Ooook! I survived my second night at CMW and am none for the worse, voice is still teetering on the brink of being lost again but the cold seems mostly to have dissipated!  Last night I caught a handful of bands and spent most of my night at the Shoe, but I was able to make it down to Rancho for a night cap and to see the Leathers. 

Amos the Transparent opened up the night and took the stage later than scheduled which resulted in a shortened 25 minute set. Initially I was a bit disappointed but then realized there was no way I could stay mad at these guys when they play their hearts out and give 110% every time, no matter where they’re playing, for how long or who to.  Professional is the word that comes to mind when I evaluate not only their performance but their dedication to their songs and fans.  The crowd wasn’t their usual audience so there wasn’t as much hand clapping and sing-a-longs as I’m used to hearing but by the end of their set they had won everyone over with their warm melodies and sentimental vocals.

Next up was Green Go who played an assortment of their electro pop-rock off of their album Borders.  This was my first time seeing them live after almost a year of listening to their album so it was really interesting to see/hear the music in a different format.  I felt at times that they weren’t putting enough energy into the performance as was expected but once they started to play some of their dancier tracks it def kicked up a notch which got everyone moving and bopping along.  I was both sad and happy to hear when Jessica Tollefsen announced that it was their last show before taking some time off  to write a new album; alas I shouldn’t have waited so long to see them because now I will have to play the waiting game again till they are ready to showcase the new tunes.

Hollerado came up next and I wasn’t sure what to really expect.  I hadn’t had time to listen to their myspace beforehand but had kept hearing a lot of buzz about them.  I switched it up and watched their performance from the back of the room because the crowd was getting to dense to navigate and I thought it would be a nice break for my ears to hang back.  What I could see from the stage was a lively 4 piece who loved to interact with the crowd and had no qualms with advertising they weren’t technical musicians and that they were just there to have a good time and so we should to, it was at this point in time that I decided I was really happy to have caught there set, it was refreshing to get away from some of the more stuffy attitudes festivals like this sometimes bring out. 

By now it was almost 12 and I had to decide whether to stay at the shoe with lisa to catch the Besnard Lakes set or head to Rancho for Wordburglar.  I decided to stay for BLs since I had seen the Wordburg a couple times before and never Besnard Lakes.  I gotta say they kinda caught me off guard at first with their haunting vocals and almost supernatural harmonies, felt like we somehow got transported into an abstract reality and it was bugging me out a bit.  Def one of the more interesting sets I’ve seen recently for grabbing my attention but unfortunately it didn’t last throughout all the songs, I caught myself day dreaming a couple times which isn’t always a horrible thing but I can honestly say today that I can’t remember much of what they played.

So I ducked out early on the BLs and ran up to Rancho for the Leathers.  These 2 doods seriously had beats to move your feet!  Not only were their rhymes funny but their dance moves and matching leather jackets and vests are the thing I remember most about all of last night.  Their feel-good vibes was a perfect way to finish off the night and left me with a huge smile on my face.

All in all the night held quite the assortment of bands and people, top drawer outing in my books.  Tonight comes day 3 of the festival and it’s the one I’ve most been looking forward to, so I’m sure I’ll have a lot to say about it come tomorrow! Till then, keep it real my friends.