Day 3 of the the Northside Music Festival in McCarren Park, featured The Felice Brothers, Conor Oberst, and Kacey Musgraves.
Let me start by saying that Day 3 of the Northside festival was much bigger than day 2. I arrived in the middle of a performance by The Felice Brothers. There were longer lines for entry, more security, more food carts, and a larger crowd.
For those who don’t know The Felice Brothers, they are a folk rock/country band from New York City. The band is a mix of Bob Dylan with a touch alternative rock influences. I arrived when they were about to perform “Meadow of a Dream.” This was a very relaxing song, written for people who may be feeling depressed or miserable. Their message is to not give up and to carry on because no matter how you view your life, everything will work out. The Felice Brothers ended their performance with “Frankie’s Gun.” This song was more cheerful with a catchy bass riff and a powerful accordion. I like to believe that this song is about living life to it’s fullest.
After The Felice Brothers performance, I took the time to walk around the festival. Since it was a Saturday, I decided to try the different types of beer being offered by the festival, all brewed here in NYC. I recommend the 312 Wheat for anyone who is planning to go next year. It was brewed to perfection. Then I ordered the vegan ice cream from the Van Leeuwen, which was my first experience trying vegan ice cream. It didn’t taste any different from regular ice cream, thus supporting the argument that we can live in a animal friendly world.
Next to the stage was Conor Oberst, an American Singer/Songwriter from Nebraska. He fits into the indie rock/emo category, writing songs that would fit easily on a Sum 41 album. He sang various of songs from his album Upside Down Mountain, but what stood out to me were “Common Knowledge” and “Cape Canaveral.” “Common Knowledge” is a relaxing song which has a cheerful guitar chord pattern but contains sad lyrics. I feel he wrote this song to send a message that he has a positive outlook on life, his friends, family, and his career. I got the impression that before writing this song, he was in a state of despair and wrote the track to cheer himself up. “Cape Canaveral” has a darker tone to it. It was also a relaxing song, but with a deeper voice and a hypnotizing drums beat. I felt this song was about regrets, not accomplishing goals and rethinking happy moments.
After Conor Oberst’s emotional performance, Kacey Musgraves took the stage. Kacey Musgraves is a country singer/songwriter from Texas. Although she had created three albums beforehand, her claim to fame was competing on Nashville Star. Despite the fact that she is a country singer; no offense to country music listeners, I am just not a fan, I liked her style. She isn’t your typical country singer that sings about love, break-ups or partying. She actually wrote songs that mean something. The two songs that stood out for me were “Family is Family” and “Follow Your Arrow.” “Family is Family” is a silly song describing no matter how weird or unpopular one of your family member is, family is family. You should unconditionally love them, no matter the situation. This song has a rapid guitar chord pattern with a upbeat drum pattern and it fits perfectly with the message.”Follow Your Arrow” is a song that supports gay rights. As the title states, you should be yourself, love whomever you want, and it doesn’t matter the sex. This happy country song with a synthesizer playing in the background is making a statement that you shouldn’t listen to the people who tell you what to think, how to feel, or how to live your life. Feel free to chose your path. The Northside Festival was a blast from beginning to end and I would definitely attend next’s year event in a heartbeat.
