Jon Havanos is representing WNCW at the Shaky Knees Music Festival this weekend in Atlanta, GA. Read about his experience here.
Shaky Knees 2016 unofficially got underway with an ear witness of Jane's Addiction's sound check and officially with blue skies, Purple Rain and Songs for Kids!
David Ramirez brings the soul of Austin to the heart of Atlanta!
kaleo: the best whistlers in alt rock?
Rob Daves impersonator Craig Finn.
More to come!
Another perfect day for a festival! Shaky Knees deep into day 2!
Rage, rest, repeat. Day three of Shaky Knees will be here soon!
Day 3: feets don't fail me now!
There were three themes to Shaky Knees 2016-perfect weather, walking and surprises. After barreling through 90 miles of rain on the way, it was nice to see no more but still have mild temperatures and a perfect breeze. With 5 stages spanning the grass, shade and full sun of Centennial Park and beyond, I did some walking (understatement).
Day One
Let's get to the surprises. I had heard The Japanese House before but wasn't expecting such a ringing, serene yet sparse performance. Next, Kaleo started with a whisper and turned things up to a delta blues roar. These guys have a solid shot at making it big. Wolf Alice got the crunchy energy going as I made the death march over the bridge and down the hall to see some hair raising metal from Baroness. Austin's The Sword was up next to keep the metal flag flying. Then, there were two gimmicky bands-The Struts with a strutting glam sound and a look inspired by Jagger and Meatloaf. Ghost, a band that wears satan masks and face paint. They played some heavily sexualized metal that made me think of a more evolved Kiss. They were quite the shock to The 1975 fans over at the next stage. There were a lot of good options for the 8:15 slot- I heard arguments for The Kills and for Slowdive, but I had other plans-All Them Witches! Their howling and discordant blues riffs were exactly what I wanted to hear. Everyone knows who Jane's Addiction is. The headliner gave everyone what they wanted- classic songs. Navarro and the rhythm section held down the groove with massive chops and thick tones while Perry Ferrell worked the crowd - not a bad way to end the night.
Day Two
Day two started out with a surprise solid set from Strand of Oaks. Up next was The Hip Abduction- a pop/reggae band that were at their best when they added the sounds of ethic instruments to their dance grooves. JJ Grey & MOFRO dropped a set loaded with harmonica, blues and swampy angst. The power was out for Shakey Graves so, I wondered over to see Baskery- three girls from Sweden that had some serious blues, bluegrass, pop chops and a sense of humor. Jim James was taking it in right in front of me. I caught solid bits and pieces from Shakey Graves, The Dear Hunter, Deer Tick, Phosphorescent and Huey Lewis. Silversun Pickups had one of the better sets of the day and The Decemberists served up some heavy folk. All the superlatives written about My Morning Jacket are true. Add Purple Rain and confetti bombs- what a show!
Day Three
Adia Victoria was one of the most refreshing voices I heard all weekend. Goth country poetry...
Scottish indie rockers, Frightened Rabbit, played a rockin' set in the hottest part of the day. Unknown Mortal Orchestra poured psychedelic R&B all over the sun drenched crowd. It was nice to see Jesse Hughes and Eagles of Death Metal having such a good time ripping some filthy rock and roll. Deftones kept that vibe rolling with some heavy art rock. Explosions in the Sky turned in a performance that was at times serene and soaring and at other times a snarling multi-headed beast. At the Drive-In delivered post hardcore fury that drained any energy you might have had left in the tank. I caught the last few notes of Florence + the Machine and kind of wished I had seen a little bit more. Maybe next year?