Early Bird Gets the Worm at Firefly

Firefly Music Festival Fan Takes IN Teen Men

The daytime slots at the Firefly Festival are probably the most exciting, and our apprehension was high going in every single day. The opportunity to see new bands from around the country that otherwise may go unnoticed or unheard of is priceless to people like us who love to hear new music. So when the rain had finally cleared from Thursday night and the drainage issues that plagued last year’s festival looked solved by some ingenious engineers, us here at IN Wilmington headed out Friday morning to hit up the first act, a special one to us because of their connection to the local music scene.

Teen Men are made up of former members of Delaware experimental indie pop group, The Spinto Band, who have long been a fixture of the local scene, and were on the lineup for the 2012 Firefly Festival. They were in a similar slot this year, kicking off Friday’s full-day slate of pop, hip hop, rock and dance artists. And for us, having some fellow locals open the gates was the perfect way to start the day.

“I think it’s cool to have the local people of Delaware get a reminder that there’s some cool art going on,” Nick said to us afterwards. We got to talking with the band about how Firefly can impact the music scene. He and the band seemed to think the festivals presence in the state was a good thing, if anything because of the awareness it can bring, but also its catalytic potential for building a community of musicians.

“The same cool thing about gaining inspiration from a neighboring town, makes it just as easy to leave for a neighboring town,” Krill said, commenting on the double-edged nature of the attraction of The Big City. “Maybe this can generate some incentive to stick around or build a little local scene that people can jump off from.”

But these early slots aren’t just for Delaware-related acts. One regional group, Quincy Mumford and The Reason Why, are from Asbury Park, New Jersey. The funky four-piece added a bouncy energy at The Coffeehouse Stage in the early afternoon, and as the sun came out Quincy and his boys were ready to shine and get people movIN’.

And while his roots are in New Jersey, bands stay on the move for a reason, and Quincy is no stranger to working with touring artists from the the First State. “Every couple months we’ll play the Dogfish Head brewery,” he said of his Delaware bookings. “We’ve done the Queen a couple times and we’d love to do it again.” He hopes to bring more residents in the 302 area code out to his shows, and we agree that both parties should get to know each other better.
– Watch Brianna’s Interview with Quincy at Firefly.

Despite Thursday being a rainy mess, we set out for some tunes before the festival grounds even opened. Stepping out to the Hub, one of two official Firefly gathering places outside the festival fence, we got the chance to take in Queens, New York’s Hollis Brown. Although not from Delaware, the band tours up and down the East Coast regularly and has played with Delaware acts like fellow roots rockers New Sweden. Their persistent regional touring has led to a very dedicated fan base among fans of indie folk and Americana and we were excited to see them be able to share their music with a new audience on the campgrounds here at Firefly.

Jenna Montgomery, who took in Hollis Brown at the Hub Stage on Thursday, called their music the perfect soundtrack for easing into the festival. “Everyone was having a good time and grazing at the food trucks so it had a cool block party, neighborhood feel,” she said.

It’s definitely true that Firefly Music Festival has a LOT to offer, and there are a ton of bands that people are scheduling their days around – even the bands we interviewed were dying to see acts like Tame Impala and Death Cab for Cutie! But early in the day there’s a rare opportunity to hear something that you may have never heard before from a band that has been playing just around the corner!

Both Teen Men and Quincy Mumford have graced the stage in Wilmington, and both are very likely to play there again soon. There are more and more places to see bands around the city that just might make it onto next year’s Firefly bill – heck, the next Teen Men, or even Mumford and Sons might be playing right before your very eyes this week #inWilm. Stay #inTune so you never miss a beat!