On Sunday I had an absolute blast at the first ever Treasure Island Music Festival. I hope many of you had the chance to get out there and see amazing sets from some of the best local and national bands around. I thought I'd pass along some highlights of the day, and a few of my highly unprofessional snapshots.

Crowded Crowd

After catching Brooklyn darlings Au Revoir Simone at 12:50 on the Tunnel Stage, my accomplice and I headed over to the Bridge Stage and watched our local Trainwreck Riders play an awesome set- perhaps the most energetic of the day. Afterwards, back at the Tunnel Stage, fellow locals Two Gallants played a great set, despite some varying sound problems. I really like these guys, and it was fantastic to see them play at such a great event. By 2:30 the island was getting extremely crowded, but for the 4th time, we made the shuffle between the two stages to catch the third local group in a row, Street to Nowhere.

Two Gallants

After watching an awesome set by M. Ward at 3:00, Jaime and I found a patch of shaded grass and ate some snacks while Sea Wolf and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah took to the stages. I know its indie sacrilege, but I'm not a huge CYHSY fan. For the record, they did sound good from a distance. After snack and potty time was over, we watched Devil Makes Three for a while. They sounded really great- and they're so cute!

The highlight of the day for me was without a doubt seeing Built To Spill. I have been listening to them for so many years, and it was amazing to see them play. Toward the end of their set, a good portion of the audience's attention had shifted off to the side of the stage where this guy (pictured below) was headbanging like a maniac. The entire crowd toward the front of the stage was cheering for him at one point- it was quite a spectacle.

Crazy Headbanging Guy

Since we had worked so hard to secure our spot in front to see Built To Spill, we made the decision to hold ground there until Spoon came on at 7:00. Unfortunately this means that we missed Film School, who I really like. Festivals always seem to be riddled with this problem; On the one hand they are a cornucopia of awesome music, but are also notorious for forcing you to make sacrifices. I know, life is hard.

I really enjoyed Spoon's set. In comparison to other times i've seen them, they seemed a tad low energy, but their new songs sounded great. Much like Built To Spill, Spoon has been one of my favorite bands for a long time, so I am pretty happy with whatever they decide to throw at me.

After Spoon wrapped things up, we made our way over to watch Earlimart, who I wasn't too familiar with. They were cool, and the crowd by the Bridge Stage was really into them. Now for the big shocker: We left before Modest Mouse played. I'm sorry, I've had a bit of a falling out with them. Let's not talk about it.

We Killed This Beach Ball

It was a great day, and it was doubly nice to see a handful of great SF bands featured at such a big festival. Some notes for next year: Bring more food and water; Go to the ATM beforehand; Don't get stuck standing next to the really drunk rich people who don't know who Built To Spill are (PLEASE!!!)

~A