CD101's Summerfest.

Yesterday, Belkis and I headed out to CD101's Summerfest. CD101 is probably the best station we have locally in Columbus, and this year, they got a bunch of great bands to play for their annual Summerfest. It was 5 bucks, so we couldn't exactly say no. There were a lot of bands there, but I'll just highlight the ones I enjoyed. Others that played were Mike Snow, the Living Things, Company of Thieves, and stellastarr*, but Belkis and I agreed that those groups were a bit lacking. For example, the singer for Company of Thieves had a lovely voice, almost like Regina Spektor, but unfortunately, the songs were boring and did not do her voice justice.

Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears. We were pretty tired by the time Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears took the stage, but they were still awesome. A little bit of funk, a little bit of blues, and a lot of fun. And Joe Lewis also had a crazy shriek that got the audience going every time. Did I mention that the guitarist kind of looks like Jake Gyllenhaal? Hot. Also check out their great video for "Sugarfoot."

Matt & Kim. This group was obviously the audience favourite. Kim was the sweetest, and kept an infectious smile on her face during their entire set. Probably most known for their songs "Daylight" and "Yea Yeah," they were cheerful and genuine--and Matt wasn't at all obnoxious like he appears in their videos. They were also immensely fun, although their music is not particularly my taste.

Band of Skulls. I was actually blown away by how good Band of Skulls was. I had only heard "I Know What I Am" before Summerfest, which apparently just doesn't do them justice. Their awesomely gritty and sexy rock was tempered by unexpectedly beautiful songs with great harmonic vocals, like in "Honest."

Envelope. Columbus local rapper, he won his spot at the CD101 Summerfest. At this year's Comfest (Community Festival), he was cut short for being too loud, and his loyal fans rectified this by voting him into the coveted space at Summerfest. If you've never heard "Day Dream Nation," go listen to it now! I was silent after I first heard it on CD101, fathoming how amazing it was. Also great: "Stay Gold," as in "Stay gold, Pony Boy." The Outsiders much? Ah, junior high. He also released doves at the end of his set. Epic.