I literally took the poncho out of my bag. The hubris. There weren’t any rain clouds on the forecast I screamed to no one. Solid Sound? More like Soggy Ground. Everyone’s favorite biannual indie rock summit, the most magical place on earth for the kind of guys and gals with the Discogs app on their phone, and here I was cursing Wilco for ruining my coif at 4:30pm Day 1.
I’m kidding (mostly) but it did the rain did fall (and hard) as Billy Bragg kicked off our weekend at MASS MoCA, which maybe felt like a bad omen. I’m happy to say it was not. His Friday evening solo set (part greatest hits, part charmingly grouchy lecture on the indomitable spirit of collectivism and the overwhelming need to build a big net in order to protect the most vulnerable members of our community; yes, Billy Bragg said Trans Rights) was among the most attended and buzzed about all weekend, and I braved the elements for most of it! Tail between my legs I eventually ducked inside to find a spot where the sound bled through the hallowed halls of the museum in order to catch the rest still sopping wet. This should have probably been on the main stage instead of the bigger of the two satellites, and the crowd swell sorta threw off the equilibrium of the whole day, with food and beer stall lines snaking all around the grounds til well into the night’s headliner, a far cry from my first time at Solid Sound two years back.
Nevertheless, I persisted. The cloud retreated almost entirely on the short walk over to the fest’s smallest stage for an extended, perfectly calibrated set from the young and sharply-dressed Chicago power poppers Sharp Pins. Twink Guided by Voices is a pretty apt party line for this crew, especially when fronter Kai Slater steps back from the mic to throw some windmills and posi jumps for emphasis, it’s also true in that their lovably, artfully cruddy lo-fi records do not really prepare you for the raw power of their stadium (or at least theater) sized live attack. Those ringing, curlicued 12-string guitar lines just sounded so sweet blasting out in the sweltering, muggy Berkshire heat, an early highlight on a weekend that was rich with the kind of music I like (good).
From there I made a beeline to the main stage for Gang of Four (featuring Ted Leo on lead guitar). Absolutely thrilled to have more of my leftist UK post-punk godheads (this was kind of a theme for the weekend) yelling at me about the State of Things, and I love when Jon King gets out the bat and smashes that microwave to bits. There’s still plenty of lithe funk in their post-punk, and those twitchy rhythms had what felt like the whole of Joe’s Field throwing ass. I’m sure the Oxbow beers helped, I do love that farmhouse ale.
The Mermaid Avenue set, maybe a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, was a little late to the starting line, but proved to be worth than worth the wait (and the massive swelling of attendance, easily the weekend’s largest crowd and the major reasoning behind those agonizing lines). Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and Billy Bragg pretty much traded lead b2b the whole set, much like on the three volumes of recordings, playing all the big “hits” and dipping pretty deep into the cuts as well. The finale packed what felt like the entire weekend’s lineup plus many members of Woody Guthrie’s extended family for one of those charming little singalongs where half the crowd is playing guitars that aren’t even plugged in. Of course they did “This Land Is Your Land”.
L’Rain‘s smoky, jazz-y, deep-and-groovy late night set was a bit woefully under-attended but those who stuck around were treated to some of the most beautiful, mind-expanding sounds of the whole weekend. Some absolute masters in vibe-forward, rhythmically dense, soul-stirring music, and the perfect nightcap to a somewhat annoying but musically rewarding day of festival navigation. Also, Ira and Georgia from Yo La Tengo played some golden oldies records on the other stage.
Gonna kinda speed-run through the Saturday afternoon slate because it was hot as hell out and my brain was a little melty (and thus memory a big foggy) as a result. Kicked off Day 2 of Solid Sound with the back half of Souled America‘s aching, slouching almost desert blues-y take on Americana. Progenitors of the “no depression” alt country sound, I predict they’ll be the next older group to be embraced deeply by the tik tok slowcore teens. Amazingly haunted set, I was mesmerized. Winnipeg’s Living Hour came a long way to deliver their punchy, sometimes folky, always dreamy indie pop resonance. The kind of band every art-forward town should have, boasting about the places they like to hang out, switching instruments almost every other song, covering Silver Jews with Jeff Tweedy (shout out to Wendy and Ben’s wedding song). A stripped down “mini” Mekons set (yet again with the cantankerous UK lefties) came at what felt like the exact hottest hour of the weekend, but that did not stop the crowd from singing along to a career-spanning set that showcased the innate trad folk traditions in their post-punky churn. Great banter too. Western Mass’ Prewn delivered what was surely their longest set ever as a band, but they’ve got the songs and stage presence to pull it off. The freak-folkiness of their records is mostly smoothed out for powerful indie rocking instead which plays well to the stage, though fronter Izzy Hagerup does play an acoustic-electric with the gain cranked so there’s vestiges. It’s always a treat to see S.G. Goodman, who definitely feels like she’s next up in this country/rock and indie/mainstream crossover moment. She played an as-yet-unreleased sacred cow killing tune that will ruffle feathers and inspire a lot of writers, too. Also we broke the world yo-yo record.
OK, time to talk the reason for the season (at least in my book), the Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band and The Breeders block. Ryan Davis is having is day in the spotlight, and I saw a lotta dad absolutely losing their shit to his novella-as-alt-country boogie down tunes. With a crack live band, and songs that are as fun and groovy and hard-hitting as they are literary and deeply funny tragic, it’s genuinely exciting to see a songwriter who’s been at it as long as he has find his stride and also be so ready for the moment. Easily my favorite set of the weekend, I was absolutely in the zone for the whole thing just grinning like an idiot and shaking my head (and ass). Shout out to State Champion, go listen to those records too, man they smoke. The Breeders are probably the best Boston band ever by my estimation, even though Kim Deal seems to rep Ohio way harder these days, we can and will claim them as such. It’s equally a treat to see them bask in this post-Olivia Rodrigo glow, and they delivered the goods and then some to an enraptured crowd on the main stage. So many damn songs and all them perfect. It’s still a thrill to see Kim do the distorted mic thing on “Cannonball” too.
Wilco did their dutiful Day 2 headliner, reaching back deep into the catalog for a few numbers from their golden 90s run, and ending with an epic, extended run through the gargantuan “Spiders (Kidsmoke)” off Ghost Is Born. I love rock and roll music. Fun fact: I also love jazz, and The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis late night set just leveled me. Masterful chops played with furious punk energy and timing plus skronky sax just thrown all over the sonic field, exactly my kinda sound and yet another perfect ending to an even longer though admirably much better executed festival day. Gotta hand it to the staff they were not playing around at all on Saturday. Wandered over to Sylvan Esso‘s DJ set for a bit too and they were playing some wild, glitchy UK garage-y shit too I need that ID on my desk yesterday.
Day 3! I took a lot easier on this day, not going to lie to you. A slow-moving Sunday was just what the doctor ordered, and the beauty of Solid Sound being at a museum is that admission to the exhibits comes with the ticket, so that’s just what I did. Managed to catch two lovely sets from Sam & Louise Sullivan and Hannah Cohen first, though. S&L were especially great. The family band is part of an extended indie pop universe that includes next-up stars like Rubber Band Gun and Star Moles (both of whom play in their band), and their early afternoon set on the small stage was another highlight. I really like the dynamic between them as songwriters and players, real sturdy Americana, but from a lyrical standpoint that toes the line between down home goodness and slacker-y indie rock whip-smartedness. Hannah Cohen’s set was also lovely, a real hip-swaying good time in the hot sun before I dipped inside to get spooked by the James Turrell dark rooms. I immediately went to Glenn Kotche’s Sonic Pavilion sound bath to relax, which helped.
Decamped to the main stage one last time for Jeff Tweedy‘s closing solo set too before we made our journey back to Boston complete with a golden hour stop at the Mohawk Trail hairpin. The Wilco man made plenty of guest appearances on various stages throughout the weekend and still found the time to put a 3xLP this year, I think that’s pretty cool.
We’ll see ya in ’28!
Check out the rest of Wendy’s photos below
DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3
