The final day of Shaky Knees Fest started with Paper Bird. I discovered the Denver indie-folk band back when MySpace was the best way to find new music, but honestly hadn’t heard much about them since. Turns out they’ve been quite busy in the years since the site’s slow demise, and tour extensively — as a result, the band is impeccably tight. Genny and Esme Patterson and Sarah Anderson’s harmonies greeted sunny skies with gorgeously clear tones — think First Aid Kit meets Nickel Creek with some vaudeville elements.
As the ladies and gents took a bow, I heard a sound that had been largely absent from Shaky Knees: the roar of a loud-as-hell guitar cuing up and letting the fairground know that it was about it to get heavy. My ears pricked up. For the most part, Shaky Knees focuses on Americana, alt-country, and various indie and folk bands, with some back-to-basics rock. With the exception of the late-night Ghost show (I joined into the chorus of “Wait, that Ghost?!” as bewildered attendees flipped through their schedules on Day 1–yes, the Swedish metal band that dresses like a clergy played in conjunction with the indie-folk fest), the bands were pretty light. Crass Mammoth finally gave the earth a good shake (I hear that female-fronted Blood Red Shoes rocked Friday, as well; really bummed I missed that). Quite Queens of the Stone Age and In Utero-era Nirvana in certain moments — the fact that the vocalist bears a striking resemblance to Kurt Cobain certainly contributed to that.
As Crass Mammoth closed out, the familiar sound of an acoustic guitar cued up behind us. I’m happy to follow up on my Shaky Knees preview and report that my beloved Mason Jennings is as talented and charming as ever. He’s an incredibly entertaining solo act to watch: vocals dipping with Lou Reed-esque summertime swagger, inventive guitar work, hooks that are punchy but still saunter. Clever “get the girl back” songs like “Your New Man” had the audience laughing and cheering, and if anyone can make me like a cheesy love song, it’s this guy, with crooning sugary lines like “the past is beautiful like the darkness between the fireflies.” The past is beautiful, Mason. So is our future together. Wink wink.
Once the morning overcast shuffled away early, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky…which sounds delightful after a water-logged weekend, but was pretty oppressive in a giant concrete lot. A suggestion for Shaky Knees next year: more water stations. Attendees were allowed to bring in one empty water bottle and were promised multiple refill stations. While there were certainly multiple stations with volunteers ready to fill up empty vessels with crisp, fresh water, they all were positioned in a single row by the bars and food trucks. I would have liked a stations near both stage groupings, and maybe even a third in between near the merch tents. I spent a lot of my day hiking back to the station, missing a few favorite songs to go get hydrated. Seeing so many families with young kids especially, it would benefit the festival to have water more readily available if they are to remain at Atlantic Station, a place with very, very little shade.
I floated between Stopover alums The Weeks, Deer Tick, and the hydration station. The Weeks are pure fun; I hope we see them back in Savannah soon, before they’re too big for our rooms.
Next up was Blitzen Trapper, who would play one of our aforementioned rooms, The Jinx, the following day (check out Bill’s post). The Portland quintet are a little alt-country, a little jam band-y with some good old mountain-folk influences breezing through. They’re experts of winding down then kicking things back up (the Zeppelin “Ramble On” cover happened at Shaky Knees, too, and was a great chance to show off their technical chops).
Local Natives was absolutely packed. The L.A. band’s dream-daze, rhythm-focused take on indie rock is always interesting and deceivingly complex; they’re another that I’d like to see in a smaller room, as I couldn’t get anywhere near the stage. Petee did, though!
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