I am going to go out on a limb (before the festival has ended) to say that the big Surprise hit of Forecastle 2015 was local hip hop act Dr. Dundiff (billed as Dr. Dundiff and Friends, which may have been an understatement with every inch of the stage covered with dozens of 'friends' including the very talented Tyler from 1200 music) who hit the Ocean Stage from 4:15-5:30. Dr. Dundiffs various mixtapes of patchwork 90s style beats such as Alphabeats vo.1 or verse heavy stylings of Page of Cups do not at all represent the electrified energy Dr. Dundiff delivered onstage on Saturday afternoon; as if 1980s era Beastie Boys and double ought era Andrew W.K. hosted the biggest house party that could fit under an expressway overpass.
Speaking of overpasses, I truly love that Forecastle has a dedicated Hip Hop stage, But I can't think of a worse genre to put under a concrete block than hip hop. The natural reverb could work if it was an acoustic folk or Americana stage, but for hip hop it destroys the sound too much.
Dr. Dundiff and Friends and concrete overpass
This distortion was barley noticeable during Dr. Dundiff due to the excitement onstage, especially during the last song when surprise guest Jim James appeared onstage to supply vocals to a very enthusiastic crowd. The natural distortion of the underpass was much more noticeable for the next act, california's IloveMakonen, which began around 6:45 to many false starts and half songs (including The Next Episode from Dr. Dre's Chronic 2001). All these false starts and half songs may have been due to the sound quality being poor, but Makonen kept at it, with his patented off-the-cuff style of raping over treble heavy beats. I was surprised he didn't play "Wishing You Well" but he managed to play his hit single Tuesday (albeit in 2 segments spliced into the set) as well as brand new unreleased tracks.
Crowd at My Morning Jacket
The real draw on Saturday was, of course, hometown heroes My Morning Jacket, who played for an electric 2 hours to end the day. The band kicked off the set with Believe (Nobody Knows) the first track from their new album The Waterfall to a very enthusiastic crowd and continued on a romp through their impressive catalogue including 2005's Off The Record as well as their new single Spring (Among the Living). The band ended their set just after midnight to a packed crowd with the explosive One Big Holiday from 2006's Okonokos album. It was great finale to Day 2 of Forcastle 2015!
Look Out! Forecastle 2015 starts with a bang tomorrow! Here is what I am looking forward to seeing:
Friday July 7th:
JEFF The Brotherhood 3:15pm Boom Stage
4 years ago 37FLOOD writer Camille turned us onto this band and we've been keeping track of them ever since. Read her review here.
Cage The Elephant 7:30 Main Stage
(Last year We suggested they bring in this Kentucky band, and glad to see them on the roster).
Saturday July 18th
Ilovemakonnen 6:15 Ocean Stage
This L.A. hip hop pop candy has a way of digging in with juicy hooks and off the cuff lyrics.
My Morning Jacket 9:15 Main Stage
Hometown heroes closing saturday night on the big stage.
Sunday July 18th
For my money, sunday is the best bet if you are planing to go for just one day..
The WFPK stage starts with a bang with
Twin Limb at 1:30
followed by White Reaper at 2:45
and Diarrhea Planet at 4:45.
