PORCHFEST 2013 Imagine spending a Sunday afternoon walking through the streets of downtown Ithaca and with every corner you came upon, a new band sat playing music on a porch for the world to hear. Each street would bring you to a different sound, a unique display of raw, local talent. Sounds ideal right? This, ladies and gents, is PorchFest. A surprisingly hidden gem of true Ithaca artistry, PorchFest is the epitome of the beloved local music scene. Each hour brought something new as the melodic sounds lured us from porch to porch leading us to stumble upon the tunes of two insanely talented IC bands. The ever-so-popular Second Dam rocked their yellow, Tibetan-flag-clad porch with their soulful indie style. Lead singer, Casey’s indescribably captivating voice paired with the melodic rythyms of this cohesive band traveled through the speakers, touching the souls of passers-by as they gathered to discover the source of the sound. Another IC original, Samuel B Lupowitz & the Ego Band, had the crowd grooving to the sounds of their funky jazz style as they jammed out on their English professor’s porch. PorchFest wouldn’t be complete without the true display of organic kindness from the community. From kids selling some of the best best brownies we’ve ever tasted to a friendly local barbequing free hotdogs, “and of course, tofu dogs”said the chef himself, we wandered, food in hand, from band to band. By the end of the day we felt like true Ithacans, surrounded by the people that make this town so unique. As one local perfectly put it, “Ithaca is 10 square miles surrounded by reality” and as we listened to the native Ithaca band, Gunpoets, playing on the same porch they grew up in, we realized how special this place is. So next year mark your calendars “Same time, Same Porches.”
Samantha Cetrulo & Christina Lugo