Shaky Knees Festival is in full swing after an incredible first two days. Saturday kicked off with another impressive lineup. Nine Inch Nails was the headliner for Saturday night, but the lineup was supplemented with other amazing bands like Scarypoolparty, Mt. Joy, Kurt Vile & the Violaters, and more. Here is the full recap of the favorite things that we saw at Shaky Knees day two.
BabyJake Brings His Dad on Stage
After his first song in the set BabyJake exclaimed to the large crowd at the Ponce De Leon stage at Shaky Knees “I used to make pop music, until I realized it was lame and came to the rock and roll world.” Now the self-proclaimed “New King of Rock and Roll” was dressed in a red, white, and blue Evil Knieval or even Elvis style suit on stage and played each song with the swagger of a longtime rock and roll star. His vocals shined in the move to rock music. Fans got to hear some of his pop songs reimagined with his live rock band. As a band, they were impressive. They also would be listed on a best fit rankings if we were doing that for this festival.
But one of the highlights of the entire Shaky Knees festival was BabyJake bringing his dad on stage for the song. Immediately upon taking the stage Jake’s dad, Tony announced to the crowd that they have been singing together since he was 8 or 9 and that it started just at their home, and he noted “obviously, things have changed,” as he gestured to a raucous crowd. A crowd that only got louder when Tony started singing and had an incredible voice himself. It was a true pleasure to see the two perform ‘Honky Tonk Blues.’
Scarypoolparty Shines Again
Scarypoolparty is a wonder. If you have the chance to see Alejandro Aranda aka Scarypoolparty live you should take it. Each time we are blown away even more, and mid-day at Shaky Knees he shined bright. Aranda, wasn’t on the original lineup list and played for an artist that had to be scratched and he became one of the highlights of the weekend.
Jamming with Mt. Joy
There was major jam band energy during the Mt. Joy set, and it was our favorite set of the weekend. Each member of the band had a chance to shine on the Peachtree stage on Saturday. The band started the set in quick paced manner from their first song leading directly into ‘Strangers’ and the keys echoing across Central Park in Atlanta, and followed by the incredible vocals. The band then played ‘Astrovan’ directly after in a performance that gave me chills. I’ve heard that song before, I have heard it live before, but something that day was special. The entire set was special. Mt. Joy has quickly become one of my favorite live acts. At one point I realized they had been playing Lemon Tree for at least 10+ incredible minutes with some mesmerizing solos by each member of the band.
The band also played the title track ‘Orange Blood’ to their upcoming June album under the same name. That performance was special, and it wasn’t the only one from their new album. They played an unreleased song ‘Evergreen’ that was a wonderful introduction to the new album. A highlight of the performance was when they played a medley of ‘Julia’ into Bill Withers’ ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ which then transitioned into ‘Crazy’ by Gnarles Barkley and back into Julia. It was awesome. Mt. Joy knows how to create magic in their live show. They finished with ‘Silver Lining’ in possibly the best sets of the weekend.
Japanese Breakfast at Ponce De Leon
Wow. That was what went through my head over and over during the Japanese Breakfast set on Saturday night. Their live performance was impeccable. Thank goodness it was at night, because the lights really added to the entire performance. It was a sonically and visually beautiful performance to be part of. Michele Zauner who fronts the band was infectious. Her energy on stage was contagious and brought the crowd so much joy. Nine Inch Nails was the headlining show directly after her set and I said “I saw everything I need to see today. No act will be better than that. I will leave.” Yes, I skipped NIN. That’s how good Japanese Breakfast was. I didn’t want any other performance to be on my mind the rest of the evening. Only Japanese Breakfast fresh in my head.
