River to River Festival, Part Deux (Doo)

So I caught another free show this past weekend, thanks to the River to River Festival. This time it was a double bill at the South Street Seaport, with Black Moth Super Rainbow (a band name I’m perpetually embarrassed to say out loud) and Fujiya & Miyagi, the British electro-folk trio.

Before getting to the music, I have to say that seeing 1)free shows 2)outdoors 3)at the South Street Seaport is just a great time and exactly what summer in New York City is all about. (That, and Shara bringing over a six-pack of 16 ouncers for us.) The weather was beautiful, the clipper on the pier immediately called to mind Clavell or Melville (or White Squall), and the bands were…eh.

We arrived probably 10-15 minutes into Black Moth Super Rainbow’s set. As we were standing stage (far) right, we could only see the bassist in his sweatgear regalia, and an occasional furry ear peeking out over the crowd. It seems that the band plays their keyboards (three of them!) on the floor, and the singer wears a bear hat. I should have expected this type of ramshackle stage set up: when I saw them loading their hitch after a recent show at Irving Plaza, I didn’t notice any keyboard stands. (They didn’t have drum cases either, which is really tempting fate with fragile drum heads.) Speaking of drums, the band’s stickwoman was curiously absent and BMSR was forced to play to prerecorded drum tracks…

After having come around to the use of prerecorded tracks and laptop “sound manipulation” — this mostly due to the Brazilian Girls’ expert use of technology — I’ve (again) realized why I disliked it in the first place. Recorded drum tracks simply cannot substitute for a live drummer. No matter how high-quality the drum tracks, no matter how well-rehearsed the band, without a live drummer the ineffable energy of a live performance always remains at a constant level — it never achieves any kind of intensity. This lack was noticeable in both bands’ sets — though F&M and BMSR are by all accounts mellow bands, which fit the venue and the lazy afternoon atmosphere — the crowd seemed to need the extra oomph to really get moving.

Though the mellow vibe is representative of BMSR’s synth-drenched psychedelia, Fujiya & Miyagi advertise themselves as a dance band. In my humble opinion, they were way too relaxed to get the crowd into it — the bass was low in the mix, and the singer whispered every vocal line in their set. If they wanted to turn the pier into a dance party, they had to bring it a little harder.

At any rate, my compatriots and I were drunk and mildly delirious upon leaving, as dusk set in at our backs and F&M finished their enervated set. We then proceeded to get housed for Mikey’s birthday, and the concert was soon relegated to a distant memory.