popwreckoning

In light of the devestating storms and tornadoes that have torn apart the midwest and southern states, Gainsville’s Against Me! are auctioning off a brand new Roger Waters signature Fender precision bass signed by all members of the band in order to raise awareness and funds for victims of the disaster. The band is working in conjunction with Fender and hosting the auction on their website, Against Me! will be donating 100% of the proceeds to the Alabama Red Cross and their relief efforts.

Andrew Sweard, bassist for Against Me! and former resident of Alabama, said the following:

“I grew up in Huntsville, Alabama – my parents still live there and my brother and sister-in-law live in Birmingham. I vividly remember when I was in 5th grade and a tornado came ripping through Huntsville during rush hour. Fortunately, my brother and I were at home with my mom. I remember her rushing us into the downstairs bathroom and making us get in the tub. The tornado didn’t hit us but it hit about two miles away destroying a grocery store and shopping center. I remember Huntsville being on the national news and how huge the tornado seemed. Now the tornado from my youth seems so small compared to the twisters I have seen on television in the past weeks. The images are horrifying. Our hearts go out to all those who have lost so much.”

www.againstme.net

Mad Rad, Das Racist and The Thermals brought the house down at the free Sasquatch Launch Party at the Showbox at the Market last night, where the lineup to the now four-day festival would be announced.

Put on by Livenation and Sasquatch creator Adam Zacks, the launch party was MC’d by Comedian Todd Barry, who kept the crowd entertained between sets with dry wit and some fake teaser headliners.

“If you love me now, you’ll love when I play a set between headliners Elvis Presley and the Beatles, and tickets are only $7!” Barry proclaimed sarcastically to the less-than-attentive crowd. But I guess that’s what you get when you have a free show.

After Mad Rad and Das Racist played their sets, the lineup was announced in a video like previous years, which was played twice over, most likely so people could get a second look because they were freaking out too much over the Flaming Lips.

So far the lineup includes:

Death Cab for Cutie, the Decemberists, Modest Mouse, the Foo Fighters, Robyn, Wilco, Flying Lotus, Bright Eyes, Flogging Molly, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Das Racist, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Iron & Wine, The Flaming Lips.Black Mountain, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, the Head and the Heart, Mad Rad, the Moondoggies, Noah & The Whale, Sam Roberts Band, Secret Sisters, Twin Shadow, Wye Oak, Tig Notaro, Smith Westerns, Rival Schools, Foster the People, Alberta Cross, S. Carey, White Denim, Washed Out, Gold Panda, Dan Mangan, Axis of Awesome, The Globes, Cotton Jones, Jaill, Basia Bulat, Other Lives, The Bronx, White Arrows, Pepper Rabbit, Talkdemonic, Rebecca Gates and The Consortium, The Young Evils, Bassnectar, Pink Martini, Cold War Kids, Old 97′s, Ratatat, Wolf Parade, Chromeo, Guided By Voices, Yeasayer, Beach House, Local Natives, Matt & Kim, Deerhunter, Mstrkrft, Trailer Park Boys, Sleigh Bells, Major Lazer, Skrillex, Fitz & The Tantrums, !!!, Archers of Loaf, Against Me!, The Thermals, Best Coast, CSS, Surfer Blood, Jenny & Johnny, Bonobo (DJ Set), City and Colour, Reggie Watts, K-Os, Gayngs, Tim Minchin, The Drums, The Radio Dept., Young the Giant, The Antlers, Sharon Van Etten, Villagers, Stornoway, Aloe Blacc.

Tickets go on sale on Feb. 14th starting at $79.50 per day and $285 for three-day passes.

Go to http://sasquatchfestival.com/ for more information or to purchase tickets.

In December 2005, I witnessed the most catastrophic concert lineup of my life, courtesy of 96.5 The Buzz‘s The Night the Buzz Stole Christmas: Against Me!, Alkaline Trio, Hot Hot Heat, The Psychedelic Furs and Death Cab for Cutie.

Yep.

That show left me with a giant purple bruise on the inside of my arm from clutching the barricade to keep my front row spot until Death Cab took the stage, but that faded after a week or two. The image of The Psychedelic Furs‘s Richard Butler strip teasing out of his women’s sweater can never be unseen.

I walked into last Friday’s Buzz Under the Stars event worried 96.5 had put together a repeat wreck of a lineup: Crash Kings, Against Me! (total fluke that they were involved in both shows), Devo (…), the Silversun Pickups and Ben Folds. Much to my relief, the diverse lineup resulted in a fast-paced show that managed to hold my attention (normally equivalent to that of a six-year old) for nearly five hours of music.

Well…and I had a couple beers. And I left early because Ben Folds was unimpressive. We’ll get back to those later.

Crash Kings, hailing from L.A., kicked off the night. They coaxed a notable number of concertgoers down to the River Market early considering the boiling July heat. The trio played Afentra’s VD Party in February and clearly earned themselves some fans there — and how could they not? Crash Kings features a drummer, a bassist and a Clavinet player. No lead guitar? No problem. Slap a whammy bar on that keyboard and you’re good to go.

The group’s Myspace just calls their sound “rock,” which is accurate, but lacking. Let’s go with “piano-driven rock with a touch of blues influence that feels as comfortable as your favorite corner bar.” Crash Kings filled the outdoor venue with catchy, danceable jams that had me bobbing energetically despite the stifling heat. It was impossible to stand still while watching keys player/lead singer Tony Beliveau flip his hair and hop up and down off his stool without ever missing a note.

Against Me! filed in next, and was my first concern regarding the evening’s lineup. I don’t think I’d listened to Against Me! since seeing them back in 2005, but if memory serves correct, they were pretty punk rock. Lo and behold…they were still pretty punk rock. But I liked them more this time. I don’t know if that means they have improved or that my music taste has widened. I don’t know enough about punk rock to have much commentary here, however I would like to point out the ridiculousness that was keyboardist Franz Nicolay‘s mustache. Very distracting. (Side note: Nicolay is not technically a member of Against Me!. He’s the former keyboardist for The Hold Steady and World/Inferno Friendship Society, and joined up with Against Me! for the band’s current U.S. tour with the Silversun Pickups. That tour also explains why they were at Buzz Under the Stars. Kind of. I still don’t entirely understand why Against Me! is playing with the Pickups at all.)

And then Devo happened played. I was ready for another The Psychedelic Furs experience, and I stepped into the photo pit wearily. All I can say is that I’ve never had such a tough time keeping my professional face on while working. I wanted to laugh, dance and clap along with the jumpsuit-clad band members. Those men brought the red and blue energy-domed crowd to life as they robot-danced across the stage and robot-played their instruments. The commitment to character made it one of the most fun sets I’ve ever watched. Devo, my deepest apologies for ever doubting your ability to rock a Buzz event. But please, never hip-thrust against when your junk is at eye-level for me and I’m two feet away. Awkward.

I am a spoiled girl who expects only the best. So even after an evening filled with whammy bars on keyboards, curlicue mustaches and robot dancing, I wanted more from the Silversun Pickups. Friday night was my first time to see the four-piece alt rock band, even though it’s been one of my favorite music acts for several years (“Lazy Eye” is my theme song). I floated through all of their set, amazed to see that lead singer Brian Aubert‘s voice actually sounds like that — I can’t be the only one who thought it was a recording trick. One complaint, which might line up with Popwreck Managing Editor Bethany Smith telling me she thought the set “boring”: considering the intensity of the Silversun Pickups‘ music, I expected a larger stage presence. The band almost disappeared, spaced out on a nearly empty stage with purple and blue lighting. The musicians stayed mostly still through their set; while artist movement is of course the choice of the artist, I struggle to understand how the quartet could stay so planted. I think the band’s somewhat calm demeanor might have reflected onto the crowd, toning things down a bit after Devo‘s enthusiastic performance.

Ben Folds finished up the night, and if you read the beginning of this article, you already know how I feel about that. Someone told me the next day that unless you are really into Ben Folds, it probably wasn’t that great of a show (that “someone” happens to be a huge fan and nearly smacked me when I told him I got bored and left). Listen, if you’re headlining that big of a show, and you’re doing it totally solo, you better have some damn good stage presence. All I saw was a goofy kid with way too mellow of songs to fit in with the rest of the evening. Maybe things would’ve been different if he at least had brought a chick to sing Regina Spektor‘s part in “You Don’t Know Me.” But he didn’t. So I drank some beer, swapped high-fives with my friends and went home.

It was the final day and it was already sweltering hot before noon. This didn’t stop Bonnaroo goers from making the best of their final day though.

I began with Japandroids, a garage rock duo playing over at This Tent. For only two guys, they had a very large sound and I really liked how they switched lead vocals between the guitarist and the drummer. This was a good way to start.

Japandroids

Next, I went to a band that completely contrasts Japandroids: Calexico. These sleek rockers were joined by some friends from Spain on some brass instruments. The resulting sound was like a more mainstream mariachi band. It was the perfect soundtrack to the summer sun beating down on the crowd.

Calexico by Joshua Hammond

What’s Bonnaroo without checking out a few good jam bands? We headed over to the What Stage to watch of Australia’s John Butler Trio deliver some of their folky jams before the lady we were really dying to see this day: Regina Spektor.

John Butler Trio by Joshua Hammond

The adorable pianist is bubbly and charming as her gentle voice skips into the upper octaves, but then Regina takes you by surprise: “Fuck. That’s not how this song goes. I don’t know how you all do it: a whole day in the sun. My mind is just a fuck puddle.” Only Regina can make cursing sound so polite. Then again, perhaps that cursing isn’t such a shock if you think about the content of somehow her songs, “Someone is fucking to one of my songs,” just one of a few examples I can think of.

Regina Spektor by Joshua Hammond

Regina Spektor by Joshua Hammond

Punk rock was a popular theme of the day: Against Me, Dropkick Murphys and Rise Against were all performing Sunday. Punk music is really dependent on the energy level of the show, and with the high temperatures, I was worried these bands might take a hit. That worry was unnecessary because these bands tore it up. Against Me, with new member Franz Nicolay, even wore their leather jackets as they sang out their vein-popping energetic set. Dropkick Murphys was like a big party with the multi-instrument band filling up the stage with accordions and guitars and strings. Raucous and fun.

Against Me! by Joshua Hammond

Dropkick Murphys by Joshua Hammond

Dropkick Murphys by Joshua Hammond

In between the two punk bands, Josh caught the classic rocker John Fogerty before joining me for the self-described geek rockers: They Might Be Giants. They’re goofy, but brilliantly so. They’ve been around for quite some time and just released some new great material, perfect for any aspiring scientist. I was kind of surprised by how many of their songs I knew, but didn’t realize was them. Yet another fun set.

John Fogerty by Joshua Hammond

They Might Be Giants by Joshua Hammond

After that it was time to watch a few Grammy-winners. Country artists Zac Brown Band was first up over at the What Stage. I’m not a fan of country music, but these guys are pretty easy to get into to with their speed-demon riffs. My personal favorite moment of the set was their cover of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” It was a nice moment for their violinist to show off his chops.

Zac Brown Band by Joshua Hammond

Phoenix, as far as the indie Bonnaroo fans were concerned, was Sunday’s headliner and as the Parisians tore through an intense rock set not just of the new Wolfgang songs, but songs from their entire repetoire, they kind of did steal the show. There were times when singer Thomas Mars‘ voice sounded a bit hoarse and worn from their constant touring, but even with that, the crazy guitar riffs and big drums made up for it.

Phoenix by Joshua Hammond

Phoenix by Joshua Hammond

Phoenix by Joshua Hammond

Dave Matthews Band was Sunday’s official headliner. I think I owe these guys an apology. I had kind of written them off as a frat band with boring tunes, but in actuality, they are fun and the band has plenty of personality. They do deserve success for their long jams. It was a bit bittersweet to watch them play though. It was surprisngly great to enjoy them, but sad to see their set signal the end of the fest.

Dave Matthews Band by Bethany Smith

Dave Matthews Band by Bethany Smith

Dave Matthews Band by Bethany Smith

Dave Matthews Band by Bethany Smith

Dave Matthews Band by Bethany Smith

Dave Matthews Band by Joshua Hammond

Another Bonnaroo over. Despite the lack of surprise collaborations and guest stars, this was a stellar year with solid performances. Though my aching feet are thankful it’s over, the rest of me can’t wait to see what the next year will bring.

by Joshua Hammond

View recaps and photos from Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

On occasion things in the music industry just gel.  Sometimes those doors that often remain locked open rather quickly and everything the industry has to offer simply flops into a band’s lap.  Dreams do come true.  Sometimes, those dreams are too good to be true.  This is the case with The Photo Atlas.

Aimed at gold after landing a deal with Island Records, their debut full length No, Not Me, Never failed to be promoted as promised when subsidiary record label Stolen Transmission folded, leaving the band without a home and starring back a square one.  Frustrated by the situation, The Photo Atlas decided to forgo shopping for a new label to distribute their album, opting instead to write, record and release new material.  The result of that decision was their self-released EP titled To Silently Provoke the Ghost.

Produced by the American hardcore punk staple J. Robbins, To Silently Provoke the the Ghost balances its punk rock vibes with its indie dance hall tendencies. Alan Andrews‘ crafty guitar abilities and infectious vocals help the instant hits of this album, like “Class of 2012″ sneak its way into the same collections as owners of The Faint, The Matches or Against Me. Equally as impressive is the manner in which drummer Nick Miles‘ hands can go lick for lick with the best of the business. His driving beats are irresistible.

The constant driving of the guitar and the never ending beat of the drums only add to the explosive vocals in a song such as “It’s Always About the Money”. The harmonies that they add to the vocals throughout this song and in the chorus gives the song a little more of a punch. In the song “Paper Trail”, The Photo Atlas bust out the strings for the intro to capture the listeners and reel them into the song. Once they have you right where they want you, they bring back the stings to finish you off. This song has more of a electric-rock ballad going on with it that I can really dig. I get that same vibe in the song “You Haven’t Read Enough”, which is my favorite song on the whole EP. The lyrics of the song are quite inspiring. The song is about overcoming doubts about everything and being unable to quit after “looking backwards.”

It is nearly impossible to listen to this album without nodding your head or tapping your foot. However, chances are you’ll end up shaking your ass instead. Over all, I would recommend this band to all those who are into electronic-rock bands. You should check out The Photo Atlas, “Come on, come on. before it drops!” on April 21, 2009.

Tracklisting:
01. Class of 2012
02. It’s Always About the Money
03. Jealous Teeth
04. Paper Trail
05. You Haven’t Read Enough

The Photo Atlas: website | myspace

in collaboration with Joshua Hammond