Field Trip South II, Day 1

The WildTones, Sash the Bash, The Woolly Bushmen, The Groovy Movies, Baby Shakes, and Untamed Youth

Friday, February 16

Will’s Pub, Orlando, FL

Last year’s Field Trip South, the debut for this 2 day garage rock festival was mind-bendingly amazing. A seriously epic blow-out that left more than a few people wondering how anyone could follow it up.

Simple; with ANOTHER weekend featuring a stellar line-up mixing up new and returning artists.

Orlando’s own the Wildtones kicked off the party with an animated set of roots-rock that was raucous and earthy. From Atlanta, came Sash the Bash, a campy duo who specialized in loose, spirited rock. Philadelphia’s The Groovy Movies channeled the summer of ‘66 with soaring harmonies and a buoyant back beat. Upbeat and easy to like, The Groovy Movies are an audio delight.

Orlando’s rising stars, The Woolly Bushmen, were like that feral beast you decided to look after, easy to like, and hard to hold onto. Theirs was a wild and untamed set. Brooklyn’s Baby Shakes were quite possibly biggest, sweetest surprise of the evening. Their recordings are poppy blasts of sonic sunshine. But live, they invoked a more assertive, unflinching confidence that only comes from endless gigging. With a great look and attack, Baby Shakes should be the next significant stars to emerge from the underground.

Untamed Youth delivered a solidly exciting closing set. With songs focusing on the only things that really matter, cars, girls and beer, the band was energized and infinitely entertaining. And how do you top such a set?

By busting out the single most exacting and accurate version of “Surfin’ Bird,” ever heard outside a Trashmen’s show. This said, the pedigree of the performance was further solidified by the presence of Robin Reed, son of The Trashmen’s original bassist Bob Reed, sitting in on drums. Clearly, the bird is the word.

A truly dizzying end to a stunning day one performance.

-IM-