Mission Mission

Our buddy Jennifer Maerz over at Spin closes her 12 Best Moments of Treasure Island Music Fest list with this astute appreciation of Surfer Blood:

The Pavement song “Box Elder” is a quintessential slacker kiss-off tune, especially when it comes to the peppy refrain, “I’ve got a lot of good things coming my way, and I’m afraid to say that you’re not one of them.” In the hands of Surfer Blood, though, the single went from wryly tough to dramatically sincere. Then again, the Florida boys’ entire set was nothing if not earnest. Frontman John Paul Pitts opened the group’s performance Sunday by asking if anyone was excited as he was to see headliner Belle & Sebastian later, and when fans sang along to Surfer Blood’s big hit “Swim,” Pitts responded by saying in all seriousness, “Hey, you guys know that song!” When the band closed out by paying homage to Pavement, Paul’s theatrical quiver added gravitas to a song that’s usually packed with wisecracks.

Yes it did. And before all that, J.P. also performed an epic stage dive, pictured above. Surfer Blood rules.

Previously:

Surfer Blood and Pavement at the Pitchfork Music Festival

Sure, there were dozens of highly paid touring acts on stage at Treasure Island this past weekend, but a highlight for me were local boys the Ferocious Few, who appeared at some kind of throwback carnival midway tucked back away from the main-stage action. They played at various intervals throughout both days of the fest, and drew big crowds every time.

These guys have traditionally done their best work on street corners (and in gutters), but I feel a change coming on. I think the festival organizers would do well to put them on one of the real stages next year.

Also, they’ve printed up some hot new t-shirts. Keep a lookout.

P.S. I took this picture clean through a big green tarp. Impressed?

Previously:

Ferocious in the Streets

Think they’re related to these jammers?

This is a new video for a song by Holy Fuck, whose set yesterday (I’m told) was one of the highlights of the Treasure Island Music Festival. My buddy Jake says they brought the energy like no one else. (I missed it because I stayed in bed when I saw it was raining.) Watch this thing already:

[via Maya]

Before breaking into a spirited rendition of Piazza, New York Catcher, Stuart inquired about our pennant-racing boys in black (and orange):

I don’t know how the game ended up today.  Oh?  It wasn’t good, eh?  Not to worry, we’re bringing it back home 1-1.  That’s how you want it to be, really.

Those Phillies don’t stand a chance.

Where will you be on Tuesday at 4:20?

What the Mission Mission commenters say

SFist weighs in as well

Previously:

Go Giants!

Dugout Prank

Bummer! Luckily some nice girls at a hat booth at the festival gave him the handsome new one pictured here.

He says he realized one second too late that he’d left it on his seat, so he pleaded with the driver to let him back on, but the driver did not relent! Drove off with Stu’s headwear! Super bummer!

Soooooo, did anybody happen to FIND STUART MURDOCH’S HAT on a J train today?? Score!

And what do you suppose he was doing on the J anyway? Perhaps doing prep work for his upcoming gig at Dolores Park?

Photo by Clare821.

Figuring the electro night of the TI Music Festival would be the most appropriate time ever to wear such an awesome hat, Allan was disappointed that no one commented on his Swomp Thang lid’s awesomeness the whole time we were there.  Then, while waiting in the hour-long line for the shuttle at the end of the show, he finally got an “I love your hat!” from a random fellow line-waiter.

As he was mentioning to the rest of us how nice it was that the hat had finally received its deserved accolades, a completely different person shuffled past in the contra-lateral line and exclaimed, “I love your hat!”  Cosmic occurrence or past-due acknowledgment?  I can’t decide.

Want a Womp Hat of your own?  You can find them here.

[Photo L-R:  1st Row Me, Natalie, Elisa, Allan;  2nd Row Mischievous Ne'er-do-wells]

Previously:

MM Commenters’ Stories of the Treasure Island Bands

Swomp Thang

“My advice to you, San Francisco? Join a band,” he says, “It’s a lot of fun.”

!!! ruled, btw. Love watching those moves.

[Photo by A. Sarkarati]

“I’m used to there being a partially nude man next to me on stage,” Murphy says, referring to drummer Pat Mahoney’s penchant for short shorts. Last night on Treasure Island, where it was cold as grim death, Mahoney wore jeans, to the chagrin of short-shorts fans the island over.

Nonetheless, LCD Soundsystem destroyed. (They opened with the album opener and closed with the album closer!)