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July 05, 2006
Over the 4th of July weekend I went to the Day on the Meadow in San Jose. You can find full details on the event at Day On The Meadow but basically it is a day of bands playing while you sit on the grass and buy stuff from booths. Main headline was Violent Femmes who were great. The guy on drums, Victor DeLorenzo, was totally hyper. He stood behind the drums instead of sitting and literally bounced around them the whole time.
Dresden Dolls also played, best known by me at least for Coin Operated Boy. They were good but not quite as memorable as two bands that played before them.
The two bands that I remember and really liked were Smash-Up Derby and Kung Fu Vampire. Smash-Up Derby (http://smashupderby.com/) plays mashups. Basically take two different songs that have the same beat or that seem like they will go together and then interplay the vocals and music between the two and you get a new song. For example, Closer by Nine Inch Nails and I Like Rock and Roll by Joan Jett can be mashed into a damn good song. And then these guys do it live which is pretty damn impressive. Lately I've been totally loving mashups. Check out Party Ben for some good stuff.
My other favorite was Kung Fu Vampire (http://kungfuvampire.com/). These guys are a mix of a different music styles. It's sort of like Rage Against The Machine and Linkin Park but then they also have a cello, violin and keyboards. They have a great stage persona too with half the guys wearing a plain white mask, the whole Asia girl thing and then the lead singer in a circus ringmaster type uniform. Most importantly though their music is catchy and addictive. I definitely recommend seeing both of these bands when you get a chance.

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