Editor’s Picks – Showbams

CRSSD makes a big splash in debut as 2015 festival season heats up

March 19, 2015 by Josh Herwitt 4 Comments

CRSSD Festival //
Waterfront Park – San Diego
March 14th-15th, 2015 //

Music festivals rarely ever run smoothly in their inaugural year. Whether they are poorly timed, disorganized or just not well thought-out, first-time festivals often have their fair share of problems.

But Southern California-based event promoters Goldenvoice and FNGRS CRSSD are quickly changing the game after putting on a nearly flawless first edition of CRSSD Festival at San Diego’s Waterfront Park last weekend.

Bridging the gap between the EDM and alternative electronic worlds much like HARD Events founder and CEO Gary Richards has done with his own festival series, the two-day, 21-and-over event initially caught fans’ eyes with electro-rock bands like Empire of the Sun and Chromeo topping an impressive, dance-oriented bill that also included ODESZA, Flight Facilities, Hot Natured, Classixx, Maceo Plex, Justin Martin, Lee Burridge and Pete Tong.

Then, a month later, CRSSD organizers drew even more attention to the festival when they announced Phase II of the lineup, adding James Murphy, Damian Lazarus & The Ancient Moons and Trippy Turtle to an already stacked list of performers.

And with temperatures hitting the high 80’s on both Saturday and Sunday, CRSSD Festival couldn’t have served as a better warm-up (no pun intended) for Coachella, which, by the way, is only three weeks away.

Here are our awards from the first-ever CRSSD Festival.

Most Epic Set: Empire of the Sun

The Aussie glam-pop giant has been headlining festivals for a while now and continues to do so in epic fashion. Empire of the Sun’s live performance is as much of a spectacle as it is a psychedelic dance party, and when they intertwine the two so fluidly as they did to close out the first day of festivities at CRSSD, they’re able to leave lasting memories for both new and old fans.

Biggest Dance Party: Chromeo

These two childhood friends from Montreal have been igniting dance parties all over the world since dropping their 2004 debut She’s in Control, and while their synthpop sound hasn’t necessarily evolved leaps and bounds over the last decade, they still know how to get a crowd moving, whatever the occasion may be. With the weekend winding down, you could find plenty of festivalgoers all over the grounds grooving to Chromeo’s signature brand of disco funk. We even saw people dancing on their way to the porta potties!

Most Uplifting Set: Classixx

As we found out at Treasure Island Music Festival last fall, LA electronic duo Classixx have come a long way since their early days remixing artists like Phoenix, Mayer Hawthorne and Holy Ghost! Scheduled to play the always-important post-sunset set on the Ocean View Live stage, they stepped up to the challenge and delivered one of the most awe-inspiring shows of the weekend. With their wide range of influences, the sky — especially when it’s tinged orange, red and blue — appears to be the limit for these two beatmakers.

Biggest Surprise: Lido

Quite frankly, we didn’t know anything about Norwegian producer Lido (aka 22-year-old Peder Losnegård) prior to his 4:30 p.m. set on Sunday. Well, maybe we should have. After watching him drop remixes of Bill Withers, The Weeknd and alt-j all while maneuvering between keyboards, electronic drums and a variety of programming equipment, we were thoroughly impressed with this young stud’s skills. Oh, and his pipes aren’t shabby either.

Best Stage Visuals: ODESZA

The Seattle production duo has been on fire of late, and its Sunday night set was easily one of the most anticipated of the weekend thanks to the release of its second full-length album In Return this past September. While “Say My Name” has taken the airwaves by storm over the last few months, it was their stage visuals that really stood out. Artistic and abstract at the same time, you couldn’t help but stare at the huge LED screen directly behind Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight as they worked their magic on us.

Most Enthusiastic Performance: Robert DeLong

Is there a more entertaining live performer in dance music right now than Robert DeLong? Whether he’s singing or banging away ferociously on the drums (his stage setup includes both acoustic and electronic), the 29-year-old Washington state native is one of the most animated acts in electronic music. Fusing house, moombahton and a handful of other EDM sub-genres into his Sunday afternoon slot, he showed an enthusiasm unparalleled to any other artist on the CRSSD lineup.

Best Guest Performance: Flight Facilities

Since their inception in 2009, Australian production duo Flight Facilities have continued to soar by dropping new singles year after year. Exceeding all expectations at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco during Noise Pop 2015, they arrived at CRSSD on Sunday night and didn’t disappoint, employing guest vocalists like Brooke Addamo (aka Owl Eyes) to engage the crowd and supplement their disco-house grooves.

Most Under-Appreciated Set: STRFKR

Portland electronic quartet STRFKR have been going strong for more than eight years now. With four studio albums to their name, Joshua Hodges, Shawn Glassford, Keil Corcoran and Patrick Morris have continued to build on their synth-heavy sound. Unfortunately with DJ Harvey and Thomas Jack playing sets on the festival’s two other stages at the same time, STRFKR’s rather fun and upbeat performance on Saturday went relatively unnoticed.

Sexiest Stage Presence: Goldroom

We unexpectedly caught Goldroom at Lightning in a Bottle a couple years ago, so we were already familiar with Josh Legg’s breezy, chilled-out arrangements. But somehow we did forget how sexy Mereki Beach can be when she takes over the mic, as she strutted her stuff in her shiny kicks midway through Goldroom’s Saturday afternoon set. With Legg getting the live band back together, fans of the LA-based act should be seeing a lot more of Beach.

Most Mysterious Performance: Slow Magic

One of the biggest enigmas in electronic music these days is the man behind a Technicolor wolf mask. While his identity still remains unknown to most, his fans know him best by his stage name Slow Magic (read our review of his SF show from the fall). Though a small, yet passionate crowd assembled for his early-afternoon set on the main stage Sunday, you had to feel for a guy wearing a mask and playing drums in almost 90-degree heat.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Festival Reviews, Festivals Tagged With: Chromeo, Classixx, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, CRSSD, CRSSD 2015, CRSSD Festival, CRSSD Festival 2015, Damian Lazarus & The Ancient Moons, Empire of the Sun, Flight Facilities, FNGRS CRSSD, Goldenvoice, Goldroom, James Murphy, Jason Bentley, Justin Martin, Lee Burridge, Lido, Maceo Plex, Pete Tong, Robert DeLong, Slow Magic, STRFKR, Tensnake, Trippy Turtle, Waterfront Park

Noise Pop 2015: Who made the ‘most’ of SF’s 12-day indie fest?

March 6, 2015 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

Caribou at The Fillmore // Photo by Justin Yee

Photos by Justin Yee, Pedro Paredes, Mike Rosati, Alfonso Solis & Nicole Alfaro // Written by Molly Kish //

Noise Pop //
Bay Area venues – San Francisco & Oakland
February 20th-March 1st, 2015 //

2015 marked the Bay Area’s 23rd annual celebration of independent music, art, film and more, affectionately known as Noise Pop. Running 12 full days and taking place at more than 20 different venues throughout SF and the East Bay, this marathon party is best described as the West Coast version of South by Southwest.

Each year, Noise Pop highlights both the biggest stars within the independent music and art industries as well as emerging artists performing at the peak of their games and has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to booking their acts — and this year was no exception. Curating a demographic of music fans with limitless knowledge, expectations and preferential ranges, this festival never fails to create some of the most memorable experiences in live entertainment throughout the Bay Area.

Noise Pop remains one of our favorite times of the year, not only for its amazing lineups and exceptional performances, but also for its genuine ability to bring music and lifestyle connoisseurs from across the globe to extrapolate, communicate and participate in the independent culture of the Bay Area.

Here are some of our favorite moments from Noise Pop 2015.

Most Likely to Have a Hospital Bill: Ben Gibbard

Gibbard enlisted Sun Kill Moon’s Mark Kozelek to play guitar for him after breaking his wrist before his big opening night performance at the Swedish American Music Hall. We’re still surprised the notorious shit talker (Kozelek) didn’t give Gibbard a harder time about it, considering the last song off Kozelek’s Benji is titled “Ben’s My Friend” and is about how Kozelek went to the Greek Theatre in Berkeley to watch Gibbard play with The Postal Service before proceeding to have a mental breakdown.

Runner-up: PPL MVR

This second-place honor goes to SNWBLL after the band had to cancel its performance at Bottom of the Hill due to some unfortunate bladder issues.

Tonights PPL MVR show has been cancelled. SNWBLL of @pplmvr is ill passing a giant kidney stone and cannot perform. Get well SNWBLL!

— Noise Pop (@noisepop) February 25, 2015

Most Likely to Inspire 2015 Festival Fashion: The Black Ryder

Dark, brooding and beautifully tragic. Beyond the torrid love affair story and musical diatribe to accompany the duo of Aimee Nash and Scott Van Ryper, the band embodies its self-proclaimed “Rhinestone Drone” sound into a wicked wardrobe, guaranteed to materialize on the proverbial polo fields across the nation this summer.

Runner-up: Bestie

The Vancouver outfit brought some creativity to the merch table with fun and functional band gear, such as koozies and friendship bracelets, as you can see here via Instagram.

https://instagram.com/p/zjwd2OJ5-G/

Most Bar-Raising Performance of the Festival: Kindness

“(Adam) Bainbridge grabbed one audience member’s cell phone out of its hands and filmed himself as well as the crowd with it at one point, elevating the crowd-interaction a notch. He sang from on top of the bar at stage left, walked into the crowd with his mic and made a huge lap while singing to individuals in the audience to end the night.”

Read the full review here.

Act Most Likely to Prompt a Mind-Altering Freak Out: Dan Deacon

“Layer upon insane layer of sound interprets into harmonious infectiousness, a feat that hints at an intersection of mathematical and creative genius. The guy takes all sorts of frequencies and cross sections of genre elements and composes it all together into a crescendo of weird, atypical pop. And by weird, I mean the very good kind of weird.”

Read the full review here.

Runner-up: Holly Herndon

“People laughed nervously as a slow burn of glitch sounds began to emerge, and before you knew it, her browsing gave way to an interactive, virtual world featuring two-dimensional cutouts of people floating about while strategically-placed cameras around the room recorded and projected images of the crowd, usually catching them unexpectedly on their phones, on two adjacent screens.”

Read the full review here.

Most Entertaining Attempt at a Cover Song: Surfer Blood

These guys covered “Hey Sandy” by Polaris, aka the theme song for “The Adventures of Pete & Pete.”

Runner-up: Girrafage‘s rendition of Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA”

Most Likely to Be Headlining Future Festivals: Caribou

Absolutely destroying two back-to-back, sold-out nights at The Fillmore, Caribou’s live show is currently on a world tour, hitting all of the largest festival stages in its wake. We unanimously believe that this act will be one of the biggest of 2015 and are keeping our fingers crossed that they will be filling the empty spot in their August tour schedule with a stop at this year’s Outside Lands Music Festival.

Runner-up: Flight Facilities

“… to consider booking this lineup on a ‘school night’ at a venue with a max capacity of 1,424 people was a pretty bold call. Subsequently though, it was also one that paid off in easily the largest dance party of the festival.”

Read the full review here.

Most Likely to Break the “Local Music” Barrier: Les Sins

“Intermingling his own material with disco classics, 90’s pop jams and dirty trap beats, Bundick had the crowd on fire and easily could have prolonged the party well into the after hours had there been the option to do so.”

Read the full review here.

Runner-up: Geographer

With a doctored lineup and powerful new songwriting approach, Mike Deni has taken full reign of the band’s beloved history of material and is moving forward into bold, uncharted territory — a leap of faith that just might cover the extra ground needed to penetrate a mainstream audience.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Festival Reviews, Festivals Tagged With: Ben Gibbard, Bestie, Blackout Make Out, Caribou, Cathedrals, Dan Deacon, Flight Facilities, Geographer, Girrafage, Holly Herndon, Jessica Pratt, Kevin Morby, Kindness, Les Sins, Mark Kozelek, Mezzanine, Noise Pop, Noise Pop 2015, Outside Lands Music Festival, Pell, Peoplemover, Rickshaw Stop, Running in the Fog, Sun Kill Moon, Surfer Blood, Swedish American Hall, The Black Ryder, The Chapel, The Church, The Fillmore, The LAB, The New Parish, The New Pornographers

10 takeaways from Shaun White’s first Air + Style on U.S. soil

February 26, 2015 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

Photos by Josh Herwitt, Melissa Herwitt & Matthew Nordman // Written by Josh Herwitt & Pete Mauch //

Shaun White Presents Air + Style //
Rose Bowl – Pasadena, CA
February 21st-22nd, 2015 //

Olympic gold medalist, X Games superstar and part-time actor/musician Shaun White brought the first-ever Air + Style contest to the States last weekend, taking over the Rose Bowl grounds for two days of extreme sports, music and art. Yes, in case you haven’t noticed, “The Flying Tomato” has become quite the renaissance man these days.

Air + Style officials, in fact, estimated that approximately 40,000 folks attended the event, but we’re a little skeptical of that number after a sparse turnout Sunday thanks to some unforgiving weather. While many attendees, including quite a few media members, only showed up for Saturday’s festivities, we made our way back to Pasadena to catch more live music and brave Sunday’s torrential downpour.

So, with plenty of highs and lows over the course of the weekend, here are 10 things we took away from two action-packed days at Air + Style.

10. These ph-ancy pants

OK, we know she’s dating Shaun White, but Phantogram lead singer Sarah Barthel undoubtedly took home the “Best Outfit” award, donning a pair of leopard sequin pants during the band’s hour-long set on Saturday. Unfortunately we couldn’t hear Barthel’s vocals all that well, but that wasn’t exactly her fault. That was for the sound guy to figure out — or not. More on that below.

9. Surf’s up

One of the few highlights on Sunday was a 45-minute set by alt-rock group Surfer Blood. Hailing from Florida, these four dudes brought a much-needed, high-energy set during the heaviest rainfall of the day. The band kept mentioning the rain and how much they appreciated everyone sticking around to see them. It seemed that the crowd didn’t mind — they just wanted to rock. Their big hit “Swim” was the perfect fit for the rain-soaked crowd, who could have swam around in the pit if they wanted.

8. Not so Sharpe

Edward Sharpe, aka Alex Ebert, made a big splash in 2009 with songs like “Janglin” and “Home” from Up From Below, but it’s been all downhill since then. Ebert broke up with then-girlfriend/vocalist Jade Castrinos, kicked her out of the band and is now resorting to using audiences to sing Castrinos’ parts. But when only a few hundred people show up to see your set, that doesn’t really work too well.

7. Getting colorful

One of the festival’s big positives were the live paintings on Saturday by three talented artists from the greater Los Angeles area. Craola, Jeff Soto and James Haunt each brought a unique graffiti style to their individual walls and were very gracious in answering questions from lots of drunken festivalgoers.

6. Cult following

We didn’t know much about Cults before their 4:45 p.m. set on Sunday, but the New York indie-pop outfit had the small, yet lively crowd at the Flood Magazine Stage cheering them on in the rain. Even with the band’s instruments getting soaked, forcing them to lay down towels over them when they weren’t being used, you could tell vocalist Madeline Follin and guitarist/keyboardist Brian Oblivion were having a good ol’ time — and it rubbed off on everyone else.

5. BIG air

Another obvious high point of the weekend was the gigantic, 16-story big air jump in the middle of the Rose Bowl fairgrounds. About 30 truly gifted athletes launched themselves into the dark grey sky on Saturday and the beginning part of Sunday, and it was quite fun to watch in between the musical acts. Sunday afternoon’s rainstorm put a damper on the ski final, which had to be canceled, but the few attendees who made it back for Day 2 didn’t seem to mind.

4. Flaming hot

The last time we saw The Flaming Lips come through LA, they were sharing the bill with Tame Impala and Wayne Coyne was dressing up as “Carrie.” The Lips didn’t bring their “A” game that night at The Greek Theatre, but they sounded a whole lot cleaner and tighter on Sunday despite only getting to play for a total of 30 minutes (their set time was scheduled to be one hour and 15 minutes) due to weather-related equipment issues.

3. First-time festival problems

The lines at all the concession stands and bathrooms were absolutely horrendous. If you were lucky enough to notice the makeshift beer stands next to each stage, then that saved you easily an hour for each beer purchase. We heard that people were waiting in line for a $10 PBR for over a hour! Those who came back on Sunday were rewarded with no lines anywhere, but that came with the price of getting completely drenched.

2. These guys rocked

While Diplo had the majority of attendees fist-pumping their way through his hour-long set on the Main Stage, Portland-by-way-of-Alaska psych-rockers Portugal. The Man followed EDM’s most misogynistic DJ with one of the best sets of the weekend. The LCD projections, some of them featuring frontman John Gourley’s drawings, on the diminutive Flood Magazine Stage jived perfectly with a performance that was highlighted by covers of Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back in Anger” and Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall.”

1. Kendrick Lame-ar

Compton native Kendrick Lamar’s headlining set on Saturday could have been amazing, but the volume was just too low. After constantly hounding the sound guy in between each barely-audible song, Lamar finally got the volume turned up, but it was only for one song — and he chose to redo “m.A.A.d city” again?!?! We can thank Pasadena’s noise ordinance laws for that one or the festival organizers for choosing to host the event outside the Rose Bowl.

Air + Style 2015 - Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Air + Style, Air + Style 2015, Air + Style LA, Air + Style LA 2015, Cults, Diplo, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Kendrick Lamar, Phantogram, Portugal. The Man, Rose Bowl, Shaun White, Surfer Blood, The Black Lips, The Flaming Lips

Feeling 50/50 with The Dodos at Great American Music Hall

February 24, 2015 by Molly Kish 2 Comments

Photos by Justin Yee & Diana Cordero // Written by Molly Kish //

As The Dodos‘ Meric Long (vocals, guitar) and Logan Kroeber (drums, percussion) prepare for their first hometown show as a duo since 2007, they seem collected yet express that their sentiment is anything but.

Performing and recording for nearly a decade together, the two have produced six albums as well as various special releases and have had several friends and musicians join them in the studio and on their worldwide tour. Starting off the West Coast leg of dates debuting songs from Individ, they seem just as excited as they are nervous to be embarking on a full-scale junket promoting the new album.

Taking some time to speak about their band history, momentary reservations and songwriting process, The Dodos caught up with Showbams before their show at the Great American Music Hall, giving us a look inside their 50/50 mindset.

Showbams: This is the second stop of your North American tour this winter, and it’s the first time you’re debuting the new material off Individ. How are you feeling about doing that in front of your hometown audience?

Kroeber: I’m nervous. I was excited when we first got here. Now I’m nervous.

Long: You just made me nervous by telling me that. I was fine before you said that, but now when you know that 50 percent of you is nervous then …

Kroeber: You know what I’m nervous about really? It’s less performing the songs, and it’s more getting the merch set up in time. But my concerns are trivial. When we get to playing the songs, it’s fine. Last night we got to play a bunch of new stuff for the first time, and it was a blast.

Showbams: Well, you got one down. Now you’re amongst friends and family, so you’ve got a lot of support and it’s less stress with each date.

Long: Well, you would think that, but actually hometown shows are much more stressful for that exact reason.

Showbams: This also marks the first North American tour that you guys have been on since 2007 while performing as a duo. Was it hard to adjust your show for this tour, especially considering the difficult circumstances that brought about the move to play again as just a two-piece? (Editor’s Note: Previous touring member Chris Reimer passed away in 2012.)

Long: It’s usually harder to have someone come along with us because you have to teach them everything. It’s easier getting ready for the tour, but during the actual tour, we have to do a lot more because now there is only two of us. So yeah, it’s easier, but it’s also harder. Not a very profound answer there. I’m really on the 50/50 thing right now.

Kroeber: The big advantage we have, like Meric said, is that there is a lot more work that we have to put in. But once we start doing the shows, we are able to play pretty much anything we want to. We could have done it in the past, but having somebody else with us, we want to play all the stuff we put in the hard work to get them to learn. Now that it’s just the two of us, we can play anything we want. Also, we have a lot of songs as I have come to realize by looking at all the ones that we want to play. There is no way that we can even play those selected songs in one concert — it would be like five hours long. The setlist is actually kind of sad because you have to cut away all this stuff that you would have fun doing, but cream of the crop I guess.

Showbams: You guys chose to record Individ at John Vanderslice’s Tiny Telephone, which was also the same recording studio you laid down Carrier. Was there any other motivation besides the sound quality and production to record there again?

Long: Yeah, actually the guy who’s doing sound tonight recorded the record with his brother. We just became good buddies by the end of making Carrier. It was really about that good relationship that we just wanted to capitalize on. So, outside of it being a great studio, they obviously have a good thing going on over there. It was like, “Well, we just made some new friends, and we want to spend more time with them.”

Showbams: Speaking of friends, also present on the album are vocal contributions from Brigid Dawson of Thee Oh Sees and Mina Choi of Magik*Magik Orchestra. What prompted you to ask them to be involved in the album?

Kroeber: Well, their talents speak for themselves, but I think it’s super cool that we got Mina singing on the album because she is known as a composer and arranger. She was doing arrangement for our album Color, made demos vocally in GarageBand and she has just got an amazing voice. Meric arranged it I think. I don’t really remember the lead up to it. We were just like, “She’s coming in, and now she’s singing all this crazy stuff!” We knew she had a great voice back then, but she’s just not as well-known for it and I think she will start to be soon.

Showbams: How was it having their influence in the studio and bringing their talents to the table?

Long: It was a much-needed break in the sausage fest that is making a Dodos record. They were both really different. Mina is a real technical performer, like she writes all of her crazy parts in her head beforehand. She’s more of an instrument in the way that she sings. Then Brigid came in, and she is really funny because she has got like this crazy voice but is super modest. She is almost unaware of what she truly has. She would go in the recording room and be like, “Oh, hi. How does it sound?” in her British accent (laughs). That’s a terrible British accent, but yeah, she would sing this crazy part and come back in like, “Did I do OK?”

Showbams: Your sound is one that is incredibly unique and is solidified by your unique musical backgrounds as well as the alternative ways you guys play your instruments. Logan, you play a kit that is usually absent of a base drum and have a tambourine strapped to your foot. Meric, you play an array of modified guitars as well as have a background in West African drumming?

Long: Yeah, we don’t really like to talk about that.

Kroeber: Also, I hate to burst your bubble, whereas everything you did say about my drumming is true, but now they’ve been subsumed into this greater kit that looks very regular now. I still play weird, but the kit does include a kick drum and the tambourine foot has turned into a hi-hat with a tambourine. So, from a distance, it looks like any other boring drum set, which is kind of sad, but I can do more stuff with it now.

Showbams: How did you guys start playing your instruments that way, and is there any more odd instrumentation that you guys introduced into the songwriting process on the new record?

Kroeber: It started that way because Meric had his EP that he made back in 2005, when he had started messing around with clattery percussion on there. So, when I met him, he had those songs and I learned how to play them, but it was really minimal. I only had a snare drum and a floor tom, and I played shows with him like that, just like nothing. I got to where it is now by starting with almost nothing, and then I would add like another drum and tambourine just as needed. Until now, I need everything, just not on every song. So, mainly it started as serving the percussion needs of Meric’s songwriting. We don’t want to turn down any opportunity for a cool addition to that palette of sounds, but I’m also such a minimalist when it comes to touring, I don’t want to add a bunch of stuff to just have to take around with me. It’s hard. I don’t want to not add something just for the sake of keeping it minimal on stage, but on the other hand, I do want to do that completely. You just have to skirt that line like, “Do I really need this? Is it worth it? Can I just hit this instead?” In the studio, we bang on whatever we can get our hands on. That’s why it’s fun to do stuff with Magik*Magik. They just bring the kitchen sink with them, and we can do our thing.

Taking the stage that night, The Dodos were greeted by a packed house full of friends, family and fans alike. Following a strong opening set from Springtime Carnivor, aka singer-songwriter Greta Morgan, Meric and Logan rocked the headlining slot absent of any nerves we had touched upon before the show. Watching them run through their setlist of material spanning the band’s entire body of work, the two played off their noticeable excitement and natural chemistry together.

Peering over the crowd from the upstairs balcony, you could physically see how the audience was affected by each individual track. Reacting to the material both old and new, the audience’s reception was triggered by various songs, including a surprise “Competition” duet with Dawson to close out the evening. While the band communicated their insecurities before the show, acknowledging that touring North America as just a duo would be a daunting task at times, seeing them command the stage as a pair again was as refreshing as it was nostalgic and truly brought an intimacy to the performance that could have easily gotten overshadowed with a larger ensemble on stage.

The Dodos’ magnetism as songwriters and performers is truly exemplified as a duo, refocusing their audience’s attention on the skill and level of technical difficulty they master both as individuals and in their 50/50 mindset.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Interviews Tagged With: Great American Music Hall, Springtime Carnivore, The Dodos

Ten years a Toddie: Reflecting on a decade of music and mischief with The Hot Toddies

February 16, 2015 by Molly Kish Leave a Comment

Photos by Pedro Paredes & courtesy of The Hot Toddies // Written by Molly Kish //

Celebrating their 10-year “bandiversary” last month as part of the first all-female bill at the historic Fillmore, Showbams caught up with the ladies of Oakland’s The Hot Toddies for a whimsical retrospective on their past decade as a band.

Seamlessly navigating the challenges presented with changes to the band’s lineup as well as a worldwide touring schedule and record label relocation (among other day-to-day difficulties, such as managing work schedules in and outside the studio), Erin, Heidi and Sylvia have always found ways to keep their attitudes positive, hustle strong and friendship at the forefront of everything they do. Their adventures as a trio of Toddies have directly influenced their style, songwriting and relationships with each other, their friends and their fans over the past decade.

We got to hear about some of their favorite memories as a band and get a glimpse into what they have in store for us in the near future.

A flyer for the band’s Liverpool show in 2009.

Favorite Show: Picking a favorite show over 10 years is very hard. One of our absolute favorites, though, was a time we played a fabulous show/costume/birthday party in Liverpool. Everyone was dressed up like politicians and celebrating. We got to sing “Happy Birthday” and lead a giant singalong of “Please Please Me” by The Beatles, which felt like the coolest thing possible to do in Liverpool.

Most Debated Song/Lyric: “That Ain’t Right” was the most controversial for the band because of the lyrics. It was written by a male friend for the band so we kind of loved the idea of a man’s perspective on lady issues. We hoped it would be a lighthearted song with our usual humor without being insensitive to the subject of teenage pregnancy.

Strangest Venue Ever Played: Probably the most unique venue we’ve ever played at was Ashbury Lanes in Ashbury Park, N.J. It’s a bowling alley with a stage in the middle of the lanes and people crowd around to watch the bands while some people keep bowling! The night we played there was Erin’s birthday, and the booker brought balloons, cupcakes and princess hats. A close runner-up would be the awesome haunted Gallery 5 in Richmond, Va. — a firehouse and police station way back during the Civil War and that is now an art and performance space with a haunted back room where criminals were hanged.

At the Tropicana in Las Vegas, circa 2006.

Funniest Fan Moment: On our first tour in 2006, we played two nights at Mr. T’s Bowl in LA. The second night we recognized a guy sitting at the bar — it was Sean Gunn (a.k.a. Kurt from “Gilmore Girls” and recently “Guardians of the Galaxy”). We hung out with him and his awesome lady friend Rachel, and several days later, they surprised us by flying out to Las Vegas to see us play again and took us to a super fancy dinner. We were totally blown away by their kindness. We shared a bottle of whiskey and played guitar while getting kicked out of several hot tubs at the Tropicana. We still stay in touch with both of them to this day, and they are awesome people.

Most Memorable Critique/Review: This doesn’t happen very often, but sometimes the critics just get it all wrong. This review in particular from exclaim.ca was so far off it was almost funny: “the four-part harmonies, as sweet as they sound, fail to catch up with the gritty attitude so clearly laid out for them by their lyrics … ‘Only With You’ claims it wants Jameson, but actually means Smirnoff Ice — two bottles, at most.” Gross. Barf. Smirnoff Ice! We wished we could spend an evening at a bar with the writer to correct her mistaken impressions of our drink preferences. After all, suggesting that we don’t really drink whiskey is a major insult for The Hot Toddies! And really, if writing a pretty song with harmonies means you can’t like whiskey then a lot of musicians would be in trouble.

The band stayed at this castle in Exeter, England.

Best & Worst Roadtrip Memory: Our best road trip memory was staying overnight in a castle in Exeter, England. The bathrooms were literally the size of bedrooms, and it had it’s own chapel with a functional organ that we got to play and sing on. It was definitely the most surprising and amazing place to stay on the road.

Worst memory would probably be the time some bleach/mold remover leaked onto Erin’s water bottle on the van floor and she accidentally drank a little. Obviously she survived, but it made her super sick and it was really scary.

Biggest Consensual Influence: NoFX.

Favorite Tourmate/Band to Play With: Our favorite tour buddies are Oakland babes Bam!Bam! Since we can fit all five of us into a single van, it means shared gear, loading, gas and driving duties makes tour easy breezy. Plus, they are badass ladies who like to drink champagne while riding duck boats and stay up late hanging out after a show. Our favorite bands that we’ve ever shared a stage with would be a tie between the time we got to rock with Alkaline Trio at Bottom of the Hill or opening for Smoking Popes at Great American music hall. We have a thing for Chicago bands apparently.

Craziest Afterparty: One of the most fun things about being on the road is seeing old friends and making new ones, and sometimes you even cross paths with your friends’ bands in a new city. While playing in Phoenix, Ariz., we happened to be touring through town the same night as our friends in RXBandits and DESA, so we arranged to meetup at a fan’s house for an afterparty. There were swimming pool games and singalongs until the sun came up. We made a LOT of noise and had a blast. Anyway, the girl’s parents were home and not super pleased, and we were definitely not invited back over next time we were in Phoenix.

The band during its Northwest tour in 2007.

Most Awkward Live Moment: One time we played a nice, laid-back basement show in Bremerton, Wash., and we made the mistake of smoking weed at the backyard BBQ before our set. Our songs were a complete disaster, but at least it all seemed pretty funny at the time.

Band’s Biggest Guilty Pleasures: Salty nuts, $5 foot longs, chocolate malt balls and the Oakland A’s.

Band’s Favorite Karaoke Songs: Alanis Morisette’s “Ironic”, Natalie Embruglia’s “Torn” and No Doubt’s “Spiderwebs”.

Member Most Likely to Perform Hungover: Honestly, all of us.

Heidi

Member Most Likely to Attract the Strangest Groupie: Heidi is the most likely to talk to creeps for free drinks.

Member Most Likely to Find Their Way Into Legal Trouble: Sylvia is most likely to bring weed along on a trip, so depending on what state we’re in, we may have to bail her out of jail one day.

Member Most Likely to Make Someone Cry: Sylvia is most likely to make someone cry, but hopefully it’s because we’re laughing so hard that were crying.

Member Most Likely to Take the Longest Time Prepping for the Show: Heidi takes a daily shower while Erin and Sylvia are more likely to go onstage with fresh deodorant, dry shampoo and a change of undies, of course.

Member Most Likely to Surprise/Catch Others Off Guard: “Say Anything Skidmore”, Erin tends to make comments that surprise.

Member Most Likely to Get Lost/Saunter Off: For those who’ve been following us for a while, you might remember our keyboard player Jessica who was famous for wandering off after a show. She left in 2012 to go on a world adventure and still hasn’t made it back which is why we’ve been playing as a three-piece for the past few years.

Team Toddies

Member Most Likely to Take Over the World: Team Toddies — we’re planning world domination together! Right now we’re working on writing our next album, and when that is released, we’re hoping to continue touring the world, starting with returning to Europe and visiting Japan.

Here is a love note from the band to all of its fans and supporters throughout the years:

Hey guys,

You are truly the best fans in the whole world. Thank you for buying our songs, letting us crash on your floors, dancing at shows and sharing your whiskey. In the immortal words of Bill and Ted: “Be excellent to each other. And … party on, dudes!”

Love,

Heidi, Erin & Sylvia

The Hot Toddies play Brick and Mortar Music Hall with GODS, Annie Bacon and Her Oshen on Thursday, March 5th. 18+. Doors: 8 p.m. Show: 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Interviews Tagged With: The Fillmore, The Hot Toddies

The Soft White Sixties, Mahgeetah & Coo Coo Birds rock ‘Showbams Presents’ showcase at Brick & Mortar

February 3, 2015 by Molly Kish 3 Comments

The Soft White Sixties

Photos by Tom Dellinger, Benjamin Wallen & Mike Rosati // Written by Molly Kish //

“Showbams Presents” The Soft White Sixties with Mahgeetah, Coo Coo Birds //
Brick & Mortar Music Hall – San Francisco
January 28th, 2015 //

Capping off a successful month-long residency at Brick & Mortar Music Hall last week, SF’s The Soft White Sixties were joined by opening acts Mahgeetah and Coo Coo Birds in a grand finale of epic proportions, presented by Showbams. Filling the intimate venue to maximum capacity, the sold-out crowd turned the event into a Wednesday night rager.

In combining some equally-enthusiastic fan bases into one room, the show offered a strong portrayal of the Bay Area’s vibrant music scene with three local bands on top of their games at the moment. Showbams couldn’t have been happier to present a night filled with such an impressively-curated lineup of artists — each representing their own unique musical styles — that continue to breach the creative barriers of the indie status quo across the board.

Coo Coo Birds

The three-piece Coo Coo Birds stunned the early-evening crowd, opening the show with their sludgy, psychedelic garage rock. Whether or not it was familiar with the band’s work upon entering Brick & Mortar, the audience quickly filled out the dance floor, drawn in by the trio’s hypnotic set.

Mahgeetah

A highly-anticipated performance from local indie/Americana outfit Mahgeetah marked the halfway point of the evening. By then, Brick & Mortar had already reached full throttle, packed with fans thirsty for their long-awaited live show before breaking out into a lively dance party while Mahgeetah ran through a string of their hits. The performance reached its peak when the band played its raucous cover of “The Seeker” by The Who, prompting a singalong that hit screaming octaves and one that neighborhood residents could easily hear within a few blocks of the venue.

The Soft White Sixties

Lastly, the evening’s headliner and the spotlight artist for their month-long residency, The Soft White Sixties took the stage. Equipped with their own lighting rig and set design, they took full control of the room, making sure that this last performance as the reigning kings of Brick & Mortar was one for the books. Performing for a packed house of friends and family, the band, which started playing together in 2010, brought an intensity and showmanship to the stage that echoed ones of veteran performers.

Coming in hot off the end of a year-long touring schedule in support of their most recent album Get Right, the band seemed as fresh as it was during its kickoff performance last February when it was one of the spotlight acts at Noise Pop 2014.

The Soft White Sixties lead singer Octavio Genera

It’s been a successful year on the road for the TSWS in addition to their many other accomplishments as a band, but this performance was even more special due to the fact that the show was also serving as an unofficial birthday party for lead singer Octavio Genera.

The “Showbams Presents” residency date truly was an amazing night for this website, Brick & Mortar Music Hall and all three bands that we were honored to have perform. It was definitely nothing short of a successful evening and ultimately one huge, epic party to end an amazing month of shows in SF.

The Soft White Sixties

Mahgeetah

Coo Coo Birds

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Brick & Mortar Music Hall, Coo Coo Birds, Mahgeetah, Showbams Presents, The Soft White Sixties

Is Father John Misty playing a character?

January 26, 2015 by Mike Frash Leave a Comment

Photos by Justin Yee // Written by Mike Frash //

Father John Misty strolled onto stage for his first performance in over a year on January 16th among the redwoods of Felton, Calif., in a venue that looked like a barn mixed with a classy old train depot. As the memorable show progressed, I found myself wondering where the line between Josh Tillman the man and Father John Misty the artist begins and ends.

Father John Misty aka Josh Tillman played every song from I Love You, Honeybear (due out February 10th, just in time for Valentine’s Day) for the first time live, not counting the astounding Letterman performance of “Bored in the USA”.

Launching into the schmaltzy earworm “I Love You, Honeybear”, FJM snatched up a stuffed green teddy bear held high in the air by a young fan near the front and waltzed with it to the romantic refrain, only to punt it back into the audience at the peak of the first dystopian verse. A talented new supporting band has his back, yet FJM still drops to his knees and manhandles the mic stand as he did on prior tours.

Early on he called out the audience as being “up to no good” for singing along to the new songs, referencing the awkward new live music reality when an audience shows they have overplayed a leaked record before it’s even available to purchase.

The house lights briefly came up during “True Affection” and the audience blinked and looked around at each other, giving me the sense that some kind of mockery was being played on us – and we the audience weren’t in on the joke. This is the guy, after all, who performed on the other side of a giant iPhone the last time we saw him. So how much of this is an act?

Is Father John Misty following in Steven Colbert’s footsteps, subjugating authenticity for the sake of satire, essentially holding up a mirror to this self-entitled generation, reflecting a sea of endless selfies? Is Josh Tillman playing a character, or is Father John Misty an evolving artist being true to himself?

Father John Misty has kept much of his second album under wraps, except for this press release via Sub Pop, which of course is hilarious and revealing.

It’s penned by the artist himself, and begins “Father John Misty aka Josh Tillman, says of the album I Love You, Honeybear …” An important distinction between Josh Tillman and Father John Misty is quickly established as he embraces the FJM label and degrades his real name to “also known as” status. So these details are told through the lens of FJM (bold emphasis his):

I Love You, Honeybear is a concept album about a guy named Josh Tillman who spends quite a bit of time banging his head against walls, cultivating weak ties with strangers and generally avoiding intimacy at all costs. This all serves to fuel a version of himself that his self-loathing narcissism can deal with. We see him engaging in all manner of regrettable behavior.

In a parking lot somewhere he meets Emma, who inspires in him a vision of a life wherein being truly seen is not synonymous with shame, but possibly true liberation and sublime, unfettered creativity. These ambitions are initially thwarted as jealousy, self-destruction and other charming human character traits emerge. Josh Tillman confesses as much all throughout.

First of all, taking Father John Misty, his music or this press release too seriously might be my first mistake. But I Love You, Honeybear is Father John Misty telling the tale of his former self, Josh Tillman, and how he transformed into the bewildering, intriguing character he is today.

We learned in Fear Fun that his “reality is realer than yours” and that he “never liked the name Joshua.” The question still remains, is FJM showing his authentic self, or will he end up looking like the next Ima Robot?

[interview starts at 16:14]

Father John Misty’s hour and a half therapy session on WTF with Marc Maron in late 2013 (as he recorded I Love You, Honeybear) is a primary source in looking behind the curtain. Tillman recollects that he wasn’t allowed to listen to “secular music” growing up, something he referred to as “a death sentence.” His first 10 records, all released as under the moniker J. Tillman, played it safe with literal dark and moody lyricism, never gaining him much traction in the Seattle music scene.

He realized during the J. Tillman years that he might be better at between-song joking and commentary than songwriting based on the crowd’s reaction during shows where he opened for other acts. He worked as a dishwasher, at a bakery and most notably as the drummer for Fleet Foxes — but Tillman expresses he’s always been drawn to things with immediate cause and effect, and that his experience with Robin Pecknold’s outfit made him realize he was an “unhappy narcissist.” He actually did drop it all to wander the Western U.S. and write a novel, something Tillman credits for helping to find his narrative voice.

That’s when the breakdown happened. He says it happened over “Josh Tillman the songwriter and failing to recognize how my value or self worth was tethered to success or lack thereof. I was afraid to face what I was.”

Maron brings up the concept of authenticity early in the interview, and Tillman replied, “That’s a sticky one, God knows what that means. Aesthetic authenticity is like hunting for shadows with a flashlight…”

“This conversation of authenticity played a big role in the shift to this writing style, which I arbitrarily deemed Father John Misty.” Tillman had taken a trip to the mountains of Big Sur for some soul searching just down the road from Felton, and he describes a moment of realization he had naked in a tree dosed on psilocybin:

“I spent my whole life developing this vernacular, this sense of humor, this way of speaking, this way of thinking, this worldview, and I had never really implemented it into my music.”

Something clicked that day, and he took this new thought process into the studio for Fear Fun. To recognize this musical right turn, he changed his stage name from J. Tillman to Father John Misty in a random convo with a roommate on a “why not?” whim. “The whole purpose of this name is that it’s just some dumb shit I would call myself, and it looks hilarious on a marquee, it looks like some Christian Science Puppet Show.” His name could just as well be Father John Sassypants.

Father John Misty expressed his interest in Norman Mailer, one of the founders of creative nonfiction, when he appeared on the WTF podcast. He also condemned hippies and Mumford & Sons while giving props to the Grateful Dead. But the nod to new journalism, attributing a fictional literary style & form onto fact-based journalism, helps to explain the question of character versus authenticity.

“With the music, the fact that I’m interested in including all of my humanity, putting everything into the songs, that means I want drugs to be in there, I want whatever sex there is to be in there, I want religion to be in there. I want everything to be in there, but unfortunately drugs take a lot of real estate in people’s minds…I’m just interested in including real details.”

With this knowledge, the fog begins to clear. Father John Misty’s lyricism draws from his experiences and personal reality, his thoughts and memories. He might enhance his narrative prose as any great storyteller does, but most importantly he leaves a sense of mystery in tact.

He may have grown into the head tossing, “horny manchild mad mommas boy” that owns the stage like a boss today. But Father John Misty is clearly the vehicle that Tillman is most creative and comfortable in as an artist, channeling his wondrous, insane inner monologue for us to enjoy. Seems real to me.

FJM’s suspicious thoughts on the search for authenticity make sense after this exploration: “Where people look for authenticity, I think it’s a little misguided. I think authenticity is really intangible. It’s easier to see than describe.” This idea is explored throughout I Love You, Honeybear, particularly in “Holy Shit”, where he says, “That’s now myth, that’s now real” in the same breath. Father John Misty seems to strive for ambiguity, avoiding spoon-fed messaging, which at least partially explains his appeal.

Father John Misty has struck a sweet spot in the collective minds of indieheads by Trojan-horsing the singer-songwriter genre with subversive storytelling, and the strength of his new material ensures his rise in stature.

Now his PR campaign is rightfully taking a parallel tone with his music leading up to the album release, helping us to dive deeper into the rabbit hole of duality, that we love him and hate him at the same time. He’s launched Streamline Audio Protocol (SAP), his new website that allows you to listen the new album stripped down to the most basic stems in karaoke-like, instrumental form. This satirical take on the current stream-a-week-before-album-release model and the ubiquitous nature of start ups is as bitingly effective as the lyrics in his LP2.

Anyone that can pull off the line “kissing my brother in my dreams or finding God knows in my jeans” from the ballad “When You’re Smiling And Astride Me” deserves the world’s attention. Perhaps this is the part where Father John Misty gets all he ever wanted?

Father John Misty at Bret Harte Hall in Felton, CA // Photo by Carrie Frash

Filed Under: Artist Spotlight, Editor's Picks, Featured Tagged With: Father John Misty, J. Tillman, Josh Tillman

The Bam Team’s 5 Favorite Shows, Albums & Songs of 2014

December 31, 2014 by The Bam Team 1 Comment

St. Vincent at Fox Theatre Oakland // Showbams' Photo of the Year, by Pedro

St. Vincent at Fox Theater Oakland // Showbams’ Photo of the Year, by Pedro Paredes

Ah, year-end lists — they’re an exercise in subjectivity and personal experience if there has ever been one. But what better way is there to learn from each other and discover some great new music while capping off the year and beginning anew?

So, without further ado, Showbams presents The Bam Team’s five favorite shows, albums and songs from 2014.

The 25 Best Live Music Acts of 2014
Showbams’ Top 50 Albums of 2014

Listen to The Bam Team’s favorite songs of 2014:

Darkside at The Fillmore // Photo by James Nagel

Mike Frash // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. Darkside at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – January 24th
Looking at my top five shows list for 2014, it appears I favor the weird, ya know, the good weird. This Darkside performance, the only SF show ever (for now) since Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington have put the project on indefinite hold, had patrons at The Fillmore in SF breathing and moving in unison. There was a magical feeling in the air as the hybrid of electronic and organic played out wonderfully with the duo tipping their hat to the past and setting a new standard for the brave new future of live music.

2. Panda Bear at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – May 22nd
3. tUnE-yArDs at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – June 6th
4. Phish at MGM Grand – Las Vegas, NV – October 31st
5. Volcano Choir at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – January 21st

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2
Ever since Jamie and Mikey blew my mind performing Run the Jewels almost in its entirety at The Independent in August of 2013, I’ve been a loyal RTJ soldier. And without taking a break, El Producto and Killer Mike stepped it up to an even higher plateau with their production precision, an uncanny balance of fun and intense, while lyrically honing more on the important issues of our time. Sensing the unstoppable momentum, Run the Jewels are already heading back into the studio for Run the Jewels 3. When Mike was recently asked if they’d continue to name their albums numerically, he said “Why not?!? Zeppelin did it!” Exactly. Say it with me now: Festival headliners circa 2016?

2. The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
3. D’Angelo – Black Messiah
4. Aphex Twin – Syro
5. The Antlers – Familiars

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1. Sturgill Simpson – “Turtles All the Way Down”
This is country music turned on its head, while staying mostly true to the hallmarks of the genre. Lyrically subversive while instrumentally emotive to the core, this song kept me coming back throughout 2014. It’s positive message of love winning over all else is certainly timeless, but when was the last time you heard a country tune tell a story of mind over matter transcendence? “There’s a gateway in our minds that leads somewhere out there, far beyond this place / Where reptile aliens made of light, cut you up and pull out all your pain.” Stirgill Simpson is as progressive as you can get within the realm of Americana, urging the listener to both think and feel.

2. St. Vincent – “Digital Witness”
3. Future Islands – “Seasons (Waiting on You)”
4. FKA twigs – “Two Weeks”
5. Flying Lotus – “Never Catch Me” feat. Kendrick Lamar

Nine Inch Nails // Photo by Rob Sheridan for NIN.com

Josh Herwitt // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. Nine Inch Nails & Soundgarden at Red Rocks Amphitheatre – Morrison, CO – July 21st
What a dream come true. Having the opportunity to see two of my favorite childhood bands at one of the best venues in the country would be hard to beat any year, let alone in 2014. Sharing the bill with Soundgarden on this tour, Trent Reznor made the most of a minimalist stage setup and trimmed-down lineup of sidekicks. Of the four shows (Red Rocks, Chula Vista, Irvine and Hollywood) I saw on this tour, this one felt particularly special. If this was one of the last times I ever got to see Nine Inch Nails perform live, it was a night I will never forget.

2. Jack White at The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – June 10th
3. Cinquanta featuring Puscifer, A Perfect Circle and Failure at The Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA – May 10th
4. Queens of the Stone Age at The Forum – Los Angeles, CA – October 31st
5. Tool at Valley View Casino Center – San Diego, CA – March 16th

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1. The Black Keys – Turn Blue
Akron’s favorite rockers answered the call this year, following up their Grammy-winning album El Camino with arguably their most ambitious effort to date — especially when you consider the turmoil that surrounded Dan Auerbach’s life at the time of its recording. Over the last five years, the Keys have become one of rock’s biggest bands, but they haven’t stopped taking risks as a result. Turn Blue dabbles in a myriad of styles, from the psychedelic sound of Pink Floyd on its opening track “Weight of Love” to the hip-hop groove on “10 Lovers.” For as many critics as they have, Auerbach and Patrick Carney have come a long way since their early years as strictly a blues duo.

2. The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
3. Jack White – Lazaretto
4. Aphex Twin – Syro
5. Death from Above 1979 – The Physical World

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1. Jack White – “High Ball Stepper”
Jack White seems to be on another level these days. The former White Stripe has grown into one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most exciting talents, and this blues-heavy, instrumental track showcases that better than any other offering on Lazaretto. White’s ferocious guitar riffs dominate the tune, taking listeners on an emotional roller coaster from start to finish. And when he plays “High Ball Stepper” live, the song takes on a new whole life of its own.

2. Foo Fighters – “Something for Nothing”
3. Interpol – “All the Rage Back Home”
4. TV on the Radio – “Happy Idiot”
5. Tycho – “Awake”

Jack White at Bill Graham Civic // Photo by David James Swanson

Steven Wandrey // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. Jack White at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – August 22nd
From the dramatic curtain drop that slammed into high-octane rock, this show never let off the gas. Even with a bum ankle, Jack White stalked the stage and held power over the crowd. When the slowest moments of a show are White Stripes ballads that you’re giddy to hear and the other half of the show is headbanging, guitar-slinging rock, it’s easy to see how this show cemented itself as the best of 2014.

2. Atomic Bomb! The Music of William Onyeabor at The Warfield – San Francisco, CA – May 6th
3. The War on Drugs at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – April 1st
4. Run the Jewels at Mezzanine – San Francisco, CA – November 14th
5. Duck Sauce at Outside Lands Music Festival – August 9th

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1. Flying Lotus – You’re Dead!
This album makes me feel like I’m actually traveling through the underworld to the land of the dead. From front to back, the first thing that caught me about this album was its consistent message. Steven Ellison has an inviting sense of storytelling that’s infused with hip-hop but touches on an array of different music styles, involving a star-studded cast of guests, including Kendrick Lamar, Thundercat and Snoop Dog. I have a feeling Flying Lotus is on the forefront of creative hip-hop and that this album will prove to be influential down the line. More importantly, I just love listening to it. Taking wild turns from frenetic to serene, listening to this album from start to finish is a journey.

2. Aphex Twin – Syro
3. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2
4. Future Islands – Singles
5. Tweedy – Sukierae

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1. Run the Jewels – “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry”
The minimalist production and deep, rumbling bass frequencies have helped this track become my No. 1 listened to on the album and also No. 1 for the year. The complimentary flow that El-P and Killer Mike have together is on display in this track. This cut has infected my brain like a virus (the good kind?), and I just can’t get enough.

2. Future Islands – “Seasons (Waiting on You)”
3. Sam Smith – “I’m Not the Only One”
4. Flying Lotus – “Never Catch Me” (feat. Kendrick Lamar)
5. Perfume Genius – “Queen”

Future Islands at The Chapel // Photo by Pedro Paredes

Kevin Quandt // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. Future Islands at Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Weekend 1 – Indio, CA – April 12th
It’s been a banner year for the Baltimore darlings we have grown to love as Future Islands. Breaking through the underground touring circuit to being a highly sought-after festival act was quick and clean as the passionate stage performance of Samuel Harrington could not be ignored by growing audiences. A packed Gobi Tent was eating from the frontman’s palm as Herrington poured himself out on stage, belting out a set heavy on new tracks and old favorites. It was a pivotal point where both the band and audience knew that Future Islands had arrived at the next stage of their career.

2. The Cure at BottleRock Napa Valley – Napa, CA – May 30th
3. Phish at MGM Grand Arena – Las Vegas, NV – October 31st
4. Connan Mockasin at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – May 15th
5. Deerhoof at Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA – November 18th

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1. The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
Adam Granduciel had one helluva 2014 to brag about. His third studio album Lost in the Dream was an overwhelming success, and all for good reason as the lush waves of rock swell over the listener like a warm Christmas sweater, just less ugly than the one you wore to that one party. “Under the Pressure” opens this release in epic fashion and does not let up from there. Guitar rock is not dead!

2. Todd Terje – It’s Album Time
3. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2
4. D’Angelo – Black Messiah
5. White Fence – For the Recently Found Innocent

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1. Flying Lotus – “Never Catch Me” (feat. Kendrick Lamar)
Steven Ellison’s left-field meditation on death, as demonstrated on 2014’s release You’re Dead!, is not for everyone and is more about the full album than the sum of its parts (tracks). However, there is one shining beacon of a collaboration that could not be cast aside in the form of “Never Catch Me”. The partnership of one of the hottest MCs with one of the most sought-after producers was meant to be a brutally infectious slice of off-kilter street music.

2. Caribou – “Can’t Do Without You”
3. Future Islands – “Seasons (Waiting on You)”
4. Beck – “Blue Moon”
5. Ariel Pink – “Put Your Number in My Phone”

Ryan Adams at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2014 // Photo by Pedro Paredes

Pete Mauch // Los Angeles

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. Phish at MGM Grand – Las Vegas, NV – October 31st
Phish has made the tradition of covering other artists albums on Halloween, and this year they completely outdid themselves by covering essentially an album of only narrative and spooky sounds. The Disney-produced album The Thrilling and Chilling Sounds of the Taunted House was turned into a rock opera of sorts as Trey and company worked through completely new songs based off just minimal sounds, but the night didn’t just end there. The band played this rock opera sandwiched between two very strong sets of original Phish songs that could have held its own alone.

2. Lettuce’s Late Night in Red Barn at Summer Camp Music Festival – Chillicothe, IL – May 22nd
3. Future Islands at Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Weekend 1 – Indio, CA – April 12th
4. Ryan Adams at The Fox Theater Pomona – Pomona, CA – October 11th
5. Todd Terje at FYF Fest – Los Angeles – August 24th

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1. Ryan Adams – Ryan Adams
When someone as prolific as Ryan Adams puts out a new record, you buy that record and you listen intently. The songs in his first self-titled album may seem simple at first listen, but they stay with you in the back of your mind until you just can’t take it and you re-listen again and again. This is exactly how what I’ve been doing the past few months since the release. Songs like “Gimme Something Good” and “Am I Safe” prove once again that Adams is still on top of his game.

2. The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
3. moe. – No Guts, No Glory
4. Todd Terje – It’s Album Time
5. Greensky Bluegrass – If Sorrows Swim

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1. Future Islands – “Seasons (Waiting on You)”
“People change / You know but some people never do / You know when people change, they gain a piece but they lose one too.” These lyrics are so uplifting and real, and the music to accompany these amazing lyrics ties the emotion perfectly together.

2. The War on Drugs – “Under the Pressure”
3. The Barr Brothers – “Come in the Water”
4. Temples – “Shelter Song”
5. Caribou – “Can’t Do Without You”

Old Crow Medicine Show at The Regency // Photo by Pedro Paredes

Pedro Paredes // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. Darkside at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – January 24th
The album Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington put together in 2013 was a delight for the ears, but with the show they played at The Fillmore, they were going after every sense in your body. Jaar once said that Darkside’s music was more experiential rather than musical, and they surely succeeded in delivering one of the best musical experiences to all the lucky attendants on that cold January night.

2. Future Islands at The Chapel – San Francisco, CA – April 10th
3. St. Vincent at The Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – March 22nd
4. James Blake at The Chapel – San Francisco, CA – December 7th
5. Old Crow Medicine Show at The Masonic – San Francisco, CA – September 20th

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1. Beck – Morning Phase
Beck’s Morning Phase follows the same breezy style as Sea Change, but the latter’s serenity seems to come from darker places. Morning Phase is, as the title suggests, a bit brighter and sets the tone for all the good things yet to come.

2. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2
3. Real Estate – Atlas
4. The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
5. Perfume Genius – Too Bright

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1. alt-J – “Nara”
It is hard to isolate “Nara” as the best song of Alt-J’s latest album This is All Yours since the story told in it is not exclusive to that song and it comes back in different sections of the album (as well as in some of the musical arrangements). But “Nara”, a song about love, deserves to be listened again and again. The 2:58 mark is bliss to my ears.

2. tUnE-yArDs – “Water Fountain”
3. Run the Jewels – “Love Again”
4. Perfume Genius – “Fool”
5. Angel Olsen – “Hi-Five”

St. Vincent at Fox Theater Oakland // Photo by Pedro Paredes

Andrew Pohl // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. Nine Inch Nails & Soundgarden at Shoreline Amphitheatre – Mountain View, CA – August 24th
I had never seen either band live before and based on my experience, it was like they had never broken up or aged since the ’90s. Amazing stage/light shows to go along with what was hands down my most eagerly anticipated show of the year.

2. Cibo Matto at Slim’s – San Francisco, CA – February 26th
3. American Football at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – December 12th
4. Failure at Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA – May 14th
5. Crosses at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – March 30th

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1. St. Vincent – St. Vincent
This album comes off like a chameleon, with many shifts but always staying very characteristically St. Vincent. I feel that she is one of the more important artists to come around over the last few years, and I am excited to see what she does next.

2. Nothing – Guilty of Everything
3. Beck – Morning Phase
4. Fugazi – First Demo
5. The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1. Spoon – “Do You”
Spoon have a knack for throwing a good toe tapper in their albums. This song is short and sweet, and you cannot help but get caught up in its infectiousness.

2. Ryan Adams – “Give Me Something Good”
3. St. Vincent – “Prince Johnny”
4. TV on the Radio – “Could You”
5. Nothing – “Bent Nail”

Arcade Fire at Shoreline Amphitheater // Photo by Justin Yee

Justin Yee // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1) Future Islands at South by Southwest (Cheer Up Charlie’s) – Austin, TX – March 13th
2) Arcade Fire at Shoreline Amphitheatre – Mountain View, CA – July 30th
3) Chromeo at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – April 12th
4) James Blake at The Chapel – San Francisco, CA – December 7th
5) Outkast at Treasure Island Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – October 18th

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1) Future Islands – Singles
2) The War on Drugs – Lost in the Dream
3) ODESZA – In Return
4) Flying Lotus – You’re Dead!
5) Caribou – Our Love

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1) Future Islands – “Seasons (Waiting on You)”
2) Chromeo – “Come Alive” feat. Toro y Moi
3) Flying Lotus – “Never Catch Me” feat. Kendrick Lamar
4) Chet Faker – “1998”
5) Mac Demarco – “Let Her Go”

James Blake at The Chapel // Photo by Pedro Paredes

Eric Shaden // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. James Blake at The Chapel – San Francisco, CA – December 7th
I feel bad telling friends about how great this show was since so few people were able to get tickets. An intimate venue hosting such a phenomenal artist was a no-brainer for my top pick. James covered hits from his albums as well as debuted new tracks and an incredible interlude of house jams. I just wish more friends could have seen this!

2. Chromeo at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – April 12th
3. Todd Terje at FYF Fest – Los Angeles, CA – August 24th
4. tUnE-yArDs at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – June 6th
5. Holy Ghost! at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art – San Francisco, CA – April 30th

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1. Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels 2
What else can be said about this album that hasn’t been covered already? An outstanding sequel to Run the Jewels that expands on the original with top-notch production and punishing delivery from El-P and Killer Mike. Without a doubt my top choice of the year.

2. Syd Arthur – A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble
3. D’Angelo – Black Messiah
4. Sinkane – Mean Love
5. Todd Terje – It’s Album Time

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1. D’Angelo – “Sugah Daddy”
I imagine D’Angelo coming back with his long-awaited album in December showed which writers/blogs/etc. wrote their “Best of the Year” lists early. His style of soulful R&B is sorely needed, and “Sugah Daddy” is my favorite from the album. Looking forward to his tour in 2015!

2. Caribou – “Our Love”
3. Aphex Twin – “minipops 67 [120.2]”
4. Jungle – “Time”
5. Jamie xx – “Sleep Sound”

High Sierra Music Festival // Photo by Benjamin Wallen

Benjamin Wallen // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. High Sierra Music Festival – Quincy, CA – July 2nd-5th
2. Paul McCartney at Candlestick Farewell – Candlestick Park – San Francisco, CA – August 14th
3. Jamestown Revival at Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA – November 28th
4. The String Cheese Incident at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – April 24th
5. Greensky Bluegrass at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – November 14th

Scott Martin // San Jose

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. California Roots Music Festival at Monterey Fairgrounds – Monterey, CA – May 23rd-25th
2. Rival Sons, Soft White Sixties & Sir Madam at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – September 25th
3. The Pimps of Joytime at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – February 15th
4. Caravan Palace & Rosin Coven at The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA – April 16th
5. Jackie Greene at The Catalyst Club – Santa Cruz, CA – March 26th

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1. Bears Den – Islands
2. Milky Chance – Sadnecessary
3. Lana Del Rey – Ultraviolence
4. Mighty Oaks – Howl
5. Solstafir – Otta

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1. Bears Den – “Agape”
2. Bears Den – “Isaac”
3. Milky Chance – “Down by the River”
4. Mighty Oaks – “The Great Northwest”
5. Crosses – “Bitches Brew”

MIA at BFD // Photo by Marc Fong

Nikki DeMartini // San Francisco

Top 5 Shows of 2014
1. MIA at Shoreline Amphitheatre for BFD 2014 – Mountain View, CA – June 1st
It had been four years since I saw MIA live and even though I’d prefer to see her play her own show rather than a set at a music festival, I was super excited to see her at BFD last summer. It was the first time in nearly 10 years that my cousin and I went to LIFE105’s annual summer show together. We lucked out and upgraded our tickets just in time to see MIA’s performance. Both of us were out of our seats, singing and dancing along to every song as soon as her set started. I was beside myself as MIA herself made her way off the stage, up into the seats of the venue and stopped near our row to spit lyrics as fans gathered and danced around her, myself included. I still can’t believe I danced with MIA!

2. OK Go at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – July 16th
3. Die Antwoord at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – May 22nd
4. Sylvan Esso at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – June 6th
5. MS MR at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – April 15th

Top 5 Albums of 2014
1. Sylvan Esso – Sylvan Esso
When I covered Sylvan Esso at The Fillmore earlier this year (when they opened for tUnE-yArDs), I had no idea who they were but ended up leaving the show a fan. Their self-titled debut album is an uplifting mix of danceable electropop tracks and indie rock that’s easy to lose yourself in. Their sparkly, layered and melodic sounds translate well whether you’re listening to the album or seeing them live. Sylvan Esso is one of three albums I bought in 2014, and it’s been on repeat ever since I picked it up.

2. Glass Animals – Zaba
3. Die Antwoord – Donker Mag
4. Iggy Azalea – The New Classic
5. First Aid Kit – Stay Gold

Top 5 Songs of 2014
1. Tove Lo – “Habits (Stay High)”
I really enjoy the simple percussion-driven melody and voluptuous vocals of Tove Lo’s hit single “Habits (Stay High)”. The subtle, yet engaging buildup to her belting, emotionally-charged lyrics has me singing along and turning it up every time I hear it on the radio. While it is very catchy, it’s not a super dancey song. However, it is a great go-to for karaoke.

2. Die Antwoord – “Rat Trap 666”
3. Sylvan Esso – “Hey Mami”
4. First Aid Kit – “My Silver Lining”
5. The Dead Weather – “Buzzkill(er)”

Filed Under: Best of, Best of 2014, Editor's Picks, Featured Tagged With: A Perfect Circle, American Football, Aphex Twin, Ariel Pink, Atomic Bomb, Beck, Best of 2014, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Bottlerock Festival, Candlestick Park, Caribou, Chromeo, Cibo Matto, Cinquanta, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Cold War Kids, Connan Mockasin, crosses, D'Angelo, Darkside, David Byrne, Death from Above 1979, Deerhoof, Die Antwoord, Duck Sauce, Failure, First Aid Kit, FKA twigs, Flying Lotus, Foo Fighters, Fox Theater Oakland, Fugazi, Future Islands, FYF Fest, Glass Animals, Great American Music Hall, Greensky Bluegrass, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, High Sierra Music Festival, Holy Ghost, Iggy Azalea, Interpol, Jack White, James Blake, Jamestown Revival, Jamie xx, Jungle, Kendrick Lamar, Lettuce, Mezzanine, MGM Grand, MIA, moe., MS MR, Nine Inch Nails, Nothing, OK Go, Outside Lands Music Festival, Panda Bear, Paul McCartney, Perfume Genius, Phish, Puscifer, Queens of the Stone Age, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Run The Jewels, Ryan Adams, Sam Smith, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Shoreline Amphitheatre, Sinkane, Slims, Soundgarden, Spoon, St. Vincent, Sturgill Simpson, Summer Camp Music Festival, Syd Arthur, Sylvan Esso, Temples, The Antlers, The Bam Fam, The Barr Brothers, The Black Keys, The Chapel, The Cure, The Dead Weather, The Fillmore, The Fonda Theatre, The Forum, The Fox Theater Pomona, The Greek Theatre, The Independent, The String Cheese Incident, The War on Drugs, The Warfield, Todd Terje, Tool, Tove Lo, tUnE-yArDs, TV on the Radio, Tweedy, Tycho, Valley View Casino Center, Volcano Choir, White Fence, William Onyeabor

The Regent Theater brings new life to LA’s music scene

December 1, 2014 by Josh Herwitt 2 Comments

By Josh Herwitt //

Say what you will about Los Angeles — maybe the traffic, the pollution and the people aren’t your cup of tea — but the city where the Kim Kardashians and the Justin Biebers of the world happen to roam is still one of America’s most important music cities.

With its ties to the film and entertainment industries, LA continues to be a hotbed for young, emerging artists and well-established stars across all genres, whether it’s hip-hop, electronic, punk or rock ‘n’ roll. Maybe it’s why we have more music venues than we know what to do with here. Sporting music venues of all shapes and sizes, LA has no shortage of options, particularly between Hollywood and downtown.

But it is downtown where LA continues to thrive at an exponential rate these days, marking one of the most exciting times in the city’s history, certainly when you consider what downtown LA looked like 20 years ago. One of the latest examples of the gentrification process downtown comes along Main Street, where sought-after, forward-thinking restaurants like Bäco Mercat and Pete’s are now calling home.

Yet, the facelift Main Street has been undergoing over the past five years wasn’t completely solidified until last month’s official opening of The Regent Theater, a 1,100-capacity venue with a gourmet pizza joint (Prufrock Pizzeria) and trendy watering hole (The Lovesong Bar) right next door.

Inside The Regent Theater

While it’s not as if Main Street was completely missing a music venue prior to The Regent’s opening, the new space provides a much different dynamic than what came before it. Just a few blocks up the street and tucked away in an adjacent alleyway, The Smell has long catered to underground punk and weird, experimental electronic acts as one of the few all-ages spots left in LA. But with no bar inside, it boasts an attitude unlike most music venues today, dating back to a time when punk was sweeping the nation for the first time.

You won’t find those anti-establishment vibes at The Regent, where local promoter Mitchell Frank, who also operates The Echo and Echoplex, and his company Spaceland Presents have already sold out shows for Death from Above 1979, Cold War Kids and FKA twigs (two nights). And although there are other suitable options nearby with historical movie palaces like The Orpheum Theatre, The Tower Theater and the newly renovated Theatre at Ace Hotel all lining Broadway within a block of each other, The Regent has quickly found its place amid the crowded, yet booming confines of downtown LA.

Cold War Kids at The Regent Theater

At first glance, the venue has everything to make it a successful addition to LA’s live music scene. Once a grindhouse and adult movie theater before more recently serving as a pop-up store/venue for Jack White’s label Third Man Records and his band The Dead Weather, The Regent fits in quite nicely with its immediate surroundings, evoking a feeling of “old downtown” (the building celebrated its 100th birthday this year, in fact) despite it still bearing that brand-new look and smell. Its sloped dance floor, perfect for any vertically-challenged music fan, is a refreshing change to the club-style venues that dominate LA’s scene. Though the floor area can become difficult to maneuver throughout when shows sell out — as I found out for myself during Cold War Kids’ headlining gig one night — the horseshoe-shaped balcony provides some respite while offering a close view of the stage. There are even a few high-top tables near the stairs for those needing to take some weight off their feet. No need to worry, though. The Regent’s custom-fitted sound system makes it plenty easy to hear the performance from the very back of the room.

If there’s one thing The Regent has going for it, it’s that there aren’t many “bad seats” in the house. Yes, the bar downstairs can easily become inundated with thirsty patrons (quick tip: you’re better off going to the bar upstairs) and the lack of air conditioning at times can make things uncomfortable for some, but with any new music venue nowadays, there are always pluses and minuses. Instead, it will come down to how The Regent resolves these smaller — however, noteworthy — grievances that will determine whether or not it becomes a favorite among LA music fans.

COLD WAR KIDS – NOVEMBER 20TH, 2014

Setlist:
All This Could Be Yours
Miracle Mile
Hair Down
Louder Than Ever
First
Audience
Hot Coals
Santa Ana Winds
Hear My Baby Call
Hang Me Up to Dry
Relief
Minimum Day
Hotel Anywhere
Royal Blue
Drive Desperate
Hold My Home
We Used to Vacation
Hospital Beds

Encore:
Harold Bloom
Mexican Dogs
Saint John

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Show Experience Tagged With: Cold War Kids, Death from Above 1979, FKA twigs, Jack White, The Dead Weather, The Orpheum Theatre, The Regent Theater, The Smell, The Theatre at Ace Hotel, The Tower Theater, Third Man Records

Killer Mike’s emotional soliloquy on police brutality starts St. Louis show with a heavy dose of real

November 25, 2014 by Mike Frash Leave a Comment

Photos by James Nagel // Written by Mike Frash //

As El-P has pointed out on twitter today, “far as I can tell me and my squad are the only Motherfuckers who fought tooth and nail to get IN to STL Last night.”

Run the Jewels, the dynamic duo of El-P and Killer Mike, are the closest thing America has to some form of political protest in music these days, so it’s only appropriate that one of the biggest breakthrough acts of the year would be performing in St. Louis mere hours after the Ferguson grand jury decided to not charge Michael Brown’s killer, policeman Darren Wilson, with murder.

So as rioting began in nearby Ferguson, and before the National Guard was sent into Missouri, Michael Render took the stage to deliver one of his most powerful speeches ever:

“It’s not about race, it’s not about class it is not about color — it is about what they killed him for. It is about poverty, it is about greed & it is about the war machine…it’s us against the mother fucking machine.

While this must-see speech isn’t too much of a surprise — Killer Mike has made multiple appearances on cable news outlets in the wake of the Michael Brown tragedy and Ferguson protests and Run the Jewels are on our “best stage banter spewing musicians in live music today” list – the content of Mike’s speech should go down in history as the quintessential reaction to the Grand Jury not indicting policeman Darren Wilson for murder. There’s anger, passion and lust for revenge, but ultimately a call for non-violent protest.

El-P and Killer Mike will be donating the proceeds from the forthcoming Meow The Jewels remix project to the families of Michael Brown and other victims of police brutality.

Listen to “Ddfh’ for more on Run the Jewels’ take on police brutality.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Trends & Culture, Video Tagged With: Ferguson, Killer Mike, Police Brutality, Run The Jewels

The unexpected cult of Run the Jewels

November 17, 2014 by Mike Frash Leave a Comment

Photos by Alfonso Solis // Written by Mike Frash //

Run the Jewels with Ratking, Despot //
Mezzanine – San Francisco
November 14th, 2014 //

“A lot’s happened in the last week, but we are gonna give you a blockbuster night.” -El-P at Mezzanine

Populist leaders and destroyers of fuck boys, purveyors of high fives, hugs and grit-grime aggression that’s cartoonishly giddy, delivering dead-serious messages while inviting you the listener to join them — Run the Jewels operate in a self-imposed world of duality.

And since releasing Run the Jewels 2 on October 28th, the duo of Michael Render and Jaime Meline has exploded. Shortly after rave reviews started rolling out, their show at San Francisco’s Mezzanine sold out, and suddenly tickets were going for $150 into the thousands. Were the tickets being sold in the $800-$1,200 range on StubHub from fans extending RTJ’s penchant for absurdity? Or perhaps the exceptional amount of hype and well-deserved praise being showered on El-P and Killer Mike meant some engineer from Google or Facebook would actually pay 30 times face value. Either way, it shows how popular Run the Jewels have become.

Run the Jewels created this atmosphere by engaging with their audience online, enabling their biggest fans to feel like part of the RTJ inner circle, sharing the cultural torch that’s currently lighting the way to bigger and better things for El-P and Killer Mike. They’ve wisely relied on their audience, which is growing in volume at an exponential rate thanks to their open relationship both new and established media, but more importantly, by creating direct lanes with their fans.

The Emergence of a Cult Following

Certainly it helps when your new record will widely be considered one of the best albums of the year, but El-P and Killer Mike’s non-stop promotional blitz has been rooted in engaging their supporters, with the half-joking deluxe album options that turned into the forthcoming Meow The Jewels remix record, giving RTJ2 away for free via social media and with Tag The Jewels, a truly worldwide street art project that has sea legs of its own. Run the Jewels have grown into a progressive, cultish movement, one that is completely inclusive, as long as you are on the right side of history.

The Tag The Jewels project looks to take the Run the Jewels hand sign from both RTJ album covers and turn it into an iconic mainstay. Outside of Mezzanine on Jesse Street this past Friday, the brand-new Run the Jewels tour bus hovered over the venue’s entrance with the RTJ2 album cover adorning its side. Unsurprisingly, fans took this opportunity to stand between the two mummy-fist-talons, turning their right hand into a two-fingered gun and the left into a fist holding a real or invisible 36” chain.

During their SF show, El-P and Killer Mike used the hand sign as a calling card much more than on their first tour, throwing up the signal as many as five times — and all the way to the back of the rectangular club space, show-goers mimicked El and Mike, even throwing the RTJ hand sign up on impulse to show love back to the artists.

“It’s all love and respect.” -Killer Mike at Mezzanine

Much like a Phish or Die Antwoord audience, most everyone in the room at Mezzanine was there in “full buy-in” mode, not worried about what someone might think of you by getting a bit too into the moment. Which, when you think about it, is pretty elusive for a rap act that is beloved by the indie blogosphere and its readers. Yet, there is a collective acceptance, a mentality that has bubbled up from impromptu social media memes, gifs and videos, including El-P auditioning cats for Meow The Jewels by playing them “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry”.

In Run the Jewels’ return to SF, the guys seemed thoroughly blunted when they arrived on stage. They could barely open their eyes for the first few songs, but this didn’t thwart the lyrical precision we’ve come to expect. Relying on audience participation more than the last tour, something that is likely organic since people know RTJ’s material better now, the crowd committed to reinforcing each song with key words and phrasing, creating a sense that we’re all in this thing together. During the show, El-P candidly mentioned that everyone in the room are family, and “we are family now because you paid me.” The crowd was alive and engaged more than a large majority of most concert experiences, to which El-P tweeted post show as “the livest show I’ve ever had in San Fran in 15 years. fuck.”

Invigorating, Giddy Aggression

Run the Jewels’ lyrical violence is intended as a form of fantasy. Killer Mike made sure it was clear to FOX News watchers that his name refers to “killing the mic” when he went to discuss protests in Ferguson, Mo. And during El-P and Killer Mike’s recent hour-long interview with Microphone Check on NPR Music (a must-listen for fans of Run the Jewels), they spoke to this point:

El-P: “You’re listening to our record and you’re gonna grin. You’re in on the fun. This is not us threatening the listener … We’re not going on records and just being like ‘We’re gonna kill you!’ We’re having fun, and we’re also completely comfortable in our ridiculousness.”

Killer Mike: “And we understand you do want to kill people. But you can’t do that. So, let this be a way for you to kill people and then go back to work and don’t kill anyone.”

Mike is alluding to Run the Jewels as an outlet for invigorating, giddy aggression — to get that aggression out in a way that is cathartic, that doesn’t hurt other people, that is punk rock in its nature.

For example, in “Lie, Cheat, Steal”, Killer Mike states, “A revolutionary banging’ on my adversaries / And I love Dr. King but violence might be necessary / Cause when you live on MLK and it gets very scary / You might have to pull you AK, send one to the cemetery.” While Mike may seem like a civil rights leader more in the vein of the Black Panthers than Martin Luther King Jr., this example is about righteous self-defense.

Bottom line, it’s refreshing to see prominent rappers who are standing up for the good of the people, all people excluding fuck boys. You won’t see Run the Jewels putting down gay people, but most notably, Run the Jewels love women.

On Charges of Misogyny

Before launching into the most controversial song off RTJ2, El-P said “This city [San Francisco] has taught me that there is a place for filth in your life.”

Rap music has always had a reputation for being somewhat connected to misogyny. But when I first heard “Love Again (Akinyele Back)” through the second minute of the record, I thought that it was a bit of a departure since El-P and Killer Mike have a clear history of celebrating women.

For example, they satirize date rape’s place in contemporary club culture with “Twin Hype Back” character Chest Rockwell, who says ridiculous things in a cheesy way that contrasts RTJ’s machine gun fire smoothness. In speaking to political power, El-P rhymes “There’s truth where the filth is / There’s lies in the law / You want a whore with a white dress / I want a wife in a thong” in “Angel Dust”. And in “Get It”, El says all he wants is “a castle / and to move like a man with a minimum of harassment / the company of women with opinions and fat asses”. You won’t find any obvious denigration of women in RTJ1 or in Mike or Producto’s solo work, so it sounded a bit odd hearing them get hyper-aggressive in a sexual manner on “Love Again”.

But that was until the third verse of the song, where they hand it off to female rapper Gangsta Boo to flip the script and give a raunchy, sexually empowering section that holds up to nasty nasty of Run the Jewels.

In their NPR interview last week, El-P said, “Girls listen to raunchy, funny stuff too.” Killer Mike discussed that his wife has heard “Love Again” and immediately compared it to “Just Put It in My Mouth” by Akinyele. The guys then referenced 2 Live Crew and Too $hort as inspirations for the song as well.

El-P and Killer Mike also addressed the inevitable presumption of misogyny some people have with “Love Again”:

Killer Mike: “So, my thing is, I trust that women are intelligent. And I get offended — I have five sisters … Women are human. I think that when we start saying equal and human, that’s across the board, you know? Women enjoy sex … I’m just happy that our audience gets it …

El-P: “… Our intention is clear. We know our intention. Listen, real story: We made that record, and it didn’t have Boo on it. And we went and got Boo because we knew what we needed for that record … We have good intentions. I know that we are not being misogynist because we are not, a) being completely serious and, b) we’re talking about fucking here. I’m sorry if you’re offending by my language … but you’re not gonna tell me that being raw or being filthy is misogyny. I know the difference.

By definition, misogyny is the dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women. And when you let that definition sink in and listen to “Love Again” on RTJ2, labeling Run the Jewels with hating women is absolutely ridiculous. Sure, Run the Jewels often treat women as sexual objects, but they project and treat women as intellectual equals.

During the performance of “Love Again” at Mezzanine, Mike relied on the crowd to take on the “Dick in your mouth all day” refrain, making it more of a collective, fun thing. But they performed only two-thirds of the song — the all-important Gansta Boo verse was not played disembodied or with a replacement performer. This takes away from RTJ’s spirit of equality and opens the door to critics — especially since El-P admitted in the NPR interview that Gangsta Boo’s verse was a last-minute addition to rectify the song. El and Mike should find a creative way to fix this, or not play the song live, if they want to shut the door on charges of misogyny.

This was one of the most action-packed hours of live music I’ve ever seen. Ending with the final songs off of their two albums, “A Christmas Fucking Miracle” and “Angel Duster”, the cult of Run the Jewels was mostly spent as the clock approached 1 a.m. That said, most people would have been happy to hear more. Forget the last week though, El and Mike have had a non-stop couple of years and have already gone a long way to solidifying their legacy.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: El-P, Killer Mike, Mezzanine, Run The Jewels

Culture Collide Festival invades SF, LA with talent far and wide

October 23, 2014 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

By Marc Fong and Josh Herwitt //

Culture Collide Festival //
Various venues in San Francisco and Los Angeles
October 14th-15th in SF; October 16th-18th in LA //

Culture Collide Festival stopped off in SF for the first time ever before making its way down to LA last weekend, bringing bands from around the globe to celebrate music, food and well, culture, of course. With U.S. headliners Cloud Nothings and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah leading the way, the festival also boasted plenty of international talent, from Israel’s SKYROADS to Colombia’s Quantic. Marc Fong hit up the festival in SF and Josh Herwitt was in LA to give their own takes on a dozen different acts.

Rock N Roll Radio

Rock N Roll Radio (Korea): Though the vocals were a bit muffled and its English was rough, this Korean band communicated fun in the most basic of ways — through catchy, poppy riffs.

Go Back to the Zoo (Netherlands): The lyrics were a little repetitive, but their melodies were strong and soulful. Think early Kings of Leon.

Kamp! (Poland): Kamp!’s synth-heavy songs were fun, yet mellow, making for a slow ride into the night at the Elbo Room.

SKYROADS (Israel): Of Monsters and Men meet Freelance Whales. A little rough around the edges, this band has a strong radio sound, plus an amazing performance. Don’t be surprised to see and hear more from SKYROADS in the near future.

Everyone Is Dirty (USA): Gritty tunes from a gritty band by way of Oakland. They sound like garage rockers but with a lot of flare, great vocals and most notably, some kick-ass violin playing.

Cloud Nothings

Cloud Nothings (USA): Cleveland pop-punk outfit Cloud Nothings brought a grisly sound to The Chapel with catchy hooks and fun, crunchy riffs. If you haven’t checked out their latest album Here and Nowhere Else (read our review here) yet, you should.

Nervous Nellie (Sweden): This four-piece out of Stockholm brought some fun indie-rock tunes from its Scandinavian homeland.

Beat Connection (USA): Reminiscent of early M83, these four guys from Seattle offered a fun way to fade into the night and close out the SF edition of the fest.

De Lux (USA): Fans of this burgeoning LA act got their weekend started early in Echo Park, moving and grooving to a funky set chock full of post-disco, dance-punk cuts that have drawn comparisons (and rightfully so) to Talking Heads, LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip. After releasing their debut LP Voyage in April to much fanfare, Glendale natives Sean Guerin and Isaac Franco appear to have a promising career ahead of them.

MØ (Denmark): Dropping their debut album No Mythologies to Follow in March, Karen Marie Ørsted and her sidekicks electrified the Echoplex with one electropop hook after another during their nearly hour-long show. It should be only a matter of time before the 26-year-old singer-songwriter is selling out venues all across the country. Her growing popularity, in fact, could very well skyrocket following her performance with Iggy Azalea on Saturday Night Live this month.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (USA): After revolutionizing independent music in the mid-2000s thanks to the interwebs, the Philly-based group has endured quite a few changes. Frontman Alec Ounsworth remains the only original member still in the band, and for all intents and purposes, it is clearly his band at this point. But the recent release of their fourth full-length album — and a relatively lackluster one — Only Run has CYHSY living off many of their earlier hits that once earned the attention of legends like David Bowie and David Byrne back in 2005.

Quantic (Colombia): Multi-instrumentalist, DJ and record producer Will Holland may be one of music’s biggest hidden talents. As one of Holland’s most prolific projects, Quantic pulls from a variety of styles, including cumbia, salsa, bossa nova, soul, funk and jazz, while the UK native works his way from one instrument to the next (his current arsenal includes guitar, bass, double bass, saxophone, accordion, piano, organ and various percussion instruments). Inside the diminutive and sweaty Echo Park United Methodist Church, Holland and his ensemble got some eager fans out of their seats just seconds after taking the stage. Though Holland said it would be Quantic’s last show for some time, they won over at least a few new fans that night, too.

Rock N Roll Radio

Go Back to the Zoo

Kamp!

SKYROADS

Everyone Is Dirty

Cloud Nothings

Nervous Nellie

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Beat Connection

MØ

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Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

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Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Alec Ounsworth, Beat Connection, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Cloud Nothings, Culture Collide Festival, De Lux, Echo Park United Methodist Church, Echoplex, Everyone Is Dirty, Freelance Whales, Go Back to the Zoo, Hot Chip, Kamp!, Karen Marie Ørsted, LCD Soundsystem, M83, MO, Nervous Nellie, Of Monsters and Men, Quantic, Rock N Roll Radio, SKYROADS, Talking Heads, The Chapel, Will Holland

The best of Treasure Island Music Festival 2014

October 21, 2014 by Mike Frash 2 Comments

Photos by Marc Fong // Written by Mike Frash //

Treasure Island Music Festival //
Treasure Island – San Francisco
October 18th-19th, 2014 //

Treasure Island Music Festival 2014 will be remembered for its triumphant headliners along with its embrace of minimalist, finger-snapping electro-pop. Some of the performing acts that have blown up over the past year or so — including Jungle, Zedd, BANKS and Chet Faker — offered relatively tame performances, struggling to elevate their live music experiences. But many other acts gave inspired, breathtaking or insanely fun sets.

Here’s our best (and worst) of TIMF 2014.

Show of the Weekend: Massive Attack

With perhaps the most appropriate name for musical act on the planet, Massive Attack capped Treasure Island Music Festival 2014 in stunning fashion. With a balancing act of bass-infused downtempo brilliance highlighted by Martina Topley-Bird’s singing and industrialized synth-stabbing electronic pieces, a range of emotion is achieved for the listener. With contrasting tempos and a duality of tranquility then intensity, a cause-and-effect narrative starts to take shape — especially when paying attention to the video elements of the intense songs. “United Snakes” left nothing to the imagination with its barrage of corporate logos and national flags. It appeared the expanded duo slipped in one frame of a Ferris wheel, reminding us that yes, us consumers at TIMF, the only U.S. festival Massive Attack played on this tour, are part of the system. “Future Proof” visuals stripped out rows of zeroes and ones, using the simplicity of computer code to inspire multiple paths of thought, especially while absorbing this show in the Bay Area. And Tunde Adebimpe from TV On The Radio joined in for “Pray For Rain” for the grand finale.

Biggest Bay Area Party of the Year: OutKast

It’s almost the end of the biggest reunion tour in decades, and TIMF patrons were lucky enough to witness one of OutKast’s last shows. The Bridge Stage was more packed in than any show in memory, and festivalgoers outwardly had more fun compared to performances from past years. The set was perfectly paced, with André 3000 seemingly having a fun time — an important part of the equation compared to Big Boi’s rock-steady appearances throughout 2014. The guys gave shout-outs to Casual and The Misfits in the “local love” part of the show, and “Roses” (including a half-hearted apology for the “crazy bitch” outro) once again was one of the highlights. The set ended at least 20 minutes before the scheduled end of the day, emptying a large percentage of patrons into the shuttle line at the same time — there were some reports of people not making it back to SF until 2 a.m.

Most Likely to Headline Festivals Very Soon: alt-J

alt-J is no longer a band on the rise, but one of the biggest bands in the world with this just-launched tour in support of the group’s second LP. This hour-long set at TIMF seemed like a coronation of sorts as it was the first festival set the now-quartet has played with new material. The highlights from An Awesome Wave still act as the backbone of the set while the best cuts from This Is All Yours were cherry-picked and sprinkled in perfectly to enhance their already-inspiring live show. “Hunger of the Pine” got things going while “Left Hand Free” worked well, getting away from the heady elements for a bit. “Dissolve Me” into “Matilda” is still so incredibly beautiful and emotive — alt-J should never break these two songs up. “Every Other Freckle” is the one song where I wish the guys would have considered new lyrics, but it’s a small complaint for a concert experience that had a huge crowd rapturously involved. When music implores a festival audience to be fully invested as alt-J pulled off on Sunday, with no one talking during the quiet intimate parts, it becomes clear you are ingesting something special. Even though their rise in popularity has happened remarkably fast, that trend should continue to move upward through festival season next year.

Most TIMF Set of the Weekend: Classixx

On paper, Classixx is the ideal act for Treasure Island Music Festival 2014, and the duo delivered on this promise in the all-important sunset time slot. Restrained but upbeat enough, pop-oriented yet progressive in its sound, the LA-based remixers-turned-original producers brought Saturday together based on what we expect from past TIMF years. Their on-stage centerpiece, a modern take on a 1980’s-era television, visualizes Nancy Whang for “All You’re Waiting For” and YACHT’s Claire L. Evans for a remix of “Psychic City”. The television set offers a surreal scene juxtaposed with the backgrounded City skyline, functionally helping to break down the walls of disembodied vocals.

Best New Material: TV On The Radio

TVOTR gave one of the best sets of the weekend with their wonderful mix of slow burners, dance-punk blasts of energy along with three new songs: “Happy Idiot”, “Careful You” and “Could You”. The latter two were particularly impressive and fit perfectly into the band’s catalog. A couple other notes on the show: producer and multi-instrumentalist David Sitek now looks like Bono, Kyp Malone is still professionally chill and Tunde Adebimpe continues to be offended when listeners don’t give him full attention. After completing “Wolf Like Me”, wherein the TI faithful went nuts, the lead singer said that he couldn’t believe he saw someone leave during the song. Agreed Tunde, and we’re looking forward to the forthcoming record.

Best Recovery: Janelle Monáe

What’s exactly the point of sound checking a microphone if you’re not going to do it completely? The guy setting up the mic put it on the stand after unsuccessfully getting it to work, and Monáe sang the first song completely unaware her voice wasn’t projecting through the speakers. After some crowd chanting, a new microphone, and three different people near me saying “Why doesn’t she use the backup singer’s mic?” order was finally restored. Also, when we got “Tightrope”, all hope of seeing Monáe join mentor Big Boi during OutKast was shot. Still, there’s no doubt the Electric Lady is just beginning a long and illustrious career. And as she proved with “Cold War”, it’s damn near impossible to take your eyes or ears off her when it’s her time to shine.

Best Pop-Culture Friend-Finder: Bill Murray

Bill Murray is clearly the most important American pop culture icon, and this group knows it. They also had a high-flying Bill Murray flag to triangulate positions.

Best Festival Outlier: Ana Tijoux

French-Chilean MC and singer-songwriter Ana Tijoux brought the best change of pace on Saturday, something apparent from the beginning of “Vengo”. Upbeat and passionate fire-spitting about social injustice with electronic elements and a horn section? Yes please — this was perhaps the only set on the dance-oriented first day without finger snapping or words in English.

Most TIMF Set of the Weekend Part 2: Washed Out

It’s impressive how Ernest Greene has evolved Washed Out from bedroom project to leader of the chill-wave movement to a live performer that can mimic the energy of a dance show through instrumentation. Like Classixx, this one just felt right for TIMF.

Most Immersive Set: Poliça

Sultry. Intensely Moody. World music-infused. These are the words I wrote down before being completely drawn into this set. Once awakening after completing locking in to a couple songs, I opted to get to alt-J early for a good spot. It was a tough call since Poliça were thoroughly captivating — I’ll be looking to see them again soon.

Best Unintentional Festival Blending: MØ

MØ emerged on stage sporting a black eye-patch, seemingly joining in on the pirate theme that has defined TIMF over the years. But after a song, Karen Marie Ørsted needlessly admitted to an eye infection, even though the optical accessory worked well with her braid and masculine power stances. MØ stood above the other new minimalist-glitch offerings on display at TIMF 2014 with her authentic energy, ownership of the stage and video support. Mixing oddly-appealing archival footage on loop, including a small animal’s still-beating heart in the palm of a hand, with imagery of herself working background vocals, made this electropop highlight even more memorable.

Band that Deserves More Listeners: White Denim

It’s a shame White Denim couldn’t be featured later in the day for more festivalgoers on Sunday. The seemingly spastic song structures and prog-rock mentality make White Denim a group to add to that list of bands you try to see perform live when they come to town.

Set that Thinned Out the Most: The New Pornographers

Along with the TIMF headliners, The New Pornographers have the most seniority out of all TIMF acts. Cuts from their underestimated 2014 record Brill Bruisers created the backbone of the set with fan favorites laced in throughout. Songs led by Destroyer’s Dan Bejar, with their skewered and self-inflicting lyrics, resonated strongest. This show thinned out as the set went on while most younger festivalgoers were queuing up for Chet Faker, signifying the current state of indie music popularity. Sadly, the eight members of the group walked off stage to nary an audible clap.

Best Constant Dance Party: Silent Disco

With no overlapping sets, Silent Disco is always an option if you want house music instead of the provided musicians on stage.

Best Pop-Culture Friend-Finder 2: Kim Kardashian with Laser Beam Eyes at BANKS

BANKS kind of sums up the direction indie-turned-pop music has gone in 2014. Sleek bare-bones production, glitch elements and moody synth lay the ground work for whispery vocals. This aural cocktail has captured the collective zeitgeist (along with much of the TIMF curation) this year. Jillian Banks has an immaculate voice and is mega popular worldwide, but her set felt like more of the same. BANKS banned media photography for her TIMF set, so here’s a photo of one of the best location markers of the weekend: Kim Kardashian with laser beams coming out of her eyes.

Most Entertaining Hype Man: The Growlers

Weirdo garage rock! The Growlers almost didn’t make their set according to the introduction given by the group’s eccentric hype-man named DMTina. But the psych-goth surf rock was pleasant enough, with “Chinese Fountain” giving a fun tone to the afternoon, but the dude in the robe pretty much stole the show.

Most Shiny Electro-Pop of the Weekend: St. Lucia

I have to be honest, St. Lucia is a bit too shiny and synth-heavy for me, but damn do they give it their all. If you’re into the nu-disco pop revival, St. Lucia is for you. OutKast was a priority, though.

Most Surface-Level Fun: Jungle

Churning soul-disco mystery collective Jungle is a more well-known entity now, and the skyrocketing, UK-based outfit adeptly loops morsels of pleasurable phrasing as a house DJ would. But it all sounds the same. And given their debut record, I expected many similarities from song to song but still hoped for something more out of their live interpretations. Jungle is generic to the point of being an emotional blank slate, tofu without any other tastes involved. But there’s no better time than now to get involved in some Giants pandering — the “Let’s Go Giants” chant sparked by Josh Lloyd-Watson’s jersey and reference to SF’s World Series-bound team was one of the biggest crowd responses of the set.

Best Mobile Dance Party: Robot Dance Party

Robot Dance Party can’t stop, won’t stop.

Most Unlikely Show with People on Shoulders: Chet Faker

Chet Faker had the crew bring out a huge bass speaker to put directly behind him after his first song to give his music more oomph. And when he dipped into his career-making collaborations with Flume, “Left Alone” and “Drop the Game”, the Tunnel stage instantly began moving like the rhythm of the ocean. But otherwise, the set was downtempo to the point of boredom. And it’s not a good idea to take one of your best songs, “Talk is Cheap”, and strip it down even more. Some ladies still felt compelled to rock their friend’s shoulders as if it was a dance show, something that I’m still trying to figure out.

Biggest Spectacle Over Substance: Zedd

More than any other set at TIMF 2014, Zedd felt out of place. By this point on Saturday, the fest needed a jump of adrenaline, but the Top 40 producer wasn’t the solution. Where acts like Knife Party or Bassnectar would have fallen more in line with the traditional ethos of TIMF, Zedd brought his world of contemporary pop to the island. There was no layering or transitions, his drops didn’t stand out from the EDM pack, and the show lacked any memorable surprises.

What were your favorite sets of Treasure Island Music Festival 2014?

OutKast at TIMF // Photo by Marc Fong

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Alt-J, Ana Tijoux, Banks, Bill Murray, Chet Faker, Classixx, Janelle Monáe, Jungle, Kim Kardashian, Massive Attack, MO, OutKast, Poliça, Robot Dance Party, Silent Disco, St. Lucia, The Growlers, The New Pornographers, Treasure Island Music Festival 2014, TV on the Radio, Washed Out, White Denim, Zedd

Going inside the mind of a hip-hop hero with Cut Chemist

October 10, 2014 by Josh Herwitt Leave a Comment

By Josh Herwitt //

Lucas MacFadden has been collecting vinyl for more than 30 years. That is his job, after all.

The renowned turntablist, who his fans know better as Cut Chemist, has scratched and sampled his way to the top of the DJ world over the past 20 years, thanks in part to his work with Latin funk/hip-hop/rock outfit Ozomatli and 90’s alternative hip-hop pioneers Jurassic 5.

But neither MacFadden nor hip-hop would be anywhere near where they are today without the lifelong contributions of Afrika Bambaataa — and MacFadden would be the first to tell you that himself.

“It was all his vision for an entire culture,” he explained to me one day over the phone last week.

That culture, hip-hop, would be characterized by more than just the music it fostered, as graffiti artists and break dancers found their calling during the late 70’s. But with street gangs and drug dealers also holding court in the South Bronx, it was Bambaataa’s hope for a different way of life, a peaceful way of life that transcended both its time and place.

“He was very active in the community in going from gangs to art, gangs to music and having that impact his community,” MacFadden continued on. “The groups that I’ve been involved with throughout my life have done the same thing. It’s no question why I gravitate toward people with those ethics.”

What ultimately lured MacFadden into Bambaataa’s world, though, was the legendary DJ’s fascination with the past and present — from royal space garbs to Native American headdresses — as strange as it may have seemed for a young, white boy first learning about hip-hop culture at the age of 12.

“He represented some other-worldly figure,” MacFadden remembered. “It was a representation of the past and the future in a way where it just seemed like he was in total control of the present. That was something I never experienced before, and I didn’t know how to comprehend that.”

Just days after my interview with Cut Chemist, it’s nearly impossible to escape the net that Bambaattaa has cast wide over pop culture as I watch half chef, half television star Anthony Bourdain chat with “The Godfather” on the newest episode of his CNN show “Parts Unknown.” The brief exchange between Bourdain and Bambaattaa reminds me of some of the topics MacFadden and I discussed, including Bambaataa’s appreciation for Kraftwerk (he sampled the group in his 1982 hit “Planet Rock”) at a time when no one else in the U.S. even knew who they were.

“Just to take Kraftwerk and have the foresight to go, ‘You know, that’s a really cool song. I’m going to play that at the park,’” MacFadden said toward the end of our interview. “He brought Kraftwerk to the street. It’s crazy.”

It’s why when New York-based writer Johan Kugelberg first came to Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow (aka Josh Davis) with the idea of putting on a nationwide tour that would feature strictly Bambaataa’s historic archive of more than 40,000 records, the two beat makers didn’t think twice.

“I’ve already taken away more than I could have ever imagined,” MacFadden told me at one point during our conversation, even with more than a handful of shows to go on the 25-date “Renegades of Rhythm” tour that wrapped up October 9th in Vancouver.

At the Hollywood Palladium on a Friday night, a crowd of mostly 30-40-year-olds packs the dance floor, soaking up everything that MacFadden and Davis throw its way — whether it’s the Latin, African, Calypso or Soca grooves that Bambaataa once introduced as leader of the famed Universal Zulu Nation — over the course of a 90-plus-minute set.

The performance, which eventually ventured deeper into Bambaataa’s extensive catalog, would serve as an important reminder that hip-hop music and the culture many of us associate with it now has changed quite a bit, for better or worse, since Bambaataa’s heyday. But that doesn’t mean Bambaataa’s impact still can’t be felt to this day.

“I want people to know about Afrika Bambaataa as a person and as a figure that has contributed more to modern music than anybody else I can think of,” MacFadden replied when I ask him what he wanted his fans to take away from the “Renegades of Rhythm” shows.

In all likelihood, there never will be another Afrika Bambaataa. As two of hip-hop’s most prominent DJs today, Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow understand that better than most people.

Yet, in paying the utmost respect to one of music’s greatest living legends over the last six weeks, they have proved to be worthy of at least some of the admiration and praise Bambaataa has warranted for almost 45 years. Because you never know — one day, two other talented DJs may just choose to honor MacFadden and Davis with a tribute tour of their own.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Interviews Tagged With: Afrika Bambaataa, Cut Chemist, DJ Shadow, Hollywood Palladium, Renegades of Rhythm tour

TBD Fest brings the heat amid Sacramento’s extended summer

October 9, 2014 by Molly Kish Leave a Comment

Photos by Sterling Munksgard // Written by Molly Kish //

TBD Fest //
The Bridge District (Riverfront Street) – West Sacramento, CA
October 3rd-5th, 2014 //

During last weekend’s sweltering Sacramento heatwave, the inaugural year of the TBD Festival kicked off in a dust-filled blaze of glory. Bringing heavy hitting headliners, an extremely talented undercard and a friendly bill of vendors, artists and local culinary talent, this “little festival that could” superseded its climate challenges and provided festivalgoers with a three-day dance party for the books.

FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS

Top Set: Moby
For those used to Moby’s ethereal trance and commercially sampled funk beats, catching one of his “DJ sets” should be something immediately pushed to the front of your live music bucket lists. Taking the main stage of the festival after Dillion Francis and Gramatik is no easy feat, but Moby did so with authority.

With the bravado of an arena-headlining rock star, the diminutive DJ unleashed his electronic fury upon the Sacramento crowd, mounting his illuminated decks and demanding the audience to “get the fuck up” while donning an iconic Black Flag T-shirt.

Offering exhilarating, chaotic punk energy, he whipped the crowd into a dance-filled frenzy, ending the first night of the festival with a dirty electronic throw down and unleashing the fired-up 1 a.m. crowd into the quiet, unsuspecting West Riverfront streets of Sacramento. Final thought: “Moby doesn’t Play”.

Memorable Moments:
• MNDR joining RAC on stage for a live rendition of “Let Go” from their 2014 album Strangers
• Carousel’s sing-along cover of Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home”
• Kauf’s impressive festival opening crowd at the Beautiful Buzz Stage amidst the mid-afternoon heat

SATURDAY HIGHLIGHTS

Top Set: Empire of the Sun
True showmen and the epitome of “fucking rock stars”, Empire of the Sun ignited a heat-stricken, second-day crowd, closing out the night in all their grandeur.

Hardcore fans came dressed to the nines in their own homemade headdresses and were eventually invited on stage to be part of the production. First-time viewers were dumbfounded by the intensity of the group’s fully immersive, theatrical performance with backing band and dance crew.

The spectacle that is an Empire of the Sun stage show is something that can only be rivaled by large-scale arena tours and Broadway productions.

Blowing the minds of a festival crowd is pretty much a just another day at the office for these two, and they left the Saturday night TBD audience stunned in their wake.

Memorable Moments:
• TASK1ne’s early morning fire-spitting, nearly nude hip hop throw down on the Block Stage
• Metz and Explosions in the Sky delivering guitar-shredding, face-melting sets to an otherwise dance-heavy bill
• The inimitable Danny Brown commanding the sold-out crowd during a late afternoon set on the Lowbrau Stage

SUNDAY HIGHLIGHTS

Top Set: YACHT
Owning the nu-disco slot on this year’s bill, Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans brought their infectious energy and touring band members Jeffrey Brodsky and Rob Kieswetter to the early evening festival main stage.

An all-incorporated amalgamation of dance, punk, performance art, graphic design and party philosophy, YACHT’s conceptual stage show brought a much-needed turbo boost of energy to the festival-weary Sunday evening crowd.

At a crucially pivotal point in the weekend, YACHT mainlined their trademarked set of disco infiltration into the TBD festival audience, prepping them for a final evening filled with back-to-back dance parties spanning throughout the four various stages of the fairgrounds.

Reviving the audience as the night time approached with witty banter surrounding their abstract stage design, relentless energy and charisma, YACHT were the unsung heroes of the final hours of TBD.

Memorable Moments:
• Blondie’s free-for-all, DGAF’s set of brand new material, covers and everything in between — nothing short of the sassy, fierce and fan-blown, mini-skirt flashing Debbie everyone came to see
• Justice breaking all local sound ordinances well into the early evening hours, lighting up the surrounding suburbs with their closing set
• Viceroy’s party-rocking remix set, elevating the Sacramento crowd’s energy tenfold into a stage-wide, sing-along dance party

OVERALL IMPRESSION

The festival, in the grand scheme of things, turned out be quite a success. Affordable prices, not only concerning tickets but also food and drinks, as well as many free samples and accommodating perks amidst the fairgrounds, made for an enjoyable experience, even amidst sold-out crowds.

The vendors had a great array of local fare, crafts, clothing and services to provide a comprehensive display of Sacramento’s budding independent culture. The art installations, cooking demonstrations, fashion displays and yoga classes were popular attractions to kill time between sets and were something everyone was generally excited to take part in all weekend.

The site and midday attendance were a little underwhelming at first impression, and there were some aspects that failed to deliver or were misleading about the location, including the complete absence of “The Barn” and a grassy park that was promised.

There were also some organizational and functionary issues on the production end of the spectrum:

• Mislabeled program guides, credential confusion and lack of signage for the stages

• Some technical issues cut into key sets, including The War on Drugs’ 45-minute soundcheck/guitar-tuning meltdown

Although with every first year festival there are complications, both anticipated and unexpected, TBD Fest made sure their problem-solving skills were on point and offered quick remedies to any issue that took place within their festival jurisdiction.

Extremely accommodating, well-organized and all in all, a very successfully tight-run ship, TBD Fest will only positively mature and evolve as a festival from this year forward. We definitely look forward to the “to be determined” future.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Blondie, Carousel, Danny Brown, Empire of the Sun, Explosions in the Sky, Justice, Kauf, METZ, MNDR, Moby, RAC, TASK1ne, TBD Fest, The War on Drugs, Viceroy, YACHT

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2014: Three hot days of treating SF

October 9, 2014 by Mike Frash 4 Comments

Photos by Pedro Paredes, Tom Dellinger & Benjamin Wallen // Written by Mike Frash //

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2014 //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
October 3rd-5th, 2014 //

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass is the best free music festival in the world. There are no security checkpoints, yet a quarter million people get along like old friends each day. You get to choose from seven different stages (a new one was added this year). And you can count on the sun to shine brightly come early October just about every year in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. It’s just one of those SF laissez-faire weekends that works.

Warren Hellman’s event and ongoing gift is a real-life Choose Your Own Adventure for music heads while also setting the scene for a weekend-long picnic in the park.

The hottest day of the year in SF was on HSB Friday, so finding shade and a spot in close proximity to a stage was like getting a half-decent apartment rental price in this City — it was basically impossible.

Headliner choices to end the first day were a toss-up, and you really can’t go wrong when choosing between Ryan Adams, Conor Oberst, Yo La Tengo and Lucinda Williams.

Ryan Adams headlining The Banjo Stage on Friday.

The Banjo Stage was packed, yet restrained for Ryan Adams, who impressed with a set full of cuts from his remarkable self-titled album from this year. The over-heated audience finally let loose when the sun went down, and Adams, plus his band, delivered a goofy-fun, impromptu song (watch it here) that was made up on the spot. Hellman Hallow erupted in celebration of three (“No, it’s not three. It’s four fucking balloons.”) in the back of the park.

Conor Oberst once again curated the Rooster Stage for Friday, with Waxahatchee and Jonathan Wilson both showing early on why they keep growing more popular. Wilson offered one of the most eye-opening sets of the weekend — the segmented sections of energy connected like a mystery train heading toward infinity.

If you like music, then you’ll probably like Jonathan Wilson. Marx Meadow perfectly matched the feel of his show.

Sharon Van Etten suffered from some early technical issues, and the sound output was less than half as strong as other shows in Marx Meadow throughout the weekend. But with every slow-building crescendo, the crowd would stop talking and take heed of one of the most powerful performers around.

The heat effected Van Etten's sound output and between-song banter, but there were still plenty of affecting moments

The staggering heat may have affected Van Etten’s between-song banter, but she still affected us.

Dawes has become that festival set I usually walk by on the way to another, but I’m completely in favor of making “When My Time Comes” the new National Anthem for the United States.

Mini-Boss Taylor Goldsmith from Dawes carries on the energy of Bruce Springsteen.

The Towers of Gold Stage on Saturday was a classic example of the “Hardly Strictly” side of this bluegrass-based fest. Red Baraat had us dancing, Deltron 3030 with the 3030 Orchestra (and Dan The Automator orchestrating) had us rhyming along, Built to Spill got collective head-bopping going and Social Distortion drew out the punk rock rage in many.

Then, capping the day by seeing Robert Earl Keen hold down Saturday evening duties at the Rooster Stage once again just felt right.

Year after year, the energy at Robert Earl Keen to end Saturday is undeniable.

Year after year, the energy at Robert Earl Keen’s set to end Saturday is undeniable.

SF-based singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek has had quite the year, creating one of the best albums of 2014 while making waves as of late. He bullies his audiences, and he’s directed his ire at The War on Drugs the past few weeks since WOD, one of the best live acts of 2014, overpowered Kozelek’s Sun Kil Moon set during the Ottawa Folk Festival.

There was no sound-bleed during Kozelek’s Sun Kil Moon set on Sunday, and he had a four-piece supporting him to rework some of his recent work. Songs were slowed down and vocals were turned up with extra echo, placing greater significance on words and phrasing. “Michelene” seemed more tragic, and “Gustavo” lingered in the air.

Kozelek seemed gracious and positive throughout, professing his love for San Francisco by saying “I’m gonna live here and die here”, and based on his 2014 record Benji, I believe him.

Chuck Prophet delivered a full sound with a supporting orchestra on Sunday.

Chuck Prophet during his part on Saturday at the “Holler Down the Hollow” set at the Banjo Stage.

Chuck Prophet & The Mission Express put on a delightful set with orchestral backing, Tweedy played a handful of Wilco songs solo acoustic (including “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”) and Joe Russo’s Almost Dead finished off the Arrow Stage on Sunday in usual jammy fashion, performing classic Grateful Dead tunes much better than anyone out there today, including Furthur.

What were your favorite sets of the weekend?

Steve Earle, Peter Rowan…

David Rawlings

It was fucking hot (for SF)

John Paul Jones

A park legend

The Lone Bellow

Thao & The Get Down Stay Down

Timeless couple

HSB fills in nicely.

The Mastersons

Paul Janeway

Good times.

Beer.

Until next year…

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Built To Spill, Dawes, Deltron 3030 with the 3030 Orchestra, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2014, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, HSBF, HSBF 2014, Mark Kozelek, Red Baraat, Robert Earl Keen, Ryan Adams, Sharon Van Etten, Social Distortion, Sun Kil Moon

Festival fiasco at Forever Never Land

October 2, 2014 by Pete Mauch 1 Comment

Written by Pete Mauch //

Do you think putting on a music festival is a dream job? You’ll think twice after reading this cautionary tale and nightmare situation in Central California.

Attendees at the inaugural Forever Never Land festival September 13th-14th in Avila Beach, Calif., were promised fun-filled activities like laser tag, foam parties and water slides, but they had quite the eye-opener when they showed up to only a beach volleyball court.

We all know that these activities just add to the overall atmosphere of a music festival and that music is the main reason we flock to many of them all over the country. Well, Forever Never Land also completely blew it in the musical department.

Big-name acts like Sublime with Rome and A-Trak were nowhere to be found, and people were straight-up pissed off. Almost all of the headliners for the weekend were completely dropped the day before the festival due to a lack of ticket sales, and the County of San Luis Obispo capped Forever Never Land at 3,000 attendees when the festival’s promoters wanted 10,000.

Instead of seeing great acts that were promised, fans had to endure through unknown DJs and Everclear, perhaps the second-most loathed band of the past two decades after Nickleback. The festival did try to remedy the situation by passing out free alcoholic drink tickets (it was “California’s only 21+ music and fun festival”), but that is just not going to cut it for music lovers. To top it off, the festival’s website was about as minimalist as the festival ended up being. So, basically, imagine what would happen if “Waynestock” didn’t work out.

A Facebook page devoted to suing the promoter for a refund has been gathering momentum, and I think these guys have a solid argument.

It is defrauding to promote an event while allegedly knowing that the artists on your bill will not be performing (Forever Never Land was still promoting the performers the day before it got underway). As small festivals are popping up more than Bill Murray at random weddings and kickball games, this issue will become more commonplace going forward.

Should festivalgoers consider it a risk to their wallets when buying a ticket to a new, small festival? This is why festival pros quickly cancel an event if ticket sales aren’t happening, much like Sasquatch! did with their additional weekend earlier this year.

What do you think?

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Festival Drama, Forever Never Land

A mother’s crusade to amend the RAVE Act & how you can help make festivals safer

September 29, 2014 by The Festival Lawyer 11 Comments

By The Festival Lawyer //

Join The Festival Lawyer, Showbams and a new coalition called Amend The Rave Act (ATRA) to make Festivals safer for everyone.

The “RAVE” Act stands for the “Reducing Americans’ Vulnerability to Ecstasy Act”. It’s a federal law that might win the title for “most misnamed law ever” since instead of reducing young people’s vulnerability to the drug it has greatly increased ecstasy’s danger at festivals and raves.

Through a series of unintended consequences, the RAVE Act has made festivals much more dangerous places than they need to be. This year alone, two people died and about 20 were hospitalized at the Mad Decent Block Party in August in Maryland. There were also drug-related deaths at Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas and at LA’s Hard Summer festival.

Additional safety measures relating to drug use (also known as “harm reduction measures”) could be taken at a lot of music festivals and raves. So why isn’t more being done? The problem is that these event producers and organizers are worried that if they take these safety measures they might expose themselves to criminal liability under the RAVE Act.

In August of last year, a young woman named Shelley Goldsmith, a gifted honors student at the University of Virginia, died of heatstroke at an EDM event in Washington D.C.

Shelley’s mother, Dede Goldsmith has now started a campaign in her honor to Amend The RAVE Act (ATRA) and push for greater safety measures at raves and festivals. You can read about her campaign and sign a petition in support here.

But why do we need to change the RAVE Act? What does the RAVE Act have to do with the death of Shelley Goldsmith or others who died from MDMA use at festivals?

THE DEATH OF SHELLEY GOLDSMITH AND A MOTHER’S CRUSADE
It was a year ago that Shelley Goldsmith died. By all accounts Shelley was a remarkable young woman. You can read more about her here.

Vice President Joe Biden introduced the RAVE Act into Congress when he was a Senator and was mainly responsible for it being passed into law in 2003. In one of those crazy coincidences that sometimes happens in life, Shelley Goldsmith had actually met Biden at an event the year before she died.

Shelley had taken MDMA the night of her death. However, she did not die of an “overdose”, but of heatstroke.

By far the most common cause of MDMA-related medical emergencies and death is heatstroke, where MDMA is only one of a number of factors involved. That’s because even a “normal” dose of MDMA raises body temperature about one degree and also inhibits the body’s ability to regulate its own temperature.

The harm reduction group, DanceSafe, recently wrote an article discussing the relationship of heatstroke to “overdoses”.

One of the other major dangers in taking MDMA is that it may not be MDMA at all. If you don’t know what I am talking about check out this documentary by Bunk Police called “What’s in your Baggie?”

Shelley’s mom, Dede Goldsmith, wonders what her daughter would have done if she had received drug education and peer-to-peer counseling before or at the event. Perhaps Shelley might have chosen not to use MDMA. Dede also feels that better safety measures at the event (like free and readily available water and “chill-out” rooms and areas) could potentially have saved her daughter’s life.

I have had a chance to talk to Dede Goldsmith on the phone, and I find her remarkable. Rather than being overwhelmed by her family’s tragedy, she has decided to make it her mission to change things and make festivals safer. She talks about her mission in this local news story.

JOE BIDEN AND THE RAVE ACT
In 2002, then Senator Joe Biden introduced the RAVE Act, a bill intended to expand the federal “crack-house statute.” The “crack-house statute,” a byproduct of the fierce drug war of the 1980’s, made it possible for the Feds to go after and prosecute landlords of a private residence where crack cocaine was being used or sold.

After all, what does “maintaining a drug-involved premise” mean? Things like the speed of the music in beats per minute or the appearance of glow sticks and menthol products.

The idea of the RAVE Act was to expand that statute to go after “rogue promoters” who were putting on illegal “raves” with rampant drug use. The RAVE Act expanded the earlier “crack-house statute” to include temporary venues like these underground “raves”. The RAVE Act also created a new crime, now making it illegal for promoters or landlords to “maintain a drug-involved” premise.

From the start, the vagueness of this language caused problems. After all, what does “maintaining a drug-involved premise” mean? To answer that question, the bill included a list of “findings”. The idea of these “findings” was to give examples of the type of things that Feds should look for as ways to identify an illegal “rave”. Things like the speed of the music in beats per minute or the appearance of glow sticks and menthol products.

Unfortunately, the bill also targeted aspects of harm reduction as criminal identifiers. For example, the original “findings” of the RAVE Act included things like the presence of freely available water and chill-out rooms. Huge opposition to the bill quickly arose. Aside from the fact that an entire music community was being specifically targeted, opponents were worried that legitimate promoters taking reasonable safety measures for drug use at their events would be targeted unfairly under the new law.

Ultimately Biden changed the name of his bill to the less inflammatory sounding “Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act of 2003” and struck the “findings” from the bill. The IDAPA was passed in 2003, although most still refer to it by its original name, the RAVE Act.

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF THE RAVE ACT
After the RAVE Act – oh, sorry, the “Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act” – became law, the DEA set up “Rave Task Forces” to target different events. Despite the language being removed from the final version of the law, events were sometimes targeted due to the original “findings” of the bill (i.e. things like freely available water and chill-out rooms being present). In a few cases, even the presence of medical personnel or a harm reduction groups like DanceSafe were seen as suspect.

The EDM “scene” is far different than it was in the early 2000’s. The problem of underground or illegal “raves” is largely gone. Instead, EDM has joined the mainstream. These days, an EDM “festival” is a massive three-day event with intense security and safety planning. Accusing a modern promotion group like SFX or Insomniac of, “maintaining a drug involved premise” is ludicrous.

But a lot of the event producers of today are survivors of this first wave of “crack-house”/RAVE Act prosecutions in the early 2000’s.

For example, Pasquale Rotella, the CEO of Insomniac Events, explained during a recent Reddit AMA that it was his past experiences with the Feds that caused him to be cautious about “harm reduction groups.”

“When the DEA started going after innocent event producers under the Crack House Law, having DanceSafe at an event was one of the things they looked at to justify putting them in jail for 20 years,” he said. “If you don’t know about the Crack House Law, you should look into it. Dance culture has had a very challenging past. It’s amazing where it is right now.”

So for a lot of current event producers, the RAVE Act is always out there lingering, kind of like a legal Keyser Soze. They worry that if they allow drug education or public safety and health measures at their events, they might be opening themselves up to criminal or civil liability.

https://showbams.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/edmcrowd.jpg

WHY AMENDING THE RAVE ACT MATTERS
It’s just not realistic to think that if you get tight enough security you can eliminate drug use completely at a festival. This year’s Electric Zoo had such intensive security measures that the New York Post called the event a “day-glo North Korea”. And yet when you read this article by The New York Times, it’s clear that no matter how many undercover cops you have on hand, some folks will use drugs at any festival.

Let’s face it, drugs have been part of music festivals since there first were music festivals. If you’ve ever watched the movie Woodstock, throughout the movie you can hear different announcements being made to the crowd about various safety issues. At one point the announcer infamously warns everyone that the “Brown acid is bad, don’t take the brown acid”.

That’s right, at one of the first music festivals is also one of the first “harm reduction” messages ever.

JOIN THE AMEND THE RAVE ACT — A CAMPAIGN FOR FESTIVAL SAFETY
Tammy L. Anderson, a sociology and criminal justice professor at the University of Delaware, recently presented an academic paper, “Molly Deaths and Why the Drug War Won’t Clean Up Rave Culture”. Her research has shown that the RAVE Act is just bad public policy and actually discourages organizers from promoting drug safety at their events.

A large coalition is coming together to support a simple idea, to amend the RAVE Act by making it clear that legitimate owners and promoters can take reasonable safety measures to protect their patrons without fear of prosecution.

The proposed language will no doubt be changed many times in this process. But the coalition that is forming is hoping to send language to Congress that may be something like this:

Safety measures taken by property owners and promoters in an effort to reduce the medical risks associated with illegal drug use at their events do not constitute evidence of maintaining a drug involved premise under this Act.

I have had a chance to talk to Dede Goldsmith and meet with members of this coalition. I can tell you that this is a serious campaign and there is a realistic chance to get a bill in front of Congress this fall to do this.

How amazing would it be if we as a festival community came together to change a federal law? Together, we can make festivals safer. Sign the petition, share the knowledge and encourage your fellow festies to do the same.

PLEASE SIGN THE “AMEND THE RAVE ACT” PETITION

•Tweet & Retweet at Twitter (use the hashtag #AmendTheRaveAct)
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Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Amend The RAVE Act, Festivals, Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act of 2003, Music Festivals, Promoters, RAVE Act, The Festival Lawyer

Rupa & the April Fishes: Social activist, doctor and artist is a modern-day Renaissance woman

September 17, 2014 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

By Bridget Stagnitto //

Rupa Marya is a passionate musical character with an opinion about the current state of affairs, and what can be done to improve the planet. She expresses her concerns through compositions which are deliberately elevating and multifaceted. Being raised by Punjabi immigrant parents in India, France, and the Bay Area, has given her the background to comfortably create well-informed world music she likes to call “Electric Gumbo Radio”. She calls her music a “mestizo” (defined as a person of mixed ancestry) to embody a more complex, post-national identity that would invite a more diverse audience to the music.

That’s just her life in music. Did I mention that she’s also a doctor? Between tours, Rupa works at the San Francisco Free Clinic and is a professor at UCSF. When she isn’t busy healing and teaching, she produces amazing projects like Catapulta. Coordinated along with PODER (People Organizing to Demand Environmental and Economic Rights), Catapulta is a multi-disciplinary performance celebrating and documenting the courage of people enduring global migrations in search of work and opportunities. Held in 2010 at the Brava theatre in San Francisco’s Mission district, the goal was to inform the city’s undocumented workers of programs that offer free or low cost healthcare without fear of being deported.

The range of social activism that Rupa engages is broad but tangible. She strives to touch the souls of real people in every venture. Her voice and delivery carry the devotion she already expresses in her actions. Reminding us of the good that exists in the world, I find myself inspired to bring out those qualities within myself. I hope she can do the same for you.

Following the last show of their European tour, I was fortunate enough to sit down with Rupa & the April Fishes and ask a few questions over a delightful Hungarian style buffet.

Showbams: I love the song “L’elephant”. It is so dramatic in the way that the character of the elephant is depicted through the music, but it’s in French and I have no idea what it’s about.

Rupa: I wrote that song when I realized that I had really given my life to music. I made a conscious choice to allow music into my life in a certain way. I feel like I constantly remake that choice on different levels and it’s something I’m always in a relationship with. You can call it the muse or whatever you prefer. It’s very creative and destructive. It has both of those capacities to it. At least for me when I write I feel like I’m at the edge of myself. I feel like it is a possession of myself that is extremely intense and beautiful. Everything gets more beautiful, wild and crazy, and all of the beauty and terrifying nature of those things come out at the same time. I think that for me that dualism is part of the creative dialogue in my own life. So when I gave myself to music it feels like it was an elephant.

That song is about an elephant walking through the forest. It’s based on a poem by the Indian philosopher, Krishnamurti. He talks about an elephant walking through the forest and the trees are your ideas of what reality is and the truth is like an elephant that makes a path by knocking down the trees. Not out of any malice but just because that is how it walks. Then the light of the moon can shine on the ground and you can see what things really are when that force is there. Otherwise you’re obscured so much by your own ideas of what you think things are.

Showbams: I always thought about crazy elephants that come in and trample whole villages and run amok. It sounds like in that middle section that the elephant is running through the forest, but what if it just flattens everything and just lays waste to human civilization?

Rupa: Yeah, and also relationship to the ego and what you think you know and what you are so certain about. For example, there is something so liberating about death but when someone dies we focus on the mourning and terrible aspect of it. But there is another side of it that is extremely liberating that the thing you fear the most has come to pass that when that person is gone, now where are you? You are left here without that other person. So, it becomes a strange kind of liberating pain, and I see those two things as being very much hand in hand, the letting go of death as well as birth and creation. That song contains a lot of that.

Showbams: The encore and the song before the encore were so upbeat, what is that all about?

Rupa: The last song is a melding of two songs, “La Frontera”, which is along the border, “I’m going along the border, when I get there I don’t know what I’m going to do, I’m going along the border because the wind told me to, to see to see, that which I cannot believe, that a line is worth more than a life, how can a line be worth more than a life? And all along the highway I raise my voice I raise hell I’m going along the border because the wind told me to, to see to see that which I cannot believe, to see to see, a bitter truth, to see that a line is worth more than a life, how can a line be worth more than a life?” For me, that song is about the celebration of that which is natural living, as opposed to our constructions that create death and suffering for other people.

The last song, “La Espera Luna”, I see as an indication of the end of patriarchy so “I’m waiting for the moon” is a recount of the experience of a migrant crossing the border between Mexico and the U.S. The sun is so harsh and people die of exposure as they cross, so this woman is waiting in the desert on the Camino del Diablo, the Devils Highway, which is a historical footpath between Mexico and the U.S. even before the U.S. existed. This person is waiting for the moon to arrive so she can travel safely. For me, it’s the indication of the beginning of a different era and the end of patriarchy.

Showbams: What compels you write upbeat celebratory songs when the content is so heavy?

Rupa: That’s a good question. I feel like I am drawn to things that are positive. Like sex positive, or life positive, life affirming. I like things that make me feel elevated especially when I’m going to art and especially when it’s dealing with something heavy. I want to hear the message, but I also want to feel lifted. We are so susceptible as human beings and I feel like if I’m going to bring someone something I want to give them a way to feel elevated. I don’t want to leave them feeling like they want to hurt themselves or someone else. I feel like these things need to be discussed or brought into awareness, but they need to brought into awareness with a “we can do something” attitude. Too often our culture is so demoralizing of people’s spirits that even when you call AT&T to change your cellphone service or router you get this 50-minute experience of repression. There are so many daily demoralizing things that make people feel powerless. I feel like if you are going to talk about something that’s heavy, it’s important to do it in a way that’s uplifting.

Showbams: What has the journey of the band been like?

Rupa: The only one we chose was Misha because we wrote a Craigslist ad. We wrote a Craigslist ad looking for a new cellist, and Aaron and I wrote a Craigslist ad like we wanted to date someone. But everyone else has fallen in. When we were looking for a new trumpet player, we ran into Mario at the cigar bar and we auditioned him. Jhno, I was so lucky to play with him at a gig at Yoshi’s he was playing with Todd Sickafoose, and Todd introduced us to him. It’s all been so lucky. The Ditt (Aaron) was the original one. When I had a vision of the kind of drummer I wanted to play with, I had described it to Todd Brown, the guy who runs the Red Poppy (Art House), and he introduced me to him. We got together and jammed, and it was like meeting my soul mate of music and we just had so much fun. It’s been a learning process because we’ve been like a married couple with our issues and annoyances. He also has a pure heart and innocent approach to music that I really respect and I feel works really well with what we’re doing.

Showbams: How do you balance your life with your one-year-old baby, Bija?

Rupa: I have the most awesome family and network of supporters because this band could tell me to fuck off because I don’t tour enough, or we don’t want your kid on tour or to be around your husband. Bija is a whole new level of unknown, and I don’t know how it’s going to all work out. But he is so excited by the music and that feels really good right now.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Interviews Tagged With: Rupa & The April Fishes, Rupa Marya

If we never see Nine Inch Nails live again, it’s been quite a ride

August 26, 2014 by Josh Herwitt 7 Comments

Photos by Rob Sheridan for NIN.com // Written by Josh Herwitt //

When Trent Reznor told Nine Inch Nails fans six years ago that it was “time to make NIN disappear for a while,” no one knew if they would ever have the opportunity to see the industrial rock goliath perform again.

As someone whose musical palette was heavily influenced by such 90’s masterpieces as The Downward Spiral and The Fragile — two albums that will likely go down as some of the best rock music that’s ever been made — but never got to see NIN live, it came as a shocking blow to my psyche.

For me, NIN was always that band whose music felt uniquely original and accessible, yet remained frighteningly dark in image. More than 20 years ago, it was MTV that was forced to significantly censor the music video for “Closer” — still NIN’s most popular song to this day — in which Reznor combined themes of religion, sex, animal cruelty, politics and terror to go along with his disturbingly eerie lyric “I want to fuck you like an animal.”

Still, for as creepy as Reznor made himself appear — and there may be no better example than NIN’s epic performance at Woodstock ’94, which was officially released online almost two weeks ago — there is no band that has bridged the gap between heavy metal and electronic music better than NIN. From his early days as a sound engineer to his passion for analog synthesizers and digital technologies more recently, Reznor created a genre of music that few have ever come close to emulating. While other industrial acts like Ministry, MDFMK, Killing Joke, Filter and Rammstein achieved moderate levels of success at one point in time, none of them ever garnered the same mainstream appeal that NIN has sustained for more than two decades.

But even with two Grammy Awards and nine full-length albums to his name, Reznor has had his doubts about keeping NIN going. It’s why he announced in early 2009 that the band would be done performing live “for the foreseeable future” before embarking on its “Wave Goodbye” tour, which culminated in a 37-song show at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, before that fire was eventually rekindled with the release of 2013’s Hesitation Marks last September.

It’s not that Reznor fell off the face of the Earth during that five-year layoff, though. With NIN on an indefinite hiatus, he went on to win an Oscar and a Grammy for his soundtracks to The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, write the theme music for the video game “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” and form the post-industrial outfit How to Destroy Angels with his wife and lead vocalist Mariqueen Maandig, whom he shares two children with now. Over the last two months, he’s managed to find the time to finish composing the soundtrack for David Fincher’s upcoming movie Gone Girl while touring North America with his NIN sidekicks for quite possibly the last time.

After all, from what he told the crowd last Thursday night in Chula Vista, Calif., Reznor has no plans for another NIN album or tour right now. Even if he continues writing music like he told us he would that evening, just miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, there is no guarantee it will be for NIN. And at this point, it would be completely understandable for Reznor to retire the band he once gave birth to 26 years ago in Cleveland, where it will likely return to some day for its induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Reznor, of course, isn’t getting any younger. At the age of 49, the NIN mastermind and only official member of the band has battled plenty of inner demons in his younger life, having overcome both drug and alcohol addictions, depression, social anxiety disorder and sadly, even his own suicidal tendencies. Now as a sober family man, he has openly admitted that the rigors of touring have taken their toll on him.

So, if this was the last time I ever got to see Nine Inch Nails perform live, I have no regrets attending four of the 26 shows that they are co-headlining with Soundgarden this summer.

In fact, seeing one of my favorite bands of all time at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre was an absolute dream come true — a show that no doubt will go down in memory as one of the best I have ever witnessed in all my concert-going years. Then, there was Monday night’s noteworthy performance at the Hollywood Bowl, which marked another important moment for the band in playing the historic LA amphitheater for just the second time ever, with the first coming almost nine years ago following the release of 2005’s With Teeth.

Sure, seeing four shows — Red Rocks, Chula Vista, Irvine and Hollywood — on this tour might seem like overkill to some. For me, it felt like the right thing to do. It didn’t matter that the setlists have varied little from show to show over the last month. Instead, just having the chance to connect with the music and art that Reznor specifically curates for each NIN tour more than once is something I will always cherish, whether or not I ever get to do it again.

Because even if I don’t, I’ll know that those four shows I saw were worth every penny spent.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Hesitation Marks, Hollywood Bowl, How to Destroy Angels, NIN, Nine Inch Nails, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Sleep Train Amphitheatre, Soundgarden, The Downward Spiral, The Fragile, Trent Reznor, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, With Teeth

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