This Louisville, KY festival in it’s fourth year was held at the American Turner’s Club along the Ohio River. It consisted of three stages; Turner’s Tavern, Goosebump Gallery and Phreedom Hall, which held the 38 bands in a relentless three band cycle starting in Turner’s Tavern over three days. The selection of music was an eclectic mix of every band you’ve never heard of (at least I hadn’t) with genres ranging from punk to metal to bluegrass to noise to the calmest sounds (Lambchop) to basically utter aural chaos (Borbetomagus). There was something for everybody and nothing for anyone who came without an open ear to just how far the bands could push and bend sound. I saw the most complicated pedal and equipment set ups I had maybe ever seen and I even saw devices that I still don’t know what the hell they were ((Wolf Eyes (whom of which actually got shut down by the cops from Indiana for being too loud. This festival was in Kentucky, remember.)).
The most anticipated acts of this festival were Superwolf and Lambchop. Superwolf consists of Bonnie “Prince” Billy (who is actually actor Will Oldham) and Matt Sweeney, playing their album in its entirety for the first time ever live on Saturday night and Lambchop, who was a perfect end to this festival. Friday and Saturday were marathons of sound and Cropped Out had the foresight to let everyone mellow out so they could re-enter society without being a complete spaz the next day at work. All and all, Cropped Out is a little pearl lost in the ocean of music that Louisville is and I find that to be an absolutely beautiful thing.