Okay, with Day Three over and done with, I have to start off by revising my references from "Friday > Sunday > Saturday" to "Sunday > Friday > Saturday." The best day of Shaky Knees, yet, 2014 or 2013.
More details to follow, but here are the performers I caught:
Benjamin Booker
A new discovery, BB played a tight, smoking set of blues rock to kick off the day.
San Fermin
Shaky Knees was San Fermin's first appearance in Atlanta, and they gave us an insanely good performance of orchestral indie rock, complete with horns, strings, a pair of singers, great songs, and a dynamic, lively stage presence. How good were they? Not only did they chase the weekend's clouds away, ushering in a sunny, summery afternoon and breaking the Shaky Knees curse stretching back to last year, but they were the only non-headliner I've ever seen at a festival that were allowed an encore. I can't wait to see these folks again.
Langhorne Slim & The Law
No stranger to Atlanta, but Langhorne gave a high-energy performance of country-rock and rockabilly.
Deer Tick
The always unpredictable John McCauley led his band Deer Tick through their set wearing a skirt, striped socks, and a red "LSD" t-shirt. Then things got crazy. A fun set on the sunny day, and he even brought his wife out on stage for a touching duet.
Jason Isbell
Things slowed down a bit during ex-Drive-By Truckers Jason Isbell's set of country tunes and heartbreak ballads. If I had paid more attention, I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more, but standing in the sun in the packed audience made his set feel like a bit of a chore, and probably the longest 60 minutes of the weekend. But dude, it was me, not you, and I did truly enjoy the duets with singer Candi Staton (pictured).
Iron & Wine
Sam Beam didn't pick the pace up much for his set, but due to the sheer melodicism of his performance and the quality of his song-writing, Iron & Wine's 60 minutes passed in the twinkling of an eye, and another hour of his set would have gone down smooth and easy.
Trampled By Turtles
We saw TBT last year at Bumbershoot and enjoyed their finger-picking bluegrass passages, but were turned off by their frequent ballads and slower-paced material. Yesterday at Shaky Knees, it was all the faster stuff to the enjoyment of the exuberant crowd, and your humble narrator.
Local Natives
Our fourth time now seeing LA's Local Natives, and their relentless, constant touring have honed their stage show to perfection. They paced their set perfectly, ending as they always do with their exhilarating Sun Hands and Taylor Rice stage diving into the audience. Before that, they announced this was the last date of their current tour, and they'll be heading into the studio to record their third album.
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Our third time now seeing LA's Edward Sharpe and company, this time without co-singer Jade. As always, frontamn Alex Ebert kept the goings informal and interactive, blurring the lines between band and audience until the set felt liked a shared celebration on and off the stage. At one point, a couple came up on stage and the guy proposed to his girl in front of the Shaky Knees audience. I believe she accepted.
Alabama Shakes
This was my first time seeing festival headliner Britney Howard and her band, Alabama Shakes. Their selection as headliner generated a lot of on-line controversy, with people saying they didn't have the chops to headline or couldn't live up to the bands playing before them. All those people are wrong. Alabama Shakes killed it, putting on a gut-wrenching set of soulful rock songs and an electrifying vocal performance by Ms. Howard. I didn't know what I was in for, and her set literally knocked me out.
As before, here's your video recap, with music by Langhorne Slim:
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