I had the good fortune of attending Edgefest 22 this year on a media pass, which made for a very excitable weekend. I've attended the show in the past and greatly enjoyed it, but this year's line-up more than warranted an article, so welcome to the (albiet simple) mass-review of Edgefest 22!

Chomsky: I've got to be honest, I was a bit disappointed by the show's opening act. At one point in time, Chomsky was huge and made national television performances that showed they weren't a band to ignore. Now though I found myself sadly less excited to see them and a bit frustrated by the constant use of the third person by the lead singer. That said, they still put on a good show, it just needed a little work. Also in fairness, I was working on the other side of the arena for part of their set, so I'd hate to be judging them unfairly.

Aranda: These guys were the start of Edgefest for me. Great energy and good rock in general. I hadn't listened to these guys much until recently, so it was a real treat to hear them live and discover that they were capable of putting on a good live show as well as studio recordings. It's nice to find more bands that aren't relying on audio engineers to make their music sound good for them.

The Features: This was the first time I'd even listened to the band, primarily because they were on a Twilight soundtrack. I guess even good music can wind up in the wrong place from time to time though ;) The band like many others over the last few years have adopted an "old-school" sound and it thankfully worked in their case. Definitely worth a listen if you haven't heard them already.

Switchfoot: Christian rock is alive and well. I've been listening to Switchfoot for about 15 years now, and they haven't had a bad album yet as far as I'm concerned. They were the first "big" act of the day and played many favorites as well as a spectacular Jane's Addiction cover. It was refreshing as always to see a band rock out without feeling the need to swear every few seconds. I tried to limit all bands to 3 pictures, but Switchfoot needed more. That's the story I'm sticking to.

Dead Sara: It's well beyond time for this band to get some recognition. Far too often, rock bands with female singers are either Avril Lavigne and Paramore clones (Not to say that's always bad, but the goal should be to sound fresh), or are incapable of really rocking. Dead Sarah is neither of these things. Lead singer Emily Armstrong has a rich, beautiful, and emotional tone somewhat reminiscent of Heart's Ann Wilson, and she's also capable of yelling with a smooth or rough quality and it comes out great either way. Give them a listen, I see great things coming for them in the near future.

Civil Twilight: The first time I noticed Civil Twilight was after hearing their song "Letters From The Sky" in an ad on TV, and it didn't take long for me to become a fan after that. Their set was impressive enough with their own music and then they decided to cover "Teardrop" by Massive Attack. I understand some M.A. fans are bothered by this, but understand it's meant to be their version, so yes, it is a bit different but that's what makes it good. Very impressive set overall.

Foxy Shazam: What do I say about these guys? I'm honestly not a fan of the band, but I can't bring myself to dislike them either. Even without caring for their music I found myself extremely entertained by the band members themselves. I don't believe even the band is expecting to be taken seriously as they do a lot of humor related things in both their videos and costuming, live or otherwise. They certainly know how to entertain and more importantly they clearly enjoy what they do which is one of the biggest factors I see in their favor. I can easily see how someone could start out going to shows for a laugh and then turn into a fan of the music over time. Heck, even as I'm writing this I'm finding myself becoming a fan of their song "Unstoppable". If you think about it though they are fairly similar to Queen in a lot of ways. (Please don't lynch me, I grew up on Queen). 

Neon Trees: N.T. hit the mainstream back in 2010 with the release of their single, "Animal", and quickly took over the radio with it. Now they've released their second full length album which includes the single "Everybody Talks". Live they were fantastic, although I actually heard some complaints from the crowd because the band decided to make up a story about the origin of the single regarding last year's Edgefest. Really guys, let the band have some fun, they're doing it to entertain you.

The Ting Tings: As with Foxy Shazam, I don't dislike the band, but I could never get into most of their music. Still though what I saw of them was very entertaining, and their music translated well in a live format.

Arctic Monkeys: Oddly enough I think that there were more people wearing Arctic Monkeys shirts than any other band at the show. Besides that though I don't have a lot to say for them either. The band put on an enjoyable, sold performance worthy of Edgefest and the giant crowd they attracted.

Blue October: Every time I see these guys the show is completely different, even if they play the same songs. Blue October is one of those bands I really can't get tired of. There is always a change made lyrically and/or instrumentally, for example this time the band played around with both vocal effects and the instrumental on "X Amount of Words". One of the best things for me about them is also that so often Justin decides to speak the words most important to him, rather than just belting them out. It ensures that the listener has to pay attention and think about them. They are also one of the most dedicated bands I've ever met when it comes to their fans, much love to Blue October.

Cage The Elephant: Ain't no rest for the wicked, or so I hear anyway. I've heard a lot of mixed reports on Cage's live shows (as to whether on not they suck) and I'm happy to report they were amazing at Edgefest, so everyone can be happy.

Evanescence: Yes ma'am, I'm sure Amy Lee knows you love her (shifts as far away as possible from said individual in crowd)... Sad as I was when Ben Moody left the band, I can't say currently that it was a mistake. While the band has clearly changed since then, his choice spawned a couple of interesting side projects for himself that I'm rather fond of (See his solo project and also "We Are The Fallen"), and I still love the band's sound as it has progressed through the last couple of albums. Amy Lee has one heck of a pair of pipes, and still remains in my humble opinion one of the best female voices in modern music regardless of genre. I really don't think it's possible for them to put on a "bad" show. It's also great that she likes to move in a stilted pattern so we can get awesome pictures of her ;)

Cake: Let them eat it. This is another band I've been listening to for years so I was thrilled to see them live and have them completely surpass my expectations. Can you say power trumpet? Out of all the bands they had the best interaction with their fans during the performance. While playing "Sick Of You", they had about a 4 minute interval in which they "trained" the crowd to sing the chorus. I do believe they played nearly every good song they've ever written - Excellent show.

Garbage: Hey guys, look, it's Shirley Manson! CRASH (sound of my camera-man screaming and passing out from excitement) (Disclaimer, camera-man is about 6'9", 300 lbs. I may be dead after he reads this). All joking aside, as my camera-man will tell you, this is a really big deal Garbage went MIA for far too many years, so having them come back and still be such an amazing act is a blessing. 

The Black Keys: I got to the venue around 9:45 am, so I was working about 12 hours for this part of the show. It was well worth the wait though. The Black Keys fully pulled me in as a fan after this concert. As stated in my recent review of the band "Create A Monster", I'm constantly searching for what I consider to be "real" rock music and TBK fit the category perfectly for me, both in sound and performance style. The band is truly good, and even beyond the vocals have really classic instrumental vibes. They were just about the best part of the day (for me), and made for a spectacular end to the night. Their performance included 60's/70's era lighting and what looked to be a 12 foot disco-ball. And so, Black Keys, Rock thanks you.

Well, that's all I've got for now, cheers guys... More articles coming soon :)