LIVE REVIEW: Escalator Fest II - Night 2 (Videos) | SRG

I thought the first night of Escalator Fest was amazing, that is, until I saw night 2.

Getting the evening started was a band called Climax Golden Twins. For those of you that don’t know, Climax Golden Twins (CGT of AFCGT) is a Seattle two piece consisting of Robert Millis on drums and Jeffrey Taylor on guitar. I was unfamiliar with the band going into the night but after they started I could tell this wasn’t just another show for the band. After their set I caught up with Jeffrey and it turns out Robert Millis was playing in another band that night in New York. So to take his place Jeffrey had his friend named Mark fill in. The two only had practiced together once before the show, so they did not play Climax Golden Twins songs. Instead they played a completely improvised 30 minute set. During the show I was thinking it was partially improvised due to the occasional head nods the two would give one another mid song, but it sounded way to well put together to be completely off the cuff. I guess that’s just a testament to the talent of the two musicians

Playing after CGT were Edibles out of Portland followed by the mighty Midday Veil of Seattle. Both performances had me grinning and grooving throughout. At one point during Midday Veil, I actually got goose bumps from the sound of Emily’s voice. They’ll be playing again November 13th at the Comet. It’s a record release show, so get out and pick up their new album, “Eyes All Around”.

Next up and without question the highlight of Escalator Fest for me was Moon Duo. The San Francisco based duo of Sanae Yamada and Erik Johnson (Wooden Shjips) came out and played a set I would refuse to call anything short of spectacular. At one point I looked around to see if I was the only one absolutely loving life at that moment and I was quickly reassured that it wasn’t just me by the smile on each and every face I could see. Don’t take my word for it though, I shot the entire set and you can see for yourself HERE.

Ending the night was The Curious Mystery; I was only able to stay for the first song so giving them a fair assessment is something I simply cannot do. I did get a video of their first song though, and you can check it out below.

Climax Golden Twins: