popwreckoning

Omaha’s Maha Festival has started to reveal details of its lineups and its headliner announcement already has us pretty excited. Guided By Voices will headline the Maha Festival on August 13. 

Organizers also revealed local alt rock heroes Cursive would be on the bill along with rapper Matisyahu. More band announcements are soon to come.

Maha Festival is at the Lewis and Clark Landing in Downtown Omaha. Tickets go on sale here at 10 a.m., April 30.

For more information, visit mahafestival.com.

You should already know that those of us at  PopWreckoning love a good cover song. Now, usually we spotlight other indie acts covering fellow today we want to give special attention to a group delivering great cover after great cover: The PS22 Chorus.

If you’re unfamiliar with the PS22 Chorus, it is an elementary school chorus from Public School 22 in Graniteville, Staten Island (New York). Director Gregg Breinberg formed the group of 60-70 fifth graders and blogs about their experiences and covers here. Since their formation, they’ve received attention from artists such as Matisyahu and Tori Amos, as well as television attention. They’ve even performed for President Obama. Perhaps you remember hearing their vocals on Passion Pit‘s debut album Manners?

Though the group has already exploded on the interwebs and you might already be aware of them, we wanted to share of few of their covers of some of PopWreckoning’s favorite artists.

Enjoy!

The group’s latest cover of Marina and the Diamonds‘ “I Am Not a Robot.”

Beach House‘s “Zebra”

Phoenix‘s “Lisztomania”

Lady GaGa‘s “Just Dance”

“My DriveThru” originally with N.E.R.D., Santogold, Julian Casablancas and Pharrell

Matisyahu has released his newest album Light already this year and it is just as good, if not better than his first album that came out in 2006. It is evident in Matisyahu’s first few tracks on his new album Light, that his craft, and style of music has evolved. All music changes from album to album, and after listening to both of his, there is a profound difference in his sound. However, even though his music has changed (not too dramatically by the way), his message remains constant. I have noticed that Matisyahu is very inspired by overcoming obstacles and self-empowerment. These ideas are very much embedded in his music.

The first track of the album titled “Smash Lies,” is proof of his meaningful messages. The main line in the song that is repeated is “Dream away!” It speaks of dreaming big and not letting the little things (smashing lies) hold you back.

The song “One Day,” Matisyahu’s newest single, is a song about how that one day the world will be without war, starvation, and other viruses such as these, that have infected out world. After listing to this Reggae ballad, I have found that he has added a splash of the essence that you can find in all of Bob Marley‘s music. These must have been a key factor in determining that this song would be the single.

A good part of the album Light is made up of R&B-Reggae as apposed to Matisyahu’s last album that was primarily Rap-Reggae, and I like it. He did still manage to keep his rap in his record, but the fact that he ventured out into R&B for this album is impressive. Especially because he did a hell of a job. My personal favorite song on the album is “On Nature.” It is oh so very good. I will leave it up to you to check the song out!

Tracklisting:
01. Smash Lies
02. We Will Walk
03. One Day (New Album Version)
04. Escape
05. So Hi So Lo
06. I Will Be Light
07. For You
08. On Nature
09. Motivate
10. Struggla
11. Darkness Into Light
12. Thunder
13. Silence

Tour dates:
Oct. 17 – Flames Central / Calgary, CAN
Oct. 18 – Commodore Ballroom / Vancouver, CAN
Oct. 19 – McDonald Theatre / Eugene, OR
Oct. 20 – The Catalyst / Santa Cruz, CA
Oct. 21 – House of Blues / Anaheim, CA
Oct. 22 – The Fillmore / San Francisco, CA
Oct. 24 – Kick Gas Festival / San Diego, CA
Oct. 25 – Marquee Theatre / Tempe, AZ
Oct. 27 – The Fillmore / Denver, CO
Oct. 29 – Peoples / Des Moines, IA
Oct. 31 – Pabst Theater / Milwaukee, WI
Nov. 2 – The Pageant / St. Louis, MO
Nov. 3 – House of Blues / Chicago, IL
Nov. 4 – Foellinger Auditorium (University of Illinois) / Champaign, IL
Nov. 5 – Slowdown / Omaha, NE
Nov. 8 – House of Blues / New Orleans, LA
Nov. 10 – The Lincoln Theatre / Raleigh, NC
Nov. 11 – Fillmore / Charlotte, NC
Nov. 12 – The Handlebar / Greenville, SC
Nov. 14 – Music Farm / Charleston, SC
Nov. 15 – The Orange Peel / Asheville, NC
Nov. 16 – Buster’s / Lexington, KY
Nov. 17 – The Norva / Norfolk, VA
Nov. 18 – The National / Richmond, VA
Nov. 19 – House of Blues / Myrtle Beach, SC
Nov. 21 – Sonar / Baltimore, MD
Nov. 22 – The Palladium / Worcester, MA
Nov. 23 – Higher Ground / Burlington, VT
Nov. 24 – Northern Lights / Albany, NY
Nov. 25 – Sixth & I Historic Synagogue / Washington, DC
Nov. 28 – The Borgata / Atlantic City, NJ
Nov. 29 – Le Medley / Montreal, CAN
Nov. 30 – The Phoenix / Toronto, CAN 
Dec. 1 – Webster Theatre / Hartford, CT
Dec. 2 – House of Blues / Cleveland, OH
Dec. 3 – Bogart’s / Cincinnati, OH
Dec. 7 – St. Andrews / Detroit, MI
Dec. 8 – The Armory / Rochester, NY

Matisyahu: website | myspace | interview | @ crossroads

Built to Spill, Brandi Carlile, Ingrid Michaelson, Thievery Corporation, Joshua Radin and Sondre Lerche are the latest artists to join the (RED)NIGHTS concert series. They join Fall Out Boy, Katy Perry, Santigold and others for (RED)’s series of 26 concerts in the U.S. to help fight AIDS in Africa. A portion of the proceeds from each show goes directly to the Global Fund.

For the first set of shows, Fall Out Boy, Katy Perry, Gomez, Santigold, O.A.R., Lisa Hannigan, The Veronicas, Matisyahu and K’Naan each turned one of their concerts (RED) to bring the (RED) experience to life in a new way. At each of these shows, (RED)NIGHTS and the community of acclaimed artists aimed to inspire fans to participate in (RED)’s mission to eliminate AIDS in Africa by pausing to highlight the many ways to get involved and encouraging those in the audience to share the message and experience with others.

“I believe no person deserves to suffer from a preventable, treatable disease simply because they can’t afford medicine,” said Marc Roberge of O.A.R. “If bringing awareness to what (RED) is doing helps one person receive antiretroviral treatment and live a healthy life, we have accomplished our goal.”

Ultimately, it is the goal of (RED)NIGHTS to build a community—of artists, concertgoers and music fans everywhere—that is passionate about helping to fight AIDS in Africa. A portion of the proceeds of each (RED)NIGHTS concert goes directly to the Global Fund.

“(RED) was looking to engage more people in its mission, to help eliminate AIDS in Africa. The (RED)NIGHTS series is an innovative concept that combines the power of Live Nation’s live music platform and venues to use people’s passion for music to raise awareness and, ultimately, generate more money to help eliminate AIDS in Africa.” said Russell Wallach, President of North American Alliances for Live Nation. “We’re building a great line up of artists for (RED)NIGHTS, and believe we can help (RED) successfully deliver its message by connecting them with music fans all over the country.”

(RED)NIGHTS arrives on the heels of (RED)WIRE ™, the innovative new digital music service from (RED). The (RED)NIGHTS artists join an impressive community of (RED) artists who are participating in (RED)WIRE, including U2, Coldplay, The Killers, Jay-Z, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Sheryl Crow, Neko Case, Noel Gallagher, Conor Oberst, TV On The Radio, Death Cab For Cutie, Michael Franti and many more. (RED)NIGHTS and (RED)WIRE mark the first time (RED) has moved into the music arena and are a mutual extension of (RED)’s mission, whereby the music community is coming together as a vehicle to raise awareness and funds to help fight AIDS in Africa.

Tour Dates:
Aug 19 – Fall Out Boy @ The Pageant / St. Louis, MO
Sep 12 – Ingrid Michaelson @ The Paradise / Boston
Sep 13 – Sondre Lerche @ The Paradise / Boston
Sep 24 – Joshua Radin @ House of Blues / Chicago
Sep 25 – Brandi Carlile @ House of Blues / Chicago
Oct 03 – Ingrid Michaelson @ House of Blues / San Diego
Oct 04 – Thievery Corporation @ House of Blues / Dallas
Oct 09 – Thievery Corporation @ The Fillmore / Miami
Oct 31 – Built to Spill @ The Fillmore / San Francisco
Nov 01 – Built to Spill @ The Fillmore / San Francisco

(RED) Nights: website

read all about ROTHBURY Day 1, ROTHBURY Day 2, and ROTHBURY Day 3!

Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band with Tony Rice // Ranch Arena
Having grown fairly accustomed to bongos, fireworks, and loud hippies until 5AM, then the early risers from 6AM on, I managed to sleep in on Sunday, making it to the festival grounds in time to catch the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band with Tony Rice. Most notable in the jaunty and wildly entertaining set were the literary references, namely those referencing Poe. I was impressed that such upbeat music could associate itself with the dark writing of Edgar Allan Poe.

Toots and the Maytals // The Odeum
I didn’t stick around Ranch Arena for Peter Rowan long – I didn’t want to miss any of Toots and the Maytals at the Odeum. My boyfriend introduced me to the Toots, which surprised me because his taste is dominated by electronica. I had to make sure I saw Toots and the Maytals, not only to rub it in to boyfriend that I caught them, but because I was genuinely interested in seeing their live show after hearing their lively recordings.
I did arrive to the stage after they’d started, and I walked up to hear the band covering John Denver’s “Country Roads”, putting the Toots lively reggae rock touch on it, and making it just as much fun as the Me First and the Gimme Gimmes version.

Sam Roberts Band // Sherwood Court
Canadians Sam Roberts Band stormed the Sherwood Court stage with a very rock and roll sound that held the audience rapt. Their motherland following is wildly loyal and enthusiastic as displayed by many shirtless dudes running around draped in the Canadian flag, or other accessories adorned by the red maple leaf. It’s no wonder, with how energetic and tight that Sam Roberts Band is, that their fans would follow them to the States for ROTHBURY.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals // Sherwood Court
A friend of mine went to college with Grace and clued me into how amazing this woman is years before I’d ever heard of her. I was beyond stoked to catch the sizzling blonde at ROTHBURY and was impressed by her masterful, jazzy piano work and sultry vocal work. Her sexy stage presence is enough to seduce you just halfway into the first tune.

The Hold Steady // Ranch Arena
I’ve never caught on to the Hold Steady craze. I don’t dislike the band, I just haven’t gotten swept up in the Hold Steady mania. I’m pretty sure many other ROTHBURY attendees are in my same shoes: they performed to a modest crowd on the Ranch Arena stage, though I would have pegged them for a Sherwood Court band, since that stage seemed to feature the less jammy, more rock or experimental outfits. Either way, I stuck around for the entire set and was impressed with their performance. I was pleasantly surprised to find accordion, harmonica and keyboard played Franz Nicolay killing it after I’d caught his solo show last Fall and had to leave halfway through the set because I found it to be that unbearable. The Hold Steady’s set was a mix of songs from both of the band’s records and I had a lot of fun taking in what the Hold Steady was dishing out.

Matisyahu // Sherwood Court
I missed out on Matisyahu’s performance as I stuck around for all of the Hold Steady and moved right on to Willie Nelson. By chance, I did get to see Matis as he hung out with his son and entourage in the media area, his son playing some kiddie instruments that were in a basket next to the Ice Cream Man’s truck. It was just adorable!

Willie Nelson & Family // The Odeum
Willie Nelson is a legend. He was soft-spoken, though jaunty in his music, playing classics like “On The Road Again”, “Hey Good Lookin’” and “Georgia On My Mind” to an adoring audience. Performing for more than 50 years, at a healthy 76, Willie Nelson isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Matisyahu, over on the Sherwood Court stage, was so loud it almost overpowered Nelson’s unusually quiet set, but this had no effect on Nelson’s solid performance.

Ani DiFranco // Sherwood Court
I once told a friend that I’d never listened to Ani DiFranco and she, without a moment’s hesitation, told me, “That’s because you’re not a lesbian.” I was taken aback by the answer, but took it and laughed, unsure of what to make of it. Needless to say, I was intrigued to see what the lovely Ms. DiFranco was actually like and was afforded the opportunity to do so while at ROTHBURY. I was delighted to find her sweet, folky sound wonderful and confused as to my friend’s aforementioned answer as to why I wouldn’t have ever listened to Ani before. So maybe I just don’t get it, but I’m solidly pro-Ani.

Bob Dylan and His Band // The Odeum
When I’d seen Bob Dylan at last summer’s Virgin Mobile Festival, I was disappointed with the performance. Dylan is a legend, and with that comes wild expectations, which just weren’t met last summer. Thankfully, Dylan’s ROTHBURY performance this summer was a knockout. I hadn’t been expecting too much, considering last year’s let down, but there was no way I was going to miss another chance to see this living legend.
The passion exhibited in his performance was amazing to see, especially at the ripe old age of 68 and 50 odd years of performing. It was clear in his voice that he still means every word of “Spirit on the Water” off 2006′s Modern Times as he sang, “You’re always on my mind…I can’t sleeeeeeep.” His scratchy vocals were precise and emotion filled. Amongst the expected classic Dylan songs played was a slow and jazzy version of “Blowin’ In The Wind”, a very impressive rendition thanks to the arrangement of His Band.

Dylan didn’t allow any photography for his set, but check out a bootleg video of “Tangled Up In Blue” here. You can also check out some shots of Dylan by a guy who had a great telephoto lens and was really close to the front here and watch “Thunder on the Mountain” below.

“Thunder on the Mountain”

On the whole ROTHBURY was an amazing time. Here’s to ROTHBURY 2010.

ROTHBURY: website | interview with

Photos: Jon Gitchoff