Article and Photos by: Melanie Allen

Fun Fun Fun Fest has been celebrating their 10th anniversary by putting together free shows at the Texas State History Museum. These shows consist of Austin based musicians, and this past Friday featured Ben Kweller with East Cameron Folkcore. Much of the audience formed tight rows in front of the stage with their lawn chairs and towels, determined to secure a good spot for the show. The two acts, though quite different in genre, brought several Austinites, families, and even pets together “Under the Star.”

The eight piece folk/punk/orchestral band, East Cameron Folkcore, really demonstrated their unique sound at Music Under the Star on Friday. The term “folkcore” in their name is appropriate as the band combines positive aspects of both genres. With a very full sound, multiple vocalists, and oddities such as trombone and cello, East Cameron Folkcore quickly grabbed the attention of the crowd. Most people didn’t seem familiar with the band at first, but after this performance are likely to start paying more attention to the band. ECF played many songs from their album, Kingdom of Fearˆ which was just released in April of this year.

The headliner of the night was a solo acoustic set by Austin rockstar Ben Kweller. Though it was quite the transition between him and the Folkcore, Kweller captivated the audience by playing old songs such as “Commerce, TX” (2002), and new, “Full Circle” (2012), with just a guitar and/or piano. After over 15 years of creating and playing music, Ben Kweller has continued to remain true to his hometown, and his hometown continues to remain true to him. There were several people, even children, wearing their “Ben Kweller” t-shirts to pay homage to this gentle rockstar. He was quick to get the crowd participation going to certain tunes, such as “Family Tree,” in which he had different sections of the audience creating harmonies during the chorus. Kweller remained energetic on stage while singing songs about falling in love, growing up, and the beauty of life. It was showcased that Ben Kweller can put on an hour-long set entirely on his own and manage to put the perfect end to a night out at Fun Fun Fun Fest’s “Music Under the Star.”