popwreckoning

Monday was by far the longest of the three days gallivanting around the Seattle Center, as it started at 12 Noon sharp. I met up with some people over at the Fountain Lawn stage for Motopony, one of Seattle’s newer phenomenons. I saw them play live for the first time last summer and recently heard their song “King of Diamonds” on 103.7 The Mountain, which is pretty big actually.

Frontman Daniel Blue can really put on a show, I’ll tell ya. Their early (and I mean early) afternoon show made me wish they played more around the city.

My camera and I moved over to the Free Yr Radio stage for Lake’s acoustic set, since I knew I couldn’t make it to their main set later in the day because of such a full schedule. While I found several times that weekend the people doing the short impromptu interviews at the stage were quite awkward, Lake was so chill that it made the set that much more enjoyable. I’m sure it was easier for the girl doing the interview as well.

Curtains for You was next, and they were one of the main bands I was looking forward to on that Monday. They opened for the Head and the Heart back in January at Neumo’s, and the atmosphere at the EMP Level 3 stage on Monday was just as warm and inviting as the Neumo’s show. It felt so intimate and fun – almost like a living room show.

After that was a trifecta of local talent – starting with Grand Hallway, whose brand of indie pop can only be described as majestic, with the strong instrumental melodies and orchestral quality.

I then headed over to the Free Yr Radio stage again for Ravenna Woods, since I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make it to their set later. I’ve seen them several times, so I didn’t feel that bad. But their acoustic set was fantastic. Again, dealing with the awkward interview, frontman Chris Cunningham laughed it all off with a giant smile, after rocking out to my favourite of their songs “We Want It All.” Which reminds me, I need to see if I can get into that Nirvana Nevermind exhibition, because Ravenna Woods is playing at it.

Back to the EMP Level 3 stage I went, and this time for Lemolo, who had quite a long line waiting to get in to see them by the time I got there, and it was already at capacity. It warmed my heart to see so them – like so many local bands that weekend – get such a strong audience. The two girls put on a lovely show, like always. The best part was when it sounded like everyone in the room started singing along to their song “Open Air.” It was a bit surreal, even for me.

After my heart was thoroughly warmed, I ventured into the Exhibition Hall for the first time that weekend for Eisley’s set. To tell you the truth, I used to listen to Eisley about 4 years ago, but have since moved on with my musical tastes. Because I hadn’t listened to them in forever, I was expecting something completely different at their show. I was not expecting them to rock so much. Thankfully I did see their show, or else I would have gone on thinking that they still did breathy lite indie pop. These girls have come a long way since Room Noises in 2005.

Vendetta Red was also in the Exhibition Hall that afternoon, and even though it wasn’t much of my style of music – this classic Seattle alternative punk band rocked the house. It definitely was nice for those fans to get to see Vendetta Red play live after their four-year hiatus.

The final act I got to see in daylight was Sharon Van Etten, who I had never seen before and didn’t know what to expect. While for the first couple of songs, it was only Sharon and her guitar on stage, her charm commanded the audience for a fantastic, rather stripped-down set.

Then the next hour of my evening went like this – ran over to Phantogram, stayed for a few songs and they were amazing. I was surprised because last year when they played Musicfest Northwest it was a bit underwhelming. After that, a couple of my fellow photographers and I ran across the Seattle Center to see Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside at the EMP Level 3 stage, and she was adorable, even if she admitted to being a little hungover. Then literally as soon as we were done shooting, we skidaddled over to the Key Arena to find some seats for Hall & Oates. Yes, Hall & Oates.

The main reason I saw Hall & Oates was not because I had been dying to see “Maneater” live, but merely the fact that I could say that I’d seen Hall & Oates play. The audience inside the Key Arena was hilarious – the exact opposite of the teenagers the day before. It was a bunch of middle-aged women singing their middle-aged little hearts out, which was endearing to say the least.

So it was the end of Bumbershoot 2011. It was a wild ride, but my week was far from over, as I’d be driving to Portland two days later for Musicfest Northwest the rest of the week. Stay tuned for that coverage coming soon!

For more photos from Monday, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/abbigshmail/sets/72157627482031965/

Reptar have announced that they have signed to Vagrant Records, who will be working in partnership with Make Records Not Bombs on the upcoming Oblangle Fizz Y’all EP.  The EP was due out digitally on August 2nd.

The band will later take to the road to support the Oblangle Fizz Y’all EP by playing Austin City Limits music festival, after already playing Lollapalooza.  A nationwide tour with Foster The People and Cults will immediately follow ACL festival in September.

Tour Dates:

September 15 – House of Blues – Dallas, TX * ^
September 16 – Austin City Limits Music Festival — Austin, TX
September 17 – House of Blues – Houston, TX * ^
September 19 – House of Blues – New Orleans, LA *
September 20 – Beacham Theatre – Orlando, FL *^
September 21 – Masquerade – Atlanta, GA *^
September 23 – The National – Richmond, VA *^
September 26 – 9:30 Club – Washington DC *
September 29 – House of Blues – Boston, MA *^
September 27 – Terminal 5 – New York, NY *
October 1 – Sound Academy – Toronto, ON *
October 2 – Newport Music Hall – Columbus, OH *^
October 4 – The Vogue – Indianapolis, IN *^
October 6 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN *^
October 7 – The Aquarium – Fargo, ND
October 9- Showbox at the Market- Seattle, WA*
October 10 – Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC*
October 15 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
October 18 – The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
October 23 – Chicago, IL – Metro **
October 24 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon **
October 26 – Minneapolis, MN – First Ave **
October 27 – Omaha, NE – Waiting Room **
October 28 – Denver, CO – Marquis Theatre **
November 01 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s **
November 02 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore **
November 03 – Santa Barbara, CA – Soho **
November 04 – Los Angeles, CA – The Music Box **
November 05 – Phoenix, AZ – Crescent **
November 08 – Dallas, TX – The Loft **
November 09 – Austin, TX – Mohawk **
November 10 – Houston, TX – Fitzgeralds **
November 11 – Baton Rouge, LA – Spanish Moon **
November 12 – Birmingham, AL – Workplay Theatre **
November 13 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade **

* w/ Foster the People
^ w/ Cults
** w/ Phantogram

For more information on Reptar please visit their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/reptarmusic

Lollapalooza is celebrating its 20th anniversary and as promised, the recently announced delivers some pretty hefty acts. 

Eminem, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Muse, My Morning Jacket, Deadmau5 and A Perfect Circle will headline the annual event in Grant Park from August 5-7, 2011.

If you missed Death From Above 1979‘s Coachella reunion, Lolla gives fans another chance. There’s also many other classic acts such as The Cars to up and comers The Naked and Famous. You can see the rest of the announced lineup below:

Eminem, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Muse, My Morning Jacket, Deadmau5, A Perfect Circle, Cee Lo Green, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley & Nas, the Cars, Ween, Bright Eyes, Arctic Monkeys, Big Audio Dynamite, Deftones, Beirut, Explosions in the Sky, Death From Above 1979, Ratatat, Crystal Castles, Flogging Molly, Atmosphere, Cold War Kids, Lykke Li, Cage the Elephant, OK GO, Local Natives, The Kills, White Lies, Portugal. The Man, Two Door Cinema Club, Ellie Goulding, Delta Spirit, Beats Antique, Mountain Goats, Sleigh Bells, Manchester Orchestra, Smith Westerns, Best Coast, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, The Drums, Black Lips, Fitz & the Tantrums, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, City and Colour, Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses, Cults, Noah and the Whale, Sam Adams, J. Roddy Walston and the Business, Tinie Tempah, Lissie, Dom, The Vaccines, Foster the People, Titus Andronicus, Mayer Hawthorne and the County, Chico Trujillo, The Naked and Famous, Phantogram, Rival Schools, Friendly Fires, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Reptar, Maps & Atlases, Fences, Tennis, An Horse, Young the Giant, Los Bunkers, Imelda May, Grouplove, Wye Oak, The Joy Formidable, Lord Huron, Disappears, Walk the Moon, Gold Motel, Iration, Ryan Leslie, Tab the Band, Skylar Grey, Christina Perri, Black Cards, The Pretty Reckless, Boy and Bear, Patrick Stump, Kids These Days, Young Man, The Kingston Springs, Lia Ices, The Chain Gang of 1974, Ximena Sarinana, Typhoon, Electric Touch, Kerli, Ruby Jane, Julia Easterlin, and DJ Mel.

On Perry’s Stage:

Girl Talk, Pretty Lights, Kid Cudi, the Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77, AfroJack, Modeselektor, Skrillex, Perryetty vs. Chris Cox, Chuckie, The Glitch MOb, Busy P, Joachim Garraud, Super Mash Bros., Jay Electronica, 12th Planet, Daedulus, Feed Me, JackMaster, Collie Buddz, Savoy, Kyle Lucas and Captain Midnite, Ana Tijouxana, Midnight Conspiracy, L1ght, and Lady D.

Early Bird tickets have already sold out, but you can now buy regular priced tickets for $215 while supplies last. VIP Passes and Travel Packages are also available. A limited number of
Single Day tickets will go on sale June 7. Go here to buy tickets.

Organizers are expecting over 240,000 people.

Thursday of Musicfest Northwest started at a different ballroom – the Wonder Ballroom. Thankfully it’s in a residential area of Portland, so pay parking lots be damned!

I had planned on just seeing Ra Ra Riot at the Wonder Ballroom, but I arrived early to catch a bit of Phantogram, with their formula of electronic drum machine beats and soft vocals. The duo of keyboardist Sarah Barthel and guitarist Josh Carter was quite good, playing through some darn catchy songs – including the sexy “When I’m Small” and infectious “Mouthful of Diamonds,” which was recently featured in a New York Lottery commercial (and I can’t help but think it’s been used somewhere else, because lord knows we don’t have commercials for the New York lotto over here).

Next up came Ra Ra Riot with their lovely upbeat baroque pop. I can’t say enough how much fun this band is – you have the guitar-driven hit “Ghost Under Rocks” off their first LP The Rhumb Line, all the way to the strings-heavy “Boy” off their new album The Orchard (both of which make you want to sing and dance adorably).

Seriously, everything about this band is adorable – and not in a bad way. Lead singer Wes Miles wispy pop vocals mixed with cello and violin, not to mention the overwhelming friendly synergy on stage. You can’t help but feel the love. A few select favorites from their set included “Too Dramatic” and “Foolish,” both of which Miles singing back and forth with cellist Alexandra Lawn, and “St Peter’s Day Festival.”

Their positive energy was surely contagious, as when they had finished their set, the crowd overwhelmingly started chanting for an encore. I can only guess what the people living in the neighborhood would have thought. After a couple of minutes, the troupe walked back out on stage, Miles now sporting a pair of glasses, and guitarist Milo Bonacci jumped right into the opening riff to “A Manner to Act” off their self-titled debut EP, a quick and almost punk track (except with the addition of strings, so you still know it’s obviously Ra Ra Riot).

I made my way out of the Wonder Ballroom, I went back to Burnside for day number two at the Crystal Ballroom for some punk rock – Ted Leo and The Pharmacists and The Thermals. After circling the block for a good ten minutes looking for parking, I eventually got to the Crystal, with the show already in progress. I wasn’t about to venture into the mosh pit right away, because a.) I needed to get some decent photos and b.) I’d be afraid my camera would get damaged while getting thrashed around by the excited fans.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists were a perfect way to get the energy up for the rest of the night. The band played all through their catalogue, from the last ten years, and it certainly made the crowd happy – which ranged from my age (21) to my parents’ age (50-ish). That’s when you know you’re in a cool city – when people can go to rock shows with their parents. One of the highlights was the almost folk-sounding “Sons of Cain” off their new LP The Brutalist Bricks.

If I thought people were excited for Ted Leo, then they went ape crazy for the Thermals. I mean, they’re local, so it makes sense.

Hutch Harris, Kathy Foster, and Westin Glass took the stage to a loving and enthusiastic crowd, coming off the release of their fifth LP, Personal Life, co-produced with Chris Walla.

“This is a bit of an album release party, so let’s get crazy!” Harris exclaimed.

And that’s exactly what we did. Kicking off the 20+ song set with “Here’s Your Future,” the band played through old favorites like “It’s Trivia” off More Parts Per Million and “Now We Can See” off their last album. Even though The Thermals obviously had some bigger hits with the locals, it was nice to see how receptive the crowd was with the new songs off Personal Life. It always bothers me when a band gets the cold shoulder if they play a bunch of new songs that people aren’t as familiar with, but I guess that’s just a sentiment to Portland’s overall unified nature.

Just after 11 p.m., the Thermals ended their main set with “A Pillar of Salt,” another high-octane song to get people ready for the positively glorious encore. A couple minutes past, and then one by one Foster, Glass and Harris took the stage once again, and started playing a familiar riff.

But it wasn’t familiar as a Thermals song.

No, it was Weezer’s “My Name Is Jonas.” Needless to say, the guy standing next to me went absolutely nuts.

For two sold-out nights, Londoners The xx proved that a minimalist approach can work, when it’s done well.

Having just arrived on the scene in 2009, The xx have earned a great deal of buzz and, judging by the crowd response, a sizable faction of ardent fans. Appearing shy, unassuming and a bit goth in their solid black attire, Oliver Sim on vocals and bass, Romy Madley Croft on vocals and guitar and Jamie Smith on percussion played to a packed house at San Francisco’s Great American Music Hall.

To start the show, I was excited to see Phantogram, a New York duo that I have been hearing so much about lately. I had heard about comparisons to Portishead, influences from Serge Gainsbourg and descriptions of their energetic live show. Based upon the crowd response, I don’t think I am alone in my assertion that the performance was a disappointment. The band’s point of reference seems good but there was simply no cohesion and each track seemed sloppier than the one before. There was no trace of an energetic live show and their lighting, which consisted of little more than the incessant, annoying flash of strobes, certainly didn’t help things.

The xx, on the other hand, conveyed exactly the opposite effect. Stacking detached, hazy vocals and thumping bass parts along with “live” drum machine beats, each sound seemed as it were specifically selected to enhance the vibe. Sounding like something that Robert Smith, Ian Curtis and Peter Hook might have cooked up in long-forgotten shed during the wee hours of night, The xx delivered an hour-long set consisting of most of the songs from their eponymous 2009 album. From the syncopated, overlapping lyrics of “Crystalised” to the half-awake “Islands” and “Shelter” the band gave the crowd a peek into their natural, more-mature-than-it-should-be style. The set continued with “VCR,” the R&B influenced “Basic Space” before closing with an energetic version of “Infinity.”

The show felt very intimate, as if the crowd was voyeuristically peeking into their dilapidated practice space while the band played simply for their own late-night enjoyment. That’s really what is so striking about The xx and their music: it’s seductive and tense there’s nothing pretentious about it. You’re left feeling fortunate that you’ve experienced it unfolding before you, as if it could vanish in an instant. Showing the band’s great mastery of restraint, all of the parts have an organic space between them, letting the tracks breathe and evolve in a very satisfying way.

It’s certainly impressive to see such a young band have such a brilliantly realized sound. Making unique noise from pedestrian instruments, these newcomers just might be on to something.

The story behind the name of the band School of Seven Bells goes something like this: in 2004, Benjamin Curtis and twin sisters Alejandra and Claudia Deheza were on tour in previous (now defunct?) bands. Alejandra Deheza saw a show on public television about a mythical pickpocket academy called the “School of Seven Bells”, which supposedly operated on the premise that seven minds working together towards one goal could go on to do great things. Two years later, the band became known by the School of Seven Bells moniker and for their unique sound, mixing guitars, synths, and the sisters’ harmonizing vocals and creating swirly masterpieces. They stopped by Washington’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel Sunday night.

I can only presume the first act “playing” was the local electronica act Dub Pixel, because the woman behind the laptop and the man in the sound booth with the guitar (or was it a bass? I really couldn’t tell from a distance) never formally introduced themselves or the band itself. For about a half-hour, we were aurally and visually assaulted with a dramatic, cinematic soundscape, complete with a drony voiceover that sound like a whacked out psychologist. His intoning urged us to give ourselves over to the music and relax. I found this was impossible if you were truly paying attention to the video being shown on the stage-length screen, where freaky looking eyeballs, cutouts from silent movies, cities on fire, and the like flickered and morphed. As I looked around me, I couldn’t tell if the crowd was actually mesmerized by what they saw and heard or if they were staring at the screen, unsure on how to react because the music was too mellow and not beat-heavy enough to dance to. When their presentation was over, the “group” got a respectable round of applause.

Next up was Phantogram, a duo from Saratoga Springs, New York. I had checked the band out earlier on MySpace, and based on the few songs of theirs I heard, I decided that they’d be a good fit as an opener for the School of Seven Bells. I was right. Keyboardist/synth player Sarah Barthel and guitarist Josh Carter are the first duo I’ve seen in a long time that perform like one complete unit, not two disparate ones. Both sing: Barthel contributes mostly angelic vocals – think Enya but harder-edged, as in the band’s “When I’m Small” – whereas Carter’s voice is more sultry and at times humorous, at one point telling Washington to dance and “bounce!” The two of them throw their whole bodies into their performance too. If you can get past the guitar bits of “Mouthful of Diamonds” that sound awfully similar to those found in Modest Mouse’s “Float On”, it’s a well-crafted piece of electronic rock. In the currently crowded world of electronic music, I hope to hear songs by Barthel and Carter gracing a dance floor soon. Their debut album Eyelid Movies was released digitally in the UK earlier this month; one can hope for a stateside release soon.

And then it was time to hear the School of Seven Bells. The band performs under near to complete darkness, which must make Benjamin Curtis’s job very difficult, given the large number of pedals and effects in front of his feet the man has for his guitar, as well as the Mac book he’s got half-hidden in the back that no doubt holds secrets into the band’s sound. The Deheza sisters can’t be having it much easier, playing guitar and synths by feel and not by sight. The crowd swayed their bodies to the hypnotic rhythms and the Deheza sisters’ harmonious vocals. For me, the set highlight was “iamundernodisguise”, the song that introduced me to the band many moons ago, transporting me to a faraway, isolated Tibetan mountain peak, where the air is clear, the skies are blue, and all is well. I can report that their live performance set me off on a similar journey.

In addition to playing their well-known songs “Half Asleep” and “My Cabal” from their 2008 debut album Alpinisms, they also treated us to some new songs; I’m hoping we will get a new album from the band sooner than later so we can hear what else their School can “teach” us. My only complaint: the ethereal voices were at times too low in the mix and should have been upped to be better appreciated. Overall though, the band delivered a stellar set. If you like their sound, definitely check them out live.

Tour dates
Sept 28 – Local 506 / Chapel Hill, NC*
Sept 29 – Drunken Unicorn / Atlanta*
Oct 01 – Emo’s / Austin*
Oct 02 – Austin City Limits Festival / Austin
Oct 04 – Casbah / San Diego*
Oct 05 – Troubadour / Los Angeles*
Oct 06 – Slim’s / San Francisco*
Oct 08 – Doug Fir / Portland
Oct 09 – Biltmore Cabaret / Vancouver
Oct 10 – Neumo’s / Seattle
Oct 13 – 7th Street Entry / Minneapolis
Oct 14 – Empty Bottle / Chicago
Oct 15 – Lee’s Palace / Toronto
Oct 16 – Pearl Street Nightclub / Northampton, MA
Oct 17 – Paradise / Boston
Oct 23 – Webster Hall / New York City
* with Phantogram

School of Seven Bells: website | myspace
Phantogram: myspace
Dub Pixel: myspace