Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians at North Oak Cliff Music Festival, 10/25/14
North Oak Cliff Music Festival
Mike Brooks Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians reunited in Oak Cliff over the weekend
With Edie Brickell, Seryn, South Dallas Funk Revue, Kat Edmonson, David Garza Trio, Fox and the Bird, Sarah Hickman, Meiko and Emily Elbert
Lake Cliff Park, Dallas
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Families are so uncool. So are old people, and so are people who listen to old music. If any of those opinions sound right to you, then you probably weren't among the attendees at Saturday's North Oak Cliff Music Festival, held at Lake Cliff Park and presented by the folks at the nearby Kessler Theater. "Family friendly" was decidedly the name of this fest's game, but it's a role that was also well-executed.
See also:
Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians' Reunion is 8 Years in the Making
The Relatives' Rev. Gean West Needs Help with His Medical Bills
The big draw, of course, was the reunion of Edie Brickell and the New Bohemians, who hadn't played together in Dallas since all the way back in 2006. That's long enough to make a career change (or two) and predates when a large swathe of the attendees had even been born. But the music, in some ways, was only part of the equation.
Rather than being a proper festival, per se, the event had more of a picnic or afternoon-in-the-park type vibe about it. There were food trucks and a couple merch tables, but not too far away there was a playground and, everywhere you looked, there were children running around. Most people brought coolers with them, as well as folding chairs and blankets. It was a laid back afternoon with perfect weather, the lake nearby and a lovely view of the Dallas skyline off beyond the trees.
Mike Brooks South Dallas Funk Revue
Mike Brooks
What's more, the organizers make a proud point of the festival sustaining itself without any form of corporate sponsorship. Being local almost goes without saying. In fact, even though the park was surrounded by parked cars, it seemed safe to assume that most hadn't driven too far to get there. (Although as a cross-section of the neighborhood it admittedly drew almost exclusively on the white population.)
And so it was only appropriate that most of the bands in the lineup took on a more accessible, uplifting tone. Sarah Hickman, who gamely put on an un-amplified set over on the side stage following some technical issues, was about as risque as the day got with her song, "Are We Ever Going to Have Sex Again?" Her set, in particular, was one of self-affirmation, sing-along songs and positivity, which wasn't uncommon to the day.
The South Dallas Funk Revue was inspirational in a whole other manner thanks to the appearance of Rev. Gean West, who returned to stage after an extended hospital stay for heart surgery that sidelined him for two months. Theirs was the most energetic set of the day, topped off by the guest appearance of gospel singer Tommy Young-West to help close things off.
An even bigger surprise was to come shortly afterward when Seryn took stage and announced that this would be their final Dallas appearance before they pick up and leave for new pastures. Specifically, they'll be moving to Nashville, where lead guitarist and chief songwriter Nathan James Allen is already living and his bandmates are set to join him shortly. They'll be back soon enough though, and the Kessler will be involved once again: Seryn's releasing it's long-anticipated second album at the end of December and they'll celebrate the release with a show at the Davis St. theater.
Based on their assured performance on Saturday, Seryn seem more than ready to use their relocation as a stepping stone to the next phase of their career. Their future is laid out in front of them. For the New Bohemians, however, Saturday night was a chance to look back and relive the past for 90 or so minutes. It's rare that the six members, and in particular Edie Brickell, have the time to all get together on the same stage. That North Oak Cliff Fest landed the reunion was nothing short of a coup -- a typically astute catch on the part of Jeff Liles.
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