One of Berlin’s strongest music festivals, also one of Berlin’s berlin’iest music festivals since they do so well at supporting local talent, Down By The River is back for it’s third year of just generally being awesome.
Not only is this year’s festival stretching it’s boundaries musically this year, including slightly louder acts such as Berlin’s Camera and experimental pop group Blue In The Face, but they’re going to be also unveiling a new venue, Kater, the new residence for the Bar 25 kids who you’ll probably know closed their doors earlier this year. It’s all very exciting and even though you might find yourself missing the old venue a little bit, your tears will be dry before you even know it when you hear that Kater has two stages for the Festival and the punters to stretch out in, one in a forest, the other in a machine room.
Here’s a rundown of the lineup, stick around to the end, there’s an awesome mixtape for you to check out…
Jeffrey Lewis & the Junkyard Down By The River Festival has waited a long time to present to you again New York anti-folk artist & comic artist Jeffrey Lewis. An old friend of the Festival who’s also been an artistic contributor to DBTRFs past, his trademark musical style of humourous punk numbers accompanied by live illustration will this time be accompanied by his band The Junkyard.
Chinawoman Chinawoman has been, over a relatively short period of time, done remarkably at coming to prominance in Europe’s pop world. Coming from a background of playing her bittersweet ballads for Moscow fashion catwalks, Lithuanian tee parties and all over the streets of the Ukraine, it’ll only be a matter of time before you hear one of her songs in the Quentin Tarantino movie.
Viking Moses American freak-folk songwriter Viking Moses is known for his freespirited and experimental songs, this time bringing with him to Berlin his new discovery Joey Demarco along for the ride.
Camera Berlin kraut-rock group Camera supported Trans Am at Festsaal earlier this month, closing the set to howling calls for more. Definitely a Berlin band to keep your eye on if you’re into strongly composed rock.
My Two Toms Banjo/guitar instrumental duo My Two Toms, out of Bristol in the UK, bring traditional folkmusic into the realm of polished and sensible pop. “Sometimes I have to concede: you actually can write a good song without words.” – David-Ivar Herman Dne.
Stranded Horse Bringing together the minimal songwriting style of Nick Drake with the expert playing of an instrument very rarely heard at all in Europer, the West African Kora.
Dagobert Berliner pop-poet Dagobert, in a self-imposed five year exile in the Swiss mountains, has found a formula to write an unlimited number of completely timeless pop numbers, each one lovelier than the last. And what else could they be about other than love, why else?
Johnny Houx After an appearence from Johnny Houx, someone asked “How can someone sound so good, and be so inimitable, but at the same time sound so much like another artist?” Really, it’s almost magical how Johnny has lived out the lives of the old folk legends of the 60s, so poignantly, that the sound has through his talent gained a new freshness.
Mary Ocher Moscow born Mary Ocher grew up in Tel Aviv and arrived in Berlin at the age of twenty and she’s really just played everywhere. Her voice is in the vein of Janis Joplin or Margaret Lee, although her style is undeniably purely her own. Keep an ear out for her debut album, out this summer.
Blue In The Face “Berlin’s local avantgarde sonic stalwarts, blend elements borrowed from Hip-hop, Pop, Rock and Industrial to create a sophisticated, visceral sound that oscillates from Noise to Pop and ultimately leaves you slack-jawed in its sedative weirdness” -Styx
Marzipan Marzipan Also known for her work in the Adriano Celentano Gebckorchester, Italian artist Zelda Panda comes to DBTRF as Marzipan Marzipan bringing with her loop-machine, v-guitar and the drummer from Big Daddy Mugglestone to present a set of charming & breezy lo-fi punk.
Hazel Rickar A late and exciting addtion to the festival lineup, Portland native Hazel Rickard of The Dapper Cadavers will be playing a very rare solo set, especially for you.
Cat N Guyen With a traps-case stuffed full like a swiss army knife, a little bit of everything is what makes this duo out of the deepest darkest depths of East Germany.
Joey DeMarco Singer/songwriter wunderkind Joey DeMarco, from Fredricksburg, Virginia, was discovered by Brendon Massei (Viking Moses) as he was still finishing High School. His perfectly crafted bedroom pop songs and smart, happy/sad lyrics belie his teenage years and forecast a major artistic force to be reckoned with. On his first shows outside the US, he will bring along his debut album on Epiphysis Foundation, gently yet brilliantly produced by Viking Moses himself.
Die Spongies
Sam Dale A singer and guitarrist out of England who’s been playing the streets in Berlin for the past two years, Sam Dale swings between folk and traditional blues. Very recently he’s been absorbed into two awesome local bands, Sticks In The Casino and The Feminists, habitating the space somewhere between prog-rock and trash-something.
