Sacramento – The last day at TBD Fest drew a larger crowd than I had seen all weekend, especially during the evening sets. (Ed., Best New Bands’ Day One coverage is HERE; Day Two is HERE.) The festival was clearly coming to a close, and while I was exhausted, my lungs were full of dust, and my camera’s sensor was starting to act up, my spirits remained high and I was ready to take on the day.
Much of Sunday’s lineup consisted of old powerhouses, such as Blackalicious, Deltron 3030, Blondie, and a DJ set by Justice, but there were still some newer bands kicking around that I wanted to check out. These are five of my favorites from day three:
Total Slacker
The grunge movement is alive and well again, at least for this Brooklyn “slime wave” trio formed in 2010. Total Slacker took to the Beautiful Buzz Stage just as the sun was starting to vanish, illuminating the long flowing locks of the band members’ hair. Their grimy, slow-churned rock oozed out of the speakers at Beautiful Buzz, highlighted by tracks from their 2011 debut such as “Psychic Mass,” “Magical Date Night” (‘for all the lovers’), and “Out of Body Experience;” as well as a few from their follow-up Slip Away, which was released last February.
The Crookes
Sheffield, England’s The Crookes had perhaps some of the best energy seen all day, perhaps all weekend. Their delightful sound was both fresh and classic at the same time, both poppy and rock-fueled, and the tempo kept the crowd’s feet moving all throughout their set. These four lads are currently celebrating the recent release of their third album Soapbox, and treated us with several songs from their new record, as well as classics like “Backstreet Lovers,” “Afterglow,” and the 7” single “Bear’s Blood.” They even stuck around after their show to chat with appreciative fans that had gathered by the media pit, painting a portrait of a band that truly appreciates its fans.
Incan Abraham
Perhaps the sweetest history of a band comes behind LA “dream/world/pop/hypnotic” quartet Incan Abraham. These four childhood friends reunited after college, and got lost in a month of songwriting and reminiscing, and eventually came up with Tolerance, their debut LP that was released in April. They huddled together on the Red Bull Stage and played a short and sweet set of songs from it. Some were dance-y, some were space-ier, but they all had heart, and soul, and it was truly a joy to watch them perform together.
8th Grader
San Francisco singer-songwriter Jayson Martinovich became 8th Grader on the Block Stage, and what a show it was to behold. 8th Grader’s got it all—a soulful female backing vocalist, a percussionist landing all the right beats, and a delightful band mate that is as smooth on the sax as melted butter. 8th Grader’s music is all about romance—namely the physical act thereof—and I cannot think of a more appropriate name for this outfit than 8th Grader, because this guy is all about hormones. His R&B is clearly derived from 90s artists like R. Kelly and Keith Sweat, evident in songs like “Let’s Wait Awhile,” “Feelinz 4 U” and “Diamonds, Silver, and Gold,” all of which appear on his velvety 2013 self-titled EP. He also treated us to a couple of new songs, including one that heralded the dance floor as a ‘natural world’ for ‘boys with boys, girls with girls, girls with boys, boys with girls,’ called “Sex Tongue,” as well as a baby makin’ anthem called “Tiger.” The crowd was really into it, so I’m sure we will be hearing plenty from Martinovich in the future.
DIIV
DIIV’s scintillating blend of dream pop and shoegaze makes for an interesting combination, one that I was looking forward to seeing live. I was not disappointed by the Brooklyn quintet’s performance, playing old favorites from their 2012 debut album Oshin—like “How Long Have You Known?” and “Follow”—as well as several new tracks from their upcoming sophomore LP, including “Dust” which has been recorded by fans at several shows. Smith and his cohorts were actively enjoying playing for us, and one even took a little spill while thrashing around as he shredded, though I can’t say for sure if it was on purpose or not (though I’d like to think that it was). The finale of “Doused” was spectacular, with all five members working beautifully in sync with one another, turning the Beautiful Buzz Stage into a brief mosh pit before subsiding into the night.
As a whole, TBD Fest seems like it has a lot of potential. As far as festivals go, it was comfortable, even in the heat; it was affordable, and the spaciousness of the event was unparalleled. I was mostly surprised at the amount of new talent that was featured, as many of the acts that performed were ones I had never heard of or had just barely recognized. It really was a great place of discovery for me, and now I have a ton of new music to explore. So thanks, TBD Fest, and I hope to see you next year!
Corey Bell
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