Fall Fest 2013

Anamanaguchi, the headliner for our event, is a chiptune act that plays punk rock shows. Somehow, they've tapped into the golden formula of ultra-energetic live sets with all the necessary bleeps and bloops. Recently, they scored the Scott Pilgrim video game, so that's kinda cool too. If you are a fan of blindingly bright colors, digital earworms, and throwing your fists triumphantly in the air in a moment of unbridled elation, look no further; Anamanaguchi is here.

Shad won a Juno award in 2011 for his rap record, TSOL. For those not in the know, a Juno is like a Canadian Grammy. The presenter who handed Shad his award was none other than Drake. For those not in the know, Drake played here in 2009. Now, I'm not saying that this award is a metaphorical passing of the torch… but I am totally saying that.  I am also saying that Shad is a poet, a feminist, and one of the most endearing, positive forces currently operating in rap. Get ready.

Giraffes? Giraffes! Good? Good! Uninhibited math rock splendor? Uninhibited math rock splendor! Okay I will stop doing that. Suffice it to say that if you like pummeling, fast-as-fuck guitar/drums combos, you will enjoy this. Sometimes I wonder how every single note can be so precisely intertwined with every drum hit. Then I check the band name to make sure it is not in fact Robots? Robots! The joke is that robots are programmed to do shit like that. Yeah? Yeah!

Kitty, formerly Kitty Pryde, is (by my own definition) the Queen of Tumblr. All the important elements are there: Lisa Frank stickers, gaudy imagery of crystals with soft blur, ultra-pitch shifted beats that fall halfway between witch house and chopped & screwed, and… Kitties? But beneath the surface of this painstakingly crafted persona lies a formidable rapper with a very unique approach to the game.

Ragnarok is a hip hop collective comprised of members who must have a thing for Norse Mythology that calls for the world to be submerged in water and to resurface anew. Admittedly, I learned that all on Wikipedia, but I guess it's a message to other young hip hop collectives out there? Ragnarok will erase and rewrite the definition of what is truly sick.

Mitski tried to lead an orchestral life, she really did! In her own words, she failed and now does this. If every failure was as elaborately arranged and strikingly beautiful as this, there would be no such thing as success. This is complex pop that goes from solo piano torch songs to angular handclap glee in the blink of an eye; missing it would be a true failure on your part.

AceMo is a core member of the Purchase electronic collective Makoshine. Throughout use of clever jazz samples, Ace has seamlessly bridged gaps between genres in a manner that excites the ears and shakes the rump. Another rare performance of the evening will see the Acemo Quintet perform, complete with bass, drums, sax, trumpet and assorted other sounds.