Terrastock 2006 Report [Part I]

Although I’d heard about the five previous Terrastock festivals, all held in different cities since the first one happened in Providence, Rhode Island in 1997, this was my first time attending one. The last one was held in September of 2002 in Boston, this one is back in Providence. Although I had only heard of about a quarter of the bands playing, and had actually heard none of them for the most part, I was still curious to see and hear what it was all about.

This year’s festival was put on by the Ptolemaic Terrascope magazine in conjunction with AS220, the performance space in which half of the artists played (the other half played in the adjacent and much bigger Pell-Chaffee Performing Arts Center), and a Providence-based record label called Secret Eye Records, run by JEFFREY ALEXANDER, who curated this year’s festival.

To fully understand and appreciate what the spirit and vibe of the festival is like, I’ll quote directly from the Terrascope website: “Terrastock is not an indie-rock A&R feeding frenzy. Bands and artists are there at the personal invitation of the organisers because we love their music and they love the way we do things. It’s simply about the music, and about the whole Terrastock spirit. If you were there at a Terrastock, you’ll know what we mean.”

We arrived on Friday in time to see KINSKI, an instrumental quartet from Seattle whose most recent album is Alpine Static, released on Sub Pop last year. Although the sound in the larger Pell-Chaffee Performing Arts Center (named in honor of two prominent U.S. Senators from Rhode Island) was less than stellar, they still managed to play a thrilling mix of punk, noise, garage and psychedelia not dissimilar in feel to late ‘60s greats BLUE CHEER.

After grabbing a meal at the taqueria inside of AS220, we headed back over to the Pell-Chaffee room to watch MAJOR STARS, a Boston band whose sheer noise and confrontational attitude reminded me somewhat of MAGIK MARKERS, another female-fronted band who I saw open for DINOSAUR JR last year in Northampton, MA. Unlike Magik Markers, though, I actually enjoyed Major Stars’ set, despite the once-again lousy sound in the room.

After that, we headed back to AS220 to watch PG SIX. Strikingly different from the two previous bands of the night, they had a jangle-pop vibe not altogether dissimilar to mid-’80s R.E.M., THE DB’S or even BEN FOLDS at times. I really enjoyed their set, and AS220’s performance space sounded great, though it’s tiny and was very hot for their set. So hot, in fact, that I almost fell asleep, though it surely wasn’t from boredom.

Next up was BARDO POND, a Philadelphia band who are veterans of most of the previous Terrastocks. Although for the third time on this evening, the sound in the Pell-Chaffee Performing Arts Center left a little to be desired, Bardo Pond were so loud, heavy and in-your-face that it really didn’t matter. I’d seen them once before, opening for legendary ‘60s New York band SILVER APPLES (who are incredible and played the first two Terrastocks) at Maxwells back in 1998, and I didn’t take to them then. Their slow, sludgy, creepy crawl didn’t match my mood or my tastes at the time, but after this performance I’ve really come around to liking them.

Basically they’re the ultimate heavy psychedelic band of this day and age. They’re so heavy in fact that they make BLACK SABBATH sound like ABBA, to paraphrase a quote I once read regarding STEVE ALBINI’s recording methods. I wonder what they tune to.

Influenced by the likes of THE MELVINS, Bardo Pond’s drummer (a guest who filled in for regular drummer ED FARNSWORTH) seemingly plays a beat once every 15 seconds or so. With the heavy guitars and organs, plus occasionally a flute, on top of lead singer ISOBEL SOLLENBERGER’s almost ethereal, other-wordly vocals, the effect is as trippy and mind-expanding as it gets. If you like heavy, sludgy and loud psychedelic noise-rock, Bardo Pond is a must-see. At any rate, they were definitely the best and most memorable band who I saw during the first day.

[Parts II and III to follow]