Yardfest Countdown: Guide to Patrick Park

Yardfest is almost here—count down with us! Check out our primer to Kid Cudi, then watch for more Yardfest features to come. Today, we give you a guide to Patrick Park.

He is no hip hop artist. His lyrics don't scream “I be posted with my blunt and a brew my dude.” Instead, above the sentimentalized strumming of his guitar, he murmurs softly, “Maybe life is a song but you're scared to song along, until the very ending.” Patrick Park, due to infuse our red-brick yard with folk-rock spirit, will be the third act taking the stage in the Tercentenary Theatre this Sunday.

Ever heard of Patrick Park? Cast your mind back to the series finale of "The O.C." Park's most well-known track, "Life is a Song,” catapulted to fame through its prodigious position in this episode. The song, released on his second LP “Everyone's in Everyone,” pervaded the O.C. seven years after Park had first leapt to public recognition with his debut album “Loneliness Knows My Name.”

His newest LP “Come What Will” is your archetypal acoustic-folk album. His genre is not an unfamiliar one—with the familiar acoustic melody and tenderly rough vocals, Park sounds like a synthesis of Damien Rice and Taylor Swift. His songs are sweet but indistinct. There is nothing either personalized or individual to his sound.

What has Patrick Park to offer Yardfest '10? His set may come as a refreshing break from a show that is otherwise dominated by hip hop. His songs are soothing and inherently easy to sing along to. Many tracks, such as “Something Pretty” from “Loneliness Knows My Name,” have a subtle folksy vibe.

Want to know more about Patrick Park? Last week, he chatted with Arts contributing writer Adam T. Horn—read more here.

Photo courtesy of Ted Newsome.