Summer Fest Round Table: What About Next Year?

 Of course the organizers are going to have their musical interest heavily seeded throughout the festival. They are the ones who dictate the type of festival it will be, and myself as well as the other 90k participants appear to be more than content with that. There is a reason I went to Free Press, bought a highroller pass at that and didn't even think about attending Warped Tour.

Manu Chao is currently on tour and he is considered one of the hottest acts out now who can play punk and do the punk moves for politics with different styles and musicians who really play their instruments.  A top choice for FPSF 2013- don't listen to Henry Rollins, just check out his longer videos on Utube for proof.  The guy is a punk god who is mainstream enough not just to appeal to the Warped Tour crowd but yet better than anything they will see on Warped Tour- certaintly not Fenix, TX and also about much more important issues.

You get the Punk Band or Post-Punk band that is best live and has the reputation the Husker Du or Dead Kennedys band that is the best live and run with it and that could be the excellent and very politically aware Manu Chao who will get us in the pit and moving and chating his protests- he is great live and that is just the quality act that can build the reputation of this festival.  I learnt about him after Henry Rollins was raving about his live shows on his Bravo show and then I saw him on ACL.  Great performer and so many great things to say...

Please keep the warped tour with it... it is not what is aimed for at the Free Press.  One Punk band- a big and good one- a Public Image LTD level band is all we need to satisfy that component of the line-up.  Again that is a warped tour deal and its not my fault that the show switched to the Pavillion where it is nowhere near as good as it was an the Center with the acts coming on one after the other and the skaters in the middle...

To be short since I comment too much: The New Pornographers is a cool band and all but we have to think about which ones are going to provide the best live performances.  Like Build to Spill they are lamish live.  The problem is that they do a straight version of the record without much intensity or drama and that may be fueled by the fact that two of the performers are girl next door types who seem great and all and you may want their phone numbers but not able to provided the larger than life music experience that sends festivals over the top.  The bands need to be heavily monitored over the internet before they are picked so we get the performances that are going to generate the Press that blows us past Austin.  Like Orgone- who would have known that walk around after unwilling to wait for food I stumbling on the opening number from this Funk/Soul/Chicano/Acid Jazz gem and on the small stage up close.  What a great show!

I forgot Manu Chao is awesome (aorry about VW- saw them on Utube and they suck)

i'm looking at the bands and Vampire Weekend is so weak live that i'm emabarrassed for them.  Of the New Wave nostalgia fusion with elder statesman DM is better than the Cure and  others- there concert from Barcelona beats Morrissey too.  Nice show and good fan reaction.  I for one vote that you lop off a day from the weekend to get the money for the best acts in terms of names and quality performance so we don't have to get say the Decendents or Pretty Lights- He didn't even push one button.  So the choice should be the one(s) from my range of list- because that is the list- that is/are the best live.  Range because it is just that  the kind of acts in that range.  Just go for the best possible live performance the one that ricks the crowd like when Tito and the Tarrantulas did La Cucaracha at the Velvet and the  kids bum rushed the dressing room for an encore.  Wow DM is getting pretty Metro now on the Utube... Go for as much stuff in a lot of variety that is for what it is (size of stage/Style) a show that will get the reaction of Orgone and there you go you have it the better festival.  DM puts on a good show.  But just get the best of these types of bands and if needed one day to ensure quality over quantity.  

Having said all of that I must remember and so must you and the table to only go for the acts that are good live.  For example Built to Spill and the Bees seem idea but alas they suck live!

New Pornographers is another good call!  Well done people...

BTW: It's Vampire Weekend is not are young man!

Willie Nelson is an old mans voice singing songs that are all alike about banging the groupies that got his wives to take all his money.  There is nothing intelligent about his songs and most of them are easy covers.  Vampire Weekend's Giving Up the Gun is a great song, with a great message and a great video.  The meaning of that song is exactly the problem with most of  us, we take the easy way out through subconsciously having people lead us to easy pleasure instead of working on the insides and our identity first so when the pleasure wears off or we lose the pleasure all together we are worse off than before.  Willie is just singing about trying to kill himself on Whiskey and stuff.

ZZ Top instead of Willie Nelson!

Gotta agree Kelley, Punk is for Warped Tour.  We want top Indie, New Wave and Rock acts that better than what they are picking and something at the level of an NIN with the films on the screen.  While the sucker punch in the face because they can't play better is really for the Warped Tour and I have been when it was at the Convention and way better than the crap it has become having said that we could stand to see Public Image LTD

Hey can you have Rocky Erikson close the main stage and show the kids how it's supposed to be done- just kidding...

Hey can you bring Rooney for us? We need some straight ahead rock next time other than just 1 sucker punch in the face band.

Sorry to keep writing but what about ACDC closing- wow.  I would go one day not two to get really big headliners and great artistic critic's favs Indie acts on other stages so the whole day is totally awesome all the way through.  Motorhead is another one there are probably so many great acts to utilize for the FPSF.  Houston deserves so much better than the kind of line-ups it gains currently- it needs a line-up that not challanges but totally tops Austin.   I'm so tired of us always being considered an Austin/New York poorer cousin wannabe.  If you are going black then Sade is another one.  Public Enemy, De La Soul, Ghetto Boys c'mon wake up and smell the coffee Free Press.  It's too bad we can't get a CBGB act even T-Heads and you know show the continuim between older and younger acts on the bill.  I just felt let down and dissapointed that the best we had to offer for the festival or the closer billed as the best was Pretty Lights and then Willie was totally Nostalgia with every song sounding the same.  It was a well-done performance but not the creative, exciting, drama that I want for the festival.  Now who ever got the Acid Jazz 70s Soul of Oregone on the bill at stage 5 was sheer genius.  The crowd started to pack the place and demanded an encore but the band indicated they were forced to leave over time constraints.  

More Punk and less Indie would make this fest amazing. I go to tons of fests and FPSF is done exceptionally well, but it doesn't seem to have an identity yet. More punk, and I mean big names instead of a bunch of hipster bands nobody has heard of would be nice. (I'm not advocating removing bands that I think nobody has heard of by any means as hearing new stuff for the first time is one of the great things about these types of fests.)

I totally forgot Spiritualized!!!!

I forget that Beck is always another good choice.  Please get better picks for 2013 please!!!Also get picks from All Songs Considered on NPR for the smaller stages.

Wilco is too moderate music that rambles into nowhere.  St. Vincent is a seriously great choice and it went nowhere after I asked for it several times.  I guess my tastes are just totally out of sync with the people who get to pick.  But of course as everyone can see my 30 picks that you could choose from for next year are way better...

In no order these are all acts that need to play in 2013 or sometime after that point:1) The Cure2) Morrissey3) NIN4) The Mountain Goats (stage 5 and then other acts of this level that are critics favs from Indie)5) Tori Amos6) Supergrass7) The Charletans UK8) The Birds and the Bee9) Ghostland Observatory10) The Black Keys11) Vampire Weekend12) A Pavement reunion13) A Beastie Boys tribute show to the dead guy with the black dude who rules!14) Deerhunter15) Depeche Mode16) Scissors SIsters17) Belle & Sebastian18) A Cranberries reunion19) Live20) Bjork21) Lisa Hannigan22) Public Image LTD23) Mumford & Sons24) Dirty Projectors25) The Tallest Man in the World26) Hospitality27) Mgmt28) Tune-Yards29) Modest Mouse30) Iron and WineWho ever is picking the music really sucks.  They should be fired just for picking Techno...The crowd was totally dead to lame Willie Nelson by the way.  That was nothing but a nostalgic greatest hits show and all the songs were exactly the same.  He is grasping for straws and trying to make it on his love for Pot which doesn't help with the mediocreness of his shows.  Please if you are going Nostalgia go someone or ones like The Cure.  Please, I ambegging you, throw the fans a bone next time!

PHISHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Ghetto Boys doing we cant be stopped

New Order

Fishbone

Outkast

Cypress Hill

NIN

ZZ Top

Gourds

Jack Johnson

Late of the pier if they still exist

or metronomy

Or both

Eisley! They're from TX. how can they say no to you?! 

Grizzly Bear, Grizzly Bear, Grizzly Bear.

How about you put the show on during April of 2013 when it's not 95 degrees under the shade?

Sloan- These Canadians put on an excellent show, but on the rare times they do play Texas, it's usually Austin and done.

Punch Brothers- To add to the new Americana strain of FPSF that's getting going with the Avetts this year.

Baroness- Metal doesn't always work great at FPSF; Kylesa played last year to a crowd of 100, but Baroness, with a new double-album hitting in July, may be perfect for the show in '13.

New Pornographers- Seem to be taking 2012 off and haven't had an album since '10, so they'll probably be active again next year.

First - Chris is right.  Wilco would be the perfect headliner.  They played ACL a few years back before ACL became so crazy.

Here are mine - pick any 3 and make it a 3 day fest instead of 2:

St. Vincent - packed Fitz last year so I thought it was a shoe-in that she'd come back.Manchester Orchestra - played Warehouse Live Ballroom last year.The Mars Volta - I don't know why At The Drive In didn't happen for us this year, but this would be sweet.MuteMath - Would be a great secondary headliner.Ludacris - cause that's about as hip hop as I get.Adele - Who doesn't love her?Jawbreaker Reunion - this may never happen, but I think the right $$$ could facilitate it.  And Houston has $$$My Bloody Valentine - probably the money from the last reunion is getting thin?Erasure - What a show they put on! 

OK, I'm done dreaming.

They could use a bit more variety. A little reggae, ska. I'd love Wilco too but they would throw off the cost structure. Local guy Ben Wesley would be good too and He would not throw off the budget.

Brooklyn singer-songwriter and Cleveland Christmas tree farmer Alex Battles and his Whisky Rebellion.

I'd also geek pretty hard for Faith No More.

Big KRIT

Daft punk? would never happen. Eddy Current Suppression Ring?  Action BronsonSigur RosChromaticsMark Ronson

That Dog is back together? Yeah, go ahead and add them to my paragraph. 

Cloud Nothings played KTRU Outdoor Show this year. FPSF got scooped.