This is the full gallery to accompany the original ArthurFest 2005 at Barnsdall Park article.

Photos enlarge.

Note: If you want to use any of these photos for anything on or off the web, please email first. Thanks!

Text and photos ©2005 Arcane Candy.

Arthur is a 1960s-influenced contemporary counterculture magazine who put on an arch eclectic two-day music festival called, appropriately enough, ArthurFest on Labor Day weekend in 2005. Featuring over 40 disparate artists on three stages for two whole days, it was way too much eye candy and ear mess for one human paper towel to absorb! Ranging from acid-folk to noise to psych to electronica to punk to drone to rock to jazz, the music was played on the huge Lawn Stage, the tiny Pine Stage (both of which were outdoors) and the large, indoor Barnsdall Gallery Theater simultaneously at all times, which made it pretty much impossible for any one person to experience much more than a third of it. Following is a photo essay featuring all of the fish I caught.

Sunday, September 4

Mike Watt and Kira Roessler, also known as Dos, hugged the small crowd around the Pine Stage with their dueling bass guitars.

In the Barnsdall Gallery Theater, Circle went shirtless and charged through a set of galloping rock ‘n’ roll.

Lavender Diamond belted out some melodic songs of peace and love.

Pole manhandled the electronic gadgets and conjured up a whole mess of corroded electronic dub.

Sunburned Hand of the Man ambled around the Park Stage and offered a big afternoon crowd a taste of free-form cacophony.

The spirit of Robert Moog watched Merzbow tear the Barnsdall Gallery Theater a new blowhole with his all-consuming electronic noise.

Sonic Youth closed day one on the Park Stage with an all-out noise rock fest that stoked the giant crowd.

Monday, September 5

The quiet acoustic drones of Jack Rose were effortlessly set aloft from the Pine Stage by a gentle afternoon breeze.

Inside the Barnsdall Gallery Theater, Brad Laner stirred guitar, noise electronics and a humorous, mind-bending video into a tasty psychedelic stew.

Earth impressed rock fans and geologists alike with their slow, tectonic riffs.

Growing’s blissful, textural noise rock sprouted like a weed.

Drone doom metalists Sunn0))) shook the foundations of the Barnsdall Gallery Theater, then tipped over the venue’s huge speakers when the sound cut out.

Full Schedule

Sunday, September 4

Lawn Stage: Sonic Youth, Sleater-Kinney, The Black Keys, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Wolfmother, Radar Bros., The Night Porter
Pine Stage: T-Model Ford, Josephine Foster, Lavender Diamond, Winter Flowers, Viking Moses, Nora Keyes, Dos
Barnsdall Gallery Theater: Brightblack Morning Light, Merzbow, Pole, Six Organs of Admittance, Magik Markers, Circle, Residual Echos, Geronimo

Monday, September 5

Lawn Stage: Yoko Ono, Spoon, The Juan Maclean, Comets on Fire, The Olivia Tremor Control, Dead Meadow, Future Pigeon
Pine Stage: Cat Power, Devendra Banhart, Vetiver, Marissa Nadler, Jack Rose, Young Jazz Giants
Barnsdall Gallery Theater: Sunn O))), Growing, Earth, Brad Laner, Modey Lemon, Fatso Jetson, Time Flys