LimeWire Music Blog

Between Bon Jovi, The Breeders and St Vincent, Manhattan music fans had plenty of free options to choose from last weekend. One of the less publicized events was a joint kickball/metal festival that took place Saturday on the south end of McCarren Park, featuring my local favorites, The Giraffes and Goes Cube.

The first thing I saw when I arrived at the park was a tight-jeaned Brooklynite getting blasted in the face with a kickball, an image which would become a metaphor for the event. McCarren Park, generally a tranquil hipster hangout, was torn to shreds by a series of loud, abrasive bands and their head-bangin’ fans. There was no stage, no bar, no designated crowd area — but what the non-sponsored event lacked in professionalism, it made up for in raw performances, and entertaining culture clashes. The Giraffes, as always, thoroughly entertained a crowd of die-hard fans and first-timers alike with their witty brand of surf-metal. They raced through a set of pulse-pumpers, which drew in plenty of attention from the folks passing by, including a little boy named Pablo. You see, Pablo was having his birthday party (Spider-Man themed) on the same lawn, and during one of the tunes, Pablo kicked his father really hard in the left shin. The little boy was scolded with an “Oye! Pablo!” and received no birthday cake (just kidding, he got a slice).

After The Giraffes played a hilarious encore (metal-heads harmonizing is quite amusing), Goes Cube took the stage (er, grass). Their sound, a bit more raw than The Giraffes, weeded the casual on-lookers from the crowd, leaving the serious head-bangers to duke it out. A drunk hobo (the guy in the black tank top below) tried to get in on the action, knocking over equipment, and shouting randomly into the microphone. Fans rushed to help the band box out the heckling hobo, which led to a tighter, more intimate show.

Five other bands played throughout the day, but I only had room in my stomach for two. Here’s who I missed: Freshkills, B-Movie Bad Guy, Action Painters, Face Death, and Full Metal Lyricist. Anyone catch the other bands?