We had a fabulous time at the music festival. 17 Hippies (below) was out of sight, with fun, genre-mixing surprises in their songs. They had a cinematic feel, combining Central European moodiness with American tough-guy movies. Kind of like Weimar Germany cabaret meets Dennis Hopper in Wim Wenders' The American Friend, all with the rootsy polka-like klezmer sound of Central Europe.
March Fourth Marching Band, from Portland, OR, absolutely rocked our world. Check out their steampunk drum racks here and here. The Marching Band got into some really deep beats, mixing up the Meters funk interpretation of the New Orleans sound with the charisma of a street band. Given the creativity pouring out of these arrangements, I have faith again in the world.
Final comment. I think world music festivals have been known for earnest folk music and pure, authentic roots musicians, and that aspect still remains a part of them. But it's the big, talented, irreverent ensembles that really make a festival. Both of these groups had 15-20 people on stage and they were both super tight. Getting all those people organized and on tour is authentic enough for me.
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