We've got a decent number of Fort Collins and nearby area booters here. So: New West Fest starts today, goes until Sunday, there are a whole bunch of bands, and it's free. This thread is for discussion of any of the bands, their performances, and the festival as a whole.

Mal and I were considering heading up for it, but we just have too much to do. Which is actually a bit of a disappointment, because there are some fantastic folks going to be playing. I'd love to hear Alison Krauss live, same with the Gipsy Kings, and there are many more bands that sound awesome.

Perhaps if Sunday settles down a little bit, I may drive up for it...

So far I've seen four bands. Verdict:
Wasteland Hop: They were mostly decent. Essentially, their schtick is that they are an odd combination of slam poetry, hip hop, and alt rock. They could have used a little less slam poetry and a little more hip hop, and their dancing was terrible, but other than that they were quite good and worth seeing.

You Me and Apollo: Grammatically incorrect name notwithstanding, these guys were actually okay. They played fairly typical alternative rock, and absolutely nothing stood out, but I wouldn't go out of my way to avoid You Me and Apollo's music.

Fierce Bad Rabbit: Fierce Bad Rabbit kicked an unbelievable amount of ass. I thought they were good last year, but they've improved immensely. This is what Arcade Fire and its ilk are cheap imitations of; Fierce Bad Rabbit is stylistically diverse, and makes very good use out of their unusual instrument set. Their drummer is fantastic, their bassist yet better (to the point of doing the bass equivalent of a weeping guitar), their guitarist/lead singer/keyboardist every bit as good as the bassist, and the viola player/other lead singer the best of the lot.

Michael Fronte: A disappointment. The music was bad, as I discovered after getting deep in a tight, uncomfortable crowd so I could actually hear it. I gave up after about three songs and went home, and he wasn't worth the $0 entry fee. If his music ever appeared on the radio, I'd change the channel.