Deep into the foliage in the heart of McDade, Texas, laid our states latest music festival.
Sound On Sound Fest happened this past weekend, and gave Central Texas the jam session many had been eager to catch. Formally known as FunFunFun Fest, Sound On Sound is brand new music festival, located approximately fifty miles east of Austin. The line-up featured acts of rap, indie rock, alternative, electronic, and experimental including the likes of Courtney Barnett, Death Grips, Young Thug, Run the Jewels, Beach House, Phantogram, and many more, including various comedians.
Taking place literally in the middle of a forest, Sherwood Forest is known for hosting many medieval reenactments, and an annual family forest faire. This past weekend, however, contained an eclectic assortment of artists and brought them to a town almost no one I know has heard of. One thing that I definitely enjoyed about this festival was the community of fans that were brought together by this one of a kind lineup. Also, the attendance of the festival seemed to be much smaller than the attendance at Austin City Limits, which I thought would favor my chances of getting up close. My guess would be around 40,000.
The band that I was most intrigued by was Death Grips, a band that is notorious for skipping out on their shows, making them incredibly illusive to catch, like a legendary pokémon. The best way I can describe being in the audience for Death Grips would be like, standing in a meteor shower that takes place on a raft in the middle of a tsunami, or in other words, all living hell breaking loose.
One of the best performances of the festival was Run The Jewels. Known as a politically charged rap super group, that isn’t afraid to voice their opinions, stole the show on Saturday night. I specifically remember during the middle of their set, the most pits toward the front the stage brought a Donald Trump Piñata, and started shaking it above their heads. No less than 30 seconds later, Killer Mike began rapping “Banana Clipper” and the piñata was then ripped to sheds shortly after. Killer Mike later joked after the end of the song, “I hadn’t even finished four bars before that trump piñata got obliterated”.
The last day of the festival unfortunately got evacuated due to the storms cells hitting McDade during mid-day. However, after an hour and half of waiting, the festival gates soon opened back up to the public. Cold, muddy festival grounds didn’t stop the music as Young Thug and Explosions in the Sky rounded out the festival to a pleased crowd.
I’m not going to sugarcoat the feeling after the last day of the fest but this was the most exhausting festival I’ve ever been too. By the time I left, my legs felt like they just ran a couple rounds at the Kentucky Derby. While seeing some of the most unique bands that are out there in this world is surely special to say, especially mentioning that it took place in the middle of an enchanting forest, but being surrounded by friends I love made the experience a memory I never want to forget.
