Post #751009 by BambooLodge on Thu, Sep 17, 2015 7:19 AM

Here's an absolutely Fongtastic recap of the entire day from Alewife Confidential...

After months of build up and anticipation, the September Saturday we'd all been waiting for had arrived: the festival named after a tropical rum concoction, no less. Despite shifting forecasts and a steady N wind, the conditions were nothing but sun drenched - a sort of Great Lakes version of tropical. For Alewife, it was a 3rd appearance at (the 4th annual) Fong Fest on Chef Shangri La's North Riverside compound. Finally got the big bump from an early afternoon slot to primetime. Think: Playboy After Dark.

To further complicate/enhance the day, Alewife's Colin T was providing PA + lights + mixing + muscle throughout (with able assistance from his grunts). Turned out to be quite the looonnnggg-ass day. 15 hours? Would we have anything left when we took the stage at the end of the day? Let's pray. Or is it, let us prey? And the music? Once it started, it just kept-a-coming ... rumbling, sputtering, exploding, shrieking, soaring. Who needs Riot Fest when ya got Fong Fest?

In the noon lead off position it was Rick "Elvis" Saucedo, kicking things off with a feverish tribute to The King (and lots of dedicated, long-time fans), then fronting the legendary Ambassadors churning through early 60's rootsy, southern-fried rock/pop classics. Then we were treated to a musical journey down to the land of dust and chaparral with the high lonesome sound of the Gin Palace Jesters, with beautiful duels and duets between a telecaster and lap steel, echoing across the Des Plaines R. flood plain. From there it was Milwaukee's Revomatics, with their slightly (and utterly original) psychotic surf sound, powered by a tight two-guitar attack and churning rhythm section. Wow!

Almost half way through the day ... Rumble Train grabbed the wheel and took the crowd on a hell ride of swampbilly and caveman rock, featuring the day's most blistering guitar work (thanks Rich) and a sorely abused upright bass (thanks Rusty). Also plumbing the murky depths of savage rock were the Amazing Heebie Jeebies. My solar plexus is still vibrating from their bass player, Earl's demonic frequencies. From there, Fong Fest stalwarts, 13 Tikis, took over and showed why they are in the absolute pantheon of Chicago's premier surf combos. Their last tune filled the lot with dancers.

As the sun began to set, anticipation rose. We strategically erected our psychedelic lighting pods - six of them - as The Dyes took the stage. With a howl of feedback from that fat Gretsch hollow body, they began to destroy one song after another ... until the power blew! For about 15 minutes it was a scramble to reboot the power, then knock it down again, reboot (the whole restaurant went dark at one point!), and finally a realization that our super cool lighting pods were probably overloading the whole mess. So, we reduced the lights from six to one, and the dulcet punk tones of Lisa+Jill's string section once again ricocheted all over the western suburbs.

Then it was our turn. Miguel's back line traps were still in one piece ... sort of. After providing sound/mix assistance to every other band all day, hour after hour after hour, and then to realize that there was no such assistance for us (an oversight?) ... well, the irony was not lost on me. But, for the most part, our sound seemed to do what it was supposed to do.

Playing live is always an adventure ... one in which you surrender the comforts and expectations – the known knowns – of the studio's controlled environment to the Gods of Chaos, and buzzing pedals, and humming amps, a stage mix that in no way reflects the audience mix, and overcoming the lack of light to be able to visually navigate your left hand to the appropriate spot on that neck. Oops! But, we mostly had a ball. Beverly ascended as Queen Of The Night. Miguel & Alex kept the pulse sizzling. Colin's bass throbbed. Someone shook my hand afterwards. All good. Didn't even break a string.

Following us were the headliners, Barbara Clifford & The Shakin Tailfeathers. She and the band rose to the occasion, took the crowd to a higher level with a funky, soulful set that was impossible to resist. So why try?

With that, Fong Fest 2015 came to a merciful close (said the exhausted stage hand/axeman). Nine bands. Tons and tons of gear. Power outages. Thousands of gallons of Dr Fongs and Mai Tais over ice. Many, many hundreds of fans crowding through the portals. Yeah, Fong Fest is definitely a thing - and more so every year.

For more Alewife Confidential go to http://alewifeconfidential.blogspot.com/

BaMbOoLoDgE...where the South Pacific meets the Great White North!

[ Edited by: BambooLodge 2015-09-17 07:28 ]