popwreckoning

Block Party is beautiful. Every little thing about it is absolutely fantastic. From security yelling at people to get off the sidewalks, and into the streets, to the endless cacophony of music coming from every direction, it’s all wonderful.

The day started off with a short set by Fucked Up, broadcast by KEXP. There is a lot to be said about Fucked Up, but we’ll get there in a moment. For now, here’s a photo of me with Damian, the singer of the band. Yes, I asked him to take his shirt off for the photo.

Next up, was another KEXP set, this time by beloved Seattle band The Head and the Heart. I hadn’t listened to them up to this point, but I wasn’t going to miss them this time.

It has to be said that the band has an absolutely fanatic following.  The Bean Room reached capacity about fifteen minutes before the set, and there were people milling around in anticipation two hours before they were scheduled to play.  Are they worth the hype?

That depends on taste, but I definitely saw something intriguing in their short set. The band plays enjoyable acoustic music, and I saw enough to understand what the fuss is about. I’ll be watching The Head and the Heart more closely in the future.

Next, it was over to Neumo’s to stand in line for the bathrooms, and to see New York’s Cults. Cults sort of sound like twee pop filtered through Joy Division. The strobe lights hit, the band took the stage, and the sound of dark dance music filtered through the room.

Lead singer Madeline Follin came off something like a Gwen Stefani for the goth set, but the band had a sense of joy around it.  A beach ball hit the stage at least a dozen times during the set, and the crowd seemed extremely happy to be there. The music had plenty of fantastic distortion, and people danced like they were on fire. It was a great show, and up next was the highlight of the evening.

Fucked Up tore the roof off Neumos, in a way that’s rarely seen. The band was noisy, but played extremely well together, even though from the balcony the songs were often indistinguishable from one another. That didn’t matter. Two dozen stage divers cannot be argued with.

Singer Damian Abraham led the crowd in a sweaty, raucous, mess that was absolutely astonishing to witness. At one point he lead the crowd into chanting “I hate summer” during one song, and into “we’re dying on the inside” during the next. It was beautiful. He took off his shirt, and began twirling his microphone during the first song, and the energy did waver for a solid forty-five minutes.

This was punk rock at it’s purest.  Not only did Abraham stage dive but so did one of the guitar players, and the (female) bass player. The latter two did so while they continued playing. The crowd was putty in Abraham’s hands, even when he dove into the crowd during the second to last song, and went to the bar to get a drink.  This kind of ballsy awesomeness is so rarely seen at shows. It was breathtaking to behold, and I cannot wait to see this band again.

After Fucked Up, complete exhaustion set in, but I stayed around for Yuck. The band set up, and by their second song the crowd was enthralled. They played a set of slacker rock that made one nostalgic for the mid-90’s, when bands like Pavement were in their prime.

The set ended, and I struggled my way through the crowd, into the street, and through an exhilarated, completely transformed Capitol Hill. It’s 1 a.m., and I can still hear the drunks partying in the streets from my living room window.

Yuck ( http://yuck.bandcamp.com/)is an indie rock group hailing from London, England. They are currently enjoying buzz band status centering on their self-titled debut record which was released on Fat Possum last February. The album is full of fantastically catchy songs, including the noisy “The wall”

The band plays a brand of fuzz rock that rides a wave of ‘90’s alternative rock nostalgia. They’ve garnered comparisons to legendary acts such as a Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic youth. The comparisons are certainly justified, but Yuck updates the sound of ‘90’s Indie Rock with a sound uniquely their own.

Recent live shows have been well reviewed, and Friday’s set should be outstanding.  Their show is eagerly anticipated, and the crowd should be rapturous. Yuck are not one to miss.

Yuck will be playing on Friday at 10:15 p.m. at Neumos.

Seattle’s premiere mid-summer music festival the Capitol Hill Block Party is happening in less than a week, this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to be precise. If you live anywhere near Seattle and haven’t heard about it by now, you must have been living under a rock.

Last year’s festival had the likes of the Dead Weather and MGMT headlining the urban festival, set in the middle of Seattle’s South Capitol Hill neighborhood.

This year’s lineup includes: TV on the Radio, Explosions in the Sky, the Head and the Heart, and well you can see the whole lineup above – over 70 bands including some of Seattle’s finest local talents.

For the full festival schedule, go to http://capitolhillblockparty.com/schedule/

To purchase tickets, individual day tickets for $27.50 or 3-day passes for $82.50 are available here: http://capitolhillblockparty.strangertickets.com/Home

Kanrocksas Music Festival is reaching out to local musicians and giving them the chance of a lifetime with Wild Bill’s Local Music Showcase, a music competition giving local bands and deejays the chance to compete for the opportunity to perform at the Kanrocksas Music Festival. Local bands and deejays will perform at Wild Bill’s Steakhouse and Saloon located in Legends Outlets Kansas City every Friday and Saturday in July for the opportunity to share the stage with national acts at Kanrocksas and to take home VIP passes with an additional cash prize.

Winners will be declared by a panel of judges as well as audience voting participation. Two final winners will be announced before the Kanrocksas Music Festival, including one winning band and one winning deejay that who perform on one of the three main stages at the music festival. Finalists who place in the top five during the weekly showcases will win festival passes and will be offered the chance to play on the “Camping Stage” presented by The Pitch, 103.7 The Dam, and 95.7 The Vibe.

No cover will be charged during each weekly showcase. The crowd will also have several opportunities to win official Kanrocksas Music Festival giveaways, including passes to the festival. After 10:00 p.m., each showcase is restricted to an audience of 21 and older.

Local Band Showcase:

July 1, 2011
• The Grisly Hand at 10:30 p.m.
• The Dead Girls at 11:30 p.m.
• Abandon Kansas at 12:30 a.m.

July 8, 2011
• The Beautiful Bodies at 10:30 p.m.
• Scott Allan Knost at 11:30 p.m.
• Soft Reeds at 12:30 a.m.

For more information, and to purchase tickets to Kanrocksas, visit www.kanrocksas.com

July 15, 2011
• Cowboy Indian Bear at 10:30 p.m.
• Signum A.D at 11:30 p.m.
• Queens Club at 12:30 a.m.

July 22, 2011
• The Atlantic at 9:30 p.m.
• Head Change at 10:30 p.m.
• Drakkar Sauna at 11:30 p.m.
• Maps for Travelers at 12:30 p.m.

July 29, 2011
• The Hearts of Darkness at 10:30 p.m.
• Evalyn Awake at 11:30 p.m.
• Approach at 12:30 a.m.

You know those family reunions you hate going to? With the weird cousin that doesn’t talk and the uncle that gets way too drunk and that lady who you’re not even sure how you’re related – just that she married someone in your family at some point in time? The Sasquatch Music Festival is like a family reunion, only in this year’s case, there were 100,000 people that filled the Gorge for the tenth annual festival.

It was for good reason, too. The Foo Fighters headlined the newly-added Friday lineup this last weekend. Sadly enough, being a student, I couldn’t leave the west side of the mountains until about 4:30, putting myself in the worst traffic imaginable. However, the only band I really wanted to see that night was the Foo Fighters anyway, and I got my wish.

But, as I was making my way into the festival, I overheard Death from Above 1979 playing the main stage – quite loudly – and they rocked. I just had to put that out there, because Sasquatch marked the triumphant return from Death from Above.

Friday had by far the most diverse crowd of all the four days. Not only were there kids younger than me, there were people older than my parents on the floor of the main stage. When Dave Grohl introduced a song off their first album “Big Me,” he asked the audience if anyone had seen them tour for the self-titled debut in 1995. One guy up front raised his hand and shouted, and Grohl responded – “I’m with you dude. We’re some old motherfuckers.”

My mother was so jealous of me being there that she made me call her during “My Hero.”

Yeah, so the Foo Fighters are a band for many generations, and even though they have been rocking the stage for over 15 years, I can clearly say that they’re one of the best live bands in the world. They were definitely the best at this year’s festival.

“We decided to have an all-flannel line up front here,” Grohl began as he introduced his band members, mostly clad in plaid flannel shirts. It is the Pacific Northwest, after all. “But one person didn’t wear any flannel, and it’s that fucker back there,” Grohl glared at drummer Taylor Hawkins as his familiar grin lit up the jumbo screen.

The Foo Fighters started at 9:30 on the dot, and ended at almost 11:30 exactly. And not one ounce of energy was lost in those two hours on that glorious Friday night. So many of my favorite songs were brought to life with extra oomph and drawn-out verses that I almost didn’t want to listen to them on the record again. “Times Like These” was beautiful. “The Pretender” was epic. “Breakout” was hilarious, because I’m pretty sure that I was the only person around me singing along to it. It made me feel cool, that I knew the words to every song they played that night. Even though they aren’t my absolute favorite band, I haven’t liked a band longer than I have liked the Foo Fighters. I received One by One as a birthday present when I was in the fourth grade. I’m 22 now. Do the math.

As the Foos played through old classics like “Learn to Fly,” “Monkey Wrench,” big hits like “Best of You” and plenty of new songs off Wasting Light, the Sasquatch adrenaline kicked in and I was ready for the rest of the weekend. But it all came to a fantastic high point when Grohl started strumming the chords to “Everlong.” Several people had been shouting it from behind me that night, and I’d been waiting for it as well.

You see, about a year ago I made a list of bands that I wanted to shoot, a “photo bucket” list of sorts. In this short year, three of those bands have been checked off that list, and the Foo Fighters was definitely near the top of it. And as I stood in the cold wind with sporadic clouds of pot smoke floating above my head and Grohl’s ferocious growl coming through the loud speakers, I felt my eyes well up a bit. Not kidding.

The Foo Fighters skipped the encore all together, as to “maximize set time,” as Grohl said, and stilled filled up two full hours. It was completely surreal, and everyone around me shared the same sentiment. Making our way to the exit, I overheard a couple behind me reflecting on the show.

“That was the best show I’ve ever seen, and I haven’t been to a show since Tool two years ago. That was awesome.”

“But where would Gwar be in that?”

“They’re on a completely different level of awesome.”

“Yeah, you’ve either got blood spit on you, or Dave Grohl. I think this wins.”

I think so too.

Keep on the lookout for recaps from Saturday, Sunday, and Monday coming soon!



Asheville, North Carolina festival Moogfest, scheduled for October 28-30, announced its initial lineup via AC Entertainment. Moogfest’s Halloween harvest of musical delights builds on the success of last year’s reinvention of the Moogfest concept in the city that Bob Moog, founder of the Moog synthesizer, called home.

The initial lineup includes The Flaming Lips, Passion Pit, STS9, Ghostland Observatory, Crystal Castles, Chromeo, Battles, Umphrey’s McGee, Mayer Hawthorne & The County, M83, Holy F**k, Matthew Dear, Twin Shadow, Toro y Moi, The Naked And Famous, Tim Hecker, Anika, Austra, Causing A Tiger, and Gold Panda, with many others still to be announced. ‘70s innovators, including Tangerine Dream, Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Suicide, will present rare US performances as they are also included in the festival lineup.

The final Moogfest 2011 lineup will feature performances by over 60 artists in numerous venues throughout downtown, including the Asheville Civic Center Arena, the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, and Orange Peel Social & Pleasure Club. The festival will also host workshops, talks, interactive experiences and art exhibitions and installations.

Weekend passes for Moogfest 2011 will go on sale on Saturday, June 4, at 12 Noon Eastern exclusively at www.moogfest.com.

New Kansas City camping music festival Kanrocksas has revealed the details of its lineup and location.

The festival will feature headliners Muse and Eminem at the Kansas Speedway. Eminem will headline Friday and Muse will be performing Saturday.

Also performing will be Tinie Tempah, Fitz & The Tantrums, Arctic Monkeys, Jack’s Mannequin, Flogging Molly, Primus, Girl Talk, D12, Kid Cudi, The Flaming Lips, A Perfect Circle and The Black Keys.

The event is August 5-6, 2011. The organizers say even more bands will be added to the festival.

You can find more information by visiting kanrocksas.com or following the festival on Twitter and Facebook.

Midwestern music lovers will have a decision to make August 5: Kansas or Illinois?

Most people know that Lollapalooza is happening August 5-7 in Chicago, Ill., but this year it will have a little competition. Those looking to travel a little less, deal with less extreme-sized crowds and perhaps save a bit on ticket costs might want to look to Kansas…

A new music festival has announced it is coming to Kansas City on August 5-6. The festival is KANROCKSAS and it promises to bring over 20 national acts to the Midwest.

The lineup and other details about the festival are expected to be announced April 25 and judging on its proximity to Lollapalooza, don’t be surprised if there is quite some overlap on the artists – this is good news for Kansas Citians. Hopefully, we’ll see some locals join those national acts in that announcement.

So far, Kanrocksas only has a sparse Facebook page and website here, but keep an eye out for more updates. Organizers and venue are also currently unknown.

We’ll update PopWreckoning as well, once more details are revealed.

Snow Ball Music Festival kicks off festival season this weekend with three days against the gorgeous backdrop of Vail Valley, CO. A precursor to Coachella, Sasquatch, Ultra, and other upcoming music festivals, Snow Ball will feature a mix of well-known headliners as well as up-and-coming acts, including several Colorado-based bands.

Many of the local bands billed for Snow Ball, including Candy Claws, The Chain Gang of 1974 and Gauntlet Hair, have received notable national attention over the past year. Festival planner Latane Hughes says local acts will play a large role in Snow Ball’s inaugural year.

. “Snowdrift Wish” – Candy Claws

“The local talent is the soul of this festival,” he said. “We are depending on them to help us inspire and inform music lovers all over Colorado of this first year festival, and [we’re] also excited to have them bring their locally renowned live performances to a national crowd.”

Festival creator Chad Donnelly said his vision was to create a unique festival experience where attendees could experience both the music and the location.

“From the beginning, the idea was to really bridge the mountains and the music,” Donnelly said. “We are an entirely different type of festival across the board. The winter environment provides a backdrop unlike any other festival in the US. From skiing and snowboarding during the day, to the late night parties in the evening, I truly believe this experience will prove to be totally unique from start to finish.”

While festival goers are encouraged to plan for the chilly, unpredictable weather, Snow Ball will feature two covered and heated outdoor stages and one main stage, the “Dance Dome.”

“We have some really cool activation planned for the space, things that wouldn’t normally work during the summer months because of the temperatures.”

To see the full Snow Ball Music Fest lineup and to purchase tickets, visit here.

Written by Brianna Hernandez

As most music festivals enter winter hibernation, Bonnaroo wants you to already start thinking about the summer. So brush off the tent, start mapping your travel plans and save the date because Bonnaroo is returning in 2011 June 9-12 and this year promises to be a doozie.

It’s the 10th anniversary of the fest and though the lineup won’t be announced for some time, organizers promise it will be big with lots of other surprises along the way.

A special presale begins Black Friday, Nov. 26 at 12 p.m. EST. They can be purchased from Bonnaroo.com for just $209.50.