A recap of the 2023 edition of the music and arts festival, highlighting selections from the Old Town Hall and Gulu-Gulu Cafe lineups. Words and photos by Autumn Nelson and Michael Gutierrez.

Old Town Hall

A stately old building with an airy upper hall with skyhigh windows that’s fit to hold a congregation of faithful or maybe a colonial-era grudge match legwrestling tournament. You know, get Benjamin Franklin on his back, pant legs rolled up, shoes shorn, having a good ol’ time swilling tankards and tangling naked kneecaps with James Madison and company. Beats a night darning socks!

Fat Randy

Hump Day News reviewed Fat Randy’s track “Walgreens” off their album Slow, Incremental Change in the runup to Hope Fest. We dug the punk/kitchensink/jazz fusion.

The Boston-based noisemakers definitely bring the tall wall of heavy guitar sounds to the live show. Surprising percussive and rhythmic turns, though, keep the ear guessing. You’ll recognize some of the textures & timbres from your favorite rock and jazz outfits, but how they’re jigsawed together is part of Fat Randy’s secret sauce.

The band aired at least one new song, possibly titled “Knives Under Spinegolls Breakfast Consortium and Cheesecake Factory”. Fact checkers are hard at work.

-Michael Gutierrez

Jiddo

Old Town Hall in the afternoon had the vibe of an all-ages punk show, and Jiddo fit right in.

Hardcore? Post hardcore? Post-hard post-core? Whatever it was, it was loud, and there was a little bit of stirring in the pit during the set.

The four-piece dropped a new single titled “New Mombasa Orbital Elevator” right before the fest. Is it the same guy handing out titles to Fat Randy and Jiddo songs?

Odds are good that they gave the song its live debut at Hope Fest, though it was hard to tell when blood and brain juice is pouring out your ear holes. Get hyped!

-Michael Gutierrez

JVK

Self-described as “JVK-core,” JVK’s style bridges the fluidity of classic rock and the rage of punk. Songwriter and lead singer Jo builds an irresistible stage presence with motions to the crowd, inviting them to sing along, jump up and down, and let loose. Her vocals swell with grit, vibrato, and passion.

Songs like “My Own Man” challenge patriarchal norms with classic rock confidence. Screamy guitar riffs and enthralling drum grooves beautifully accentuate the storyline of the songs.

JVK’s Hope Fest performance had the audience beautifully lost in the music. With mind-blowing vocal harmonies and face-melting guitar solos, it became hard to look away. Their set oscillated between danceable indie pop and metal-influenced punk, creating a truly unforgettable experience. JVK epitomizes the benefits of branching out stylistically and engaging each member of the group.

-Autumn Nelson

Circus Trees

Some spooky Salem-worthy lighting lent a little extra gravitas to the local three-piece Circus Trees. Has there been a lineup change? Kind of remember a different trio that played the Nice Fest back in 2022. The grunge-adjacent pop stylings remain in force. Solid riffs, rhythms, and drum fills from their Delusions album are enough to fill out a rock n roll set. But the real showstopper was the moody, broody guitar picker “Save Yourself,” which dropped in August. Again, the music set the table but the lighting sealed the deal. A total Gesamtkunstwerk package.

-Michael Gutierrez

Gulu-Gulu Cafe

Is Gulu-Gulu Cafe the Platonic Ideal of cafes? If not, it’s close. The tall, sunny windows. Coffee drinks aplenty. Craft brews. Food to boot, everything from coffee pastries to full meals. And room for a music stage too?

Dylan Weinand

The solo banjo attack of Dylan Weinand brings a Tom Waits-style vibe to the Great American Songbook. Extra points for the “Mac the Knife” cover.

-Michael Gutierrez

Conor Ryan Hennessy

Solo folksinger Conor Ryan Hennessy brought along a fiddler, one of the Hope Fest organizers. Together the pair picked their way through the Hennessy songbook, which includes such family-friendly classics as “The Price of a Lobster Roll” with the tagline “Sometimes a lobster roll ain’t worth the price.” Who would deny it? Woody Guthrie energy.

-Michael Gutierrez

Justin Arena

The solo folkie Justin Arena is more Arlo than Woody. There’s a sneaky big voice on this singer-songwriter. The set started off with quieter number, but the vocals weren’t putting exclamation points on the chord progressions before the finish. Extra points for their outfit Together Press handling some (all?) of the printing needs for Hope Fest.

-Michael Gutierrez

Ezra Cohen

Solo six-stringer Ezra Cohen kept the Americana circle unbroken, but dialed up the decibels with electric guitar. The New Hampshire-based artist released his full-length album Big Sky via Dead Broke Rekerds (sic). The album features full instrumentation in eight songs, though the only recording credit at the bottom of the Bandcamp liner notes is Ezra Cohen. Is he pulling off one of those J Mascis Green Mind-scenarios, wearing all the hats? But not at once. That would be impossible.

-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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