The day had
finally come—the free, annual Make Music Pasadena festival that occurs every
June in the sunny and sweet neighborhood of Old Town Pasadena. This was my
second time here that it’s almost like a summer tradition for me. Although I
was pretty unfamiliar with the majority of the bands lined up this year, I was
stoked to see Kishi Bashi and Sir Sly, two bands I had discovered some time
back.
My sister, Amy,
and I drove there around 4 in the evening, just in time for Kishi Bashi’s
performance at one of the main stages. By this time, many families, dogs, and local or traveling teens had arrived, a much larger crowd than the previous year.
Will it become a mini Coachella? Hmmm…What’s great about this event are the
many stages available around the venue. With a line up and schedule of when and
where certain bands are performing released days before, you can essentially
plan your entire day out. Amy and I conveniently wanted to see bands performing
at the same stage, by various food trucks and pop-up shops on Colorado Boulevard.
Kishi Bashi, a bright indie pop band based in
Seattle, gave an uplifting, joyous performance that evening. The man behind
Kishi Bashi is Kaoru Ishibashi, a violinist of the band “Of Montreal” and a
musician voted “Best New Artist” by NPR in 2012. He concluded his last few
tracks with one of my established favorites, Philosophize With It! Chemicalize In It!, one that can
potentially end up on a Wes Anderson film soundtrack. Ishibashi’s renowned,
electrifying skill in the violin proved itself evident after hearing Carry On Phenomenon, another song with a
gorgeous violin solo. The majority of
his songs are unlike any other, which can make it a complex listen for those
who don’t know the band too well, but I definitely warmed up to them after
hearing their latest studio album released last year, Lightght.
Performing
minutes after Kishi Bashi, Sir Sly finished the event off at the main stage. The Los
Angeles based trio has a very unique, absorbing sound, somewhat reminiscent of
the vocals of The Neighbourhood and catchiness of Terraplane Sun. This band had
quietly lurked from the shadows all while releasing a number of EPs and
singles. But after being ranked #1 on HypeMachine’s current tops in 2013, the
indie pop band began to gain more and more name recognition. During their Make
Music performance, Sir Sly played all of their widely known favorites—Gold,
Ghost, and Found You Out—all tracks I’ve been loving off their most recent
album You Found Me. Sir Sly
definitely got us dancing, singing along, and sending shivers down our spines.
After a couple
hours of enjoying live music, Amy and I did what we usually like to do, explore
the ground. The streets were packed and heavy with groups of families and
friends, so we walked through the quiet alleyways of Old Town. We eventually found
one between two gorgeously built buildings with a New York/Breakfast at
Tiffany’s feel.
I’m a personal
fan of my sister’s fashion and of what she wore that day. Here, she’s sporting
a black halter crop from Zara, light
stressed boyfriend jeans from Zara,
a plaid flannel from Uniqlo, and white Nike kicks.
Here, I’m
sporting a striped tee from Zara, thrifted black high-waisted shorts, a thrifted thick brimmed hat, and thrifted black Aldo flats. (Note: I
thrift a lot.)
We continued to
walk around and enjoy the nice day out, all while listening to the distant
sounds of other bands performing nearby. It’s definitely a fulfilling moment to
listen to live music alongside your community. It’s a time when you get to together with
others through the power of music, a medium that does nothing but heal and mend
hearts. Thank you for a swell Saturday, Make Music Pasadena :-)
"Without music, life would be a mistake." -Friedrich Nietzche
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