I finally got to see the great band Swearin’ on Sunday. They played a slot at a three-day music festival organized and promoted by Gigawatts which calls itself a Brooklyn-based “media brand with DIY roots.”
I attended day 3 of the fest. The expansive Wick/Well complex on Meserole in East Williamsburg proved to be a wonderful space for the type of big dual-stage event Gigawatts was trying to pull off. Benches lined the sides of the outdoor viewing area and picnic tables with umbrellas were set up in the rear of the space.
It was upper 80’s with a nice breeze as a bulk of the patrons congregated for the more intriguing lineup of bands playing outside. The old brick brewery complex which is now the Wick towered behind the Well’s outdoor stage.
A permanent, immovable pole with an upside-down exit sign was positioned just in front of the center of the elevated stage. It might have been a more annoying obstruction of view had it been more crowded but there was plenty of room for everyone to stand in a place that would avoid the blind spot.
Gigawatts no doubt ran a deficit on this event given the dazzling lineup of talent assembled and the light turnout it was said to have drawn on all three days. At one point prior to day 2 of the fest, organizers slashed the cost of the one-day pass from $35 at the door to 20 bucks. Sunday’s day 3 admission at the door went back to $35 which I think is fair given the lineup but it still likely kept people away.
Swearin’ was the draw for me. I’ve long been wearing out spins of their self-titled full length debut and their follow-up Surfing Strange. I play those two records in my ears on the bus on the way to work all the time. The band was really great on Sunday. The skies were just starting to lose light. Coming off a break to pursue other obligations, Swearin’ was remarkably tight. Fronted by Allison Crutchfield (pictured above) and Kyle Gilbride, the band is at its best when both sing on the same song as they did on Here to Hear and Kenosha.
Mermaid and Fat Chance also sounded wonderful.
Swearin is based in Philly now. Gilbride (pictured above) works as a recording jack-of-all-trades at his own outfit Wherever Audio. His ability to gain intriguing guitar sound from bands he works with is evident on the first song from the much-anticipated All Dogs record coming out in late August. Crutchfield is coming off a long stretch playing in her sister Katie’s band Waxahatchee. Both sisters are exceptional songwriting talents. Comparisons would be difficult and probably unfair given how great and unique they both are.
Speaking of siblings, the other band I’d been anxious to see Sunday features two brothers. Ian Graham (pictured above) fronts the Lansing, Michigan band Cheap Girls. His brother Ben plays drums. It was fun to watch the two interact during their 45-minute set. Ian’s songwriting on the band’s latest release Famous Graves is right up my alley. There’s a lot of determination to take it as it comes but not before being tough on one’s self about how best to deal with the day-to-day.
Man in Question is a great, great song. So is Knock Me Over which sounded awesome Sunday. Says Ian Graham: “Love and connection are the toughest of friends. All starts with an interview, turns into a job. But I’m not above at least checking in. A slight reality that I’ll stick around.”
Saw a couple great tattoos Sunday. The first pair of permanent ink came on the back of calves. “Step” on one and “Lightly” printed in small lettering on the other. The other was a detailed depiction of the Chrysler Building on a different woman’s calf. Nice job by both individuals with the unique and interesting choices.
Beer was great too from the Well’s long list of choices. Thanks to Whitey for steering me right with the good stuff. Tonight, it’s back to the rock show for night four of the five night Titus Andronicus run at Shea.
-Reporter Robin Wright penned a great piece on the Iran nuke deal for the New Yorker this past week. Writing from Tehran – at perhaps some risk to her security – Wright called the agreement “the most significant nonproliferation agreement in decades.” It seems we take for granted nuclear arsenals already in existence across the world. Why not celebrate an instance that aims to at least delay another country from going all the way with its destruction capability? For context, Wright details the most recent four countries to add the bomb. Citing Ploughshares Fund as her source, here’s the lineup with each country’s estimated number of nukes. In each case, diplomatic efforts failed to stop proliferation.
Pakistan: 120
India: 110
Israel: 80
North Korea: 10
Five other superpowers (Russia, US, France, China and the UK control almost 16-thousand nukes) have buttons – that if pressed could unleash end-of-the-world-type nuclear devastation. To the boobs in the US Congress saying they oppose a hard-to-gain agreement to delay Iran’s entry to the Nuke club: Get a grip and support the notion that this world is better off if we all back off the bomb.