THE FALL FEST 2011 AKA MISCHIEF NIGHT LINEUP HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED! WE'VE GOT A NUMBER OF UP AND COMING BANDS SPANNING GENRES ACROSS THE WORLD WITH EVERYTHING FROM SOUTHERN HIP HOP TO NORWEGIAN METAL TO AFRICAN BUBU MUSIC. CHECK THE BANDS OUT WITH A FREE MIXTAPE DOWNLOADABLE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST!
Utica indie rockers
Bad Sound, featuring Purchase's Jake Sachs on drums, will kick off Fall Fest 2011. They recently released a three track EP which you can download below.
Recent Purchase alumni
Big Muff (aka Nick Noto) creates nostalgic pop songs drenched in reverb, distortion, and pitch-shifted vocals.
Brooklyn's
Friends will start things off early with their fresh brand of female-fronted sugary indie pop at Fall Fest. Come out early and catch their set. Recommended if you like: Warpaint, Glasser, Best Coast
Equal parts singer/songwriter and electro-producer, Denver's
R E A L M A G I C (aka Drew Englander) combines grime synths with soaring Beirut-esque vocal harmonies. If you aren't familiar with R E A L M A G I C yet, don't miss your chance to check him out early on. RIYL: Neon Indian, James Blake, M83
If the summery sounds of the two previous acts aren't your thing, stick around for sludge metal trio
Zoroaster to take the stage. These guys bring blunted riffs and gruff vocals not unlike
Mastodon, whose guitarist Brent Hinds is featured on the song you can download below. RIYL: Mastodon, Weedeater, Kyuss
Mariachi tinged indie folkies
The David Wax Museum, who
recently played Newport Folk Festival, will bring their eclectic mix of sounds to Fall Fest this year. Don't expect slow country songs from these guys though, they've got a rhythm section that begs for a Mexo-American dance party. RIYL: Beirut, Okkervil River, Deer Tick
In 2008,
Jessica Lea Mayfield released
With Blasphemy So Heartfelt, her first full length under her own name. The album, produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach (whose 2008 LP,
Attack and Release, Jessica provided vocals on), is a melancholic folk masterpiece bringing together country-stained psychedelia and the desolate moods of a Nick Drake or Elliot Smith album. She followed that up this year with the slightly brighter
Tell Me, released on Nonesuch, home to Wilco, David Byrne, and The Magnetic Fields. The album's lead single, "Our Hearts Are Wrong," is available for download below. Jessica will be performing solo at this year's Fall Fest. RIYL: Cat Power, Gillian Welch, Jenny Owen Youngs
If you're looking to mosh at Fall Fest, don't miss the triple guitar attack of Norwegian six-piece
Kvelertak. Combining the dark moods of black metal and the pure fury of classic rock & roll, Kvelertak deliver punch after punch and refuse to slow down. They released their self titled debut, produced by Converge's Kurt Ballou, last year. You can download the track "Mjod" below, and though it's not downloadable, it just wouldn't feel right not to point you in the direction of album standout
"Blodtorst". RIYL: Converge, Motorhead, Refused
Alabama hip hop duo
G-Side started making a buzz for themselves earlier this year when they released
The ONE...COHESIVE. Since the album's release, it has made
Spin's Top Albums of 2011 So Far and helped land them a spot at Pitchfork Music Festival, where they
left quite an impression. And G-Side aren't stopping there. Before 2011 finishes up, they'll have dropped another full length,
Island, which includes "Gettin It," featuring guest vocals by
Stalley and
Joi Tiffany, and a
Tame Impala sample. That song can be downloaded below. Their songs are full of woozy synths, hard snares, and a biting flow with the attack of dirty club rap and the more poetic sensibilities of the underground. RIYL: Outkast, UGK
Brooklyn-via-Rhode Island rockers
Fang Island combine the math rock meets indie pop elements of their
Sargent House labelmates Tera Melos and Maps & Atlases with the punkish energy and classic riffing of their New Jersey neighbors Titus Andronicus. Fang Island will bring the party. All they ask is that you're there to celebrate it with them. RIYL: Tera Melos, Maps & Atlases, Titus Andronicus
Fall Fest 2011 will be wrapped up by
Janka Nabay. Originally from Sierra Leone, Janka made a name for himself as a Bubu musician, and became the first artist to record Bubu music, a traditional genre of the Temne people in Sierra Leone. He relocated to Philadelphia in the 90s and last year he formed Janka Nabay and the Bubu Gang with members of
Gang Gang Dance,
Skeletons,
Zs, and
Starring, and released the first ever international Bubu album on True Panther Sounds (Girls, Trash Talk). Not to mention he parties hard. RIYL: Omar Souleyman, Fela Kuti, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Here's a download of one MP3 by each band. Right click + 'Save File As' for Windows or 'Download Linked File' for Mac
Bad Sound - EP
Big Muff - "Swoon"
Friends - "Friend Crush"
R E A L M A G I C - "Hard 2 Keep"
Zoaroaster - "White Dwarf" [Feat. Brent Hinds of Mastodon]
David Wax Museum - "Chuchumbe"
Jessica Lea Mayfield - "Our Hearts Are Wrong"
Kvelertak - "Mjod"
G-Side - "Gettin It" [Feat. Stalley and Joi Tiffany]
Fang Island - "Daisy"
Or download the entire playlist in a zip file here:
Fall Fest Playlist.
