Slabtown' Bender Highlights

Oh man, I'm spent. Slabtown's Bender was like gorging on an appetizer platter. You knew you were getting nice selection deep fried Northwestern rawk, but if you came to hear a specific band, you went home wanting more. The sets were short, with little time for filler. Even so, I didn't have the stamina to see all 38 bands. Here are the ones I'll remember after the beer gut wears off:

The Girls
A charismatic frontman and a bashing keyboard combined to create awesome high energy punk rock and incite confrontational dancing.

Ty Segall
A creative, catchy, fun, and sonically dynamic set.

Coconut Coolouts
There was nothing subtle about this boisterous dance party. The two drummers front and center led the way, demanding cheap beer and good times.

Thee Headliners
During a way too short set, they pounded out gritty, powerful, and just plain great rock n' roll. Plus they covered the Sir Douglas Quintet.

Shannon and the Clams
They added yelps, yips, and a ton more reverb to classic early '60s pop.

Sir Lord Von Raven
I thought it'd be more glam, but was totally cool with the Faces-loving pub rock.

King Louie and the Missing Monuments
Shredded vocals, punk riffs, and Saints jerseys. Plus the guitarist played a flying-V and sported Jay Reatard shirt.

Pure Country Gold
A garage duo cranking out a killer mix of the blues, country, and rock n' roll. Also, the band I most wanted to see, so of course it felt the shortest.