NEARFest

[David Kuznick]

Quoting Jonathan Clark <jonathan at ATT.NET>:

> M Holmes <fofp at HOLYROOD.ED.AC.UK> wrote:
> > A) Dibs made a good fist of things.
> > B) Jason's jazzy synth style doesn't suit Hawkwind.
> > C) Lightshow very desultory for Hawkwind.
>
> I'd agree with all of those.

I kind of liked the keys.  It was different, but I thought it worked just fine.

> I'd also comment that it was a lot quieter than I was expecting - I
> didn't have to use my earplugs at all

In general, NEARFest often tends to have the volume at listenable levels.  There
is NO reason why one should ever have to use earplugs in a relatively small
venue unless you are sitting right in front of the speakers.  Anytime you need
to put earplugs in, it means the sound person is doing something wrong.  Things
can be PLENTY loud without hurting your ears.  Tool live is generally a very
good example of this.

> (even after Dave remembered
> to turn up his PA amp, and thanks to the guy who hollered at him to
> do so).

You're welcome.  :-)  I just want to know how the person in charge of the sound
in the house could have been so clueless as to not notice that there was almost
no guitar at all for so long.  Once in a while it would be audible, then down it
would go again.

> Nice sound mix,

Huh?  I though the sound was AWFUL.  Dave's guitar was still often going out
even after me saying something, there was often no bass drum in the mix until
the very end, Richard's mike was off a lot of the time, etc.

> even with the odd crackling that was coming
> out of the stage right PA stack, until the sound guy turned up and
> kicked something that was under the desk.

There had been crackling earlier in the day too (and again on Sunday), but it
was the worst for HW.

> Anyway, a fun day. I only caught the very end of Magenta's set but it
> seemed like they might be worthy of some more attention. Anyone else
> like (or hate) them?

Not hate, but eh.  I find most of what they do (and some of Rob Reed's other
projects for that matter, like Cyan) very cliched.  It's not *bad* (and I like
that style of music too, so it's not like I have a stylistic bias), but for a
band that is trying to be a very melodic prog band, almost none of the melodies
stick in my head, and the lyrics are too often cringe-inducing; I think if
Christina didn't enunciate so well, it wouldn't bother me as much.  :-)  I have
the first 2 CD's and keep trying to like them, but it just doesn't click for me.
 I think the last song they did was The White Queen off the first album,
Revolutions, which is definitely one of their best songs.

That being said, I still enjoyed the performance, but it didn't "wow" me (like
Indukti, for instance).

--
David Kuznick   dkuznickATalumni.brandeis.edu
"Once I thought I saw you in a crowded hazy bar, dancing on the light
from star to star.  Far across the moonbeam I know that's who you are,
I saw your brown eyes turning once to fire."
Like a Hurricane - NEIL YOUNG