After a seven year hiatus, the Louisville punk and hardcore throwdown known as KrazyFest returns this weekend bringing with it a slew of bands that helped cement the Fest’s Krazy reputation the first time.
The original festival ran from 1998-2003, growing and moving locations from The Brewery to the Belvedere, the Water Tower and eventually Waterfront Park. The 2011 Fest moves the excitement to Expo 5 on Seventh Street with plans to showcase 40+ bands between Friday afternoon and Sunday night.
Tickets vary from $32-$40 a day, depending on when and where you buy them. (Find them HERE) .
Can’t commit to an entire weekend of rocking your face off or just not sure which stage you want to stake out the most for front row? Here is a guide to FRIDAY to help you pick your priorities and get your skull shaken to an extent that makes it worth every penny of the ticket price.
LIONS LIONS (3PM) – Sometimes it is all about getting started on the right foot. Boston emo/post rockers Lions Lions kick off all things Krazy with the 3PM slot on Friday afternoon, but don’t let the early time slot fool you. These guys come from the Northeast with both experience (The band features former members of Vanna, Therefore I Am and The Jonah Veil) and ferocity. And it’s not all about screams (though those are important!) – expect anthem-heavy hooks along with your ear-bending yelps.
Expect: Hooks, chant-alongs, sweatiness.
Song we want to crowdsurf to: “Waves”
Hear Lions Lions new EP in its entirety HERE.
READING GROUP (3:30PM) - Louisville’s own R/G take the second slot on opening day and are the first of only a few bands on the Krazy schedule to feature a front-WOMAN. Lead singer Lacey Guthrie holds her own against the boys that will be screaming all weekend, but she does it with good-old-fashioned, in-tune singing. But that doesn’t mean the five-piece outfit won’t rock your face off with their brand of poppy punk – you just might not realize it is happening until it is too late...
Expect: Cuteness, smiles, quick-fingers.
Song we want to jump around to: “Holy Kisser”
Hear Reading Group HERE.
SMALL BROWN BIKE (7:50PM) - SBB are Krazy Fest vets, having rocked both the 2001 and 2002 fests, and one of several acts on the 2011 bill who have both broken up and reformed since their last time getting Krazy. The songs are melodic power-chord punch-outs full of shouts and double vocals, and with absence making hearts grow fonder, there is a very good chance this will be one of the more aggressively attended shows of the weekend. Make sure to wear your heart on your sleeve.
Expect: Distortion, references to “back in the day,” sing-alongs to songs you thought you forgot the words to
Song we want make our neck veins pop out to: “Safe in Sound”
AGAINST ME! (9:50PM) - Against Me! built a career on noisy anarchist punk, but these days are better at making the kind of music that makes you want to drive too fast while singing too loudly. After getting more than a little overshadowed by the Flaming Lips at Forecastle Festival 2010, their late stage appearance will give Against Me! the audience they deserve and the angry backing choir their songs require.
Expect: Fist pumping, vintage jams, twinges of guilt for loving melody more than politics
Song we want to sellout to: “I Was a Teenage Anarchist”
Photo Courtesy of Krazy Fest
