While Tyler was off catching Atlas Sound, El Valiente, Collections of Colonies of Bees and others at last night’s Forward Music Fest, Ed Oliver was snapping photos of Ra Ra Riot, Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s, Flatbear, Archie Powell & the Exports.

Discuss: What band’s did you check out last night? How were Ra Ra Riot? Leave a comment with your thoughts/reviews on the festival thus far and who you’re looking forward to tonight.

By Tyler Fassnacht

After getting downtown a little later than I had hoped I only had around an hour before El Valiente kicked off the Just Sayin is All showcase at the Overture Center, which was the main attraction for me. The only other bands I really got a chance to see were part of the Amble Down showcase, but I can’t complain. The first band was the Cloud Hymn, who with guitar, piano and three voices, played your standard indie-folk, which was a very pleasant way to start off my evening. The band wasn’t super original, but they did their thing very well. The other band from Amble Down that I caught was Meridene. I was only able to stay for a couple songs, but these guys were upbeat and poppy, again very enjoyable from what I saw.

When El Valiente came on a little after 8:00, there were maybe thirty people in the Capitol Theater, so I felt a little bad for them, especially after hearing how good they were. It was the first time I had listened to El Valiente, but I assure you it won’t be the last. The band really exceeded my expectations, with one part math rock, one part post-rock, one experimental and the rest just melodic guitar playing. There were a couple times during their set when the songs would build up until the drummer would be standing up hitting all the cymbals as hard as he could. I’m sure the way they played to the almost empty theater was just as if they were playing to a full house and for that I got to give them some props.

The trend that El Valiente started would keep going on into the night, with Collections of Colonies of Bees. The six-member band often had three guitarists, bass, drums and laptop sampling. During their 45 minute set, the band played maybe four or five songs, but it didn’t visibly bother any of the audience, who kept their heads bobbing (what else could you do at a show like this?) while the band droned through their set and I use drone in a good way. COCOB created beautiful atmospheres with layers of guitar, mixed in with slight electronic noise, which mesmerized you until the climax finally would hit and you would realize they finished a song. This was the first band I saw who I had listened to prior, so my excitement of the night was finally running high.

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Music hungry fans in Madison wait no longer, the Forward Music Festival kicks off tonight with a great bill of talent at the High Noon Saloon. Tonight’s line up features Megafaun, All Tiny Creatures, Cedarwell & Juniper Tar. Pretty sweet, right?

The show is open to all pass holders of the Forward Music Festival or available for purchase at the door. Speaking of purchase, check out the amazing show poster above created by Animal Canon. These bad boys will also be available for purchase at the show. In preparation, please take the time to read the amazing interview Paste recently published with Megafaun. First band starts around 7pm tonight, so get there early and we’ll see you there!

Previously: 5 Questions with Megafaun
Previously: Photos: The Rosebuds + Megafaun – Club Garibaldi
Previously: From The Crowd: The Rosebuds + Megafaun

Buy: Megafaun – Gather, Form And Fly

Myspace: Megafaun
MP3: Megafaun – “The Fade”
MP3: Megafaun – “Kaufmans Ballad”