popwreckoning

Bonnaroo Friday had a rocky start for PopWreckoning. Sweltering temperatures and a “knock” on our tent woke us to inform us that we had camped in the wrong spot. Frustrated, we packed up our tent and began rewandering the muddy roads trying to figure out what we couldn’t figure out the other day. Fortunately, the Bonnaroo fates finally took mercy on us and we at last got our new camping spot: in VIP. Huzzah! Free showers and close to Centeroo!

Press goes through orientation on Friday, so after resetting up our tent, we headed to the media area to hear the ins and outs of Bonnaroo with the wonderful Big Hassle Crew. They shared some good insights, photo rules and a few good jokes.

Press got a special treat today: an acoustic performance of Dr. Dog. The band played about three songs rich with banjos, guitars, and light drumming. acoustic. Check back for a video from the band’s acoustic performance a little bit later.

I glimpsed a bit of alt country act Jessie Baylin and a long line waiting to see Conan O’Brien, while I was walking over to the uke wielding Julia Nunes. The quirky singer played a very long set list of her original tunes and fun covers. Never has a been a ukulele been more bad ass than in her hands. When it came time for her to play a cover of Weezer, Nunes hinted that she might be joining the band for their Bonnaroo set on Saturday. Nunes also announced she had been camping with the rest of us plebes instead of enjoying a trailer or hotel like many other artists. All the more reason to love her.

Then, it was off to see Canada’s Tokyo Police Club over at the Other Tent. The young rockers began with the feedback that kicks off their first song on the newly released, Champ. “Favourite Food” is one of my favorites on the new album and it was a great way to start their set. The band looked absolutely jubilant at the audience’s warm reception. They followed it up with the classic “Nature of the Experiment” before delivering another new one. The old hits were there, but so were plenty of new ones. I can’t wait to see these guys take off with Champ.

Begrudgingly, I pulled away from TPC to go to the Troo Lounge to see Young Veins, a new 60s revivalist rock band. I went into the set knowing nothing about them, but the tunes were catchy and it was a well done homage to rock of old. As I bobbed my head along with the tunes I couldn’t help, but think something was…pretty odd. For a band I had never heard of, they sure looked familiar. Turns out I knew them better than I thought. This is the new band of former Panic! at the Disco members, Ryan Ross and Jon Walker.

No Springsteen at Bonnaroo this year, but we did get Jersey’s second best: The Gaslight Anthem. These guys just released the killer, anthem-heavy American Slang and delivered a set chock full of those tunes as well as the stuff that helped get them national attention.

It was a rough decision where to go from there: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes were singing their heartwarming tunes out at the Other Tent and the Gossip would be setting up at This Tent, but as great as it is to see some of the bigger stages/acts, the best part of Bonnaroo is seeing the up and coming talent on smaller stages. So I made my way to Troo to see PopWreck love Kevin Devine. He’s been doing pretty well for himself, playing nearly all major US festivals this year, and it seems word of his passionate rock is beginning to spread. Troo was packed – and not just with general public fans. It seems Kevin was the musician’s choice, too. Members of Manchester Orchestra hung around backstage watching their fellow Favorite Gentlemen perform his tunes that range from the political to the heartbreak. I also spotted Person L/The Starting Line’s Kenny Vasoli watching, too.

Of course, I didn’t spend too much time people watching. It was hard to take my eyes off Kevin as he dipped down with his guitar just to pop back up to yell into the mic on an especially emotionally-charged chorus. Kevin modestly talked to the crowd, but some of the stuff he said in between songs was just as great as the songs: “You might be saying ‘are there two bass rockers on that stage?’ There are! You’re not fucked up on mezclin yet. You wil be. And I’ll be selling it to you.” He must have been feeling the Bonnaroo love because he then played a new song, “She Stayed a Steam,” off an upcoming Fav Gentlemen release. The song starts slow, but the buildup is great to an especially big chorus. I can’t wait to hear more. Kevin ended with “Brother’s Blood,” and I had a gut-feeling that nothing left at the fest would even begin to compare to his performance.

Giving my feet a break from all the walking, it was back to press for a mini-press conference with some big name artists such as The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne and Ok Go’s Damien Kulash. While the band members talked about the differences between playing music at a fest vs. a club and what Bonnaroo means, comedian Jeffrey Ross stole the show with his clever quips about the fest: “I saw a band called The xx. They put me to sleep. They should have been called The zz,” he joked. But it was all in good fun: “I only roast the bands I love. All comedians are wannabe rockstars. That’s where this comes from.” Jeff is in charge of the Bonnaroo Roast and based off this sampling, it’s going to be a good roast.

The next chunk of the fest was like a special movie edition of Bonnaroo, and no, I didn’t go to the Cinema Tent. Three of the next four acts I saw consisted of people well known for their work in films. Zooey Deschanel (Elf, Yes Man) sang vintage rock in She & Him with the amazing guitarist that is M. Ward. Though She and Him basically is Deschanel and Ward, they were backed by a band that included several girls simply there to give back up vocals and harmonies. The music was pleasant and made more rockable by Zooey’s constant jumping up and down. Though many went to go see Zooey, they got hooked in by the music and stayed for the whole set.

The only thing that kept me from staying for their whole set was that The National was set to begin playing soon and I love the way the bass vocals carry over their big brassy and string heavy indie rock tunes. Half-expecting good music with little stage presence, I was blown away by the energy and enthusiasm they delivered. Lead singer Matt Berninger joked with the audience and even crowd surfed. It was big; it was fun.

Then it was time for movie star number two: Jack Black in his band Tenacious D. This was also my first glimpse of Conan O’Brien who had been emceeing the What Stage all day. It was fun to have a comedian introduce the comedic group. The set was like a cross between a play and a rock concert. The guys are skilled musicians, but their stage banter was just as essential to the act’s performance. For example, at one point, Jack Black pretended to accept an emergency phone call: “What? You want to make a ‘Pick of Destiny 2’? But there’s a catch? You want me to do it with the guy from ‘Mall Cop’?” This caused Kyle Gass To storm off and Black to perform “(Dude) I Totally Miss You.”

My third and final movie star act was none other than Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers. It was kind of insane the reaction Martin got. The guy had only walked out to the side stage to huddle with his band before the set and people swarmed the barricade to get a picture of him…again, not on stage. Martin took the almost-too strong reaction kindly, “I’ll tell you one thing. I wish I practiced,” he said. “It has been a long time dream of mine to play bluegrass at Bonnaroo. Today, I feel one step closer to that goal.” Then the band began their bluegrass tunes. The pluck of banjos, the flying bows of fiddles: it was furiously fast and fun. Then time for more jokes before the next jam: “This is a song that…well, that pretty much says it” or “I wrote all the songs you’re hearing myself, which I think distinguishes us from every other bluegrass band at Bonnaroo playing their own stuff.”

I left Martin a little bit early to explore and walked by the psychedelic jams of Les Claypool and the piano songs of the adorable Tori Amos. This was on my way to jam rockers Dawes at the Troo Lounge. Dawes again proved that Troo, despite being one of the smallest stages, had one of the best lineups of the day. Dawes was the type of rock music that you could sit back and relax to, but you could also stand up in dance. Definitely, check them out.

Kings of Leon had the undivided attention of Bonnaroo for the next chunk of the night: no one was up against them. The What Stage was packed as the Southern rockers blazed through tunes “Sex is on Fire,” “The Bucket” and even a Pixies cover. To be honest, I found it a bit boring, but there are thousands of other people who seem to disagree with me. Oh well. I do give the band props on the long set and also the long encore that included the popular “Use Somebody.”

Without a doubt the Flaming Lips were one of the primary draws of Bonnaroo this year. Not only was the band going to perform all of Dark Side of the Moon with Stardeath and the White Dwarfs, but they were also treating fans to a regular Lips show. The infamous hamster ball made its return after the “birth” of the other members onto the stage. Coyne wheeled around over the audience, immersed in a sea of confetti. It just got bigger from there: more confetti, more fog, more dancers and guest singers (Beth Ditto and Margaret Cho). In stark contrast, the Dark Side performance lacked the theatrics of the preceding performance, but that was still pretty cool, too, because it proved the Lips weren’t just a gimmick band. I guess there was one major theatric. They ended with a giant fog projection of the artwork from Dark Side over the audience. Epic.

Though it seemed like at first that everyone and their moms were at the Lips, the Black Keys did somehow manage to wrestle a sizable crowd to their set at That Tent. The set wasn’t as crazy a spectacle as the Lips, but it was still a good show in which they invited up extra musicians and played a decent number of brand-spanking new songs.

I know that it is almost blasphemous that I didn’t return back to the Lips to see all of Dark Side of the Moon. But Bassnectar was beckoning. Bassnectar is a bad ass dj and he turned This Tent into a giant dance party. I would have been content just dancing into the morning twilight with him, but even though it was 2 a.m., there were still tons of acts to go.
Rumor was that Kid Cudi wouldn’t be able to perform since he was arrested in New York the day before. So I skipped it. Turns out he did perform. Alas. But it wasn’t too bad because it just meant I had more time to enjoy LCD Soundsystem. They were surprisingly awkward, but it was fun and worked well for their style of music. It was still a dance party at the This Tent, but a different sort of one from the remixing of Bassnectar. Not surprisingly, people went crazy for “Drunk Girls,” considering that’s what half the crowd was. I love how intimate the band made this performance feel and in their hands, it was pretty easy to find the energy to party with them until 4 a.m. What a great way to end the night.

More photos and recaps from Bonnaroo coming soon. You can view Day 1: Thursday’s recap here.

read ROTHBURY Day 1 and ROTHBURY Day 2

Son Volt // Ranch Arena
Able to boast a former member of Uncle Tupelo (which boasted Wilco‘s Jeff Tweedy) Son Volt entertained hundreds at the Ranch Arena Stage with their great alt country/folk rock sound that would fit in perfectly on adult contemporary radio. They played many songs off their new record, American Central Dust, which was released on July 7th of this year.

Railroad Earth // Ranch Arena
I only passed by Railroad Earth, also playing Ranch Arena, briefly, but was impressed with what I’d heard. If it weren’t for Zappa Playing Zappa just minutes later at Sherwood Court, I would have undoubtedly stuck around for these guys. Their roots/Americana jam is something worth hearing.

Zappa Plays Zappa // Sherwood Court
My father, typically a few beers in, likes to talk about Frank Zappa and his experimental music and goofy lyrics, most typically quoting “Don’t Eat The Yellow Snow”; “Watch out where the huskies go / and don’t you eat that yellow snow.” After a lifetime of hearing about him, though admittedly never pursuing the curiosity that arose with each of my father’s mentions, I knew I had to catch Zappa Plays Zappa at ROTHBURY. Zappa Plays Zappa is just that: Frank Zappa’s son Dweezil Zappa (he named his other children Moon Unit, Ahmet Emuukha Rodan and Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen. Uh huh.) travels with a touring band covering some of his pop’s best and most memorable material. As previously mentioned, I couldn’t compare what I heard to the originals, but I was absolutely blown away by the band’s musicianship. My interest in both generations of Zappa has been renewed and I fully intend on immersing myself in all that Hot Rats has to offer. Next time I’m able to catch Zappa Plays Zappa, I will be well versed in all things Frank.

The Black Crowes // The Odeum
I once walked by Chris Robinson on the street in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood. It was a hot early summer day and he was dressed head to toe in black complete with signature beard. Until ROTHBURY, this had been my only live experience with the Black Crowes. Needless to say, ROTHBURY blew that experience out of the water. In keeping with the M.O. of the weekend, the Black Crowes’ set was solid, bluesy and jam-tastic.

Les Claypool // Sherwood Court
I hung back in the media tent just behind the Sherwood Court stage where Primus‘ Les Claypool rocked it, but I heard it all crystal clear due to my proximity. I can only assume that Claypool wowed the crowd with his funky licks.

The Dead // The Odeum
My mother incorrectly assumed that I would miss The Dead. Moms. Well I proved her wrong, not just because these headliners didn’t have any competition (no was one was allowed to play during the same time slot), I even went so far as to show up to the main Odeum stage early to secure a decent spot and prepare myself for what was in store. I don’t think I’d ever seen so many individuals in an altered state as I had before and during The Dead’s set. The Dead’s following is one of the most devout I’ve ever come across – many of the people I’d met at ROTHBURY were Dead Heads through and through, following their idols across the country and back, despite ROTHBURY being their only summer performance. While I’m generally completely disinterested in jam bands, I was digging hard on The Dead; they’re simply classic. If you’re ever lucky enough to experience The Dead, do so. While the days of Jerry are before my time, I can’t see how a band could get any better.

Thoroughly exhausted by this point, I skipped out just a touch early from The Dead’s second set and made my way back to camp, a bit altered myself.

Stay tuned for the final day of ROTHBURY.

ROTHBURY: website | interview with

Photos: Jon Gitchoff

Superfly Presents and A.C. Entertainment are excited to announce the details for Live From Bonnaroo 2008 to be released in January. Originally created as part of a unique and unprecedented offer for those fans who bought tickets to the 2008 event, Bonnaroo is now making it available to the general public for $19.99. For a limited pre-order time, it will be available for $16.95. An exclusive trailer for the DVD can be seen at bonnaroo.com. The link for the trailer is below:

Designed to reflect the breadth and diversity of the Bonnaroo experience, the DVD will feature exclusive performances and backstage footage of artists such as Metallica, Pearl Jam, Jack Johnson, The Raconteurs, Tegan and Sara, Against Me!, My Morning Jacket, Les Claypool, Broken Social Scene, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, among many others. Sam Erickson (My Morning Jacket, Dave Matthews) and 44 Pictures directed the program, which features exclusive packaging and artwork . The audio was engineered from Bonnaroo’s pristine master soundboard recordings and remixed in stereo and 5.1 surround sound.

Tracklisting:
01. The Raconteurs – “Old Enough”
02. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – “Let Them Knock”
03. Broken Social Scene – “Love is New”
04. Gogol Bordello – “Think Locally Fuck Globally”
05. Chali 2na featuring Galactic – “Lock Shit/Right Now”
06. Metallica – “Fade to Black”
07. The Lee Boys – “Come On, Help Me Lift Him Up”
08. Tegan and Sara – “Back In Your Head”
09. Against Me! – “We Laugh at Danger (And Break All the Rules)
10. The Avett Brothers – “Die Die Die”
11. Jack Johnson – “If I Had Eyes”
12. Les Claypool – “One Better”
13. Mastodon – “Colony of Birchmen”
14. Two Gallants – “Despite What You’ve Been Told”
15. My Morning Jacket – “I’m Amazed”
16. Pearl Jam – “Better Man”

Bonnaroo: website

Let’s face it: if you’re a bassist and your name isn’t Geddy Lee or Les Claypool, sometimes you just don’t get your share of the praise pie. Oft-overlooked and perhaps the more enigmatic figures, bassists tend to be the unsung heroes of music. One such example is Pierre de Reeder: a multi-instrumentalist and founding member since 1998, de Reeder has served as bassist to the successful LA-based indie rock band Rilo Kiley. With lead singer Jenny Lewis’ foray into solo work and guitarist Blake Sennett and drummer Jason Boesel dabbling with The Elected, it seems de Reeder found the need to also allow his abilities to make a personalized impression with his years-in-the-making solo effort The Way That It Was (now available). If he is setting out to make the point that he is a singer, multi-faceted musician and confident songwriter… point proven.

For those who appreciate album art, de Reeder made a very effective statement as to what the theme of his album is: peaceful reflection. In one of the more beautiful covers of recent years, it almost resembles a lush painting in its use of calm, pristine colors on a perfect day with a nostalgic looking man (presumably de Reeder) on the bottom right amidst all the beauty, thinking. Apparently, one can judge music by its cover since the art is highly representative of the music itself: lush, calm, pristine, gorgeous, nostalgic and beautiful.

Judging from the contemplative lyrical content alone, it seems like de Reeder had so much on his mind that recording this album sans Rilo Kiley was almost necessary. Playing almost all the instrumentation and offering lead vocals, de Reeder is establishing himself as a proper solo musician who can stand confidently on his own. Crafting songs leaning on folky pop rock, it’s evident that much of Rilo Kiley’s similar leanings may be attributed to the musical direction de Reeder showcases.

Vocally, he sounds like Elliott Smith on a good day… on uppers, even. He sings in a relaxing, airy, almost effortless fashion that reaches out and drags you onto a more peaceful plane with his music. Sure, he recruited his Rilo Kiley bandmates to play alongside him on a few tracks but The Way That It Was, for all intents and purposes, remains a one-man vehicle.

With all this talent, some of the songs still fall slightly generic and are far from incendiary. Perhaps de Reeder needs to get his heart thrown in a blender for more edge, but don’t count this one out. The record unfolds all the perennial themes of the adult male: reflection on past love, aging, introspection and coming to grips with manhood. Lace all the aforementioned together and de Reeder creates a thinking person’s album.

On album stand-out “That’s The Way That It Was,” it feels perfect for an old fashioned sing-along on the porch with your favorite alt-country lovin’ friends. Another feel-good tune is “Where I’m Coming From.” De Reeder goes back to basics with earnest vocals and piano-tinged rock until the sharp contrast of a full-on chorus begins work as a successful contradiction. For Simon & Garfunkel fans, “Never Thought” is reminiscent of equally happy-go-lucky “Feeling Groovy (59th Street Bridge Song).” Aside from adding a little pep to your step, it showcases my favorite lyric of the album: “I used to be afraid to tell you I owe you almost everything, / But now that’s the least that I can say.” It doesn’t take Carl Jung to discover de Reeder has found solace in his coming of age and welcomes adulthood wholeheartedly.

For singer-songwriter types, “The Long Conversation” has a great electro-acoustic feel for stripped down rock, but de Reeder doesn’t stop there. On “Now How I Believe,” the addition of flute shows how a tiny instrument can add a completely different, albeit pretty element to rock music. He tosses in a sing-along chorus at the end of this song, including some of his Rilo Kiley bandmates and musician friends. Not only does this provide a seamless closer to a terrific debut, but reminds that solo de Reeder will get by in the music world…with or without a little help from his friends.

The Final Verdict:
If you’re looking for the perfect background music, while cooking that laidback Sunday dinner with your best friends, de Reeder’s The Way That It Was ensures the good times will flow almost as freely as the wine.

Tracklisting:
01. Shame On Love
02. I’ll Be Around
03. Sophia’s Song
04. That’s The Way That It Was
05. Where I’m Coming From
06. This Foolish Heart
07. Young and Old
08. Never Thought
09. All These Words
10. The Long Conversation
11. Not How I Believe

Pierre de Reeder: website | myspace

Written by: Mona Sheikh