Last week April and I spent the week at Sundance Film festival in Park City, UT. We didn’t buy passes or stay in town, but instead, we came in almost like a local; staying at my aunt’s house in Oakley UT and using credentials/passes of a friend who is local.
We also didn’t do the typical Sundance experience (click here
for a complete guide on how to “do” Sundance Film Festival). Contrary to popularity, we actually did not see one single film. What DID we do then you ask? Well…we treated Sundance as our very own personal music conference – and there was plenty to do! We arrived half way into the conference, so we did miss quite a bit of the music panels and concerts (see a complete list of the Music oriented events at Sundance here: http://filmguide.sundance.org/event/music/ on the festival’s official site), but there was still plenty to do and see. We started out by going to the ASCAP Music Cafe – a showcase of amazing talent put on daily at the festival by none other than ASCAP.
Tuesday’s ASCAP Cafe schedule consisted of (2:00) Sondre Lerche, (2:40) Jeremy Messersmith, (3:30) The Devil Makes Three, (4:00) Matthew Perryman Jones, and (4:40) Rae Spoon. To be honest, I was not familiar with anyone on the bill, but was hopeful that I would hear some great music and meet a few great people.
So, I started out the afternoon with a very early margarita. I wanted to network, and being that I’m a bit shy, I figured it wasn’t too early for some liquid courage. Also since 2:00 here is 4:00 in NYC, I figured it was close enough. Plus, it seemed like everyone there had a drink in hand so I didn’t want to be the odd man out 🙂 There was minimal seating, so we found a place in the back of the room to stand, and a standing table to share to rest our drinks.
Sondre Lerche was up first at Sundance to promote his work on the soundtrack for the festival’s “The Sleepwalker”. He entered the stage just himself and his guitar, and intro’ed his performance with some witty humor. The first thing I noticed was his voice; very reminiscent of a 50’s crooner – beautiful, smooth, seductive. His whole aura reminded me of a young James Dean, and very noticeable was his writing, melody laden writing, poignant lyrics, and well crafted song structure. His music overall is creative, artistic, and just simply beautiful. His performance was simple, clean, and to the point.
Sondre has 6 albums, which I have only begun to check out, and I would love to hear what the readers think about his work. So far, I am impressed. Here is where to find a few of his albums (click the image to go to purchase link):
By the end of Sondre’s set, I was on my second margarita, so I was feeling great, but ready to sit down. I noticed a woman sitting on the floor in the front of the room directly in front of the stage. So, after acting silly, and snapping a selfie of April and myself, I popped a squat on the floor right up front.
Next up was Jeremy Messersmith; this is geek rock at it’s finest! A sound and style that reminds one of Weezer, this was a set full of witty, humorous lyrics. At one point before he launched into his song “One Night Stand”, he commented, “This is a great love song…the closest thing I am ever going to write to one.”
Be sure to check out his new album, “Heart Murmurs”, click the image below to go to purchase page:
By this time I was on my 3rd drink and feeling pretty sparkly 🙂 I also found an actual seat and made friends with an awesome film girl who was sitting next to me, as well as some of the other people on the floor. What a great showcase and a fun time this was!
Next up was The Devil Makes Three. Suddenly, the house really packed out for these guys, which made me very glad I had gotten a seat. This is a country group all the way, fiddle and banjo included. Their sound was a combination of country, americana, bluegrass, and rockabilly. They were backed by a few other musicians, so for this performance the devil made more than three. The chemistry between the three band members was contagious. Whether you like bluegrass or not, you couldn’t help but move your ass to this high energy performance. Take a peek at my favorite, Hallelu:
and be sure to pick up their self titled album, “The Devil Makes Three”
Matthew Perryman Jones was up next, and he brought along a friend, Kate Tucker (who he made sure to mention, is not his backup singer but a glorious artist in her own rite) to back him up. We recognized some of his music from Greys Anatomy’s soundtrack and Vampire Diaries. His set was very beautiful, but it definitely was tough to follow a high energy group like The Devil Makes Three. I have to be honest, between sobering up, and the lullaby like music, I nearly took a nap during his set.
Here he is singing with Kate Tucker:
be sure to pick up the album:
Last up, but definitely not least, was Canadian, Rae Spoon. Her performance was worth the wait, and it was by far the best performance of the day. Transgender FTM performer, star of the Sundance movie, “My Prairie Home“, about her journey as a transgender musician from the prairies of Canada. Visually you see an akward, geeky boy – thick glasses and clothes to match – but when she opens her mouth, you hear the voice of an angel. I have to say this is the single most sexy performance I have ever witnessed. Lyrically, each song was pure genius; the power and emotion in the lyrics, melodies, composition and power vocals. This was a pleasant surprise.
I left with her CD, “Love is a Hunter”, although I would have liked to take all of them (we didn’t have enough cash, April ran to the ATM, but by the time she returned, Rae was sold out of all but that one single CD).
Here is the one I have:
Rae also has several books she has written:
All in all, Tuesday’s ASCAP Music Cafe was pretty amazing! And I’ll end today’s blog here (to be continued), with a BMI Roundtable Panel, another ASCAP showcase, and HP music house.
