4Knots Music Festival @Hudson River Park, July 11th

(Mikal Cronin)

After a solid morning of work, I made my way to Pier 84 in Manhattan on the Hudson River for the 4Knots Music Festival sponsored by Village Voice to catch a great lineup of indie rock bands on a beautiful summer day.

The festival was a great deal for concertgoers -- only $25 for a GA ticket to see 10 bands, which were a good mix of newcomers, established indie acts, and a few bands worth more than the price of admission alone.  For a slight premium more at $50 (and definitely worthwhile), VIPs had access to a boat docked alongside the pier, nicer bathrooms, bars, air conditioning, and a few included drink tickets and snacks.  My friends who opted for the spendier option seemed to enjoy the digs. ("I'm on a boat!")

(More words and pics after the jump.)

Unfortunately, I had a prior commitment in the evening, which sadly meant missing out on headliners Stephen Malkmus (of Pavement fame) & The Jicks and Super Furry Animals, but for the time I was there, I did manage to see 5 acts, which were all solid.  

I got to see the psych rock trio Heaters:

Meatbodies:

A band I caught at Pianos during last year's CMJ Festival, Happyness:

The ever ferocious Screaming Females, who I saw open for Dinosaur Jr. last year at MHOW:

And my main reason for hustling over to the West Side, Mikal Cronin, who I had been itching to see for a long time:

Many thanks to my pals Alex Cox and Stephen Dima at Little Water Radio for hooking me up with a VIP/Press badge so I could takes some shots on a sunny day!