A recap of the 2023 edition of the music and arts festival, highlighting selections from the Bit Bar and Chagall PAC lineups. Words and photos by Autumn Nelson and Michael Gutierrez.

Bit Bar

Arcade, bar, Dance Dance Revolution studio, arcane collectible warehouse. Bit Bar is many things to many people. Did you catch their pop up arcade at In Between Days in August? The Salem destination played host to a full day of music, starting with an early session at the front of the house and a late night session in the back.

Megan from Work

From Manchester, NH, Megan from Work exudes confidence and control at every level of their performances. Their music exists somewhere between punk and indie rock- with a friendly hint of sass. Featuring soaring vocals situated atop crunchy rock strumming, the experience feels honest and memorable. The drumming remains consistent while also exploring dynamics to effectively complement the song form.

The band’s Hope Fest performance worked as an excellent showcase of their high-caliber songwriting. The lyrics captivated the audience and recited untold stories about city streets and coming to peace with one’s body. Like the music itself, their performance style shines with authenticity. While playing, the musicians jumped around gleefully, engaged with each other personally, and kept up a warm, humble relationship with the audience.

-Autumn Nelson

TIFFY

TIFFY cuts through to the crowd with creative arrangements and catchy, uplifting melodies. Based in Boston, MA, lead singer Tiffany shines bright with high-attitude vocals laced with bends and emotive expressions. Tight guitar riffs interlock with deep bass as a foundation for memorable songwriting.

TIFFY’s Hope Fest performance showcased their true command of an audience. As the bass propelled the groove in exciting and unexpected ways, the crowd jumped and swayed, eyes locked on. The experience became even more communal as the songs shifted to themes like feeling fed up with work and climbing social ladders. In these moments, the songs became anthemic and, in some cases, ethereal. The band’s versatility and personality made their set one to remember.

-Autumn Nelson

Cozy Throne

Cozy Throne opened their set with a crash-heavy, high octane banger with descending riffs and enthralling basslines. Their onstage presence seemed truly unstoppable- lead singer Amara’s vocals ranged from highly-controlled belting to subtle vibrato. Amara performed with unparalleled attitude and control, dancing around and using motion to engage the crowd. From the rhythm section, the audience heard expert rhythmic control. Hi-hats locked in perfectly with crispy guitar riffs, even at blazing-fast tempos. The guitar solos sounded bluesy and tasteful, featuring catchy phrasing. The bass elegantly supported the speed and power, pushing forward with grace.

The band’s style represents a true crossing of genres. With modern day pop tightness and classic rock and roll confidence, Cozy Throne band feels like the best of both worlds. Their covers, such as “Helter Skelter”, demonstrate passion with growly vocals and fuzz-filled guitars. The originals captivate the audience just as effectively. Thanks to tempo changes and dynamic arrangements, the listeners stay engaged the entire time.

-Autumn Nelson

Tatooine Punk Scene

Tatooine Punk Scene defies labels with progressive rock filled with flavors of punk and emo. Striking falsetto vocals float above a bed of distortion and groove, creating a strong yet dynamic sound. The guitars play lush, warm chords that interlace with punchy drum parts. The band’s arrangements build tension through the use of space and silence, making the section changes hit hard.

At Hope Fest, Tatooine Punk Scene truly showcased the capacity of their sound. Staying perfectly locked in with their drummer, the band projected a sense of togetherness and controlled passion to the audience. Their final song demonstrated their technical ability as well, with math rock influences and changing time signatures that kept the crowd guessing. Fans will look forward to the ways this mind-bending band will continue to wow them in the future.

-Autumn Nelson

Weatherman

Weatherman showed up to their venue with decked-out pedalboards and a warm yet professional vibe. With lyrics about fighting societal pressures, the band formed a bond with the audience through well-composed anger and spirit. Aggressive punk singing, along with occasional screams, created an emotional bridge to the audience. Frequent changes to the drum pattern helped solidify the structure of the songs. Typical of the style, high-skill guitar parts beamed through with determination.

The band’s characteristic contribution to Midwest emo and punk will leave fans with something to latch on to. Their music is truly fluid, growing and shrinking to fit the progression of the song. This unique command of their storyline (through both lyrics and arrangements) makes the band stand out among this highly-saturated industry.

-Autumn Nelson

Julian Mendoza

The five-piece led by Julian Mendoza dug out a kind of rootsy, new school funk, served up with a side of hip hop. The frontman performed the title track off his new album Beneath My Wings, rocking the front of the Bit Bar in the daylight hours. The rhythm section found a nice groove. Shout out to the seated guitarist! You don’t see that enough – it’s got a real classy jazzy vibe. The medium tempo jammers cooked.

-Michael Gutierrez

Pink Slip

You know ska bands don’t mess around on numbers. How many musicians can you fit in the front room?

This time it was six, cozily clustered in the performance nook wedged between the pinball machines and Mortal Kombat. Pink Slip is a ska band that can also shift into rock n roll mode, using its shiny section of saxophone and trumpet as another layer of flavor atop a solid, snare-pounding rhythm section. Vocals-forward, with powerful harmonies to light up the space.

Sources report the band performed a new song, possibly called “Imposter”? The set included a mix of originals and covers, including a fiery skankin’ version of 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up”.

-Michael Gutierrez

Rilla Force

Rilla Force is back with a live performance after a little layoff. The artist, producer, beat stylist, and self-described founder & CEO of the sub-genre RNBDM stepped off the stage and performed the entire set in the pit with the crowd. An exciting, if daunting prospect – it seemed like a bachelorette party or two had a few too many 1-UP mushrooms that night.

Hump Day News shouted out Rilla Force’s tracks “nightmare” and “Tired” in the runup to Hope Fest. The artist performed a banging live version of the latter, unfurling the ultimate yeoman’s cry with nimble rhythms and modded vocals.

With his new EP WRLD PREMIERE dropping in 2022, and a Hope Fest appearance in 2023, are we at the beginning of a live performance Rilla-ssance?

-Michael Gutierrez

Pink Navel

Seems like Pink Navel is everywhere. The hip hop artist is banging the drum for his new collab single “Present Vendor” with Kenny Segal. It’s an ode to Beedle (from Zelda franchise fame) and the first single off the forthcoming album How To Capture Playful, due in October.

The artist is never at a loss for lighting up a room, large or small.

He can do the stage at Crystal Ballroom. He can do the postage stamp-sized performance space in the backroom at the Silhouette Lounge. And he did his best to do battle with a beast of a room at Bit Bar.

How does a musician compete against the video game symphony of power-ups and fatalities ringing loudly in the arcade?

If anyone could, it would be Pink Navel with a gamer mindset. Hip hop beats – especially the snare hits – cut through the aural fogbanks of white noise with aplomb.

-Michael Gutierrez

Chagall PAC

If you want beer or vino with your music you’ll have to go to the pub next door. The only wine bottles at Chagall PAC were handcrafted souvenir lamps marked out for the Salem tourist scene. But the panoply of paintings on the wall and cozy confines made for an intimate evening of music.

In the first half of the day the Chagall PAC artists performed on the open-air thoroughfare, cutting through from the marketplace in front of Old Town Hall to Derby Street. It’s a nice stretch for a leisurely promenade, and if you want to loll for a bit beneath the Hope Fest tent for some live music, who’s to say no?

Kristine Mayehu

Kristine Mayehu served up a pop-injected solo set. Vocals-forward, the California native made sweet love to the microphone, inviting the assembled Salemites to sing along. A strong backing track kept the mood bright, breezy, and upbeat.

-Michael Gutierrez

Gut Health

As night fell the action at Chagall PAC moved indoors.

Inside the gallery interior was chockfull of crafty tchotchkes and painted naturescapes. The available space to plant a band was not much larger than a Smartcar, which is plenty of space if you know what to do with it.

Gut Health knew what to do with it. The four-piece from Worcester brought its bag of tricks, which included a life-sized inflatable doll that’s toured more miles than 75% of gigging bands. There was also a suitcase full of effects and sound modulators that the frontman used to fiddle with his vocals, laying down heavy psych flavors atop a hard rocking rhythm section.

-Michael Gutierrez

Hyber

Along with Rilla Force, chalk up Hyber as an artist that hasn’t seen a live stage for a bit. The Salem locals arrived on stage with new music on the way, and likely on the set list Saturday night. Heavy alt rock vibrations, solid polyphonic vocals, and a driving pop instinct marked the band’s return to action.

-Michael Gutierrez

Performers…

Circus Trees // Rilla Force // Pink Navel // Mallcops // ???? // Lusus // 5ever // The P.A.’s // Hyber // Perennial // Zaafir // Justin Arena // New Forms // Nectarine Girl // Time and Place // Saint James // Fat Randy // Ezra Cohen & The Big City Band // Conor Ryan Hennessy // Sleepjumper // Pink Slip // The Promised End // Blackbyrd // Mike’s Carwash // ???? // Cozy Throne // Tatooine Punk Scene // Julian Mendoza // Lobohombre // Randi Woodelle // Jiddo // Dylan Weinand // Only Child // Megan From Work // Kristine Mayehu // TIFFY // JVK // Daphne Blue Underworld // Bad At Drawing

Find out more at hopefestma.com.

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