The Flaming Lips + Passion Pit + more! - Nateva Music Festival (Oxford, ME; Jul. 2-4, 2010)

[Our fearless team, Ben Piper and Michael Spencer spent three days in beautiful Oxford, Maine, checking out the first (hopefully) annual Nateva Music Festival. With over 50 bands spanning genres of indie, folk, alt-country and reggae, the festival had a little something for everyone. Check out all our coverage here.]

I wound off the highway onto Route 26 in Oxford, Maine and was welcomed at Nateva’s gate by a friendly bearded gentleman whose first query was, “Do you have a massive amount of drugs in your car?” I answered no, emptied the contents of two disallowed glass beer bottles into my person, and dizzily arrived on the grounds, ready to rub dirty elbows with the hippie community.

Band Most Unaffected by a Bad Mix: Passion Pit

Since the release of Manners in early 2009, these Bostonians have roared through a tenacious tour itinerary, and their polish was glistening on Friday. Mike Angelakos has developed impeccable mic technique to deliver his screeches and belts, and the buzzing foundational layers of synth have never been warmer. It’s tricky to mix Passion Pit, given their dichotomy of falsetto vocals and poly-synthesized dance breakdowns, and the folks at the soundboard were seemingly two knob-turns away from kick-drum and bass guitar levels that didn’t rattle my fillings. But minor mixing maladies aside, Passion Pit pounded through a collection of tunes from their debut album, some revamped numbers from the Chunk of Change EP, and closed with a delightfully dancey cover of The Cranberries “Dreams.” Not many Mainer hippies made it out for this one, but by the end of the set, the Nateva festival saw her first formidable audience, a sun baked and smiling bunch.

Show Most Likely to Encounter a Supine Hippie: Grizzly Bear

Grizzly Bear doesn’t rock out like other bands. Their heady, atmospheric sound broods slowly before unloading into spasms of frenetic guitar and drums. But it seemed as though Grizzly Bear took “play at the Nateva festival” to mean “play for an audience of people on acid.” Whether or not people were indeed on acid, the point remains that Grizzly Bear played an extended, chilled out set, perfectly suited for the drowsy or drug-addled. Dreaded, grimy bodies were scattered about the grounds, and after a few songs I was inclined to join them. The set included a smattering from Veckatimest and a number of older songs which slipped into nebulous blobs of sound, often sprinkled with strange fluttering woodwinds. The group of classically trained vocalists wailed indulgently into reverb so reverby that they had time to gear up and sing again before the previous note had faded away. A typical Grizzly Bear show it wasn’t, but the boys represented Brooklyn well, showcasing their inventive song structures and deep electric soundscapes.

Most Legitimate Reggae: John Brown’s Body

I’ve never been to a reggae concert, though I’ve got nothing but love and respect for the genre. I’d overheard some very positive talk of John Brown’s Body, and from their first moments on stage it was apparent that we were in for some real reggae. Surrounded by organ, bass, drums, sax, trumpet, and trombone, lead singer Elliot Martin topped familiar reggae tones and fully immersive grooves with explosive, soaring vocals. This guy exuded reggae, and his stage presence was such that you couldn’t picture him anywhere else if you tried. Male pattern baldness couldn’t bridle long dreadlocks which fell below his belt, and swung to and fro when he’d lean back to nail his impressive higher notes. The driving bass and drums and complementary horns sounded at moments like the Sublime of old, and at other times like the Ozomatli of new, but John Brown’s Body never strayed far enough from its core reggae roots to quite enter a categorization of ska, rock, or dubstep, though the influences were there. It was a bummer leaving their show twenty minutes early to catch the McLovins, but I walked slowly with a hand in the air, soaking in as much of that deep ambience as physically possible. Sauntering never felt so bad-ass.

Least Surprising Band to Emerge From a Pulsating Electric Light Vagina: The Flaming Lips

Of course they did. And yes, Wayne Coyne crowd surfed inside an enormous translucent beach ball, too. And yep, he shot streamers into the light fixtures while fog machines pumped plumes into falling confetti and pulsing strobe lights. From the very first moments onward, the Flaming Lips showcased their breathtaking amalgamation of practiced performance art, rock music, and psychedelia. Coyne sang of love, robots, George Bush, tangerines, and LSD – and he did it earnestly, too. After a rousing rendition of “She Don’t Use Jelly” and a delicate acoustic “Yoshimi,” Coyne delicately crooned “In The Morning of the Magicians,” though his ailing voice sounded on the verge of giving out completely. Before closing the set with a practically spiritual rendition of “Do You Realize?” Coyne shot green lasers from fake hands, reflecting them off two massive disco balls and into the audience. Steven Drozd looked up from his synthesizer and called nonchalantly, “Nice laser hands, Wayne.” Incredibly, for these guys it’s just business as usual. 

DOWNLOAD: Passion Pit - Folds In Your Hands (Keljet remix) (MP3) or Follow us for more Passion Pit MP3s (Twitter)

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