The Mighty Handful — photo by Rebekah Bassen (see more from this event>>)

Friday I checked out the For Absolutely No Reason Festival at Silent Barn, hosted by SleepWhenDead, Bodies of Water, showISmonster, and InfiniteLimbs. Though, I was a bit disappointed that the band I originally planned on seeing, Dinowalrus, had dropped from the bill, the rest of the lineup still warranted the 2 block walk.

First and foremost, damn was this show punctual! 7:30 meant 7:30. That never happens!

So, when I got there around quarter to 9, Banzai was approximately (maybe exactly) 15 minutes into their set. Another hyper, extremely young Brooklyn band, they were much better than the recordings on their myspace led me to believe. A strange mix of styles and a lot of energy.

At promptly 9pm, The Needy Visions brought some garage rock all the way from fellow DIY haven Jamaica Plain in Boston. Sounds like a couple chilled out friends jamming on toned down punk tunes in your living room.

Last time that I saw The Eskalators was on a J train. So it was nice to see them as the ska gods intended: with horns and xylophones. I can honestly say I’m not that into ska (anymore) but these guys and gals are pretty kickass. Plus, skanking!

By far the highlight of my night was Real Estate’s basement set. Intelligent and beautifully arranged waves of pop and psychedelia, with a surprisingly engaging stage presence for a largely downtempo band. They’re partially based in Ridgewood, so hopefully that means plenty of opportunities to go back for more.

After, it was back to a little more of the garage sound from 999999999 (All Nines). Simplistic and kind of grungy with nods to bands like the Pixies and Factory-era Velvet Underground. More low key than the former, rougher than the latter.

The Mighty Handful offered some punk/folk/pop hybrid tunes. Think Dylan songs intricately arranged for a full band (with strings) and occasional shouting fits thrown in. Or Joe Strummer yelling over Belle and Sebastian. Pretty good stuff.

Magnet City Kids were all over the place, in a good way. At times lost in stoned out noodling, other times grinding, they always kept it rhythmic, danceable, and fucking punk rock.