Boomslang: A Celebration of Sound & Art was an annual multi-venue music festival in Lexington,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, organized by the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

's college radio station, WRFL. The festival was an extension of WRFL's mission to provide a platform for non-mainstream, non-commercial music and other programming not found elsewhere in the region, featuring a variety of artists from both the region and from around the world. Genres tended to be experimental in nature, but also included everything from

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

, post-rock,

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

, hip hop, punk rock,

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

, and psychedelic rock bands. Other festival features included dance performances, local

craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pro ...

booths,

fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion i ...

and art installations, workshops, literary events and film screenings, with a special focus on the artists and arts organizers that make Lexington unique. Boomslang was primarily volunteer-run, relying on the efforts of WRFL staff members and led by WRFL's student Board of Directors.

Etymology

The name "Boomslang" was chosen in 2009 by a committee looking for a catchy word, after the highly

venomous snake Venomous snakes are species of the suborder Serpentes that are capable of producing venom, which they use for killing prey, for defense, and to assist with digestion of their prey. The venom is typically delivered by injection using hollow or g ...

found in Africa. The coloration and "snake eyes" in the festival logo, designed by WRFL art director Robert Beatty, were inspired by the boomslang snake. Globe Lights

History

Creation

The inaugural 2009 festival was conceived and organized by WRFL DJs in the attempt to highlight Lexington's unique venues, artists and organizations, with an emphasis on the local counter-culture which WRFL has nurtured since its inception. The lineup included a couple of nods to the 1960s and 1970s with German krautrock pioneers

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...

and masters of psychedelic Tropicalia

Os Mutantes Os Mutantes (meaning '' the mutants''; ) are an influential Brazilian rock band that were linked with the Tropicália movement, a dissident musical movement during the Brazilian dictatorship of the late 1960s. The band is considered to be one ...

. The line-up was heavy on psychedelic and post-rock music, also including

Mission of Burma Mission of Burma was an American post-punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. The group formed in 1979 with Roger Miller on guitar, Clint Conley on bass, Peter Prescott on drums, and Martin Swope contributing audiotape manipulation and acting a ...

Papa M David Pajo (born June 25, 1968) is an American alternative rock musician. He has played a wide variety of music, loosely fitting into several other genres such as hardcore punk, math rock, post-rock, electronica, folk rock and indie pop. Though ...

(the solo project of

Slint Slint was an American rock band from Louisville, Kentucky, formed in 1986. The band consisted of guitarist and vocalist Brian McMahan, guitarist David Pajo, drummer and vocalist Britt Walford, Todd Brashear (bassist on ''Spiderland''), and Etha ...

guitarist Dave Pajo), The Black Angels,

Bardo Pond Bardo Pond are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1991, and who are currently signed to London-based label Fire Records. The current members are Michael Gibbons (guitar), John Gibbons (guitar), Isobel Sollenberger (flute and vocals), ...

, a mixed media presentation by Mark Hosler, a founding member of

Negativland Negativland is an American experimental music band which originated in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1970s. They took their name from a Neu! track, while their record label (Seeland Records) is named after another Neu! track. The co ...

. The line-up also included the first live collaboration between Lexington-based

Casino Versus Japan Casino Versus Japan or Casino vs. Japan (born Erik Paul Kowalski; May 5, 1973) is a United States-based musician who works in electronic music. Influences As a child, Erik Kowalski was originally heavily influenced by Jan Hammer's music for ' ...

and Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox (aka Atlas Sound), who would later tour together in 2010. Another key concept behind Boomslang was the inclusion of non-musical features, including a 2009

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

-themed fashion show and a carnival scene that took place in the parking lot of one of the primary venues, stretching the boundaries of traditional rock culture. The 2009 and 2010 events also included a tent for display of locally-made art for sale, games, and information tables for political and environmental non-profit groups promoting counter-culture and political awareness. It was announced on May 7, 2014 that WRFL would no longer host the festival, effectively ending it.

Satellite events

Boomslang strove to provide a platform for Lexington's left-of-center creative community, hosting a number "satellite events" organized by various local artists and organizations. In addition to those listed below, Boomslang hosted a Dorkbot workshop on D.I.Y. music instruments.

Stars with Accents

Each year Accents, a WRFL radio show for literature, art, and culture, hosted Stars with Accents, a literary celebration supported by the Kentucky Women Writers Conference and Th
Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning
Stars with Accents featured readings by authors such as Crystal Wilkinson, C.E. Morgan, Sallie Bingham, and more. Neighborhood Series 1

Neighborhood Series Fashion Event

Boomslang also teamed up with th
Lexington Fashion Collaborative
to bring innovative local fashion and art to the festival, with the second annual installation of The Neighborhood Series. The Neighborhood Series took place at Land of Tomorrow Gallery, a gallery owned and operated by

University of Kentucky College of Design Located at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, Lexington, the College of Design encompasses the School of Architecture, the School of Interior Design, and the Department of Historic Preservation. History The College of Architectur ...

professors, and included eight installation pieces with coordinating fashion-forward costumes that reflected eight locally owned businesses. The materials used to create the works of art came straight from each business’s trash.

Queerslang

Boomslang 2011 marked the inaugural event of Queerslang, an all-day, multi-media, entertainment and education-based event, which strives to lift up the local,

LGBTQIA ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is an ...

community. The mission of Queerslang is to create visibility for the LGBTQIA community and to highlight shared interests in music, art and performance with the whole of the Lexington community. Queerslang (which has continued, outliving the original Boomslang festival) provides free "skillshare" workshops, film screenings in addition to the Queerslang dance party. Workshops are hosted by touring and local artists and speakers, and cover a variety of subjects both geared to the LGBTQIA community and to a broader arts community. Skillshare workshops have covered such topics as safe sex, turntablism, tattoo art. Film screenings at the 2011 Queerslang included special guest Meredith Heil from

UC Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of California system. Located on Monterey Bay, on the edge ...

, who showcased her short documentary, "Whistlin’ Dixie."

Kid-friendly Music

Boomslang hosted two kid-oriented concerts, organized by the host of Ages 3 and Up!, a WRFL show geared toward kids of all ages. 2010's kid-friendly event featured children's artist and

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

player Heidi Swedberg, perhaps best known for her role as Susan on Seinfeld.

Film

The festival teamed up with local film-oriented institution
Lexington Film League
and KET to incorporate film into the fest, including a 2010 screening of "

Heavy Metal Parking Lot ''Heavy Metal Parking Lot'' is a 1986 documentary short produced by Jeff Krulik and John Heyn. The film features interviews with several small groups of young heavy metal fans gathered for a tailgate party in the parking lot outside the Capit ...

" in the parking lot of the venue Buster's. Many other artists have incorporated film and video projections into their performances, including Sound/Vision, offthesky, Wooden Shjips, and Strangers Family Band.

Doomslang

Beginning in 2012 and also done in 2013, Boomslang started a spin-off set for one of the stages entitled "Doomslang". This set featured bands primarily from the doom metal scene though other heavy metal genres have been incorporated. Saint Vitus headlined the first year along with White Hills, Weedeater, Author & Punisher and Sourvein. Pallbearer headlined the 2013 edition with Thou.

Boomslang lineups by year

2013

Blonde Redhead Blonde Redhead is an American alternative rock band composed of Kazu Makino (vocals, keys/rhythm guitar) and twin brothers Simone and Amedeo Pace (drums/keys and lead guitar/bass/keys/vocals, respectively) that formed in New York City in 1993. ...

Clinic A clinic (or outpatient clinic or ambulatory care clinic) is a health facility that is primarily focused on the care of outpatients. Clinics can be privately operated or publicly managed and funded. They typically cover the primary care needs ...

, BODY/HEAD, Saul Williams,

ADULT. Adult (stylized as ADULT.) is an American band from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 1998 by married couple Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller. The band integrates vocals with drum machines, analog synthesizers and electronic/ punk elements.Copela ...

Youth Lagoon Trevor Powers (born March 18, 1989) is an American musician from Boise, Idaho. Powers was initially active as Youth Lagoon from 2010 to 2016, after which he announced he was retiring the project. He returned to music with a new self-titled projec ...

, Com Truise,

The Blow The Blow is an American electro pop band, comprising Khaela Maricich and Melissa Dyne. Maricich and Dyne write, compose, produce and perform all the music. It was formed as a solo project by Maricich in 2002, and she was joined by Jona Bechtol ...

, Bleached,

Chelsea Wolfe Chelsea Joy Wolfe (born November 14, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Her work has blended elements of gothic rock, doom metal, and folk music. Raised in Northern California with a country musician father, Wolfe began writin ...

Pallbearer A pallbearer is one of several participants who help carry the casket at a funeral. They may wear white gloves in order to prevent damaging the casket and to show respect to the deceased person. Some traditions distinguish between the roles o ...

, Thou, Cunnin Lynguists, Grails,

Marnie Stern Marnie Stern (born March 18, 1976) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and guitarist. She has garnered acclaim for her technical skill and tapping style of guitar play. Stern is also a current member of The 8G Band from the show ''Late Ni ...

, Scout Niblett,

No Joy No Joy are a Canadian shoegaze band from Montreal formed in late 2009 by Jasamine White-Gluz and former member Laura Lloyd. Biography No Joy's first show was with Grant Hart of Husker Du on December 15, 2009. The band continued to play locally, ...

, Heatsick, Pop. 1280, ITAL, Inter Arma, Pure X,

Dope Body Dope Body is an American rock band from Baltimore, Maryland, United States. They formed in 2008 by vocalist Andrew Laumann, guitarist/bassist Zachary Utz, and drummer David Jacober. They released four albums in addition to a cassette tape and t ...

, Locrian,

Dent May James Dent May Jr. (born May 6, 1985) known by his stage name Dent May, is an American singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, California, United States. He is mostly associated with psychedelic pop, synthpop, indie rock, and new wave genres of ...

, Idiot Glee, Graham Lambkin/Jason Lescalleet, Fielded, Jamaican Queens,

Young Widows Young Widows is an American band from Louisville, Kentucky. They have released four full-length albums and seven split EPs. History Young Widows formed in 2006 from the ashes of mathcore group Breather Resist. In December 2005, lead singer Ste ...

, Nemo Achida, A Tribe Called Lex, Ancient Warfare, Jeanne Vomit Terror & Ed Sunspot, Carl Calm, Motherplant, Potty Mouth, (OHLM), Too Many Drummers, Electric Citizen, Mayonnaise, Stampede.

2012

The Jesus & Mary Chain,

Jeff Mangum Jeff Mangum (born 24 October 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who gained prominence as the founder, songwriter, vocalist and guitarist of Neutral Milk Hotel, as well for his co-founding of The Elephant 6 Recording Company. M ...

(

Neutral Milk Hotel Neutral Milk Hotel was an American band formed in Ruston, Louisiana, by musician Jeff Mangum. They were active from 1989 to 1998, and again from 2013 to 2015. The band's music featured a deliberately low-quality sound, influenced by indie roc ...

Das Racist Das Racist was an American alternative hip hop group based in Brooklyn, composed of MCs Heems and Kool A.D. and hype man Ashok Kondabolu (a.k.a. Dapwell or Dap). Known for their use of humor, academic references, foreign allusions, and unconven ...

, Cloud Nothings, Deerhoof,

Saint Vitus Vitus (), whose name is sometimes rendered Guy or Guido, was a Christian martyr from Sicily. His surviving hagiography is pure legend. The dates of his actual life are unknown.Basil Watkins, ''The Book of Saints: A Comprehensive Biographical ...

, Futurebirds,

Girl in A Coma Girl In a Coma was an American indie rock band from San Antonio, Texas, United States, formerly on Joan Jett's Blackheart Records label. The band consisted of Nina (vocals/guitar), Phanie Diaz (drums) and Jenn Alva ( bass). The name is a refer ...

Oneohtrix Point Never Daniel Lopatin (born July 25, 1982), best known as Oneohtrix Point Never or OPN, is an American experimental electronic music producer, composer, singer and songwriter. His music has experimented with tropes from various music genres and eras, s ...

, Weedeater,

The Music Tapes The Music Tapes is an experimental pop music and performance art project of Elephant 6 member Julian Koster (also of Neutral Milk Hotel). The Music Tapes is characterized by unusual orchestrations (such as singing saw and bowed banjo), the use ...

, The Apache Relay, Author & Punisher, Buke & Gase, The Younger Lovers, São Paulo Underground, Five Knives,

Sleeping Bag A sleeping bag is an insulated covering for a person, essentially a lightweight quilt that can be closed with a zipper or similar means to form a tube, which functions as lightweight, portable bedding in situations where a person is sleeping ...

, William Tyler, Gary War,

Janka Nabay Janka, typically a given name or a surname, is a form of the originally Hebrew language name ''"Yohanan"'' (meaning "God is merciful"). Notable people with the name include: Surname: * Carlo Janka (born 1986), Swiss alpine ski racer * Les Jan ...

& The Bubu Gang, White Hills, Hive Mind, Dinosaur Feathers, XAMBUCA, Merkaba, Sourvein

2011

Swans Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Someti ...

, Pelican,

Tom Tom Club Tom Tom Club is an American new wave band founded in 1981 by husband-and-wife team Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth and as a side project from Talking Heads. Their best known songs include " Wordy Rappinghood", " Genius of Love", and a cover ...

Ty Segall Ty (stylized as ty) is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. It was founded by Ty Warner in 1986. It designs, develops and sells products, most notably Beanie Babies, exclusively to speci ...

, Sir Richard Bishop,

Julianna Barwick Julianna Barwick is an American musician who composes using electronic loops. Her first album, '' The Magic Place'', was released in 2011. Music career Barwick has said that her music is influenced by her participation in church choir while gro ...

, Horseback,

Secret Chiefs 3 Secret Chiefs 3 (or SC3) is an American avant-garde group led by guitarist/composer Trey Spruance (of Mr. Bungle and formerly, Faith No More). Their studio recordings and tours have featured different lineups, as the group performs a wide ran ...

, The Ssion,

MEN A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chro ...

, Woodsman

2010

Rhys Chatham,

Death Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

Sonic Boom A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound. Sonic booms generate enormous amounts of sound energy, sounding similar to an explosion or a thunderclap to ...

, Akron/Family, Ben Frost, Glass Candy,

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

, Rangda (featuring Ben Chasny, Chris Corsano, and Sir Richard Bishop),

Wooden Shjips Wooden Shjips (pronounced "ships") is an American experimental and psychedelic rock band from San Francisco, California. History The project has released one EP and seven albums. Guitarist Ripley Johnson also plays in two side projects, inclu ...

His Name Is Alive His Name Is Alive is an American experimental rock band/project from Livonia, Michigan. After several self-released cassettes, they debuted on 4AD Records in 1990, starting a long run at the label. Throughout the band's long history, leader Warre ...

Wolf Eyes __NOTOC__ Wolf Eyes is an American experimental music group from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 1996 by Nate Young. Currently a duo, Wolf Eyes are a prominent act within contemporary noise music. They have collaborated with a variety of artists from ...

, Thee American Revolution,

Burning Star Core Burning Star Core is the experimental music project of violinist C. Spencer Yeh. Originally conceived 1993 in Cincinnati, the project is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. Composing music that's driven by his violin, Yeh's Burning Star Core ...

, Phantom Family Halo, Sapat, The Barry Mando Project, Blood Carries Disease, Brothertiger, City Center, Cymarshall Law, Devine Carama, Deluxin’, Diminished Men, DJ Warrenpeace, Everyone Lives Everyone Wins w/ Ghost Affirmation, Paul K & the Weathermen, Ford Theatre Reunion, Global.Ken, Ian Thomas, Jews and Catholics, J. Marinelli, Jovontaes, Jozef van Wissem, Loose Change, Lucky Pineapple, March Madness Marching Band, Milyoo, Cheyenne Mize, Mr. Daybony, Naam, The Nativity Singers, The N.E.C., Nemo Quotidian, Pezhed & the Blipsquad, Psychic Steel, R. Keenan Lawler, The Royal Batfangs, The Seedy Seeds, Silverware, Sound/Vision, Soft Opening, Spooky Qs, Stampede, Heidi Swedberg, Tiny Folk, Warmer Milks, Vee Dee, The Web, Zak Riles, WRFL DJs

2009

, The Black Angels,

Shipping News Shipping News was an American post-rock/ post-hardcore band. The group formed in the fall of 1996 when members Jason Noble and Jeff Mueller, who were both in Rodan, collaborated to create music for the Chicago-based syndicated National Publi ...

Rachel's Rachel's were an American chamber music group that formed in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1991. Former Rodan guitarist Jason Noble played music individually and referred to himself as Rachel's but then began collaborating with core members violist C ...

(Rachel Grimes),

(Mark Hosler), Atlas Sound,

Disappears Disappears is an American rock band from Chicago, Illinois, United States, which formed in 2008. The band played a mixture of shoegaze, krautrock and garage rock. The band was formed by Brian Case (ex- 90 Day Men, The Ponys) and Graeme Gibson ...

, Teeth Mountain, Hair Police, Burning Star Core,

These United States These United States was an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, and Carrboro, North Carolina, made up of songwriter and bandleader Jesse Elliott, pedal steel and keyboardist J. Tom Hnatow, guitarist Justin Craig, bassist and vocalist Anna ...

, Lush Life, Tiny Fights, Sound/Vision, Everyone Lives Everyone Wins

References

External links

Boomslang's official website

Buster's Billiards & Backroom official website

Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning official website

Lexington Fashion Collaborative official website

Lexington Film League official website
{{Lexington (Kentucky) Culture of Lexington, Kentucky Music festivals in Kentucky Rock festivals in the United States Music festivals established in 2009