Noisy Ghost PR, based out of the Graveface Records headquarters in Savannah, GA. You can also find her blogging at She Turns the Tables, contributing music content at Posture Magazine, and obsessively streaming music on Spotify.