Today, we continue our Sonic Reducer series and focus on Fest 14! (Psst… we're sponsors!)
In the series, Punknews writers compress a band, genre, theme, or time period into a playlist that would fit on a single CD. Along with the playlist, you'll get either an overview of the topic, such as a band introduction, or a story about how the music in the playlist moved or changed the writer. This series is intended to be educational, giving you the listener an overview of a certain scene, but it's also intended to be rockin'.
Punknews Editor Adam E rounded up some hot picks from the entire Punknews staff to give you an idea of the sounds at this year's Fest. Check it out.
Do you really mean to tell me you're not already familiar with all of the nearly 400 bands playing Fest 14? What have you been doing with your life?
But seriously, expecting someone to have heard every single band that will be descending on Gainesville in a few weeks is a little bit unrealistic. There are, as mentioned, nearly 400 of them, from all corners of the world. There are big names -- bands whose albums you know and love and whose live shows you've seen many times before. There are small names -- bands who you may have heard of but never actually heard. There are complete unknowns -- bands who haven't actually committed a single song to tape and whose live appearances you can count on one hand. And that mix, where Andrew W.K. can be rocking a big stage at the same time City Mouse is rocking a small one, or where Desaparecidos is on at the same time as Worriers AND the The Steve Adamyk Band, is the magic of Fest.
In an effort to help you wade through the multitude of bands playing The Fest this year, we here at Punknews have crafted a playlist showcasing a small slice of what you'll see and hear in Gainesville. It's not the definitive Fest playlist. It's not a "Best of The Fest" playlist. It's simply a selection of a bands you know, bands you might know and bands you don't know yet, but probably will soon.