Intonation Fest was a mind-blowing array of sounds and musical perspectives. I had the sweet luck of being on stage to move 80 lb. Fender Twins, Marshall Stacks, and big hunking Ampeg rigs for a couple of days. I also got to hear some pretty cool things:

“I tried to get Rhymefest to join me during my set, but his throat was hurting. That would have been the weirdest supergroup ever: Glenn Kotche on drums, Benmont Tench on keys, Rhymefest and me.”

—Jon Brion after his mostly one-man musical juggling act. He WAS joined by Glenn Kotche and Benmont Tench – a power trio.

———————

“Aww man, I liked that piano”

—Tom Petty keyboardist Benmont Tench, after Jon Brion reverse mule-kicked a miniature tack piano, causing it to collapse backwards taking two microphones and a synthesizer with it.

———————-

“It’s a fucking Squire!!!”

—Crowd member after he caught the guitar of Jimmy Hollywood of Chicago’s favorite punk trainwrecks, the Tyrades. The guitar had already received an incredibly painful-looking bare-knuckle beating by its master before being jettisoned 30 feet above the crowd’s heads. After making a miraculous catch the fan immediately turned, walked ten paces and tossed the bloodied guitar into a garbage barrel. Postscript: he went back and retrieved it.

———————-

“Not bad, only a few bad notes.”

—Bill Dolan, chicago post-rock guitar wiz.

———————-

“There’s Jon Brion. I want to go tell him that I think his version of Fiona Apple’s record is way better. Do you think that would be cool, or maybe it’s a sensitive subject?”

—The Swords bass player Bryan Richie shortly before letting loose an eardrum blistering set of medieval metal.

———————-

“Why did Courtney Love feed Alpo to her baby…? Because it’s what comes out of her breasts.”

—Neil Hamburger.

———————-

And finally, an embarrassing little exchange I had with Argentinean-Swede songwriter José González just before he began an amazing set of blissful finger-picked guitar and haunting melody:

José: “Hi, what’s your name?”

Me: “My name’s Matt. What’s your name?”

José: “José.” —what I heard: “wudj’you say?”

Me: “Sorry, I said, what’s your name?”

José: “José.” —But, again, what I heard: “wudj’you say?”

Me: (very deliberately, thinking this guy must not know English so good…) “WHAT. IS. YOUR. NAME?”

José: “My name is HOE ZAY.”

Me: “…Oh…umm…yeah. José González, right? You’re gonna be playing next, huh?”

José: “Yeah”

Me: “Cool.”

When he’s not being a volunteer roadie, Matt Schwarz writes songs and scores soundtracks and records them in his bungalow basement studio with his band Quasar Wut-Wut, who released their psychedelic masterpiece, Taro Sound, on Glorious Noise Records in 2004 and are currently recording their follow-up.