Phuzz Phest 2013, Day 2

The second annual Phuzz Phest took place in Winston-Salem April 4-6. Diversions went to the Camel City to check out North Carolina’s best bands and to discover some new favorites.

After a successful day one, I returned to Phuzz Phest for the evening on Friday, managing to see The Love Language, one of my longtime favorite groups take the stage at The Garage. With news of a new album due this summer on Merge Records, it was refreshing to hear how the band had evolved and that it was back to making its signature breed of catchy indie pop music.

Next, it was on to Krankies for the rest of the night. Things got kicked off with Estrangers, the band of the festival’s main organizer Philip Pledger. Not to mention, the band is also a Dive Party alumnus! Estrangers shared several tracks off its anticipated upcoming release and overall, embodied the theme of Phuzz Phest with its powerful, infectious fuzz pop.

But if we are being honest, it was Carrboro’s Toddlers that had me sold on going to Phuzz Phest. For the past year, I’ve been enamored with Nathan Toben’s croon and the band’s fast-paced, yet mature sound. Friday night’s show was just as pleasing, with several songs from the band’s latest release 19 and the promise of more to come.

Roanoke, Va.‘s Eternal Summers followed up Toddlers with more of the quality, distorted fuzz pop for which the festival is known for. Front woman Nicole Yun’s fitful vocals and loud guitar were mesmerizing and revitalizing. But while the night wasn’t near to winding down, unfortunately I was. Instead of sticking around for the rest of Eternal Summers and the beloved and whimsical final act Lost in the Trees, I opted to make the drive back to Orange Co. However, my loss at Phuzz Phest will be made up, since the band is scheduled to headline the Carrboro Block Party on May 5 with The Love Language and Loamlands. While livening Winston-Salem up for the weekend, it seems Phuzz Phest 2013 was just a taste of the excellent spring music schedule to come.