Siren Fest 2009

Grand Duchy, The Raveonettes and Future of the Left answer our hot and sweaty questions

Yet another July brings Siren Fest back to Coney Island, the 9th annual sweatfest that features some of the most-buzzed bands on dueling stages near the beach. We can color this year's unofficial themes as heavy and loud. Unlike previous years—where lighter fare like Brendan Benson, Death Cab and Mates of State drew large—2009 got people most excited about aggressive guitar tacticians (Future of the Left, A Place to Bury Strangers, Japandroids) and less-aggressive guitar tacticians (Built to Spill). Monotonix brought one of the biggest crowds (they played on the floor, per usual) and Spank Rock brought the most chaos (their set was cut short by the man). San Francisco's Thee Oh Sees and Frank Black's new project Grand Duchy were still being talked about as the sun set and fireworks scared small children.

We caught up with some of the bands, discussing grilled meats, European festivals and STDs. Interviews include Grand Duchy, The Raveonettes, Frightened Rabbit, A Place to Bury Strangers (pictured) and Future of the Left. —Matt Rodbard; photos by Ryan Muir