popwreckoning

It’s been said many times, but it bears repeating: John Vanderslice is probably the nicest guy in indie rock. I’ve had the opportunity to meet him a few times. At an Amoeba Records in-store in Hollywood, and at a couple Mountain Goats shows. It saddens me to say he hasn’t made a record that has truly blown me away since 2005’s Pixel Revolt.

I wanted to love 2007’s Emerald City. I really did. Earlier that year, in San Francisco, JV shushed me near the end of a Mountain Goats show (John Darnielle was doing his torch singer thing during “California Song,” which I had seen more than once) when I asked about the album. I was told it would be out near the end of summer, and was expecting great things when I eventually heard it. It wasn’t bad, just not very interesting. 2009’s Romanian Names was a marked improvement, but it still didn’t have the fire of earlier album such as Cellar Door or The Life and Death of an American Fourtracker.

So here we are, it’s 2011, I’ve lost most of my faith in JV, and we have White Wilderness. The press surrounding this album is quick to point out what isn’t actually immediately obvious. This album was recorded in three days, with The Magik*Magik Orchestra, a collective of classically trained musicians in the Bay Area led by artistic director Minna Choi. Vanderslice is known to spend long periods of time mixing, and tweaking his songs. The absence of that can be heard in one of the album’s best songs, “After It Ends”, but not many other songs. “After It Ends” is a pretty simple acoustic guitar number that contains some of the album’s best lyrics: “I’m so hungry/like I was just born/I’m still aching for life”. The song is haunting, and pretty great.

The other highlight of the album, for me, is “Convict Lake.” There is one moment that blew me away when I listened to it on headphones about 1:45 in. The song cuts away to just a string part, and an acoustic guitar playing in the right speaker. A few seconds later another acoustic lick plays twice in the left speaker, and the song kicks back in.

Ultimately, though, White Wilderness has the same problem Emerald City had: it’s just not very interesting. I appreciate the guy’s willingness to experiment, but can’t help wishing the results were more appealing. I hate to say it because Vanderslice has made some of my favorite records. He can do great stuff, but this is not. If you’re a fan, you already have this record. If you’re not I highly recommend you go pick up Cellar Door or Pixel Revolt instead.

Track listing:
1. Sea Salt
2. Convict Lake
3. White Wilderness
4. The Piano Lesson
5. After It Ends
6. Overcoat
7. Alemany Gap
8. English Vines
9. 20K

It’s not every day that you roll up into a show and fully expect to bump into members of Spoon waiting for Jack and cokes at the bar and Death Cab for Cutie‘s Chris Walla’s wet shoes while jockeying for a spot in the pisser. But then again, it ain’t every day that San Francisco’s all analog recording studio — the same blessed old space whose famous rich sound helped turn Ben Gibbard‘s act and many more into worldwide indie icons — turns a ripe old age of 10 (technically, 12 [1997 for the o.g. purists] but nobody’s ever heard of a 12th anniversary fundraiser celebration, so bear with us here). And we’ve never one witnessed a 30-piece orchestra accompanying the indie rock maven responsible for it all in singing “Happy Birthday”, so the birthday party for one of indie rock’s most celebrated studio spaces at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall is an event indeed.

Tucked in between metal-roofed industrial buildings on a scruffy San Francisco side street, stuffed floor to rafters with rare mics, giant boards and other rare and vintage 30-year old recording equipment, Tiny Telephone is where, under John Vanderslice’s watchful ear, Death Cab cranked out their top hits, and whose warm, distinct sound is celebrated by other legends of the college radio rotation like Deerhoof, Mountain Goats, Mike Watt (the Minuteman co-founder, duh), and Mates of State. Tonight — after a brief DJ set by a plaid-clad and awfully-bored looking Aesop Rock — it is Vanderslice’s stage, shared by the studio’s aforementioned house band, the 30-piece Magik*Magik Orchestra, replete with strings, woodwinds and a chorus section.

Vanderslice, who kicks off an East-Midwest tour with the Mountain Goats next month, has been busy in said studio, recording new tunes for his upcoming seventh album and doesn’t play hard to hear tonight. He busts out numbers from the as-yet unnamed LP on acoustic with a two-person backing band on keyboards and drums, and favorites like “Tablespoon of Codeine” from 2007’s Emerald City with the full weight of the orchestra behind him, loading lines like “So I said some things that can’t be said / About a ritual tower that uses of more American dead / And what happened in September was a fake / But they’re chasing demolition or remote control planes” with all the righteous ethereal energy a string section can muster. Whatever sonic magic that it is that blesses music made inside Tiny Telephone – and it does have ‘it’, whatever it is – somehow makes it across town to the Great American Music Hall, a great space in its own right.

The vibe tonight is special: the orchestra is in perfect harmony with the front man, from the cello to the alto tenor in the choir; and every man, woman, child and indie rock star in the audience is smitten from the first note. It’s hard to have a nice, intimate feel-good party with people you don’t know, but somehow it happens tonight. “It feels pretty good in here, doesn’t it?” Vanderslice asks at one point. Yup. Sounds about right, too.

Magik*Magik Orchesta: myspace
John Vanderslice: website | myspace

This Memorial Day Weekend (May 23-25, 2009) will again see Quincy, Washington’s beloved Sasquatch! Music Festival held at The Gorge. Tickets go on sale on Saturday, February 28th at 10AM (information below).

This year’s Sasquatch! line-up includes:
Jane’s Addiction (feat. all four original members), Kings of Leon, Nine Inch Nails, Ben Harper & Relentless7, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Erykah Badu, The Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, TV On The Radio, Animal Collective, Silversun Pickups, Bon Iver, Santogold, Of Montreal, Explosions In The Sky, DeVotchKa, Peter Bjorn & John, Gogol Bordello, M. Ward, The Avett Brothers, Doves, Calexico, Grizzly Bear, M83, Girl Talk, The Gaslight Anthem, The Walkmen, Chromeo (dj set), Deadmau5, Mugison, Sun Kil Moon, Airborne Toxic Event, Blitzen Trapper, Shearwater, BLK JKS, The Wrens, Tobacco, Monotonix, King Khan & The Shrines, St. Vincent, Passion Pit, John Vanderslice, Bishop Allen, Blind Pilot, AA Bondy, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Ra Ra Riot, The Dodos, Beach House, The Submarines, Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, The Dutchess & The Duke, Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele, Fences, School of Seven Bells, Death Vessel, Horse Feathers, Hockey, The Pica Beats, Loch Lomond & more to come!

The festival’s comedy line-up includes Zach Galifiankas, Demetri Martin, Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job, Todd Barry, Jon Benjamin, God’s Pottery, People’s Republic of Komedy & more.

The festival, now in its eighth and most ambitious year yet, has evolved from a unique, homegrown & low key fest into a full blown three day extravaganza. A festival-goer’s dream, it comes complete with camp-outs, canyons, sunsets, three stages and new this year, an expanded comedy and dance music tent. The tent will feature performances from comedians throughout the day, and then come dusk, will spotlight electronic and dance music artists.

For the third year in a row, the Sasquatch! Music Festival teams up with Esurance and Sustainable Energy Partners to bring you a carbon neutral music festival. By increasing sustainable practices at the Gorge, including an expanded recycling program, eco-friendly signage, and energy efficient lighting (to name a few), we are able reduce our overall carbon footprint at the venue. The rest of the calculated carbon emissions – fuel consumption by all those who travel to the event and energy used during the festival – are then offset through investments in carbon reduction programs, such as methane capture projects in the Pacific Northwest.

Beginning February 28th (on sale weekend only):
A discounted 3 DAY FESTIVAL PASS is available for a very limited time / $154.50
Offer ends Sunday, March 1st at midnight.
Single tickets, per day / $56.50

Beginning March 2nd:
3 day pass / $199.50
Single tickets, per day / $66.50

Beginning May 11th:
3 day pass / $229.50
Single tickets, per day / $76.50

V.I.P. package tickets with special amenities also available.

Tickets go on sale Saturday February 28th at 10AM and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, sasquatchfestival.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, or charge by phone in Seattle (206) 628-0888, in Oregon (503) 224-4400, and in Eastern Washington (509) 735-0500

Camping is available for May 22, 23, 24, 25 and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com. For more details, directions and further information on camping at The Gorge Amphitheatre go to sasquatchfestival.com.

Sasquatch! Music Festival: website

Monolith Music Festival at Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre was a breath-taking show in so many ways. If the outstanding indie line-up or the gorgeous natural landscape wasn’t enough to take away your breath, then the hike up the stairs in the high altitude would do it.

Although I felt like a terribly out-of-shape and asthmatic half the time, the physical weariness was well worth running around between the five stages Monolith had set up.

Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008. Part I.

1:00 P.M. to 1:30 P.M. Dressy Bessy – Esurance Main Stage

Local Denver band Dressy Bessy kicked things off on the Main Stage with a rocking set that immediately set the bar high for the rest of the bands that followed. Front woman Tammy Ealom perfectly commanded the stage and made coming early well worth their highly energetic set.

1:00 P.M. to 1:30 P.M. Lovelikefire – Woxy.com Stage

I ran inside to catch some of Lovelikefire. This San Franciscan group also featured a female front woman, and much like Ealom, Ann Yu quickly proved that the girls were not there to mess around. With vocals reminiscent of Grand Ole Party‘s Kristin Gundred, Yu also gave a fun, rocking set complimented nicely by Dave Farrell‘s rolling drums and Robert Kissinger‘s heavy bass.

1:30 P.M. to 2:00 P.M. Colour Revolt – Gigbot Stage

From Lovelikefire I dashed over to the other inside venue to catch some of Colour Revolt. Unfortunately, the acoustics in this room were a little dead and their vocalist lost his voice among the other instruments. It also caused some of the harmonies to be a little off. In another setting, this band would have been a lot better and the crowd still loved them, but this set seemed off.

1:45 P.M. to 2:15 P.M. The Veils – New Belgium Stage
After being slightly disappointed by Colour Revolt, I headed back outside for European rockers The Veils. Their first song left much to be desired, but the next few songs had me hooked as vocalist Finn Andrews stretched out his every last word, forcing the audience to hang onto his every syllable. Girl power again represented as Sophia Burn killed on the bass.

2:00 P.M. to 2:45 P.M. Foals – Esurance Main Stage

Next up, I caught some of buzz group Foals. They walked out looking all suave and like they were too cool to be at this show, but then once they started playing, they just let loose. Their focus was purely on their instrumentals. Voice added an extra flourish, but was not their immediate concern.

2:00 P.M. to 2:30 P.M. Port O’Brien – Woxy.com Stage

I had never heard of Port O’Brien, but I am so glad I stumbled across their set. This was probably one of the best bands out of the entire show and very few people knew to check them out. The alt country group featured free flowing guitar and banjo riffs and some of the best harmonies I heard during the entirety of the festival. Near the end of their set, the group passed out pots and pans and invited the crowd onto the stage with them. They are definitely worth checking out if they come anywhere near you.

2:30 P.M. to 3:10 P.M. The Morning Benders – Gigbot Stage

The guys in Morning Benders seem to be everywhere lately. I’ve seen them multiple times in the last few months opening for different bands and it seemed like every corner I turned at the festival, I would run into a different member of their group either checking out a band or playing ping pong. As for their actual set, it was very laid back, but sadly in the dead acoustic room, so the quality of it was lost upon many.

2:45 P.M. to 3:15 P.M. The Muslims – New Belgium Stage

The Muslims are another band that you should kick yourself for if you don’t check them out immediately. The vocals have an element of folk to them, but the drum solos are what you would expect to hear from a dance electronica group. This eclectic mix works quite well for the group and properly earned them a huge crowd at that stage.

3:15 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. Superdrag – Esurance Main Stage

Superdrag lived up to their name. Their set seemed to have a super drag to it. While the guys moved around and made faces like they were trying to be the rockstars expected of them, they ended up being a little out of place and kind of boring. They even ended up being pitchy.

Set list:
Slow to Anger
Keep It Close
Gimme Animosity
Filthy and Afraid
Carried
Garmonrozia
Do the Vampire
Sucked Out
Cynicality
True Believer
Destination

3:45 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. John Vanderslice – New Belgium Stage

John Vanderslice is a musical genius. The arrangements performed here were absolutely gorgeous and chill. Their violinist had great technique and I loved the effect of his reverberated pizzicato. I could have easily gotten lost in the lush harmonies of this band.

Set list:
Pale Horse
Codeine
Exodus Damage
Up Above the Sea
Angela
Underneath
Kookaburra
Time to Go
Too Much Time
Time Travel

That’s just the first half of Saturday. Look for the next installment shortly.

Monolith Music Festival: website | Saturday line-up

Photos and Writing by: Bethany

This year’s Monolith Festival held September 13th and 14th in Morrison, CO at Red Rocks Amphitheatre has an amazing line-up. Check out Saturday’s schedule now:

Esurance Main Stage
*10:30 PM :: DeVotchKa
8:45 PM :: Silversun Pickups
7:15 PM :: Vampire Weekend
5:45 PM :: The Fratellis
*4:30 PM :: Cut Copy
3:15 PM :: Superdrag
*2:00 PM :: Foals
1:00 PM :: Dressy Bessy

New Belgium Stage
*9:45 PM :: Atmosphere
*8:00 PM :: Del tha Funky Homosapien
6:30 PM :: Mickey Avalon
*5:00 PM :: Holy Fuck
3:45 PM :: John Vanderslice
2:45 PM :: The Muslims
1:45 PM :: The Veils
12:45 PM :: Electric Touch

WOXY.com Stage @ Southwest Airlines Heart of the Rock Theatre
*8:30 PM :: White Denim
7:10 PM :: Pop Levi
*5:10 PM :: Liam Finn
4:40 PM :: The Hood Internet
3:10 PM :: Cameron McGill & What Army
2:00 PM :: Port O’ Brien
1:10 PM :: Lovelikefire

Rock Room Stage
*9:10 PM :: The Presets
7:50 PM :: The Night Marchers
6:30 PM :: A Place To Bury Strangers
5:10 PM :: The Photo Atlas
3:50 PM :: Blitzen Trapper
2:30 PM :: The Morning Benders
1:30 PM :: Colour Revolt

MadeLoud.com Acoustic Stage
10:00 PM :: Rob Drabkin
8:15 PM :: Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons
*6:45 PM :: PWRFL POWER
5:15 PM :: Scratch Track
4:00 PM :: Rock Plaza Central
2:45 PM :: KaiserCartel
1:15 PM :: Noah Harris
12:30 PM :: Erin Ivey

Monolith Festival: website | customize schedule | buy tickets

*check these sets out for sure!