SEZIO : FOUR DAY WEEKEND
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Holy shit. I was trying to think of a more eloquent description, but nothing seems as fitting, just, holy shit. I just got back to San Diego last weekend and I couldn’t have asked for a better welcoming- four days’ worth of epic shows. I mentioned before that my friend Zack runs an artist collective called , and put together a muisc festival that ran from Thursday to Sunday. I didn’t miss a day. I wanted to tell you guys about some serious bands that you all need to check out that I recently discovered (and fell in love with) this weekend, as generally brag about the unfairly talented community I once again so humbly find myself in the thick of. Where do these kids come from?
11.04 – The Tree Ring w/
The Vision of a Dying World (for a band name) seems a little bleak, considering it’s a project formed on the heels of a now defunct band called Paddle Boat. Paddle Boat was cinematic, romantic in it’s own way, it held a certain timelessness that has now been set free and has found it’s home under different names and new songs. What it has breathed life into is hardly ‘dying’ but more of a revivalist soul and country act that is simply, fun. With a hearty Southern twang that injects itself into all the greatest folk songs, they played to a crowd of friends as a suited introduction to the Tree Ring’s debut. Joel P. West has been apart of the Sezio community since it’s inception, and a large part of the Invisible Children community as well. His songs are synonymous with our volunteer send offs, roadtrips, and the always cheesy, but never-missed bonfires experienced by the hundreds of kids who’ve come in and out of Invisible Children. Watching him perform with the backing of the Tree Ring was something else. There is a majesty to the sweet violins, organ, drums, and twinkling sounds kept by coloured bed sheets floating above and cut out triangles that sank like half-moons.
art installation by Wes Bruce
11.05 – Dominant Legs w/
The second day we checked out San Diego band Writer, and San Francisco’s Dominant Legs. Writer was hands down, perhaps the collective favorite of the showcase (okay, The Dodos killed it- but more on them later) With the echoed vocals that reminded me of Mike Fiore of Faces on Film, they literally blew everyone away with their performance. Writer, being a two piece, managed to play the kind of expansive, ethereal music that you can feel on your skin and in your fingers, the kind of aesthetic pulled off so perfectly by orchestral bands like Arcade Fire. There has to be more bodies to make sounds like that. Their songs were brooding, but no less catchy than faster pop songs- with that unique dichotomy between darkness and rhythm. They were a band that everyone continued to talk about for the rest of the weekend. Their new stuff is coming out soon, I’ll be sure to give you the information when I know more. Dominant Legs played a disco-infused set with keyboards, electric guitar, beats and songs mostly about love.
11.06 – The Dodos w/
This is where holy shit finds itself most appropriate. The Dodos were unquantifiable. Another insanely good two-piece, the chemistry between the drummer and guitarist somehow attached to one another like an adhesive- like they were one person. I will boldly claim that I’ve never seen someone play drums like that before. It was one of the most intense, energized sets I’d seen in a while. The vocals were urgent and deliberate, but it was the electric guitar that took precedence. The Dodos, by nature, play songs that will make you move some parts of your body whether you’re conscious of it or not, but this time they had people dancing fiercely. It was just such a fun performance to watch, the kind that leaves you amazed by music and the capacity for two people to create it together. Afterwards was a pretty epic limbo session and more dancing, to Katy Perry.
11.07 – Avi Buffalo w/
I hadn’t heard of Chairs Missing but was absolutely floored when I watched them. Made up of members of other bands, including Paddle Boat, Tape Deck Mountain and a few other San Diego musicians, they played their own brand of psychedelic pop music that was a pleasure to watch. It was all over when a tiny violinst ran up stage to join them and fucking killed it. She jammed super hard and held her own, which was really cool. They were a great introduction to Long Beach’s Avi Buffalo who played a hazy psychedellic set with the backing of a fluttering drummer. Seriously, that drummer was mesmerizing, it looked like her arms and hands were dancing, so gently patting and tapping. It was insane.
In short, I love I want more four day weekends.
Writer- Miss Mermaid
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Joel P West- Pine Marten
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The Dodos- Beards
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Friends With Both Arms » Blog Archive » SEZIO : FOUR DAY WEEKEND: The vocals were urgent and deliberate, but it …
Writer and More : #FOURDAYWEEKEND
A comprehensive #fourdayweekend recap from @fwba including some rich, colorful photos of The Tree Ring –