The weekend of March 18th & 19th was a crazy one, and I say this in the best way possible. Redefining Records had the pleasure of covering Starry Nites Festival, setup by the good people at Desert Stars Festival and Starry Records. The event took place at the beautiful Live Oak Campground in Santa Barbara and consisted of incredible live, interactive visuals by Obscura Digital, delicious food trucks, craft beers, wine and cocktails, awesome products and crafts from local vendors, a playground of instruments and musical gear from Roland and V-Moda, as well as fantastic performances by a talented lineup of musicians! Check out our highlight reel to bask in the glory:

Now for a rundown of our favorite performances:

Thunderpussy

If you don't know anything about this band, whatever you are thinking is probably wrong. Thunderpussy had debatably the best stage presence of any band at this festival, despite being put under some difficult circumstances. These girls rocked out so hard that they "broke the stage". They kept the energy alive and maintained a fun attitude throughout the performance. Musically, they blasted a hard-rock, soulful sound reminiscent of Heart or Joan Jett, but with a modern touch.

KOLARS

Here we have the first band to really show some strong personality. Playing early in the night on Saturday, KOLARS got the crowd moving and excited. The duo brought groovy baselines, gritty beats and an upbeat disco vibe. Frontman Rob Kolar ripped through bluesy guitar leads and belted a strong, distorted vocal performance, while Lauren Brown was a treat to watch as she tapped and danced on top of her bass drum.

Down Dirty Shake

This band is going places. Based out of San Francisco, their sound mixes funk, classic rock, reggae, psychedelic and Latin influences. They kept an upbeat dance vibe with two percussionists, on the drum kit as well as bongos, shakers and side toms. The vocals were strong as can be, and soulful. The baselines were heavy and complex. Our personal favorite song of the performance was "Woman".

Levitation Room

Playing off to the side on the Santa Barbara stage, we are lucky we wondered over to check these guys out. Levitation Room pumped out a cool, lo-fi, bluesy, surf-rock that would delight burger band fiends everywhere. The vocals were standard indie rock, Kevin Parker-esque. The band members had their straps tightened and their guitars held right under their chins. Classic 70's rock organ bounced through the entire set. This band has some potential.

Black Mountain

Easily the loudest band of the weekend. Black Mountain did what they do best, taking the crowd on a journey through space with atmospheric synths and haunting vocals. Meanwhile melting your face off with mind blowing guitar leads. Black Mountain’s sound is epic and breathtaking. Check out our full review of their latest album here: http://redefiningrecords.com/records/iv

Alan Parsons Live Project

No surprise these seasoned veterans had one of the most polished and well-rehearsed performances of the festival. This arsenal of talented musicians took us back through the decades and made us believe in magic. The impressive song compositions reminded us why Alan Parsons is such a legend, and was such a sought after producer for bands like Pink Floyd and The Beatles.

The Kills

Headlining Starry Nites was a walk in the park for The Kills. They came out firing jam after jam, hit after hit. Alison Mosshort was electric as she took charge of the stage, and Jamie Hince looked like an absolute pro as he let his guitar do the talking. The duo made it very clear why they've been so successful for over a decade~ raw talent and genuine passion.

Stonefield

This Aussie outfit brought some heavy rock along with low key grooves. When they weren't busy shredding, they created a really cool, steady flow that fit the scene perfectly. Their drummer belted powerful vocals as she kept the beat perfectly, how someone does this... I will never understand. Make sure to keep up with these gals and check them out on tour as they support the fantastic King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.

OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES: SHE WANTS REVENGE, CELLAR DOORS, FEELS, STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK, LUMERIANS.

This festival was an absolute treat, and we can't rave enough about how beautiful the location was and how much it enhanced the experience. We highly recommend all you Redefiners check this out next time around.

https://www.facebook.com/starrynitesfestival/