
Baltimore’s beloved indie-rockers Snail Mail just threw the five-day Valentine Fest in their hometown venut Ottobar. The band’s Lindsey Jordan and co. performed every night with an array of special guests, and invited many of those guests up for one-night-only cover songs.
First up, Soccer Mommy joined the band on the festival’s second night to tackle Avril Lavigne’s “I’m With You.” Quiet verses exploded into a sing-along chorus that had the whole crowd belting along.
A night later, Mac DeMarco returned to the stage for a closing cover of Talking Heads’ “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody).” DeMarco mostly noodled along on guitar, leaving Jordan to do the vocal heavy-lifting. The giant band, with three drummer-percussionists, steals the show.
Finally, Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield sang The Killers’ “When You Were Young” (itself inspiration for a different festival’s name). This is perhaps the best of the bunch, as the band nails all the turns and rocks the hell out. Plus, has Brandon Flowers ever sung this wearing fairy wings?
Agreed – the last one with Waxahatchee was the best.