KXT's Summer Cut 2013 [REVIEW]

Review/Photos by: Taylor Prater
Additional Photos by: Neff Conner

Rain and humidity wasn’t about to stop the 2nd annual KXT Summer Cut festival from powering on – the people of Texas know what they want, and what they want is to fest!

And what better way to start off June than by filling up Gexa Energy Pavilion in Dallas, with nine different bands serving up a well-rounded mix of the greatest in local acts and national favorites.

Self-described cinematic poppers Milo Greene got the lead on the day, and with four different singers sharing lead vocal duties, the change-arounds in instruments signaled an energy spike in the audience and got the intrigue going.

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Hayes Carll, a mega hit with locals and folk lovers alike, lived up to his reputation as a fantastic entertainer and was the first to get those with stage seats off their feet and dancing around.

(Check out Hayes' tweet about this #Neffpic #WannaBeLikeMike - http://goo.gl/xsW9y)

And for 5 p.m. in the middle of a Texas summer, at the start of a long festival, energy is precious, so any little bit spent jumping around has to be worth it.


Roots rockers The Roomsounds kicked off second stage performances and local acts with some genuine rock ‘n’ roll, with Dawes shredding the main stage. Let the back-and-forth between stages ensue!

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One of the most unique performances of the day, from North Texas trio Oil Boom, succeeded in drawing the outside crowd stageside with their impeccable mix of blues rock, pop and garage sounds.

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Coming in to the festival, I knew Matt & Kim would completely turn the day on its head. And I was right – from their entrance to the main stage with erratic hip-hop dance swagger, to leaping on top of drums and, ahem, each other, not a single frown was seen within the venue.

Not a single moment’s rest was spared in their set, and rightfully so. There’s simply no time to relax when you’ve got so much to be happy for, and so much energy to play off!

Their quirky pop sound provided an ideal summertime groove in the middle of the day, and when they brought out custom Matt & Kim balloons for the crowd to blow up and toss around, it was as if you were in the middle of a movie.

Following that set, Dentonites RTB2 got their turn to wow the crowd and prove why they’ve been named the best band in Dallas for several years.

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Grace Potter & the Nocturnals brought out the classic soul vibe we got so much of at Fort Worth Music Fest in May, and massive sing-a-longs ensued, complete with romantic gestures all around the crowd.

Curse the rain for coming through near the end of the Grace Potter set, because Summer Cut goers didn’t get the chance to see Fort Worth favorites The Orbans play their set on the outdoor stage.


But after a small wait in the intense humidity, the crowd gathered together for main act The Avett Brothers, who started their set off with a bang, complete with highly energetic dance moves (even from the upright bass player, and that ain’t a small instrument!).

People all around the crowd said they didn’t care about the weather, that the set (and the festival as a whole) made it all worthwhile. After all, it simply wouldn’t be a Texas festival without Mother Nature playing a few tricks.

Great weekend, great festival!  A Big Thanks! to KXT 91.7, Live Nation Dallas and Gexa Energy Pavilion for having us out this year!