28 April 2009

Siren Music Fest - NOT dead. Whee!



So, it may or may not be apparent here, but I'm not a big fan of outdoor, all-day music festivals. I know a lot of people love them, but I don't care for standing around in a crowd, in the middle of summer, in the heat, all day, waiting for bands to play. Take All Points West, for instance - it's rather close to home, and this year's line-up is good, with a lot of bands I'd like to see, but not good enough to warrant standing in the heat and shelling out all that money for tickets when I could see all the same bands play in New York during the rest of the year and not have to wait through twenty other acts first.*

Anyway, rant over. Point is, Siren Fest is really the only outdoor, all-day festival I've bothered to attend over the past few years, due to proximity and the fact that it's free. I'm okay with standing around with a bunch of sweaty hipsters for a day when it's free.

That was a long segue into my main point : after Astroland closed down last year, I heard people say "It's over" and others say "It's not." Moot point now - Village Voice has just announced this year's initial line-up :

BUILT TO SPILL
THE RAVEONETTES
FRIGHTENED RABBIT
GRAND DUCHY
MONOTONIX
MICACHU & THE SHAPES

It'll be held on 18th July, running from noon 'til about 9 pm at - you guessed it - Coney Island.

And it's still free.


*Don't get me wrong, I think it's great that they've started a big festival in the tri-state area for those who are interested in such things. But, again, I personally am not, unless my jaw drops at the line-up. As for fests like Coachella and Bonnaroo, etc., funds and timing often stand in the way.

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