Interview

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Having attended New York's version of All Tomorrow's Parties last year (and seriously damaging my hearing watching the My Bloody Valentine reunion), I had a good idea of what to expect when I arrived for this year's installment. The location–Kutsher's Country Resort in Monticello–is charmingly decrepit, the festival stages are an easy walking distance from pretty much anywhere, the beer is cheap and plentiful, and the place is crawling with a lot of dudes in their 30's (much like myself) who are high on 90's indie-rock revivalism and eager to bro down and talk at length about how great The Jesus Lizard used to be, or what it's like to play poker against Steve Albini (which happened nightly in a special "gambling room" in the hotel).

I started my Sunday (read about Friday and Saturday) at ATP the way any hungover person logically might–by watching the Boredoms basically destroy the Starlight Ballroom (and my un-plugged ears) by playing Boadrum with 9 drummers onstage and one drumset that actually moved through the crowd. Happy from having been auditorially assaulted first thing in the morning, I spent the afternoon drinking beers and catching bits and pieces of various band's sets. Caribou Vibration Ensemble were great, but Crystal Castles continue to boggle my mind. (At one point, the singer's mic was unplugged, though no one seemed to notice).

I took a break mid-afternoon to catch up with The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne, who promptly convinced me to hop a fence so we could hang out in the world's saddest and most overgrown putt-putt golf course. I tore my favorite pair of jeans, but it was worth it. Clearly stoked to be curating the festival, Wayne happily cruised the grounds all weekend, chatting with fans and watching all the bands. "We've always been involved in the organizing of shows," he said. "In our early days, we'd be the guys down at the VFW hall in Norman, Oklahoma setting up the PA and hanging up the Christmas lights. When we tour with other bands, we try to present the show as this ensemble-type of performance that involves everyone. So, you know, curating something like this is ideal. I've been able to run around ATP and see at least a little bit of almost every band's set that's played here. There's not much else you can say about it other than that it's fucking amazing, you know?"

I eventually managed to change my jeans and make my way to the food court, where a huge group of people eating vegan hot dogs was briefly plunged into darkness when the power went out (again, no one seemed to notice). Following this, I saw what was the highlight of my weekend:  the collaborative set played by No Age and Bob Mould. Watching  Mould–a true rock icon–tear through a set of classic Husker Du songs alongside today's favorite punk rock sons nearly brought a tear to my eye. It was refreshing to watch a show during which you can tell the band is, quite literally, having the time of their lives. Randy and Dean from No Age were all smiles and kept exchanging looks that said, "Holy shit, we are playing Husker Du songs with Bob Mould."

After all the drinking and ear-pummeling music, I mustered up the energy required to watch festival co-curators The Flaming Lips close out the festival. As one would expect, the Lips brought their traveling carnival of a stage production with them. The confetti canon, balloon-launching, freakout-inducing visuals did not disappoint. In fact, the band emerged from a giant hallucinogenic vagina and proceeded to drench the audience with good vibes all night long. As a fellow Oklahoman, I couldn't have been more proud of them, especially when they ended their set with a rousing singalong version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and officially declared the ballroom a "legal pot smoking zone." I left the room with confetti in my hair–I couldn't have been happier.