Although SpiritFest improved its national headliners a bit this year, it didn't give short shrift to the locals. Top homegrown attractions include the rap ensemble Vertigo (pictured), whose debut disc overflows with club-footed beats and crowd-friendly chants; pop heartthrobs Anything But Joey; electro-metal architects Concrete Core; and the funk-focused Pomeroy, which just added former Karma/Simplexity keyboardist Tyson Leslie to its lineup. In the headlining slots, SimonWonderBrown and 21 Reasons offer alternatives for fans too young to appreciate orchestral Styx renditions and too hyper to chill out with the Wallflowers.
