If you’re ever in a heated rock, paper, scissors contest it’s good to know that rock doesn’t only beat paper, but it beats everything else. That’s just what happened when rock took over at opening night of the NOLA Indie Rock Fest Oct. 2, at the Howlin’ Wolf.
The New Orleans Indie Rock Collective, formed by Michael Girardot, A ’08, Mark Heck, Rachel Puckett, Nick Thomas, A ’07, and Eric Rogers, music industry studies sophomore, was behind the mission to put New Orleans indie rock bands on the map.
This group of indie rock lovers has been working on this project since the beginning of May 2008, which led up to a three day festival that featured local artists such as The City Life, Rotary Downs and The Revivalists.
“We chose bands that we like and that we think other people will like,” Thomas said. To help spread the word of New Orleans’ growing indie music scene, the Collective gave out free CDs called “Rock Beats Paper,” which featured two songs of each of the eight bands that performed.
The first band on the Thursday night kick-off was Big Blue Marble made up of Paul Chell, David Fera, Ike Aguilar, Stu Schayot and Tim LeBlanc.
Madelyn Gelpi, political science freshman, said of Big Blue Marble, “I love their sound, and they have an awesome feel.” The rock fest continued with The City Life, who got everyone to stand up and start dancing as soon as the first sound echoed from the amplifiers. The band is made up of Leo DeJesus, A ’07, Tommy Delbert, Lucy Gossett, Aaron Souvinetter and Brian Patrick Muller.
Before The City Life played their set, lead singer DeJesus joked about not being afraid of the imaginary alligator (an empty space) that separated the audience from the stage. The band then opened with “Much Too Late,” a song from their first album, “What’s That Sound?” The crowds instantly started to dance, sing and clap with as much funk as the band itself. The audience seemed to enjoy themselves as they began to fill in at the foot of the stage.
The first night of the festival came to a close with the unconventional and whimsical sounds of Theresa Anderson, whose sound was much softer than the previous bands. Unlike Big Blue Marble and The City Life, Anderson was a one woman band. Anderson was the master of multi-tasking as she fiddled with her hands and effortlessly pressed an array of buttons with her feet. Equipped with several different instruments and one powerful voice, she was able to keep the high energy flowing.
Angie Hernandez can be reached at [email protected].
New Orleans has a rich musical history that’s filled with greats like Fats Domino, but the indie rock scene has been fairly underground until now. Day two of the NOLA Indie Rock Fest at the Republic featured the bands MyNameIsJohnMichael and Rotary Downs.
Both bands have an eclectic sound that incorporates tambourines and maracas into its music alongside keyboards, trumpets and guitars. MyNameIsJohnMichael started the night with the song “Ignatius, Ignatius.” The crowd seemed subdued until the band’s third song “We Both Know,” when they seemed to respond to its catchy beat and lyrics.
The Oct. 3 concerts definitely impressed new fans. Calvin Monley, english literature and philosophy sophomore and indie fan, came to the Republic unfamiliar with either band but said of MyNameIsJohnMichael, “They’re very good. They definitely get the crowd into it.”
And they weren’t the only ones getting good reactions – Rotary Downs was called back onstage for an encore. Gabriella Lopez can be reached at [email protected].
The stage was multi-colored and instrument cluttered as The Other Planets boarded the stage Oct. 3, the final day of the NOLA Indie Rock Fest. With his sequined Elton John-inspired cloak, lead singer Anthony Cuccia began the band’s set with the song “Teeth and Dreams.” A very down-to-earth yet quirky sounding band, The Other Planets brought a unique blend of ‘experimental, psychedelic rock’ to the festival.
“We don’t have a personal style,” guitarist Dr. Jimbo Walsh said. “We write what we want to hear while getting across the American people. Our music is our personal style, that and sunglasses.”
After playing their last song, “Windowpane,” the band members dispersed from the stage in the midst of applause. Soon after, the next band, The Revivalists, were up and ready to rock.
The Revivialists’ lyrics, instrumentation and charisma made them a crowd favorite. The audience crowded around the stage as drummer Andrew Campanelli, a music industry senior, began to play. Their song, “Get Born,” was the result of this very dramatic opening.
The band thanked their fans after playing their last song, “Common Cents” and disappeared into the crowd to watch the next band. The red velvet curtains slowly closed and within ten minutes they opened to reveal a very cramped stage.
With his bare feet and guitar, Joe Bourgeois played as the remaining members of Antenna Inn, walked on stage. “Ice burg” helped break the ice as their chosen first song with its rock-n-roll, big band sound. “We have nine members of our band from different musical backgrounds,” lead singer Sam Craft, a music senior, said. “We have to make a great sound with a lot of people.”
“What they’re doing here is a positive asset for the city,” Ashley Shabankareh, a music education senior, said. “The festival altogether has been terrific.” The night continued with loud rock music and drunken banter, then, slowly, the crowd died out. At last, the evening ended, and, by the looks on everyone’s faces, it was a fun filled, successful night.
Erica Colbenson can be reached at [email protected].
(Danielle Magiapano)
