Left Coast Live: Your Local Music Festival

Music festival. The phrase conjures up images of mega concerts like Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Coachella and Outside Lands-a heavily hyped, carefree, reckless summer in some far off field densely populated by music junkies and pot heads alike.  Let’s just say that a chilly October weekend in Downtown San Jose isn’t what pops into our heads when we think of a music festival.

The homegrown, all ages music festival, known as Left Coast Live was held in Downtown San Jose last night. Although the event was in its third year, it kept up the low key and local feel.  Centered at South 1^st and South Market Streets and on Post Street and Lightson Street, more than 25 bands performed on outdoor stages, back lots, in local stores and restaurants, giving the festival an intimate SXSW feel.  Gates opened at 3:30 pm and closed down several areas of Downtown San Jose.

This year the event managed to reign in a variety of local artists and national bands as well. Headliners such as New York City natives, The Postelles, Orgone, the local synth band, The Limousines, Oakland based soul singer Mara Ruby, Chico Mann and the rap group, Los Rakas, all played on outdoor main stages while supporting bands played in neighboring, small venues. The highlights of the night rested on the shoulders of the two main headliners, The Postelles and the Limousines.

The Postelles, an up and coming New York City band consisting of lead singer, Daniel Balk, drummer, Billy Cadden, lead guitarist, David Dargahi and bass player, John Speyer released their debut, self-titled album June 7 and are on tour now. The quartet played on the Main Stage at 1^st Street towards the end of the night. The band has been getting a lot of buzz from the media, including a glowing review from Rolling Stone.  Unfortunately, despite such hype, the audience for their show was very small. Despite this, the band trudged through a danceable, upbeat set featuring hit songs like “White Night” and “Hey Little Sister” as well as covers from their summer album, like “Hound dog” and “California Sun”.  The fast, energetic music blared through the night and the boys gave it their all. However, technical problems dealing with mic volume and feedback crept up early on and soured the mood rather quickly. It was easy to see that the band was thoroughly annoyed with the issues and abruptly ended their show without a farewell, leaving a measurable awkward silence behind them.  Uncomfortable ending aside, The Postelles showcased their skill and talent and left quite an impression upon festival goers.

The Limousines October 8, 2011 San Jose

The Limousines have made quite a name for themselves in the past few years. The band has been on tour with Neon Trees and is soon to head out on yet another tour with The Sounds. Hailing from the Bay, the synth-electronic pop band played the Metro Main Stage at 10:15 pm. The band single handedly drew the biggest crowd of the festival. With their eardrum-busting dance riot aura, they commanded the crowd. Within minutes of starting their hit song “Very Busy People”, they had hordes of people dancing, jumping and head bobbing. Their fluorescent neon lighting flickered and flashed in time with the music, putting onlookers in a trance. The energy band mates Giovanni Giusti and Eric Victorino exuded took the show to another level and made the performance unforgettable.   

In keeping with tradition, Left Coast Live continued some of its distinctive features, like the beloved Silent Disco and Record Swap. The Silent Disco is, essentially, like a typical, huge dance party complete with a disco ball hanging high overhead, except for one thing, there is no blaring music. Dancers used rented headphones and partied along the streets in what looked much like silent mime parade. The Record Swap stand held a “take a penny leave a penny” philosophy. Throughout the evening customers could sift through crates and music collections, swapping old records in for new or used ones.

Hungry and beer soaked attendees were not left out in the cold. In addition to food and beer gardens, food trucks, taco stands, bars and restaurants lined the surrounding streets and extended their hours, catering to thirsty music maniacs with the munchies.

Left Coast Live has the potential to become the next big music festival, but there is something about the small town charm and tight knit crowd that can be found at no other music festival. There is something unique and notable about local and indie bands playing on small stages, tucked away in the corners of parking lots and on the edges of avenues. Left Coast Live is made for and by locals, a sign of the diversity and strength of the bay area music scene; we can only hope it stays that way.

Tickets have not gone on sale for Left Coast Live 2012 but you can check www.leftcoastlive.com for ticket details and more information. Transportation to Downtown San Jose is easy. Take the BART down to Freemont and ride the 118 bus to downtown.