Make Music Pasadena 2016

The Mowgli's

Make Music Pasadena. This must be a first. A light drizzle fell on Pasadena during much of the festival. Conversation among photographers was regarding if the rain could potentially cause moisture problems with their cameras. I wasn't too concerned. I figured a camera should be able to handle a light drizzle. I guess I won't learn if I was right for sure until time passes. I did have a towel that I used to wipe down my cameras. I also refused to switch out my lenses. I brought a lens that I always like to use for a few shots during a music festival, but I decided not to take the chance considering the drizzle. As for the musicians, I noticed that Make Music Pasadena organizers were well prepared. They had towels that they put out for the musicians to make so that they could keep things as dry as possible.

So yes, the drizzle was of concern for photographers and musicians, but that didn't put a damper on Make Music Pasadena. The day proved that we in Southern California can handle a light drizzle. Maybe we can't handle rain, but a drizzle . . .

I caught a number of bands/artists. Some I caught for just a couple songs as I rushed from one stage to another. So here are some thoughts on many, but not all the bands I saw.

The day started off with Kid Cadaver. It was a nice way to get the heart pumping at 11 a.m. The drummer knows how to entertain.

I jumped between the Old Towne Pub and the Balcony TV stages next. Baby Medusa rocked out the Old Towne Pub. Sleeplust graced the Balcony TV stage with sounds that had just a twist of the Middle East.

LA Girlfriend was fun and spunky. For the last couple of songs, cheerleaders helped increase the entertainment value.

Dear Lemon Tree (their name used to be Lemon Tree, but they needed a name change as another band already uses that name) is a folk trio. One used a string as a guitar strap. This band also features Leslie Stevens, a staple of the Los Angeles music scene.

Papa's drummer has an unknown amount of energy as he does dual duties as the drummer and lead singer. They also had the statement of the day, "God chose a strange day to rain on us."

The Mowgli's are a band that thrives on positive thinking. They even said the positive, "Honestly, you make it look sunny out here."

Atlas Genius got the crowd hopping. They asked everyone to get low and jump for joy. The crowd got super pumped for their Aussie rock.

Nohka and Medicine for the People had the crowd bringing out the hula hoops.

Chelsea Lankes had to deal with static problems for her first two songs, but that didn't stop her from delivering a killer set. She announced that she just broke up with her boyfriends. The men in the audience cheered. Hopefully, none of those cheering had girlfriends with them.

Warchief was my last band of the day. The Old Towne Pub was packed. I slowly positioned myself closer to the stage so that I could get some photos. This band's encore was "Born to be Wild." That got the crowd singing.

That was 2016. Here's to 2017!!!

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