Part One of Kyle's Five Part Lollapalooza Review: Friday

Wavves: Lollapalooza got off to a rocky start with Wavves - no matter how many Vs the band's name has, or how many members of the late Jay Reatard's band they acquire, I'm just not the biggest fan of their sound. They lost major points when they played their "aren't we so hipster and ironic" cover song, which they proudly announced was from the Encino Man Soundtrack. Dudes... it would have been cooler if you didn't say where the song was from. Not much cooler, but still.

The Constellations: Things hardly got any better at my next stop, where I met up with my friends. The program booklet called The Constellations music "indie-pop" but I felt like a number of the songs were coming dangerously close to Kid Rock territory for my tastes.

Jukebox the Ghost: The day took a huge leap toward awesome as I headed over to the BMI stage. In the past the Lolla side stages have been where I've discovered and fell in love with a good number of early afternoon bands in past years (Blind Pilot and Wild Sweet Orange were a couple of wonderful stumbled upon bands). I had a little bit of a heart flutter when I saw the adorable publicity photo in the program book and read the comparisons to Ben Folds. Jukebox the Ghost lived up to these things, and were the first tally in the win column for the day.

The Big Pink: After meeting up with AV Club buddy Josh Modell and grabbing a pie shake (that's right a pie... in shake form) I hit up The Big Pink. The electronic rock sounds of the Big Pink made me feel like I was attending a late 80s Lolla, but it didn't sound dated. I'm interested in listening to more of of the Big Pink's work, especially knowing that in the past they have received support from Patrick Wolf's sister.

The New Pornographers: After a couple of popular CD releases, and the skyrocketing popularity of member Neko Case, I felt a little sad that the New Pornographers were downgraded to the 4:00 PM timeslot this year, after having been the pre-headliner act just a couple of Lolla's ago. If they were upset about the snub, it didn't translate to their music, which sounded just as good as ever.

Semi Precious Weapons: Taking a little break from The New Pornographers, I bopped over to see "Lady Gaga's favorite band," who were also her past touring partners. While their music wasn't necessarily my favorite, their attitude was fantastic to watch on display - no surprise for a band signed to Perez Hilton's record label. During the two songs I watched (neither of which were the song that Lady Gaga showed up an cameoed on, by the way) singer Justin Tranter proclaimed to the audience "I want to fuck every one of you" and proceeded to pour and spit an entire bottle of champagne on the jumping, screaming audience. That's what I want out of a festival performance.

Matt & Kim: Speaking of spectacle, I about crapped my pants when I saw Matt from Matt & Kim climb the stage scaffolding to the very top, and then dangle from it BY ONE ARM! Yikes. While Matt & Kim probably wouldn't even be in my top 5 male/female duo bands which seem so popular lately, they always put on a great show (especially in their stripping music video for Lessons Learned).

Hot Chip: I love my Brit bands, and Hot Chip was a lot of fun to see in this festival setting. While their music seemed to be inspiring foot tapping rather than full on dancing from the fans gathered early to see Lady Gaga, everyone seemed fairly content with the tunes.

Chromeo: I'll be honest, I was listening to Chromeo from a distance as I camped out for Gaga, and so didn't get a very good idea of how the show was going, but I did clap when I heard "Fancy Footwork" drifting in...

Lady Gaga: Check tomorrow's post for a recap of all the good and bad of Lady Gaga's performance.

Heavenly States - 3.5
Chairlift - 4
Just missed the free meal :( but excited to hear their iPod song. I tried to do handstands for you!

Angry vs the Bear - 5
I met up with Rachel, and we both were feeling the need to have a day where we meandered and didn't over think. So we decided to head over early to see a band I had heard one song from on the SXSW website. When we got to the venue - the rainbow cattle company - I saw that there was a bear flag flying on the wall (bears are big hairy gay men). So I turned to the older woman checking badges and I asked "is this a bear bar?" and in her thickest texan accent she responded "honey, we got bear, we got wine, we got vodka..." Amazing. After a couple of drinks and losing some money to their crappy video arcade game we were treated with seriously one of the most fun shows of the weekend. Angry vs the Bear. Check them out. SO fun. They get my "least buzz, biggest potential" award. Also, winners of the craziest hair award.

Camera Obscura - 5
One of the only real must sees of the day for me (along with voxtrot). We got there early and saw a bit of Amazing Baby (I believe). Anyway, glad to get to see Camera Obscura. They are great, and the new stuff sounded wonderful - sad to miss them at their metro show, but happy I saw them here.

Ed Harcourt - 4.5
Having missed out on Ed the day before, I decided to stop into his taping for Direct TV - a bit boring and a bit more of the country stuff, as it was being filmed on the country sound stage, but I still got to hear "Until Tomorrow Then."

Janelle Monae - 5
While seeing Ed Harcourt, Rachel and friends snuck into the Chop Shop party, so I decided to try my luck too. "I think I am on the list." *volunteer flips through papers a bit* "go on in." Score. I made it in time to see the end of Janelle Monae. Wow. Wow wow wow. This year's Amy Winehouse/Duffy/etc. iteration? Maybe. But way way way better. If I had to make a "next big thing" guess, this would be it. She's opening for No Doubt - just not in Chicago :(

Little Boots - 5
Way fun.

Scotland Yard Gospel Choir - 5
After debating whether to try and find and get into the Perez party, we opted to head over and see Chicago's SYGC - who we've seen a number of times, but whatever, it was fun! We even stayed afterwards just to hang out with Chicago folks

The Love Me Nots - 3.5
An Horse - 5
One of my fave "stumbled upon" bands of the week. I need to hear more!

Voxtrot - 5
This show was a hot sweaty amazing mess. I loved every second of it. Voxtrot is so good, the singer is hot as heck, and the new stuff sounds unbelievably good. Is this the start of something good?

Various Comedians (Included Janeane Garofalo, Todd Barry, and more) - 5
Rachel suggested that instead of going to another band we check out the comedians. Wow, I had never gone to the comedians before. And it was really really fun. Lots of great bits, a nice seat in a not too crowded venue... who could ask for more. This day shaped up to be really great, just because starting the day I was kind of done with everything, and so I just let go and drifted. Love it!

The Spinto Band - 5
Rachel decided to go home, but I couldn't end my SXSW with comedians - I needed to squeeze in one more bad. I decided to end the festival this year by righting a wrong from last year... I had planned to go see Spinto Band close out SXSW 08 and just didn't have the energy for it... This year, because of my chill pace, I was ready to fix that. What a great way to end things - the Spinto's put on a damn good show, the new stuff is quality, and I still have the last song, The Black Flag, ringing in my ears months later!

Continue reading "SXSW - Day 4"

Kyle's Note: Of course, I took a months long break recapping SXSW 09, so now I don't really remember much of anything about it, yet I am still going to give it a shot and add a couple of little notes.

Kiernan McMullan - 3.5
Lisa Hannigan - 5
I had a great Irish breakfast at B.D. Reilly's and stuck around for a few songs from the lovely Lisa Hannigan (and got a photo with her!) I took off a little early to catch the last few songs of...

The Wrens - 4
Still didn't hear the songs I know, but it sounded good anyway. I reeeeally need to invest some time into listening to The Wrens more and getting into their whole catalog.

The Rural Alberta Advantage - 5
I had heard TRAA from one of my colleagues in Chicago, and had been anxious to hear them live. They have a sound like a more mainstream Neutral Milk Hotel, perhaps. Very nice.

Bishop Allen - 5
Bishop Allen is always a lot of fun - and definitely another person I really need to purchase more of so I can know more than a handful of songs.

Handsome Furs -5
Man, I had been anticipating seeing Handsome Furs big time! I was discouraged to see the HUGE line to get in (people already piling in for headliner the Hold Steady), but I got in without too much hassle, and had one of the most fun shows of my SXSW. Everyone dancing in the hot sun - just brilliant. Love every song. (also, I have to point out the hilarious promotion that Saucony was putting on with their game... pin the Crystal on the overused band name (and a picture of a bear, deer, and wolf).

Adam Stephens - 5
I was reeeeally looking forward to seeing Adam Stephens too. A singer from Two Gallants, I had downloaded a bunch of his solo stuff and LOVED it even more than Two Gallants - it was prettier stuff, with a bit of a Conor Oberst vibe. They were having some technical problems with the piano at the venue, Friends, and the sun was SCALDING my head, but it was worth it, just to see leaves showering down from the trees during favorite song "Lead In Our Lungs." Here is the video of that performance (check out the person's profile for the rest of the show too!) Too bad that later that day I insulted Adam's shoes... don't ask.

Ra Ra Riot - 5
I saw Ra Ra Riot a few years ago at SXSW and had really enjoyed them, but had only recently fallen head over heels for their most recent album. Upon arriving to the venue I was saddened to see the line stretching and stretching - but I waited anyway, and was rewarded by getting in near the beginning of their set. However it was INSANELY crowded and hot in the little tent, and I was at the very back. Still, a great performance where I heard basically every song I wanted to, capped off my one of my favorite songs - Dying is Fine.

Future of the left - 4
Fanfarlo - 5
Youth Group - 5
In a happy accident I wandered into a set by Youth Group at the Australian BBQ. I was amused at how the Australian and New Zealand BBQs were back to back - very Flight of the Conchords.

My Disco - 2
Ceci Bastida - 3
Hey Negrita - 3.5
This evening I decided to scorn my expensive badge and stick to one place all evening - Central Presbyterian Church. Waiting outside I even got to chat with the former manager of My Lastest Novel and current manager of a lot of other cool Scottish bands. However, after a couple of songs from Hey Negrita, which was okay, I decided to flee momentarily to see if I could catch a little Ed Harcourt at another nearby venue. Upon getting there I found that the schedule had been shifted a bit, so after a couple of tracks of so so other bands, I returned.

Fanfarlo - 5
Fanfarlo Fanfarlo Fanfarlo. Last year I was SO excited to see them and was so sad when I A) didn't get downtown in time to catch most of their early set one morning and B) saw only a very small set later that day because of techincal issues. I saw a couple of songs of their set early this day, but was ready to see a full set in this intimate venue. Other than the fact that there was some percussion reverb in the church to be sorted out, it was basically perfect. The lead singer, in his cute little boytie, may have been my crush of the week - Adorable. And all of their songs were GREAT. They had a number of their new CD in the back which everyone snapped up quickly. Luckily I got one before they sold out. My love of them was recently endorsed by Sigur Ros who sent out and e-mail blast telling people to buy the album... and that the cover features Sigurrós and her cousin Disa on the front cover in a pic by Jónsi's other sis Lilja! I love it even more now!

The Low Anthem - 5
I had just been introduced to the Low Anthem a couple of weeks prior in Chicago when they opened for Lisa Hannigan, and I had fallen in love. Okay, so in all honesty, this show tied The Decemberists (or maybe was secretly even better) for my favorite show of the week. It made me wish that I had said screw it and just saw every performance by the group all weekend. It was haunting, beautiful, uplifting, soaring - just one of the most beautiful venues to see one of the most beautiful shows ever. From the chill inducing falsetto of "Charlie Darwin" to the soul wrenching upright bass of "This God Damn House" there was not a note out of place. If I ever thought that I could never have a religious experience in a church again, I was wrong. And, according to twitter search, a LOT of other people considered this the breakout performance of the festival. It's not often as a music lover that I get to experience something this special.

Lisa Hannigan - 5
Lisa Hannigan is just beautiful, and both strong and fragile. This venue was the perfect spot for her and she was spot on - she has truly risen up from second fiddle to Damien Rice and holds her own and more. Sadly, a gentleman sat in front of me during this performance who was clearly pulled there by his friend and he DIDN'T want to be there - he was shifting and sighing, and shaking his fat fucking head with disdain right in my line of vision for the whole performance. Definitely the most aggravated I have ever been at a SXSW.

Laura Marling - 4.5
I have to be honest, maybe it was because she had to follow up a few of the best performance I have seen, but this performance from Laura didn't live up to my love of her album or even the other times I have seen her live. A bit boring and just a little off - but still loved favorites "Ghosts" and "Alas I cannot swim"

Jason Lytle -3.5
I stayed for a few songs from Grandaddy's Jason Lytle, and then headed off to see what else I could find. I stopped in to see Au Reviour Simone, but they were having some pretty serious techincal problems so I decided to leave... as I was walking out they started their set. Oh well. So I headed to see Cursive and was let into the venue before being shuffled off to some other room - apparently the Cursive room was filled to capacity. Well, thanks for telling me before I entered. So, just let me out? No... I couldn't even exit through the front entrance because they wouldn't let me back into the sold out room to leave. So I had to go through this back room, through another room where an AWFUL band was playing, and then down some sketchy back alley. There were other bands playing that I was considering checking out, but figured it was best just to turn in for the evening.

Keep reading to compare to 2008

Continue reading "SXSW - Day 3"

Yellow Fever - +3 - Red House Pizzeria
Instead of heading into town for the big day parties, I decided to try taking the bus out to Red House Pizzeria for their patio party. Austin's Yellow Fever started the day fine.

Slow Club - +5
The band I really wanted to see was Slow Club (who have opened for another of my faves - Tilly and the Wall, and have a similar disposition). I have been a fan since last year (and really had wanted them to play last year's SXSW!) I had seen the Because We Are Dead music video and was expecting a "We're From Barcelona" sized crowd to perform, but they were just a two-person group. After seeing them, I have to say, they are probably my favorite two person group (sorry Mates of State, Matt & Kim, Dresden Dolls, etc.) They also get an award for one of the cutest groups I saw! I felt bad for Charles, though, who was apparently "salsa drunk."

School of Seven Bells - +5 - Mohawk
I took the bus into town, and it let me off near Mohawk, so I decided to check in and see if I could get into the RSVP Rhapsody party and see Glasvegas, as all their other performances were conflicts for me. I got it, and was thrilled to see that I'd have a chance to see another band that I hadn't heard of, but were apparently playing every party this week. I was so happy I did, too, as they were one of my absolute favorite groups of the day.

Glasvegas - +4.5 - Mohawk
Glasvegas played a set pretty true to the sound of their album. It was enjoyable! I love a good accent

Trail of dead - +3 - Mohawk
I was already around for it, so I thought I might as well stick around and check out a couple of songs from ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead. It was okay, but the continue to just not do much for me.

Passion Pit - +4 - Radio Room
I had been told to check out Passion Pit, so I made my way to day to of the Paste party. After waiting in line I made my way to a very crowded performance. After standing for a couple of songs, I decided to sit down against the wall. Passion Pit gets the honor of this year's "good performance that I drifted off to" - an honor bestowed last year on British Sea Power. Regardless, they were good and unique.

Airborne Toxic Event - +4.5 - Bat Bar
Every year I find a couple of bands to see in the air conditioned, professionally light sound stages used to tape performances for Direct TV. The first year I saw a great performance of Peter, Bjorn and John there. I would say that Airborne Toxic Event reminds me a bit of this years Peter, Bjorn and John (or Vampire Weekend)....but I didn't like them nearly as much as those two groups. They were fun though, and if you see the Direct TV recordings, you'll see me in the front row bobbing my head like a total moron. Interesting fact - they played SXSW 2008 too. Guess that worked out pretty well for them :)

Guggenheim Grotto - +4.5 - The Rio
I stopped in to see a few songs from The Guggenheim Grotto at the Irish showcase - I do love them. Despite the fact that it was a chatty crowd, and the fact that the played some songs that I was so so about, the fact they played Philosophia made up for it!

Phosphorescent - +4.5 - Mohawk
I love Phosphorescent, and even though the crowd here was extremely obnoxious and blah blah blahed the whole time, and despite the fact that I only heard four songs, I still love love love them.

Ohbijou - +5 - The Ranch
There were so many great bands playing at this time, and I didn't know what I was going to do until the last minute. I really didn't think I was going to head down to this show, as it was crazy far away from the main strip, but I decided to hoof it out there, for some reason. It was a good choice. I really dug this seven piece Canadian group, plus the crowds were thinner in this part of town and everyone was much more respectful

My Latest Novel - +5 - The Ranch

As much as I liked Glasvegas, this Scottish band edged them out. Despite some technical problems, I enjoyed the sound of the new music they have on the horizon (although sad they didn't play my favorites from Wolves)

At this point I left before The Low Anthem played in order to try and catch a few other bands - this was probably a sad mistake

+/- - Prague - Only saw half a song, can't rate it, but it sounded good.

The Wrens - +4 - Prague
The layout of Prague left a lot to be desired, and standing in the basement behind a mass of people after a long day wasn't my idea of a good time. I left after a couple of good sounding songs (neither of which were the two Wrens songs I know really well).

I made my way to Radio Room to check out Handsome Furs and upon getting there was told "sorry dude, we're done" by the person at the door. So, Handsome Furs, the headliner, either started early or only played a half hour set. Very very sad.

Datarock - +4.5 - Emo's Annex
I started heading to Emo's to see Peter Bjorn and John were still playing, and as I passed Emo's Annex I heard the familiar strains for Fa-Fa-Fa, the Datarock single. There was no line, so I went in and enjoy the song (which is really catchy) and a couple of other songs before heading home. It was a pretty great end to the night, outside with a little bit of air blowing through and some fun music! Thanks Datarock!

Compare to Thursday 2008 below the break

Continue reading "SXSW - Day 2"

Anathallo +5 - Radio Room
Anathallo were a perfect way to open SXSW - they sounded great, the crowd was really into them, and I was happy to hear some of their new songs live, especially my favorite track "The River."

The River from this show:

Samantha Crain +4 - Radio Room
A bit sad I missed Greg Laswell, as he started late and played at the same time as Anathallo. I hadn't heard of Samantha Crain, but she sounded pretty good. I'd like to listen to some studio stuff from her.

From this show:

Amanda Palmer +5 - Radio Room
I was excited to check out Amanda Palmer's solo stuff, as a so-so fan of the Dresden Dolls. I'll be honest, I like her solo stuff more! Apparently Ben Folds produced her album, and even sang backup on a fun track about abortion! She ended the set with an unplugged and un-microphoned version of Radiohead's "Creep" on Ukulele, which ended up as a crowd sing-along. Amazing!

Here is a video of that Creep performance:

Port O'Brien +3 - Radio Room
A pretty unmemorable set, in my opinion. Not bad, I just wasn't super into it.

Here is a song from that show:

Heartless Bastards +3.5 - Radio Room
The Paste Party was the place to be today, so I just kept sticking around. I'm glad I did, because I enjoyed what I heard of the Heartless Bastards.

A song from that show:

Loney Dear +4.5 - Radio Room
Loney, Dear is one of those bands I have been meaning to check out (both recorded and live) for quite a while. They were quite a bit weirder than I imagined they would be, but still but on a fun show!

Cut off Your Hands +4 - Maggie Mae's
I hadn't heard of this group, but enjoyed them! They were pretty loud, screamy, and crazy live, but I liked the melodies. Their recorded stuff sounds quite a bit smoother from what I've heard, and I like it quite a bit!

The Pains of Being Pure Of Heart +4 - Red 7
One of the big buzz bands this week - they were EVERYWHERE this weekend. I definitely enjoyed them and think they are worth checking out more!

From the show:

Beach House +3.5
I like Beach House - the low score here is because they started so late (they were apologetic). By the time they had started, I really only had time for two songs before heading out to see the next band I wanted to see (who, in fact, weren't scheduled for that time apparently, although it wouldn't have mattered as my RSVP didn't go through.) So, I could have stayed to seen more. Bummer. And I didn't get around to seeing them again the rest of the week. Double bummer.

From the show:

Toy Horses +3 - Latitude 30
Tonight's line up was a bit sparse for artists that I was interested in hearing, so I decided to chill for awhile at the showcase of my personal hero, Nic Harcourt. Toy Horses' live performance didn't do much for me.

At the show:

bonus: a montage of Toy Horses at SXSW

Fin +3 - Latitude 30
I can't comment much on Fin, as the lead singer had lost his voice and was only able to sing one song.

Rokhsan +3.5 - Latitude 30
Rokhsan stepped in for Fin and played a few songs to fill the hole. She sounded pretty decent - an artist who may have some potential as she hones her craft.

The Von Bondies +3.5 - Vice
The Von Bondies are a band whose name I have heard a lot but didn't know anything about. I popped into Vice and checked out 4 of their songs. Two of them I really enjoyed, and two I was not so fond of. I was thinking about staying for their whole set and checking out some Peter, Bjorn and John, but instead decided to take off and see some other things. Good thing too, PB&J's set was probably the most talked about blah show (technical problems) of the week - anyway, they are coming to Chicago soon. (P.S. I also went to check the line at the M Ward/St. Vincent/Camera Obscura show - yikes. Impossible to get into)

From the Show:

What Laura Says, Thinks, Feels +3.5 - Radio Room
or shortened to What Laura Says, for short. This was a band on my list about a million times last year, who I didn't see. I thought they were okay, but not as good live as the clips I had heard.

Red Cortez +3.5 - Radio Room
While here, I stuck around and saw Red Cortez, who was playing at the same time. I enjoyed what little I heard - I liked them just as much as What Laura Says, if not a little more.

Stoney +4.5 - Latitude 30
Back at Nic Harcourt's party, Stoney I caught some of Stoney, which was possibly my favorite totally random band of the week (ie. I didn't have them on my list to check out). They put on a really good live show, and I liked their sound. Side note: at one point during the show I noticed the lead singer of Aqualung standing next to me. I KNEW it was the lead singer of Aqualung My brilliant comment: "you look kind of familiar. Is there any reason for that?"

From the show:

Laura Marling +5 - Latitude 30
I had every intention of seeing Laura Marling on Friday, but wanted to catch at least a couple of songs of her here, just in case something came up and I didn't make it to that show. I stayed for four songs, which included two of my faves - Ghost and Alas I Cannot Swim.

From the show (sideways):

The Decemberists +5 - Stubbs
Leaving Laura early was hard, but I wanted to make sure I got into the main event at Stubbs. Lucky I did too, there was quite a line. Sadly I didn't get in for any of the Avett Brothers (nor did I get around to seeing them the rest of the week. Sigh.) The show was amazing. The Decemberists played their new album, The Hazards of Love, in its entirety. The album was released for digital download the day before, and I had listened to it on the flight to Austin, so I had a slight familiarity with the songs. Seeing them live unlocked them for me. They were no nonsense as well - there was no commentary and no stopping between songs. The Rake Song, their first single, was jaw dropping live, with five people on stage banging on drums during the song. As an encore, Colin came out and played the Raincoat Song (one of my faves off of last year's EPs) and I Was Meant for the Stage. The show was nothing less than epic. You can check it out (as well as the Avett Brothers show, which I missed) at on the NPR Website.

From the show:

Dear and the Headlights +4.5 - Spiro's
Stopped in and checked out one of the song from Dear and the Headlights. I really really liked it. Sadly I missed them the other billion times they played this week, but the taste I had was enough to make me a fan.

Echo and the Bunnymen +4 - Emo's
Surprisingly, it was easy to slip into Emo's for the last few songs from Echo and the Bunnyman. I really wasn't familiar with them (shocking huh?) but I could definitely hear from their music the influences they passed down to a number of my favorite bands. A good experience.

From the show:

+1 = I hated it. I would do anything in my power to avoid having to endure this again
+2 = I adamantly didn't like this. I would be disappointed if this band were opening for a band that I wanted to see.
+3 = I was pretty neutral about this band. If I must see them again it wouldn't bother me, but it wouldn't tip the scales in a positive way either. I won't be looking the band up when I get home Also known as the "my mind is wandering" rating
+4 = I enjoy this band. I will check them out online, and if they were opening for another +4 or +5 that would be exciting.
+5 = I loved it. I will be buying their CDs and going to see them live again.

Compare to 2008, day 1, below break

Continue reading "SXSW - Day 1"

Visit http://www.twitter.com/DSig80atSXSW to follow my coverage of SXSW 2009!

So, SXSW released the schedule for SXSW and I have to say, my heart is breaking. The day shows are still trickling in, and in the end, they help to make some things easier (because I know I'll have a chance to catch some acts during the day.) Regardless, I know there are still going to be some hard choices to make - one particular choice that even Sophie would struggle with. That particular choice comes at what is, in my opinion, the most difficult to decide upon hour of music of the week - Wednesday at 12:00 AM (Thursday morning I suppose.) The choice is between seeing Camera Obscura in an intimate Church (how cool would that be) or seeing the Decemberists play the entirety of their new album in a big venue. It is a reeeeeally hard choice. I think I'll end up picking the Decemberists as they only have one gig it looks like, while Camera Obscura has another (sadly non-church) performance later.

Also, I know this is going to change a lot, so I shouldn't waste much time on it now. Too bad, I can't wait.

Follow below for my scheduling thoughts.

Continue reading "SXSW - A first look at the schedule"

Lollapalooza 2008 has come and gone, marking its fourth year as a Chicago festival (and thus, my fourth year as a Lollagoer). The consensus: the festival was very pleasant, and I didn't see much I didn't enjoy. On the other hand, there wasn't super much that blew me away. The temperature was nice - hot at times, but nothing like the scorching 105 degree heats of the first year. The festival DID seem more crowded than previously - I'm not sure if I am just imagining that, or if it has to do with different stage layouts or what. It also seemed a little disproportionate - on Saturday it seemed like people showed up in hordes on the Southside and stayed there most of the day. On Friday I had hardly any reason to go to the North set of stages.

Also, I don't think the irony escapes anyone that a festival presented by AT&T would occur in an iPhone dead zone. Grant Park is truly the place that cell phone reception goes to die.

Winners:

Yeasayer had one of my favorite sets of the weekend - a very great performance for a hot summer day, with songs like Sunrise and 2080 offering the perfect soundtrack for the festival. Foals was a group I hadn't heard of until the festival - I had caught a couple of tracks at their recent pre-Lolla Apple store performance and had enjoyed it though. They were a lot of fun - the festival program calling them "angular, funky, math rock." They reminded me a bit of bands like the Lovely Feathers, with stand out songs like "Cassius." Wild Sweet Orange was another band who I knew nothing about and was really impressed by. From Birmingham, this group had a beautiful sound and I plan to pick up there album ASAP. It was one of those situations where I heard music in the distance and though "this sounds great, I'm going to wander over and listen to a couple of songs." These happy discoveries are always my favorite part of festivals. My more awesome then me friends were already there! Flogging Molly was a hell of a lot of fun, and though I was dragging ass near the end of the festival (I drifted off to the lovely sounds of Iron & Wine before them), they were the Irish punk shot in the arm in the home stretch that helped me get through it. Finally Broken Social Scene was a highlight performance a couple of years ago, so much that they got the biggest "Encore" chant I've seen at a Lollapalooza. Unfortunately, they were denied an encore that time around, but they were back to blow away the crowd again this year. With special guests like members of Stars, including the lovely Amy Milan, they rocked just as hard in 2008, and I think that you could say they got their encore in a big way.

Radiohead was the performance I was most looking forward to, with Nine Inch Nails a close second. Their performances didn't let me down, although I walked away not as blown away as I was by last year's Muse or Daft Punk performances. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that I was more familiar with Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails so had more expectations (but I wasn't familiar enough to know more than a handful of songs). Also, the crowds seemed crazier and the places to view the show from seemed less prime than previous years, which kind of delivered a somewhat muted experience. The light shows were great for both - Radiohead had some interesting light tubes which changed colors and pulsated. Every year for the past few years, the headlining performance has corresponded with fireworks being shot off near the museum campus or Navy Pier for some other event. It happened during Pearl Jam as well as Ween. This year, it occurred during Radiohead, and was a nice touch accompanying Fake Plastic Trees. (There was also a display after the Saturday night festival had let out.) Nine Inch Nails' light show might have been better though, which had some moving video screens and one of the most interesting effects I've seen in recent memory, in which a screen is lowered in front of the performers, and a void appeared around Trent and followed him around. You'd have to see it to get the full effect, but it was great.

Another big winner of the festival was Barack Obama. The whole weekend was abuzz with rumors of a cameo from the Jr. Senator from Illinois. A visit didn't manifest, but that's not the point - festival goers were talking about him all weekend. They weren't the only ones - bands were name dropping him all weekend too. From Chicago's own Office to foreigners such as Broken Social Scene and Bloc Party (Kele was wearing an Obama t-shirt!) Speaking of which - Obama t-shirts seen at festival - 9 bajillion. McCain t-shirts - Zero. Obama even had an official store on the grounds that sold merch and signed people up to the mailing list. I'm going to bet that McCain doesn't know what Lollapalooza is.

The final big winner of the weekend that I have to point out is the most awesome ASL signer that totally rocked out more than anyone I saw in the crowd. She wasn't just signing, she was loving the music!

All in all, it was a great weekend, and I am still glad that Lollapalooza is in town!

Other enjoyable performances: Bloc Party, Dr. Dog, Wilco, Sofia Talvik, The Blakes, The National, Okkervil River. The Ting Tings, Office, Bang Camaro (not my type of music, but great. Kind of the metal version of my favorite band from last year - We're From Barcelona)

Sorry that I missed:DeVotchKa, CSS, Mates of State, Battles, The Kills, Grizzly Bear, Uffie, Chromeo (There's just not enough time or energy in the day!)

Soundtrack of my weekend:
(Go and download these now for a near Lolla experience)

Rogue Wave - Chicago X12
Yeasayer - Sunrise
Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees
Margot & The Nuclear So & Sos - Quiet As a Mouse
The Ting Tings - That's Not My Name
Dr. Dog - The World May Never Know
Foals - Cassius
Bloc Party - Like Eating Glass
Gogol Bordello - Supertheory of Supereverything
Wilco - Jesus, Etc.
Broken Social Scene - 7/4 (Shoreline)
MGMT - Time to Pretend
Okkervil River - Our Life Is Not a Movie or Maybe
Office - Oh My
Wild Sweet Orange - Ten Dead Dogs
The Blakes - Don't Bother Me
What Made Milwaukee Famous - Sultan
Nicole Atkins & The Sea - Maybe Tonight
Iron & Wine - Woman King
Flogging Molly - If I Ever Leave This World Alive
The National - Fake Empire
Nine Inch Nails - Closer

During my first foray into the infamous festival that is now Lollapalooza (18 years and still going), I was witness to many things. My fellow festival compatriot, Josh, and I were able to take in some of the best live music that I can remember in quite some time. Unfortunately, we also experienced one of the worst scenes I have ever encountered at a concert. Honestly, in my two days at Lolla 2008 (I didn't have the dough nor the energy to go all three days) I can say I saw the best, the worst and everything in between for live music.

The Worst:

I was SUPER excited to finally see Rage Against the Machine on their reunion tour. I had always listened to them when I was in High School, pumping myself up for my big X-Country meets and tennis matches (Yeah, I know I was an intimidating athlete). They were probably the 2nd most highly anticipated act at Lolla (behind Radiohead) and rightly so. They were THE band for a large part of the 90's. The sound for their set was not loud enough and Rage needs to be heard at insanely loud levels (they need to go to 11 in other words). The band did perform their first 4 songs with flourish and energy that made them one of the top live acts to see for quite some time. Then it all went to hell. The group had to stop because people were crushing others into the stage (too much moshing and insanity). I don't know why people feel compelled to be violent and stupid at rock concerts. When you have to stop music because people are getting too unruly, I sometimes question people's motives. Anyhow, the group ended up having to stop their set multiple times and threatened to cut it short if people didn't calm down. It made me sad to see something like this any day, let alone in this day and age.

Everything in Between:

The majority of the bands at Lolla were unfamiliar to me. I was able to go and explore a great amount which is always a perk when you are in such a wide variety of genres. Some of my highlights:

Gogol Bordello: http://www.myspace.com/gogolbordello
My compatriot was a huge fan of these guys so I tagged along. It is kind of hard to describe gypsy punk music so I would just refer you to their myspace page for a listen. The group had some of the best energy I have ever seen for a live band...crazy ladies jumping around banging drums, old men playing eletric fiddle, just mayhem from start to finish.

Mates of Statehttp://www.myspace.com/matesofstate

Many people have recommend this married duo to me for quite some time and I was glad I saw them. They write some of the catchiest pop tunes I have heard in quite some time. And they make a pretty big sound for just a duo. You throw in a couple of string players and you make this reviewer quite a happy camper. They lived up to the hype and I will probably be compelled to check out some of their catalog now.

Booka Shade, James Curd (Greenskeepers) and DJ Bald Eagle

I have to admit that I used to be a frequent club goer back in the day and I made my way over to see a few eletronic acts and djs. I picked these 3 as they seemed like the closest mix of what I enjoy. Booka Shade are German producers that make some of the best electronica I have heard in quite some time. They were AWESOME and I was blown away by their set, ESPECIALLY since it was in the middle of the day. James Curd also had the small side grooving. DJ Bald Eagle gets bonus points for having enjoyable guests rapping along with his beats and having the best costume get-up since a Flaming Lips show (a perfect rendition of a Bald Eagle...in 80+ heat...bravo)

Bloc Partyhttp://www.myspace.com/blocparty

I have seen Bloc Party before and I just love the energy and talent in the group. I think i was the only person in the middle of Grant Park dancing and grooving but I have complete faith that those people up in front were just as enthused as I was with their set up tunes. I was ESPECIALLY happy with the fact that they played two of my personal favorites off of their debut (Like Eating Glass and Helicopter). In my mind, they were the perfect one-two punch with Radiohead.

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings:http://www.myspace.com/sharonjonesandthedapkings

One word: WOW. The Dap Kings are the band that has played on Amy Winehouse's BACK IN BLACK album and now I know why. The group is SUPER TIGHT and just blow you away with their skill. I probably had the best location for this band (right up front) and I was glad because I was grooving and dancing around on a high RIGHT before the catastrophe that was Rage. Sharon Jones' voice has so much soul and shear power, it needs to be witnessed live and unproduced to believe. They were easily my favorite Non-Headliner act I saw over the two days at Lollapalooza. From start to finish, it was a joy.

The Best:

The whole reason why I went to the festival was for the ability to see Radiohead perform live again. I will never forget my first experience seeing them live in 2001 in Grant Park (one of the best shows I ever saw, bar none) so I had high expectations for this time around. They did not disappoint. Thom Yorke and company were in rare form and they covered most of their catalog, as far back as my personal favorite album, THE BENDS. There was a massive amount of focus on their latest, IN RAINBOWS, and rightly so as it one of the better albums to come out in the past few years. I had heard about the stage lights and the creative aspects of what was in store for the show and they were all insanely perfect for the setting (unfortunately I forgot my camera once again so no pictures to back up my thoughts). The most perfect moment of the entire day (and in my mind, the festival) was when the band was performing Fake Plastic Trees, from THE BENDS, and there were fireworks from some other event going by Adler Planetarium (perhaps it was for Lolla, I don't know). It was indescribable...the fireworks reflecting off the building and the perfect build up of Thom Yorke's falsetto over a serene field of worshippers....It was the epitome of what is best in music now and forever. And it is what keeps me coming back for more (check out the link below for their full setlist and those of other artists from Lollapalooza).

http://www.lollapalooza.com/2008_files/takeover/setlists.asp?dayx=1

So Kyle and I were both at the Pitchfork Music Festival this past weekend but we both experienced completely different festivals. I experienced Saturday in the day of a normal everyday schumck that likes to sweat it out with all of the hipsters, hippies and hard core musical fanatics. I believe a new scent of "collective human odor" was created on Saturday...look out Old Spice, I think we have the new overpowering item for the marketplace.

All in all, I was very happy with the performances. I saw Fleet Foxes, Vampire Weekend, part of Dizzee Rascall and !!! and Animal Collective.

Fleet Foxes were the first band of the day for me when I got to the fest at approximately 2:45. They started off their set with a very mellow, acapella tune that made the entire festival hush to a silence. It was a crazy, surreal moment to have a festival that quiet for a performer. That just went on to show you how good these guys are and how they bring folks along for a musical journey with their rich harmonies and melodies. I was quite impressed. The only flaw I found was that their set was not very organized and they had long pauses between songs which kind of annoyed my short attention span.

Next was Dizzee Rascal. He was the only rapper of the day and he is British. Oh yeah and he has GREAT abs..like washboard abs. This guy must do about 300 situps a day. He also liked to call the audience MotherF----- a LOT. I lost track after we got done with the first song and we had already hit 20 (I'm that big of a nerd that I was counting). Yeah, but he does have the #1 hit song in the UK right now. Congrats to him for that.

NOTE: The Fleet Foxes lead singer is a Vegan who enjoys Vegan Ice Cream. As I got done with Dizzee, Nate and I went looking for some food and came across a Vegan Ice Cream booth. The employees went on to shout with glee, "Hey look everybody the FLEET FOXES like VEGAN ICE CREAM!" Yeah, that was a big shocker.

Vampire Weekend were the reason why I went to the festival. They were AMAZING. Super tight 45 minute set of straight pop/rock songs. My favorite song was a B-side I had never heard but it had a nice little trippy "apple" drum machine beat to it. It made me bounce with glee. Yep, I was full of glee.

!!! were crazy and very charasmatic but not my cup of tea. The lead singer was very...interesting. He liked to shake it. But every song kind of sounded exactly the same to me so I stayed for about 15 minutes and then went to check out flatstock posters.

The headliners of the night, Animal Collective, is what my buddy Nate the Greek came to see. He loves their sound of experimental samples and loops. It is definitely an acquired taste...kind of like asparagus or beer...something you typically don't like the first 20 times you listen to it. I have to say their live show was AMAZING. They had synchronized lights and just TONS of energy. I was not really a fan but I have to say that I am now. No words can really describe their show. The people behind me were high on something other than life and they kept oooooing and ahhhhing because the spectacle was just crazy. I couldn't imagine seeing them on anything...it would probably be sensory overload. The bass was so loud that my body vibrated with the music. Someone said to us when we were leaving that it was a "spiritual experience that made you question your own existence." I wouldn't go that far but it was definitely some nice icing on the cake of a great day.

South By Southwest 2008 has come and gone, and with it over 50 great bands under my belt. (I think my dad got double that! Oh well, what can you do? Last year (which I was too lazy to blog about) was my first SXSW, and a totally overwhelming experience - I didn't know what I was getting myself into. This year I had it way more under control. I was on top of the day show schedules thanks to austinshowlist.com and donewaiting.com. I made schedules for each day with hourly breakdowns and left multiple things per hour on the schedule to allow for last minute decisions based on venue capacity and location. I was on top of that shit.

Last year was a great year though, and had way more bands that I saw that were HUGE for me to see. I had been waiting to see bands like Simple Kid and Bic Runga for a long time, and had been wanting to see new favorite artist Chris Garneau. This year didn't provide any bands that came near the level of must-see as those bands. However, this year was overall a better year, with a higher percentage of bands that I really loved (last year had a lot of stinkers). Below you'll see my rating system as well as a comprehensive list of the shows I saw at SXSW 2008 after the break!

Ratings:
+1 = I hated it. I would do anything in my power to avoid having to endure this again
+2 = I adamantly didn't like this. I would be disappointed if this band were opening for a band that I wanted to see.
+3 = I was pretty neutral about this band. If I must see them again it wouldn't bother me, but it wouldn't tip the scales in a positive way either. I won't be looking the band up when I get home Also known as the "my mind is wandering" rating
+4 = I enjoy this band. I will check them out online, and if they were opening for another +4 or +5 that would be exciting.
+5 = I loved it. I will be buying their CDs and going to see them live again.

Continue reading "SXSW 2008 Recap"

Sorry to everyone who has been waiting anxiously for SXSW coverage. My computer is muy sick and is going in for repairs soon, so I haven't had the opportunity. In order to hold you over, I wrote up a quick recap of the hottest performers of the week. Enjoy!!!

1. Chris Garneau - Far and away the hottest performer in all of Austin. 5'5" and skinny, with perfect hair, face, fashion sense. A voice that could kill you and bring you back. And he likes boys. What more could you want?
 
2. Justin Harris (Menomena) - Just look at that smile. This boy is all smiles. He moved Menomena from a band that I liked to a band that I like liked.

 

3. Nick White (Tilly and the Wall) - I don't have a picture of Nick, seeing as I was outside of the sold out Tilly tent. But I knew he was in there, being adorable and biding his time until we are married.
4. Peter Gannon (Calla) - The wedding ring bumps him down on the list just a little bit, but I can still look! Oh, and he smiled at me while I was waiting in line for BBQ at the Snocap party. And I saw a twinkle in his eye. Awww.


5. This is a tough one. It is a close call between Peter (Peter, Bjorn and John), Dave Monks (Tokyo Police Club) and the dude from Headlights. It's so tough of a choice I think I'll just give the #5 spot to Chris Garneau again. Yum.