Another year has come and gone. Soon enough we will be underway with the second decade of the 21st century. I still find it hard to believe and often wonder where the past has gone. The last year of my twenty’s will be coming up this year, but that’s another story for other people in another place and time. As for the music scene in 2009, it was an amazing year for bands, albums and festivals. Let me take you on a quick ride through the past year and how the music scene appeared through my eyes.
There were shows and festivals, and then some more shows and festivals, and then even more shows and festivals. Oddly enough, the climax (or greatest musical experience) of the year fell right at the halfway point of the year. I made my third trip to Manchester, Tennessee for the Bonnaroo Music Festival in the middle of June. I witnessed over forty mind-blowing sets covering all types of music, many of them being the first time I’d seen most of these bands. Bruce Springsteen, two Phish shows, David Byrne of the Talking Heads, Ben Harper and Relentless7, MGMT, Band of Horses, Wilco, Andrew Bird, Bon Iver and Passion Pit (who all rank in my top ten performances from the weekend). But I can’t say enough amazing things about Bonnaroo; I really believe that every music fan should have this festival on their bucket list.
There were other smaller festivals too; Louisville’s Forecastle Festival in July featuring Widespread Panic, Yonder Mountain String Band, Umphrey’s McGee and the Avett Brothers, among many, many others playing over three days in a small park alongside the Ohio River. There was also Spring Hookahville, held just outside of Columbus. Created by one of the best jambands in the midwest, Ekoostik Hookah (who played two sets), the festival also featured bands like the Wailers and Steve Kimock’s Crazy Engine, featuring the legendary George Porter Jr. on bass and Bernie Worrell on keys.
Then there were the Cincinnati festivals; MidPoint and CincyPunk. It was by far the best MidPoint ever, with the addition of the Lite Brite Test Film Festival at the Contemporary Arts Center, the big tent outside Grammar’s Bar and a lot more music on Fountain Square. Raving shows included sets from national touring acts like the Dynamites featuring Charles Walker, Chairlift, Micachu and the Shapes and The Do, and local favorites like the Heartless Bastards (not so local anymore but we still love them), the Lions Rampant, Buffalo Killers, The Sundresses, mallory and The Minor Leagues, among (literally) hundreds of others who, while I cannot mention them all, they are not forgotten by any means. And then the return of CincyPunk at the Southgate House. I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging because my brother created this festival, but it really has become a fun, important staple in the local music scene, bringing together the best from the area and some from beyond, for what really is without a doubt the best weekend locally of music aside from MidPoint. Mad props to him on that, and to the return this coming April for their ninth festival! Maybe one day you’ll see a festival put together by yours truly…
Then there were all the shows I caught around town, mostly at the Southgate House, but also at places like the Mad Hatter and Northside Tavern. I tried to make a list last week, but I still think I’m forgetting some shows. Some that really stick out in my head are Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit with Deer Tick, Pomegranates CD Release Party, Peter, Bjorn and John with Chairlift, Sara Watkins, The Felice Brothers, Fran and Andy of Travis’ storyteller-like show, Backyard Tire Fire, mallory’s CD Release Party, and of course the late Vic Chesnutt.
But for more on the year in the local music scene, you’ll have to stay tuned. I’m putting something together featuring over 130 of the area’s bands and how the year was for them. Keep looking for that.
As for music on a national and even international level, there was just so much going on that I really don’t know where to start. Let’s start with albums released. So many great albums, so little time. Among the best of the year, you’ll have to check out the releases from bands like (and get ready for this), Fever Ray, White Lies, Antony and the Johnsons, Bon Iver, Umphrey’s McGee, Animal Collective, Andrew Bird, Bruce Springsteen, Muse, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Flaming Lips, M. Ward, Booker T. Jones, Morrissey, Neko Case, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Handsome Furs, Dan Deacon, The Decemberists, Girls, Peter, Bjorn and John, Doves, Bat for Lashes, Fruit Bats, Sara Watkins, Wilco, Camera Obscura, Asher Roth, Japandroids, Brendan Benson, Dan Auerbach, Conor Oberst, Akron/Family, White Rabbits, Portugal. the Man, Passion Pit, Dave Matthews Band, The Mars Volta, and Grizzly Bear, The Dirty Projectors and Phoenix, three who rank among the hottest bands of the year.
There were also all types of events, including the kind of stuff you don’t want to hear about; deaths of music legends and breakups of bands. Perhaps the biggest story you’ll hear when you look back on 2009 is the death of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. But so many others in the music industry left this world this year, too many to name, but I’ll just throw a few more names out there: Ron Asheton of The Stooges, Billy Powell or Lynyrd Skynyrd, John Martyn, Estelle Bennett of The Ronettes, Kelly Groucutt of ELO, Ron Stallings of Huey Lewis and the News, Jay Bennett of Wilco, Koko Taylor, DJ AM, Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary, Steve Ferguson of NRBQ, Jerry Fuchs of !!!, Maserati and the Juan Maclean, Vic Chesnutt and James Sullivan of Avenged Sevenfold.
Then there were the bands who either broke up or went on a hiatus: Conor Oberst’s Mystic Valley Band disbanded, although you don’t have to worry about Conor never playing music again. The former creator behind Bright Eyes, is currently working with friends Jim James of My Morning Jacket and M. Ward in the supergroup Monsters of Folk. Actress and singer, Juliette Lewis, disbanded her band The Licks, while Live, Oxford Collapse, The Verve and the Violent Femmes all broke up in 2009. Bands who are currently taking a break include Bloc Party, Nine Inch Nails, The Fratellis, The Knife and TV on the Radio, although I’m not too bothered by the Dixie Chicks, Fall Out Boy, Foo Fighters and P.O.D. taking a break. 2009 also saw a return for some bands: the Beastie Boys released their first album with vocals in five years, Alice in Chains released their first studio album in fourteen years, while the Black Eyed Peas, Blink 182, Depeche Mode, Green Day, Eminem, Rancid and U2 all released their followup albums since the mid-00′s. 2009 also saw the return to the road for jamband warriors like Phish, The Dead and the String Cheese Incident.
I really don’t know what else to put in this, so I’ll just end it. I hope you enjoyed reading about the year in music from my perspective, and I hope your 2009 was as awesome as mine. Here’s to an even better 2010! Cheers!