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2009 Outside Lands: A Beautiful Weekend

BuzzSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 15:30:52 -0700

The first two days of this year's Outside Lands festival here in San Francisco were absolutely beautiful - almost (almost!) too warm. This rarely happens here in the chilly city by the Bay, so it felt like a nice surprise gift. By Sunday, the city was back to its cloudy self, but that didn't dampen the spirits of concertgoers. Overall, the festival was great - laid-back but still fun, and full of good vibes. Check out some photos of my favorite acts from the weekend.

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Friday Tunes: An Outside Lands Playlist

BuzzSugar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:30:19 -0700

Come fog or sunshine (probably fog), the Outside Lands Festival is invading San Francisco's Golden Gate Park this weekend, and I'll be hitting up the three-day fest.

I barely made it out alive last year, but I'm hoping that since it's the festival's second year, everything will come together a little more harmoniously (pun intended). With a lineup running the gamut from Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, and Jason Mraz (whom you decidedly love) to M.I.A. and Modest Mouse (random or diverse: you decide), I know I've got to be in for some good performances. For those of you who can't get out to the Bay, I've put together a playlist with some of my favorite songs from the festival's acts. To hear it, just read more.

2009 Outside Lands Festival

Are you going to Outside Lands? What are your favorite tracks from the acts on the lineup?

Paul McCartney to Headline 2009 Coachella

BuzzSugar — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 10:32:08 -0800

Paul McCartney is making the rounds these days, what with promoting his latest album Electric Arguments - most hilariously on The Colbert Report, the uncomfortable video of which you can check out after the jump - and now there's news that he'll topline the the tenth Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival this April. The question becomes, however, is Coachella a good fit for this former Beatle?

LA Times blogger Geoff Boucher wonders "What remains to be seen is whether the choice will cost the festival credibility with its core clientele: young fans who are more likely to listen to the White Stripes than the White Album and who are far more familiar with Rage Against the Machine than Band on the Run."

Some of the other acts of note on this year's lineup include Morrissey, The Cure, Franz Ferdinand, Leonard Cohen, M. Ward, Amy Winehouse, The Killers, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, My Bloody Valentine and Jenny Lewis. To see the full list of acts performing at this year's festival, click here.

What do you think? Are you planning on going to Coachella this year? Would you be psyched to see Paul McCartney play live at that festival?

And to check out the very funny - and awkward - clip from McCartney's appearance on The Colbert Report, read more.

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Treasure Island Music Festival: Just as Awesome as Last Year

BuzzSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:30:55 -0700

Last year's Treasure Island Music Festival was such a great time that I couldn't wait for the 2008 edition. The early-bird tickets went on sale in April, and though that translated into five months of anticipation, I was delighted to find my expectations matched - if not exceeded.

The festival had an impressive and varied lineup of bands between the two stages, named Bridge (the bigger of the two) and Tunnel (the smaller). There was a little something for everyone, from electronic dance groups like Hot Chip, CSS, and Justice to relatively mainstream acts like Vampire Weekend and The Raconteurs. It wouldn't be a festival without some suitably indie bands, represented by Tokyo Police Club, Fleet Foxes, and Foals. For those not interested in checking out each and every show, there were many other diversions: a Ferris wheel, a haircutting booth, throwing down a blanket on the lawn, and a wide variety of (expensive) food and drinks - though it seemed like many people managed to smuggle in some contraband digestibles.

Everyone was bussed to the festival site from San Francisco on eco-friendly coaches, since Treasure Island has limited access. The whole process of boarding, traveling, and walking toward the grounds together fostered a communal feeling among the audience that I haven't experienced at many other concerts. It's a cool thing to be a part of, but that wasn't the only great thing about the weekend - to see my list of highs and lows, just read more.

The Lowlights:

Chester French: Maxwell Drummey and D.A. Wallach are riding on a lot of hype since they scored a record deal with Pharrell Williams's label, but their live show left a lot to be desired. Their Pharrell connection seemed promising and my interest in them was piqued last month when Maxwell married the British celebrity Peaches Geldof in Vegas. It turns out their music was as superficial as the reasons I was interested in them; their lyrics are boastful and unoriginal, which is only amusing because they tout their Harvard degrees at every opportunity.
Hot Chip: Lots of people were rocking out to these guys, but their closing with Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U" made me a little confused. Apparently they cover that song often, but it still seemed like a downer at a happy outdoor show.
Goldfrapp: Her high-pitched melodies seemed out of place in the middle of Saturday's schedule. I noticed a lot of people wandering around during her set, so it seems like I wasn't the only one to feel that way. Also, she lost in the wacky costume contest to the front-ponytail-sporting, puffy-silver-suit-wearing Lovefoxxx from CSS.

The Highlights:

The Kills: Despite his recent breakup from Kate Moss, Jamie Hince seemed on top of his game as he and bandmate Alison Mosshart closed out the small stage on Sunday night. Their music doesn't always translate well through an iPod or CD, but in person they can really rock out. Alison has a mesmerizing stage presence, with her head-banging and gyrating dance moves, but she left something to be desired in the decorum department with her frequent spitting off the stage - ew.

Foals: This quintet from England didn't let a little technical difficulty on the smaller, solar-powered stage slow them down. They played smack-dab in the middle of Saturday afternoon, and their intense jamming seemed to really charge everyone up.

Nortec Collective: Bostich + Fussible: I had never heard of these guys before they took the small stage on Saturday, but the group from Tijuana, Mexico, had the crowd dancing with their upbeat tunes, despite the absence of vocals in their act. The band seemed to be having as much fun as the audience, which is always a plus.
The Raconteurs: Who better than Jack White to close a festival? He and his gang from Nashville played songs from their two albums on a dramatic, smoke-filled stage. The crowd was steadily thinning as people tried to beat the rush back to the busses, but that didn't diminish the intensity with which these guys played.

Atmosphere

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Tegan and Sara

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Vampire Weekend

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The Kills

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The Raconteurs

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Surviving the 2008 Outside Lands Music Festival

BuzzSugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:30:13 -0700

In theory, the Outside Lands Festival here in my little city by the Bay seemed like a lot of fun - especially since I didn't have to pay the exorbitant ticket prices ($250 for a three-day pass!). As such a gigantic concert in Golden Gate Park, it seemed like an experiment I should witness firsthand, like I might be a part of history or something.

The lineup for the weekend was impressive: Radiohead, Beck, Wilco, Regina Spektor, Tom Petty, Jack Johnson, Cake, The Walkmen, The Black Keys, and a bunch more. Then again, you'd have to have those cartoon speedy legs that turn into blurry wheels as they propel you forward at warp speed in order to actually see all the bands you'd like to see. The stages were pretty far apart, and there was a noticeable lack of helpful signs. On Friday I walked in the wrong direction for a while before doubling back toward the box office, and by the time I got my pass the only act I could catch was Radiohead. They were excellent - no complaints about the actual performances, really - but it was a lot of running around (literally), not to mention a royal pain in the neck dealing with the public transportation system, which was clearly overwhelmed by the multitudes of concertgoers.

Anyway, for the most part, I liked the concerts once I got to them. To check out some of my impressions, read more.

I hadn't seen Radiohead perform in years, so it was a real treat to check them out. For all the vast space in the main-stage area, the sound was good (well, perhaps a little too good for many of the residents living near the park).
Tom Petty was one of my very first concerts as a teen, so getting to see him again was sweetly nostalgic. His set was also the one where I found a pretty wide variety of ages in the audience; it was really cool to see how many generations know and love Petty's music. As he and the Heartbreakers began their final song I decided that those first sounds of "American Girl" (tun-tunga-tun, tatata, tun-tunga-tun) might be some of the most recognizable in all of American music.

There is definitely something uniquely awesome about a Summer music festival with all the raucous dancing in the sun and carefree belting out of lyrics. It's fun to see how unifying music can be, even with crowds of thousands.
The bands seemed to agree. Almost every act I caught appeared to be having an almost blissful time and giving spirited performances in return. Broken Social Scene's multitextured sound was boosted by its collective mirth.
Even Jeff Tweedy, the often-surly lead singer of Wilco, was downright giddy as his band closed out the Twin Peaks stage on Sunday night. Unfortunately, the sound at the Wilco show could have been turned up a notch or two; it was too hard to hear, even from the VIP section on the sidelines.
The Drive By Truckers, on the other hand, were as wonderfully over-the-top as always, rocking through a tight set and passing their standard bottle of Jack Daniels back and forth in the waning afternoon sun. In fact, I probably most enjoyed the experiences on the smaller side stages, where the crowds were rollicking but not impenetrable like on the larger venues.
Another favorite part about fests: Though I always have an itinerary of shows to hit, I love stumbling onto the ends of other performances I didn't plan to catch - in this case, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. I never understood all the fuss about Jones until I caught the last 15 minutes of her set; damn, that woman is intense, and intensely sassy. Hearing her live is clearly the way to go.

Are Big Music Festivals Worth the Money?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 10:41:48 -0700

The full lineup for this summer's Lollapalooza festival in Chicago won't come out till Monday, but according to the Chicago Sun-Times, the major acts are biggies: Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine, the Raconteurs, Wilco, and Kanye West will headline the main stages. Other acts the Sun-Times confirmed include Gnarls Barkley, Broken Social Scene, Cat Power, and Grizzly Bear.

Though the list of artists has been kept under wraps, tickets have already been on sale for a while - with the current round of three-day passes priced at $190. That's a pile of money, but i's nothing compared to the whopping $269 it'll cost ya for three days at Coachella this month - or even the $225 fee for three days at this year's inaugural Outside Lands festival here in San Francisco.

Sure, you can see a lot of big-time bands for that money, and given the cost of individual concert tickets these days, maybe it's not so bad. But once you factor in travel and lodging, going to a music festival takes a lot of coin. Is it worth it?

Sasquatch: Mythic Creature With Great Taste in Music

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 13:30:00 -0800

The Sasquatch Music Festival, held annually at a gorgeous outdoor amphitheater in George, Washington, has just released this year's lineup, and at first glance I'm liking what I see. R.E.M. and The Cure are the big headliners, which, like Coachella where they're spotlighting Roger Waters of Pink Floyd, is in keeping with this year's trend of bringing back older bands. At least with Sasquatch I don't have to go as far back as bell bottoms; I just have to dig out my Doc Martens (or find new versions of my old Docs!).

Billboard reports that The Flaming Lips will premiere their anticipated film Christmas on Mars at Sasquatch. They'll also perform their U.F.O. Show in which the band emerges from a giant U.F.O. and then one of them finds himself in a hamster ball of some sort. I've seen these guys live, and it's super fun.

For more bands in the lineup and ticket information, read more.

The festival is held on Memorial Day weekend, May 24-26 and tickets go on sale March 8th for $56.50 per day. The price increases two days later. Also, this is a camping event so you have to plan for that as well. More info is available here.

A good chunk of the lineup is what I would describe as "Northwesty" as many of them hail from that part of the map, including Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie, Built to Spill, The New Pornographers, and Kinski. In addition to those bands M.I.A., the Hives, Tegan & Sara, Rodrigo y Gabriela, and the Breeders will be there, along with Flight of the Conchords! I'd also love to check out power-bop band The Cops that I've heard a lot of good things about.

A little something for everybody, no? What do you guys think of this lineup?

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Coachella Music Fest Lineup: Hipsters, Start Your Engines!

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 07:30:56 -0800

While the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival has become a giant, crowded experience that has gone increasingly Hollywood over the years, the festival still continues to book some pretty excellent bands. At first glance, this year's lineup, announced Monday at a press conference in Mexico City, has some folks feeling underwhelmed. Still, there's enough good stuff planned for the three days of fun in the Southern California desert that music fans like myself will still want to get busy mapping out the bands they want to see from April 25 to 27.

The big news this year is a performance by Roger Waters of Pink Floyd, who will re-create Dark Side of the Moon, as well as a Portishead reunion, according to the LA Times. The festival organizers also confirmed what had been rumored for months: They're bringing a Coachella-style music festival to the East Coast. On Aug. 8 to 10, the first All Points West Music & Arts Festival will take place at Liberty State Park in New Jersey. This might be a good option for the not-so-outdoorsy music lover, because it won't have camping a la Cochella.

For more information about how to get tickets and to hear about some of the bands from the 125-act lineup that caught my eye, read more.

Tickets for Coachella will go on sale at 10 a.m. this Friday, Jan. 26. Three-day passes are $269 plus taxes and fees, and single-day tickets are $90 each. More info is available here.

It's pretty hard to top the earth-shattering Rage Against the Machine reunion from last year; however, there are some pretty cool recently united bands performing this year, including the Verve and the Breeders. I'd love to see Death Cab for Cutie, My Morning Jacket, M.I.A., Fat Boy Slim, and Rilo Kiley. I'm also really curious about how bands like Vampire Weekend sound live.

As festival season continues to ramp up, there will be a lot more news out of Coachella and other music festivals, including more details on ticket sales and lineup for All Points West, so stay tuned!

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Treasure Island Music Festival Recap, Part II

BuzzSugar — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:02:14 -0700

I was downright giddy to attend the first-ever Treasure Island Music Festival this weekend, and the two-day event far exceeded my expectations. Yesterday, I gave you a gallery and my thoughts on the fest, and today, I'm breaking down the highs and lows of the performances.

As with any festival, it was fun to get turned on to some new artists. In the discovery department, I was probably most charmed by the cello-buttressed indie rock of Sea Wolf, while YumSugar was impressed by the tango revisionists Gotan Project. It was also pretty awesome to see the newest Modest Mouse member, Johnny Marr of the Smiths, tearing it up again. For all of my highlights and disappointments, read more

The Highlights

M.I.A.: I expected this to be one of the highest-energy shows at TI Fest, and the Sri Lankan rapper and her crowd did not disappoint. During "Paper Planes," M.I.A. started scaling the stage, and at another point, about 30 women from the audience joined her for a wicked group dance.
Funny aside: My friend Phil, who snapped the photo below, overheard one pair of girls debating whether or not to go on stage to dance. Girl #1: "Come on, let's go!" Girl #2: "But what am I going to do with my bag?" Girl #1: "Just leave it!" Girl #2: "This bag was $4,000 dollars. I am not leaving it!" Ok, If you want to spend $4,000 on a bag, that's your business, but why would you bring it to an outdoor music festival?

Spoon: As you may remember, I'm rather obsessed with the new Spoon album, and I couldn't wait to see how the dance-inducing songs sounded live. The energy was infectious and, even better, the musicians also brought out the music's slightly bizarre, trippier vibe during a few stretches.
M. Ward: The last time I saw M. Ward, his performance was a bit too folksy and subdued to hook me. But in this early afternoon show on Sunday, he was powerfully channeling every bit of his ragged blues influence, pounding on a grand piano and coming off like a soulful veteran.

The Disappointments

DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist: Even YumSugar, who is a huge DJ Shadow fan, agreed that this set was disappointingly dull. Given, there's something kind of wrong about seeing a DJ set in the middle of the day, but the concept - dueling DJs using on 45s - sounded awesome. Unfortunately, the music choices were pretty lackluster.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: I really adore this band's beautifully unbalanced music, but both times I've seen CYHSY live, the off-kilter charm has translated into too-rough performances. The songs lacked focus, and the sound regulation was all over the map.

Treasure Island Music Festival Recap, Part I

BuzzSugar — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 15:03:32 -0700

I was downright giddy to attend the first-ever Treasure Island Music Festival this weekend, and the two-day event far exceeded my expectations. Of course, there was killer music - with M.I.A. scaling the stage towers and Built to Spill inspiring one dude to headbang - but there was also a Ferris wheel, an arcade full of retro video games, and stunning views of the San Francisco skyline.

The fest was cleverly split into an electronic day - with artists like Thievery Corporation and DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist - followed by a rock day, featuring M. Ward, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Spoon, and Modest Mouse. Each day packed in a total of 14 bands on two different stages with no overlap, so it was easy to get your money's worth and see every artist. YumSugar and I were there taking tons of photos, and we both agreed that the fest was awesome. Tune in tomorrow for a roundup of my favorite shows, and for my initial thoughts and a gallery of the fest in pictures, read more

Considering this was the first year of the TI Fest, I was really impressed with how the organizers pulled everything off; aside from some sound-mixing issues, everything seemed to go very smoothly. More important, I had a blast. Some observations:

The eco-effort paid off. TI Fest set out to be as "green" as possible, with on-site recycling and composting, biodiesel buses to the island, and prizes for people who picked up litter. It was great to see indie-rockers digging through the trash for recyclables, and as a result, the grounds were amazingly clean.

Big trend: babes in headphones. I noticed tons of moms carrying babies outfitted with giant padded headphones to protect their precious ears.

Indie rockers make for less interesting people-watching. Splitting the festival into an electronica day and an indie-rock day definitely affected the crowd. Day one definitely had more of a Burning Man vibe, while Day Two's attendees were better dressed but less fun to watch. One exception: This pair of dudes, one in a "Cougar Bait" tshirt and the other who insisted on standing up and flexing throughout the show.

For the rest of my photos, check out the gallery below. And tune in tomorrow for more highlights!

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