Headstash

Headstash On The Road: Camp Bisco 2012 Day 3

Photo Credit: Holly O'Connor

“I never imagined that I’d use my talent like this.” – “Plan B”

This was how The Disco Biscuits opened their first of three sets yesterday on the last day of Camp Bisco XI. My crew of Saturday-only ticketholders came refreshed, energized and ready to party. And while many campers that had been on the grounds since Wednesday/Thursday were understandably drained, it was great to see that The Biscuits were on our level.

“Plan B” produced an upbeat and bouncy jam into “I-Man” to complete what they started on Friday night in classic Biscuit’s fashion. A standalone “Jigsaw” was undoubtedly the highlight of Saturday’s first set, however, as it was perfectly executed and featured an extended drum solo by Allen. Here, the giant LED screens that surrounded the band all weekend were showcasing Allen and his drumming in an almost Jumbotron kind of way.

Photo Credit: Holly O'Connor

“Story of The World” and then “Therapy” was a great way to end set one. Both had a light and airy feel to them that almost seemed to cool our overheating bodies in the 90-degree weather.

Set I: Plan B > I-Man¹, Jigsaw Earth, Story of The World, Therapy
¹completes July 13 version

Up next on the adjacent Main Stage, Philadelphians Brothers Past were ready to rock for their Camp Bisco appearance. Opening with “Who’s Gonna Love Me Now?” they had the crowd who stayed after The Biscuits using all of their dancing room wisely. These guys can be hit or miss for me but every time I see them play at Camp Bisco it gets better and better. The way they layer their sound is unlike any other band in the livetronica scene and yesterday it was definitely something worth braving the heat for.

Atmosphere was probably my second most hyped-up performance of the day after The Biscuits and surely did not disappoint. Many of my fellow ragers had seen this duo of hip-hop stardom before, but this was my first time seeing the group from Minneapolis. “God Loves Ugly” is one of their more well-known classics and had everyone in the crowd reciting the lyrics in unison.

Slug, the main lyrical component of Atmosphere was very animated on stage and interacted with the crowd humorously saying, “I’m afraid some of y’all didn’t shower today,” before playing “Just For Show” off their 2011 album “The Family Sign.” The whole set was hard-hitting and emotional, as many people knew all the lyrics to each song and belted them out with pride. Even for those of us who didn’t, it was a great time and the beats behind Atmosphere’s rapping are more than just danceable.

Photo Credit: Holly O'Connor

Again it was time for The Disco Biscuits to play and this second set absolutely blew me away. The opener, “Spaga” had Magner preceding the normal piano introduction with a tease of Pink Floyd’s “Great Gig in The Sky.”

“Spaga” produced a heart-pumping jam that was building so intensely, I eventually knew it had to be going into an inverted “Above The Waves.” Barber was very on-point here and shredded the peak of “Waves” as only he can. Brownie was doing some heavy improvising during certain sections of the song that gave it that extra special feeling.

As the sun began to take refuge behind the Main Stage, “Spaga” had Barber playing the upper neck of his guitar flawlessly. Dominic Lalli of Big Gigantic was also brought out for an excellent sit-in to help finish off the ending of “Spaga.” You could tell all The Biscuits were having a blast on stage with the versatile saxophonist and vice versa.

Next came “Mulberry’s Dream” followed by “Kitchen Mitts,” which had been apparently 86’d from each of the Road To Camp Bisco shows in the week prior. Though there was a little flub in the beginning of “Kitchen Mitts,” the ending completely made up for it and had most of the crowd going wild.

Photo Credit: Holly O'Connor

Though all three sets yesterday had great moments, the end of this second set was probably the highlight of my day at Camp Bisco. Before dropping into “Bernstein and Chasnoff,” Brownie reminded fans of his non-profit organization Headcount, which he co-founded with long time friend Andy Bernstein whom the song was written about.

The bass-heavy song eventually led into an all-out four-to-the-floor dance party that segued into “Tempest” and had the whole crowd getting down. The jam back into “Bernstein and Chasnoff” was something that my Biscuit’s dreams are made of.

Set II: Spaga > Above The Waves ¹ > Spaga², Mulberry’s Dream, Kitchen Mitts, Bernstein and Chasnoff > Tempest > Bernstein and Chasnoff
¹inverted
²with Dom Lalli on sax

Sticking around the Main Stage again we caught some of Holy Fuck! who’s low frequency random sounds with intense build-ups were interesting and super psychedelic. If it weren’t for the intense heat all day, I would have loved to stay for longer but it was time to head back to our base and rest up for the next set of Biscuits.

Photo Credit: Holly O'Connor

“King of The World > Helicopters” to open the last Biscuits set of Camp seemed to emulate a fake-out that opened the first Road To Camp Bisco show at the 9:30 Club in D.C. Segueing into “Digital Buddha” meant we were in for a dance party in the final night. The jam into “Buddha” was classic down and dirty Biscuits and had everyone flaunting their rage faces.

The jam out of “Buddha” seemed to be littered with teases of “Cyclone,” but it eventually just segued into the song itself in a way that seemed effortless. The lights however were almost as intense as the beats themselves and had temporary lighting designer Andrew Cass doing his mentor Johnny R. Goode proud while he was at home with his newborn baby.

Yesterday’s Biscuits’ sets featured some of my favorite Biscuits peaks and reminded me, once again, why nothing else compares to a dirty Bisco party.

Set III: King Of The World > Helicopters¹ > Digital Buddha² > Cyclone > Munchkin Invasion² > And The Ladies Were The Rest of The Night³ > Run Like Hell² > Basis For A Day⁴
Encore: Spraypaint
¹dyslexic completion of July 12 version
²unfinished
³inverted
⁴completes July 12

Until next year!

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Stay tuned for more coverage of Camp Bisco this week.

Photo Credit: Holly O'Connor

Photo Credit: Holly O'Connor