This weekend, the Pitzer mounds will transform into festival mode—complete with bands,
artists, vendors, day-drinking and free food—for the college’s annual Kohoutek Music and Art Festival. Kohoutek is a chance for students of the 5Cs to attend a free
music festival right in their backyard.
This year’s festival marks the 39th annual Festival, and the Kohoutek Committee, comprised of students from
across the 5Cs, has worked diligently since the beginning of the year to decide on bands to book for the festival. Kohoutek 2011 reportedly overspent by $6,000, which raised budget concerns for this year’s festival. However, organizer Miranda Gonzalez Brown PZ ’12 explained that financial problems have been surmounted.
“We did get less money from student
senate than last year (about six grand less), but we knew that from the beginning
and planned accordingly. As far as bands go, it’s always hard getting bands
with a limited budget—no Beyoncé for Kohoutek. But students on the committee
are really great about finding and bringing great bands that don’t cost a first-born child,” Brown wrote in an e-mail to TSL.
Although the Kohoutek budget was carefully regulated this
year, the committee was able to book big names like
Vetiver, in addition to quality local bands like The Get Down Boys and Raheem
Cohen.
San Francisco-based Vetiver, Friday night’s headliner, is the biggest
name at Kohoutek this year. Vetiver was formed in 2002 by lead
singer/songwriter Andy Cabic, and has since come out with a collection of
records with a predominantly folk sound. Their music is influenced by a range of other genres, from freak and psychedelic
folk to naturalism and jam band. Vetiver has climbed out of the underground and
independent music scene and is now signed by the major recording label Sub Pop, based in Seattle.
On Vetiver’s most recent album, 2011’s The Errant Charm, Cabic’s smoky voice takes his audience back to the ’70s. The album adopted an obviously tighter and cleaner sound than Vetiver’s previous albums. The groovy vibe of The Errant Charm hasn’t received the same positive response as earlier music, so hopefully Vetiver will play a diverse set that includes older songs to appease 5C fans.
“I’m
personally most excited to see Raheem Cohen,” Brown said. “They’re a band from L.A. that I’ve
grown up with. They’re a group of five guys that make some of the most amazing music
I’ve had the privilege of hearing.”
Seattle-based hip-hop group
KnowMads is also playing at this year’s Kohoutek. The duo consists of rappers Pepe Wilson and
Jester. KnowMads is dedicated to
representing their hometown, and their loyalty to their city is similar to Bay Area hyphy rappers like Andre Nickatina, as well as midwestern rappers like Atmosphere and Brother Ali. So, if you are a loyal Pacific Northwesterner,
you can reminisce with KnowMads during their Friday set.
If you are an electronic fan, Lynx and Co.Fee are playing nighttime sets tonight and tomorrow, respectively.
For more information about the Kohoutek 2012 lineup, check out the festival’s website, kohoutekfest.com.