Forecastle Festival 2015: Day One Recap
Forecastle Festival kicked off today in Louisville, and we were all too excited to arrive and immerse ourselves in music and art. We are loving our inaugural visit thus far and can’t wait to keep you updated over the weekend. The first day was an overall blast, filled with great bands, awesome local art, and plenty of music fans to add color and excitement to the atmosphere.
Waterfront Park is situated right on the bank of the Ohio River, tucked back just a bit off the main streets of downtown Louisville, providing an amazing backdrop for a festival in a city that doesn’t often get thought of when one considers festivals. The area is pretty small, but that makes it all the more easy to navigate without feeling lost. In the blistering heat of the southern summer, it’s great to be able to walk around the festival grounds and not feel instantly fatigued. I will also admit that I am a bit of a girly girl, so the fact that Forecastle doesn’t do camping as well as the fact my A/C-equipped car was right across the street set me at ease.
The organization and speed of entry was the first thing I noticed when I arrived early this afternoon, greeted by friendly staff who presented me my wristband within moments of me walking up to them and presenting identification. I slipped right in through the staff entrance, skipping the main entry completely, and found myself standing on the South Great Lawn, a sea of orange flags heralding the arrival of all the festivalgoers. Giant chairs painted in a variety of rich rainbow colors were scattered about the lawn as well, designed to make loungers look as if they were stretched out on a three-dimensional crashing wave. Families with kids, young hipsters, and older couples who looked as if they could have met at Woodstock, Forecastle welcomes all ages and all individuals, providing an atmosphere that was catered to ensuring there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
I started off by gracing the Boom Stage with my presence to show some love to a duo from my native Nashville. JEFF the Brotherhood, freshly severed from their Warner Brothers contract and happily celebrating being back with indie label Infinity Cat again, did not disappoint the Forecastle crowd, rocking off faces and bringing their homegrown Nashville rock to Forecastle for the first time. I support these guys every chance I can back home, so giving them support on the road was even better.
St. Paul and the Broken Bones were scheduled at 5:30 pm at the Mast Stage, which is the main stage for performances and where the bigger acts all perform. I’ve seen the Birmingham, Alabama, natives before, but they still leave me in awe each time I catch a performance. Lead vocalist Paul Janeway could be Otis Redding reincarnated; his rich, soulful voice is powerful enough to reach a crowd without even barely requiring him to lean into a microphone. The band has an incredible stage presence and intense energy, and their inclusion of a three-piece horn section adds an even more jazzy undertone to their already ’70s-esque R&B vibe. Not to mention, St. Paul and friends were dressed completely on point, down to Janeway’s glittered rhinestone shoes! The entire set was an absolute standout, but the audience was especially captivated by “Broken Bones and Pocket Change,” which really showcased not only Janeway’s incredible vocals but also the horn trio off to the side playing alongside the band.
Forecastle’s size makes it easy to pop between stages, vendors, and, for me, the media tent (got to have that wifi and that phone charger!) without missing much – if any – of the acts currently performing, so I carved myself out a quick break before heading back to the Boom Stage to check out some of the food vendors and plan out what to try for dinner later that evening. The food offerings were varied, offering something for everyone, from typical corndogs and burgers all the way up to the fried alligator tail being served at the Cajun booth Phat Daddies. While I did not opt to eat something that I’m pretty sure I have a purse made of in my closet, I’m not ruling out trying some gator this weekend just for the heck of it. Instead, the baked macaroni and cheese with rosemary pork from Hebros Kitchen won me over tonight – an absolutely AMAZING combination that is well worth giving a try for something out of the ordinary!
The Gaslight Anthem were next on my agenda after grabbing a quick bite to eat, and this was a band I was especially excited to see, mostly because a very good friend of mine is a huge fan and introduced me to them last year. This was my first time seeing them live, and they did not disappoint, playing a great selection of songs from their most recent album “The ’59 Sound” along with older songs that I recognized from hanging out with my friend and hearing her almost obsessively play their music.
I had just enough time towards the end of The Gaslight Anthem’s set to duck over from the Boom Stage back to the Mast Stage for Bowling Green, Kentucky, natives Cage The Elephant. I am no stranger to seeing these guys live, as they have appeared at multiple events in the middle Tennessee area over the past couple years (including last summer’s Bonnaroo), and it came as no surprise to see the huge crowd they drew. Lead singer Matthew Shultz wasted absolutely no time in kicking off their set, crowd surfing within moments of taking the stage and expressing the band’s happiness to be playing at Forecastle in their home state. They represented their latest album, 2013’s Melophobia, much to the sheer delight of the crowd, who were among the most animated and lost in the music that I had seen all day.
Here at MusicFestNews, a band we are all very familiar with is Houndmouth, whom we featured in our weekly On the Rise series a couple months ago. They were playing the Boom Stage before the evening headliner, and they were one of the bands I not only was most excited to see for the day, but they were also at the top of my list to see for the entire weekend. One cool thing with them that I had not noticed with the other bands thus far was that they were accompanied by a sign language interpreter, an excellent way to bring music to every single fan out there, in my opinion. The band also stopped after their opening number to show off their proud families standing off to the side of the stage before resuming their set, eliciting cheers from the audience. The Indiana natives came to the limelight at SXSW a couple years ago, and we are excited to continue to see what they put out in the future!
This evening’s headlining act over at the Mast Stage was Sam Smith, the English pop star who dominated at this year’s GRAMMY awards. Smith’s blue-eyed soul style was a bit of a different option from the usual festival approach of a rock or hip-hop headliner, and he was an amazing choice to close out night one of Forecastle. As expected, the stage was packed, making getting close or even getting a photo next to impossible, but I didn’t need to be right up front to enjoy his set. However, mid-way through his performance, a storm began brewing in the area, forcing the venue to be evacuated in the middle of his smash hit “Lay Me Down.” We all made it safely to shelter, but we are sad to report that while everything for Saturday is scheduled as normal, Smith won’t do an encore performance to make up for tonight’s set being cut dramatically short.
We can’t wait to bring you continuing coverage from our first visit to Forecastle tomorrow and Sunday; I’ve got my music schedule all mapped out on the handy free Forecastle iPhone app, and we look forward to also sharing more information about the vendors and local artists who have come out to Waterfront Park this year. Keep checking back for more reviews, and also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for additional photos and updates!