This one goes to 11

After five weeks of planning and painful anticipation, today was Summer Music Fest! So while our friends and loved ones were hunkered down literally riding out Irene, we sat on a golf lawn with our 'devil horns' in the air shouting, "WOOOOOOO!!!!!"

Actually, I worked the event, but I raised devil horns in spirit.

The first act, Ghetto something, truly lived up to everyone's expectations of what an all-Marine, Iwakuni-local, rap/rock band ought to be: horrible. They came on at 2 p.m. when heat index was 102, so both of the people listening during their set had a good excuse for getting out of there to "find some shade." They topped their own act by swearing on stage and enthusiastically advising the crowd to "SMOKE SOMETHING!!!." Well, glad I'm not their gunny. If I were, someone would be filling a cup Monday morning.

A warrant officer and his "harp guitar" followed them. He actually was pretty good, but let's just say variety isn't really his strong suit. So today I learned 20 minutes of really good harp guitar is about all I can handle.

"The 13s" followed with a great choice of covers, perfectly acceptable playing and a desperate need for a vocalist. I tapped my foot and would sing along until the screeching broke my concentration. Blues Workshop came on next and surprised everyone with some great covers for being a Japanese band, including a great rendition of "Lay Down Sally."

Johnny V put on a great set with Satriani-esque ability tied to an older blues/R&B genre. Johnny and his group were probably the best musicians of the night. The saxophonist held a note so long literally everyone stopped what they were doing or talking about to see if he'd pass out and fall off the stage. Seriously, it had to be one of those aboriginal simultaneous inhale-exhale didgeridoo moves it was so long.

As the headline act got set up, the MC got up and gave away some CDs, one of which our very own Danielle caught. The ladies stayed for two Airiel Down songs. The band plays a kind of rock/metal/Creed type music one would expect of a group headlining overseas military tours. About halfway through the first one, I said to myself, "This one goes to 11" with the expectation David Saint Hubbins would walk on stage any minute*. Dan liked the two songs she heard, so don't tell her.

But the best part of the evening was when the fam showed up between Blues Workshop and Johnny V. The Iwakuni Daiko drummers performed and for my money, I could have sat and watched/listened to them all night. That's the kind of culture I came to see and experience and share with the girls. Honestly, this video does not do them justice. They rocked.

One other thing I learned was there is a Japanese rock song called Linda that the 13s covered. Apparently it's very popular because both my usually conservative translators bopped and sang along. But I will say it's hard to hide a snicker when a few hundred Japanese guests shout "Rinda!" in unison.

*If this reference went over your head, report immediately to your nearest blockbuster/netflix/redbox and rent Spinal Tap.