It's been an exciting couple years for Chinese record label Modern Sky. Not only did they just sign rock stalwarts Miserable Faith for their first ever U.S. tour - they've also expanded their hugely successful music festival into two U.S. cities in the span of just as many years. While Modern Sky has been happening annually in China since 2007, last August, the festival made its U.S. debut, taking place in Central Park, and hosting (among others) Cat Power, the Blood Brothers, Chinese electronic act Re-TROS, and Liars. This year, the label adds Modern Sky Seattle to its lists of participants, with an incredible day of music at the mural and a strong, diverse lineup including Gang of Four, Miserable Faith, Ariel Pink, Mirel Wagner, New Pants and Black Lips. On Sunday, Seattle welcomed Modern Sky with open arms.
Finnish singer Mirel Wagner didn't need to do much on stage to win the hearts and ears of the crowd present at Modern Sky. With no backing band, she sat in a single chair in the center of the massive mural stage with her acoustic guitar and played a strong set that felt much more intimate than the moment lent itself to. The young songwriter released When The Cellar Children See The Light of Day last year, which saw local distribution on Seattle's own Sub Pop. Its single, "Oak Tree", is a haunting and highly memorable work that finds Wagner at the top of her craft. Over in Europe, the record won the 2014 Nordic Music Prize, and for great reason. Wagner is a spinster of powerful and moving work, with songwriting reminiscent of the greats across the span of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez to Mark Lanegan. Here at Modern Sky, the throng of festival-goers took the length of the barrier, crowding around to listen to Wagner's quiet wonders. With a non-stop forty minute set, she made her contribution and then stepped off quietly - her songs do more than enough to speak on her behalf.
Mirel Wagner:
Where to even begin with Ariel Pink? The LA master of meta-glam has played shows (in Seattle alone) where pizza was ordered onto the stage and then consumed in the span of only a few songs, while still screaming at the audience in a vampiric outfit. Ariel's journey, both with The Haunted Graffiti and with his new solo record pom pom, takes a very contrarian, Zappa-esque approach to what rock and roll super-stardom is supposed to look like. While his records exemplify this wonderfully as singular efforts, the full experience of Ariel's hazy pink world comes in the form of his live sets. Today at Modern Sky, technical issues set the band's time back quite a bit, cutting the length of the set to only about six or seven songs. But once the band took the stage, it was a non-stop barrage of color and sound. Entering to the chaotic channel-surfing madness that is "Dinosaur Carebears", Ariel had the audience by the strings from minute 1. From there, the emotional highs and lows abounded, taking a crowd of many first-time listeners to places they never dreamed. The set hardly stuck to one era of Pink's music, bringing in several pom pom cuts like "White Freckles", but jumping back to the likes of "West Coast Calamities". But by and large, the climax of Ariel's set came at its closing, with a feverish rendition of House Arrest cut "Gettin' High in the Morning". Ariel went full glam rock and took his vocals to the stratosphere, where the band happily followed. Some enthralled, some puzzled, Ariel made an impression on every attendee at Modern Sky here today.
Ariel Pink:
The crowds at Modern Sky enjoyed the early part of their afternoon, but it wasn't until Miserable Faith took the stage that the crowd volume amped up considerably. Quite a few attendees to the festival here today made this act their top priority, and for no unknown reason. Miserable Faith's 2000 debut This Is A Question was a landmark in the modern Chinese rock scene. From there, not a single release went by where Miserable Faith experimented with completely new elements. Their latest record, May Love Be Without Worries, leans to folk music as well as the classic reggae of Bob Marley. For such a globally thinking band, it's hard to process the fact that this fall tour is the band's first time ever playing the United States. After playing for fifteen years in dozens of cities across Chine, the band recently signed to Modern Sky who have helped them get the manpower to make the jump across the water. Modern Sky's festival attendees today couldn't have been happier about this. Lead singer Gao Hu played the wonderful frontman, giving every bit of the energy offered to him back to the fans at front and center. The mural stage was alive and brilliant, with fans screaming along at full volume to every word. Miserable Faith's appearance today was a great time and set a high bar for the rest of the evening's excellent acts to come.
Miserable Faith:
Check the KEXP blog for more coverage of Modern Sky 2015!
all photos by Brady Harvey (view set)
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