While most beer festivals like to boast massive lists of breweries, SAVOR likes to invite a select handful of the finest craft breweries. That includes names like Ninkasi, Firestone Walker, Kane, Three Floyds, Cigar City and much more. Not to mention visits from some of the finest beer community luminarees, like Jim Koch of Sam Adams, Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head, and Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery.

On top of the prestigious list of brewers and breweries in attendance, each beer will be matched with complementing food dishes headed by Adam Duyle, chef and owner of San Francisco’s the Monk’s Kettle and The Abbot’s Cellar. Care to hear about a couple pairings? How about Ommegang’s Three Philosophers matched with pilled lamb cassoulet. Or, New Belgium’s Paardebloem paired roasted peach on brioche with fried pancette and dandelion greens.

I first came across the band Small Black when they released the Moon Killer mixtape (available below), which included the track “Love’s Not Enough” sampling “Your Love” from Nicki Minaj. However oblivious I was to the Minaj vocal sample, I was still drawn to the chillwave track—it was as appealing as the best from Beach House, Washed Out or College (a band that came to us courtesy of the Drive soundtrack). I never sought out their older albums/efforts, but when I heard they were releasing a new album, Limits of Desire and kicking off a tour with an art show and DJ set, I went to check it out. Little did I know that the reported “DJ set” was really a proper band performance—and would encompass most of the new album. The band didn’t discuss the art itself (I would have liked to know what those fabric scraps represented), save for thanking the man projecting the visuals across their faces, but they were amped to perform. Near the end of their set, they played the single “No Strangers”, a wobbly, dreamy pop tune that is sure to make summer playlists.

Enroute to 7 Dunham, the gallery Small Black had booked, I made a pit stop just around the corner at the Bottleneck Gallery for their mixed artist opening night reception dubbed “I Love You Man”, with art featuring buddies and bromances from popular culture. I was most charmed by the Calvin and Hobbes 3D cutout works but at a couple hundred dollars each, I had to pass (they were already purchased anyways). Other intriguing works were a series of Cornetto-themed images (with the various buddies played by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz), a scratchboard piece featuring Rocky & Bullwinkle, plus pieces inspired by Three Amigos, Ghostbusters and one figurines set of Ren & Stimpy. But a lot of the works only merited a “meh” whether it was because the theme was not of interest or the art itself didn’t seem inspired. The gallery’s next show does seem promising however and may be worth checking out (flyer is below) as it features the singular talents of one artist.

Repping their differing genres of dance music, the crews/teams of Young Guru & Just Blaze, Que Bajo?!, Federation Sound, and Trouble & Bass competed in the Red Bull Music Academy’s Culture Clash event at Roseland in New York City. Anyone who was slightly interested in hip-hop should have been there as this four hour sweaty dance fest only cost 10 bucks and special guests were anticipated. Each outfit had their own mini stage with speaker systems, and during the various rounds, brought out more guests than I could have possibly expected. Some guests were just there as spectators however—like RBMA alum Flying Lotus, who had done two shows at Terminal 5 a few nights before alongside Thundercat and Ultraísta (a couple of pics from his show are below).

Several acts have been added to the 2013 Nelsonville Music Festival, including Lee Fields (& The Expressions), the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, Joe Pug, You Black Kettle, Los Hacheros, and Flying Clouds of South Carolina, who are returning after a standout performance at last year’s festival. Though set times for non-headliners have not been announced, the full day schedule is available:

Thursday, May 30

Gogol Bordello (headlining set at 10:30 p.m.)
Wild Belle
Los Hacheros
Old Light
County Pharaohs
D-Rays
Hex Net
Unmonumental
Weedghost
JJ Reed
Michael Hurley
Chris Biester

Friday, May 31

Cat Power (headlining set at 9:00 p.m.)
The Coup
Lee Fields & The Expressions
He’s My Brother She’s My Sister
Los Hacheros
Nick Tolford & Company
Anais Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer
JD Hutchison
Reigning Sound
Screaming Females
Endless Boogie
Wooden Indian Burial Ground
Cotton Jones
William Tyler
Old Light
The Hiders
Michael Hurley
Anais Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer
Catherine MacLellan
Olentangy John
Adam Remnant
Cotton Jones
Todd Burge
JJ Reed
Leah Nairn
Emily Prince

Saturday, June 1

Wilco (headlining set at 10:00 p.m.)
Mavis Staples
Calexico
Sharon Van Etten
Jonathan Richman
Lucius
Flying Clouds of South Carolina
Honeycutters
Shilpa Ray
Wussy
Country Pharaohs
Sundresses
Wheels On Fire
You Black Kettle
Joe Pug
Michael Hurley
Jerry David Decicca
Lucius
Catherine MacLellan
Shazzbots
Todd Burge
Chris Biester

Sunday, June 2

John Prine (headlining set at 6:00 p.m.)
Tift Merritt
Field Report
Flying Clouds of South Carolina
David Wax Museum
Brown Bird
Catherine MacLellan
Jerry David Decicca
Rattletrap Stringband

As we look back, Sam Beam might end up being the quintessential artist of US culture’s waning fascination with irony. With song lyrics full of meaning and allusion, onstage he is relegated to making self-effacing jokes with the underlying message being, “I want you to take me seriously, but I’m pretty sure that’s not possible.” His solo acoustic concerts can come off as a combination of stand-up comedy and tear-jerking maudlin songwriting.

His recent albums have also been an example of this inability to bare his soul to us. Starting out as all-acoustic demos recorded on a cassette-based multitrack recorder (2002’s The Creek Drank the Cradle), his albums now incorporate full bands and the occasional drum machine rhythm section, effectively covering up the poetic wordplay and raw emotion of Beam’s words. When it comes to a singer/songwriter covering up the best trait of his or her music, the lyrics, it is tantamount to heresy.