The day belonged to Hip Hop, so as you can surmise…it was a good day.

Cool Kids got things off on a nice foot with some fresh beats and a b-boy style that works really well with the opposing styles of their respective emcees: Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish. Like any good hip hop show, the opening act must hype the crowd. I would say that the kids had the audience pretty hyped. Unfortunately, the promoters felt otherwise. We waited nearly a half hour for Del, and the time was chewed up by an energetic emcee (I forget his name) who was entertaining…just not quite so entertaining as cool kids. Check out a little sample of what went down with the kids in town.


Cool Kids from Travis Puckett on Vimeo.

Then, the moment I was waiting for: Del the funky (fresh/live/dope/ill) Homosapien stepped on stage. His set was very diverse, which it would have to be when you consider how many projects he has been involved in over the years. My fave is, will always be, Deltron 3030. I like his style, he looks so comfortable on stage, and never really over does anything. He threw in some comedy between songs with some stage antics, and had a second emcee, A PLUS. He and A PLUS worked well together to accent some of Del’s tunes with some b boy style. My only wish was that I could have not been stuck behind the tall guy with ridiculous B.O. for the majority of the set, but I guess that’s a testament to the quality of Del’s show that I would stick it out. Check it:


D E L from Travis Puckett on Vimeo.

And, to complete the night, I headed to Holocene for to check out Deerhunter. The place was packed, hundreds clamoring to see Bradford Cox’s high cheekbones. I had to wait in line to get in, and while outside my anticipation grew as I could hear the show from outside. Inside, the venue proved to make things difficult. The band was set up in a main room, which was a Fire Chief’s nightmare. You could feel the heat coming out of the sardine packed room from 50 feet away. Fortunately, they were projecting the gig on a main wall in the lounge/bar area. A lot less crowded- it just lacked in sound quality as the PA system blasted their music around the lounge. The band was pretty intense. they have a hard driving sound with no hesitance toward experimenting – mostly through effects on Bradford’s vox. He gets amazing sound from the mic and the band never relents. I would see them again, but it would have to be an intriguing double bill…perhaps with Les Savy Fav. Foreshadowing?


Deerhunter from Travis Puckett on Vimeo.