Bassnectar, DJ John Napier, & Paper Route @ Forecastle, 7/11

Sunday morning started off with a text from my friend reading, “Where is everyone at this festival?” I’m not sure if people were simply too mind-blown by the fully-hyped and beautifully-delivered Bassnectar set from the night before, or if everyone felt similar to the man tripping acid behind me screaming “I have to fucking work tomorrow!” Regardless, Sunday’s crowd was a little sparse compared to the day before, and those of us that were there had a lot of room to fill. Nashville’s DJ John Napier literally started the day off with his semi-engaging 1pm set at the Ocean Stage. Eventually drawing about a dozen people from the shadows of the surrounding hills to dance, Napier did a solid job of keeping the crowd entertained, while the infamous purple blanket man jumped from the closest tree and ran circles around everyone. I feel confident in saying that the crowd would have been much more receptive to DJ Napier had we been in a LED enhanced warehouse, instead of a brightly lit patch of grass on a Sunday afternoon. Still, Napier held his own as he set the mood for Quantum 38 and Sam Gracie to follow.
While waiting for Paper Route to go on, I was able to share a plate of blueberries and a few smiles with Flaming Lip’s front man Wayne Coyne (who is just as mysterious and fascinating when silent, as he is walking over a crowd in a man-sized hamster ball) reminding me of their ever approaching set. Like clockwork, herds of people started filtering in anxiously to get the perfect spot for the Lip’s headlining set. This surge of people also happened to give Paper Route’s 7:30 slot a nice appeal, as the band started serenading us just before sundown. With matching Ray Bans, Andy Smith (vox/guitar) and J.T Daly (vox, keyboards, percussion) really helped give the band an image with their polished looks and voices to match. Paper Route’s sound varied between mellow mixes of Death Cab harmonies atop slower breakdowns, and tight grooves over some pre-recorded beats. Drummer Gavin McDonald proved to be quite the beast and really locked in with bassist Chad Howat to give the crowd something to dance to. Touring with bands like Paramore and Passion Pit, Paper Route has created quite a buzz in the past few years, most recently with their hit “Carousel” off their latest album Absence.
After leaving the festival I found myself delightfully pleased with how well Nashville’s locals stood out amongst other big name groups. Hopefully next year will bring in even more Nashville natives and the word of Forecastle will continue to spread. Regardless, I left the festival with a new obsession with electronica music, and a bitter confusion as to why my All Access pass didn’t continue working in the real world.–Mackenzie Grosser