popwreckoning

The four members of YAWN come from the underbelly of Chicago, with roots in neighborhoods like Little Lebanon, Baghdad Row, and Polski Park. Having grown up together both figuratively and literally, their hearts remain embedded in trash but their dreams of success run deeper than the cold waters of Lake Michigan.

Having been in previous bands together and learning many valuable lessons on the DIY sense of creating music, they began crafting a new sound, one more aligned with the eclectic textures of Brian Eno, Aphex Twin and Yeasayer: a solid, badass rock core adorned with rich vocal harmonies, vintage world samples and atmospheric digital layers. Setting up shop in Wicker Park, they recorded new material in their basement. The DIY revelation led to the creation of “YAWN,” a 5-song EP that combines the poppiness of Phoenix with the complex lush layerings of Yeasayer and the creativeness of Unicorns.

Throughout 2010 the band has had the pleasure of opening for such great acts as: Yeasayer, Local Natives, Girl Talk, Twin Shadow, Glasser, Tanlines, RJD2, Steel Train, Memoryhouse, Twin Sister, Houses, Young Man, Class Actress/Beach Fossils, and a few others.

For now, YAWN is taking some time from playing live to finish their debut full-length, slotted for release this August. Be sure to check them out at www.yawntheband.com

I arrived at the Gorge around noon on Sunday. In fact, I think it was exactly noon, because I’d missed the first half of Wavves set (because for some reason they put them on the main stage at 11:30 a.m.). So Portland natives Typhoon began my lineup for the day, and to an epic degree. Typhoon consisted of everything from electric guitar, a mini brass section, and a prominent cello, and I loved it. Their set was so good (and not just for noon) that I caught their acoustic EndSession* around two hours later.

*Local radio station 107.7 The End was hosting acoustic sets throughout the day in a small tent that people had to win a game to get access to. I don’t really know how, I just knew that I would be hitting up Fitz and the Tantrums’ set in there later as well.

Typhoon was one of the best of the day at the Bigfoot stage, but the Yeti stage delivered exceptionally well on Sunday. Just to name a few – Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, local “hipster-hop” (they made it up) group Mad Rad, and Das Racist all lit up that stage, one leaving a bit of carnage, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

A few other bands played great sets, and are definitely worth mentioning. Funk group Wheedle’s Groove was a little out of their element, but it was a breath of fresh fun air early in the afternoon. Seattle folk group the Moondoggies put on a lovely set, tailored perfectly to the overwhelmingly local crowd. One of the many Canadian acts that weekend, The Sam Roberts band, also on the Bigfoot stage, played a sleek set of easy and radio-friendly indie rock.

Speaking of Canadians – I don’t know why more Canadian musicians get wide recognition in the U.S. I like to consider myself a bit of a music geek, and I had never heard of Sam Roberts, and he and his band has won Juno Awards since 2004. It just makes me very glad that Sasquatch can offer than bridge over our northern border, metaphorically speaking. I can assure you that no other festival around has that many Canadian bands, and I welcome it. Have you ever met a rude Canadian? I haven’t.

Before the awesome evening of Yeti stage antics, I set myself up in the EndSession for Fitz and the Tantrums, because I’d only caught a glimpse of their main stage set. Honestly, I avoided the main stage most of the time. But Fitz and the Tantrums delivered spectacularly in that small setting. I’d heard good things from several friends, and I wasn’t disappointed. With such an odd mix of characters on stage, you wouldn’t think that the music would mix, but it’s like maple and bacon – it just tastes good. The funky stage presence of Michael Fitzpatrick and the soul that Noelle Scaggs brings makes Fitz and the Tantrums definitely not a band to miss. Thankfully, they’ll be back in the northwest in September for Bumbershoot.

I’m going to sound like a terrible person, but I’d never listened to Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears before Sasquatch, and now I want to see them again and again. While the set was obnoxiously late (which was still a theme on all the stages), it was worth the wait. It was a mix of soul and rock and pure energy that made filled that relatively small space in front of the Yeti stage. Personally I think they should have played in the Bigfoot stage with how big their performance was. At one point, someone from the crowd threw a roll of toilet paper in the air. Then another. And another. And soon it was an all-out TP frenzy. From what I heard, someone broke into the port-a-potty with all the extra toilet paper in it and went crazy. I’d hate to be anyone who had to clean all that up.

After Black Joe Lewis was Mad Rad, who is some hard to describe that I can just give you what they call themselves – “hipster-hop.” It’s hip-hop, with electro, and indie rock, and obscene lyrics, and maniacal stage performance, and I could keep going, but that might just confuse you. They are truly a band to be seen live, rather than heard on record, and I highly recommend staying out of the front of the crowd, unless you’re into being thrashed about. Mad Rad’s name is self-explanatory. They’re mad (as in crazy) but also rad.

Das Racist was on directly after Mad Rad, and the mood was still frantic and awesome at that point, and Das Racist fed off that energy from the crowd and it made for quite an interesting set. I’m not sure if the guys of Das Racist were at all drunk, but they were holding cans of beer and seemed really relaxed on stage. No matter, as they put on an entertaining show for another huge crowd.

I think they should have just switched all the Yeti/Bigfoot acts in the afternoon, because the crowd was much more receptive of the bands at Yeti, and Das Racist was no different. I don’t even like hip-hop, and they were one of my favorite sets of the whole festival.

As the sun started to set over the Gorge, the Flaming Lips took the main stage to their usual over-the-top theatrics, giant bubble and all. Sadly, I only stayed for about 15 minutes of their set because of scheduling, but from what I heard, the Flaming Lips only played about 8 or 9 songs in their hour set. I won’t pass judgment, since I wasn’t there, but that just seems weird.

The Bigfoot stage finally started to heat up after dark, with Yeasayer and Ratatat bringing out all the crazy hipsters. Neither band disappointed, except for the horrible scheduling. Both Yeasayer and Ratatat used wicked on-stage light shows to up the amp of their set, and both filled their hour with fantastic versions of some their greatest tracks. Ratatat even had an entire song with repeated creepy bird images on projectors behind then. I wasn’t even on drugs and it was trippy.

Sunday rocked. Hands down. Would I go as far as saying that it was the best day? Hmm. You haven’t even heard about Monday yet.

Foo Fighters on Friday at Sasquatch

Melissa’s Recap:

Yeasayer singer Chris Keating said he didn’t believe Kansas existed; he thought it was some magical, far away land.

But on June 2, fans gave them a welcome Dorothy would be jealous of – by packing the Granada Theater for the band’s first show in the state.

The one-man freak show known as Hush Hush opened. With his huge beard and gangly limbs, he confidently danced around the stage alone, hitting high notes over smooth R&B beats.

A few songs into his set, it was clear this was not just some weird gimmick – this guy is actually talented, and he seems to be (mostly) serious about his music (minus some incredibly vulgar lyrics that I feel uncomfortable even trying to type out – so I won’t).

And his strange (but awesome) solo act upstaged the second band, the Smith Westerns.

This five piece from Chicago just did not match the energy of Hush Hush and Yeasayer; their breathy vocals and straight-forward melodies fell a bit flat among the other acts. They seemed to sense the more somber vibe from the crowd, dedicating one of their songs to “everyone who’s giving [me] a dirty look right now.”

They may have been only partially serious, but the crowd wasn’t very responsive. Everyone seemed to be anxious and waiting for Yeasayer.

The lights faded as hip-hop blasted through the speakers and Yeasayer calmly took the stage as fans clapped and screamed in excitement. They started with “Madder Red,” one of the more melancholy songs from their latest dance-inducing record, Odd Blood.

Though it was a calmer start than expected, the lights, smoke and their album-quality live performance laid the framework for the rest of the night.

Their hour-long set included a mixture of songs from their debut album, All Hour Cymbals (2007), to Odd Blood to new songs to be featured on their next album – and from this preview, Yeasayer will keep producing incredible ambient pop that’s sure to draw in even more fans.

They also played “Tightrope,” a delay-heavy, slow-moving harmonic song from a compilation album titled Dark Was the Night, easily one of my favorites from the show.

Other highlights included the more poppy singles “O.N.E.” and “Ambling Alp” that got everyone moving wildly – and Yeasayer thanked fans for making this a fun show.

Bethany’s Recap:

“I’m always feeling Yeasayer.” That may be an inside joke with my friends, but it is also a fact of my life. Since I first saw the band all the way in Manchester, Tenn., during Bonnaroo, I’ve been enamored with their live show. I found myself driving to other cities to see them – Chicago, Omaha, and so on. Each time I’ve been dazzled by the lights, my throat left sore from singing along and my feet happily echoing my dance moves from the venue to my car.

But I had yet to see Yeasayer on my home turf. Finally, for the first time, Yeasayer would make it to my humble home of Kansas. We’re notorious for not dancing and not singing here – jaded hipsters standing around with our beers and only giving slight nods if we approve. What would happen with Yeasayer? I guess they were as uncertain about what would happen in Kansas, too. They tweeted this pleasantly surprised statement after the show:

Who knew? When the odd, yet entertaining Hush Hush took to the Granada’s stage, the crowd was small. However, they were excited and many started dancing along with Hush Hush. Hush Hush is a guy in a crazy ensemble and computer, dancing and singing around the stage. The music was a little R&B/synth pop, but honestly, it would probably be unforgettable if it wasn’t for Hush Hush’s stage presence. That guy knew how to work it. With a big beard, cut off shorts and a fancy jacket, the guy danced, jumped and ran around singing his provocative lyrics. He bantered with the audience and as I said, left us entertained, but also scratching our heads in bewilderment.

Just a few months ago, Chicago’s Smith Westerns visited neighbor city Kansas City, but this was their Lawrence debut. The band has been touring heavily behind their 2011 release Dye It Blonde. Despite all the acclaim they’ve received for the album and the buzz around their SXSW performance, the band has kept a modest attitude. Their set was significantly toned down from Hush Hush’s performance, but it was just as engaging. They’re kind of the wild card on this tour because they aren’t dance rock like their tourmates, but instead they perform garage rock. What made the band even more impressive is that they’re also significantly younger than the other bands on the bill – like x’s on the hands young. But their youth only gives them great lyrical fodder about growing up and longing. Their talent with tight writing and sensible h0oks could easily make you suspect them of being veterans of the stage for ages if you were wearing a blindfold. I can’t wait to see what this band continues to produce.

Oh, Yeasayer. I went into this show already knowing that I liked this band. I left the show knowing that I would always love this band. If you’ve never heard their music, they’re a Brooklyn band, but they have a wordly sound. The band describes their sound as “Middle Eastern-psych-snap-gospel.” It’s the type of music that is impossible not to move to – I know I found myself dancing. Three of the guys switch of vocal duties, which only adds to their unique sound enhanced by swirling synth loops and big percussion. I was thrilled to hear “Tightrope” early in the set, a song they contributed to AIDS benefit compilation Dark Was the Night. We all eagerly clapped along to pretty much every song they played and the room was explosive with dancing during “O.N.E.” The band ending out their regular set with the highly-anticipated “Ambling Alp.” After hearing all my favorite singles and plenty of tantalizing new songs (the band is heading back to the studio after this tour finishes), I could have been a happy camper if that was the tune I went home carrying still in my head, but as my friend leaned over and said, “They have to play an encore.” And my friend wasn’t just saying that because now there is an expectation that every band will play an encore, regardless. My friend said that because looking around the venue, everyone was blowing up. I had never seen such hunger for an encore. So with a reaction like that from Lawrence, yes, Yeasayer really would have to play an encore. The group came back out and obliged us with two more fantastic numbers, ending with “2080.” I imagine there were some sore feet after all that dancing.

Yeasayer Set List:
Madder Red
Tightrope
Henrietta
O.N.E.
Devil and the Deed
Mondegreen
Rome
Wait for the Summer
Grizelda
Sunrise
Ambling Alp
///
???
2080

Mad Rad, Das Racist and The Thermals brought the house down at the free Sasquatch Launch Party at the Showbox at the Market last night, where the lineup to the now four-day festival would be announced.

Put on by Livenation and Sasquatch creator Adam Zacks, the launch party was MC’d by Comedian Todd Barry, who kept the crowd entertained between sets with dry wit and some fake teaser headliners.

“If you love me now, you’ll love when I play a set between headliners Elvis Presley and the Beatles, and tickets are only $7!” Barry proclaimed sarcastically to the less-than-attentive crowd. But I guess that’s what you get when you have a free show.

After Mad Rad and Das Racist played their sets, the lineup was announced in a video like previous years, which was played twice over, most likely so people could get a second look because they were freaking out too much over the Flaming Lips.

So far the lineup includes:

Death Cab for Cutie, the Decemberists, Modest Mouse, the Foo Fighters, Robyn, Wilco, Flying Lotus, Bright Eyes, Flogging Molly, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Das Racist, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Iron & Wine, The Flaming Lips.Black Mountain, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, the Head and the Heart, Mad Rad, the Moondoggies, Noah & The Whale, Sam Roberts Band, Secret Sisters, Twin Shadow, Wye Oak, Tig Notaro, Smith Westerns, Rival Schools, Foster the People, Alberta Cross, S. Carey, White Denim, Washed Out, Gold Panda, Dan Mangan, Axis of Awesome, The Globes, Cotton Jones, Jaill, Basia Bulat, Other Lives, The Bronx, White Arrows, Pepper Rabbit, Talkdemonic, Rebecca Gates and The Consortium, The Young Evils, Bassnectar, Pink Martini, Cold War Kids, Old 97′s, Ratatat, Wolf Parade, Chromeo, Guided By Voices, Yeasayer, Beach House, Local Natives, Matt & Kim, Deerhunter, Mstrkrft, Trailer Park Boys, Sleigh Bells, Major Lazer, Skrillex, Fitz & The Tantrums, !!!, Archers of Loaf, Against Me!, The Thermals, Best Coast, CSS, Surfer Blood, Jenny & Johnny, Bonobo (DJ Set), City and Colour, Reggie Watts, K-Os, Gayngs, Tim Minchin, The Drums, The Radio Dept., Young the Giant, The Antlers, Sharon Van Etten, Villagers, Stornoway, Aloe Blacc.

Tickets go on sale on Feb. 14th starting at $79.50 per day and $285 for three-day passes.

Go to http://sasquatchfestival.com/ for more information or to purchase tickets.

Top 3 Albums of 2010:

• Yeasayer – Odd Blood
• Vampire Weekend – Contra
• Foxy Shazam – Foxy Shazam
  

Best Show of 2010:

• I have to pick two: mewithoutYou at the Granada and Foxy Shazam at the recordbar.

Most Anticipated in 2011:

• Bright Eyes

Most Overrated in 2010:

• Lady Antebellum (2010) and Train (2009). Let’s finally bury those shitty singles in 2011, shall we?

Favorite Musical Memory of the Year:

• Seeing Cursive for the first time – I know, I can’t believe I hadn’t either – and interviewing Kevin Devine AND sitting there while he played two acoustic songs for us, one from Bad Books months and months before it was released.

Oh, Sunday. Aren’t you supposed to be a day for relaxing? Guess not. You just happen to be my busiest day of the weekend.

Let’s just say that my day started around 10:30 with interviews and giving me a break at 2:00 to catch Portugal. The Man.

Directly following, another interview! It was definitely a good time, busy, but good!

Headed to the AMD Stage to check out Yeasayer, the 2nd set that I was able to stay all the way through. They were amazing. By far my favorite band of the day; so much energy radiated through the crowd.

On our way to Band of Horses, we caught Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros hit ‘Home.’

Sat in the shade to enjoy BoH, maybe another favorite? Yes, definitely another favorite. Their interaction with the crowd made me forget the the Flaming Lips were just across the park.

Finally, a band I never thought I’d be able to see live: the Eagles. The fucking Eagles! Growing up I listened to my dad play his guitar all night, the Eagles being one of the many bands he covered.

It’s safe to say I was awe-struck by the band on stage right before my eyes. Tricia and I just sat down towards the back and just took in the moment.

After such a long day, we decided not to take the 13-hour drive back to Kansas City and enjoyed Austin for another day.

Things I suggest if you haven’t been:

The Alamo (great theater with awesome food and, of course, drinks).

Watch the bats from the bridge.

The Central Market!

Oh, and Whole Foods (the biggest one I’ve ever seen).

6th Street – duhh.

Wine in a can.

See you at SXSW Austin!

People love their pets no matter their shapes and sizes. Yep, even a ball of flesh with just an eye and an awkward limb is loveable. So it really hurts, when that pet or any pet passes away.

Kristen Bell (“Heroes,” “Veronica Mars,” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) stars in the bizarre, new video “Madder Red” from Yeasayer. The song is off their hot 2010 release Odd Blood and follows the story of a girl and the death of her beloved pet (which happens to be a giant ball of flesh).

It’s weird and smart video for another catchy tune from the indie electronic pop act. Check it out below and then check out Yeasayer on tour this fall with Washed Out.

Tour Dates:
09/25/10 Columbia, MD – Virgin FreeFest at Merriweather Post Pavillion
09/28/10 Millvale, PA – Mr Smalls Theatre w/ Washed Out
09/29/10 Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall w/ Washed Out
09/30/10 Bloomington, IN – Bluebird Nightclub w/ Washed Out
10/01/10 Nashville, TN – Cannery Ballroom w/ Washed Out
10/02/10 Atlanta, GA – Masquerade w/ Washed Out
10/03/10 Savannah, GA – Trustee Theatre w/ Washed Out
10/04/10 St Petersburg, FL – State Theatre w/ Washed Out
10/05/10 Miami, FL – Fillmore w/ Washed Out
10/07/10 Orlando, FL – Club Firestone w/ Washed Out
10/08/10 Tallahassee, FL – Union Green w/ Washed Out
10/09/10 New Orleans, LA – House of Blues w/ Washed Out
10/10/10 Austin, TX – Austin City Limits

Sunday nature battled itself giving us both the coldest and hottest day of Lollapalooza. But there was still music to be heard! So a poncho-packed crowd stumbled through the mud to start their day dancing to “USA Boys,” with HEALTH. As the guys thrashed about the stage with the guitar-driven dance rock, my only thought was that they should have had one of the prime evening spots like similar acts in Cut Copy and Hot Chip. I couldn’t believe they were stuck in one of the earliest sets of the day. Not with how good they are and how popular I thought they were. I’m sure everyone has at least heard one of their remixes at one time or another.

I picked my way past puddles to Perry’s where Team Bayside High was getting ready for their DJ set. I have to give the kids at Perry’s props: the rain seemed to peak during this set, but it didn’t kill their dance buzz for a second. It helped that the DJ duo in Team Bayside High really knew how to interact with the crowd and get them amped up. There wasn’t a single mix that they played that slowed them down too much or killed the mood. As they smoothly went from Franz Ferdinand to a Mario theme, I could see why these guys were asked to play a permanent residence at Rehab in Chicago: they were diverse and fun. For a special treat at the end of their set, Moneypenny‘s Jess joined them to sing her part live on their new single “Party Professionals.” You can actually download the track free at Team Bayside’s site. (We also did an interview with Team Bayside High, so check back to PopWreckoning soon for more from these guys.)

Having seen many of the next acts several times before, I walked past Company of Thieves as their female singer belted out Oscar Wilde refrences, past the Dodos’ percussion heavy set that features a bowed vibraphone and ended up at the Hard Rock Hotel for lunch.

The place was more packed than it had been for the entire weekend. I set off to to investigate what was going on. Turns out one of the larger lobbys had been completely closed off as a “special VIP” had requested privacy while getting a new tattoo. So I went into the cafe to eat and enjoy some hip hop music from Chiddy Bang. Hip hop isn’t usually my thing because I’m a lyric gal and often times the lyrics are offensive, dumb or just downright vulgar. I didn’t have this problem with Chiddy Bang and actually found it witty. I particularly liked that there was a live drummer and not just pre-recorded backing tracks for the performance.

After the performance, I ventured back up to the closed lounge, which was still closed. I was about to ask a girl standing next to me if she knew what was going on, but a beefy, tall man ushered her out of the lobby just as I opened my mouth. Turns out that girl was Hayden Panettiere – you know, from Heroes, Remember the Titans, etc? And it also turns out that she was the “special VIP” who had shut down the room for her new tatt. I guess the cast of Scream 4 had come down to Lolla from filming in Michigan. A part of me wishes I had realized who she was sooner, but I’m also glad I didn’t. That’s kind of the cool thing about Lolla. Actors and musicians are just walking around. You never know who you’re going to rub shoulders with, but at that fest, we’re all equals. We’re all music lovers.

So, since I am such a big music lover, it was time to take my leave of the Hard Rock and head back to the fest for some more bands. Only this time, instead of walking back, I took the Vitamin Water Bus back. This was kind of a cool thing set up where you could relax, rehydrate and enjoy some DJ music going back and forth between the Hard Rock and the fest. I wish I had thought to use it sooner!

I continued my love of watching bands that make you dance by checking out Hockey, who started with “Song Away,” played a few new songs before amping people up with “Work” and “Too Fake.” This set was a lot tighter than their technical-difficulty filled set from the year before. After that I went over to Yeasayer.

If you should know anything about me, it’s that I’m always feeling Yeasayer: multiple vocals, big guitars, lots of synth and even bigger drums. Plus you can dance! What’s not to love? “O.N.E.” got people to stand up and dance through a majority of the set, but it was really “Ambling Alp,” that drove home their awesomeness as a set closer. As I turned to watched MUTEMATH on a neighboring stage, I couldn’t help, but feel a bit bored after the great set that Yeasayer had just delivered.

Fortunately, Frightened Rabbit restored my faith that there was still awesome after Yeasayer. They’re completely different from that dance rock sound and pretty much straight up indie rock. It’s the cool Scottish accents and sweet harmonies that make this band stand out.

But I couldn’t stay there long. I needed to see the shit show that would be Erykah Badu and a shit show it was. Blonde hair and a hideous green dress that no one in the world could pull off. And let’s be honest – her music is uninspired, so we all just were gathered there to see what she would wear and what diva moves she’d pull. This was a clusterfuck, so I made it as long as I could before heading into media to grab some water.

In media, I got a special treat. Festival founder and lead singer in Jane’s Addiction, Perry Farrell, was making the rounds and greeting people. It was so cool to see the icon acting so down-to-earth, especially with how big his Lolla project has become.

I exited media in time to see a bunch of hair bouncing, hear surprisingly killer vocals yowling and watch as hands whizzed through Zepplin-inspired guitar riffs. This was Wolfmother and this was awesome. No, it isn’t something I’ll listen to the CD over and over for, but it is something I’d watch live again.

From here, it was indie rock hour on the other side of the venue. So I trekked over to see MGMT, The National and my most anticipated: Arcade Fire.

MGMT is one of those acts where I really, really, really love the singles, but feel ho hum about the rest of their music and even their live show. I’ve seen them a few times and was disappointed and bored. I wasn’t expecting much at Lolla, but they completely took me by surprise. I don’t know if people complained enough or what, but they were a changed live band. They talked to the audience, interacted, and offered up spots for the crowd to take over singing duties. They even had a frog puppet! It was bizarre and shockingly fun. And yes, songs from the new album did receive a more lukewarm reaction, but I was reeling from the overall change in the band, that I could care less about that. Nice work, MGMT. Maybe you do deserve your fame.

As people flocked to the National on the neighboring stage, I moved closer to a better a spot for Arcade Fire. Sounds of “Blood Buzz Ohio” buzzed in my ear, and as much as I like the National, it wasn’t long before their music became exactly that: just a buzz. Their songs started to sound the same, but it might have been that I was just antsy for Arcade Fire to start.

Oh, Arcade Fire. You, with your bajillion members and insane amounts of instruments from accordion to violins to brass and more. Can I join your band?

Before the fest, one of my friends tried to insult the Arcade Fire by calling them, “The indie world’s Coldplay.” In other words, they meant the band was wildly popular, but without any real merit. You have to understand, this same friend is driven crazy by Coldplay’s unwillingness to use more than three chords. After seeing them live, I can attest, that Arcade Fire is not overhyped. They deserve all the attention they get.

While fireworks went off for other headliners and light shows blinded, Arcade Fire settled on a simple video backdrop and relied only on their music to dazzle. They fittingly started with “Ready to Start” and from there it was just one great song after another. Everything was tightly performed with jubilation. For a moment, I forget my painful blisters and just let their complex instrumentations swallow me. Fantastic. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end Lollapalooza 2010. Sorry Soundgarden – Arcade Fire is where it was at this year.

Now who’s ready for 2011?

…

Be sure to check out the rest of the Lollapalooza 2010 coverage on PopWreckoning.com. More posts and interviews!

Tomorrow, Friday, August 6, Lollapalooza kicks off. Here are our recommendations for Friday survival and fun.

Tip 1: Let’s start things off with the weather. Unlike last year, it is supposed to be sunny all weekend! Yay! However, this means it will also be hot, even with the festival being set up next to the lake. So stay HYDRATED. And as awesome as it is, beer is not a means of hydration. WATER is a must. Fortunately, Lollapalooza, does have water stations set up (you can usually find them by port-a-potty areas). So there’s no excuse for not drinking water. And when you’re done with your plastic bottles or cups, make sure you recycle. Lolla has plenty of recycling stations throughout the park.

Another tip: Sleep. Especially tonight (Thursday) because between the actual fest, stuff to do in Chicago, and after shows, you won’t get much sleep the rest of the weekend.

Tip 3: Show up early. Especially on the first day when they have to put wristbands on. If there’s a band you want to see, it will take awhile to get through the check-in and over to the stage, so don’t plan on seeing a 1 p.m. band showing up at 12:50. It isn’t going to happen. There are two entrances to help people get in Grant Park quickly, but it will still take some time. Also, show up early because there are some great bands that start playing really early in the day. Don’t regret missing These United States at 11:15 a.m. because you were still watching TV at your hotel.

Tip 4: RSVP. There are tons of free events going on after the festival. More great bands, free drinks and more fun. But there’s a catch. A lot of them require RSVPs. So plan your post show fun now and double check if you need to RSVP. There’s some good recommendations on free after events here.

Tip 5: Watch bands you’ve never heard of. Look at the schedule. I’m betting you haven’t heard of quite a few of the bands playing, but go check them out. Did you know that just a few years ago, Lady Gaga played one of the smaller stages during the day? No one really knew who she was then, but now she’s headlining! So go discover someone awesome.

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Five bands to check out each day:

Friday: These United States (11:15 a.m.), Jukebox the Ghost (1:45 p.m.), My Dear Disco (3 p.m.), Devo (4 p.m.), Lady Gaga (8 p.m.)

Saturday: The Morning Benders (12 p.m.), Skybox (12:30 p.m.), Dan Black (3 p.m.), Gogol Bordello (3:45 p.m.) Cut Copy (7:30 p.m.)

Sunday: Health (11:30 a.m.), The Antlers (12:15 p.m.), The Dodos (1 p.m.), Freelance Whales (3 p.m.), Yeasayer (4 p.m.)

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PopWreckoning will be at Lollapalooza! We’ll post our reviews, photos and interviews over the next few days here. For more immediate coverage, follow PopWrecker Bethany on Twitter at twitter.com/glowah.

Capitol Hill Block Party is one of the Pacific Northwest’s biggest, most anticipated music festivals of the year. Located within one of the most culture-rich neighborhoods in the city, CHBP takes over the street level of the Pike Street corridor from Broadway to 12th Avenue, providing great music entertainment all weekend, and some of the best eateries, bars, coffee and venues in town. Knowing this, I was super stoked to cover the fest, and ditched my day job a little early to head up to the Hill. Catching a bus seemed harder than normal as most were packed with attendees heading to downtown Seattle, where parking is sparse and not cheap. Public transit was the way to go if you lived outside of the city limits and everyone else had that in mind too.

Arriving at 2 pm, I was informed that the press list hadn’t been released yet (no surprise there), although general Will Call had been open since 11am. Hipsters were already lined up en masse to gain entrance with their tickets and security already looked bored, so I wandered down to the nearest grocery store to grab lunch and a few bottles of water before heading back. By 2:45, the press list had been released and myself and a handful of other fellow rocktographers were allowed in before gates to mingle and get our bearings. I pulled out my schedule and my camera, cleaned my lenses and geared up for what I knew would be a great start to the weekend.

First and foremost, I wandered over to the Vera stage. Naomi Punk kicked off a fabulous first day of both CHBP and their fall tour. The Seattle natives had a decent sized crowd, despite the lack of people actually being admitted into the festival yet. The great indie rock quartet came out and played a mellow yet almost bluesy set of mellow yet loud vocals floating along with the gritty guitar riffs. They kept it generally low key, vaguely reminiscent of the Moonhearts and creating a wonderful juxtaposition between the vocals and the guitar. To me, they needed a little more drumming, and a little more of their keyboardist (who was completely adorable when sitting there during songs he wasn’t playing).

After that, I decided to walk through the festival for the first time and head towards the main stage. You could tell that they were still letting fans in as the view down Pike was almost desolate. I grabbed a cup of coffee from Vita and wandered around the beer garden, checking out the Dickie’s 847 stage and shaking my head as the few hipsters that milled around went crazy at the mention of free pants. After enough lolly-gagging, I wiggled my way past the security guards and waved my credentialed wrist in the air, entering what was sure to be my favorite photo pit of the weekend.

Bear in Heaven took the stage at approximately 5 pm to a chorus of clapping and cheering from the now decently filled out pit behind me. I grabbed my camera and smiled, grabbing a few choice shots of Jon Philpot, both founder and vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist as the band started rockin’. With their eclectic, electro-rock feel, you can definitely tell that their latest release Beast Rest Forth Mouth, was meant for outdoor summer shows like this. They filled the corridor with favorites such as “Lovesick Teenagers” and “Wholehearted Mess” and made the crowd dance and sway accordingly. Very atmospheric rock filled every nook and cranny that it could inducing an almost psychedelic feel in the crowd. Every rocktographer in the photo pit was dancing or at least bobbing their head along with the beat and as I exited the photo pit after my three song allotment, I saw numerous people dancing along. I headed to the Vera stage, dug out a bottle of water and sprayed on some Bullfrog.

While waiting for Francis and The Lights, I heard more than a few people talking about the sound quality and a few of the sound engineers could be spotted running around fixing things. Unfortunately when Francis came out on stage, his mic didn’t work, so he swiped one from guitarist and proceeded to dance around the stage with a pair of purplish-blue butterfly shaped sunglasses on. Not only does he sound scarily like Phil Collins, but The Lights is a decent enough backing band that they have a lot of potential to be a great band, if they can tighten down their sound a little more. The were a little jazzy with enough indie rock still in them to be fun and dance worthy. However, a lot of people had already started on heading over to the Main stage to catch Yeasayer. I followed their lead and headed over just in time.

I have to say – Yeasayer was my first FUN band of the day. So far they were the only band of the day that had been actually fun to shoot and a lot of the day shift crowd was starting to pour in, making them the first band of the day for many folks. Definitely bringing out the more pop influences than the past work, they still have their own shiny brand of experimental music. Honestly, they sound even better live then they do recorded; and while I am sorta biased towards bands that sound as such, they have quickly found an empty place in my heart and claimed it as their own. Rocking out to the sultry sound of frontman Chris Keating, he almost reminded me of Switchfoot (a la Hello Hurricane) thrown in a blender with some Local Natives for style and mixed with a dash of Animal Collective. If you have a chance to catch them live, do it. Seriously. Your brain will thank you for it.

After Yeasayer, fellow rocktographers and I had one hell of a time climbing through the now PACKED pit to get out. Security was nice enough to let us start entering and exiting from behind the main stage due to the mass of people that had almost instantaneously shown up out of nowhere. The group of us hung around, the crowd starting to anticipate the next band. During their sound check, I all of a sudden felt a familar beat in the ground. Out of the blue, Titanium Sporkestra, Seattle-based heavy metal marching band had shown up and began playing for the already excited crowd. A few of their horn players managed to get up onto the balcony of a north side Pike Street condo and provided entertainment while the main stage was almost silent. When Holy Fuck‘s drummer sound checked his kit, it was to their rendition of “War Pigs” and the band geeks kept it up with twenty three minutes of Slayer and Black Sabbath covers with a typical Sousa band twist. For a band nerd like myself, seeing them stream through the crowd was insanely awesome and provided a great segue way between the standard indie music of the fest.

When Holy Fuck came onstage, you could feel the crowd visibly surge forward. The Canadian quartet brings a totally new spin on electronica, using such non-insturments as a 35 mm film synthesizer and toy phaser guns to make sounds that would otherwise be made with programming and laptops. Not only are the vaguely reminiscent of innerpartysystem, they are wonderful live and are incredibly unique. The crowd was right at home with their sound and danced along while bringing a new sound to the table for the festival. This definitely geared the crowd up for MGMT.

Here’s my take on MGMT: in the past two years, they have stagnated horribly. Granted, they are still decent live, but in all honesty, a lot of fans were disappointed by Friday night’s performance. They were fun in a way, the photo pit was packed, and the crowd did show some interest. However, they killed the mood for main stage for the night. I grabbed my gear and caught a bus, heading back to a friend’s house for some tabletop gaming and a few hours of sleep on a couch.

I’ll be back with more recaps for Saturday and Sunday here soon! Keep your eye out for them, and in the meantime, catch the rest of the pictures from Friday here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/49888788@N04/sets/72157624605257072/