Liberty Music Fest- Five Days of Awesome in Northern Liberties (Part One)

by Brittney Corridean

As the third annual Liberty Music Fest came to an end on Sunday, it’s probably safe to say that music fans and artists alike walked away with something meaningful that came from this superlative and inspirational event.

Not only did spectators come to support the well known venue, Finnigan’s Wake, that has been more than a friendly face to the Philadelphia original music scene, but they also came to enjoy the insanely good talent that was performing. Both veterans and newcomers alike came together to show their support and devotion to creativity and life that is music.

The Festival actually kicked off last Wednesday and opening night was hosted by Gashouse Radio (online radio station that focuses solely on original music). They featured bands HypoDive out of New York and Survay Says! from New Jersey. Both put on a stellar performance and really kept up with the audience. It was clear that to these bands, it wasn’t just about putting on a good show but also just having a bad ass time and keeping things fun, for themselves and the audience.

Friday night when you walked into Finnigan’s, third night of the Fest, there wasn’t a stitch of the building that wasn’t filled with music. The lineups were set in 50 minute intervals so each band had enough time to put on their best. Notably, there was a man walking in the crowd dressed in 18th century military attire that definitely had raised some eyebrows but in good, “hmm..wonder what’s going to happen with that?” kind of way.

Kid Felix put on a hell of a show with their wild animation and liveliness on stage. Everyone watching was completely engulfed with the entire performance; hands up, feet moving and eyes on the stage. At one point lead singer, Jake Falana, took out his cell and started snapping shots of the audience (who were happy to oblige). There was a lot of jumping and moving around that seemed to be quite contagious. He even came down into the crowd and was dancing around with everyone. To wrap it all up, Falana hopped back up on stage and jumped clear over, or better said, onto the drummer which was not anticipated, but ended the set in good fun.

Upstairs on the second floor was Liz de Lise, who has a fantastic following in Philadelphia. This group was composed of two talented young women. One who plays the cello and the other, acoustic guitar. They opened up their set with the song “Strangers” and during the entire performance, the audience quietly sat and admired the light airy voice that was echoing the room. A sweet gesture that should be noted was when Jake Falana came up and adjusted the mic for the cellist since her hands were full. It was a positive reflection that upholds the community that is truly in the original music scene.

On the 4th floor the entire night was considered to be “Hip Hop Hall” and was booming with all the different root sounds of R&B, hip hop, soul and funky goodness. Good Girl was one group featured that consisted of four, multi-talented girls whose performance was harmonious and tightly choreographed. It was a very refreshing and exciting performance.

Toward the end of the night, the mystery man who looked like he just came home from the Revolutionary War was solved. He was in the band East of the West and each member was dressed alike. They have a very diversified, rhythmic sound that has hints of reggae/rock. This is extremely unique to the Philly scene.

So, to be said, the five days of awesome that just occurred at The Liberty Music Fest were more than just the elements of an extraordinary event. All the wonderful music, networking opportunities and memories that were made are sure to carry on to next year’s festival and those in the scene will be anticipating what is to sure to come.