What follows is an open letter to Andy Hull, front man of Manchester Orchestra and Co-President of Favorite Gentlemen Recordings:

Dear Mr. Hull,

First, let me thank you and your band for some fantastic music that I’ve been enjoying for years and will assuredly be enjoying for years to come. I’m writing you concerning a band that you really must hear. They’re called Mansions, and their latest effort is entitled Best of the Bees. I say “band,” but the truth is that Mansions is a one man show in the studio – a gentleman from Louisville, Kentucky by the name of Christopher Browder. Mansions is currently signed to Doghouse Records, but I implore you to steal them away; they would fit wonderfully on any bill with Manchester Orchestra and would make a fine addition to your new and growing label.

Tell you what: just take a listen to Best of the Bees. The first track, entitled “OMG,” sets the tone for the entire album: a skeletal beginning builds to a burning, writhing crescendo of emotion not unlike Kevin Devine’s “Cotton Crush” or Manchester Orchestra’s “Colly Strings.” From there, the album twists and turns through various moods and styles, from the harmonica-laced dirge “LtsBSdTgthr” to the radio-ready piano and electric drum tune “Never Enuff” to the brooding guitar-heavy jam “You Got Caught.” The songwriting is top notch, and the mostly morose songs of longing and searching are evocative if not cathartic. After having listened to the album in its entirety, you’ll have the sense that you’ve really gotten to know Christopher Browder, not in a contrived way but in an authentic and meaningful way. Keep this in mind though: Mansions certainly aren’t reinventing the wheel, and a cynical listener might feel that they’ve heard it all before. For me, there will always be room for another thoughtful musician who writes beautiful indie-pop songs and wears his heart on his sleeve. His methods may be tried and true, but Mr. Browder’s voice is singular and begs to be heard and appreciated.

The last song on Best of the Bees is called “All Eyes on Me,” and it easily the most synthesized/electronic track to be found on the album; it might also be the most lyrically aggressive. Browder keeps asking an unnamed protagonist “What would you do without the attention…Have you ever really seen yourself, have you ever really heard yourself?” This song is destined to be played in many a break-up scene in corny teen dramas the way “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” by Death Cab for Cutie was destined to be played at a million weddings and Valentine’s Day dinners. This album is the real thing: marketable singles that the indie crowd can still dig, less accessible songs destined for fan favorite status, and replay value for miles and miles.

Please consider these words carefully, Mr. Hull, although Best of the Bees speaks loudly enough for itself. I look forward to your next release, and if you need a place to stay next time you’re in Charlotte, North Carolina – my couch is always open.

Most respectfully yours,

Marc G. Gray

Track Listing:
1. OMG
2. I Swear
3. Never Enuff
4. Last to Leave
5. LetsBSdTgthr
6. You Got Caught
7. 18th Bday
8. Unwell
9. Tangerine (Alternate Version)
10. All Eyes On You (Remix)

Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra decided to shake it up on this split by covering the other group.

On this special bundle, Kevin Devine takes Manchester’s  “The Only One” and gives it his own electronic spin. Manchester takes Kevin’s “I Could Be With Anyone,” and strips it down to bare its heart.

You can buy the digital bundle here.

Top 3 Albums of 2009

• N.A.S.A. - The Spirit of Apollo (Anti) :: review
• Kevin Devine – Brother’s Blood (Favorite Gentlemen) :: review
• Zee Avi - Zee Avi (Brushfire)

Best Show of 2009

• N.A.S.A. at Emo’s Annex during SXSW. Wild dance party, dancing on stage with Orion slave girls and aliens, high fiving the DJs, being escorted off stage by security, and hanging out backstage. All around aces. (read about it)

Most Anticipated for 2010

• Basia Bulat – Heart of My Own (Rough Trade); even though I’ve got it and have been rocking it for a while

Most Overrated of 2009

• Passion Pit. F’real.

Best Music Memory

• Spending an entire day in a VIP lounge at SXSW making friends, drinking free drinks, eating free food, schmoozing with hotshots, hanging with An Horse and Langhorne Slim, running out to go catch Fight Like Apes and sneaking in the rest of the PW crew. Bar none the greatest music day of 2009.

Here’s to an even better 2010. Have a safe, fun and exciting New Year’s Eve!

I first became acquainted with Kevin James Devine when I happened upon a listing for a show of his at Philadelphia’s The Fire. I was wildly excited, but mostly confused because, “Why is Kevin Devine playing The Fire?” Well friends, therein laid the problem: I immediately assumed it was Brooklyn’s Kevin Devine, with whose music I’ve had a love affair since it was introduced to me back in 2003. Nay! It was Philadelphia’s very own Kevin James Devine. Upon this discovery, I was intrigued that Philadelphia, too, has a Kevin Devine. I was also slightly annoyed that I had been had.

After another KD-KJD mix up the following week, I tweeted “Philly singer/songwriter Kevin JAMES Devine is *really* fucking my shit up.” You can find this in the archives of this very website (though we no longer have a weekly Twitter recap). Mr. K. J. Devine happened upon this entry and he and I have been in talks since then. On the eve of his debut album’s release, he’s been kind enough to answer some questions that I’m happy to share with all of you.

Jessica, Popwreckoning: How long have you been making music and what got you started?
Kevin James Devine: I received an electric guitar in 9th grade, but my hands were too small to play.
Sometime during my senior year of high school I heard “Like a Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan. I wondered who this guy was. So I picked up a greatest hits sort of thing and from there just became so obsessed with the man and his music that I had to play a guitar and harmonica–I just had to.
So I asked for an acoustic guitar and some harmonicas for Christmas and played them for like hours that day and taught myself the chords and stuff (laughs). That was almost two years ago.
So since that time, I began writing my own songs. I went off to Point Park University for acting; I found myself skipping class and staying home writing songs constantly. I knew that I had to let people hear my songs. I played my first show some time in January 2009 at Saxby’s in Lansdale and now I’ll be releasing an album there in December 2009. I guess you could say I’m bringing it all back home. And you could say that I’ve been an active musician for almost a year.

PW: As a local artist, just outside of Philadelphia in Lansdale, how do you find the flourishing Philly folk scene amongst the like of Langhorne Slim, Hezekiah Jones, Sisters3, etc?
KJD: Langhorne Slim?! Let’s talk about how beautiful “Diamonds and Gold” is (laughs). I’m a big fan of Hezekiah Jones. [Front man] Raphael Cutrufello and the band are extremely talented–they’re regulars at the Fire in Northern Liberties, which is facing some hard times. Everyone can donate money to this great venue at my Saxby’s release show and by attending the World Cafe Fire Benefit Show on December 13th. I’m telling you that place is like our CBGB.
I actually talked to Raphael about possibly setting up a show with him sometime, but right now he’s touring with one of PA’s great bands, Good Old War. Sisters 3 is a great group. They just have this beautiful sound going for them and I really dig it. It’s great. I feel extremely lucky to be a part of the flourishing Philly folk scene. I’m surrounded by a large group of talented musicians and to be included in that is just a dream come true.

PW: How did you get hooked up with ToFo Records, to which you are the first signed artist? Congrats for that, by the way!
KJD: Thank you so much! It was all started by a couple of college students: Carter Fox, Dan Toll, and Ryan Hall. I went to high school with Carter and he was pretty big on Lansdale’s jazz scene as the head of his own group (The Carter Fox Group). Once I quit college and came home, he was going to school for music stuff and he told me, “Hey, I’m starting this indie label and I really want to put out your music. And I knew he was a good guy and so we went with it and so far, I must say, things are really looking up.

PW: That’s good to hear! I love hearing about DIY labels that work so hard to get great music heard. You recently recorded your debut record, Through the Fields, which will be released on ToFo this week. Explain the process for recording the album.
KJD: This first album I recorded in my friend Matt Leece’s basement. He heads his own production company: Leece Productions. ToFo offered to put me up in a studio and everything to finish out the songs, but I already had some of them recorded and didn’t remember how certain parts went. So there are some really lo-fi songs on the album that I recorded before I started working with Matt and then there are the songs that I recorded with Matt that were supposed to have a lo-fi sound, but actually came out sounding like they had that studio quality.
They’re also all mastered by Sean Comber who does a lot of odd jobs for ToFo Records like mastering, recording, graphic designing–he’s a brilliant guy. The process of recording was a lot of fun. We spent about nine hours on the single, “Long Way to Go” and we finished the album on December 11th just seven days before the release. It was a thirteen hour session and I went straight from Matt’s basement to work at 6:30 in the morning. After working with a guy like Matt, I really like how all of the songs sound and I’m really hoping that people will enjoy them, too.

PW: What have you learned from your first go at record making with Through the Fields that you’ll apply to future albums?
KJD: I will never again announce a release date until the album is finished. We did that and it almost killed us (laughs). Every time we record, I find myself using the Phil Spector “Wall of Sound” technique and I think I will always use that.

PW: I love that! It’s so lively. The CD Release show at Saxbys in Lansdale — what can the fans expect?
KJD: Me on an acoustic guitar and harmonica with Matt opening and playing some lead guitar on my songs. I just really want to show them the songs as they were before anyone heard them. When it was just me, a guitar and a few words on a page. I also wanted to do the first release in a coffee shop because a lot of my friends will be there and I want to be able to connect with everyone. It’s harder to do that at a larger music venue.

PW: Aside from a few shows in late January, what does 2010 have in store for Kevin James Devine?
KJD I’m not sure what 2010 has in store for me, but I know that I have another release in store for 2010. MAYBE 2011. I’ll be playing shows on and off and attempting to make an album that really captures the sound of summer nights in Philadelphia and that one week you always spend at the Jersey shore. And I’m not talking about the TV show.
PW: Ha! I’ve heard so much about that show and am so glad I’ve never seen it. I am, however, looking forward to the next album from the idea of it. Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions for Popwreckoning. Best of luck with the record and the CD release show.

Through the Fields CD Release Show
Friday, December 18 || 7 PM
Saxbys Coffee Shop
401 South Broad Street
Lansdale, PA 19446

Kevin James Devine: myspace

Photos: Erika Smith

“Returning to the scene of the crime,” is how the Get Up Kids phrased it, but really the only injustice was that it had been a 3-year wait for that November 2008 show. Fortunately, since that first reunion show at the Record Bar, the band was kind enough to give the Kansas City metropolitan area a Lawrence and a North Kansas City show before ending their reunion with a two night stand where it all began. And since I saw them at the very first reunion show, it was only fitting that I would see them at their last.

There seemed to be some confusion about the show start time, so a lot of the crowd was still coming in during Louisville band Mansions set. “Talk Talk Talk” came early in the set and while listening to the biting lyrics, I was torn between loving the band for their passionate sound reminiscent of Manchester Orchestra or Brand New and hating them for being so passionate that my mood dropped as they struck some chords a little too close to heart for comfort. The ended the set with “The Worst Part,” another song with strong lyrics of a bit of a depressing nature. These guys are super talented, but I think as an opener, it was a bit hard to warm up to for some in the audience with their cold tone.

For those that pay attention to the lyrics of Kevin Devine, he too has lyrics that are biting commentaries and often downer-sounding self-reflections, but unlike Mansions, his set had a different feeling. Instead of falling deeper into a whirlpool of sadness, Kevin made me happy and simply impressed. There are two reasons for that. Usually, I do focus on his lyrics and his voice because it is hard not to. He presses his face up against the microphone for some of the softer verses, but when he steps away from microphone and yells a chorus or a line or even a ba-da-da-dah-da, all eyes are on his face, which has veins enlarged into a map of his energetic passion for the piece. I’ve heard him compared to Conor Oberst, but I would be bold enough to say that Kevin might have more to offer, at least in his live show, than the Bright Eyes frontman. This time, thanks to a gentleman next to me calling out, “When will we see you on Guitar Hero?” I watched his hands racing on the instrument. Damn, was he good, and maybe he should be on the game. I felt alive just watching him play the arpeggiated riffs. And this brings me to the other reason why his set was uplifting: he has fantastic audience interaction. “The question on the floor is when will I be on Guitar Hero. I would love to be on Guitar Hero. I work for that every day,” said Kevin. “I’m just not that good.” At another point he bent down close to two little boys in the front row and asked, “You don’t have ear plugs? Will you be ok? It is going to get loud.” So modest and sweet. He isn’t only a great performer, but a great person. What a package in an artist these days! I was so happy with him and his set, which featured tunes such as “Brother’s Blood,” “Fickle Friend,” “Cotton Crush,” “No Time Flat,” a Nirvana cover and more, that I could have left the show then. Although, what a poor Kansas City citizen I would be if I left before one of our biggest acts?

Last time I saw the Get Up Kids in this venue, they played “Something to Write Home About” in order. During the encore, they played a few other fan favorites. Now tonight was not a rehash of that same show. While the set was heavy with those songs as they started the night with “Holiday,” they interspersed songs from other albums throughout it such as a new song from the forthcoming album, “Walking on a Wire,” “Martyr Me” and the rounded out the night with their cover of The Cure’s “Close to Me.”  They even jammed a bit before “Martyr Me.” Check it out:

One of my favorite moments of the set was during “Out of Reach” when the crowd came in with the “Oh oh ohs” and guitarist Jim Suptic and bassist Rob Pope exchanged a look of “OMG.” I wasn’t sure at first if they were impressed by how boisterous the crowd’s singing was or if they were shocked by how off we were. Turns out it was the latter. “How many girls were singing on that?” asked singer Matt Pryor. He shook his head as the girls yelled back. “That was a choir of dudes. Really out of tune dudes.”

Another set highlight was when Suptic took the vocal reigns and grabbed an acoustic guitar for “Campfire Kansas,” which of course held a special meaning for the Kansas City crowd. While he was singing, Pryor went over to the aforementioned kids in the front row and invited the two boys on stage to play tambourine. It made a sweet song extra adorable. However, the boys must have rocked so hard on that acoustic number, that it blew out all their equipment. When the rest of the band came back the only thing left working were the microphones. The Record Bar employees debated how to fix the problem when sparks came flying out of an amp and throwing the breaker just resulted in the same problem. Suptic and Pryor bantered about how this was or was not fitting for the final night of the tour and then they tried to get drummer Ryan Pope to jam out for the audience. Pope seemed hesitant, so it opener Kevin Devine to the rescue. With a beat from Pope and some extra help from Suptic, Devine graced the audience with an amazing and strange rap. Yes, Kevin Devine raps. And it is wonderful.

The Get Up Kids mentioned that Kansas City seems to have a love/hate relationship with them. I’m glad to be on the side that loves them and I’m glad that they are finally just doing their own thing and not worrying how people choose to embrace them.

Oh, and reuniting must have felt so good that the band promises we’ll see another show in 2010 after the new! record comes out. Now that’s something to write home about.

Get Up Kids: website | myspace | @ record bar | @ blender theater | under cover pt. 1 | under cover pt. 2

While listening to Miniature Tigers‘ Tell It To the Volcano, the two adjectives that seemed to stand out the most in my observations were awkward and endearing. Ironically, the latter adjective was used to describe their debut EPs, Black and White Magic by music magazine Death +Taxes. I wish not to sound repetitive, but I don’t honestly think there is a better way to illustrate this band verbally.

They’re cute, quirky, and comical (musically, that is…I’ve never met them personally to be capable of assuming so), and all of the typical adjectives associated with their roots. Two years prior to the release of their aforementioned dual disc EP, Rolling Stone gave them a nod on their list of the “25 Hottest Bands On MySpace.” Not to classify them as a “MySpace band” or anything to that extreme, but let’s be straight; MySpace has helped a lot of bands make it big and many of them sound stylistically similar to Miniature Tigers. Examples include Hellogoodbye, Say Anything, and Plain White Ts….you get the picture. It’s not that they are essentially the same, they just noticeably came from a similar mold. It’s not just the catchy indie-pop tunes, it’s the “awkwardly endearing” quality.

Their lyrics are heavily sardonic (similar to the aforementioned Say Anything), laden with extraneous metaphors, and over dramatized exaggerations. Their instrumentation, however was very difficult to throw myself into. Maybe it’s their somewhat mellow nature; whimsical and slightly redundant, punctuated by often strange noises (very Hellogoodbye-esque, except Hellogoodbye is a bit more up tempo and diverse), but they just didn’t personally get me going. If you happen to dig the typical “MySpace indie” sound, then I would definitely recommend this album to you. The band has been recognized by various publications, including SPIN magazine’s “9 Hottest New Bands Playing CMJ 2008″ and has toured with the likes of Ben Folds and Popwreckoning favorite Kevin Devine, as well as substituting their own lead guitarist with Phantom Planet’s Darren Robinson in the earlier part of this year.

The band is currently touring to promote the album.

Track listing:
01. Cannibal Queen
02. Like Or Like Like
03. Dino Damage
04. Tell It To The Volcano
05. Hot Venom
06. Tchaikovsky & Solitude
07. The Wolf
08. Giraffe
09. Annie Oakley
10. Haunted Pyramid
11. Last Night’s Fake Blood

Miniature Tigers: website | myspace | @ electric factory | @ jackpot

Brand New announced the full lineup for massive November 28th hometown show at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale,NY. Joining Brand New on the main stage will be close friends and familiar faces Glassjaw, Thrice, Manchester Orchestra, and Kevin Devine. There will also be an acoustic stage with special guests including Andy Jackson (Hot Rod Circuit/Death in the Park), Vinnie Caruana (I Am the Avalanche), Robbers, and Brian Bonz. To commemorate this very special event, a limited edition silk-screened poster will be available for purchase with a minimum donation of two canned food items to Island Harvest, Long Island’s largest hunger relief organization (for more information on Island Harvest visit this site).

Brand New recently released their fourth album, the critically-acclaimed Daisy which has received raves from SPIN, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly and led NME to proclaim “such unassuming people never made transcendent music since Radiohead.” Daisy debuted at #6 on the Billboard Top 200 and soon after the release, Brand New hit the road, playing sold out shows at venues across North America including the Aragon Ballroom (Chicago), Fillmore (Detroit), Palladium (LA), La Zona Rosa (Austin), Electric Factory (Philadelphia-2 nights), House of Blues (San Diego-2 nights), Kool Haus (Toronto), and House of Blues (Boston-2 nights) amongst others. Brand New will end this incredibly successful Fall headlining tour with this huge hometown show at Nassau Coliseum, a venue they grew up going to for hockey games and concerts. This is another step in what has been an exciting and amazing journey for the four guys from Long Island.

Brand New: website | myspace | @ uptown | Daisy review

Why yes, that talent you hear leading the pack of Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle is familiar…if you owned or came in contact with a radio in and beyond 1998. Hearn is the keyboardist for pop-perfect band Barenaked Ladies, and his digital seduction of the keys is arguably what gave Stunt the edge it needed for such strong Grammy notice. And in standard musical rite of passage—under-represented band member makes a name for himself solo—Hearn joins the ranks of names like Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene), Brian Bonz (Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band), and J Tillman (Fleet Foxes). Solo albums are so hip and freeing. Especially when you get to collaborate with anything that has been graced by the presence of Lou freaking Reed (thank you guitarist Mike Rathke).

An admittedly impressive resume does not a good album make. And this collection of a mere seven songs has no direct sound. All I can guarantee is a hefty dosage of experimental drifty electronic keyboard, a woman’s occasional presence, and Hearn’s dreamy tender play of lyrics. Out of the seven, four of the songs will instigate a little head bopping, like album opener “Coma.” That track can proposition a listener to conjure a power point presentation of spring blooming, or a city waking up and shuffling around on subways on its way to work, or the point in a movie when the credits roll and a heartfelt lesson was learned. And then a wicked angsty guitar comes rasping in with no point—but that’s what I like.

Despite “Coma,” next song “On The Runway” keeps the upbeat notion but turns into a video game soundtrack (think Mario Kart and Raving Rabbits, not Halo) that has the percussion, swing bass, and sunny female backing of a “Copacabana” homage. That angsty guitar comes back, but this time you’re starting to feel a little too Santana-ish.

“Reeling” features some strings, twang and a creepy haunting female interruption that I can’t even begin to liken to anything. “Luna” continues with that slow down sound, ethereal echoing guitars and melodically soft vocals. A conclusion in “H.I.T.S.” is hopeful, and wants to convey the official sound of the band, which is something like dreamy 60s popsicle Sexsmith piano play with twang and riff. I just made that up. But in Havana Winter, it seems like the band wants their image something indirect like that. Sure I hear a little bizarre Flaming Lips, even some of the playful play of The Atlas Sound. But then why am I wishing it sounded a little more earthy and manageable, like Yo La Tengo? Maybe because Hearn’s vocals don’t blend with the dreamy innocence he’s going for.

And if it helps, I listened to the album over and over while sipping on a Sierra Mist and OJ spritzer, lounging Papasan-style in the late afternoon Chicago sun. On a balcony. And despite such relaxing accompaniments, I just couldn’t wait to switch tracks. The relaxing aura they were going for was lost on me.

Fellow blogger Adam Morgan over at Surviving the Golden Age agrees: “The album does get a little too spacey for its own good. “Reeling” is the most obvious example; any lyrical quirks are lost in the seemingly banal instrumentation. Although the song is one of the shortest on the album at 3:47, it feels much longer than the others.”

Havana Winter is available now.

Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle: website | myspace

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

As Fuse TV continues their extensive summer music festival coverage, Fuse TV has announced that they will be airing all of the highlights from this year’s Lollapalooza festival, which starts today!, on August 15th.

This year’s lineup promises to ensure a continuation of the legendary festival’s cutting edge acts with Kings of Leon, Jane’s Addiction, Rise Against, Depeche Mode, the Killers, Tool + MANY more, including our personal favorites like Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band, scheduled to perform.

Additionally, Fuse is helping music fans stay connected to all of this year’s  Lollapalooza ’09 artists with Twt-a-palooza, a centralized online hub that lets you find, filter, and interact with thousands of tweets from the musical acts playing this year’s fest! Log in with you Facebook or Twitter account to ensure that you don’t miss a beat from one of this summer’s hottest musical gatherings: http://fusefest.fuse.tv/a/home

Wait, it gets even better… like free music? Well, Fuse has over 50 Lollapalooza ‘09 artist tracks up for FREE download now on their site! Free tracks from Animal Collective, Alberta Cross, Neko Case, Band of Horses, Deerhunter, No Age, Santigold and MUCH more can be found right here: http://fuse.tv/tours/lollapalooza2009/downloads.html

Enjoy, and be sure to tune-in to Fuse on August 15th @ 9pm/8c for Fuse Fest: The Best of Lollapalooza ’09.

Fuse’s Best of Lollapalooza: website | twt-a-palooza | find Fuse in your area