HampdenFest celebrates The Avenue and local musicians
Double Dagger opened with "Psychic Song," a number that elicited what looked disturbingly like epileptic spasms onstage for Strals, his eyes rolling back into his head and his body pulsating with the beat. As Strals stepped into the street to sing alongside the crowd or introduce a song, all while burping Hampden Fest, there are no rules. Despite not particularly enjoying their style of music, I fully appreciated Double Dagger's aura and energy as a band, which were refreshing and seemed true to the rest of the festival's spirit. Pure enjoyment was the key ingredient, and simply seeing people in the streets ostensibly adoring the frantic sounds of Double Dagger's guitar, bass, drums, electric keyboard and vocals, I almost couldn't help but fall in love with the music as well.
People continued to enjoy the good food, great beer and quirky kitsch, all while incessantly jamming to Dagger's post-punk beats. And just when I thought the festival couldn't have been any more eclectic, The Ubangis followed (and matched) Double Dagger's adrenaline-fueled performance. The Ubangis are, essentially, the Flintstones gone goth, decked out in leopard-printed skirts, unbuttoned shirts and eyes darkened with way too much eyeliner. Leslie O, the bass player, and "Saucy" Randy Manos "The Hands Of Death," the lead guitarist, framed lead vocalist/drummer/entertainer supreme Brian D. Horrorwitz, who performed standing up, his skirt fluttering in the steady September wind. One avid fan in the audience described them as "surf rock," with a deep and constant bass keeping the beat.
After a few songs, I wandered back toward the opposite end of The Avenue to the Baltimore Messenger Stage where June Star was finishing their performance with frontman Andrew Grimm running the full gauntlet of vocals, guitar, bass, harmonica and banjo. Whereas I had gotten a taste for Bam-bam and Pebbles a few minutes before, I suddenly found myself hungry for some old-fashioned southern cooking. In stark contrast to the theatrical Ubangis, all four members of June Star, an alternative country Americana band, were dressed quite casually in cotton button-down short sleeve shirts, slacks and shades, and the difference in dress was reflected in their down-home music.
Just as Hampden itself offers a little bit of everything - whether it's vintage shopping at Mina's, a chai latte at Common Ground or a burrito at Holy Frijoles! - Hampden Fest did as well. This is exactly why it was such a success in 2007, has been for the past four years and will continue to be in years to come.
People continued to enjoy the good food, great beer and quirky kitsch, all while incessantly jamming to Dagger's post-punk beats. And just when I thought the festival couldn't have been any more eclectic, The Ubangis followed (and matched) Double Dagger's adrenaline-fueled performance. The Ubangis are, essentially, the Flintstones gone goth, decked out in leopard-printed skirts, unbuttoned shirts and eyes darkened with way too much eyeliner. Leslie O, the bass player, and "Saucy" Randy Manos "The Hands Of Death," the lead guitarist, framed lead vocalist/drummer/entertainer supreme Brian D. Horrorwitz, who performed standing up, his skirt fluttering in the steady September wind. One avid fan in the audience described them as "surf rock," with a deep and constant bass keeping the beat.
After a few songs, I wandered back toward the opposite end of The Avenue to the Baltimore Messenger Stage where June Star was finishing their performance with frontman Andrew Grimm running the full gauntlet of vocals, guitar, bass, harmonica and banjo. Whereas I had gotten a taste for Bam-bam and Pebbles a few minutes before, I suddenly found myself hungry for some old-fashioned southern cooking. In stark contrast to the theatrical Ubangis, all four members of June Star, an alternative country Americana band, were dressed quite casually in cotton button-down short sleeve shirts, slacks and shades, and the difference in dress was reflected in their down-home music.
Just as Hampden itself offers a little bit of everything - whether it's vintage shopping at Mina's, a chai latte at Common Ground or a burrito at Holy Frijoles! - Hampden Fest did as well. This is exactly why it was such a success in 2007, has been for the past four years and will continue to be in years to come.
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