popwreckoning

What is there to say about Day 2 of ACL? After such a beautiful Day 1, the rain came and stuck around for the most part of Day 2. When I realized this rain was not going to pass anytime soon, I invested in a poncho. The beautiful Zilker Park was left a muddy mess in mere hours, but festival goers embraced the rain and mud, most opting for bare foot and whatever plastic they could find to shield themselves from the elements.

Starting off my day was Deer Tick who I had heard such good things from coworkers, but I was left underwhelmed, perhaps due to the dreary weather. I made my way to the Livestrong stage to see Alberta Cross (who later received a shout out from Mr. Dave Matthews during his headlining set). The rained eased up as they made their way through their bluesy set, but I had other places to be so I made my way to the Felice Brothers to get a good spot for Grizzly Bear as well and that’s unfortunately when the skies opened and the downpour began. Grizzly Bear pushed themselves rather far back in the stage and didn’t move or interact all that much. So while I appreciate the songs, I left feeling a little mixed on their set.

With a quick jaunt to the media to load up on free snacks on my mind, I made my way back in the rain. Once I was full of Coca Cola and all natural snacks, I braved the elements to see my personal highlight of the day and that was Bon Iver. I had not heard much about his shows, but I was floored at his soulful vocals and haunting harmonies with his backing band, making the rain feel insignificant. After Vernon’s wonderful set on steel guitar, I made my way through the mud to Mos Def. While I was initially disappointed by his tardiness and hiding behind a drum kit for the first two songs, the showman Mos Def I have come to love and respect graced the front of the stage mic in hand working the rain shocked crowd into a frenzy.

After enjoying the wonderful catered BBQ in the media area, I made my way to Dave Matthews Band. Now while I’m not what I’d consider a fan, I do have an appreciation for the sheer musicianship Matthews and gang demonstrate on a nightly basis; I also have to appreciate a cover of Talking Heads “Burning Down The House” While nothing can live up to David Bryne’s vocals on the track, DMB’s version was rather lively and Dave’s dance moves worked the mud-covered fans into hysteria. After their set, I decided to call it a night and waited for my free shuttle back to my hotel to rest up, clean off my shoes (remember, ALWAYS pack more than one pair of shoes) and rest up for Day 3.

Austin City Limits: website | day 1

Reviewing this album is bittersweet for me. For one thing, I hate all the hullabaloo that Twilight has brought along with it. It’s taken over so much of the media lately, and I’ve been sick of it since it started. When I saw the list of artists that were contributing to the Twilight Saga: New Moon soundtrack, my heart sank. Not because they were bad, but because they were oh so good, and the fact that they’d jumped on the Twilight bandwagon irked me so much. Secretly, I was hoping that the soundtrack was really really bad.

But I was proven wrong, because it’s so good.

Like, really good.

As of right now, I’m separating the soundtrack from the film, because the soundtrack will surpass the quality of the film no doubt. And I’ll take you through Alexandra Patsavas’ musical masterpiece piece by piece, as it’s the only way I can do it justice.

1. Death Cab for Cutie – “Meet Me On The Equinox”

As far as a Death Cab song, when I first heard this I was a little underwhelmed. But I think they’ve mixed it differently for the final soundtrack, so it’s grown on me a bit. Sure, the hook is a little generic for a Death Cab for Cutie song, but as far as a catchy single to start off the soundtrack, it works really well.

2. Band of Skulls – “Friends”

Track two had a completely different vibe as the songs surrounding it – as it’s more upbeat, and provides a lightness that the soundtrack otherwise doesn’t have. It’s the first of a few very raw sounding tracks on this album, which is something you didn’t get from the first film’s soundtrack. “Friends” isn’t a huge song, but it’s a nice departure from the other big songs on the record.

3. Thom Yorke – “Hearing Damage”

This was the one track I was dying to hear, as I’ve been a huge Radiohead fan for a long time, and it’s hard to criticize Thom Yorke for anything. And yet again, like the song says, Thom, “You can do no wrong… in my eyes.” A great throwback to Eraser from a few years ago, “Hearing Damage” is a dreamy electro track full of ominous synthesizers and tricky drums.

4. Lykke Li – “Possibility”

When I heard that Lykke Li would be contributing a song, I was expecting something similar to “I’m Good, I’m Gone,” for a less intense part of the movie, maybe when Bella isn’t seeing Edward in her head, but this slow ballad is so beautiful. It almost reminded me of “Lover’s Spit” by Broken Social Scene, with the heavy constant piano chord and lo-fi sound.

5. The Killers – “A White Demon Love Song”

This was the only song that didn’t seem to fit so perfectly with the rest of the soundtrack, but that could be the context The Killers bring with them, but I totally dig it as a Killers song. It goes back to Brandon Flowers’ natural crooning vocals without any of the frantic energy he seems to have adopted with Day and Age.

6. Anya Marina – “Satellite Heart”

To tell you the truth, the opening hook to this song sounds so much like another of Marina’s songs “Move You.” But then again, Alexandra Patsavas is also the music supervisor for “Grey’s Anatomy,” which is where I heard “Move You.” But as “Satellite Heart” moves through its verses and choruses, it gets bigger and draws you in more. The violin additions towards the end gave me goosebumps too.

7. Muse – “I Belong To You”

The original version could have easily gone in this version’s place. The remixing didn’t make it any better, nor did it necessarily make it any worse. This is by far the peppiest song on the record, which may mean something that it’s right in the middle. I don’t know, but this song didn’t wow me so much now, mostly because I’ve listened to it so many times since The Resistance came out last month.

8. Bon Iver & St. Vincent – “Rosyln”

Let me tell you, Justin Vernon’s vocals layered with Annie Clark’s and mixed with the understated acoustic guitar and banjo made for the best song on the record. By far. I could listen to it all day. It’s just…wow.

9. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – “Done All Wrong”

BRMC’s distinctly lo-fi sound here works exquisitely, with the hints of southern rock and blues adds a different kind of sadness to the record, which up until now has lacked the depth that blues can bring. And what’s so ironic is that BRMC was on the season one soundtrack to “True Blood,” another bit of vampire fare.

10. Hurricane Bells – “Monsters”

Similar to “Friends,” “Monsters” is very much an upbeat song, with a hint of hopefulness. As a heavy movie watcher, I think “Monsters” almost sounds like one of those songs that editors layer over a montage, but not a cheesy one. Not quite filler, but not quite a stand-out, “Monsters” is one of the middle-of-the-road songs on the soundtrack.

11. Sea Wolf – “The Violet Hour”

The second happy song in a row, “The Violet Hour” is so dancey you wonder what’s happening in the story where they play this song. It also emphasizes the vocal theme throughout the record – quieter, smaller vocals – which is different from the first soundtrack with Paramore’s Haley Williams’ loud rock-chick vibe and Chester Bennington’s raw shriek.

12. OK Go – “Shooting the Moon”

A typical OK Go song, with Damian Kulash’s soft, dreamy crooning, “Shooting the Moon” is another lighter song on the record. But what makes this song even better is the stark contrast that comes in the last minute of the song with heavy bass and strong distorted guitar riffs.

13. Grizzly Bear – “Slow Life”

Coming off an amazing record, Veckatimest, Grizzly Bear doesn’t lose any of their authentic sound here with the intentionally droning vocals from Beach House’s Victoria Legrand adding to the ominous, woodsy feel of Grizzly Bear’s music. As the song goes on, it builds to the climax which makes it fit perfectly on the soundtrack.

14. Editors – “No Sound But The Wind”

In tandem with their latest release, this marks the beginning of a new period for Editors, losing the heavy Interpol parallels and moving into a rawer, anthemic sound. “No Sound But The Wind” essentially finishes out the record in terms of rock songs, and it is the perfect ending in terms of emotion.

15. Alexander Desplat – “New Moon (The Meadow)”

It’s hard to talk about a classical song in the context of an otherwise indie rock soundtrack, but by itself, this song makes me actually kind of excited to hear the full score. It’s not too long, yet not too short, to give us just the right amount of classical to actually finish off the album.

This went on very long apparently, but hopefully it enlightened you to how awesome this soundtrack is. It moves fluidly through different emotions and different keys it sounds like one of those great mix CDs that you made for your significant other when you were going through a “rough patch.” Even if you hate everything Twilight, give the soundtrack a chance. You won’t be disappointed.

The soundtrack release date has been moved up and will be available Friday, Oct. 16.

New Moon: soundtrack site

Here’s the soundtrack to the New Moon movie. Whatever your feelings toward Twilight, you must admit this is a heck of a soundtrack.

Soundtrack hits stores Oct. 20.

Tracklisting:
01. Death Cab for Cutie – Meet Me on the Equinox
02. Band of Skulls – Friends
03. Thom Yorke – Hearing Damage
04. Lykke Li – Possibility
05. The Killers – A White Demon Love Song
06. Anya Marina – Satellite Heart
07. Muse – I Belong to You (New Moon)
08. Bon Iver & St. Vincent – Roslyn
09. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Done All Wrong
10. Hurricane Bells – Monsters
11. Sea Wolf – The Violet Hour
12. Ok Go – Shooting the Moon
13. Grizzly Bear – Slow Life
14. Editors – No Sound But the Wind
15. Alexandre Desplat – New Moon (The Meadow)

After already popping my Lollapalooza cherry in 2008 and coming back home actually looking like a cherry, I came prepared to Lollapalooza 2009 with lots of sunblock and summer dresses. However, Friday quickly showed that 2009 would not be like 2008 in that regard. As a cold rain trickled throughout the day, I spent the entire day shivering uncontrollably and cursing that I had left my sweatshirt 30 minutes away at the Catholic worker house that I was crashing at. In an attempt to warm up, I even tried to buy one of the absurdly expensive festival sweatshirts, but every booth was sold out, leading me to curse some more.

I was not alone in my cursing of the way events transpired that day. As Hockey kicked off the day over at the PlayStation Station, severe technical difficulties cut their set abruptly short. The large crowd which had gathered to hear the band that has exploded onto the scene since JC Penny started playing them in a commercial was disappointed, but Hockey tried to make up for the sound problems by jamming out with an impromptu drum solo and then throwing beer into the crowd (which I am sure made security happy as who knows how many minors caught those cans).

It was a tough call to choose between Manchester Orchestra and Hey Champ. Manchester Orchestra is a band I’ve seen several times before and they have always impressed, but Hey Champ has been getting a lot of buzz lately, so I wanted to see them too. I watched a few Manchester Orchestra songs first. I was impressed with how extra intense the yowls of Andy Hull were and how extra beardy he looked. Despite Hull’s chops, Chris Freeman always steals the show with alternation from keyboard playing to air guitar.

I dashed over to catch some Hey Champ and as I was walking up, they warned the front row to “cover your faces because this next song will make them melt.” Now, while there wasn’t a re-enactment of Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Arc, the fun electropop rock of Hey Champ might have at least rocked socks if they didn’t melt faces. I’m not sure I saw enough to decide if they were worth all the hype, but they are worth looking into further.

The Knux were next on my schedule. Despite not being a part of the usual genre that I like, it was fun to watch as the hip hop/rap crew invited fans on stage then proceeded to teach us how to do a dance and “put it in the air.” Despite the unnecessary swearing and the confusion of what song was about to be played (they would start a song, say it didn’t feel right and play something else), it was a blast to be in the crowd.

I was again torn at 2:00 p.m. as to whom I should see. I started with a bit of Jersey rockers The Gaslight Anthem. I’m not sure if if was them, sound problems or the weather, but something was just off and I left early, unimpressed. I went to the opposite end of the venue to watch some White Lies, which started to lift my spirits in the cold rain, but still was not enough to wow me.

The “wow” band was soon to come. And I caught Kevin Devine tucked away on the BMI stage. The crowd wasn’t the largest of the day (Bon Iver was a few stages over and LeAnn Rimes was getting ready to play as a special guest over at Kidzapalooza), but the people there were excited to see him. I was especially excited to see him get his own set at Lollapalooza this year after he surprised us last year by joining Brand New on stage for their performance. Kevin sang his heart out, but the crowd got distracted when they noticed Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull sitting on stage mouthing along to the set. As the overzealous crowd yelled for a guest performance, Hull eventually left the stage to let Kevin enjoy his moment in the spotlight. Hopefully no hard feelings, the crowd did not mean to make diminish his performance with their request.

I took a break to do an interview and got back in time to catch some Ben Folds. His piano chords carried throughout the streets and as  I heard “You Don’t Know Me” start, I ran over in hopes of seeing a surprise guest of some sort do the Regina Spektor part. The song was great, but I was disappointed to see that no guest would be joining him and a recording track would take care of the part. Alas.

The perfect harmonies of the Fleet Foxes warmed me up a bit, and I especially enjoyed their good humor as they joked about their beards. I would have liked to have heard some more new songs, but like many Lollapalooza bands, they stuck to what people knew and shied away from anything that was still in the works.

Tummy grumbling from a long day, I skipped the Decemberists, whom I heard were a bit of a let down, and walked past the jams of Thievery Corporation to grab some food and wait for Of Montreal.

As I expected, Of Montreal owned the day with their clusterfuck of a stage show. Costumed characters, balloons, confetti, trippy videos, glitter and more, they not only were tight as musicians, but they were the best performers of the day, really interacting with the crowd. They even had the best surprises. Janelle Monae joined for a few numbers, some of the stage performers surfed the crowd in an inflatable boat and to end the set, the singer tossed his guitar up in the air twice. When it didn’t break he just handed the whole guitar to a kid in the front row. Imagine going to a festival and leaving with a souvenir that was an entire guitar. Mind-blowing.

It was actually really hard to be super impressed after that set. Kings of Leon were kind of boring for a follow-up to Of Montreal. Depeche Mode was cool, since they’re fairly legendary and influential to some of my personal favorite bands (Killers at Lollapalooza on Sunday!!!), yet again, they couldn’t beat out Of Montreal as my most memorable act of the day.

Lollapalooza doesn’t end at 10 p.m. People flooded off in all directions to hit up after parties, both official and unofficial. I hit up one that was supposed to feature Kid Cudi and the Knux and an open bar (holla!). After a bit of a Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist moment–where’s bunny–they told us we had the wrong entrance and the line of people mad dashed to the other side, we finally got into this party. The acts did show, but went relatively unannounced and only did like one number, but the open bar was still pretty ace. The only performer who was there the whole time was a very intoxicated Hollywood Holt, but he was just enjoying the party.

Lollapalooza: Friday in summary:
Best set of the day: Of Montreal
Best surprises of the day: Of Montreal giving away an entire guitar, Janelle Monae, LeAnn Rimes
Breakthrough of the day: Kevin Devine
Biggest let downs of the day: Kings of Leon, Decemberists
Crazy crowd moment: Saw a woman taking a dump in the middle of the crowd at Depeche Mode…ew!!!

Lollapalooza: website | schedule | set lists | saturday

Maybe it was the way Chicago can lure just about anyone back with its upbeat Midwestern charm, but it took Greg Laswell only four months to re-visit the darkened cave of Martyrs Restaurant and Pub. So this guy is critically described as the sweet genre’s “darling,” and with songs that have found solace in shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy” and the “Hills,” I expected an audience of well-dressed 18 to 34-year-olds with crushes. He gets such fanfare so easily because music is literally his industry. Producing, recording and performing aren’t anything that’s new to him, so I can only imagine how chuck-full his contact list is. Laswell knows the sincerity in networking.

I could only ask myself two things before getting my hand stamped and letting my eyes adjust to the near-blind visibility inside:

1. Will Greg’s tender guitar serenade re-associate my thoughts of him as just a romantic soundtrack staple?
2. Will there be any dudes inside the room, not holding onto their girlfriend’s bags?

The shows opener, a quirky girl named Elizabeth and her two partners dubbed “& The Catapult”, presented the crowd with a more interesting Sara Bareilles (someone the Laswell fans would be familiar with) and with an instrumental backdrop of fun, like a pinch of The Bird and The Bee. If The Bird and The Bee has the caffeine equivalence of a Grande, Elizabeth and the Catapult would equal a Venti.

It was on Elizabeth & TC’s stage that I was introduced to Laswell. He didn’t say much of anything before plopping down at the piano for a heart-melting duet, but from what I’ve read and heard, he doesn’t really seem to be the party starter.

Let’s say you, the reader, are familiar with any of Laswell’s records. In that case, this live performance only would have provided you with a better experience of a background band, the opportunity for singing along with/in front of a crowd (to separate the real fans from the I-only-know-the-single fans), and a close proximity. If you, the reader, are not familiar with handsome man’s handiwork, then envision a musical version of an old coffee mug filled with black joe, put in a vintage teaspoon dose of pure sugar and sip, and sit on a creaky rocking chair in the Adirondacks to watch summer slip by as you dream of The One that got away. Or a more prepared Bon Iver.

The band that backed Laswell when the meat of the show really took off, composed of a lead guy, a drummer boy, and a bassist. Out of four people on stage, three were wearing fedoras. Just go ahead and picture that, along with a scene from any enchanted indie flick where cute boy plays soulful confession to waitress girl right before they get it on. Ahhh the joy of social paramour drama.

By the end of the first song, “The One I Love,” it was clear that his deeper voice was winning me over. There were probably more guys in this room than girls and that he might be the only one to really pull off using “thee” in a verse.

Then I’ll send it out and let things be
if not for you
for me and the time I’ve spent
foolishly loving thee

Laswell is an amazing lyricist, which makes up for not being so lively on stage. There weren’t too many moments, I recall, of playful space-filling in-between songs: no jokes, no flirting with the girls who hid behind their fancy Canon and Olympus DSLRs, no explanations of titles or choruses.

Except for the fight. Other than explaining how second song “Sing, Theresa Says” was an adorable ode to his grandmother, Laswell did at one point acknowledge a fan. Said fan was yelling to the stage, urging for the singer to do a duet with said fan’s girlfriend. This led to a half-embarrassed Laswell to say no, no, he couldn’t allow that, and then fan and girl start fighting. Good-mannered Greg then used his charm to intervene and say, using much more tender verbiage than mine, to knock it off and grow the hell up and stop messing up his set.

The fedora-ed band plus the bassist got into the music personally, like when the more upbeat “That It Moves” showed up. There was a lot of looking at each other and bouncing to the sound of each beat they all made, and despite a smoother set, they band got sweaty.

Some songs were solo, a sprinkle of the songs were played in conjunction with a very normal looking “Greg’s friend from LA” (who must not have gotten the fedora memo), and the majority of the set never swayed to sleepy thanks to such an up-tempered band backing.

Laswell’s laid back-with-a-smile demeanor wasn’t a shocker, but his Lauper cover, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” all but had me laughing out loud. It’s literally a 5 mph version that you could put on to usher guests out of a closing club, and it’s good.

It was somewhere in the middle of the set that my neck snapped my head up in confused recognition. A soft, bouncing piano that carried two teasing notes down the scale. I knew that song…at least until the chorus, which is where he lost me. It was “Off I Go,” the season-ending “Grey’s” anthem. I’m not a “Grey’s” fan, but I could absolutely add Three Flights From Alto Nido to my LP collection, or any of his EPs—his sound would totally work for my Sunday night dinner parties.

Set List:
The One I Love
Sing, Theresa Says
That It Moves
What a Day
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Days Go On
Amazed
Off I Go
Comes and Goes
Do What I Can
Salvation Dear
High and Low
Embrace Me
I’m Not Out
How the Day Sounds

Greg Laswell: website | myspace

Day 3 of Bonnaroo promised to be huge. Unfortunately, after going to bed after 4 am and waking up to the ridiculously humid weather in Tennessee, the only thing I could foresee being huge was my headache. I honestly don’t know how some of those people can show up to this fest and hardly eat or sleep, while drinking and doing drugs and still function enough to make it from band to band. Is there some secret Bonnaroo trick that I was missing as a first timer?

After downing a few Advils and using a water bottle to semi clean up, we made our way back to the main grounds for Day 3. Though it was early in the morning, already ILO and the Coral Reefer AllStars were getting a lot of buzz. And rightly so, turns out this basically was a set of Jimmy Buffett and friends singing his songs. It was weird to see a usual headliner start things off.

So as Buffett was making his way down Margaritaville, Joshua and I made our own visit to Dearland and caught Elvis Perkins in Dearland. I had seen these guys before and they were just as bombastic, if not more. Constantly switching between instruments and tempos, the guys give folk tunes an edge. Just as before, the drummer really impressed when he came out from behind the set with his one man band get up. There was just one sad moment in this set when Perkins tried to get Becky Stark, who was at Bonnaroo on Saturday to perform with the Decemberists, to join him on stage for a song she had performed with them on the record. It must have been too early for Stark because the boys had to play on without her.

Like a ping pong ball, we bounced back to the Which Stage to catch a bit of Heartless Bastards. With a name like that, I was expecting something completely different and was pleasantly surprised by the front woman’s voice rock voice with a bit of a twang.

Bon Iver was next on the agenda and this group was apparently high on the list for many as Drew Barrymore and Justin Long were spotted in attendance. It was a good set to watch and for “Yo La Tengo” the boys in Elvis Perkins in Dearland even came back out to join in the number.

Saturday was a busy day, so Joshua and I had to split up for a bit to catch all the acts that we wanted to see. Having a love for redheads, he went over to That Tent to see indie darling Jenny Lewis who rocked her solo works and was even joined by Elvis Costello for a number.

Meanwhile, I stuck around This Tent for Of Montreal, which I think was the smart move. Their theatrical performance was one set that was not worth missing and whether you like their often high-pitched sound or not, I recommend seeing them at least once in your lifetime. In fact, this performance was so big, I gave it its own post.

We couldn’t miss the legendary Wilco, so Josh and I regrouped to walk over to the What Stage for some Jeff Tweedy action. As we were walking there, I had to stop to see the band that was rocking the Troo Music Lounge. Alas, BrakesBrakesBrakes, we will meet again. With the recent death of a Wilco player, and knowing that Tweedy has a tendency to be a bit more of a curmudgeon than most, I was surprised with how genuinely excited the band seemed to be at playing Bonnaroo. They delivered all the hits and left the crowd pleased, but as usual, there were so many cool things going on at Bonnaroo, it wasn’t long before we were off to see our next bands.

Partly because I knew my mom would kick me if she knew I skipped him, I went to That Tent to see some of Elvis Costello. I guess in this case, mother knew best, because Costello is a classic for a reason. He had me charmed the moment he waved his hat as he walked on stage.

From here I went over to the Decemberists, who were acting out their tale of the Hazards of Love. Not too different than when I saw them a few weeks ago, Shara Worden, really was the brightest of all the gems in that band. Although, I must admit, that Stark wasn’t as wispy and a lot more confident this time around. They ended with a cover of a Heart song.

Meanwhile, Josh was watching the rock storm that was Mars Volta. They were delivering old hits and new songs off their soon to be released album.

Nobody was up against the Boss, so Josh and I regrouped for Bruce Springsteen. Bruce was there to please and which was noticed by the crowd who was yelling “Bruuuce” not “Boooo”, which sound surprisingly similar when chanted by thousands. I preferred the people shouting “Bruceroo” instead. Not only did he bring out all the hits, but he even played requests from the crowd. That’s right, as a response to a crowd request, he even played “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” in the middle of June. If anybody can get away with that, it is the Boss.

Josh and I split again and he went to shoot NIN‘s final show on American soil. A weird mixture of sadness and great joy filled the crowd as they said goodbye to Trent Reznor amid a mix of smoke and stage fire.

I left early to see some of Yeasayer. I walked by a weird circus sort of performance on the Sonic Stage before witnessing the beauty that was Yeasayer’s set up.

Yeasayer played amidst a stage filled with glowing orbs of different sizes. Their indie yelps and synth heavy tunes resonated nicely off the orbs.

Ending out the night was MGMT. This finally explained Drew Barrymore’s strange face paint from earlier as I soon learned that it was actually quite common for MGMT fans to don facepaint for the group a la the “Time to Pretend” music video.

The band played songs from their album, about three new songs and were even joined by Chairlift‘s Caroline Polachek for a few numbers. That Tent was glow stick central as the crowd danced away to the band’s too cool for school rock tunes. If you couldn’t see, which was the main complaint from this packed tent, I wouldn’t worry. The guys weren’t that crazy on stage and mostly just delivered a tight sound.

Another late night, but overall a fun day. Just one more recap to go and loads more pictures. Look out for Day 4…

Bonnaroo: website | Day 1 | Day 2 | Of Montreal @ This Tent | Spotted: Drew Barrymore | Quick News 1 | Quick News 2

Lessons learned from Day 1‘s crash course in surviving Bonnaroo, but not so well-rested (it is hard sleeping in a muggy tent in the Tennessee weather), we awoke early to check out the first real day of Bonnaroo. Thursday was like practice Bonnaroo, which turned out to be much needed for Friday’s and the rest of the weekend’s adventures.

One nice thing about the artists at Bonnaroo is that they are very accessible. So instead of running off to see bands perform on stages first thing Friday morning, I took some time to sit in on a press conference that Big Hassle Media organized with Janeane Garofalo, Matthew Vasquez of the Delta Spirit, Grace Potter, Ani DiFranco, and Galactic Band. The artists spoke about their Bonnaroo experiences and struggles to get there. Things got a little heated between Garofalo and DiFranco. At the start of the conference, Garofalo and DiFranco joked how they looked alike with Garofalo reminding DiFranco to be at her set in the comedy tent at 2 pm. However, when things got a little political, the differences between the two came out:

“It’s so heartbreakingly disappointing how Obama has acquiesced in the name of bipartisanship,” Garofalo said. “I can’t find humor in that.”

DiFranco later said, “I don’t think one person can do everything. It takes all of us to make something radical happen.” She said Obama shows us how to be like “family and forgive.”

The two had their different opinions, but at the end of the conference, they hugged.

Leaving the press conference, a large crowd had gathered for Gomez‘s pop rock and audience members got extra excited when they realized that, “OMG! That song was on Grey’s Anatomy” as the band played “Moon and Sun.”

Over at This Tent, Kaki King impressed the crowd in her own way as her fingers flew across her guitar in blend of pressing and tapping on the strings.  Her backing band complimented her well with the typical drums and bass, but also some wind instruments on the occasional tune.

After Kaki King, Animal Collective got the crowd dancing at Which Stage. The audience danced as if they really were a collection of wild animals (the many masks probably helped, too). Arms flailing in dance, while singing along, some in masks, Animal Collective had some solid fan representation at the fest. The guys bounced around vocal and instrumental duties between each other and never had a dull moment in their set.

Playing against Animal Collective was the amazingly talented St. Vincent and she was probably one of the best secrets of the festival. There was a good crowd there, but if she hadn’t been up against Animal Collective, I think more would have discovered her greatness. She is like a feistier Feist. The indie darling’s powerful voice carried out far beyond the reaches of That Tent and instrumental solos from her violinist colored me impressed.

Another press conference was next on the agenda. This time, Julia Nunes, John Gourley from Portugal the Man, Kaki King, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, Lucinda Williams, Justin Townes Earle and Ben Knox Miller from Low Anthem were the ones to join the press. Justin Vernon turned out to be quite the comedian. After Kaki King said the most challenging part of an outdoor festival were the “strings and sweatiness on the guitar,” Vernon said, “Sweatiness is what I’m going for. I’m trying to look as wet as possible.”

Several members of this conference were new to the festival and talked of their nervousness and experience, the legendary Lucinda Williams spoke of playing this festival since its second run and even gave her advice about the music industry.

“Can you imagine Neil Young trying to get a record deal right now? Or even Bob Dylan?” Williams said. “You have to believe in yourself. I was doing this without a label for 15 years. It took an English punk label to sign me because I fell in the cracks between rock and country.”

As the conference let out, Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs was starting her signature vocals on the Which Stage in front of a backdrop of blue swirl and the eye from “Zero.” We could hear her vocals the entire walk to Brooklyn very own Grizzly Bear on This Tent. The boys were running a bit late, but their indie rock soon filled the tent and they were quite tight, but we had passes to the comedy tent and had to get over there in time for Triumph the Insult Dog and other comedians. After a jam from the house band and a video introduction, Triumph was soon slinging the insults at everyone from the audience to the artists.

“You hippies can make anything out of hemp,” Triumph said. “Except deodorant.” With a paw over his face he explained, “You see? It is because you smell. Haha.”

He attacked Trent Reznor for ending his career and Flava Flav for setting back the civil rights movement with his clock. Even bands not at the festival weren’t safe from his insults.

“Not everybody could be here. Fall Out Boy couldn’t be here today,” said Triumph. “Because they all got their periods at the exact same time.”

After breaking ourselves away from the funny (and she swears unracist) comedian, Amy Schumer, we dashed back to the Which Stage (there is a lot of running at Bonnaroo) and watched TV on the Radio blast through “Wolf Like Me” and other hits. As always, the element of brass gave these guys an extra special element that made them worth watching.

Taking a breather before rocking out (err….rapping out with Beastie Boys), I had my first taste of true fest food and ventured to try an “arepa.” For those who were in the dark like I was, an arepa is a fried patty of corn with melted mozzarella in between the patties. Ridiculously greasy and ridiculously delicious. Stomach full at last, I somehow managed to work my way up nice and close to see the Beastie Boys who brought out all the hits and some guests. In the first big Bonnaroo surprise Nas joined the guys for a few numbers.

The Beastie Boys were a blast to “Jump, jump, jump around” with, but I couldn’t miss the chance to catch a Talking Head perform. Across the park, David Byrne was rocking out with his own tunes after a busy day of curating some of the other tents.

Phish jammed out at the What Stage after the Beasties finished, but knowing they had a second performance, I snagged a spot up close for the much buzzed about French band Phoenix. “Lisztomania” started things off and I was surprised with how energetic and bold the band was after seeing them acting rather shy back in the press area. It wasn’t long before other hits off their American debut had the crowd dancing and the singer joined them out in the audience.

They were just the start of a crazy night at That Tent. Alice Glass from Crystal Castles had the crowd rapt with her blend of electronica goth. In a zombie like manner she wrapped a strobe around her neck and jumped on the crowd multiple times. Glow sticks began to appear during this set and That Tent was quickly transformed into a rave. They didn’t disappear until well after Girl Talk‘s performance. Instead of jumping on the crowd like their predecessors in That Tent, Girl Talk brought the crowd up on stage to join in the dance party. The DJs were joined by costumed characters and blow up seats. It was an oraganized chaos that was fun for everyone (except maybe security). Girl Talk’s set lasted well into the night, but even they couldn’t keep up with Paul Oakenfold‘s set, which didn’t stop until after 6 am in the morning. People staggered back to camps or just passed out in the main grounds before they were ready to embrace an even bigger Day 3 of Bonnaroo.

Stay tuned…

Bonnaroo: website | Day 1 | Quick News

Photos by: Joshua Hammond

Excuse my paparazzi moment, but these pictures were too cute to not share. It appears that Bon Iver was quite a popular set at Bonnaroo. In attendance (aside from the usual crowd) were several members of the Decemberists such as singer, Colin Meloy. Comedian, Kristen Schaal, of Flight of the Conchords fame was spotted as well. However the most buzzed about celebs in attendance were Drew Barrymore and Justin Long. Check out the pics of the two hanging out side stage:

In the early 1970’s, the term “singer/songwriter” became synonymous with artists like Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Jackson Browne and Carly Simon, among others, all of whom just happened to reside in Southern California’s Laurel Canyon. Along with soft-rockers like The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac, these artists wrote intensely personal and lyrically strong pop with shades of folk, rock, and sometimes jazz and country. Their records are meticulously produced: polished, smooth, earthy, and acoustic, and the musicianship was always top notch. Some of these records were phenomenal (Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, Joni Mitchell’s Blue); some were not, regardless of what Rolling Stones says (James Taylor’s Sweet Baby James, The Eagles’ Hotel California). Times were good. Cocaine, sex and cash flowed freely and the California sun was shining high in the sky. But then came punk rock and the 80s and everything changed.

The last two years, however, have seen an inordinate number of contemporary artists releasing albums hearkening back to the sound and style of those old Laurel Canyon songwriter albums. It’s hard to say when it started or with who, but artists and bands as diverse as Jason Collett, Conor Oberst (aka Bright Eyes), Gonzales (producer of Feist’s The Reminder), Ben Kweller, David Vandervelde, Wilco and She and Him have all recently come down with cases of what I have termed “Laurel Canyon Syndrome”: a desire to recreate in whole or in part the sound of the songwriter-focused soft-rock, folk, alt-country or acoustic music made popular in the early 1970s.

Why? Well, there are numerous possible explanations. Many of the aforementioned artists are now in their 30s (some even their 40s) and grew listening to Fleetwood Mac and James Taylor on the radio, or had parents who would endlessly play their Jackson Browne vinyls while their children unknowingly soaked it all in. For some, those records would come to define what music meant to them. “When you listen to most of the records that really had an impact on you, they always seem to be from a different era,” said Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy in an interview with Pitchfork in reference to Wilco’s last album Sky Blue Sky, and its notable 70s-influenced sound. “I still don’t think that this record sounds as good as that period of music. I still don’t have any clue why. All I’m saying is I feel like we’ve gotten close enough for it to be comfortable to listen to.”1

The Laurel Canyon Syndrome could also be related to the recent indie-folk boom (as seen by the success of Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes last year) in that in both cases modern audiences are turning towards more earthy, acoustic material. “I think it sort of speaks to a larger idea that people are being more and more drawn towards organic sounding music, especially in light of the so-called “digital age”, you know?” said Tony Dekker of Toronto-based folk band Great Lake Swimmers in an interview I did with him for the Dalhousie Gazette. “I think that having music that sounds really organic and that traces its roots back to – not necessarily a simpler time, but something that has been passed on for centuries before the dawn of the recording – I think it allows people to connect with it on a deeper level, I guess.”2

Another possible explanation is that in today’s world of indie rock, for better and/or worse, many bands and artists no longer write songs with the same discipline and emotional resonance with which the Laurel Canyon songwriters debateably represented in its peak form. Jason Collett, in an interview with Scene Point Blank said, “That’s the basic difference. [Broken] Social Scene [note: of which Collett is also a member] tries to take the form of a song and turn it inside out and upside down, I still am attracted to something that’s ultimately a traditional form.”3 In today’s world of indie rock, we don’t have songwriters on the level of Lennon, Townsend, or Dylan: writers who not only knew how to compose a timeless melody, but to accompany it with lyrics that had weight and meaning. Sure, songwriters like Sufjan Stevens and Okkervil River’s Will Sheff may compose lyrically inspired modern semi-masterpieces like Illinoise and The Stage Names, but has either of them – or anyone else of this generation for that matter – composed anything as genuinely moving and foundational as “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, “Imagine”, or “Tangled Up In Blue”?

It seems as though ever since Dylan defined the modern concept of the songwriter in the early 60s, those who want to be taken seriously as songwriters (not musicians, but specifically songwriters) have favored a more acoustic approach that allows people to focus more on the lyrics and less on the rhythm and drive of the music. As things have worked out, many of the serious songwriters of the 60s now sound amazingly dated with the exception of Dylan, Paul Simon and Leonard Cohen. Phil Ochs, Fred Neil, and even Tim Buckley simply sound too troubadour-y for modern tastes, but for some reason “Running On Empty” is still a kick-ass song. So is “Go Your Own Way” and “You’re So Vain” and everything on Court and Spark. Which is probably why we still hear artists trying to replicate the sound of those records. There have always been great songwriters, as there always will be, but it seems as though now, if you want to create an album that’s highly personal, lyrical and earthy sounding, the albums that set the precedent were the ones that came out of Laurel Canyon.

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Sources:
1 http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/6602-wilco/
2 http://www.dalgazette.ca/?cmd=displaystory&story_id=2927&format=html
3 http://www.scenepointblank.com/features/105

Photos:
Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward of She & Him (top right and left, respectively): Jessica McGinley
Ben Kweller (center): Bethany Smith
Conor Oberst (bottom left): Dese’Rae Stage

The line-up for the 2009 Lollapalooza is official: Depeche Mode, Tool, The Killers, a reunited Jane’s Addition, Beastie Boys, and Kings of Leon will headline, joined by Lou Reed, Ben Harper and Relentless7, Thievery Corporation, Snoop Dogg, and Rise Against.

Festival founder and Jane’s Addiction front man Perry Farrell is thrilled to return to the Lollapalooza stage alongside friends old and new. “The mighty Jane’s Addiction returns to Lolla after 18 years — meeting up with our pals the Beastie Boys and Depeche Mode, offering the best of the freshies The Killers and Kings of Leon, and paying honor to one of our greatest inspirations Lou Reed.”

In addition to the headliners, the 2009 bill is bursting with a wide-array of musical flavors like Chicago’s Andrew Bird, TV on the Radio, Vampire Weekend, The Decemberists, Neko Case, STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector Nine), Animal Collective, Band of Horses, Of Montreal, Arctic Monkeys, Coheed and Cambria, Ben Folds, Fleet Foxes, Silversun Pickups, Kaiser Chiefs, Bon Iver, Crystal Castles, Santigold, and many more.

Musical discovery is at the heart of the Lollapalooza experience, and this year’s line-up features some of the most exciting break-out bands of 2009. Acts like Lykke Li, Passion Pit, Asher Roth, Friendly Fires, Gang Gang Dance, Bat For Lashes, Gaslight Anthem, The Airborne Toxic Event, The Virgins, Ida Maria, Glasvegas, and White Lies are not to be missed.

Back by popular demand and even bigger in 2009 Perry’s will feature world-class DJs on the non-stop electronica stage. “The electronica area is being constructed louder and clearer than ever,” explains the stage’s namesake, “with a lineup that knows what to do with all that sub!”

A limited number of Advance Price three-day passes are now available for $190. When this allotment sells out, Regular Price three-day passes will be available for $205. Prices include all service fees. Three-day passes and VIP packages are available at www.lollapalooza.com.