San Francisco was warm and getting warmer when gates opened at noon on Saturday for the 7th Annual Phono Del Sol Music Fest. By the time the music started at Potrero Del Sol Park (the largest skate park in the city) on the outskirts of the Mission district, we were well on our way into a beautiful 77-degree summer day.
Even with 10 bands on the bill instead of 12 like we saw back in 2013, the non-profit Music Fest has grown. Ten food trucks lined San Bruno Ave, including a few favorites from the Outside Lands food line-up: Curry Up Now, Humphry Slocombe and Mozzeria. Sizeable beer gardens flanked a side of each of the two stages and booths with vendors signing people for free stuff, sampling products and selling merchandise were set up around the park.
Along with this being a non-profit event, which is wild in the music festival world, the team of volunteers at The Bay Bridged built a lineup chalk full of local bands. Aside from Duckwrth and The Coathangers, all of the other bands who played this year are from the Bay Area or are transplants.
The greatest attributes of this small festival are indeed the size and that the opposing set times don’t greatly overlap each other. With the stages just a short walk over a little grassy knoll, Phono Del Sol offers it’s fest-goers a chance to see as much music as possible, which is especially important for festivals that only run one day.
People trickled in as SF’s own Tino Drima and Oakland dwelling, Seattle transplant Madeline Kenney opened the show at 1 p.m. on the Mission Stage and 1:30 p.m. on the Potereo Stage, respectively. Families played in the playground, people chowed down on Food Truck grub, and those who weren’t bathing in the sunshine at the stages gathered in slivers of shade. The beer gardens were absolutely packed, sometimes more so than the general grass area around the stages!
The afternoon was filled with a healthy dose of eclectic sounds: from new age R&B with an old school soulful spin in Richmond’s 22-year-old songbird Rayana Jay, to blends of percussion, soft worldly beats, and melodic vocals from Oakland’s Bells Atlas, to a spirited performance of indie infused rap from Bay Area local via South Central rapper, Duckwrth.
Gears shifted a little when Sean Hayes took the Mission Stage later in the day. The New York-born, South Carolina raised, San Francisco transplant singer-songwriter filled the air with more of a country vibe. The strumming of his guitar and kind, gravelly voice offered a down-to-earth feel, like sipping lemonade out on your porch after a long day.
Then, things got punked up. The Coathangers took to the stage next in a quiet kind of furry. Back in March, the all-girl grunge outfit from Atlanta played Brick & Mortar on the other end of the Misson District, and I gotta say, their grit and wit were a perfect fit (for the Mission District, that is).They rock a “don’t call us hipster, you don’t want to be on our bad side” attitude, which was also fitting for The Mission stage on Saturday. Cracking jokes as they tied a huge “Happy Birthday” balloon to an amp in celebration of guitarist Crok’s B-Day, the girls instantly made an effortless connection with the crowd.
In matching red t-shirts, Crok Kid, Minnie, and Rusty gave Phono Del Sol the first full-fledged dose of wholesome punk rock. While Minnie’s vocals teetered on the falsetto spectrum, Rusty off-set them with her raspy baritones. You don’t see too many singing drummers, and I loved watching Rusty throw it down on the mic as she thrashed on the drums.
Their style of punk rock is more grungy than it is dirty and they were great at getting us riled up for the punks up next, headliners Thee Oh Sees! Four years ago they co-headlined the 3rd Annual Phono Del Sol with YACHT.
Two of the fest’s co-founders introduced the band before frontman John Dwyer, like a true punk, invited fans to jump the barricades and join them on stage.
Seconds into their set, the stage was already packed with jumping, headbanging, and crowd surfing fans. People weren’t even rude as they pushed past – it was awesome! You couldn’t really see them unless you were literally standing right in front of them, but there was no doubt that Thee Oh Sees were rocking, and people were rocking out along with them. It was a high energy, highly engaged set. Thee Oh Sees left their heart in San Francisco when they relocated down to L.A a few years ago, and it is oh so very good to have them back.
Fun in the sun, live music, food, drinks, and a ticket price that is right: you can’t really go wrong with Phono Del Sol Music Festival!
For more from Nikki, check out Sweet Sound Bites.
