Being a bit frazzled, I had gone outside for air before starting the real workout for me. I had to see Andy Bilinski in the basement. He was another standout for me last year with his honest, down to earth sound. Tonight was no different. Fabulous tunes that paint images. And this year he didn’t have to deal with being attacked by an angry jellyfish. Last year it put him in the hospital just before his set which he played flawlessly despite the pain.
In another case of coincidence, Jim Testa of Jersey beat came up to me and said Shawn Setaro (formerly of WE Fest veteran band Godboy) was in the bar. I hadn’t seen him in about seven years so I asked why he was here. Jim told me he was now playing with Lowry who I wanted to see simply from folks telling me about them. Now I had even more reason. They were very interesting with singer Alex’s pained delivery and the bands amazing strength. Watching Shawn was a bit surreal since he was on bass. He is an amazing guitarist and, unlike others who’ve crossed over, he was equally amazing on bass.
As their set ended I started to run around again, this time to wrangle bodies for High Speed Chase. They came down from Hoboken and I had to represent. It was a tough timeslot for them and I wanted as many people to get in as much of the set as possible. So off I went. I’m glad I did because I got to catch a couple of songs from Slushco who were really good synth and guitar-based rockers from Atlanta with cool songs and an interesting video backdrop. That made for some interesting photos. I stayed for a couple and then had to get back to wrangling.
After hitting every corner of the two lower levels, I tore ass up to the top floor just in time to catch the very last chord of the very last song from Aniston. I was so pissed because everyone, especially Kenyata, was gushing about them. So again … I need to catch up with them at some point. Although them being based in NC might make that tough. Hopefully they tour soon and make it up to NYC.
On came my boys from Hoboken. What can I say about these guys? High energy … check. Balls to the wall intensity … check. Plus, great guys to drink with. They blew away the staff at Soapbox who invited them back. Three of the member—all drinking buddies of mine from Hoboken—Gibby, Rad and Cory had been in Wilmington for a few days. They made the trip to WE Fest into a long needed vacation and told me they had a great time doing it.
I got to catch the last couple of songs from Billy who were playing on the lounge level of the club. These guys are also based out of NJ and have played WE Fest a few times. I always enjoy their jazz meets country meets prog-rock sound. It’s funny that, out of all the times I’ve seen them, only once was back in Jersey. Each other time was here in Wilmington.
Late Night Pool Party #3 … Disrupted
I found it amusing that, after a half dozen people hopped the fence, it turned out that the gate to the pool was not actually locked. Finally the question of whether or not the management of the hotel was cool with our after-hours swimming was answered. We were kicked out of the pool right around the time the guys from Lowry pulled up in their van. But all was not lost since Kenyata was in the van with them. He immediately suggested we hit the beach. I was so psyched because last year I spent every single late night on the beach and was seriously jonesing.
On the Beach
Being on the beach in the middle of the night is a spiritual experience for me. I’m in love with the ocean and her strength, but I despise crowds and the hot sun. It’s these quieter moments that I get to decompress and relax in a very real way and something I really don’t get to do other than here at WE Fest once a year. Being there with Kenyata always brings that up to an even higher level. This is essentially his backyard and he had always felt a religious connection. He describes moments like this as church. In his single, younger years, he would actually swim out to the jetty as a way of saying good night to the beach and the town. Then he’d walk home to where his family has lived for some 200 years.
