Frederick The Younger (22:30 p.m.)
A folk-rock band that veers into low-fi indie, Frederick The Younger combines vintage pop tropes and modern experimental sensibilities, creating something that feels both familiar and new. With two singers and a band that can move in a lot of different directions, Frederick The Younger is a great way to kick off the day. Where to start: listen to You Dont Lie and Human Child on their Bandcamp page.
Quiet Hollers (2:503:30 p.m.)
Quiet Hollers first album, I Am the Morning was a solid alt-country release, but last years self-titled follow up seemed to be where they really caught their stride, establishing a thicker and bolder sound thats hard to explain because it just sounds like them. Where to start: Flood Song off of self-titled and Road Song from I Am the Morning. Both are available on Spotify.
Chrome Pony (4:154:55 p.m.)
Garage-rockers that deal in 90s-fuzz and punk attitude, Nashvilles Chrome Pony are all about the sort of manic energy that put rock n roll on the map in the first place. Where to start: Base of the Mountain from Lazy Bones and Ragged Child from Past Lives. Both are available on Spotify.
Wax Fang (5:306:30 p.m.)
Cinematic and strange and brilliant, Wax Fang is a trip through a psychedelic wonderland that builds and falls and is wildly ambitious, but precise and direct at the same time. Their three records are all very different, but seem cohesive in a three-act rock opera sort of way. Where to start: At the beginning, with 2006s Black & Endless Night.
Dr. Dundiff, Touch A.C. & The Smokeshop Kids (7:158 p.m. )
A crowd favorite at last years Forecastle, Dr. Dundiff, Touch A.C. & The Smokeshop Kids put on a high-energy show that will more than likely be complete with appearances from members of the local hip-hop scene. Where to start: the Touch A.C. / Dr. Dundiff EP Page of Cups, which is available on Touch A.C.s Bandcamp page.
Natural Child (8:309:30 p.m.)
Mixing the drive of Southern rock, collected folk-rock that brings to mind that 70s Laurel Canyon sound and the unpretentious twang of throwback country, Natural Child is a whirlwind of Americana through the years. Where to start: Out in the Country and Rounder, both of which are on Spotify.
Fly Golden Eagle (1011:30 p.m.)
A hazy wall of sound that splices blues, soul and psychedelia, Fly Golden Eagle takes straight-up rock n roll and sees how far it can be pushed, ending up with a Frankensteined sound that never gets boring. Where to start: Stepping Stone from their latest record Quartz, which is available on Spotify.
GonzoFest takes place on Saturday, April 16 at the Big Four Lawn in Waterfront Park. Tickets are $20.
This article appears in April 13, 2016.
