Dayton Music Fest/Saturday Night Recap

Walking into the Oregon District on Saturday evening, the electricity in the air was apparent. People were genuinely buzzed about the Dayton Music Fest....

Obviously, blanket coverage of the event is impossible. You go with your gut and try to see as much as you can. The following is by no means intended to be a fair representation of the event, only my experience....

first stop was Jasper Wall Cafe to see XL427 and Joe Anderl. Having never been to this venue, I found it extremely subdued and cozy. It was exciting to see so many people out so early in the evening...

XL427


Joe Anderl


we then proceeded over to the incredibly underutilized Tumbleweed Connection to catch Kentucky Overflow. On the first song that we caught, the power went out on stage and the guys were scrambling to come up with something entertaining to fill the void. Once electricity returned, Kentucky Overflow dished out a good set filled with plenty of southern-fried goodness and take-no-prisoners guitar shredding...

we made a quick stop in Nite Owl and caught the tail end of The Goody Two Shoes set. They were characteristically dressed to the nines and desperately in need of some tuning. People seemed to dig it though...

next up, we ventured down to Oregon Express to catch Fairmount Girls from Cincinnati. This was one of the best sets I saw. Their vintage indie pop was perfectly delivered and they were quite obviously having a good time. The OE was really crowded right around this time, making it difficult to find anywhere to be with all the tables and chairs taking up all the floor space....

next up, we headed down to the other end of the district tothe Trolley Stop to try and catch Mellonballer, who the organizers were touting as this year's great find. I'm going to have to disagree with this one. Was not a fan...

we then hustled back to the Tumbleweed to catch Human Reunion turn in one of the best sets of the night. Even with bassist Alan confined to a stool after a recent surgery, the energy was still at near-lethal levels. Any band that starts their set by throwing out a blow-up doll certainly has my attention...


after the Human Reunion set, we decided to make the long walk up to Canal Street Tavern to catch Enon. It was a tough call, as we knew we'd miss some other really good stuff in the Oregon District. Upon arriving at CST, we discovered we had just missed the American Static. The venue quickly reached capacity in anticipation of the festival headliner. After what seemed like an interminable wait in sweltering conditions while Enon set up, the band finally kicked in and gave the hordes what they came for. While the performance seemed somewhat subdued, the music was anything but. With their new album coming out Tuesday, we were curious to see what they would pull out. Focusing on the more guitar-driven material in their catalog, Enon turned in rock set that reminded everyone in the room why Dayton music is such a unique phenomenon....




for more of my photos from the event, go here.
how did your night go? what did you see? what did you love?