The sun shone bright Saturday at this year's Virgin FreeFest at Merriweather Post Pavilion, and while the grounds were a bit muddier than last year, at least the Dance Forest wasn't as dusty. It was the first nice afternoon in weeks—as well as the day before the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and the start of Ethiopian New Year, as we learned from Patti Smith—so this year's lineup, heavier on the synth and electronica acts than years past, provided an upbeat soundtrack to a beautiful day.

Grace Potter & the Nocturnals

Cut Copy

!!!

Patti Smith

Cee Lo

TV on the Radio

The Black Keys

Deadmau5

Additional photos from Virgin FreeFest sets and people can be found here.

The Weekend in Free: Virgin Mobile FreeFest announced its lineup (err, well, leaked it to several journalists) last night, and my thoughts are here. Excited for Patti Smith, TV on the Radio, and James Murphy; could live without Deadmau5 and The Black Keys. See you there!

Open Up Your Throat: WaPo's Chris Richards goes all Heavy Metal Parking Lot over Saturday's Animal Collective show at Merriweather, chatting up hippies outside the venue. Look for my review later today on Spin, if you please.

Today on Arts Desk: Wugazi speaks! Phil Ade samples U.S. Royalty! The Folk Life Festival recycles! And more

On last year’s exceptional summer mixtape, The Letterman, DMV rapper Phil Adé made his intentions and aesthetics perfectly clear:“I’m the only 21-year-old that raps like he’s 30.”

Adé’s flow is mature and smoky. Catch his guest verses alongside area MCs and friends like Tabbi Bonney and Wale, Adé sounds like big brother. Beyond sonic booms, Adé’s songs are littered with samples from the legends of his youth: Biggie, Andre 3000, Lil Wayne, and even Beastie Boys. His newest video is a remake of Ice Cube’s mask-and-gloves-era ‘92 single, “Wicked.”

“We’ve been trying to flip classic songs,” Adé says. “My manager showed me the joint, can’t claim too much credit. I put my own spin on it and I wanted the video to be like Cube’s—just me wildin’ out.”

Adé turns 23 in August, and he comes up in a moment with distinct, quirky, skinny-jean kid dynamos—many of whom he’ll run into next week in Austin, Texas for the 2011 South By Southwest music conference. His salty snarl doesn’t exactly gel with leading contemporaries (and lightning rods of critical attention) like Wiz Khalifa and Odd Future.

“I’m ready for whatever,” Adé says. “We’ll be in town doing five shows...I respect everyone, we all have something different to offer even if it’s not really my thing.”

Adé makes an important clarification: He is not a hater. The influences may be easy to identify (‘90s rap built to destroy from trusted, lower-middle-class enclaves), but Adé’s almost flower-child “music is a canvas, man” insistence shows unusual depth. It’s this sort of openness that led Adé to duet with area revivalist rockers (and fellow South by Southwest showcase talent), U.S. Royalty last year. The driving, blues-based product howled and bumped like the best moments from that Black Keys-plus-rappers album.

“I met them at an art gallery show I did for a photographer,” Adé says. “I was introduced to John, the lead singer, and we just went from there and recorded a few cuts. Hopefully we get to release [the rest]. I’m an artist, man. It’s not about rap and alternative, it’s about good music.”

Touring with Pittsburgh’s Mac Miller through the conference, Adé is using his 19-year-old billing mate’s youthful crowds to refine his performance. Over the phone and from the road, Adé is downright giddy about the differing audiences he’ll encounter in Austin. Adé is Twitter-savvy, efficient, and proudly on an indie label. Still, he doesn’t seem especially interested about concrete net gains from the upcoming experience.

“I just want to have fun man,” Adé says. “Last year was my first time [at South by Southwest], and it was unreal being downtown and bumping into like Wiz rapping on the street. South By is a great place to just hang out and connect. It’s great to network but I’m there to do dope music.”

If there’s one thing Phil Adé hopes to clarify in the wake of his Texas stint, it’s that he’s not from Philadelphia.

“I get that all the time,” Adé says. “I have a big Maryland flag on my hat and people still ask if I’m from Philly. I’m not on some Flo Rida shit.”

Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney and guitarist-vocalist Dan Auerbach are currently continuing the experimentation heard on 2008’s Attack and Release through their respective side projects. Before regrouping for this fall’s Blakroc project with Mos Def and RZA, Auerbach is touring in support of his solo album, Keep It Hid, and Carney is playing bass in his new side band, Drummer.

Do the extracurricular projects signal a new direction or broadening of sound? Or could it prompt them to draw back to the purer elements of the Black Keys?

“Dan and I started the Black Keys when we were very young and our first record came out when we were both 22," says Carney. "In the past seven years we have grown a lot as musicians and have started to feel comfortable changing and doing what we want. Neither of us would ever want to feel like we need to sound a certain way to be pure."

“I think what is truly pure is being honest and that is what we have been doing since we started playing music together.”

Drummer, a musical cabal formed by drummers from various bands, released the album Feel Good Together on September 29th. “I played the bass and helped write and arrange the songs, but keep in mind the other four guys are some of the best musicians I have ever met,“ Carney says.

Drummer’s debut merges harmonies with something akin to the layered playing of Built to Spill, but Carney is elusive when talking about the origin of the sound.

“The blues are to the Black Keys as hot dogs are to Drummer.”

A direct album title like Feel Good Together combined with the giant sundae cover art projects a positive message that dovetails with the often buoyant tone of the album.  How much thought went into post recording marketing?

“I think we are all positives guys most of the time and we also like coming up with idiotic ideas and then following through," Carney says. " We have been talking a lot about opening a Wright Brothers themed sushi restaurant called Kitty Hawk. As I imagine you know 90% of all airplanes are filled with meat and in fact the plane was invented to carry fish meat to Dayton.”

Feel Good Together was released by Carney’s label, Audio Eagle Records.  While on tour, label mates the Royal Bangs are opening for Drummer, though Carney brushes aside questions about schooling them in the ins and outs of touring.

"All my 'road' stories involve Marriotts and Arby's."

Drummer performs with the Royal Bangs at DC9 on Monday, October 12th. Tickets are $12.