PAST TENSED: Movers & Shakers will close out both Starlab Fest 2012 and their own band’s spirited run. |
This Saturday, Union Square will be abuzz with the happy glow of Starlab Fest 2012, and it promises to be nothing resembling a mellow affair. An annual celebration now three years in the running, Starlab Fest turns the ordinary parking lot of a low-key recording studio/rehearsal space/occasional DIY venue (next to Union Square’s famous radiator farm!) into a battle royale of musical goodness.
But while revelers munch barbecue, browse the flea market, and drink cheap Narragansetts (legally this time!), there will be some bittersweet emotions in the air as Starlab’s flagship band, the eclectic, twangy, and rocking Movers & Shakers — whose 2011 National Harvester record was nominated for Album/EP of the Year in the recent Phoenix Best Music Poll — offer up a farewell performance.
“We put out an album in November, and it was a really long process,” says Movers & Shakers’ Matt Price, who also organizes the Starlab Fest. “We’re really happy with it, but we felt like it had run its course. Some people play in other bands and have different creative things that they want to do, so we felt like it was a good time to move on!”
Of course, there’s no crying in rock and roll, so while the Movers excitedly perform their last gig in their own back yard, the rest of the day’s lineup is just as noteworthy and reflective of Starlab’s DIY ethos. Fourteen acts fill two outdoor stages: the acoustic stage features seven acts, including Cask Mouse, Amelia Emmet, and Tony the Bookie, while the main parking lot area features sounds ranging from the psych goodness of CreaturoS to the stoner metal of the Proselyte to a raucous round from Starlab residents Dan Webb & the Spiders. Things will be shaking long before Movers & Shakers get moving.
STARLAB FEST 2012 | Starlab, 32 Prospect St, Somerville | July 28 from noon to 9 pm | All Ages | $10 suggested donation |starlabfest2012.blogspot.com
