The music festival was put together by the headliner, Trampled by Turtles, and they are the reason I bought tickets way back in June. But since then, I started listening to some of the other bands in preparation and I love quite a few of them.
The first band to play was the Lowest Pair. Their sound was definitely the folkiest of the day. They are a duo who play guitar and banjo and sing beautiful, blue-grassy harmonies.
The crowd was small for the set, since they were first up, which meant I was right up to the stage. Can't wait to see them again on Sunday!
The next performer was Lydia Loveless. She had more of a rock-country vibe, but I went to the merch tent during her set, so I didn't see all of it.
After that, back at the main stage, was Calexico. They are a big group from New Mexico with a fun southwestern flair. They got the crowd engaged, and were very fun to watch.
Next up, Laura Marling. Although I like quite a few of her songs, she didn't play any I recognized so I can't say I totally enjoyed her set.
The next performer made up for it though: Shakey Graves is mostly a one-man act and he is incredible to watch live.
He is a fantastic guitar player, and watching him mess around on stage was one of the funnest parts of the day. He encouraged some audience participation during his best-known song, Dearly Departed, and the crowd was more than willing to comply.
After that, was Benjamin Booker. I was not familiar with his music before the festival-- and I'm still not. All I can tell you is that it was incredibly loud-- I went to eat dinner during his set.
Father John Misty was up next. He was fun to watch, but at times very over the top.
As the sun set, Dr. Dog gave the penultimate performance of the day. The crowd was really into this band-- and I saw why. I didn't know a lot of their music before, but I enjoyed the set.
Trampled By Turtles took the stage last, and you could tell immediately that this was the band most people came for. The crowd was wild and knew every song.
I like to describe this band as: a bunch of pudgy middle-aged men abusing stringed instruments. They are glorious to watch. The instruments include: mandolin, guitar, banjo, fiddle, acoustic bass, and cello. For the live show, a couple songs were supplemented with three additional violinists. To close the night, they brought out a bagpipe troupe which perfectly complemented the end of Alone.
The festival was 8 hours of straight music. The side-by-side stages meant that never more than a few minutes went silent between acts. My feet and back were killing me by the end of the night, but I was full of energy.
I expected the bands to be more folky, but the festival is really an Americana festival. It's a great variety of music for a great value. When Festival Palomino returns for a third year next fall, I hope to as well.
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