Michigan Fest: DVD

Sep 05, 2007

Live footage from a three-day music festival held in the not too distant past, featuring one song each from Arab On Radar, !!!, Vaz, Crush Kill Destroy, Dillinger Four, Isis, Coalesce, The Arrivals, Haymarket Riot, Rye Coalition, Small Brown Bike, Milemarker, and others. All the technical stuff (sound, lighting, etc.) is quite good, multiple cameras are used, amusing interviews are peppered in between the performances. I really liked the diversity of the bands presented here, and was impressed by a few I would never be caught dead with on my stereo (don’t ask, ‘cause I ain’t gonna tell you). While I did have a problem with the “hardcore” end of the punk spectrum being represented by bad metal bands and the lack of more “traditional” punk fare here (what, the Spits couldn’t be coaxed to participate or anything?), and the occasional “college music showcase” vibe of the proceedings, it was a nice watch in an Urgh! sorta way, where you may not dig all of what’s going down but the sheer volume and diversity of what you get to wade through is refreshing. –Jimmy Alvarado (Bifocal Media)

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