With the 2015 version of Shaky Knees Festival‘s official schedule being announced, now it’s time to start planning out your own personal schedule.
For those difficult decisions, we present to you the Shaky Knees Death Match. We will have each band in every time slot pitted against each other. You make the decision on who you must catch. Check back daily as we explore each time slot.
Shaky Knees Friday Day 1, 4:15PM time slot has a little something for everyone depending on your tastes such as Clutch at the Piedmont Stage, Mac DeMarco at the Ponce De Leon Stage and Zella Day at the Buford Highway Stage.
Clutch – Piedmont Stage
By Mike Gerry
Maryland rockers Clutch have been rocking stages now for a few decades. They have been best described as the quintessential American rock band with their loud heavy metal. While Clutch has been touring relentlessly since the early 90’s, releasing 10 studio albums including a major label release on Columbia, Clutch never quite hit mainstream.
That’s ok because over the years Clutch has built their own huge rabid fan base ready to bang their heads to every power chord. Clutch is a legendary band in the minds of certain circles, one of those band that you just need to see live for yourself. With other 90’s legends and heavier bands like Mastodon, The Pixies, Social Distortion, Flogging Molly and more on this Shaky Knees 2015 lineup, there is no doubt that the fans will show out for Clutch and proceed to be one of the wildest crowds of the festival.
So if you are looking for a good mosh pit and to release all of your inner demons during a set, get on over to the Piedmont Stage at 4:15PM. Make sure you are well hydrated, have neither an empty nor full stomach, and have strong bones from all that milk you drink, because Clutch is going to take this stage by storm. You are going to need to make it out of this set with all of your limbs still in working condition to prepare you for Mastodon later this evening.
Mac DeMarco – Ponce De Leon Stage
By Charles Worthy
Native son of Edmonton, Alberta and the world’s foremost purveyor of the “Jizz Jazz” genre, Mac DeMarco graces the stage on Friday afternoon for one of the most anticipated shows of the festival, and I strongly recommend checking out his set. If you haven’t had the pleasure of listening to either of his first two critically lauded full-length albums, 2 and Salad Days , I strongly recommend that as well. Now that I think about it, I’ll strongly recommend pretty much anything that involves Mac DeMarco. Even if it is only to marvel at how good the man’s voice can sound after sucking down a pack or two of his cherished Viceroy cigarettes throughout course of his set.
Listen, I know it can be difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff in an age where every internet “critic” and their uncle will send up any fool with a Bandcamp profile as the next coming of Lennon, but it only takes a quick listen to Salad Days to realize that Mac falls squarely into the wheat category, and has the talent and charisma to be a star for a long time coming. Come out for the originality of Mac DeMarco’s songwriting, stay for the possibility of a Celine Dion “My Heart Will Go On” cover, and don’t leave until he crowd surfs out of the festival gates. Enjoy!
Zella Day – Buford Highway Stage
By Enna Garkusha
If you’re interested in seeing some up-and-comers perform on Friday, be sure to check out Zella Day’s set at 4:15 on the Buford Highway Stage. Still a teenager, she’s a newbie to the indie music scene and only has an EP out, but it shows the potential this girl has to turn heads with her songwriting.
From a small town in Arizona, Zella Day first gained some Internet attention from her cover of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.” Her family owned a small coffee house where she would perform songs by Dylan and Presley; her pop sound has an underlying Western-Bohemian influence to it. She’s been called a happier version of Lana Del Rey.
Both of her singles: “Sweet Ophelia” off her self-titled EP and “1965” showcase her Western roots and that sweet longing for the past that’s reminiscent of Lana. Her track “East of Eden” shows her potential for mainstream popularity. With her full-length debut album Kicker coming out this June, here’s a chance to see an artist that’s in the midst of her breakout year.
Check out these artists on the Shaky Knees Spotify Playlist
