I was extremely impressed that the Stranger set aside it's long-standing grudge with Seattle Weekly and acknowledged on Line Out that REVERBfest was a success. Mad props to music editor Jonathan Zwickel for the write-up (and yes, Oaxaca does rock!).

I did sense a certain reluctance in the writeup, with quips like "Small crowds made getting from one venue to another no problem" and "went over surprisingly well for a first-time event" certainly falling under the heading of "faint praise" in my book. But what was stranger (haha) to me was the vitroil with which he went after many of the local bands (calling out one band for playing "Terrible, terrible music," another as "annoying as a sugar-rushed ten-year-old with a toy piano and an inflated sense of self," and yet another as "There’s just not much to it besides a hairdo and an attitude.") I'll let you guess which band earned each of these acccolades, or click through to find out.

Perhaps those descriptions were apt, and the bands would have received them at any show… but I couldn't help but feeling like he served up the reviews with an extra smattering of vitriol because the bands played at a Weekly showcase.

Overall, it was a super cool move to acknowledge rather than ignore (or mock) the event. But still, I hate the idea of local bands taking the hit. What do you all think?