Shaky Knees Festival starts tomorrow and 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. For this one, we take a look at the headliners for each of the three nights at Shaky Knees.
The Shaky Knees headliners, The Strokes, The Avett Brothers, and Tame Impala will each appear on the Peachtree Stage starting at 9PM every night. Which headliner are you most excited about? Our thoughts on each:
The Strokes – Piedmont Stage
By Zachary Shetler
The Shaky Knees music festival hosts a plethora of talented bands annually. It brings together the babies who are just beginning to make their first steps in the music world, and the battle hardened veterans who have progressively been crafting the music world for the past few decades. Its always a pleasure to hear new voices at these festivals but we all know deep down that having music giants such as The Strokes tends to be the main allure. Sure support the small guys, but at the same time you should treat yourself.
Now if as you are reading this you find yourself wondering “who the hell are The Strokes? Am I going to a music festival or supporting a movement to encourage the dilapidation of brain tissue?” I would promptly respond with “Are you in fact a potted petunia? Because The Strokes have been one of the most influential bands to the Alternative scene since their debut in 2001.” Or something like that. The Strokes have such a versatile sound but through their music one thing remains the same; they supply the grooviest of groovy grooves. Their bass licks are unbelievably seductive, their whining guitars are incredibly melodic and work in every which way; Their drums are basic but completely on point never missing a “beat”. As always however their sound is nothing without Julian Casablancas’s passionate vocals. His tone moves with the lyrics like only a true Underground rocker could. You are left feeling like he is truly immersed in what he is saying, and not just going along with the motions.
If you haven’t heard anything by The Strokes then you should begin this marvelous journey by previewing their sound. I recommend “Reptillia” with its true rock sound, its gritty and just delightful. They fully utilize the brashness of the instruments in their most basic form. For those of you that need something with a little more POP to get you invested I would suggest “Machu Piccu” its bass line is very surfer dude-esque, also one of the lines is “wearing a jacket made of meat”… that’s always a plus right, right? Bottom line The Strokes are great performers with great music, and lets face it what reason do you have to Not see the freaking headliner. I’ve given my peace, now its up to you to make the right choice.
The Avett Brothers – Ponce De Leon Stage
By Amanda Eckert
When The Avett Brothers take the Peachtree Stage this Saturday night, prepare to experience sheer jubilation and fall in love with a band you may not know much about.
I found myself in this same situation about two years ago, when I happened to stumble into some tickets for this little show called, “Another Day, Another Time” at New York City’s Town Hall. Now, I had heard about the Avett’s, most notably from their biggest fan, actor Paul Rudd. In fact Rudd and friend writer/director Judd Apatow are so fond of the band that, “Live and Die” from the 2012 album The Carpenter, made it into the film This is 40.
Comprised of brothers Seth and Scott Avett, along with Bob Crawford and Joe Kwon, The Avett Brothers have released eight studio albums (yes you read that right – eight), along with numerous live releases over the past thirteen years. Sweeping instrumentation and vocals are what these boys do right and they sure can put on a fun show.
When I saw them live they were the first act in over two hours of incredible music that caught the entire audience and pulled them into their performance. My personal love of The Avett Brothers stems simply from their soulful songs that play at your mind and heartstrings.
Want a little sample of what you’ve got coming to you Saturday night? I suggest you check out Live, Volume 3 recorded in late 2009 at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, NC where the band hails from. Be prepared to clap, dance, stomp and lose yourself in the fervor of the moment. Do yourself a huge favor by skipping out of Wilco or Noel Gallagher a few minutes early and rush over to secure a prime spot for this headliner. You certainly wouldn’t want to be left with a “Head Full of Doubt”.
Tame Impala – Buford Highway Stage
By Kristen Jones
Oh, Tame Impala… How do I even begin describing the amazingness that is this band? The first time I ever heard this Australian psychedelic rock band was at Bonnaroo. I wasn’t familiar at all and they immediately reminded me of The Beatles. What a HUGE comparison right? Not so crazy if you’ve ever listened to them. Kevin Parker, lead singer for Tame Impala did a Q & A on Reddit recently and mentioned that Sean Lennon told him he sounded like his dad. In spite of Tame Impala reminding me of The Beatles, they do carry quite a unique sound of their own.
On my birthday 2 years ago I scored tickets to see Tame Impala and the Flaming Lips. I was SO excited. I mean this awesome show was on my actual birthday! What a way to celebrate. It’s hard for me to even put into words how great their performance was as the OPENING band. I remember feeling confused. It was still daylight out.. I wasn’t at a festival.. how in the world was this kind of performance happening as the opener?! When it ended I felt like it was time to go home. Sidenote: My friends and I found a cell phone and thought we were being really nice by trying to find the owner.. turns out the owner meant to set his phone on the ground and we pretty much temporarily hijacked it and called his mom. Oops.Then The Flaming Lips sang me Happy Birthday… but I suppose those stories are for another time..
Tame Impala has put out several albums. Innerspeaker came out in 2010 and Lonerism in 2012. I can’t find a song on either of these albums I don’t absolutely love. This is one of those bands, you just let the albums play because it’s a work of art. Don’t try to pick it apart and play different songs, just let it play. They are due to release their third album, Currents this year. I can’t wait to see their growth over the last couple of years. They have already released three singles from Currents including ‘Cause I’m a Man, Let it Happen, and Disciples. I foresee this album being a little bit different from the previous two and I welcome it. These guys are fantastic musicians and every album can’t be just like the previous one… where’s the fun in that?
Tame Impala will be playing at the Peachtree stage on Sunday starting at 9pm. Get ready to have your mind blown.
Check out these artists on the Shaky Knees Spotify Playlist
