Notes From Desertfest New York 2022: Pre-Show at Saint Vitus Bar
Posted in Reviews on May 13th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Is it real? Doesn’t feel yet like it could be. I was at Desertfest New York in 2019, and it was a blast while obviously shooting as well to be a proof of concept in terms of whether or not a DF-branded thing could work here. It was also 10 lifetimes ago.
And before we go any further, I propose the official game of Desertfest NYC 2022 is that, whoever feels so clever as to point out that Brooklyn is indeed not a desert ecosystem gets punched in the arm. “Ah you said it!” Punch. Doesn’t have to be a hard punch.
This is the pre-show, which makes the coffee I pounded at the shop down the way as the pre-pre-show. It’s been the better part of three years since I was last at a festival like this, and with coordination by the powers that be at Desertfests London and Berlin, this second DFNY has significantly upped the scale from its lone predecessor. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, packed. Tonight is “just” four bands. An easing in, if you will.
I don’t have a coverage plan for the next few days. I’m going to write when I can, take pictures when I can, do my best to stay hydrated and unconcerned about shit like catching the plague or where to stand so I don’t feel like an asshole. That’s gonna be a big one in terms of difficulty.
But I got to the Vitus Bar early, which is fine because I’d rather sit in a coffee shop than traffic, and apart from needing to use the restroom [I did avail myself of the W.C., labeled as such], I was reasonably comfortable if restless. I took a Xanax before I left the house but am otherwise lucid. I made and brought pecan butter to eat in the car, because that’s who I am. And I have to feed the meter sometime between 5 and 5:30 so I don’t blow it on parking. All of this felt very urgent, because I was nervous about the show.
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Druids
Their new album is about to come out on Pelagic. They have it for sale in the back, reportedly, which I may have to investigate for myself. The Des Moines trio were supposed to be touring with Planet of Zeus, but so it goes. They did well in the opening spot, had a good and celebratory crowd on their side from the start. Some sludge, some more modern progressive heavy, and they carried it across well in a short set. I could tell you how long it’s been since I’ve seen a band for the first time, but frankly it’s embarrassing. Druids made it easy to remember why I enjoy that kind of thing. Circumstances permitting, they should tour as much as possible. And for having had their tour essentially pulled out from under their feet, they were putting in admirable work on stage and making the most of what they had. For being unfamiliar, I was impressed by their range.
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Freedom Hawk
Freedom Hawk are one of at least two bands on this bill about to put out their best album to-date. They played two new songs in “Take All You Can” and “” and their older stuff was a joy to revisit. Doesn’t seem like that long ago since the last time I saw them here, but turns out it’s been a few years. Live there’s always extra heart in their stuff and the fun they’re having comes across more when you can see them having it, even though Mark Cave’s bass had to be turned down because it was “insane.” And so it was. While I’m thinking of the rhythm section, watching the drums during “Blood Red Sky,” which might need to be moved to a set closer position, have me a whole new appreciation for the snare work in that song and elsewhere throughout Freedom Hawk’s oeuvre. Mostly they were a blast though, whatever you were paying attention to, and they must certainly found welcome in the increasingly packed out room.
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Valley of the Sun
I didn’t drive 11 hours to be here tonight, but Valley of the Sun did, and I don’t know about for them, but it was certainly worth the trip for me. It’s been a decade easy since I last saw them and they too are about to put out the best record they’ve ever made. They had the songs in their set to prove it. “The Chariot,” “Devil I’ve Become.” And I won’t say a bad word, ever, about “Riding the Dunes,” but with so much good new stuff around it, it was just one of a number of highlights even if the last one. They tore it up, and Ryan Ferrier has assembled a lineup for the band that feels built for the stage. They were a joy enough that my neck will be sore tomorrow and I feel lucky to have seen them right now. I asked immediately when they were going on tour and the answer was soon. I’ll be keeping an eye out for that announcement, and if you’re reading this sentence, you should too. What a night this is.
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The Atomic Bitchwax
Fuck, I think I got motion sickness from The Atomic Bitchwax’s riffs. No, really. From the stage, Chris Kosnik, “You wanna hear a fast one or a slow one? Trick question, they’re all fast ones.” I mean, it’s been years since I’ve seen just about anybody, but I feel like it’s even more too long when it comes to these guys. To wit, this is my first time since Garrett Sweeny joined on guitar, and it just works. I’ve seen him play with Monster Magnet — same goes for all of them, I guess — but this band is all about letting loose and ripping it up. And especially in a style where so much is about slow groove and nodding out, here come the Bitchwax just daring you, the other bands they’re playing with on any given night and humanity in general to keep up if you, they, all can. As a band, their oneupsmanship is unreal. It is right that they are headlining. And they did “Kiss the Sun,” and “Birth to the Earth” and “Hope You Die,” and oh, the years since the last time I saw them just melted. T-t-t-total. Freedom. To think a few hours ago I was sitting at the bar reading a book and the place was dead. Now this. How is it not magic? I guess it is. I think I’m gonna throw up though. Still dizzy. Might die. But I’ll die with “So Come On” stuck in my head, so mark that a win.
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More pics after the jump if you’re up for it.
