we have come for your daughters
Could there be a more perfect way to honor Bob Moog, creator of the synthesizer, then to hold a music festival Halloween weekend in Asheville, NC, packed full of today’s top artists, whom all use some variation of a synthesizer? NOPE!
If you haven’t been to Asheville, ( I haven’t), it is located in the epicenter of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, with multiple rivers surrounding the area, creating an outdoor utopia of forest and hills, great for exploring our mother earth; something we forget to cherish on a normal basis.
With the music, of the 3-day festival, starting at 6pm Fri-Sun, we are left with ample time to get in touch with the great outdoors, mountains, trees, and streams..
A perfect balance between the madness that will be going down, Halloween costumes and all, raging out to the great music we have lined up for the weekend. Along with Massive Attack, MGMT, Big Boi, Disco Biscuits, and Helen’s top pick, Devo, there are over 60 other Moog influenced acts playing.
My top 10 in order of I-Gotta-See-em, based on ability to produce a wicked awesome show, if I have seen them already, new additions to the band, or any reason I feel makes someone better over another..
1. Big Boi- Only 1/2 of my favorite rap group of all time, (one which I have never seen live), will be giving us the best off his new album, Sir Luscious Left Foot.. The Son of Chico Dusty, and hopefully, ( I pray every night) spit some of the hot fire he and Andre 3000 have assembled over the past 10 years as OutKast. I wanna hear, “Rosa Parks”, “Aquemini”, and the classic “Spottieottiedopaliscious.”
2. RJD2- This guy makes soo much music, like a shit-ton. Been a fan for a while, would love to see live. Has some really cool mass-ups with rap songs I have recently been hearing. An almost guaranteed great performance.
3. Massive Attack- These British pioneers of trip-hop, have been experimenting and pushing the envelope with-in their genre and expanding the doors for many new comers coming on the scene. They possess a very unique sound, and have been taking that around the country w/ Thievery Corp. for most of October and November.
4. Pretty Lights – Still haven’t seen them since the addition of, drummer, Adam Deitch to the mix. Fan of the old stuff, fan of the new, “Spilling over the Side”, excited for Halloween Sunday night’s midnight show. Its going dooown.
5. Two Fresh – I have followed the Two Fresh Twins, Sherwyn and Kendrick Nicholls for much of their career, seen them grow as artists. Watched em play a, more or less, private show for me and my friends in Wilmington as well as a 40,000 person festival at Bisco. David’s told you to keep your eye out for them, please do, they get better and better each time. Native North Carolinians, they get to do this one for the home team.
6. Dam-Funk – Previously an unknown to me, but after some google inquiries, I found this diamond in the rough. This LA based, soulful DJ will certainly bring his synth-funk instrumentals and create a west-coast Funkmosphere through out the Blue Ridge Mountains during Moogfest.
7. Caribou – You may know him as Manitoba, you may know him as Dr. Snaith, but regardless he has produced so much music in the last 10 years.
8. MGMT – They have had some hits, want to see how their onstage performance goes. RockNYC has reported they have made a documentary.. sure hope they dont play that for us.
9. Hot Chip – I loveed Hot Chip at Summerstage when I sent with Iman, this will give them more a chance to let loose and get in their groove, which was a problem that night. It was a very early set.
10. Devo/Thievery Co. – Devo should be higher up, but unfortunately Devo’s set is the same as Big Boi, whom I really really really want to see. Maybe next time Devo, but congrats for receiving the “Moog Innovation Award”. In their place, I will see Thievery Corporation again, who put on an exceptional show at Bisco.