Treble Fest

by Jeff Terich

05.11.2004

Last weekend I became the envy of many a friend and family member by attending what was one of the biggest musical events of the year — Coachella. I saw a bunch of bands, some I'd already seen (Death Cab for Cutie, Q and Not U), some I was curious about (Dios, Juana Molina) and some I had to see, namely Radiohead and The Pixies.

Now, I'm sure I'll have the chance to see Radiohead again, though their performance was decidedly badass. But there was no way in Hell I'd be able to see The Pixies again…or so I thought. As it turns out, they're playing the Southern California dates of Lollapalooza this year. Fascinating. I drove to Indio, sweated off a few pounds in sweltering heat, paid $5 for frozen lemonade, $5 for a burger that tasted like ground clay and spent a half-hour trying to find my girlfriend's car. Not to mention all the water we went through, the lines we had to wait in to get in, get parking, get out and buy food. And they're playing again. Go figure.

And though all that stuff wouldn't have mattered (c'mon, we're talking about the PIXIES!!!) there were about 40,000 people in front of us, thereby making it a little hard to see them from that far away. Good thing there was a screen, or else we'd just have to try to make out Frank Black and Co.'s little bodies from a few hundred yards away.

Don't get me wrong — I had fun. I didn't even mind the heat all that much. And my pale exterior even managed to avoid sunburns. But it wasn't the ideal experience. By comparison, All Tomorrow's Parties last year was like a luxury spa. Parking was much easier to find and not as far away. There weren't nearly as many people and there was always a decent spot to watch bands. It took place on two overcast days in November, near the coast, making it much more comfortable than the endless sauna in the desert. Plus, I got to see The Stooges.

So it hit me. Why don't I curate my own festival? Well, because I don't have the money or connections. Or the reason to do so. But someday, my friend, there will be a Treble Fest. And it'll go kinda like this:

Treble Fest's inaugural run will take place at…uh…SDSU. Sure, my alma mater seems like a lame place to have a music festival, but let's look at the facts. There are about half a dozen venues to have bands play, all of them decent, save for Cox Arena, and there's plenty of parking. Food, of course, would probably still end up being expensive, but hey, when you contract out, there's nothing you can really do about that.

Now, the important part — the lineup. It'll be a two-day festival, like most festivals are — Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's headliners will be Ryan Adams (we like him dammit), Ben Folds, PJ Harvey and The Roots (best hip-hop live act, ever). Sunday's headliners would be Modest Mouse, Mos Def (doing hip hop again, thank you), Built to Spill and uh…Tom Waits. Damn! Why not? It's my festival, and I say Tom Waits plays.

To fill out Saturday, I'd want to get some pretty eclectic groups to play. First I'd get Broadcast to add some spooky atmosphere. Then I'd throw in Cex's laptop white boy rap. To get things rowdy, I'd put Kill Me Tomorrow, Ikara Colt and Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower on the bill. We need some more hip hop right? How about Blackalicious and Madvillain, the baddest metal-faced rapper to ever step out of a comic book. I'd throw in some of the best acts I've seen (repeatedly) like TV on the Radio, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Sleater-Kinney and Death Cab for Cutie. For curiosity's sake, I'd put Clearlake and Menomena on there. And every festival needs reunions right? How about Jawbox? Yeahhhh. That's what I'm talking about. (OK, I know, to most people it seems underwhelming, but I'm saving The Smiths reunion for next time, and dammit, I like Jawbox.) Oh, and the Old 97s too, but they sorta already reunited.

Sunday would start out with more white guy rap with Gold Chains. Then Iron and Wine, Sufjan Stevens and Neko Case would play some heartfelt folky music for us sensitive types. To pick things up, I'd get Beulah, No Knife, Q and Not U and Les Savy Fav to play. The Fav, especially, since I've never seen them before. Pity me. Moving on…more favorites would round out the lineup, like Mission of Burma, Spoon, Shannon Wright and Badly Drawn Boy. And somehow I'd convince The Dismemberment Plan to get back together. That'd be awesome. They might even be joined onstage by Cex, like they did during their last tour.

Well, it may be a while before corporate sponsorship allows Treble Fest to happen, but in the meantime, I can fantasize about the prospect of it. Who knows? Maybe our fifth anniversary or something will be noteworthy enough to warrant a music fest. But one thing's for sure — I'm getting in for free. And I get to park in the closest spot.