Originally in the Spartan Daily, September 18, 2007Long lines, Port-A-Potties, mud and over-priced everything. That's a music festival for you. Yet, take this setting, put it on the beautiful Treasure Island in San Francisco, and add to that some of the hottest bands of the moment - it's still no Woodstock, but it ain't half bad.
Treasure Island's weekend-long fest included a huge lineup of bands, including DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist, Thievery Corporation, M.I.A. and Zion I.
The second half of Treasure Island's Sunday bill kicked off with Clap Your Hands And Say Yeah, a band whose name floats around the indie scene and can't help being heard every once in a while. The picture that a name like this generates in your head is a high-energy, bratty rock-out with the obligatory '80s chic that all "it" bands have in common.
Yet their first song that evening made you feel like you died, went to heaven, met Shannon Hoon and then he played you Blind Melon songs all the live-long day. It was only the terrible sound of the main stage speakers that brought you back to earth.
The desperately needed energy didn't kick in until the third song. Only there did you get a glimpse of some playful vibrancy. When they really got the ball rolling, Clap Your Hands was a weird, Weezer concoction with Devo quirkiness.
I heard someone waiting in the crowd for Devil Makes Three say, "We love you guys. You're the only ones here who sound different." Never a truer statement was made. Devil Makes Three's sultry, lounge-style rockabilly made them the refreshing black sheep of their billmates. Singer Pete Bernhard's vocals invoked the spirit of Bradley Nowell. This, set against gorgeous flamenco guitar and stand-up bass, was like a chilled-out version of Squirrel Nut Zippers. They were really an act for all.
Built to Spill was a '90s time warp just like Clap Your Hands. Only this time, singer Doug Martsch was obviously a Counting Crows fan. It all brought back a whoosh of flannel shirts, coffee houses and all the other collegiately melancholy things of which you can think. Their cliched lyrics and overall whining came right in time with the sunset, making the opening of their set an ultimate downer. Yet again, like Clap Your Hands, they came back fighting with savage distortion and playful change-ups. In the end, they met the tone of a music festival. It's supposed to be fun, damn it.
Film School sounds like Dredg. Their commanding start rode on atmospheric yet enormous sound, just like Dredg. The pedal effects were an endearing, constant whine amid the chaos of bass and drum, just like Dredg. Bands need to stop sounding like Dredg.
Spoon is just one of those bands you have to say you like in order to be cool. Their low-key, beat-heavy rock comes up to you and says: "Hi there. I'm friendly. Take me home." Put them on a live stage and this doesn't change, which is a little disappointing. There is supposed to be some element of uncorked ferocity that makes a live show epic. These guys just play a little faster. It was Spoon, though. Straightforward and accessible.
The headlining Modest Mouse took the stage in darkness, playing, basically, a typical set. Modest Mouse is music you just can't hate. At worst, it's tolerable. The erratic vocals of Isaac Brock are cutely charismatic. At their best, this band even goes so far as to rock, like most bands today seem afraid of doing.
Yet this is not the peak of Modest Mouse by any means. Somewhere down the line, this band just lost its juice, and this performance was just indicative of that. Perhaps it was the incorporation of new songs, which are just a shadow of the old band.
This portion of Treasure Island overall was a little subpar when it comes to what a weekend-long music fest is supposed to be about. The $60 tickets and the shuttling to an island seemed to promise a little more than decent bands playing well enough to get paid. Nothing even got burned, for God's sake!
-Briana Hernandez
