Thurston Moore, Merzbow, Ken Vandermark, and more: Hopscotch 2013 is in full-swing
My ears are still ringing 12 hours after standing face-to-face with Merzbow while he laid waste to King's Barcade last night.
UPDATE: Sonic Youth singer/guitarist Thurston Moore and Sunburned Hand of the Man's John Moloney (drums) played Three Lobed Recordings and WXDU's Hopscotch Day Party this afternoon (Fri., Sept. 6). Calling themselves the Caught On Tape Duo, their set began with a long, drawn-out, and extremely chaotic rendition of "Ono Soul" from Moore's 1995 LP Psychic Hearts. From there they dove headlong into waves of feedback, distortion, and spontaneous noise compositions that were quite tastefully executed, despite their seemingly caustic nature.
While navigating Raleigh, N.C., surface streets last night en route downtown for the 2013 Hopscotch festival, one thing became abundantly clear: Despite the comparisons, in no way does the scene here resemble anything like SXSW, Bonnarroo, or any other citywide music fest. Parking spaces are everywhere, and the spring break vibe that's become synonymous with the festival circuit is noticeably absent. That's all by design, too. There simply aren't hordes of people here clogging up the sidewalks. And while bouncing between the city's small and mid-size venues, trying to catch performances by Pharmakon, Endless Boogie, Merzbow, and the Ken Vandermark & Tim Daisy Duo, it also became clear that people who have made the trek to Raleigh from far and near are all about the sophisticated spread of music the weekend holds in store.
My ears are still ringing 12 hours after standing face-to-face with Merzbow while he laid waste to King's Barcade last night, followed by a gut-wrenching show from Tim Daisy and Ken Vandermark above the Busy Bee Cafe. One day down, three to go.