Mikki's Top 10 for Total Fest

Mikki Lunda's Top 10-ish bands she's most excited to see at Total Fest XIII:

(in particular order)

1. Greco- Fri. 8pm, Palace
I hear from a reliable source that he wears a full-body-tiger-print-cat-suit, when he plays live.  And he's a bigger shameless self promoter than I am. All of his songs are about how rad he is.
[Editor's Note: You can listen to a couple of his tracks here at the Total Fest band camp.]

2. Obnox- Thurs. 9:15, ZACC
Dane Hansen (Bad Naked) told me "you can't miss this set."

3. Shannon & the Clams- Thur. 10:45pm, ZACC
I love this band's live energy. I've seen them bunches of times and they still made my top 3, that's saying something.

4. Underground Railroad to Candyland- Fri. 9:45pm, Palace
Last month I played with these guys in Pomona, CA. They are a party on stage, super fun to watch and are super tight. (multiple drummers)

5. j sherri- Sat. 12pm, Big Dipper
I'm just going to come right out and say it. These hotties have been my favorite local band for the last 2 years. I'm stoked to see them in the HOT HOT summer sun while licking a melty ice cream.

6. Woolen Men- Thur. 8pm, ZACC
I've never seen them live, but I NEED YOU TO KNOW: I really dig their sound.

7. Toupee- Sat. 8pm, Badlander
My pop idol, Richard Album, was in town last week and he said "in Chicago, anyone with our musical integrity will have this band on their list of favorites". I trust that.

8. Dreamsalon- Fri. 10pm, Palace
I've never seen them live, but I NEED YOU TO KNOW: I really dig their sound.

9. Kitten Forever, Sat. 10:15pm, Badlander
This band does it right. How they figured out how to transition instruments like that, is a straight up miracle.

10. Wimps- Sat. 9:15pm, Badlander
I've never seen them live, but I NEED YOU TO KNOW: I really dig their sound.

11. Dear Rabbit- Sat. 12:35pm, Big Dipper
Love his stage persona, he has a great booming voice and I'm impressed by people who can play 2 instruments at once. (Accordion/ trumpet)

12. Chemical Lawns- Fri. 8pm, Badlander
Another of my FAV locals.

Wowie, I can't wait to see all these amazing bands and more!
See you all there!
- Mikki "internet" Lunda

Check out Kate's Top 10 for Total Fest over at Missoula Punk News and Tom "T. Money" Helgerson's Top 10 over at Weird Missoula.

WOOLEN MEN ARE IN.

Woolen Men

Woolen Men came onto my radar when Mike from Sleeping Giant Glossolalia (who's helped steer lots of awesome groups our way over the years) included their 7" split with Lame Drivers with a trade we were doing. I love that "Deaf Americans" song so damn much. Could've been a top 40 hit on a Tom Petty record if it were slower and recorded in a massive slick studio, or something. Theirs is the kind of music I'm a sucker for. Pop, punk. Important use of comma there. The stuff just has a melodic sense about it that seeps familiarity, and I love the recording aesthetic, which is shitty, but actually, all there, so to speak, and infinitely crankable.

Woolen Men 

And the damn thing just makes me think of tall cedars, rainy Northwest days, strong coffee, yard sales and basement shows. It's like Bob Pollard and Tobin Sprout, without the Ray Davies accent. The term low-fi, or I guess lo-fi gets overused to this day, and essentially just means that stuff wasn't recorded slickly, or super carefully. As an adjective, it's virtually meaningless because saying something's lo-fi is just saying what it isn't, vs. what it actually is. So, there won't be any talk of that around here. What they've got it chemistry and a great vibe. Woolen Men may need to be cotton men this August. Oh, and you can get their 2013 LP from Woodsist for $10 right now.