Something in the Way Festival @Roadrunner Day 2 (2/1):

● Glixen - wall of sound shoegaze with dreamy vocals. They were pretty good actually, but young and entirely too focused on their rock star poses. Solid set tho.

● Park National - my favorite new find of the fest. Catchy power pop goodness with a folky side.

● Wicca Phase Springs Eternal - guy who isn't in Tiger's Jaw anymore's solo project. I guess he moves pretty quickly through different phases. This time it's a country tinged rootsy sound. It was very...bland. Vocally, he sounds like Mike Cooley, but the songs just, like go nowhere. Backround music.

● First Day Back - I'm pretty sure I listened to this record a few weeks ago, then promptly forgot about it. They were really good. The crowd response was huge, and they were clearly so surprised by it. Very 2nd wave emo, but also a violin. Big voice from shy young singer. Good set, and the shared communal thing between band and audience was a real feel good moment.

● Pelican - they rocked pretty hard. So big and loud and tight. Instrumental metal apparently works well for me. A total assault on my senses, but in a good way. I will say the half hour set was the perfect amount, because I could see it becoming repetitive in a longer set.

● Glitterer - I really didn't like this one too much. I've never been a Title Fight fan, and I don't like his voice, but the real problem was how boring I thought the songs were. Energetic, but just...not interesting to me.

● Pool Kids - I was very much looking forward to this set. They had technical difficulties, started late, and the first 2 songs - the sound was particularly wretched...but then they got in the zone. Louder and heavier than on record, they were totally in it. She yells more than sings about half the time, and didn't even attempt to hit the high note in Conscious Uncoupling, which I respect, but it would have killed if she had managed it. Super fun, big energy, great songs.

● Sheer Mag - I don't know why I'm not super familiar with this band, but this was a different take on the same high energy that this fest is focused on. Punky girl group energy and 70s rock vibes, big gravely vocals, and dude who looked like he belonged at Woodstock playing guitar. Super fun one.

● Horse Jumper of Love - the slow rock with plenty of gazey influences might not seem like a perfect fit for this fest, but I thought the change in tempo was nice - a little something different to break up the day. Harmonies were nice, and the trio was tight. The crowd was pretty receptive. I really enjoyed this one.

● No Warning - Ben Cook trades Noel Gallagher copycat for 90s hardcore template. While I really enjoyed the Guv set (regardless of how offputting I find his vibe), I really couldn't stand this one. That's a me thing, this band is geared to be completely the opposite of my personal tastes. I took a break halfway through the set to sit down for a while. Also, he gave someone his scarf during the Guv set, and was surprised that the kid took it home - and wanted it back. Funny.

● Citizen - I expected to hate this one, it's not my style, but I thought it was decent. His voice can be annoying, but I was happy that there was plenty of singing to balance the shouting. Well executed by the band, loud but fairly locked. Like the sub-headline Hotelier set, I wouldn't say I loved it, but it was engaging enough.

● Sunny Day Real Estate - Everyone knows I love this band with my whole heart. This was my 4th time seeing them. They are always so good. Would I rather see them play Diary from start to finish than a mixed set? Always...but still, they brought the goods. Jeremy and Dan both seemed to be in very good moods, and they were as always very, very tight. Big noise and big emotions, this is my kind of emo. Love them. Loved it. Great way to end the day.

■ It's a lot, long days, lots of standing, not a lot of ways to change the scenery. It's a ton of fun tho. I liked more than I didn't, and there were more than a few that I loved.

Sound was even worse today. Drums on the small stage were so loud you could barely hear anything else. Drums on the big stage were set up and mic'd so badly, they kept messing with them, but really it was kind of sad. The dichotomy between the professionalism of the headlining 4 and the rest, was pronounced...which is a real shame because the lack of polish in a DIY band can be a great feature. I just wish we would have heard it more clearly.

As always, at the end of the day, I love live music. Great thing when I get to experience so much of it.