The ever present threat of rain during the early hours of the second day of the Underground Music Showcase left many festival-goers ducking into the nearest venue to stay dry.
That included the half a dozen people who slipped into Eslinger Gallery at around 6:15 p.m. on Friday, nearly doubling the size of the crowd listening to . The band quickly won over the crowd and got a huge cheer as they launched into their final number, only to run into technical problems with the laptop program providing the bass and synth parts.
“Sh*t happens,” said lead singer Ilya Litoshik, as he stalled for time halfway through the song. “You gotta pay attention to the cords.”
ALBNY soon fixed the issue and finished their set strong as the weather outside the gallery began to clear. Sisters Emma and Marar Whitehead had been at a different venue but didn’t like the band and returned to Eslinger because itap their favorite venue. (“They have fans! And free water,” Emma said.)
“I didn’t put (ALBNY) on my list of bands to see but I’m so glad we walked in here,” Marar said.
This the Whitehead’s first UMS but the sisters said they already helped start a dance party during The band was playing “really bumpy music” but everyone was just standing around, so the sisters along with two other girls started dancing in the middle of the gallery.
“People on the outside were still just standing,” Marar said. “But there was a group in the middle that was just feeling it.”
Standing near the main stage shortly before , Roger Dowd said what he loves about UMS is the “unexplained serendipity” of wandering into a venue and hearing a band he’s never heard of.
“We like to be surprised,” his friend Jason Sorter added. Sorter and Dowd were two of a group of five guys, all from Denver, wearing matching grey “Punk is Dad” shirts. “Do we look intimidating?” Dowd joked.
Sorter and Dowd have both been coming to UMS for several years and Sorter said he’s enjoyed watching the festival evolve over the years.
“UMS is really turning into a mini South By Southwest and if it keeps growing at this rate it will get to that level,” Sorter said.
If the UMS ever does get that level, five and a half-year-old Riley Dillon will certainly be around to see it. Dillon, who was sporting a pair of bright pink earmuffs, has been coming to the UMS since she was 18 months old, said her mom, Brooke. The Dillons have lived in the South Broadway neighborhood for the past eight years and love coming to the festival every year.
“We love living here,” Brooke said. “Itap nice for the neighborhood to be able to show itself off.”
