Tarfest 2018: Caught a Ghost, Freedom Fry, Smoke Season and WILD

It was off to Tarfest to catch some bands out in the open air. The last time I went to Tarfest was 2014, I believe. It was time to head back over.

Most of the bands I saw, I've seen before: Caught a Ghost, Freedom Fry and Smoke Season. So the band I was most interested in seeing was WILD. I'm a sucker for pitch perfect vocals. That perfectly applies to Lauren and Zachary, who share singing duties. As I was listening to the band, I ended up thinking Family of the Year, but with a female vocal lead. Also, I'm a sucker for cheerful sounds, which applies so much to WILD (of course, that also applies to Family of the Year).

WILD

Opening the day for me was Smoke Season. I caught this band playing at Echo Park Rising back one month ago. I also caught them playing the Troubadour earlier in the year. Their soul electronic beats are always mixed in with the energy of Gabi. I'll say that Jason, guitar, seemed to be just a touch more energized than normal, as well, during this set.

Smoke Season

Caught a Ghost brought the soul to the late afternoon. They got the crowd to help sing along with a couple songs. Interestingly, as pointed out by lead singer Jesse, the two backup singers have the same name, but spelled differently: Jazmen vs. Jasmine. What I just obsess about when it comes to Caught a Ghost: how Jesse uses his drum sticks.

Caught a Ghost

Freedom Fry closed out the night. Their music brought the festival to a poetic end as the sun set behind LACMA. They also had some of the most fun conversations of the night. The band recently spent time in France -- the lead singer, Marie, is French. There was talk about Marie was trying to teach members of the band how to say things in French. However, the band members didn't think much of it as they said no one can ever understand what the French are saying, anyways. They also amusingly admitted that they prefer Italian food that is served in the US versus in Italy.

Freedom Fry

Weathers, Smoke Season and Groves at the Troubadour

I got an invitation by Smoke Season to do some photography at the Troubadour. It is always fun to photograph Smoke Season. Gabrielle Wortman, lead singer, really throws herself into her sets. And this time was no different. In fact, she took a couple leaps into the air from various locations. I'm not sure I've ever seen her do that and was a bit disappointed I wasn't better prepared for that potential. Their electronic-inspired sound had the crowd pressed up close to the stage.

Smoke Season

Weathers was the headliner. This was my first time seeing them. Their sound has some nice hooks to it. I love how the drummer slammed those drums with his full body. And the lead singer's vocals are pure emotion. Since this was my first time seeing them, it was interesting watching the audience that was there for them. Folks at the front knew the words for a number of the songs. After their set, folks hung around hoping for an encore. And one young woman jumped on stage to grab a setlist. She was chased off by security. Oh well, good attempt.

Weathers

Groves opened the night. I've seen them twice in the past. Once at The Hi Hat. And another time at the Resident. I'm not going to lie, their music is hitting new highs. They, as a group, had a far more cohesive sound than I remember from my past two times seeing them. They're definitely learning how to play off each other.

Groves

Moon Honey with Wall of Ears, Smoke Season and Miya Folick at the Echoplex

It was Moon Honey's final residency at the Echoplex. And the place was quickly packed with fans. I couldn't help but notice when I arrived -- early to catch Wall of Ears -- that there were already three photographers waiting to get inside the venue. And, I made four. Yeah, we made a small wall in front of the stage throughout the night. I'd say three or four other photographers showed up later in the night.

Wall of Ears had me thinking jangle pop. Honestly, I'm not sure of the exact definition of jangle pop, but that's what came to mind when I noticed the 70's inspired fashion. After their set ended, the lead singer asked the many photographers, "Take any good photos?" Of course we did, and I had to ask -- having learned that they're from Seattle -- "Have you heard of Mommy Long Legs?" Mommy Long Legs is also a band from Seattle that I recently saw at The Smell. The answer was, "Yes." Awesome.

Smoke Season followed up. Gabe, I swear, was channeling Lauren Ruth Ward. I do love this band. As was mentioned on stage, she does get her exercise in during the set. I'm not sure I could sing and dance like Gabe. I'd be gasping for breath rather quickly. She did go through one wardrobe change during a song. The change was wearing a jacket that was decorated with lights and may or may not have entailed the risk of getting an electric shock.

Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" was playing while Miya Folick set up her gear. I noticed her singing along for a few lines. Well, to me, that was a good hint that I was going to love her set. It was a power packed set with depth and energy. Even then, she was able to take a moment and call out to her mom in the audience, "Do you need ear plugs?" The answer was yes and Miya quickly provided her with some. What I found via an Internet search: she found at least one band mate via Tinder. How about that.

Closing out the night for me was Moon Honey. They had me thinking space opera. They had the stage decorated with objects that represented the moon and honey clouds. Sure, these stage objects were there for the other bands, but it took on more meaning when they came on stage. Maybe that meaning was emphasized by the light show that flashed the stage and at times had me thinking of the first Thor movie. Yes, everything combined had me thinking space opera.

Quick Hit Band Interview: Smoke Season

Smoke Season at The Satellite

Q&A time with the band. Hope you enjoy:

How would you describe your sound? Ethereal soul with a shot of psychedelia

I noticed that you went to SXSW this year. How was the experience? Any interesting stories, perhaps? A. It was a trip. We loved meeting other bands and seeing the movers and shakers in the music scene. The most insane experience we had was playing a rooftop performance on the one night where there was a thunder storm. While we were onstage, the rain starting pouring down on us - we could see lightning in the distance. Luckily, we didn't get electrocuted in the process. It was pretty awesome - until our equipment got fried, of course.

(Interview took place in June 2016.)