popwreckoning

I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I had my doubts about Kanrocksas when I received the email regarding the press conference to announce the festival’s lineup. “A festival held at Kansas Speedway,” I thought to myself “will no doubt be a bunch a metal bands.”

Man was I was wrong. Offering a lineup featuring servings from some of the best bands in the world, Kanrocksas was the real deal and had landed right in my backyard. So, as I drove under the speedway into the VIP to catch the day’s first band, I felt as excited as I had for a festival in years. I parked, slid into the media center briefly, then bolted for my first band.

UME:

You know that groggy feeling that you sometimes will get when you wake up early for work on a day following a long night? You fumble to collect your clothes, somewhat unsuccessfully, gathering whatever laundry has pooled in piles on the floor of your bedroom. Skipping the shower, you rush to your neighborhood gas station to grab a red bull to supply whatever energy you can muster up to kick off the day.

In terms of the first annual Kanrocksas Music Festival, UME was that red bull. Taking stage early, these Austin, Texas firecrackers kicked open the door for what would be a great first day, with an energy and poise that left many bands standing in their shadow.

Rocking kind of a Jeckle and Hyde image, Lauren Larson sound checks and speaks in a shy and sheepish manner, before exploding into a large energetic ball of chaos. Sporting a great 1990′s sound, complete with swirling guitar and raspy snarling vocals, UME’s stage show is unquestionably worth mentioning. Their set left a thumbprint on me that would last the whole day, as they showed up several bands lower on the bill. I expect huge things from this band and will be disappointed if the world offers them anything less.

Fitz and the Tantrums:

There is no questioning the fact that the chemistry between Michael Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs is real. While watching this band, every line of every song seems to be a tip of the hat to the passion that these two share for both each other and for music.

With a jazzy retro sound and soul train moves, Fitz and the Tantrums plowed through a stellar set, which included covers “Steady as She Goes” by The Raconteurs (corrected at 11:46 p.m. 8/7/2011) and “Sweet Dreams” by Annie Lennox. As if that were not enough to please, their crowd interactive set lit the Kanrocksas crew up, causing a stir I hadn’t expected in the 192 degree weather. Dancing and grinding around the pit area of the speedway, one would have to assume those in attendance put their complaints of sunburns and dehydration on hold, trading them for a prom dance throwback.

A stellar set from a stellar band.    

D12:

Sadly, my streak of sets that captured my heart would stall right there. D12 seemed rack with technical difficulties and lackluster efforts in front of roughly 2,000 viewers, the group honestly serves as my biggest disappointment of Kanrocksas. Having seen D12 before (when I was like, 16) I remembered them as a high energy, wicked funny rap group, slightly out of place at Warped Tour. However, I also remember walking away both impressed and stunned enough to grab their albums off the shelves. Sadly, the D12 on stage at Kanrocksas was not the D12 I remembered loving. Flowing over beats that seemed misguided and somewhat sloppy, the set simply flopped.

However, that would not stop a large mass of fans to sit, hopeful to catch an early glimpse of Eminem. They would in the end walk away empty handed.

Jack’s Mannequin:

I was of the small percentage of journalists who skipped Arctic Monkeys set to catch former Something Corporate front man Andrew McMahon’s newish project Jack’s Mannequin. Having always been a fan of his emotional performances and energetic stage presence, I figured I would no doubt find a bit of recovery from D12′s lackluster set.

Without a doubt, I was. Busting out old favorites and premiering new singles Jack’s Mannequin left nothing to be desired. Shifting, twitching and switching between two mics, McMahon ran the gambit of emotional content, ranging from cancer, coming to age and coming to terms with breakups.

While I’m sure some people would question my choice to skip Arctic Monkeys for a band that causes 16 year old fangirls to crowd the stage with “I fucking love you Andrew” signs, I have no regrets with my decision based on one solid fact: Andrew McManon is truly the nicest man in music. That should always be supported.

Regardless, for those who desire them, here are Scott’s Arctic Monkey’s Photos:

Check out Kanrocksas: Day One, Part Two featuring  Kid Cudi, Ween, Bassnectar, Flaming Lips and Eminem soon!

To kick off their summer touring schedule, Los Angeles neo-soul group Fitz and the Tantrums are giving away a free MP3 download of “Don’t Gotta Work It Out (Live)” from the band’s official website.

Check out the dates below:

7/8, Minneapolis, MN @ Basilica Block Party
7/20, La Jolla, CA @ Birch Aquarium
7/22, Hollywood, CA @ The Music Box
7/27, Sydney, Australia @ The Basement
7/29, Melbourne, Australia @ Red Bennie’s
7/30, Woodford, Australia @ Splendor in the Grass
8/5, Kansas City, KS @ Kansas Speedway
8/6, Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
8/6, Chicago, IL @ Schubas
8/12, Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre
8/13, Burlington, VT @ Waterfront Park
8/14, East Hampton, NY @ MTK Festival
8/18, Kiewit, Belgium @ Pukkelpop Festival
8/20, Stafford, UK @ V Festival
8/21, Chelmsford, UK @ V Festival
8/27, Annapolis, MD @ Silopanna Music Festival
9/4, Aspen, CO @ Snowmass Resort
9/5, Seattle, WA @ Bumbershoot Festival
9/9, Los Angeles, CA @ The Greek Theatre
9/10, Columbia, MO @ Roots ‘N Blues ‘N BBQ Festival
9/16, Telluride, CO @ Telluride Blues & Brews
9/17, Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
10/28, New Orleans, LA @ Voodoo Festival

For more information visit www.fitzandthetantrums.com.

I arrived at the Gorge around noon on Sunday. In fact, I think it was exactly noon, because I’d missed the first half of Wavves set (because for some reason they put them on the main stage at 11:30 a.m.). So Portland natives Typhoon began my lineup for the day, and to an epic degree. Typhoon consisted of everything from electric guitar, a mini brass section, and a prominent cello, and I loved it. Their set was so good (and not just for noon) that I caught their acoustic EndSession* around two hours later.

*Local radio station 107.7 The End was hosting acoustic sets throughout the day in a small tent that people had to win a game to get access to. I don’t really know how, I just knew that I would be hitting up Fitz and the Tantrums’ set in there later as well.

Typhoon was one of the best of the day at the Bigfoot stage, but the Yeti stage delivered exceptionally well on Sunday. Just to name a few – Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, local “hipster-hop” (they made it up) group Mad Rad, and Das Racist all lit up that stage, one leaving a bit of carnage, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

A few other bands played great sets, and are definitely worth mentioning. Funk group Wheedle’s Groove was a little out of their element, but it was a breath of fresh fun air early in the afternoon. Seattle folk group the Moondoggies put on a lovely set, tailored perfectly to the overwhelmingly local crowd. One of the many Canadian acts that weekend, The Sam Roberts band, also on the Bigfoot stage, played a sleek set of easy and radio-friendly indie rock.

Speaking of Canadians – I don’t know why more Canadian musicians get wide recognition in the U.S. I like to consider myself a bit of a music geek, and I had never heard of Sam Roberts, and he and his band has won Juno Awards since 2004. It just makes me very glad that Sasquatch can offer than bridge over our northern border, metaphorically speaking. I can assure you that no other festival around has that many Canadian bands, and I welcome it. Have you ever met a rude Canadian? I haven’t.

Before the awesome evening of Yeti stage antics, I set myself up in the EndSession for Fitz and the Tantrums, because I’d only caught a glimpse of their main stage set. Honestly, I avoided the main stage most of the time. But Fitz and the Tantrums delivered spectacularly in that small setting. I’d heard good things from several friends, and I wasn’t disappointed. With such an odd mix of characters on stage, you wouldn’t think that the music would mix, but it’s like maple and bacon – it just tastes good. The funky stage presence of Michael Fitzpatrick and the soul that Noelle Scaggs brings makes Fitz and the Tantrums definitely not a band to miss. Thankfully, they’ll be back in the northwest in September for Bumbershoot.

I’m going to sound like a terrible person, but I’d never listened to Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears before Sasquatch, and now I want to see them again and again. While the set was obnoxiously late (which was still a theme on all the stages), it was worth the wait. It was a mix of soul and rock and pure energy that made filled that relatively small space in front of the Yeti stage. Personally I think they should have played in the Bigfoot stage with how big their performance was. At one point, someone from the crowd threw a roll of toilet paper in the air. Then another. And another. And soon it was an all-out TP frenzy. From what I heard, someone broke into the port-a-potty with all the extra toilet paper in it and went crazy. I’d hate to be anyone who had to clean all that up.

After Black Joe Lewis was Mad Rad, who is some hard to describe that I can just give you what they call themselves – “hipster-hop.” It’s hip-hop, with electro, and indie rock, and obscene lyrics, and maniacal stage performance, and I could keep going, but that might just confuse you. They are truly a band to be seen live, rather than heard on record, and I highly recommend staying out of the front of the crowd, unless you’re into being thrashed about. Mad Rad’s name is self-explanatory. They’re mad (as in crazy) but also rad.

Das Racist was on directly after Mad Rad, and the mood was still frantic and awesome at that point, and Das Racist fed off that energy from the crowd and it made for quite an interesting set. I’m not sure if the guys of Das Racist were at all drunk, but they were holding cans of beer and seemed really relaxed on stage. No matter, as they put on an entertaining show for another huge crowd.

I think they should have just switched all the Yeti/Bigfoot acts in the afternoon, because the crowd was much more receptive of the bands at Yeti, and Das Racist was no different. I don’t even like hip-hop, and they were one of my favorite sets of the whole festival.

As the sun started to set over the Gorge, the Flaming Lips took the main stage to their usual over-the-top theatrics, giant bubble and all. Sadly, I only stayed for about 15 minutes of their set because of scheduling, but from what I heard, the Flaming Lips only played about 8 or 9 songs in their hour set. I won’t pass judgment, since I wasn’t there, but that just seems weird.

The Bigfoot stage finally started to heat up after dark, with Yeasayer and Ratatat bringing out all the crazy hipsters. Neither band disappointed, except for the horrible scheduling. Both Yeasayer and Ratatat used wicked on-stage light shows to up the amp of their set, and both filled their hour with fantastic versions of some their greatest tracks. Ratatat even had an entire song with repeated creepy bird images on projectors behind then. I wasn’t even on drugs and it was trippy.

Sunday rocked. Hands down. Would I go as far as saying that it was the best day? Hmm. You haven’t even heard about Monday yet.

Foo Fighters on Friday at Sasquatch

Merry Christmas or Happy Festivus or Happy whatever spelling of Channakuh you choose. No matter what you celebrate this holiday season, we hope everyone can find a free free (and legal) music downloads an agreeable gift.

• Fitz and the Tantrums are giving away Songs for a Break Up Volume I until the end of the year. Go here to download.

• Relient K are giving away their holiday tune “I Celebrate the Day” on Amazon. The song is off their 2008 release, Let It Snow Baby…Let It Reindeer. The album is also onsale at Amazon for $5.

• Peter Bradley Adams is giving away a special EP with songs from each of his three albums here.
• The Cribs – the group so good they got Johnny Marr to defect away from Modest Mouse and join them are offering up single “Cheat on Me” via Twitter. Check out how to do the tweet here.
• Anni Rossi has an entire Christmas EP available here. You just need to sign up for the mailing list.
• Sam Phillips is offering “It Doesn’t Feel Like Christmas”for download here.
• Bear Ceuse is giving away “Mad As a Lion” at the top of his blog.
• On Amazon.com, there is a free download from Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas. Go here to get “Christmas with a Monkey.”
• Download Middle Distance Runner‘s new song, “Holiday (Be Good To Me).”  By right-clicking and saving here. The guys explain, “It’s a happy little ditty about all of the things we hope don’t go wrong this time of year.”