CD101’s Summerfest has become a seasonal institution here in Columbus, and for good reason.

Every year, the radio station and PromoWest bring in several bands on one Saturday night. A $5 bill gets you into the LC Pavilion, which leaves much to be desired in its indoor configuration but is a pretty great outdoor venue. All in all, not a bad deal.

The 2009 edition of Summerfest featured local rapper Envelope, Band of Skulls, Living Things, Company of Thieves, Stellastarr*, Matt & Kim and Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears. As at most Summerfests, there were hits and misses.

As I was watching Living Things on the side stage, it struck me that Summerfest is always heavy on bands funded by major labels (Living Things are on Sony’s Jive Records), pseudo-indie labels (Black Joe Lewis is on Lost Highway, whose parent company is Universal) and indie labels with particularly deep pockets (Company of Thieves is on Wind-Up, which is distributed by Sony and home to bands like Creed and Evanescence).

There’s nothing inherently wrong with bands on well-funded labels, of course, but they do tend to sound watered-down and/or sanitized for the sake of reaching a wider audience. Take Living Things, for example. While the St. Louis band seems to pride itself on being politically and socially outspoken, sonically it can’t decide whether it’s the Ramones (“Bom Bom Bom”) or some forgettable band like Rock Kills Kid (“Oxygen”).

There’s also something about an ultra-serious band wearing black leather and sunglasses on the broad-daylight LC side stage that makes it look like a d-bag.

Band of Skulls suffers from an identity crisis, as well. Sometimes the Brits went for a Black Keys-meets-Franz Ferdinand feel (“I Know What I Am”), and then out of nowhere came the radio-groveling, arena-rocky “Fires.” It’s not a terrible song, nor was it a terrible set, but the dichotomy was jarring, and I much prefer the group’s bluesier stuff.

I kind of want to hate any band that shares a label with Creed, but Company of Thieves won me over. Or, rather, lead singer Genevieve Schatz did. I’d still advise saving your money instead of buying the Chicago band’s lackluster debut, Ordinary Riches, but live, Schatz has a deliciously unhinged stage presence and some impressive pipes that sounded surprisingly jazzy when breathy, and astonishingly powerful when loud.

Company of Thieves also gets the award for the déjà vu moment of the night for covering Smashing Pumpkins’ “1979” just as Honey Honey did at last year’s Summerfest, with almost the exact same vibe.

Stellastarr*, on the other hand, wins the award for the most recycled sound, proving its music is just as irksome as its band name. Be warned.


There’s also something about an ultra-serious band wearing black leather and sunglasses on the broad-daylight LC side stage that makes it look like a d-bag.


Envelope played my favorite set of the night. Even on the huge main stage, he was his usual affable self, grasping a mike and a bottle of Bud while effortlessly laying down self-deprecating rhymes about an everyman’s life in Columbus (and rarely rapping about rap).

He also debuted a new tune with the Catalyst, “We’re All Gonna Die Together.” Despite the pseudo-anguished screaming after the song’s eponymous refrain, Envelope reveled in its statement—as in, “Hey, all of us are gonna die, but at least we’ll die together.” Times New Viking isn’t the only romantic nihilist in town.

And just when it looked like Envelope would play an entire set without some sort of stage prop, he opened up a case that let loose a bunch of balloons and white doves—real, live birds—followed by a big Columbus, Ohio, flag. It was great.

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears closed out the night, channeling James Brown and Howlin’ Wolf. I had a little bit of concert fatigue by that point, but the band buoyed my energy with songs like “Sugarfoot” and the funky “Big Booty Woman.” (Lewis explained the latter, saying, “People say I got a lot of gimmicks. That ain’t it. I just like booties.”)

The band played Cafe Bourbon Street last year to about “two people,” Lewis said, so apparently that debut album is doing well. Still, enough people were trickling out that the headliner spot probably should have been reserved for the infectious Matt & Kim, who played just before the Honeybears.

One of indie rock’s biggest faults is its excess of indifference and irony, so it’s always refreshing to witness the youthful exuberance of Matt & Kim. Even more so than at Skully’s back in March, the duo seemed overjoyed just to be playing music, especially to a huge, sold-out crowd. I can relate to those who don’t come back to Matt & Kim’s albums much, but not enjoying the couple’s live performance is like admitting you have no soul.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Despite its (aforementioned) faults, Summerfest is a great thing. Even if just a couple of the bands are worth seeing, it’s still a good deal. And when the weather is as perfect as it was on Saturday, it’s an evening well spent.