Saturday was an all around solid day. The heat was a lot, but we survived and had a great time. We don’t know what Sunday’s crowds will look like, but Saturday was definitely bigger than Friday. Here are our daily awards.
Photos: Unsung Hero Media // Brandon S. Turner
Dad Music Award 2 – Hiss Golden Messenger
Beaver really enjoyed dad watching again at the Boom Stage. These dads are super dedicated. It was really, really hot at this point in the day, and they were all out their in their tie dye shirts, drinking craft brews and awkwardly dancing.
The Avengers Award 2 – Teddy Abrams
We only saw the tail end of the West Louisville Showcase, but we are so glad we wandered over for that little bit. We saw some excited youth from the West End play the drums, sing a little, and dance a little. Jecorey “1200” Arthur finished the set with a call out to our ignorant governor and whatever stereotypes there might be about folks coming from that particular part of town. It was powerful moment for sure. We also made sure to catch The Forecastle Symphony performing Terry Riley’s “In C.” The minimalist composition included around 35 local musicians playing short repetitive phrases, melded into one. Seeing the whole thing from the beginning would have been nice, but our brief moment of respite listening to and watching this marathon performance was fascinating.
Nasty Woman Award – Jenny Lewis
Jenny is a bad ass woman, plain and simple. We’ve all seen her a couple of times, and we have never been disappointed. She played some oldies that we’ve never seen performed live (i.e. Rilo Kiley’s “Portions For Foxes”) and a few newer ones, too… sang along to everything, nevertheless. She is unabashedly feminine and exudes so much strength and confidence, which we definitely admire. Keep doing you, Jenny Lewis.
Homecoming Award – Houndmouth
Houndmouth is really good, and really, really good live. So we shouldn’t need to say much here. The hype was big for the hometown heroes return to at Forecastle. The energy of yesterday’s crowd makes it apparent that everyone is on board the Houndmouth 2.0 train. Side note, we want to know if anyone really did the Houndmouth quadruple play this weekend… because that is some dedication.
Memba Award? – Jimmy Eat World, T-Pain
Beaver got his first Jimmy Eat World experience, and Aubrey/Britt got to remember how much they have loved this band over the years. We did a lot more singing that we expected to. Front man Jim Adkins expressed sincere gratitude for all the love and support over their 25 year career. T-Pain was also a lot of fun and took Aubrey back to high school and college. And yes, the crowd was massive as predicted… can’t we get hip hop artists on one of the bigger stages???
I’m not a country fan, AND… Award – Chris Stapleton, Margo Price
These folks are talented musicians who shouldn’t be pigeon holed into any particular genre, because they are way better than that. We loved watching Margo Price take over the drum kit for what turned into a very jam-band-esque segment of her set. Chris Stapleton’s raspy voice and just normal guy demeanor is likable by all types of people and music fans. Even if you would think these artists aren’t your thing, trust me, give them a chance. There is more going on then the country label let’s on.
Best Second Time Around Award – The War On Drugs
Aubrey will admit that her first The War On Drugs set wasn’t her favorite… it was later afternoon, hot and kind of boring back in 2015. This Boom Stage closing set, however, was completely the opposite. The vibe was completely different and she had a lot more fun this time around.
Live Music Louisville 