LouFest Day One Band Cheat Sheet

LouFest '11's opening day promises to have plenty of soul, psychedelia, and straight-up rock & roll. Here's a band-by-band primer on what you'll see, how to decide what to skip and what you should know going in.

Jon Hardy and the Public
The specs: St. Louis quintet, occasionally accompanied by a horn section.

The sound: A melting pot of American music -- soulful, sometimes a little twangy, other times jangly, with strong storytelling lyrics.

You might know them from: Lots of Off Broadway gigs, NPR's Song of the Day on January 11, 2010, and winning the RFT's Best Local Album in 2008.

Get there early if you like straight-forward, unpretentious, tight performances that will kickstart your energy for the rest of the weekend.

Sleep in if you don't like Springsteen, Randy Newman.

Troubadour Dali
The specs: Local psych-rock band often bathed in projected images. Just released a new album, Let's Make it Right.

The sound: A fusion of fuzzy guitars, soaring vocal harmonies and garage beats that hearken Haight Ashbury with enough modern sensibilities to not be mistaken for a throwback act.

You might know them from: Six years of steady gigs around St. Louis, winning the RFT's Best Indie Band last year.

Find a sunny spot for swaying if you like a good beat with your ethereal tripping.

Hit the Nosh Pit for lunch right now if you don't like Jefferson Airplane, so much surrealism in daylight hours.

Sleepy Sun
The specs: Santa Cruz, California-based tripsters making what they describe as "California music."

The sound: Even more Haight Ashbury than Troubadour Dali, with extended songs full of jams balancing electric shrieks and blues pathos.

You might know them from: Last year's Off Broadway show and opening for Arctic Monkeys a month later.

Keep tripping if you dug Troubadour Dali's set.

Take a nap if you like your songs with three chords.

Kings Go Forth
The specs: Ten musicians from Milwaukee founded by bassist Andy Noble and showcasing Black Wolf, who's been making soul music since the 1970s.

The sound: Big and funky, focused on cinched-tight vocal harmonies, heavy percussion and brass.

You might know them from: playing Off Broadway last March.

Come forth to the stage if you adore Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, or want to shake your booty.

Move back if you're ready for something more modern, or lack soul.

DOM
The specs: The Massachusetts quintet formed less than two years ago. They released their second EP, Family of Love, this month.

The sound: Lo-fi power pop that includes a Casio keyboard.

You might know them from: the repetition of their indie earworm hit, "Living in America."

Dominate this if you like tongue-in-cheek humor with your DIY tunes.

Go to the retail area and help the American economy now if you can do without so much irony.