Headstash

Headstash's NORTH COAST 2012 Review Guide

Weather

Coming into the festival, I was worried that we were in trouble with Hurricane Irene coming directly at us. Thankfully, the storm only left us with a slight drizzle on Friday. The rest of that day was pretty hot, but the overcast clouds kept it at a great temperature. Saturday and Sunday were both beautiful days with moderate temps and most importantly no rain!

Festival Highlights

Size matters. Union Park was set up very well for a festival. The size of the park made it extremely easy to catch every act you wanted to see. Once one act ended, it was only a quick walk across the park to catch the next artist.

Like an Arabian marketplace. NCMF had an incredible amount of vendors. Food, clothing, jewelry and whatever else you needed were available right on site. All the food that I ate was delicious, and each vendor sold his or her product at a very reasonable price.

Silent but deadly. The Groupon Silent Disco Stage was a small area where each person in the crowd had to wear headphones to hear the artist playing. This was a great way to escape the large crowds and hear some music from underground artists that most people have never heard before.

Headliner Highlights

STS9 headlined the festival Friday night to one of the biggest crowds of the entire weekend. “20-12” was a great way to open the show, and had a great segue into “When The Dust Settles.”

My personal highlight of the show was the surprising “Really Wut?” What made me even happier was that the crowd ate it up, too. Finally after never hearing it live, I heard my first “T.W.E.L.V.E.” This track turned the entire festival into an all-out dance party.

Photo Credit: Sean Wilmsen

Although a typical festival set from Sector 9, it was a great time, and I could tell there were now a lot of new STS9 fans.

Umphrey’s McGee headlined on Saturday night with one of the best shows I saw all weekend. The “Gurgle > Ocean Billy” set a tone that showed they were going to play a mixture of new and old material. Keeping the crowd going through the whole set at an electronic music festival can be hard for an “organic” band, but the local rockers had no problem.

The last two songs and the encore are really what sealed the deal for me. The electric-inspired “Push The Pig” and “JaJunk” to close out the set had me – and everyone else in the crowd – out of breath. Then, the icing on the cake: “Puppet String > Eminence Front > Puppet String” to close out the night. Umphrey’s didn’t have the biggest crowd ever, but man did they bring the heat.

There was intense experimentation, great jamming and seemingly telepathic communication between the band members. LD Jeff Waful just keeps getting better and better as his light rig keeps getting bigger and more intricate.

Pretty Lights. Nowadays, you can't expect anything less than a spectacularly dazzling Pretty Lights show. The production of all his performances are just incredible. His fans are passionately loyal and though his music is polarizing for many, the energy is undeniable. The symbiotic relationship between Derek Vincent Smith and the crowd is unparalleled.

Undercard Highlights

With seven members, a ton of equipment and an amazing energy it was surprising to see Digital Tape Machine(feat. Joel Cummins and Kris Myers of Umphrey’s) play on the smallest stage at the festival. This did not stop them from bringing us one of the best sets of the weekend. No other band at the event mixes dance beats, hip-hop, DJ scratching, Moog keyboard weirdness and heavy metal guitar riffs all in one place. These guys are definitely a great group of individuals making great music that people do, as they should, pay attention to.

Photo Credit: Sean Wilmsen

The hip-hop/electronic trio of Two Fresh was a Friday highlight that my ears will not forget for a few days. Their set was so loud and had so much energy that when I walked away, my right ear was pretty much deaf. The duo of DJs plus a drummer remixed hip-hop with their own electronic spin and kept the crowd going for the entire hour.

Indigo Sun was a local band that I knew I couldn’t miss – and they did not disappoint. The group played an early set on Sunday afternoon to a fairly small crowd, but that did not stop them from throwing down. When you put great live electronic music together and have a sax as the lead, you cannot go wrong. The small crowd loved every minute of it, and when they dropped a new song debut, “The Medicine,” to end the set, everyone in the area was getting down. This is a must see band for any music lover.

EOTO's all improvised dubstep was a breath of fresh air, taking listeners through an intergalactic journey of expert musicianship and creative flow.

It seemed like the whole crowd was more involved for Beats Antique than most other bands with Zoe Jakes' front-of-stage belly dancing. They incorporate international rhythm and groove with some untz-y dance beats that get the crowd wild.

Photo Credit: Sean Wilmsen

Yeah, Dan Deacon is weird. The world knows that, Dan Deacon knows that. But thatʼs what makes him unique. He started off his set by making the entire crowd go through some motions like getting down on one knee and then pointing at the people who refused to follow. Then he started going on a rant about the Lion King. If this explanation is confusing, the experience was even more so. You must go see this man live. It is truly a fun time.

People Under The Stars. Old-school hip-hop from L.A. Any questions? Good. Go see them.

One of my favorite rappers right now, eXquire has been called the Biggie Smalls of this generation (before P. Diddy) touched him. This is one of the last great ambassador’s from Brooklyn telling the world how his life is. He’s a really nice guy who gladly took pictures with fans before the show.

The only thing that upsets me about Strange Arrangement is that many people donʼt know who they are. Great jamming mixed with fun grooves makes for a real great time. They are finally playing bigger venues in their hometown of Chicago, and soon enough they will be selling out other great venues across the country.

Local Chicago DJs never disappoint. Vapor Eyes is proof of that.

Late-night Highlights

STS9’s sold-out return to The House of Blues was a dream for new and old Sector 9 fans. They opened with a reprise “Scheme,” which is a more subdued and slowed down version of the song, creating a dark and ominous mood. The highlight of the first set was a perfectly placed “Equinox.” The song was well played and each person in the crowd showed their appreciation after the last notes ended.

Photo Credit: Sean Wilmsen

The second set opened with the upbeat, reworked “Evasive > Kamuy” that brought high-energy after a set break. The second set “Grow” was also very well placed and brought the funk I was looking for all night. Any time they encore with an ethereal and uplifting “Breathe In,” it’s a successful night.

Sunday night’s Umphrey’s McGee late-night was exactly what I needed after three long days at the festival. High-energy, an excited crowd and great music all made this the perfect way to end my weekend. The first four songs had everyone in the crowd gasping for air in the hot and muggy Congress Theatre. “The Floor > Wappy Sprayberry > Wife Soup” and an always powerful “Resolution” got the show off to an incredible start.

The second set brought monster jams from “The Triple Wide” and “In The Kitchen,” and then a well played “Hurt Bird Bath” to close it out. The “Pay the Snucka” with a Rage Against the Machine jam had so much energy, I thought the roof was about to come off. A perfect close to a wild weekend.

Surprises

Maya Jane Cole was the best surprise of the weekend. I knew she was going to be good, but she blew away my expectations. Playing on the small stage right before Pretty Lights, she still kept a huge crowd, and kept them dancing the whole time. The best part of it all is that unlike other DJs at this festival, she was spinning CDs and not just standing in front of a laptop. Anytime a DJ still spins is awesome in my book.

Van Ghost was another great surprise. I have seen them a few times in the past year, but this time was different. They sounded much tighter. Playing to a very nice sized crowd, Van Ghost showed why they have played this festival each of the last three years.

Photo Credit: Sean Wilmsen

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Check out our coverage of all your favorite summer festivals in our 2012 Festival Guide.

What did you think of NCMF 2012? Highlights, lowlights and surprises? Let us know in the comments below . . .