popwreckoning

Monday just got a little bit better. The Dear Hunter is offering “Deny It All” for free download.

“Deny It All” is the first song to be release off the forthcoming 9 EP collection, The Color Spectrum. “Deny It All” will be on the first of the Red EP. The song guest features Manchester Orchestra. Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull also helped produce.

To download the track, go to thedearhunter.com. You can also pre-order The Color Spectrum here. Watch a lyric video of “Deny It All” below:

Day 2 – Saturday

A full day off to enjoy the festival and beautiful weather? YES.

We didn’t plan on getting to ACL until 2:00 so Jason showed us around town.

Know the way to a girl’s heart? Take her to the most amazing grocery store she’s ever seen. Central Market in Austin is a place for food lovers, beer lovers, soda lovers, oh and especially cheese lovers. This place seriously has it all. They even had a Boulevard Brewery section!

Well and after you take her to Central Market, make sure you check out the highest point in Austin. It’s beautiful and overlooks the entire river, along with downtown.

Onward to Zilker Park for the fest!

As we were walking in the gates, Lucero’s distinct vocals were blaring over the crowds. We stopped for a minute to catch a song, then walked the distance of the park to the Budweiser stage where Gaslight Anthem were.

I absolutely love Gaslight Anthem, and this was no exception.

This is where I rant about how amazing Manchester Orchestra was: HOLY SHIT! I’ve seen them a total of 4 times now and each and every time they just get better. Opening with “Shout It Out” and even quoting friend/bandmate in Bad Books, Kevin Devine towards the end. The only set that I could actually stay for the whole time and loved every minute of it. Guitarist, Robert McDowell looked into the camera to say hi to his grandmother since the performance would be airing on the internet. Andy Hull then leaned into the mic, “guess what, Grandma? Robert’s drunk!”

Okay, you get the picture. They rocked it.

Walked over to see the end of Silversun Pickups, who were awesome, then on to the Austin Ventures Stage for the majority of the night.

Local Natives blew me away. I knew they were good, but I didn’t expect them to be this good. One of my favorite bands of the day.

The other favorite band of the day? Monsters of Folk, of course. I absolutely love Conor and have since the day I heard a Bright Eyes song way back when.

Opening with their single, “Say Please,” MoF immediately got the crowd involved. Throughout their set, members switched instruments and roles between every song. For their second song, Conor took over. “Soul Singer in a Session Band” moved the crowd in such a way that I haven’t seen in awhile. Beautiful.

Next – LCD Soundsystem! Once again, would have been much better at night instead of 6:30 in the evening. Even still, there was tons of dancing. A perfect warm-up for Deadmau5 who played directly after on the neighboring stage as the sun set.

On our way over to see headliner, M.I.A., Matt and Kim were shutting down their set. They were in the middle of a cover of Mario’s “Just A Friend.”

Halfway through M.I.A’s set (which she was super energized and awesome to see live), we decided to beat the rush out of the park and head back.

We then tried out 6th Street for a bit, which is a whole story on it’s own.

Read Day 1 here.

Things are looking up for New York band the Postelles. They wowed crowds at South by Southwest in March. In May, they toured the UK as support for Sunderland, England’s Futureheads and played a headlining gig at famed London venue Koko. They toured with Alberta Cross in June, and then in July, they played a sold-out show at the Bowery Ballroom (and you can watch some backstage antics in the video below). And now they’ve just announced tour dates for the fall.

Tour Dates
Sept 05 – Northeastern University / Boston%
Sept 09 – Billy Reid store / New York&
Sept 18 – DC9 / Washington, DC*
Sept 24 – Great Scott / Allston, MA *
Sept 30 – Bar St. Laurent / Montreal $$
Oct 06 – Bowery Electric / New York City#
Oct 13 – Bowery Electric / New York City#
Oct 20 – Bowery Electric (CMJ Official Showcase) / New York City #
Oct 23 – Hideout / Chicago*
Nov 27 – Webster Hall / New York City**
Nov 29 – La Sala Rossa / Montreal **
Nov 30 – Mod Club / Toronto**
Dec 02 – 9:30 Club / Washington, DC**
Dec 03 – Royale / Boston**
Dec 04 – Water Street Music Hall / Rochester **
Dec 07 – Culture Room / Fort Lauderdale**
Dec 09 – Social / Orlando**
Dec 10 – Covenant College / Lookout Mountain, GA**
Dec 11 – Loft / Atlanta**
Dec 13 – Paramount Arts Center / Ashland, KY*
* headlining gig
% with Manchester Orchestra
& New York Fashion Week Event
$$ Pop Montreal
# Bowery Electric residency (free shows)
** with Fun. and Steel Train

The Postelles: website | myspace | interview with | @ Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel | The Postelles Premiere First Promo Video, “White Night”

Photo: Mary Chang

PodWreck is back and this time Melissa and Casey caught up with the multi-talented Chris Freeman of Manchester Orchestra to talk about life, the universe and everything...Or well, everything relating to life in Manchester Orchestra.

Freeman provides keyboards, vocals and additional percussion to the popular Georgia indie rock band know for hits such as “I’ve Got Friends” and “Shake It Out.”

Check out the full podcast interview below:

LISTEN!

Kevin Devine sits down with PodWreck at the Midland Theatre in Kansas City.

Shit gets interesting in this interview.

Then Kevin gives us two exclusive acoustic songs: including “Big Bad Man” from his newly released EP She Stayed As Steam along with a song from his side project with Manchester Orchestra, Bad Books, titled “You’re a Mirror I Cannot Avoid.”

ENJOY.

Kevin Devine performs “Mesa, Arizona” acoustic in the streets of Charleston, SC. The song is part of the upcoming Bad Books album that Kevin Devine did with Manchester Orchestra.

Some like to look at Bonnaroo Thursday as a practice day: a day to prepare for enduring the next three days of music by “easing” into it with a light day of music. I, however, would argue that Thursday is not a “light, ease into it” day, but the most challenging day of all. I would agree, though, that if you can handle Thursday, you can handle any day at Bonnaroo. Thursday is a test of patience. Any seasoned Bonnaroo veteran can tell you that you can easily spend most of Thursday not at the festival, but stuck in your car for countless hours just waiting to get checked in to the campground or will call.

The PopWreck team had a slight Nashville detour for sushi and a glimpse of the CMAs, which were also this weekend, so by the time we arrived in Tennessee, the car line just to enter the city of Manchester was already outlandish. We then had to spend more time waiting for our credentials before embarking on an even larger journey to find our campsite, which managed to confuse several volunteers. Then another delay came with the time it took to set up the tent before we lost daylight. Suffice it to say, we missed a few Thursday bands that we would have liked to have seen, but those are the breaks and almost everyone at Bonnaroo has to deal with them.

For Thursday, only half of the stages were in use and while there were plenty of good bands spread across various stages, as far as this indie hipster is concerned, the only stage to be at Thursday was “That Tent.” The evening line up at That Tent consisted of Local Natives, Neon Indian, The Temper Trap and The xx. So like I said, this was the place to be Thursday and the tent was packed all night.

My compatriot, Josh, did venture off to explore other bands. He went to Manchester Orchestra at The Other Tent. Here the alt rockers payed a high energy cover and a new song as well as their radio hits such as “I’ve Got Friends” and “Shake It Out.” He also swung by the wild dance party that was Miike Snow at This Tent. Snow went late, which made Josh miss The Dodos as planned. Then, Josh caught the many indie rockers in Blitzen Trapper before grabbing a few laughs with Margaret Cho at the Comedy Tent. As a special treat, The Raconteurs’ Brendan Benson performed with her.

Manchester Orchestra by Joshua Hammond

Manchester Orchestra by Joshua Hammond

Blitzen Trapper by Joshua Hammond

Meanwhile, That Tent, where I was, had a constant showcase of a great indie bands. I began with CA’s Local Natives, who played most of their tunes off Gorilla Manor and a Talking Heads cover. The Fleet Fox-esque band took me by surprise. I guess I just assumed that like the Fleet Foxes, they’d be bearded and flannel-wearing gents. But the harmonious group was a bunch of young hipsters. From listening to the record, I knew to expect the great harmonies, but it was only by seeing them live that I realized how skilled the percussive heavy act really was as members, as members switched up guitars with mandolins and extra drums as well as moving around who had lead vocals. Truly fantastic.

Local Natives by Joshua Hammond

After Local Natives was the chillwave act Neon Indian. I caught Neon Indian in Denver over a year ago and I can’t get over how much they’ve progressed. The group jumped up and down while playing multiple synths. The audience couldn’t help, but dance. The band got a little scandalous during “Deadbeat Summer” when a group of of topless girls loosely covered in paint and feathers like, well, Indians, came out on stage and danced. The set was over all too quickly and sensing that, the band reappeared and played one more: a brand new song.

Neon Indian by Joshua Hammond

Next up was Australia’s The Temper Trap. I guess the third times the charm since I’ve been trying to see these guys on multiple occasions and something has always come up i.e. tornado watches. Lame. Not lame? The band’s performance. I was surprised by their jam band tendencies, but l also loved that they had them. During one great jam break, singer Dougy poured water on an extra tom drum and as he banged on the drum, water sprayed up all over the stage. Of course, the falsetto-rich “Sweet Disposition” really got the crowd moving with an extended guitar riff intro.

The Temper Trap by Joshua Hammond

But the band of the day was The xx. In an almost holy manor, the three touring members of the xx appeared dressed in black on the dimly lit stage. They surrounded turntables set up with big banners of white xs and began their set. They played most of their set and a cover. At first I thought female singer/guitarist Romy Madley Croft, was the member to watch, but I think I was getting drawn into tricks of the spotlight. Sure she has some of the better vocal parts, but it is her fellow singer and bassist, Oliver Sim, that was the real skill behind this band. Regardless, the chemistry of the back and forth vocals and answering dings of the drum machine make this a haunting band to watch. Throw in a starry backdrop and you have the perfect way to end the evening.

The XX by Joshua Hammond

Well, at least the perfect way to end an evening at That Tent. Bonnaroo Thursday has a a tradition, as St. Louis legend Beatle Bob pointed out, and that is to end the music portion with an act on the smaller Troo Music Lounge stage that features rising acts. Joshua James had the honor this evening and his American rock resonated through Centeroo as campers made their way back to their tents. Amped and ready for another day.

More photos and more recaps to come…

If you want to be a good band, play your instruments flawlessly. If you want to be a spectacular band, play your instruments flawlessly and frequently jump on a trampoline…Ok, so that formula might not work for everyone, but it definitely works for Weezer.

The quirky rockers were in Kansas City Friday to headline the first of 96.5 the Buzz‘s annual summer concert series: Buzz Under the Stars. They were joined on the bill by American Bang, Manchester Orchestra and Coheed & Cambria.

Nashville’s American Bang gave the audience a dose of their soulful southern rock. With stretched out, yowling vocals, big drums and even bigger guitar riffs, these guys are like a more affordable Kings of Leon. Though the audience didn’t seem that familiar with their tunes, many were at least able to sing along with single “Wild and Young” and pick up on the choruses to the rest of the catchy Americana rock songs.

After American Bang, was Manchester Orchestra, and with how often they play for this city, they might as well move here and take up residence. Like American Bang, they’re also from the South, but their sound takes on a completely different edge. I love them for the energy and intensity they bring to their music, but as they kicked off with their popular, “I’ve Got Friends,” I was dismayed with how rushed and sloppy this set seemed in comparison to previous performances. They’re a good band, so I know they can do better than what I heard Friday. Only “Shake It Out” seemed up to its usual standard.

Manchester Orchestra Set List: I’ve Got Friends, Pride, Shake It Out, Everything to Nothing, The River

Next up were the science loving prog rockers Coheed & Cambria who played a juggernaut of set list. Wailing, soaring guitar riffs made this the perfect music to rock your head up and down to and it was almost a shame that it was so hot that the mosh lovers couldn’t really get into it. The only issue here was that while the set sounded great down in the front, if you moved further out into the venue, the falsetto vocals got swallowed up. Not necessarily the band’s fault, but one of the pitfalls of an outdoor show.

Coheed & Cambria Set List: (Intro), The Broken, Here We Are Juggernaut, At The Killer, Three Evils, World of Lines, Made Out of Nothing, The Suffering, Pearl, Time Consumer, No World for Tomorrow, A Favor House Atlantic, Welcome Home

Watching Weezer, it is a little hard to believe that they’re seasoned veterans of the alt rock world with the youthful and downright jubilant energy they use in their performance. Their set of hit after hit though, served as a good reminder that these guys have been around for awhile and good with reason. Singer Rivers Cuomo danced around the stage, hopped on a trampoline, smashed instruments and every other spectacular performance trick you can think of, but the real treat came during the encore performance. Weezer mashed together MGMT‘s “Kids” with Lady Gaga‘s “Poker Face.” Brilliant (you can check it out below). I know that Weezer fans are divided and some even go as far to ignore the new music, but the thing about Weezer is that no matter what you say you like, all their music is fun.

Weezer Set List: Intro, Hash Pipe, Troublemaker, Undone, Surf Wax America, Woolly Mammoth, Trippin’ Down the Freeway, Perfect Situation, Dope Nose, Say It Ain’t So, Brian’s Theme, Can’t Stop Partying, Why Bother?, I Want You To, My Name Is Jonas, Beverly Hills//Hot for Teacher, Pork and Beans, MGMT’s “Kids”/Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face”///Island in the Sun, Buddy Holly

Thrice has announced the second leg of their Summer headlining tour. 

The band recently canceled their co-headlining tour with Manchester Orchestra due to a family emergency, but they’re now ready to tour again. They’ll be going back on the road with Kevin Devine, Bad Veins and The Dig.

The tour starts June 3 in San Francisco, CA and goes until July 17 in Pomona, CA. Presale tickets for the second leg of the tour are available May 11 at 1 p.m. local time in each city. Tickets go on sale to the public on May 17.

Tour Dates:
Jun 3 – San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom *
Jun 4 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater *
Jun 5 – Seattle, WA @ King Cat Theater *
Jun 7 – Edmonton, AB @ The Starlite Room *
Jun 8 – Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall Ballroom *
Jun 9 – Saskatoon, SAS @ Louis’ Pub
Jun 11 – St. Paul, MN @ Station 4 ^ #
Jun 12 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues * ^ #
Jun 13 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall * ^
Jun 15 – Toronto, ONT @ Phoenix Concert Theatre * ^ #
Jun 16 – Montreal, QC @ Le National* ^ #
Jun 17 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues* ^ #
Jun 18 – New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place * ^ #
Jun 19 – Clifton Park, NY @ Northern Lights* ^ #
Jun 21 – Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon* ^ #
Jun 22 – Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock Café * ^ #
Jun 23 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero * ^ #
Jun 24 – New York, NY @ The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza * ^ #
Jun 25 – Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom* ^ #
Jun 26 – Towson, MD @ The Recher Theatre * ^ #
Jun 28 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa * ^ #
Jun 29 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle * ^ #
Jun 30 – Charleston, SC @ The Music Farm * ^ #
Jul 1 – Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues * ^ #
Jul 2 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Revolution * ^ #
Jul 3 – St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre * ^ #
Jul 6 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live * ^ #
Jul 7 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s * ^ #
Jul 8 – Dallas, TX @ The Palladium * ^ #
Jul 9 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom * ^ #
Jul 10 – Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre * ^ #
Jul 11 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre * ^ #
Jul 13 – Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue * ^ #
Jul 15 – Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee * ^ #
Jul 16 – San Diego, CA @ House of Blues * ^ #
Jul 17 – Pomona, CA @ Fox Theatre * ^ #
* Supported by Kevin Devine
^ Supported by Bad Veins
# Supported by The Dig

Every so often, reality slaps me hard across the face. Reality: Manchester Orchestra is a phenomenal live band and they’ve only gotten better with time and their much deserved success. Reality: not everyone is as aware of this band as they should be because they’re not quite on the musical plain that I’m on. So when explaining this tour to my friends, I had to pick my jaw up from the floor and explain that no, Manchester Orchestra was not a futbol/soccer team and that while musically gifted, they weren’t even an orchestra. In my best attempt to describe their sound pre-show, I likened them to Brand New if Brand New had the chance to grow up in a southern rock scene, but even that description I didn’t feel was right. In truth, coming up with bands that they sound nothing like (i.e. Godsmack, Staind, Madonna) is a much easier task than drawing comparisons to which bands they’re akin.

Man O’s Atlanta brethren O’Brother opened up. In a failed attempt to judge books by their covers, I thought the v-necks and plaid meant these would have been more of the folk-southern rock, but once they began that notion went out the window. This was a hard set that was heavy with pounding drums. Earnest, but raw lyrics punched through with the beats. It was a bit too much for me though and I ached for a little reprieve from each of the hard-hitting numbers this group continued to deliver. It looked like Manchester’s Chris Freeman might have been filling in on drums for them, but from the scant information I’ve found online about this group, I have been unable to confirm that.

As a complete counter to O’ Brother was Scotland’s very popular Biffy Clyro. The shirtless trio covered in tattoos looked like they would deliver a harder set and from the half tune I overheard on the radio, I was expecting something along the lines of Blue October, but instead I got more of a power pop trio with traces of grunge. The tunes were ridiculously catchy, so I can see why they’re so popular in the UK. Singer Simon Neil cracked a smile as he hit the chorus to “Mountains,” which was probably due to pleasant surprise that this American audience knew the song better than expected. From their energetic live show to their charismatic tunes, it shouldn’t be long before they gain the recognition in the States that they’ve already garnered in Europe.

Biffy Clyro Set List:
Golden Rule
Living
Match?
The Captain
Many of Horror
Bubbles
Mountains

Perhaps my favorite opener of the night was the folk rock act of Tennessee’s The Features. While previous acts got the crowd moving with moshing action, this group had people clapping and singing along. I was blown away by some of the harmonies and dynamic control (I’m often impressed when vocals are still powerful despite the singer standing several feet away from microphones). As one of my friends pointed out, they’re like Kings of Leon, except you can actually understand what they’re saying. Perhaps that parallel is why the Features were the first act to sign to the Kings of Leon’s imprint.

The Features Set List:
?
The Drawing Board
The Way It’s Meant to Be
Me & the Skirts
Foundation’s Cracked
The Temporary Blues
?
?
?
?
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Thursday

Finally it was the act that all had been waiting for: Manchester Orchestra.

I’m so used to singer Andy Hull hiding under a hat and behind a full beard that his appearance at the microphone sans hat and hair semi back out of his face, tucked behind his ears, was a shock, but a testament to how comfortable he’s become with the Kansas City audience.

They started things off with their light-hearted “50 Cent is my favorite rapper” number:

From there they delved into their popular, fast-driven tunes that inspire moshing, head-bobbing and even dancing and demand singing along. “Marcus” and “Shake It Out” especially stood out as Hull went from his yowl-like vocals on the verses into the full out rock vocals of the choruses. The band treated the audience to a new number and the promise of new material in the late summer before jumping back to more of their popular hits. Freeman, as always, was fascinating to watch as he did everything from playing extra drums to playing keys with his shirt pulled over his head to air guitar as he got swept away in the band’s music.

The band was thankful for the audience-love they were receiving, but not without limits.

“I hate to burst your bubble, but clapping isn’t going to work to work on this tune. It’s a slower, serious number. Nothing against participation, but just not here.” -Hull said to the audience at the beginning of  “Colly Strings,” one of the more emotionally open numbers and the calm of this amazing music storm of a show.

Participation was incredibly encouraged on radio hit “I’ve Got Friends” and on the beast of a song extension of “Where Have You Been?” “I’ve Got Friends” was a little all over the place tempo-wise and I imagine those going to hear a duplicate of the recording will be a bit dismayed. However, I for the most part, am a fan of this band experimenting on their live song versions, so when they ended the night with a 15-minute version of “Where Have You Been,” which is jokingly referred to as “Where Have You Been, Bitch?” on the set list, I went home a happy camper as did the rest of the audience.

If there was one thing that I learned from this show, it’s that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Biffy Clyro covered in tattoos had an edgy look, but pop rock tunes. O’Brother looked like indie folksters, but heavy southern rock music. Manchester Orchestra at first look or listen might be easy to understate or not understand, but are truly genius.  Now, I know that I can’t force my music taste on everyone, but I don’t understand how anyone can come out of a show like that unhappy or at least respectful of the brilliance they just witnessed. Some other Kansas publications (give you a clue: their name rhymes with the bitch) have had the audacity to describe this band as boring and they were disrespectful enough to not even bother getting band member names right in previous reviews. That just proves to me that they weren’t at the same show as me and the hundreds of other sweating fans. It shows that they slept through brilliant line twists like “You mean everything to nothing; you mean everything to me.” It proves that they are just ignorant and poorly-researched.

So Manchester Orchestra, if you’re reading this, forget what other publications said. And while I’m just a humble blog reviewer, you really do mean everything to me.