Slight tension could be felt as a group gathered around a stack of colorful
boxes. A man walked around, strategically observing for the box of his
choosing. The wheels of skateboards rolling and being kicked up could be
heard along with the soon tumbling of the cardboard boxes during the life-size game of
Jenga provided by vitaminwater, a participating sponsor. Maybe it brought the memory of simple
joy; visiting grandparents, playing with the little wooden bricks sitting around the
table waiting patiently for the home cooked meat sauce to
be served.
Youthful reincarnation occurred on Saturday, May 26th. It was a day to
be free from the stresses of the daily grind and the minuscule problems
that add up - leaving you walking through your front door only to throw your keys on the table with a sigh. It was a relief to play childhood games and greet smiling friends as the sun seered the black pavement of Allen Street in Buffalo, New York.
The day began with an air of excitement.
Field day: a progressive event for Buffalo. An all day festival on Allen
where three participating bars were occupied by local talent and the
street was closed off for activities, vendors and meandering festival
goers to soak in the summer sun.
The Buffalo collective
of artists and thinkers, Toats Orig, had their infamous bright pink banner with
white lettering hanging beneath a tent. DJs rotated turns, providing music for the
people outside; Miosi and DJ Mario Bee followed by half of the HXLY duo, Kyle Tatum, with a set that ended oddly abruptly. A wooden board was propped where paint markers of pink, blue and black were tied
by strings and with encouragement from the crew, drawings and tags compiled throughout the event. Krudmart, a street wear boutique, had a table next to them lined with original designs on their fitted hats and shirts.
A couple guys, including Toats Orig's Mic Excel, free styled for the
girls playing hopscotch and the early birds in sunglasses who were posted on the patios.
The beginning, although slow, began to fill up
when the streets reopened and performances were limited to the
participating venues: the Bend, Sample and Dukes Bohemian Grove Bar.
The VIP area, held in Hardware, was limited for the select bunch. DJ Owski and SunGlasses Mike took turns playing house music for the room, their equipment propped up on a table tagged with the iconic Red Bull label. Saranac bottles chilled in a bucket of ice, beckoning the thirsty intimate group while the representative of the sponsor was sure to go around to each person in the room recommending flavors of beer. "Try the Blueberry Blonde Ale," he said to me while motioning to the table that was also scattered with stacked Red Bull cans. Rainbow colored lights were projected onto a traditional looking area rug, although hardly visible from the beaming sunlight that was shining in from Allen Street.
Sines
played at The Bend while Pickster One and Melo performed at Dukes.
Sines set was hood bass and although the sound system at The Bend wasn't
perfect, it still had me leaning hard as the female voice of his drop
moaned through the bar, "oh my god...Sines." Orgasmic calls subliminally seeped and had the tight crowd that surrounded his set moving their hips just a little more freely.
Jon Kwest played an incredible moombahton set at Duke's, never faltering in concentration. The bass was an immaculate strength of heavy, vibrating through the floor and firing everyone to move. Across the bar I heard the high-pitched vocals cry out "you can't have my love," and ecstatically ran to the floor. His remix of Treasure Fingers' "It's Love" was an obsession of mine for months so getting to hear him play it out live was exhilarating. When David Heartbreak took over, the floor was already decently packed and steadily filled during his set. Some usual Allentown dwellers that weren't aware of the event piled in as well, pleasantly surprised at the hustle and bustle of the bar.
Heartbreak's set was strong and no one left the floor even with many sweaty bodies squeezing through and shuffling as close to the specially crafted stage as possible. As he finished up his set, the major headlining artist on the bill was preparing to go on. Munchi: Netherlands native, moombahton master and DJ turned up the already hazy and humid room. The lucky bunch that got to stand close to the subwoofers could feel small cooling gusts of air on their legs and regardless of the heat, no one stopped vibing out. Steve Rittner, head honcho of Queen City Cartel and master-planner for the event, gave a special thank you to Munchi when his set concluded then opened the stage for Cobra Krames. My ears perked up for his opening track, his own remix of "Bam Bam" by Sister Nancy. The rest of his set was ideal for booty clapping with Diplo's "Express Yourself" and his original song "Bend Your Back."
After stepping out of my cab with the sun coming up just over the horizon, I walked into my room, collapsed onto my bed and muttered to myself "...field day." Sore legs from dancing, a little bit of a tan and some great memories made, Field Day 2012 was most definitely a success. The Queen City Cartel did it big.
