Festivals

Why Ultra Music Festival needs a new approach

April 10, 2014 by The Festival Lawyer 6 Comments

By just about every objective marker this year’s edition of Ultra Music Festival in Miami was a massive success. Over 165,000 people attended the event. The 2014 Ultra Live Stream of the event had 9.7 million views from more than 190 countries. Financially the festival was thought to bring in about 200 million dollars of revenue for the city of Miami.

However, the festival also had a number of significant problems. First, a security guard was left in serious medical condition after being trampled during a gatecrashing incident. Then, one of the attendees, 21-year-old Adonis Espoco, died after being taken out from the festival when thought to be too drunk and left in a car to “sleep it off.” In addition, over 80 people were arrested and 153 people were treated by paramedics during the event.

Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado and City Commissioner Marc Sarnoff both immediately called for Ultra to be banned. In fact, hearings are scheduled on this matter on April 24th. It’s turning into a legal battle (most things these days do) due to the fact that Ultra has a contract that allows them to keep putting on the festival until 2018.

The mayor and his team’s legal argument seems to be that the festival breached their contract with the city by:

1) Ignoring warnings from the police that additional fencing was needed, and
2) Failing to provide adequate security and promoting “drug use, graffiti and other crimes” at the festival.

ULTRA’S RESPONSE? MORE SECURITY

Ultra’s main response to the criticism so far has been to point out the extent of their security preparations. They had 257 police officers (49 more than last year); 18 undercover detail officers (including Homeland security and DEA officers) and made significant upgrades in terms of safety issues from last year. They also promised to conduct a thorough review of their safety procedures and stated they were open to additional security measures next year.

Some folks have suggested that there are practical changes that could help solve some of Ultra’s problems.

For example, some have argued that Ultra’s main problem is its location. It is extremely cool that a major music festival is located in the downtown area. And that location is part of why the festival has such a direct impact financially on the city. But having the festival in the middle of the downtown core creates all kinds of problems that would be avoided by having the festival at a more remote location.

Others have said that Ultra’s “all-ages” admittance policy is to blame. These people argue that Ultra would be a less chaotic, safer event if it were made into an 18 and older or 21 and older event.

These are all things that should be discussed. But neither the Mayor nor Ultra’s proposal answers the real question. How do we make future Ultra festivals a better, happier festival for both attendees and city residents?

In other words, is it possible to change the “culture” of the festival itself?

WHY JUST “ADDING MORE SECURITY” WON’T FIX THE PROBLEM AT ULTRA

There are several problems with just telling festivals to “beef up security” whenever an incident happens. For one thing, this year’s Ultra already had numerous complaints of rude, inappropriate, unprofessional or overly aggressive behavior by security officers. Also, adding more security by itself just adds to an “Us vs. Them” mentality between partygoers and police officers. (Remember all the chaos that happened at Lightning in a Bottle last year when Riverside’s “Special Investigation Bureau” decided to start doing undercover drug sales and arresting attendees?)

Oh and by the way, it doesn’t work. I mean, is there anyone out there who seriously thinks adding 10, 20 or a 100 more police officers will keep all illegal drugs out of Ultra next year?

As I’ve suggested in prior articles, I think the answer is to address the issue of drugs head-on. By that I mean integrating drug education and a “harm reduction” approach to the issue of drug use at festivals.

ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL NEEDS TO IMPLEMENT A “HARM REDUCTION” DRUG MODEL INTO FUTURE EVENTS

“Harm Reduction” is an alternative public health philosophy that encourages policy choices at raves and fests that reduce the risks associated with the use of MDMA or other drugs. The idea is to recognize the reality that drugs are going to be present at the modern music festival and to provide drug education, drug testing and other resources to help people make smarter choices.

Harm reduction is the norm in European festivals and has the advantage of a proven track record of success in making festivals safer. So why isn’t it the norm here?

Well, one thing that the current drug laws are excellent at is making promoters and organizers extremely nervous about taking any steps that might be seen as “encouraging drug use”.

Instead festivals have to play the, “I’m shocked, absolutely shocked that drugs are being used in here” game like Captain Renault being shocked by the gambling going on in Rick’s Café.

In fact, I was at a conference not too long ago where an insurance lawyer mentioned as part of his talk that basically it was better from an insurance liability standpoint to have someone die at your festival and be able to point to your “zero tolerance” drug policies than to open yourself up to criminal and civil liability by talking openly about drugs and testing them. My reaction can be seen below:

In other words, these types of changes won’t come about unless the festival and Electronic Music Community itself demands that harm reduction services be made a part of every festival that would benefit from it.

SO…HOW DO WE CHANGE THINGS?

In the last week I’ve had the opportunity to exchange ideas with a coalition of groups who are coming together to push for positive change in how we handle the issues of drugs, alcohol and personal safety at music festivals.

The group issued a press release today calling for the following:
1) Integrating “event industry safety best practices” into future festivals
2) Addressing alcohol and other drug use through education and onsite harm reduction rather than by just increasing law enforcement and security, and
3) Encouraging festivalgoers themselves to be responsible for their own and other attendee’s safety.

As the coalition stated in its press release:

Our coalition has come together to advocate for the EDM community. Large festivals are a crucial way for young people to gather together, socialize, and hear the music they love,” says Monica Salazar of the Electronic Music Alliance, a group that promotes social involvement among EDM fans. “Partygoers, the promoters and the host city all have a responsibility to work together to create safe and fun environments.

Coalition members include the Electronic Music Alliance, The Drug Policy Alliance, DanceSafe, MARS, The Zendo Project, AFP Creative and some guy named The Festival Lawyer.

Please take a minute to read the coalition’s press release. Share it with your festival crew, reshare it on social media and lend the coalition your ideas and support.

PART OF THE SOLUTION HAS TO COME FROM THE FESTIVALGOERS THEMSELVES

Honestly, what happened to the security guard in this case is inexcusable. But if you were on social media or watched the Ultra webcast you know that it was only part of what created the overall impression that the entire festival was a chaotic mess.

Some pictures of pretty over the top behavior went viral on social media. (Writer’s note – No I’m not going to link to those pictures. Suffice to say they were in the “Caligula would tell you to tone it down” category of photographs.) Also, the webcast itself captured a lot of images of pretty crazy behavior by festivalgoers.

You’ve heard me preach in this column before that I strongly believe that safety at a festival/rave is everyone’s responsibility. Not just the promoters or the organizers, but the attendees themselves. I am a huge fan of promoting positivity and “good vibes” among our fellow festivalgoers.

If you’ve been to a few festivals you know how important the “vibe” of the crowd can be. A fun, positive, enthusiastic crowd that is looking out for each other can make even a mediocre festival great. On the other hand, a crowd that is consistently determined to get as crazy as possible on drugs, fight, and otherwise create mayhem makes even a great festival ultimately not worth saving.

So that is why the coalition is also calling on attendees to take a “Party Pledge”. It calls on Festivalgoers to engage in responsible festival going and to encourage others to take this philosophy of caring for others and positivity to ALL festivals.

The pledge reads as follows:

We promise to look out for our festival buddies, and we support festivals that implement harm reduction practices. We promise to respect the clubs, venues, and festival grounds we use, and respect the staff that manages them. We are committed to calling out behavior that promotes an unsafe or uncomfortable environment for others. We have zero tolerance for violence. We want our community to be safe, proud, and fun, and welcome in cities and venues worldwide!!

JOIN YOUR VOICE TO THE COALITION – TAKE THE PLEDGE

If you’ve read any of my past columns you know that I think that some of the best aspects of human nature (play, inclusion, joy, love) are demonstrated at festivals and raves.

People sometimes think that being “responsible” is somehow intruding on their fun. But really it is just a recognition that we are all in this together and that together we can make things better and have more fun. In fact, I call making a commitment to be responsible for your friend’s safety at a festival the “Golden Rule” of being a good Festival Buddy.

Ultimately, we need to change the culture of these events. Ultra should stay in Miami. But a better, safer Ultra that promotes positivity and fun. If you believe in the same thing you can take the pledge here.

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Harm Reduction, Ultra Music Festival

Five Outside Lands trends in 2014

April 9, 2014 by Kevin Quandt & Mike Frash 3 Comments

Photos by Marc Fong // Written by Mike Frash & Kevin Quandt //

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
August 8th-10th, 2014 //

The lineup for the seventh annual Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival, taking place August 8th-10th in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, was announced Tuesday. Headliners Kanye West, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and The Killers were the focus of the many knee-jerk reactions, but what does the lineup say as a whole? Here are five trends we’ve spotted.

Three-day passes for the festival go on sale Thursday, April 10th at 10 a.m.

1. RAP IS REPRESENTED MORE THAN EVER
Outside Lands missed out on the OutKast nostalgia sweepstakes, but the far more controversial (and relevant), Yeezus has been crowned as the first rap headliner in the festival’s history (see below). Beastie Boys were slotted to headline the festival in 2009, and they sadly had to pull out due to Adam Yauch’s cancer diagnosis. Tenacious D ultimately became the headliner over M.I.A. The Bay Area doesn’t attract an abundance of hip-hop or rap in general, yet many in the SF music community have wondered when Outside Lands, now a top national festival, would get into the game. El-P and Killer Mike, one of most dynamic music duos in years, are working on a follow-up to their incredible Run the Jewels debut and are sure get Golden Gate Park pumped. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis performed at noon in 2011 at Outside Lands, and since then, they own four major singles and seemingly sell out every show they perform. But they are dangerously within the range of overexposure, and since winning “Best Rap Album” at the Grammys over Kendrick Lamar (and Macklemore felt the need to text-apologize to Lamar), some music fans are out for vitriolic blood. That said, Macklemore’s impact on the popular music landscape is undeniable. Atmosphere, Aer and Watsky, also successful suburban-oriented spitters in their own right, are also on the bill this year.

2. KANYE WEST IS AS DIVISIVE A FIGURE AS EVER
Reaction to Kanye West as the top headliner was distinctively negative Tuesday, at least from the loudest people. West is at the peak of his career, releasing two of the most essential albums of the past five years with Yeezus and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The mega-narcissistic artist of a generation is already busy working on a follow-up to be produced by Q-Tip and Rick Rubin, and it may be out before Outside Lands in August. Odds are Yeezus will pull back from minimalist trap production and go back to his soul-sampling roots to cast a wider net. West has won over music critics with his recent boundary-pushing efforts, but the question becomes, can he avoid a Kardashian-enhanced mainstream backlash bigger than the “Swifting” he pulled at the MTV Video Music Awards? Our money is on ‘Ye.

3. THE FIRST REPEAT HEADLINER
Now in its seventh year, Outside Lands has finally reached the point when we see our first repeat headliner in the form of classic rock demigod, Tom Petty and his band the Heartbreakers. Having played on the second day of the inaugural year to a healthy-sized crowd, Petty worked through some technical errors with a set heavy on his standout hits from the past decades. A new release and tour recently announced lead us to think that Mr. Charlie T. Wilbury is primed to have a big second half of 2014.

4. A SLIGHT SHIFT IN ELECTRONIC MUSIC CURATION
One thing that Showbams noticed when culling through the lineup was the inclusion of slightly more progressive EDM. What was once a genre more reserved for Treasure Island Music Festival is making its way to Golden Gate Park, hoping to turn some folks onto a newer style of electronic production. This new shift is mainly represented by Disclosure, Flume, SBTRKT and Gold Panda. Each act brings a quality that is slightly out of the “dance music” box, whether it’s Disclosure’s 2-step-garage sound or Gold Panda’s experimental beat production. Even after all these years, Another Planet and Superfly keeps us on our toes.

5. THE MOST ECLECTIC LINEUP YET
Outside Lands has always basked in musical diversity, and this notion is true now more than ever. As our collective access to music becomes easier and more plentiful, so does our acceptance of a greater variety of genres. In one weekend, festivalgoers will bounce to Big Freedia, get rural with Kacey Musgraves and dance with Duck Sauce. Whether it’s folk, EDM, hip-hop, indie rock, country or soul, Outside Lands’ eclectic lineup suits the integrity and character of SF and the Bay Area.

Follow our Outside Lands 2014 playlist on Spotify.

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Big Freedia, Disclosure, Duck Sauce, El-P, Flume, Gold Panda, Golden Gate Park, Kacey Musgraves, Kanye West, Killer Mike, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Outside Lands, Outside Lands 2014, Run The Jewels, Sbtrkt, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

10 music festival must-haves to elevate the experience

March 21, 2014 by The Festival Lawyer 48 Comments

By The Festival Lawyer //

With festival season starting, I decided to ask my Twitter and Facebook followers (and of course some of my favorite “Festie” writers and bloggers) the following question:

“What one item did you not know to bring to your first music festival that you always bring now?”

I took the best of their advice (and a few of my own tips) to give you the following 10 items that are guaranteed to make your next festival safer, more comfortable and more fun.

1. EARPLUGS

A few years ago, I stood about three feet from Dave Navarro’s amp for an entire show at The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles. For several weeks I had massive ear ringing and buzzing. I also said, “What?” so many times my friends were at the, “Say what again, say what again. I dare you, I double dare you, motherfucker” level of exasperation with me.

Fortunately, my hearing returned. But ever since then, I’ve considered earplugs an essential festival item for both safety and comfort. Most people who say they “don’t like” earplugs have only tried those cheap drug store foam ones. Those don’t do much more than muffle and muddy the sound.

High quality earplugs (I personally like @earpeace, but there are lots of choices) are only about $12-15. They provide a nice level of hearing protection without feeling like you’re missing the live sound experience of the show. Believe it or not, at certain shows earplugs make the sound better. Get all your festival gear here.

2. FANNY PACK

One of the most common issues at festivals is how to transport your needed gear easily. I asked Molly Kish (Media Relations Manager, Showbams) what makes her such a “fan” (see what I did there?) of fanny packs.

Fanny packs are the quintessential festival must-have. Trumping the bulky backpack or burdensome purse, fanny packs are the hands free alternative to carrying around your belongings all day and keep you from becoming the resident mule amongst your festival going friends. Allowing enough room for your wallet, camera, phone, sunscreen, chapstick or any other personal items you’ll want within immediate reach, fanny packs keep your possessions conveniently stationed on your hips throughout the day (becoming nearly unnoticeable by the end of your festival experience).

3. CAMELBAK

Like the fanny pack, a Camelbak is another easy way to store your keys, wallet and other valuables at a festival. It also has the added advantage of keeping you hydrated while avoiding long lines for refillable water or the high cost of bottled water. Dehydration can turn from a comfort issue to a safety issue really quickly. This is especially true at music fests where people are partying hard or are dancing in the middle of the desert in the afternoon.

There are entire reddit threads and message boards devoted to arguing the topic of which Camelbak is the “best” for festivals or raves. This should come as no surprise since the internet was pretty much invented for people to have a place to argue with ferocity and utter moral certainty about things that are subjective opinions. I won’t enter that fray except to say that this model of Camelbak is super popular. See designs of rucksack backpacks here.

4. ITEMS TO FIGHT PORTA POTTY HELL

The average festival porta potty looks like something they would show Piper on the first episode of “Orange is the New Black” to scare her about how awful prison life is going to be.

Because of this, a lot of folks wrote me to remind people to bring things like baby wipes, packs of tissue, hand sanitizer or their own toilet paper to try to make the situation better.

(Bonus tip for the ladies: Cardboard “p-mate” disposable female urination assist devices lets women go to the bathroom standing up. Find them here.)

5. ITEMS TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Tucker Gumber, aka “The Festival Guy”, attended something like 20 festivals last year. I figured he would be a good guy to ask the “things to bring to a music festival” question.

People go to festivals to hang out with their friends while enjoying world class music. The more festivals you go to, the more friends you make, the harder it is to see everyone. There is one thing that will determine your ability to meet up with whoever you want, whenever you want. Your cell phone battery. If your phone dies in the middle of the festival you will often find yourself searching through thousands of people looking for your crew. (PS: always set a meeting point) This frustrating situation can be easily avoided by carrying a cell phone power bank (I recommend Mophie). When you carry extra battery life you will not only avoid the stress of having a dead phone, you will now have the ability to help other people whose phone has died. Cell phone service is not perfect at festivals (although I did have service at 16 of 20 festivals I went to last year with Verizon) so make sure to be very precise with meetup locations and time stamp your texts.

(Bonus Tip: Tucker and the rest of the Festevo crew are only weeks away from their Festival App “Festevo” going live. When it does, it will DEFINITELY make this list. Find out more about their app here.)

6. ITEMS TO KEEP FROM GETTING FRIED

A lot of festivals take place in crazy hot environments where shade is at a premium. Sunscreen, sunglasses and chapstick are all “musts” at these kind of fests.

I asked bloggers and festival experts “The Festival Twins” if they had any other tips for folks trying not get “fried” at a music festival.

If it’s a camping festival, a canopy is an essential addition to your campsite. We learned the hard way, showing up to our first Coachella without one and paying the price for it. Shortly after sunrise the inside of our tent was super bright and roasting (no sleeping in!). During the day when we were at our camp we would all huddle under a small blanket we had strung up between our car and tent (we didn’t all fit underneath it).

Canopies not only offer shade from the sun and reflect heat, they also shelter from the rain and wind, and offer privacy. They are also a great way to distinguish your camp site from those around you, by attaching siding to them, adding a sign or flag to the top, or simply just by color (Hey! We’re the blue canopy between the red and white one!).

7. ITEMS TO KEEP YOU MOVING

Most music festivals involve a ton of walking. Probably THE most common items that people recommended were worn in, comfortable shoes. I asked Pete Mauch (Contributor, Showbams) if he had any other tips to keep a long day of walking from turning into a disaster.

At Bonnaroo 2005 in Manchester, Tennessee on the fourth and final day, I was hobbling around like I had been riding a horse for weeks. From that day forward I swore to myself that I would never go to a festival without my precious Gold Bond. Being able to walk long distances comfortably is key to having a great experience at a festival, especially a larger scale one like Bonnaroo or Coachella where you could be walking for a good while between stages and your campsite. I’ve helped out many aching friends who were not as prepared so please share your Gold Bond with others.

8. ITEMS TO KEEP YOU SAFE

I highly recommend you keep a few “safety” apps on your phone. Since there isn’t a “Festival Lawyer” app (yet), I highly recommend you download and bring the DanceSafe app. Tons of great drug safety tips and emergency care information are available there.

$10.diffraction-lens$

9. ITEMS TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS

One of the easiest ways to make new friends at a music festival is to share an item your festival neighbor forgot to bring (a lighter, handwipes etc.). Personally, I like to hand out candy or gum. There are certain fests where dust is everywhere. When your mouth is dry, your lungs are uncomfortable, and your breath is questionable, someone handing you a stick of gum is sort of your new hero.

I also love to give away cheap “fireworks” (refraction) glasses. It’s a close call between cats and myself about who likes lasers more. Fortunately, man has again defeated the animal kingdom by inventing this new technology. (These diffraction glasses make lasers look freaking great is what I am saying.)

You can find cheap paper diffraction glasses or nicer ones here.

10. GET INTO CHARACTER

I’ve written before about how much more fun your festival is when you spread positivity and good vibes to your fellow audience members.

One of the absolute best ways you can spread the good vibes is by wearing a funny t-shirt or something else that says, “let’s party”. But if you really want to take it to the next level you can wear a memorable costume. I asked Eamon Armstrong (Social Media Manager – Fest 300) for the origin story of “Purpleganda.”

In 2006 I went to Coachella in a baseball cap and a polo shirt. I thought of it like a concert where you go with a friend to watch other people play music. Eight years later festivals have become an immersive experience for me and how I present myself is part of how I participate.

A memorable outfit isn’t just an upgrade for you, it upgrades the whole festival. Your style makes the atmosphere of the fest more alive for your friends and other festies. Your silliness makes you more approachable. People want to compliment you because you look awesome. You say thanks, making them feel great. I personally love to just walk around the grounds telling people just how terrific they look!

From some funky tights to a full DIY light-suit, your costume makes the surreal world of the festival that much more magical. Plus if you ever get overwhelmed by the experience you can simply retreat into the role you’ve created. In fact, sometimes the costume makes you free to lose your mind a little.

OK, festies! What other festival items do you now consider “essential”? Be sure to let your fellow festivalgoers know in the comments section about any other festival “upgrades” that you love and want to share. Plus, see which are some of the top festivals in the world here.

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals, Show Experience, The Festival Lawyer Tagged With: Essential Items, Festival Season, Festivals, Music Festivals, Must-haves, The Festival Lawyer

Outside Lands 2014: Lineup locks, likely acts & long shots

March 12, 2014 by Kevin Quandt & Mike Frash 18 Comments

Photos by Tim Hampson // Written by Mike Frash & Kevin Quandt //

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
August 8th-10th, 2014 //

As we inch towards springtime, leading to summer, and Coachella is within a month’s reach, some Bay Area music freaks (like us) begin to speculate about who is gonna be gracing those stages freckled throughout Golden Gate Park come August. Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival is set to return to SF on August 8th-10th.

The greatest indicators are the group’s touring schedules — Osheaga Music Festival in Montreal and Pickathon in Oregon have announced their schedules the weekend prior to Outside Lands (with Lollapalooza to still be announced). Squamish Valley Music Festival in British Columbia is the same weekend as Outside Lands, but Vancouver is close enough for artists to double dip.

Conversely, we can confirm some big acts that won’t be on the bill due to scheduling conflicts. But if this is even close to what the Outside Lands 2014 lineup looks like, the Bay Area should be in for a delicious, fog-enhanced treat.

UPDATE 4/7: The lineup has been announced!

Lock It In (we think)

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: A new album on the way and a lack of dates out West makes him a solid candidate for top billing this year. Also, keep in mind that OSL has never repeated headliners, as well as the fact that Super Fly (Bonnaroo), who along with Another Planet Presents, handles the bulk of the booking.

Arctic Monkeys: [CONFIRMED] These festival stalwarts announced an extensive tour with a noticeable gap in the western demographic which leads to speculation that they’ll return for a sub-headlining set. Confirmed for August 10th at Osheaga.

Chromeo: [CONFIRMED] A Red Rocks date on August 5th is a good sign that these party starters are en route back to San Francisco for a possible Twin Peaks headlining spot.

Modest Mouse: Confirmed for Osheaga, and with no California dates on the calendar for the recently announced tour, Modest Mouse is starting to look like a lock.

Cut Copy: [CONFIRMED] Cut Copy and Chromeo are on parallel tracks. Both will have played APE shows in the past year, and their tour buses are aligning toward the Bay in early August.

CHVRCHES: [CONFIRMED] Confirmed for Osheaga, it just makes sense that one of the the biggest breakout acts of 2013 will triumphantly return to the Bay after playing the Independent, Mezzanine & Fox Theater Oakland over the past year.

Flume: [CONFIRMED] It’s due time for this EDM heat-seeker to return to San Francisco, and what better place and time than Outside Lands. Flume’s popularity could land him Twin Peaks headlining duties.

Tycho: [CONFIRMED] Having become the darlings of Another Planet, what better progressive act to grace the bill than Tycho. Sold out shows in the coming weeks lend to a strong demand.

Foster the People: Performing at Squamish Valley Music Festival Friday lends a good possibility that Mark Foster and band will trek down to Golden Gate Park for a Sunday set. A slot at Osheaga Festival the weekend prior says they’ll be hitting many large events as they support their latest release Supermodel.

Iron & Wine and Glen Hansard: These two artists are booked to play Hollywood Bowl on August 10th, leading most savvy music aficionados to make the leap that these acts will be present.

Danny Brown: A lack of Bay Area dates coupled with spots on the ‘OSL crossover’ festival, Squamish, could mean we are in for a ‘Kush Koma’ with oddball, Danny Brown.

Likely To Appear

Elton John: The announcement of Sir Elton playing Bonnaroo has fueled this rumor nicely, even if questions of availability swirl. The main issue would be surrounding a clause with Caesars where John has a residency. However, this Vegas run ends in April, so it looks possible.

Green Day: These Bay Area legends have surprisingly never played Outside Lands, and it seems possible we’ll see them grace the main stage for a night with Billy Joe and company.

Coldplay: New music on the way, coupled with scheduled appearances at South by Southwest is a clear sign that Chris Martin and lads are gearing up to re-dominate the world with their anthemic rock. Also, never headlined OSL.

Tiësto: [CONFIRMED] Ranger Dave likes to book some of the biggest names in the EDM world to ‘compete’ with headliners, attracting a slightly younger crowd to congregate at Twin Peaks on most evenings. Tiësto’s production would fit nicely into the bigness of past DJ spotlights.

Frank Ocean: Frankie is mounting his come back after a relatively quiet past few years. His billing on Bonnaroo fuels the speculation that Super Fly booked him, and other acts, for more than just Roo.

The Flaming Lips: [CONFIRMED] Wayne Coyne has had a busy past few months with a recent release and some serious Fall touring. Now, as summer looms, it appears the Lips will be omnipresent at summer festivals. Recent Another Planet shows coupled with Bonnaroo presence make these weirdo legends a likely booking.

Lorde: Has any act ever gone to sub-headliner status this quickly? Based on her popularity and the way she’s altered the pop landscape, Lorde deserves it. She’s confirmed to play Osheaga and her April dates at Fox Theater sold out immediately.

Chance the Rapper: No longer Chicago’s secret, Chancelor Bennett needs to get better acquainted with the Bay Area. There is a gap in his schedule, and the Acid Rapper is confirmed for Osheaga.

HAIM: [CONFIRMED] For being California girls, sisters Este, Danielle and Alana could show a bit more love to the Bay Area (They’ve played in England over 20 times). Their first ever show in the Bay was at Treasure Island Music Festival last year, and their fauxchella Fillmore dates were tough tickets to snag as they sold out in seconds.

Lykke Li: [CONFIRMED] Confirmed for Friday of Squamish, it’s very possible the breathtaking Swedish singer-songwriter could grace Outside Lands on Sunday.

Foxygen: Even though there has been turmoil (broken legs, inner-band conflict), the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic should come play “San Francisco” in it’s namesake. The group is confirmed for Pickathon as well.

Mikal Cronin: [CONFIRMED] The singer-songwriter has become quite the popular local musician and would be ideal for a showcase of SF rock. Booked for the Oregon Pickathon means he’ll be active around this time.

Valerie June: [CONFIRMED] The American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is playing Pickathon and other West Coast dates prior to Outside Lands. June’s sound will fit nicely into the festival’s curation net.

It Could Happen

Kanye West: [CONFIRMED] As it appears OutKast will not be the infamous first hip-hop headliner, we look to Kanye West as an outside possibility as the debut of rap taking center stage one summer evening. Inclusion on Bonnaroo’s docket makes a reasonably strong start to an argument for Yeezy.

Eminem: Already a rumored headliner for Lollapalooza, Slim Shady has also booked a co-headlining date with Rihanna at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena the Thursday before Outside Lands while also confirmed for Squamish on Sunday the 10th. Starting to trend toward “likely”, should we be adding RiRi as a rumored headliner?

Tool: Already playing two SF shows in March, would it be that much of a surprise to see Tool headlining one night? Certainly they are big enough to handle top billing duties.

Pharrell Williams: A Ranger Dave’s “hat” tweet has led many to speculate the possibility of Williams’ presence on the festival grounds. Limited dates pepper his itinerary, so it’s anyone’s guess.

The Avett Brothers: Having not played the event in over five years and select festival appearances over the summer, one could make the argument that Avett will return. Bonnaroo booking also helps this case.

Kendrick Lamar: K-Dot’s touring schedule is open, but there are no obvious indicators an Outside Lands appearance will happen. But for a festival that’s usually short on hip hop & rap, it would be too fun to see the Outside Lands stage and surrounding area get crazy during “Backseat Freestyle”.

Gogol Bordello: The Gypsy-punk freaks are confirmed to play Osheaga, and they played Outside Lands in 2010. A return seems possible.

Jagwar Ma: [CONFIRMED] Being rather active in the festival realm in 2014, these party-starters can easily jump from Osheaga over to SF. A previous Another Planet-booked show at the Independent demonstrates there is communication present.

Long Shots: Already booked elsewhere (don’t count on it)

OutKast: Andre 3000 and Big Boi might be playing over 40 festivals this year, but Outside Lands won’t be one of them. OutKast is confirmed for Flow Festival in Finland the same weekend as Outside Lands.

Arcade Fire: Win Butler and company are performing at Squamish Valley Music Festival, but they have a date set at Shoreline in July, and they headlined three years ago.

Jack Johnson
Queens of the Stone Age
Robert Plant
Santana
Neutral Milk Hotel
Janelle Monae
DARKSIDE
Mac Demarco

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Chance The Rapper, Chromeo, Chvrches, Coldplay, Cut Copy, Elton John, Flume, Foster the People, Foxygen, Frank Ocean, Glen Hansard, Gogol Bordello, Gramatik, Green Day, Haim, Iron & Wine, Jack Johnson, Jagwar Ma, Janelle Monáe, Kendrick Lamar, Lord Huron, Lorde, Lykke LI, Mac Demarco, Mayer Hawthorne, Mikal Cronin, Modest Mouse, Neutral Milk Hotel, OSL, OutKast, Outside Lands, Outside Lands Music Festival 2014, Pharrell Williams, Portugal. The Man, Queens of the Stoneage, Robert Plant, Santana, Sharon Van Etten, The Avett Brothers, The Flaming Lips, Tool, Tycho, Valerie June

10 acts you don’t want to miss at Lightning in a Bottle 2014

March 7, 2014 by Josh Herwitt Leave a Comment

Photos by Aaron Gautschi // Written by Josh Herwitt //

Lightning in a Bottle //
San Antonio Recreation Area – Bradley, CA
May 22nd-26th, 2014 //

Earlier this week, the much-anticipated artist lineup for the ninth edition of Lightning in a Bottle was released. After migrating southeast to Temecula last July, the famed boutique festival is on the move again — and this time, it’s taking over Lake San Antonio Recreation Area in Monterey County from May 22nd-26th.

With LIB heading north to central California this Memorial Day weekend, the festival is primed to hit the LA and SF markets better than ever before.

So, what can you expect at this year’s event?

You can be sure to see your share of hippie/Burning Man types, bass heads and the occasional ordinary-looking festivalgoer. And if you’re into art and yoga, there’s certainly plenty of that, too. After all, you won’t find another music festival in the country that honors both disciplines more than what The Do LaB does every year.

But LIB has also stepped up its game when it comes to its musical offerings, making significant strides over the past few years by booking bigger and better artists.

With this year’s lineup featuring a slew of high-profile acts, we look at 10 you won’t want to miss.

10. Gold Panda

Since signing with Ghostly International in 2010, Derwin Schlecker has covered almost every EDM sub-genre under the sun, whether it’s glitch, folktronica, microhouse, minimal techno, post-dubstep, wonky, ambient or chillwave. Over the last year, the UK producer has been hard at work, releasing his second LP Half of Where You Live as well as a six-track EP entitled Reprise.

Listen to “If U Knew (Reprise Long Live Take)”:

9. Chet Faker

Nicholas James Murphy, or better known as Chet Faker, first entered the mainstream with his cover of Blackstreet’s “No Diggity” in 2011, but the Aussie has been on a roll, winning “Breakthrough Artist of the Year” and “Best Independent Release” for his Thinking in Textures EP just a year later. Since then, he’s worked with a host of talented musicians, including fellow countryman Flume, Say Lou Lou and Kilo Kish.

Watch “No Diggity” music video:

8. Baauer

Sure, “Harlem Shake” was so 2013, but that doesn’t mean the track won’t elicit an instant dance party when Baauer does drop it — and with this being the Brooklyn producer’s first appearance at LIB, you can bet that will happen. Matter of fact, the party banger did earn him honors for “Dance Song of the Year” and “EDM Song of the Year” at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards.

Listen to “Harlem Shake”:

7. Claude VonStroke

As owner of Dirtybird Records and Mothership Records, Barclay Crenshaw (aka Claude VonStroke) has climbed the EDM charts over the last decade and doesn’t appear to be slowing down. Wrapping up his Urban Animal tour this month, the San Francisco-based producer likes to dabble in more than just house beats, with samples ranging from drum and bass to funk and soul all part of Crenshaw’s repertoire.

Watch “Turbosteppa” music video:

6. The Polish Ambassador

It wasn’t long ago that The Polish Ambassador was packing the dance floor at LIB with his infectious funk and electropop grooves. After one of last year’s most-talked-about performances, David Sugalski will be bringing back “The Family” — the name his fans often go by — so you might want to go pick up a neon-colored jumpsuit at your local thrift shop soon.

Listen to “New Funk Millennium”:

5. Gramatik

Originally hailing from Slovenia, Denis Jasarevic returns to LIB after making his debut two years ago. While his music ranges from funk and jazz to soul and blues, the Pretty Lights Music artist has sold over 100,000 tracks on Beatport.com and has plenty of bangers in his hip pocket to keep a party going late into the night.

Watch Gramatik at 2012 Lightning in a Bottle:

4. Phantogram

With the release of its new full-length album Voices (read our review here) last month, the upstate New York duo is hotter than ever before, selling out venues all across the country on its recent U.S. tour. Between lead singer Sarah Barthel’s haunting vocals and guitarist Josh Carter’s polished production work, Phantogram remains one of LIB’s most coveted acts this year.

Listen to “Black Out Days”:

3. Beats Antique

There may be no artist better suited for LIB than Beats Antique. There’s no doubt the Oakland-based trio, which fuses neo-gypsy electronica, tribal fusion dance and psychedelic performance art into one mesmerizing show, feels at home every time it plays the festival — and this year should be no different for multi-instrumentalist David Satori, drummer Tommy “Sidecar” Cappel and belly dancer Zoe Jakes.

Beats Antique at 2011 Bonnaroo video:

2. Little Dragon

After climbing the Billboard charts with 2011’s Ritual Union, the Swedish trip-hop outfit is set to release its fourth full-length record Nabuma Rubberband this May. The album is said to be inspired by “Janet Jackson slow jams,” but if there’s one thing for sure, lead singer Yukimi Nagano certainly knows how to keep an audience on its toes.

Listen to “Klapp Klapp”:

1. Moby (DJ set)

Having spent more than 30 years in the music business, the LA-via-NYC transplant gradually has become somewhat of a cultural icon. With that in mind, it would be hard to argue that a bigger artist has ever graced the main stage at LIB. If his set is anything like it was at Coachella last year, you can expect to him to play plenty of house and maybe even snap some photos of the crowd before it’s all over.

Moby at 2013 Coachella video:

The next five acts to catch: Amon Tobin (DJ set), Simian Mobile Disco (DJ set), Lee Burridge, Break Science, Kraddy.

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Baauer, Beats Antique, Chet Faker, Claude VonStroke, Gold Panda, Gramatik, LIB, LIB 2014, Lighting in a Bottle, Lightning in a Bottle, Lightning in a Bottle 2014, Little Dragon, Moby, Phantogram, The Polish Ambassador

Festival Review: Noise Pop 2014

March 6, 2014 by The Bam Team 1 Comment

Noise Pop 2014 has come and gone, and what a jam-packed week of music and merriment it was. This week-long festival event is spread out amongst the 22 finest venues in the Bay Area, making for one of the best extended independent music showcases around.

The Bam Team was on the scene throughout, capturing the many memorable moments — take a look at our show recaps and photos below!

Photo by Kory Thibeault //

Digital Mystikz with DJ Rashad //
1015 Folsom – San Francisco
February 27th, 2014 //

This night of progressive dance and bass music was a long time in the making, and the results were not disappointing as those faithful to underground music were treated to this Teklife/DMZ doubleheader. DJ Rashad brought his own style to the stage, presenting the hyped crowd with his own unique brand of dance music that goes by ‘footwork,’ a variant offshoot of juke and ghetto house. The highly rhythmic tracks were a delight to those wanting to show off their fancy dance moves before the “bass bath” that is Digital Mystikz. Though Rashad was killing it, he seemed reluctant to hand over the decks to the duo of Mala and Coki.

Dubstep and bass music fans in San Francisco finally got to experience the heaviness that is South London’s Digital Mystikz after years of waiting (and canned dates). They were rewarded with a straight vinyl set that had the two switching off dubplates every so often. The speakers flexed and breathed as an array of frequencies poured out, showcasing a slower tempo than Rashad. Mala played heavy on roots tracks while Coki spun his characteristic style of aggressive bass. Coki seems to be taking his musical career more seriously as he debuted a handful of bangers that are sure to make their way onto wax and various mix sets. “Anti-War Dub”, a legendary track, demonstrated their agenda as bass music with a message. “Gangster for Life” was a highlight for the amped crowd as many put their hands in the air and sand along to Movado’s vocal sample before dropping into some seriously filthy rhythms and sub-bass. Mala’s “Miracles” was featured towards the end of the set as the faithful were disappointed to see DMZ’s late start not be rewarded on the back end with an extra 10 minutes. -Kevin Quandt

Photo by Tom Dellinger //

The Soft White Sixties, NO (LA), The SHE’S, Cannons and Clouds //
The Chapel – San Francisco
February 28th, 2014 //

After their set of about an hour and a half, it was confirmed that this was one of those performances that will be well remembered. Surely, The Soft White Sixties are destined to launch onto larger stages and broader success as a band. Ready and poised, all the ingredients are there. —Tom Dellinger

READ FULL REVIEW & VIEW PHOTOS

The Fresh & Onlys with Cool Ghouls, Sandy’s, Luke Sweeney //
Brick & Mortar Music Hall – San Francisco
February 26th, 2014 //

The Fresh & Only’s lead singer, Tim Cohen, who is strangely reminiscent of Danny McBride in his humor, cracked jokes between songs. The locally beloved band declared, “We are San Francisco, or we were San Francisco, or San Francisco was us.” The crowd seemed to eat up the commentary on the general culture shift happening around them in the City. -Katy Meacham

READ FULL REVIEW

Papercuts, Vetiver, The Donkeys, EDJ //
The Chapel – San Francisco
February 26th, 2014 //

San Francisco’s Papercuts finished the night with a slightly more subdued set, especially when compared to Vetiver and the Donkeys, and the crowd had thinned a bit as the ‘school night curse’ fell over the headliner. -Kevin Quandt

READ FULL REVIEW

Com Truise with Phantoms, Kauf, DJ Dials //
Mezzanine — San Francisco
February 27th, 2014 //

The 80’s haven’t sounded this good since…well, ever. Com Truise intertwines reworked 80’s synth samples with modern sensibilities and the result induces random outbreaks of dancing in crowds. Buoyed by a new lighting rig that dominated the stage, Truise’s downtempo productions come across as more powerful and engaging than the recordings. Though the west coast leg of his tour is finished, having just released the first part of a planned series albums, hopefully he’ll pop back up sooner than later. -Steve Wandrey

El Ten Eleven with Mattson 2, Pale Blue Dot //
The New Parish – Oakland, CA
February 28th, 2014 //

The self-proclaimed “power duo” from Los Angeles created an immense sound with the aid of a looper and heavily modulated effects. Wielding a doubleneck guitar/bass combo, El Ten Eleven’s experimental sound was polished and fresh, never drifting into monotony, which looper pedals can sometimes do. -Kevin Raos

READ FULL REVIEW

Photo by Sterling Munksgard //

Real Estate with The Shilohs & Dream Boys //
The Independent – San Francisco
February 28th, 2014 //

Real Estate played to a solemn, respectfully immersed Independent Friday for their first full show of their North American tour. Sure the indie-rockers played their yet-to-be released record Atlas in its entirety near their home turf in New York Thursday, but they chose Noise Pop Fest to debut their very square stage setup. -Mike Frash

READ FULL REAL ESTATE REVIEW & VIEW PHOTOS

Cold Cave with Painted Palms, Dirty Ghosts and Happy Fangs //
Slim’s – San Francisco
February 28th, 2014 //

An extensive bill of varied rock flavor, Saturday night’s line up at Slim’s had a little bit of something for everyone. Kicking off the evening, local duo Happy Fangs got the crowd amped with their juxtapositional noise-laden synth pop. Rebecca Gone Bad’s vocals penetrated through the brick walls of the venue, audible to the crowd lined up outside amidst the evenings’ partial showers. Next up to the stage, Dirty Ghosts shredded their way through a set of new material and crowd favorites, calling for their guitar levels to be raised so they can properly “rock the fuck out” of the weekend crowd. Painted Palms, brought a different type of temperament to the line-up, focusing their set around the band’s less dance driven tracks, epically stretching out their material into extended jams driven by cousins Reese Donohue and Chris Prudhomme, backed by a full band. Cold Cave closed out the evening with his brooding set of dark-wave synth pop, debuting new material off of his 2014 album Sunflower and utilizing the show as a warm up for his upcoming summer tour with NIN. -Molly Kish

No Age with Cheatahs, GRMLN, Straight Crimes //
Brick & Mortar Music Hall – San Francisco
March 1st, 2014 //

One of the more hyped, international artists on the Noise Pop bill was the rising stars that are Cheatahs. Though the band was marred by poor sound early in the set, they rallied to crush the second half of their set as the crowd began to open up to their sound. Charging out of LA for nearly a decade, No Age two weave the post-punk sentiment of Fugazi with a wall of sound volume that shakes you to your core. The “adult” crowd got a rare treat as No Age generally play all ages shows that quickly turn into frenetic chaos. -Kevin Quandt

READ FULL REVIEW

Dr. Dog with Saint Rich, Moses Sumney //
The Warfield – San Francisco
March 1st, 2014 //

Saturday night was a much anticipated one as the City descended upon the Warfield to get their dose of Dr. Dog. “Live in the Tenderloin” read a sign on stage, a nod to the neighborhood and a proclamation that they knew more about San Francisco than one would expect. And that is certainly how the night felt — Dr. Dog knew its audience and exactly what they wanted to hear. -Kory Thibeault

VIEW DR. DOG PHOTOS

Mark Kozelek (of Sun Kil Moon & Red House Painters) //
Great American Music Hall – San Francisco
March 1st, 2014 //

“I don’t give a fuck about Noise Pop,” said surly 47-year-old control freak Mark Kozelek at Great American Music Hall Satuday, one of the first piercing, dry stage banter remarks he made. Always honest and amusing in an odd way, much like his music, Kozelek turned between-song breaks into hilarious and awkward moments as a matter of routine. -Mike Frash

READ FULL MARK KOZELEK REVIEW

Photo by Marc Fong //

Rogue Wave with Trails and Ways, Wymond Miles //
The Chapel – San Francisco
March 2nd, 2014 //

A perfect end to an epic festival, Rogue Wave delivered as a closing act, demonstrating excellent showmanship & exciting crowd interaction, fluidly transitioning out of the daytime hours into what the band had promised to deliver from the start — a performance that “felt like a night show” all along. -Molly Kish

READ FULL ROGUE WAVE REVIEW & VIEW PHOTOS

Filed Under: Featured, Festival Reviews, Festivals Tagged With: Cheatahs, Cold Cave, Com Truise, Digital Mystikz, Dirty Ghosts, DJ Rashad, Dr. Dog, El Ten Eleven, Happy Fangs, Mark Kozelek, No Age, Noise Pop, Noise Pop Festival, Painted Palms, Papercuts, Real Estate, Rogue Wave, Sun Kil Moon, The Donkeys, The Fresh & Onlys, The Soft White Sixties, Vetiver

12 reasons to grab a Noise Pop festival badge

February 14, 2014 by The Bam Team 6 Comments

Written by Mike Frash, Molly Kish, Kevin Quandt & Kevin Raos //

Noise Pop //
Bay Area venues – San Francisco & Oakland
February 25th-March 2nd, 2014 //

This time of year can often be a bit slow for live music, but not during Noise Pop Festival in San Francisco. This week-long event spread out amongst the 22 finest venues in the City by the Bay makes for the best extended independent music showcase on the west coast. Noise Pop Fest shows offer in-depth evenings — the best thing to do is to show up early and catch emerging artists before they graduate to headliner status.

One great way to get the most value out of the week is with by springing for a badge. The purchase of a General or Super Fan badge gets you into all general admission shows, films, happy hours, NPHQ and more, along with a screen-printed festival poster. There’s also a Noise Pop Fest app to help keep you connected.

The lineup is as good as ever this year — our list doesn’t include top-notch artists Com Truise, Rogue Wave, Throwing Muses, Beardyman, Ladytron, No Age, Shabazz Palaces, Mikal Cronin, Bleached, Trails and Ways, The Fresh & Onlys, The Limousines, The Soft White Sixties, amongst others. Presented here are 12 compelling reasons to consider a badge upgrade, in day-to-day order.

Click artist names to buy individual tickets below, or simply buy a General or Super Fan badge.

Noise Pop HeadQuarters (NPHQ @ The NWBLK) //
All week //

New this year in Noise Pop’s 22nd incarnation, Noise Pop Headquarters at The NWBLK is now the centerpiece of Noise Pop Festival. Festivalgoers can swing by the stunning gallery-turned-multimedia-space to grab a drink, watch a film, get some food, do some shopping, and experience a pivotal part of this year’s festival with friends and artists before heading out for the night’s events. Purchase tickets or RSVP to all free shows, which will grant you priority entry once capacity has been reached. Yet another reason to go big with a badge.

Lord Huron, Superhumanoids //
The Fillmore – San Francisco
Tuesday, February 25 //
SOLD OUT // BUY A BADGE

A coupled bill of indie folk, rich with thick vocal harmonies and dense soulful compositions, Lord Huron and Superhumanoids pair perfectly to cover the modern state of rhythm and blues. Americana based, the Lord Huron dabble in psychedelic and experimental pop elements, which also can be heard in their counterparts Superhumanoids. The Los Angeles-based trio features genre bending soundscapes, delivering a groove-driven journey through layers of pop, soul and electronic musical arrangements. Each band, although unique in their melodious executions, cover a vast array of roots-rock influences while updating the archetypal sounds in their own innovative manners. This sold out show highlights a great pair of bands to kick off the festival and is one worth splurging a bit extra on a badge to guarantee entry. -MK

Matthew Dear Presents Audion Live: Subverticul //
The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco
Wednesday, February 26th //

The latest project from Ghostly International co-founder and experimental artist Matthew Dear, Audion Live: Subverticul is an all-encompassing multi-media experience. Teaming up with the innovative crew from LA-based design studio Vita Motus, Subverticul features a live set debuting new material from Matthew Dear. Audion Live promises to be a unique show, fashioned to resemble a moving audio visual sculpture. Composed of multi-layered experimental EDM and dazzling abstract art installations, Subverticul is an impressive feat in both live music entertainment and creative enterprises. Making its Bay Area debut in celebration of the Noise Pop 2014 and playing unreleased tracks off of his upcoming album, Matthew Dear’s Audion Live: Subverticul will undoubtedly be a highlight performance of this year’s festival. -MK

Mistaken for Strangers (Film) //
Roxie Theater – San Francisco
Wednesday, February 26th //

Let’s not forget that live concerts aren’t the only offering from the citywide Noise Pop Festival as the film series has some gems being screened, including Mistaken for Strangers. This documentary follows budding horror filmmaker, Tom Berninger, embarking on a massive national tour with his brother’s little band that some may know as the National. The ensuing months shows the younger Berninger brother tossed into the indie touring machine as a functioning crew member while keeping focus on his ambitions as a creator himself. -KQ

Papercuts, Vetiver, The Donkeys, EDJ, Vinyl DJ Selections by Britt Govea //
The Chapel – San Francisco
Wednesday, February 26th //

Artists under brand new label Easy Sound Recording Co. plan on presenting the future of folk at The Chapel during Noise Pop week. Jason Quever’s SF-based Papercuts have a new album Life Among the Savages in the works. The group’s sixth LP is set to release in May, so plan on seeing the group preview new tracks from their forthcoming album. They just released the albums’s lead single “Still Knocking at the Door”, and it’s promising. Vetiver is on the roster, another local group led by Andy Cabic. Their 2011 record The Errant Charm is oh so mellow and excellent, and we expect good things coming soon. The Donkeys are an emerging psyche-garage rock formation from San Diego, blending surf rock and jam sentiments into a bouncy, enjoyable time. -MF

“Our Vinyl Weighs A Ton” Film Screening and Live Show //
The NWBLK (NPHQ) – San Francisco
Wednesday, February 26th (6:30 pm) //

Gain access to rare concert footage, backstage documentation, home videos and intimate portrayals of some of the most influential hip hop artists of our time in this cutting edge documentary brought to you by the iconic Stone Throw Records posse. Featuring appearances by Snoop Dogg, Mike D, Talib Kweli, Kanye West, Tyler the Creator and more, this feature length delves into the inner circle of the groundbreaking label to bring you a fresh perspective on the evolution and current state of modern day hip hop. Followed by a Q&A with director Jeff Broadway and Stones Throw Records founder Peanut Butter Wolf, tickets are still available with an additional option to upgrade to a “Film and Live Show Ticket”, granting access to a live performance after party with Peanut Butter Wolf, J Rocc, JonWayne and Knxledge. Happening at the Noise Pop 2014 headquarters NWBLK, this event is a great way to get into celebratory spirit and check out the brand new festival facility. — MK

Bob Mould: 25 Years of Workbook, Zach Rogue, Jon Ginoli //
Great American Music Hall – San Francisco
Thursday, February 27th //
SOLD OUT // BUY A BADGE

Celebrating the groundbreaking icon’s diversion from his scene-defining hardcore act Husker Du, Bob Mould revisits his first album as a solo artist, Workbook, with help from fellow artists and friends. Mould pushed the boundaries of the independent rock scene with this record whilst mapping out an era of alternative music that influenced generations of artists for years to come. Mould will be joined on stage by longtime bassist Jason Narducy, along with Rogue Wave’s Zach Rogue and Jon Gignoli of San Francisco’s own Pansy Division. Gearing up for the deluxe double-album edition of this seminal record to be released February 25, this show will be the first live revisiting of the material in full since its 1989 debut. One of the first shows of the festival to have sold out, a badge is necessary for entry and in this case is well worth the cost of this once in a lifetime experience. — MK

Digital Mystikz, DJ Rashad //
1015 Folsom – San Francisco
Thursday, February 27th //

Sure, Digital Mystikz may be one of the higher listed names you have never heard of, but producers, Mala and Coki, nearly single-handedly built the UK bass-culture scene which eventually was termed, dubstep. This South London duo has been working together since teenagers, while also maintaining solo careers, eventually starting the progressive label, and club night, that goes by DMZ. After a few failed attempts to perform on the West Coast as a duo, it appears the day is almost here for Digital Mystizk to make their big San Francisco debut at 1015 Folsom with DJ Rashad and a slew of local warriors to back ‘em all up. —KQ

Cold Cave, Painted Palms, Dirty Ghosts, Happy Fangs //
Slim’s – San Francisco
Friday, February 28th //

Truly one of the more stacked bills this year will feature LA darkwave mastermind Wesley Eisold, popularly known as Cold Cave. With a release slated for 2014, expect new material that Eisold describes as a “mix between some of the bigger sounds on Cherish and more minimal stuff I’m interested in now.” Local psych-pop duo, Painted Palms are also featured on this bill after the release of a recent album on Polyvinyl. Expect a breezier affair before the headliner with these San Francisco rising stars. Local trio Dirty Ghosts will also be on hand to lend support via their female-fronted take on psych-pop with a tinge of world influence. —KQ

Real Estate, The Shilohs, Dream Boys, Dominant Legs //
The Independent – San Francisco
Friday & Saturday, February 28th & 29th //
SOLD OUT // BUY A BADGE

It wasn’t too long ago that fans of breezy surf-rock were enjoying Real Estate at Treasure Island, but this time we get a pair of more intimate shows over the busy Noise Pop weekend. The recently expanded 5-piece band is prepping their third studio album set for release the first week of March and will go by the title, Atlas. Expect new songs peppered with old favorites for these sold out shows, which will be supported by Vancouver songsters The Shilohs, along with Dominant Legs on Friday and Dream Boys on Saturday. —KQ

An Evening with Mark Kozelek (Sun Kil Moon) //
Great American Music Hall – San Francisco
Saturday, March 1st //

While Mark Kozelek’s music comes in the form of many groups and collaborations, his new record Benji with Sun Kil Moon will likely solidify this group as his legacy. The lyrics are heartbreaking, the control of his cadence immaculate, and the words often relate to Bay Area locales, a place he calls home — there’s the Night Stalkers’ final victim who lived in San Mateo, barbecues in San Rafael, his Tenderloin summer (when he likely made the album), and going seeing the Postal Service perform at the Greek Theater only to rush to a hot tub-refuge in Tahoe. Billed as an evening with Mark Kozelek, an incredible live artist with throngs of records under his belt with Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon and by his lonesome, expect a varied setlist with a heavy doses of cuts from Benji stealing the show. — MF

Dr. Dog, Saint Rich, Moses Sumney //
The Warfield – San Francisco
Saturday, March 1 //

Dr. Dog make their Noise Pop debut as headliners atop a talented lineup of performers. Road warriors and prolific song writers, these indie rockers from Pennsylvania make the west coast swing in support of their latest album, 2013’s B-Room. Dr. Dog has been making a name for themselves for 15 years, building a loyal fan base and graduating to larger venues along the way. Supported by Saint Rich and Moses Sumney, Saturday March 1st at the Warfield will showcase some of the finest indie rock around. Floor seats may be sold out, but you can still make your way to the dance floor with a Noise Pop badge. Don’t sleep on this show. -KR

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: 1015 Folsom, Beardyman, Bleached, Bob Mould, Cold Cave, Com Truise, Digital Mystizk, Dirty Ghosts, DJ Rashad, Dominant Legs, Dr. Dog, Dream Boys, EDJ, Great American Music Hall, Happy Fangs, Ladytron, Lord Huron, Mark Kozelek, Matthew Dear Presents Audion Live: Subverticul, Mikal Cronin, Mistaken for Strangers, Moses Sumney, No Age, Noise Pop, Noise Pop Festival, NPHQ, Painted Palms, Papercuts, Real Estate, Regency Ballroom, Rogue Wave, Roxie Theater, Saint Rich, Shabazz Palaces, Slims, Sun Kil Moon, Superhumanoids, The Chapel, The Donkeys, The Fillmore, The Fresh & Onlys, The Independent, The Limousines, The NWBLK, The Shilohs, The Soft White Sixties, The Warfield, Throwing Muses, Trails and Ways, Vetiver

Kirk Hammett reunites with Exodus & joins Death Angel at Fear FestEvil

February 10, 2014 by The Bam Team 1 Comment

Written by Scotland Miller // Photos by Tom Dellinger //

This past weekend saw the first incarnation of an event that will surely become a mainstay in annual Bay Area activities. February’s true desire for rain was accompanied by the “Kirk von Hammett’s Fear FestEvil” held at The Regency Ball Room in San Francisco, an incredible gathering of metal heads and horror fanatics. Kirk’s personal collection of horror movie memorabilia was put on display, panels of horror celebrities were assembled to discuss various aspects of the genre, taxidermy classes were given, and oh yea…there were two nights of live music that would wake any dead soul from their eternal sleep.

As this was the first time run of the Fear FestEvil, I was curious as to what the vibe was going to be like. My curiosities were answered when the first security guard I ran into was in full zombie makeup complete with demon-eye contact lenses, a yellow “Event Security” t-shirt ripped and bloodied, and an amputated arm wiggling in my face as I nodded my head in recognition. Yea, it was going to be a good couple of nights.

Carcass was the first band to take the stage. If you call yourself a metal-head and you don’t know who these guys are, you might want to find out before banging your head again. Hailing from Liverpool, England and considered by many as the innovators of grindcore, Carcass has been throwing down since the early 80’s. The pit churned as lead singer Jeff Walker growled his way through songs from their early albums Reek of Putrification, and Symphonies of Sickness. This set, however, was not highlighted by the band but rather from the man in the wheelchair who thrust himself into the middle of the pit. After throwing some blows on his way in, a friendly mosher grabbed the handles of his chair and began steering him around in circles with the rest of the pit. That’s thrash. Walker was also very vocal about the roots of thrash and hardcore punk specifically coming from the Bay Area bands of the 80’s…very cool!!

Local hardcore legends from Oakland, Exodus, were the second and final band of the night. The frontlines of the floor were now at least ten deep, and more and more space was being carved out for the pit. I have never been as stricken with intensity as I was for the first few moments of my first Exodus show. The fog on stage was so thick that only the mike stands were visible for the opening riffs of their set, and you couldn’t see the drum kit until at least the third or fourth. All heads banged their way through shrills and screams of Rob Dukes’ voice as Gary Holt and Rick Hunolt melted faces to the floor. Being that Kirk was a founding member of Exodus (ya know, before he joined that other band), it was only fitting that he joined them for the closing song of the night — Blue Oyster Cult’s classic, Godzilla, complete with a guy in a purple Godzilla costume who ended up taking a few riffs of his own.

The second night’s line-up consisted of LA’s Death Division, Orchid from San Francisco, and Death Angel from Concord. This remained consistent with the theme of how influential the old skool metal bands from the Bay have been within the genre. It seems that each front man chose to be very vocal about one little fact; the Bay Area in the 80’s gave birth to fast-paced thrash.

On paper, Orchid didn’t really seem to fit the bill other than sharing the same hometown as Kirk. However, this did not matter with the crowd as they pumped out some of the most eardrum rattling sounds of the entire weekend. With their more classic stoner/doom sound, Orchid managed to be the throwback band of the festival despite only being around since 2007. “Nomad”, “Eyes Behind the Wall”, and “Silent One” seemed to transport the crowd back to the early days of heavy. As they did in their last gig in the City a few months back, they did not disappoint. These guys are going to do something big.

Death Angel has been around a long time, and has been through a lot of lineup changes. That hasn’t stopped them from becoming underground kings of thrash and metal. Their performance at the Fear FestEvil was impressive, but not as impressive as what happened at the end of their set. The weekend was closed out in a true metal-head fashion with Kirk joining Death Angel on stage to cover a Metallica classic, “Trapped Under Ice”. I’m not going to try and describe it to all of you in fear of not doing it proper justice. What I will say is that it was long, loud, and I lost my shit. Kirk Hammett being the axe slayer that he is absolutely killed it.

If you didn’t make it this year I can tell you to keep your eye out next year, because this is only going to get better. Forget my face…these guys melted my skull! My ears feel like they have been cored with melon ballers.

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Carcass, Death Angel, Death Division, Exodus, Fear FestEvil, Kirk von Hammett, Orchid, Regency Ballroom

Fauxchella Listings 2014: San Francisco Bay Area

January 15, 2014 by The Bam Team 1 Comment

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

With the Coachella lineup announcement on January 8th, festival season launched. And for those who love live music in the Bay Area yet won’t be traveling to the polo fields to brave likely triple-digit temperatures and three days of splendid insanity, we have Fauxchella.

Fauxchella is that two weeks of time surrounding Coachella in April where various American western locations like Phoenix, Portland and San Francisco profit off the tour runoff of artists that perform in Indio, California for two consecutive weekends.

So, instead of packing it all into one weekend, choose and select the acts you want to witness over four or five nights in April. I mean, why not? But it does take a tad bit of planning …

Read our Coachella 2014 lineup preview.

SHOWBAMS FAUXCHELLA WISHLIST

We hope these acts fauxchella in the Bay Area…

• Aeroplane — Wish granted
• Bombino — Wish granted
• Disclosure — Wish granted
• Factory Floor — Wish granted
• Flight Facilities — Wish granted
• GOAT — Wish granted
• Temples — Wish granted
• The Afghan Whigs — Wish granted
• The Internet
• The Replacements
•Toy Dolls — Wish granted

If you know of a Fauxchella show not listed here, leave a comment below and we’ll add it. Click the artist name to link to ticket purchase.

Friday, April 4th
Odesza — The Independent // Sold Out

Sunday, April 6th
ZZ Ward — The Independent

Tuesday, April 8th
Dum Dum Girls — The Independent // Sold Out
Pet Shop Boys — Fox Theater Oakland

Wednesday, April 9th
Neutral Milk Hotel — Fox Theater Oakland // Sold Out
Haim — The Fillmore // Sold Out

Thursday, April 10
Neutral Milk Hotel — Fox Theater Oakland
Future Islands — The Chapel
Haim — The Fillmore // Sold Out
Bastille — The Warfield // Sold Out
Aeroplane — Mezzanine (House of Mezzanine)

Friday, April 11
Neutral Milk Hotel — Fox Theater Oakland
Trombone Shorty & the Orleans Avenue — The Warfield
Classixx — The Independent

Saturday, April 12
Chromeo — The Independent // Sold Out
GOAT — Slim’s

Sunday, April 13
none yet

Monday, April 14
MS MR & Jagwar Ma — The Fillmore
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion — Slim’s
John Newman — The Independent
Bryan Ferry — Fox Theater Oakland
Temples — Great American Music Hall
Bombino — Sweetwater Music Hall
Chance The Rapper — The Warfield
Toy Dolls – Regency Ballroom

Tuesday, April 15
The Knife — Fox Theater Oakland // Sold Out
Laura Mvula — The Independent
Blood Orange — Great American Music Hall // Sold Out
Bombino — The New Parish

Wednesday, April 16
The Knife — Fox Theater Oakland
Factory Floor — The Independent
White Lies — The New Parish
Foxygen — The Chapel

Thursday, April 17
Empire of the Sun — Fox Theater Oakland
The 1975 — The Fillmore // Sold Out
*Sam Smith — Rickshaw Stop // Sold Out
Foxygen – The Independent
Queens of the Stone Age with Warpaint — Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Duke Dumont — Mezzanine
The Afghan Whigs — Slim’s

Friday, April 18
The 1975 — The Fillmore // Sold Out
Mogwai — Regency Ballroom
Motörhead — The Warfield
Flight Facilities — Mezzanine
Disclosure — Greek Theatre – U.C. Berkeley // Sold Out
Surfer Blood — The New Parish
Empire of the Sun – Fox Theater Oakland
Lana Del Rey — Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

Saturday, April 19
Ellie Goulding & Rudimental — Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
Maceo Plex — Public Works
Broken Bells — Fox Theater Oakland

Sunday, April 20
Bombay Bicycle Club — The Fillmore

*Odds are Sam Smith will perform with Disclosure live at Coachella.

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Bay Area, Coachella, Coachella 2014, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2014, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2014, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2014, Fauxchella, Fauxchella 2014, San Francisco

10 safety tips women should know when going to their first music festival

January 15, 2014 by The Festival Lawyer 41 Comments

Photo by Marc Fong // Written by The Festival Lawyer //

In my life, I have four cool older sisters, the awesome Mrs. Festival Lawyer and a rad little feminista daughter. As Hank Moody would say, “I’m a big fan of women, I have all their albums.”

Lately, I’ve started to wonder how safe festivals and raves are for women. In 2013, there was a report of a sexual assault of a 16 year old girl at Electric Zoo. Two sexual assaults were reported at the Made in America Festival. Three men allegedly sexually assaulted a teenage girl at Stagecoach in 2012.

Because of that, I thought it might make sense to ask several long time female festivalgoers and ravers what tips they would give to a woman attending her first event. Before we get to the tips we need to discuss the topic of “victim blaming.” As Leandra Pelonquin, former director of the YWCA Rape clinic explains,

One of my co-workers was presenting to a college class and said “I’ve gone up to rooms alone with a guy. I have never been raped because I have never been with a rapist.” It is not about the victim, the perpetrator makes that choice. Most men don’t rape, those that do usually have multiple victims throughout their life…Rape is a societal problem, not a self-help issue.

In other words, none of these tips are meant to put the responsibility on women not to get sexually assaulted. Instead, this article is meant to start a dialogue on what we ALL can do to make sure that every festival or rave is as fun, safe and positive for everyone.

Tip #1 – Go in a group and within that group have a “Festival Buddy” who always has your back

Miami’s “Lady Casa” (@ladycasa305) promotes higher consciousness, good vibes, safety and PLUR through her group PLUR Warriors. Since she has been in the EDM scene for more than ten years, she often acts as a role model and inspiration to younger ravers. Her biggest advice?

Go in a group! I’ve been to a few festivals alone but that was after raving for more than 10 years. As a newbie I highly recommend women go in a group. And within the group have at least one person that you are ALWAYS with! …Getting lost happens. I recommend finding and sticking with a GROUP OF GIRLS if you lose your group. Ravers are friendly and often welcoming. Don’t be afraid to tag along with another GROUP.

(Writers note: Totally agree. In fact, I call having a “Festival Buddy” one of the “Golden Rules” of going to festivals.)

Tip #2 – If you are a solo female make the crowd aware of your presence

The “Festival Girl” (@thefestivalgirl) writes a blog specializing in up to the minute live festival coverage (find it here). Because many of her friends live abroad, she often goes to events by herself. She points out the importance of solo fest-goers letting the crowd be aware of their presence so they can assist if there is trouble:

The first thing I do when I arrive to my campsite at a camping festival is visit the neighboring tents and introduce myself. I want people near me to know I’m there. That way, if I go missing, it might occur to someone to say, ‘Hey, where did that girl next door go.’

Tip #3 – Watch out for other people in the crowd even if they are not your “Festival Buddy”

In crowds, there is a psychological phenomenon called “Diffusion of Responsibility.” Because there are so many people present, everyone assumes that “someone else” in the crowd is already calling the police or helping. Ironically, that means having a LOT of people around you makes it LESS likely that someone will get you help.

The Festival Girl reminds us how important it is for everyone to look out for each other at a festival”

I definitely think it’s important for people in groups to acknowledge solo travelers and extend themselves as surrogate buddies. The crowd can either act as a screen, unintentionally covering up violence against solo fest-goers (especially women), or it can act as a protective entity for those same people…My wish is that fest-goers broaden their collective vision beyond their individual groups of friends and care about everyone in the scene…we’re all in this together.

Tip #4 – Prepare an “exit strategy” and have a plan for what to do if there is an emergency

Because of of the noise and the chaos of a rave or festival, Lady Casa thinks it’s important to have a designated meeting place and working phone in case of an emergency.

Have an idea of the layout. The entrance, exit, medical tents, water vendors, stages, etc. … It’s critical to have a meeting spot for the end in case you are lost from the group. (Also) charge your cell phone to 100% and if possible take a battery pack case for extra charge. Have at least one number in the group memorized in case you lose your phone. Make sure everyone in the group is accounted for when you make it to the meeting spot at the end.

(Several of my followers point out that if you turn off your WiFi and data on your phone, the phone won’t drain your battery looking for service yet still allows you to receive emergency calls and texts. Also, walkie-talkies seem to be coming on in a big way at festivals.)

Tip #5 – Be aware of men looking for “vulnerable” women at raves or fests

“Amy Raves” writes about harm reduction and personal safety in her column, “Safer Raving by Amy”. Amy thinks it’s important for women to know their limits, go to raves with people they trust and NEVER to leave with a stranger.

I think festivals should include group/female safety in their info packets. We want to trust/love everyone at a festival but the truth is not everyone is honorable. Predators know these festivals are perfect breeding grounds….some guys, certainly not most, will see vulnerability in a (drunk or high) girl and take advantage of that. Some come to raves looking for girls that are vulnerable.

One of the points of an article like this is to talk about how we as a festival community react when we see a guy treating a drunk or high girl the same way a lion eyes a wounded gazelle. Depending on the situation you may need to get involved. You may need to ask HER (not the guy) if she is okay, get her friends involved or get your friends or staff involved in the situation.

Tip #6 – Men need to understand that rape includes sex with someone who is too drunk to consent to the act

I have found that there is a real lack of accurate information as to what the law actually says when it comes to sex with someone who is intoxicated. In fact, California Penal Code Section 261 defines the various types of rape and includes any situation where:

A person is prevented from resisting by any intoxicating or anesthetic substance, or any controlled substance, and this condition was known, or reasonably should have been known by the accused

California law makes it illegal to have sex with someone who is unconscious.

(Sidenote – hopefully your reaction to this piece of information is “No Shit”) On the other hand it’s not rape when someone consents freely and willfully but alcohol or drugs caused them to make a decision they later regret.

Okay, but at what point is someone too drunk to give “Legal Consent?” Legally consent means “positive cooperation” and “an exercise of free will.” In other words, the law asks if the person was sober enough to understand all the “consequences of the act” and acted freely and voluntarily. If not, the law considers it a rape.

Tip #7 – Support festivals and raves that promote safety and positivity

Amy Raves points out that just having a prominent volunteer force (Like Insomniac’s “Ground Control” program) can do wonders for the vibe and safety of an event.

I love what Insomniac does with its Ground Control program. It’s amazing to see all the purple shirts wandering around, checking on everyone, giving them water & especially looking out for girls that look vulnerable. As a woman, it’s very comforting. Adequate security is important especially with frequent patrolling of the darker corners and nooks of any grounds. These are the places women tend to get cornered.

Tip #8 – Call out festivals or raves when you see safety issues for women

In the same way we give kudos to festivals, I think we need to call out festivals when we see something that we feel doesn’t address a woman’s safety issues.

I was at Austin City Limits last year and I saw a woman laying down with no one seeming to be with her. She was semi-conscious and occasionally vomiting. Mrs. Fest Lawyer tracked down someone who appeared to be “in charge” and we explained the situation.

He looked at me and said “Just give her some water and keep an eye on her” and started to walk off. We had to seriously break down for him that we were showing him a semi-conscious person, lying alone and possibly in medical distress before he would call for help.

I love ACL. Clearly their decision to cancel parts of the 2nd weekend this year shows they care about their audience’s safety. But this kind of thing really isn’t acceptable at a major music festival.

(FYI, I did give them several chances to address what they think may have happened here. For whatever reason, they have chosen not to. If they do comment on this story, I will of course post their response.)

Tip #9 – Don’t take drinks or drugs from strangers

As Lady Casa says,

Festival culture is rich and includes positive and negative influences. Do NOT take drugs offered by strangers or new friends, watch your drinks and only drink from your own new water bottle!

A young woman’s story of how she was allegedly drugged by a stranger at Outside Lands in 2012 went viral recently. It’s a good reminder to be careful and should be read by everyone.

TIP #10 – Festival and rave culture needs to have “Zero Tolerance” for sexual violence

Leandra Pelonquin points out that prevention of sexual assault needs to be more “broadly addressed”. In her words we need to make sure that rave and festival culture does not do anything to “condone, normalize, minimize or glamorize sexual violence.”

Katie Bain, Senior Music Writer for LA Weekly wrote an article (with the mind-blowing title “Guys, Predatory Dance Floor Boners Are Not OK”) describing the problem of guys forcibly grinding on women at EDM shows without their consent and then acting as if this was somehow okay.

This is a perfect example where the culture has to just say “No, this shit is NOT okay.” The good news is that festival and rave culture is an amazingly positive, diverse and wonderful one. I am routinely amazed at how respectful people are to each at festivals. It seems like if any culture can have a “Zero Tolerance for creepy behavior,” it will be the Festival community. We just have to become more aware of our surroundings and be more careful with our choices. Being educated is the best way to be safe at any festival, and with help from friends, the rest of the community, and festival organizers and safety staff, everyone can have a positive, safe experience. Have fun festies!!

@FestivalLawyer

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals, The Festival Lawyer Tagged With: The Festival Lawyer

Coachella 2014 lineup: Emerging artists, throwback acts & potential collaborations

January 9, 2014 by Kevin Quandt & Mike Frash 9 Comments

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival //
Empire Polo Club – Indio, CA
April 11th-13th & April 18th-20th, 2016 //

2014 is officially in full swing and the impending festival season is on the horizon, especially now that the Coachella lineup has been released. Goldenvoice has done it again with their unique mix of era, genre and relevance which seems to excite and disappoint the eager masses in equal fashion.

The top of the lineup is decisively more pop-oriented than years past with Ellie Goulding, Pharrell Williams, Lorde, Foster the People, Zedd and Lana Del Rey receiving marquee billing. But beyond the headliners, Coachella 2014 offers essential throwback acts, emerging artists ready to blow up, a wide variety of dance options and a handful of collaboration opportunities.

Let’s dig into this monster and extract some musical gold.

Headliners

An OutKast reunion would have been more thrilling if the news hadn’t leaked over a month ago (though you can’t always believe the rumor mill), but this is a surprise nonetheless as Andre 3000 had shown little interest or optimism in interviews over the past half-decade. Either way Big Boi and Dre will bring their historically high-energy performance to a ton of new fans. “B.O.B.”, “Roses” and “Ms Jackson” are sure to be highlights of the set.

Muse is one of the biggest bands in the world, this is a cold hard fact. They have plugged away at their 21st Century take on soaring arena-rock and eventually made their way to the top with bombastic live shows, catchy songs and generally doing their own thing. Will the band try to bring their massive UK arena stage to Indio?

Yes, Arcade Fire was another act that wasn’t a far reach based upon current tour route, but nevertheless they will close out the event with great grandeur. May be hard to top their big 2010 performance, but sparks are sure to shoot from the stage while playing the more upbeat Reflektor tracks. I am not holding my breath on an appearance by the Thin White Duke, but hope I’m wrong.

Throwbacks

The Replacements took the stage for the first time in 22 years over the summer at various incarnations of Riot Fest. Well, now the West Coast gets a taste of Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson’s authoritative alternative rock, and this set is sure to be one of the bigger ‘reunion’ sets on the bill.

Roxy Music may not be reuniting this year, but the insanely unique vocal stylings of Bryan Ferry are sure to excite fans that have been visiting the Empire Polo Club since it’s incarnation some 15 years ago. Is Goldenvoice starting to pander to the aging, original Coachella demographic?

Pet Shop Boys aren’t only still relevant, but have been killing it on the road the past few years, so it’s no surprise that we see the duo of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe billed high on Saturday. Their Kraftwerk-esque stage show will be a treat to multiple generations of fans, especially during booming hits like “West End Girls”.

Other acts that will appeal more to the Generation Xers will be the Toy Dolls, The Afghan Whigs, and Motörhead.

Emerging Artists

British psych rock group Temples only formed in mid 2012, but almost immediate support from the blogosphere and supporting Primal Scream, Kasabian, Beady Eye & Tame Impala on tour throughout 2013 only helped gain traction. And if you are a fan of Tame Impala, be sure to catch this hyper-buzzy act for their first West Coast show. Their stock should rise quickly as their debut LP Sun Structures releases February 10th.

It has now become a tradition for at least one member of the Odd Future clan to be represented on the bill since their debut, and this year the title goes to producing duo Syd the Kid and Matt Martians as The Internet. Their take on trip-hop and electronic soul is a refreshing breath of air for the LA collective as Syd moves from behind the decks to feature her lovely vocals at the forefront. Sure to turn a few heads.

Enigmatic trio Factory Floor bathe in drone and noise, ultimately outputting sound somewhere between minimalist techno and experimental house. Releasing their self-titled debut LP in 2013 through DFA, Factory Floor is relatively popular overseas, yet the dance outfit is on the bottom line of the poster for Sunday. The London-based act might offer a good reason to get to the polo fields early on day three.

Laura Mvula may not be a name you are familiar with, but she has made waves the past year in her native UK as her debut album peaked nicely on the charts, and she received a solid slot at Glastonbury. Her straight-ahead take on soul jazz shows great promise both in the studio and on the larger stage as she bursts out of the jazz club into the spotlight.

Laura Mvula · Church Girl

Coming Out West

The Knife will be bringing their dynamic, even head-scratching stage show to the desert for 2 weekends of artsy weirdness. Though, for all intents and purposes, we have no idea which show the Swedish duo will bring to us. One thing is for sure, it won’t be like anything you have experienced before.

Apparently Jeff Mangum enjoyed his trip to Indio last year, because this year he is bringing the old band out. West Coast music fans have been waiting patiently for their taste of the reunited Neutral Milk Hotel, and it wasn’t a huge surprise that they’d be on the bill based upon tour schedule. Alas, hipsters young and old can rejoice in a stay at the hippest ‘hotel’ in the valley.

Sweden’s mysterious band named GOAT will be finally reaching the shores of the Pacific with their characteristic take on ‘world music.’ These guys are truly thinking outside the box with a breathtaking approach to experimental rock, and their live performance follows suit. The band has been in some sort of formation for over the past 30 to 40 years with rotating members, but have only recently been viewed on the world stage.

Possible Collaborations

Robin Thicke (Not Daft Punk) with Pharrell Williams on Saturday
Pharrell Williams has pretty high billing this year, but in many ways he deserves it. He was featured on the two biggest pop hits of 2013, and if anyone is known for collaborating with a wide variety of artists, it’s the N.E.R.D. frontman. Fool us once (Phoenix last year), shame on you, fool us twice…just don’t count on Daft Punk and Niles Rodgers showing up to perform “Get Lucky” and “Lose Yourself to Dance”. Daft Punk’s confirmed appearance at the Grammy Awards in late January could change this outlook, but a Robin Thicke supported “Blurred Lines” seems more likely. It also wouldn’t be surprising to see special appearances from Snoop Dogg, Pusha T or maybe even Madonna.

Blood Orange (Dev Hynes) with Solange on Saturday
NYC’s own Blood Orange made a big push to finish out 2013 and he was nicely rewarded with a set that is sure to be well packed for this buzzy tropi-pop musician. Hynes worked with Solange on her 2012 EP Losing You, but the extent of his production work on the record became a source of contention in November as both artists took to twitter beef about Hynes’ role. Both Solange and Hynes are performing Saturday, so might this be a good time for them to kiss and makeup on stage?

AlunaGeorge with Disclosure on Sunday
Disclosure, returning for their second straight year, might be the only dance act to perform outside the tents. Last year, Jessie Ware joined Guy and Howard Lawrence to sing “Confess To Me”, and this year Aluna Francis from AlunaGeorge will appear to perform the smash hit “White Noise”. Lock it in.

EDM

As has been the trend for Coachella, more emphasis has been put onto EDM, and with the addition of the Yuma Tent last year, Goldenvoice has been able to book all the big guys for the kiddies and all the OG underground acts for the “adults.”

Calvin Harris, Skrillex and Fatboy Slim represent some of the biggest names in the genre and are sure to grab some of the biggest crowds in the Sahara Tent. On the other hand, Yuma will have some treats in the form of the Crosstown Rebels (Damian Lazarus, Art Department, Maceo Plex) as well as Scuba and (hopefully) French legend, Laurent Garnier.

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: AlunaGeorge, Arcade Fire, Art Department, Blood Orange, Bryan Ferry, Calvin Harris, Coachella, Coachella 2014, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2014, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2014, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2014, Daft Punk, Damian Lazarus, Disclosure, Factory Floor, Fatboy Slim, GOAT, Laura Mvula, Laurent Garnier, Maceo Plex, Motörhead, Muse, Neutral Milk Hotel, OutKast, Pet Shop Boys, Pharrell Williams, Scuba, Skrillex, Solange, Temples, The Afghan Whigs, The Internet, The Knife, The Replacements, Toy Dolls

Thievery Corporation, Little Dragon, A-Trak, Dillon Francis ring in NYE 2013 at Sea of Dreams

January 5, 2014 by Molly Kish 1 Comment

Photos by Mike Frash // Written by Molly Kish //

Sea of Dreams //
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco
December 31st, 2013 //

The Sea of Dreams’ 14th annual New Years Eve celebration took on a new theme and venue for their 2014 transcendental gala, VibrantSea. Playing upon the theme of “energetic realms of felt experience,” the festival relocated from its previous residency to the heart of San Francisco, taking over the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium for nine whimsical hours to ring in 2014.

Presenting a challenging shift in spatial dimensions, the new venue helped to curate a very different experience than most have come to expect with Sea of Dreams festivities. In previous years, attendees have had to navigate through the crowd constraints of a shotgun floor plan, but the Bill Graham Civic allowed for revelers to flow freely amidst its ample space and side rooms. Enhancing the overall experience and motif of the evening, movement amongst the masses maintained a comfortable fluidity throughout the auditorium and allowed for ample time to immerse in the entirety of the VibrantSea experience.

Swedish synth pop fourtet Little Dragon got the venue stirring after an opening set by DJ Jocelyn on the main stage. Pulling tracks from their entire catalogue, this one-off performance was the perfect way to usher in the multitudes of fans and first time observers. The soulful electronic grooves of this opening performance was highlighted by familiar favorite “Ritual Union” and a striking dub remix of their 2011 hit “Little Man.”

Next up on the Main Stage, Thievery Corporation brought their unique blend of world music, electronica and hip hop to the party. Ramping up the eccentric auditorium with a full band ensemble and rotating vocalists, Rob Garza and Eric Hilton brought the largest crowd of the evening together under the floating lanterns, inflatable sea creatures and the eventual sea of balloons that dropped over the dancing masses at midnight. Their set began with diva-led revelry and led to hip-hop driven songs after midnight.

Thievery’s hip-hop driven post-midnight jams transitioned nicely into late night heavy hitters A-Trak and Dillon Francis, who went back to back with bass-pounding performances. Scheduled directly after one another, the EDM giants treated the crowd to a rare collaboration, sharing duties as selector while vibing off the other for the next choice.

The two competitively battled as rap prodigy and NYE Mezzanine headliner Danny Brown made a debaucherous late night appearance that sounded a bit like spent karaoke. But Brown’s presence brought new life to the cavernous Civic Center, so witnessing Danny Brown perform with A-Trak and Dillon Francis was icing on the cake of a fantastic evening.

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: A-Trak, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Danny Brown, Dillon Francis, Dirtybird, Little Dragon, NYE, NYE 2013, Sea of Dreams, Sea of Dreams 2014, Thievery Corporation, VibrantSea

Trouble in Transit: What to do if police stop you on the way to a music festival

December 4, 2013 by The Festival Lawyer 9 Comments

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When Phish played at Outside Lands a few years back, I happened to run into a very cool group of their fans waiting for the shuttle bus. They told me they were from New York and were following the band across the country. We talked about how followers of the band really tried to welcome newer fans and teach them some of the traditions and ideals of being a “Phan”. They ended by telling me a few “war stories” from different tours they had followed.

I love people who are this passionate about music. So this article is for all you Phans, Bassheads, Pretty Lights Family members, DMB and Widespread Panic followers and all you other “festies” who are going to be logging serious miles as you travel to your next show or festival.

Or to put it another way — Here is what to do if the police stop you ON YOUR WAY to a music festival.

TRAVEL TIP #1: At your home you are a “King in a Castle”

Wait, if I’m writing an article about travel issues, then why am I starting with your rights when the police come to your house?

Because the question of what rights you have at a particular location (like whether the police need a warrant or what’s considered an “unreasonable search”) often depends on how much the location is like a home. The law calls this a “reasonable expectation of privacy”.

Your privacy rights are at their strongest when you are in your own home. In fact this tradition is so strong it is sometimes called the “Castle Doctrine”. This come from the English Common Law phrase “An Englishman’s home is his castle.” (English Common Law is sort of the “Old School” or “Vinyl” version of American law.)

You probably already know that the police must get a search warrant before they are allowed to search your home unless there is some kind of legal exception like “exigent circumstances”.

What you also need to know is that one of the other most common exceptions where the police don’t need a search warrant is when the owner gives consent or permission for the cops to search the house.

Cops actually kind of hate getting search warrants. It’s a little bit of a pain for them to do as a practical matter and they aren’t keen on running their probable cause by a Judge. So cops will often try to avoid the need for a search warrant by doing what they call a “Knock and Talk”.

Like the trailer for a new Jennifer Aniston comedy, a “Knock and Talk” seems like it would be a lot more fun that it actually ends up being. A “Knock and Talk” involves the cops knocking at your door and asking, “Say, if you don’t have anything to hide, how about we come into your house and take a look around?”

In other words, like vampires, cops can only come into your home (without a warrant) if you invite them in.

Okay, as the Arctic Monkeys song says, “Perhaps vampires is a bit strong,” but you get the point — If an officer wants to search your home you should assume you are a suspect in a criminal investigation. Act accordingly. Remain silent and ask for a lawyer. The only thing you should say is:

“Officer, I can’t let you inside without a search warrant.”

Don’t worry if you can’t remember this phrase, you can get a doormat to remind you.

TRAVEL TIP #2: Hotel Room Searches

“Our hotel room looked like the site of some disastrous zoological experiment involving whiskey and gorillas.” –Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

I recently had some folks tweet me to say that they were staying at a hotel for a concert and cops were basically going up and down the hallways of the hotel banging on doors and saying “Police, open up” and randomly searching rooms. They asked what rights they had in that situation.

The legal issue here is…you guessed it…whether you have a “reasonable expectation of privacy” in your hotel room.

To determine if you have a “reasonable expectation of privacy”, the law asks questions like:

Are you there lawfully?
Is it private property?
Do you have any ownership rights there?
Can you eject people from the location?
Can you yell “Hey you kids get off my goddamn lawn!?”

(Hint — one of the prongs of this test was really just a joke to see if you are still paying attention.)

Generally, if you are using your hotel room in an ordinary way, then you have a limited right to privacy in that room. In other words, police will usually need to get a search warrant.

On the other hand, if the hotel believes that you are using your room for illegal activity, then hotel management has the right to enter and search your room without your permission.

Importantly, the manager of the hotel can’t give the police permission to search your room. But there are all kinds of other ways cops can search without getting a warrant. For example, if you open the door and people are openly using drugs in “plain view” of the cops, they can probably search. Or if they do a “knock and talk” and someone else in your room says “come in” they can probably search.

Bottom line: Don’t use your hotel room like Dr. Gonzo (i.e. openly engaging in illegal activity). Tell the folks staying in your room to be cool and not to give anyone permission to come into the room. Don’t consent to any searches and don’t be tricked into thinking that management can somehow give the police permission to search your room.

Even though it’s not your actual house, you still have a right to be free from harassment and random searches of your room without a warrant. Just like Borat when he entered his hotel room and found a chair, you too are a “King in your Castle” in your hotel room.

TRAVEL TIP #3: Car Stops…Or maybe Jay-Z actually had 100 problems.

People constantly ask me what to do if the police stop their car. Although I love the song and I think Jay-Z is a genius, people are also constantly misquoting his song “99 problems” for one of the biggest legal myths out there.

The second verse of the song is fictional, but based on a true story. The cops want to search his car (loaded with cocaine), he refuses, they wait for drug-sniffing dogs that never show up, and Mr. Carter gets away with it. During this conversation, Jay-Z says:

“Well, my glove compartment is locked, so is the trunk and the back, and I know my rights so you gon’ need a warrant for that.”

The good thing the narrator does in this song, and something YOU should always do, is refuse to give the police consent to search his car. Specifically, he tells the officer “No, I don’t consent to any search.”

But unlike what the song suggests, the police never needed a warrant in the first place. The courts have declared that there is an “automobile exception” to the normal requirement of a search warrant. That’s because cars are very mobile and can easily be moved to destroy evidence. Also, cars are highly regulated and usually in a public place. Cars in public places without privacy rights = no “reasonable expectation of privacy”.

Police must still have some facts or evidence to believe you are involved in criminal activity (probable cause) or they can’t search the car. This could be the sight or smell of contraband or a weapon in plain view.

Although not nearly as catchy, the legally correct phrasing of that verse should have been “I know my rights so you gon’ need probable cause for that.”

By the way, Jay-Z wrote in his book that the “bitch” in question is not an unpleasant woman but a drug-sniffing dog. The “100th” problem would have been the cop using a “bitch” (drug dog) to search his car.

If so, he’s lucky the year “was 94” when his “trunk was raw”. That’s because after that, in a case called Illinois v. Caballes, the Supreme Court ruled that the 4th Amendment doesn’t EVEN APPLY to the use of drug sniffing dogs during car stops. So, if cops have you legally stopped they can freely use a dog to search.

I’ve got a whole future project I’m working on that is going to cover your rights in a car stop in a lot more detail. But here is an excellent summary from the folks at Flex Your Rights which gives you plenty of information about how to handle yourself if the police stop your car.

TRAVEL TIP #4: Temporary Homes Like Campgrounds and Motor Homes

Campgrounds Searches

In People v. Hughston 168 Cal. App. 4th 1062 (2008), the court was asked to rule whether the police needed a warrant to search a tent that was put up within a designated site on land specifically set aside for camping during a music festival.

The court found that the defendant did have a “reasonable expectation of privacy” in the tent and that therefore a warrant was needed under the Fourth Amendment. The court added, “One should be free to depart the campsite for the day’s adventure without fear of this expectation of privacy being violated.’” (Hughston, at p. 1070)

In other words, because the person was there lawfully, had the right to kick others off the property and had ownership rights over the tent, it was more like a house or a hotel room than a car.

Of course, things might be different depending on the festival and the location. I mean, what if the festival organizers tell you that this is “private property” and instruct you that you have no ownership or privacy rights there at all? Or what if the promoters announce openly as you arrive that they are giving the police permission at any time to search your tent?

When it comes to festival campgrounds you really need to do your homework. Read the festival’s website. Look at what your ticket or other contract with the festival says. Ask past festivalgoers what their experience has been. Is the festival known for people being harassed and aggressively searched for no reason?

In other words, you aren’t really a “King in a Castle” in this situation. But you may be at least a prince or some lesser royalty if you know your rights and educate yourself.

Festivalgoers should insist that the festivals they go to are safe and that security concerns are handled in a professional and courteous manner. In return, festies can help upgrade the experience by being fun, positive audience goers who police and are responsible for each other’s safety.

Motor Homes

In California v. Carney 471 U.S. 386 (1985) the US Supreme Court ruled that motor homes are to be treated like cars and that the “automobile exception” applies.

In other words, after this Supreme Court ruling your privacy rights in a motor home are “NO MORE!” (yes, that’s a “Winnebago Man” reference.)

TRAVEL TIP #5: Airport Searches

As you might imagine, you have zero “reasonable expectation of privacy” at the airport. A TSA airport security zone is basically a way more legally serious and federalized Costco. Only it’s the Department of Homeland Security that’s checking your receipt and going through your shit on the way out. Transportation Security Agency (TSA) agents are legally permitted to search you and your belongings without a search warrant or probable cause or any other legal justification.

The question I get a lot is whether you can take “legal” or medicinal marijuana on a plane with you to your next festival.

This is a weird legal area. That’s because medical marijuana is legal in the state of California but Federal Law makes marijuana a Schedule 1 Controlled substance. The FAA and the Department of Homeland Security are under Federal law, so travelling with medical marijuana or marijuana from a “legal” state (about 20 states at this point) puts you into a grey area. It’s legal under state law, but illegal under Federal Law.

The TSA website says this:

Whether or not marijuana is considered “medical marijuana” under local law is not relevant to TSA screening because TSA is governed by federal law and federal law provides no basis to treat medical marijuana any differently than non-medical marijuana.

Ahh, so travelling through the airport is a strict violation of Federal law and you will be automatically arrested, right? Well maybe not.

The TSA also adds:

The discovery of marijuana in a carry-on or checked bag does not automatically mean that a passenger will be turned over to local police, and the agency adds that “the final decision rests with TSA on whether to allow any items on the plane.”

You read that right — whether you are using medical marijuana to treat your “backiotemy” or you are merely an “enhancement smoker”, you might be able to take it on the plane with you.

On the other hand, it might be a seriously bad experience for you if you get the wrong TSA agent. I mean maybe you can check your bag with pot or try to carry it on with your medical marijuana card. But why would you risk it? I would put this in the “unnecessary risk” category.

(Random Fact: In 2011, TSA agents at Denver International Airport found bags of weed in rapper Freddie Gibbs’ luggage and simply left him a note reading “C’mon son.”)

The ACLU also has a “know your rights when traveling” page that has a lot of additional resources.

AT THE FESTIVAL

Yay! You made it. So what do you do if you get all the way to a festival and the cops stop you? Heck, you should already know the answer to this.

If you want a ”Tip Card” to take with you to remind you what to do if the police stop you your next festival, you can download it here or contact me on Twitter.

Like Showbams on Facebook and follow Showbams on twitter to get more advice from the Festival Lawyer and to win free tickets to shows. Follow the Festival Lawyer on Twitter.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Festival Lawyer, Music Festival, Phish, Police

MDMA safety: Practical medical tips for ravers who choose to use ecstasy

November 20, 2013 by The Festival Lawyer 13 Comments

Follow the Festival Lawyer on Twitter // Photo by Sterling Munksgard

In writing the second part of this article about “Ecstasy Safety”, I found almost as many urban myths surrounding the medical aspects of Ecstasy as there are surrounding the legal aspects of the drug.

That’s why I’m super fortunate to be able to collaborate with Stefanie Jones and Missi Wooldridge from DanceSafe.

DanceSafe is a grassroots organization that promotes health, education and safety within the rave and festival community. DanceSafe is also one of the leading groups promoting “harm reduction” policies in the rave and festival community.

“Harm Reduction” is a public health philosophy that encourages policy choices at raves and fests that reduce the risks associated with the use of MDMA.

Think of this article as a form of ”Personal Harm Reduction”. What specific, practical medical tips should ravers who choose to use Ecstasy know?

RAVER MEDICAL TIP #1
The Number One Risk in using MDMA isn’t actually using MDMA.

Woah. This first tip reads a bit like a Zen Koan. Allow me to explain what I mean.

People make irrational and illogical decisions when it comes to weighing perceived risks all the time.

I mean, we have a 5 second rule for foods because, “Oh God! I couldn’t possibly touch a Fig Newton off that disgusting floor.” And we put dainty paper rings down on our toilet seats to avoid the rampaging public health threat of TSTBDs (Toilet Seat Transmitted Butt Diseases).

But pass around an unknown powder which may or may not contain any active ingredient other than rat poison? All of a sudden it’s, “Let me hit that shit!…Is there enough for me?”

In preparing this article I had a chance to speak to Dr. Julie Holland, who ”wrote the book” on Molly in her book, Ecstasy: the Complete Guide: A Comprehensive Look at the Risks and Benefits of MDMA.

Turns out Dr. Holland puts “ingesting unknown substances into your body” into the “risk” rather than “benefit” category of Ecstasy usage:

What’s happening these days, though, is you have no idea what you’re taking. Maybe it’s MDMA, but it could also be any other number of drugs, research chemicals, or prescription drugs. When someone buys “Ecstasy” or “Molly” maybe it’s MDMA, but it’s very possible it could be anything else you can think of. A bag of white powder is inherently very dangerous since you have no idea what’s in it.

Missi Wooldridge at DanceSafe makes the same point. Unless you have a testing kit, you literally have NO idea what you are putting in your body

What is sold as Molly is often a mystery powder and may not contain MDMA at all. Most frequently, it contains a new psychoactive substance such as those from the family of Cathinones (i.e., Mephedrone, Methylone, Butylone or MDPV). Other common adulterants include 2C(x); PMA/PMMA, mCPP, and other Piperzines; and Methamphetamine. NEVER obtain drugs from a stranger!

In his recent article for Forbes Magazine, Jacob Sollum put it this way…. “Molly these days is the shit… but not in a good way”.

(PS – Here is a bonus Zen Koan tip. That tree falling in the forest without anyone there? It definitely makes a sound. Leave your iPhone in the forest and hit that red “record” button if you don’t believe me…Boom. Done. I just totally saved you a trip to a Zen monastery.)

RAVER MEDICAL TIP #2
Unless you happen to be crazy, test your Stuff.

Okay, so Ecstasy/Molly may contain things you had no idea you were putting in your body. Like what? Well, for example, there are synthetic Cathinones, a common ingredient in those “bath salts” that supposedly turn people into flesh-eating zombies. (FYI, Stefanie Jones says that of all the pills tested by DanceSafe, less than half contain actual MDMA.)

Given that, Tip 2 should be pretty obvious — You have to be crazy to use an unknown powder without having it tested.

I asked Missi why she advocates so strongly for testing kits to be available for use at raves and festivals:

I advocate for testing kits because NOT providing them is morally and medically negligent. The other side of this is how highly adulterated substances are now. Until we screen/test people’s substances, we aren’t doing anything at all to reduce the risk of people taking adulterated substances at these big events where we are seeing tragedies.

Another huge reason for testing your stuff is the danger of unintentionally mixing substances. Experts usually have some idea what one drug may do to you. But when you combine it with another drug, you are basically a “drug guinea pig”. That’s because it’s so difficult to predict how two drugs will react together in an individual.

This issue of these so called “drug cocktails” came up in the Electric Zoo deaths as well. Toxicology tests showed that the young woman (Olivia Rotondo) died from acute intoxication after taking pure MDMA. However, the young man (Jeffrey Russ) had actually taken a fatal mixture of MDMA and Methylone.

Missi uses the term “morally and medically negligent” to describe the decision not to test an unknown substance. I would describe the decision to not to test as falling into the “Don’t you know I’m loco? Insane in the membrane. Insane in the brain!” level of crazy decision-making.

DanceSafe provides adulterant screening on site at events when they are allowed to do so. But if you are going to “roll responsibly”, you need to buy and use your own test kits.

RAVER MEDICAL TIP #3
Take steps to properly hydrate and chill out.

Every music audience seems to have it’s own mood altering substance of choice. When I saw Snoop Dogg at Coachella, he came out with a gigantic blunt and encouraged the audience to “light up”. This might have been the most unneeded direction given by a performer to an audience ever. I don’t think there was anyone there who was NOT smoking weed.

On the other hand, if you go to a “rave”, chances are high some folks will be using Ecstasy. But the combo of high-energy dance music and “rolling” can be dangerous without taking precautions.

That’s because MDMA (and Methylone, which is one of the most common things in Molly), and Methamphetamine all work in part by increasing your heart rate and blood pressure and body temperature. Dancing for hours uninterrupted by breaks, especially in hot temperatures and with other people packed together does the same thing. It’s this combo of raving and rolling that can potentially be lethal.

I asked Dr. Holland what she would tell a raver taking MDMA to do to increase their safety:

To increase safety, there needs to be chill out rooms, free water readily available, and a lot of outreach and education. People need to be instructed to take breaks, drink water or electrolyte solutions, not alcohol or energy drinks, and also not too much water, which can be dangerous. Try to only replace fluids lost by sweating.

As Jules Winnfield would tell you, “we all have to be like Little Fonzies…and what’s Fonzie like? …Cool.”

So everyone just needs to be cool and everything is fine, right? Well not really. That’s because you can’t just hydrate and chill out and solve the danger. The problem is that MDMA causes fluid retention, especially in women, and hyponatremia (overhydration) can also be lethal.

For a while, people in the community were treating water like a “toxic drug flush”. The myth has been floating around (ha! see what I did there?) that if you just drank enough water that it would flush out the bad stuff in your body. But that’s not true. Water is an antidote to dehydration, not to the effects of Ecstasy or other drugs. You have to be careful hydrating too.

RAVER MEDICAL TIP #4
Make sure your Festival buddies are okay.

As I mentioned in a previous article, making a commitment to be responsible for your friend’s safety at an event is the “Golden Rule” of being a good Festival Buddy.

I asked Missi Wooldridge what a Festival Buddy should know to be able to take care of their buddy who takes Molly:

This may be stating the obvious, but LOOK OUT FOR YOUR FRIENDS and never let someone wander alone. Drink water and replenish electrolytes. Take breaks and cool down. Communicate with someone around you if you start to feel overwhelmed or are having a difficult experience. If someone around you seems fatigued, confused, or is having a difficult time breathing and/or standing on their own two feet, get them somewhere safe to sit and cool down. Seek onsite medical personnel.

I started to dedicate a portion of this article to talk about what symptoms or signs people should be looking for when it comes to determining if their fest buddy is overdosing or having a bad reaction. But I realized it would be safer and smarter to direct you to two resources that answer these questions in more detail.

First of all, I encourage you to look at the DanceSafe advice page talking about how to avoid dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.

It’s also a good idea to download the DanceSafe app. (it’s just Android App right now but IOS shortly). The emergency response sections of the app talks a great deal about what to do if you feel your friend is overdosing or having a “bad trip”.

Boom Festival, one of the largest Psytrance Festivals on the planet, is a great example of how drug checking has been integrated into a festival event.

Boom Festival, one of the largest Psytrance Festivals on the planet,
is a great example of how drug checking has been integrated into an event.

RAVE MEDICAL TIP #5
Festivalgoers should only attend events where the promoters encourage “harm reduction”.

In 2002, Senator Joe Biden attempted to pass a bill called the RAVE act in Congress. When opposition to the bill started to organize, they changed the name to the Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act of 2003, attached it to the popular Amber Alert legislation and quietly snuck it into law.

The bill basically makes it illegal for for anyone to “knowingly” put on an event that has the purpose of “using, distributing or manufacturing any controlled substance.”

This is why promoters and festival organizers are in such a tough spot. They know that if they allow test kits and other “harm reduction” activities they are potentially exposing themselves to civil and criminal liability.

Why? Well, because someone after the fact may say, “see they KNEW there were going to be people using Ecstasy at this event. They even had test kits to help them use it!”

On the other hand, if they don’t take basic “harm reduction” steps (chill out rooms, medics on hand, plenty of water available) they get accused of not taking care of their audience and could potentially end up with people getting hurt or killed.

Missi Wooldridge thinks the key is for promoters and raves and fests to integrate “harm reduction” services while at the same time adopting a “zero tolerance” drug policy:

There is a thin line, but the line is walkable. If you familiarize yourself with the NEWIP and TEDI project, these are great examples of how government, public health officials, and the nightlife industry can come together to improve the quality of life for this community. Boom Festival in Portugal is a great example of how drug checking has been integrated into the event.

Remember a few articles back when I wrote about needing to bring back the second “R” in PLUR? The one promoting “Responsibility”? To me the “Second R” means encouraging promoters and club/venue owners to adopt and promote harm reduction practices and policies. It also means not supporting or attending events that don’t follow these practices.

I’m trying, Ringo. I’m trying real hard with this article to be the shepherd. But honestly, people in the dance community themselves are the only ones who can fix this problem. They can do that by demanding safe events. And if they don’t see harm reduction policies in place, they can force change by not going to that event again.

RESOURCES
Join and promote organizations like Dance Safe that promote harm reduction

As you can tell, I am a big fan of DanceSafe. I have all their albums.

DanceSafe provides on site harm reduction services, both stationary and mobile to events. Typically, they will set up a table and provide patrons with condoms, water, ear plugs, sunscreen, unbiased drug information, and adulterant screening (upon approval). They also provide a safe space for people to cool down and have healthy conversations about the drug use and their health.

Go like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter @dancesafe.

Once again, huge thanks to Missi Wooldridge and Stefanie Jones for all their time and attention to this article. This is collaboration in the best sense of the word.

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Filed Under: Featured, Festivals, Show Experience Tagged With: DanceSafe, Ecstacy, MDMA

The Law of MDMA: Practical Legal Tips for Ravers who Choose to Use Ecstasy

November 6, 2013 by The Festival Lawyer 56 Comments

Follow the Festival Lawyer on Twitter // Photo by Marc Fong

“I just took six hits of Molly.” Those were 20-year-old Olivia Rotondo’s last words to an EMS worker at this year’s Electric Zoo Music Festival. Jeffrey Russ, 24, also died from an MDMA overdose at that same event. Four other people were hospitalized.

Fortunately, the media used the tragedy at Electric Zoo to have a thoughtful, informed discussion about MDMA use in the EDM community. Just kidding. The media chose the “Blind Hysteria” option. For example, The New York Daily News’ headline the next day was simply “DEATH FEST”.

It wasn’t all that long ago that Congress was attempting to outright ban all raves and dance music events on the basis that club owners and promoters knowingly allowed illegal drug activity on their premises. And when a teenager died at Electric Daisy Carnival in 2010, California politicians immediately proposed the “Anti Raves Act” of 2011 to ban raves entirely in the state.

That’s why I am suggesting it is up to the dance community to police itself now before the government jumps into EDM events to propose new regulations or ban raves completely.

What can the dance community do to make sure a tragedy like this doesn’t happen again? It can make sure that festivals are doing everything possible to make sure people are safe when they go to an EDM event. And ravers themselves need to be doing more on their part to party responsibly and to look out for their festival buddies.

This is a two-part “Ecstasy safety” article. Part One focuses on practical legal advice so that you know your legal rights if you or a friend use MDMA. Part Two focuses on practical medical and “harm reduction” tips.

RAVE LEGAL TIP #1
If the police stop you at a rave, ask if you are being detained and leave IMMEDIATELY if you aren’t.

Let’s say you are at a rave and a cop stops you and asks to search you. What do you do?
Everyone should know and understand their basic legal rights in this situation.

1) Ask if you are being detained or arrested.
2) Exercise your Constitutional right to remain silent.
3) Do not consent to any search of your person or property.
4) Have your “Festival Buddy” record your encounter with the officer.

I have already covered all of this in a prior article in a lot more detail. If you haven’t already read it or need a refresher of your basic rights, take a look here.

Most Ecstasy cases in criminal court involve a detention and subsequent search by the police. That’s why it’s so important to ask the key Festival Lawyer phrase: “Am I being detained? Why? Am I free to go, or am I under arrest?”

If a cop detains you, unless you verbally ask to leave, a Judge will assume you agreed to the encounter with that officer.

Also, if an officer says you can leave, it’s up to you to leave the scene of the encounter immediately. If you choose to stay, the detention is automatically legal.

That’s why it is critical to ALWAYS ask the cop if you are free to leave. If not, you know you are a suspect in a crime. That means you need to remain silent and wait for a lawyer. If, on the other hand, the cop says you are free to leave then leave immediately.

Listen, I know you may want to stick around and debate with the cop his opinion on whether dubstep is dead or not. But don’t. As I always tell my clients when I get a good result in court, “Let’s leave before someone changes their mind.”

RAVE LEGAL TIP #2
If you are “Under the Influence” of Ecstasy, you can be arrested and searched at any time.

California’s Health and Safety Code Section 11550 makes it a misdemeanor to be “under the influence” of a controlled substance like MDMA.

When someone is driving a truck and the truck has a broken taillight or another vehicle code violation, cops use the slang phrase, “rolling probable cause” to describe it. This means they can stop that vehicle and investigate the occupants at any time. The owner of that truck has basically given the cops a standing invitation to be investigated.

The law says that if a cop is a DRE (Drug Recognition Expert) and he can see “objective symptoms” that you are high on Ecstasy, you can be arrested and searched at any time.

From a legal standpoint you need to be aware that if you are high on MDMA, you are just like that truck with a broken taillight. You are ”rolling probable cause” and subject to being stopped, arrested, and searched.

RAVE LEGAL TIP #3
If you are caught with Ecstasy, what you intended to do with it makes a huge difference.

Under California law, possession of MDMA is treated as the same type of felony (Health and Safety Code Section 11377) as possession of Methamphetamine. After all, MDMA is short for Methylenedioxymethamphetamine.

Let’s take a scenario where you are stopped at a rave and found with Molly on your person. Now what?

In California, the law looks to see what you intended to do with that powder. If it’s a small amount and you can show that it was just for your own “personal use” you should be okay. The law calls this “simple” drug possession and you should be eligible for a drug diversion program or perhaps a minor misdemeanor charge.

If on the other hand, the government can show that you intended to sell (or distribute) that Molly, you just crossed a very serious line. It’s a “Smokey, You are entering a world of pain” level of line crossing.

That’s because “Possession for Sale” of Ecstasy is what is called a “Non Alternative” Felony under Health and Safety 11378(a). This type of felony makes you ineligible for any kind of “diversion” or other drug program. It also means you can’t get a misdemeanor on the case. Instead you now face a mandatory felony and potential jail time.

Remember how I told you that possession of Ecstasy is treated the same as possession of methamphetamine? I said that for a reason. Under the law, if the cops can show that you intended to sell (or distribute) the Ecstasy, you and Heisenberg both get the same charge – namely, a felony under Health and Safety Code Section 11378(a).

RAVE LEGAL TIP #4
Cops are legally allowed to lie to you in an interview.

Okay, so how do the courts determine what you intended to do with that Ecstasy you were caught with?

Normally, the police will look at things like how much MDMA you had, how much money you had with you, how it was packaged, what kind of texts you have on your phone, and also what you told the police about your intent.

Most people are taught to cooperate with the cops and we are taught from a young age to trust the police. So a lot of people end up talking to the cops. Cops will always ask what you intended to with the Ecstasy.

But here is something you may not know:
COPS ARE ALLOWED TO LIE TO YOUR FACE DURING AN INTERVIEW

Let that sink in. Cops can totally tell you stuff like, “We have a witness who says you sold him the drugs” or “We have you on videotape selling” or anything else they can think of to get you to confess.

One of the police’s favorite things to do is to try to get you to admit to something that sounds like it is not that serious but really IS just as serious legally.

Example, “Listen bro…I know you weren’t going to sell these pills. I bet you had that many pills because you were just going to give some to your friends to party with, right?”

Gee what a cool cop. He totally gets me and my vibe. Heck he probably is a member of the PLUR police…Oh wait…did I mention that the law considers “distribution” of drugs the same as the “sale” of drugs? That’s right, if you admit you were “giving away” the drugs, it’s the same legally as admitting you are a drug dealer.

Bottom line, if you get arrested, don’t talk, and ask for a lawyer immediately. Asking for a lawyer USED TO stop the interrogation then and there. A very recent Supreme Court case, (Montejo v. Louisiana) now allows police to keep trying to get you to talk. BUT DON’T ANSWER THEM. When the police tell you that anything you say can and will be used against you in court, they’re not joking.

RAVE LEGAL TIP #5
NEVER give away or take drugs from strangers

Spoiler Alert: In next week’s “Medical Safety” article, one of the key tips from drug experts is to never take drugs from someone you don’t know (and never take drugs that have not been tested).

Turns out there is similar advice from the legal experts (me). Here’s why:

Sales of Ecstasy is also a mandatory “non-alternative” felony (California Health and Safety Code 11379). This charge normally involves someone selling to an undercover cop or buying from an undercover cop.

I can’t tell you the number of times someone has said to me “This guy came up to me and just kept bugging me for drugs and I eventually gave him some. Turns out it was a cop. I was totally entrapped into giving him drugs!”

This is a pretty common misconception. Actually, Entrapment only applies where law enforcement engages in conduct that would likely induce a normally law-abiding citizen to commit that crime. (People v. Grantham (1972) 26 Cal.App.3d 661, 665)

That means that you have to show that the undercover officer did more than ask you for drugs. You have to show that he pressured, harassed or threatened you as well.

That means it is perfectly legal for a cop to ask you to sell them drugs or even ask you repeatedly if you can “help them out” or just give them drugs. This is why being friendly and “giving away” some Molly to a stranger is not an #upgrade, but actually #dumb.

Bonus Legal Tip – If you ask a cop if he is an undercover cop he can totally lie.

Okay can everyone PLEASE stop spreading the urban myth that if you ask an undercover cop if he is a cop he has to tell you the truth? It’s hard to know why so many people believe this. I mean, how would cops ever work undercover if it was true?

The law says that an undercover cop can totally lie to you if you ask him if he is a cop. But I mean really you should already know this. Didn’t everybody see that episode of Breaking Bad where this was all explained by Badger?

Thoughts On Our Drug War

I know you are probably thinking, “Hey Festival Lawyer, it’s a good thing our society makes drug policy decisions based on evidence about the drug’s dangerousness vs. its potential benefit to society, right?”

Hahahaha…That’s a good one. Oh wait, you were serious? No. We make drug policy for all kinds of crazy reasons.

Don’t believe me? Well I give you Festival Lawyer Exhibit One: The DEA’s complete shenanigans in making MDMA illegal in the first place.

In the late 80s hearings were held to determine if MDMA should be considered a “Schedule I” drug under Federal Law. A Schedule I drug has no “legitimate medical purpose” and has a “high potential for abuse”.

A number of psychiatrists and psychotherapists testified that they used MDMA in their practice and it had a legitimate medical purpose. In fact, a Federal judge, hearing this testimony, made a recommendation that MDMA be made a “Schedule III” drug. This would have let doctors continue to use and research the drug. The judge felt that the DEA could then make a future determination about the dangerousness of the drug.

The DEA was like “evidence based decision making…what’s that?”, ignored the medical evidence, ignored the judge’s recommendation and went ahead and made it illegal for all purposes.

To sum up, the DEA made MDMA illegal because it was too “dangerous” to the public. Ironically, the act of classifying it as “dangerous” and illegal MADE it way more dangerous. Because we aren’t researching it and studying it, we really have little idea how dangerous it is. That’s some serious, next level, ten thousand spoons when you all you need is a knife, level of irony.

That is why I believe so strongly in educating yourself about your rights and empowering yourself to make smart choices.

As part of that education, next week’s article focuses on tips to keep yourself “medically safe” through the use of test kits and other “harm reduction” ideas.

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Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Festivals, The Festival Lawyer Tagged With: MDMA, The Festival Lawyer

The Festival Lawyer: Upgrade Your Festival Experience Part 2

October 25, 2013 by The Festival Lawyer 9 Comments

Read the first article in this series. Follow the Festival Lawyer on Twitter.

If I had a time machine I would go back in time and…

See The Doors play live.
Tell my younger self to wear ear plugs if I intend to go to this many concerts the rest of my life; and finally
Tell my younger self to hang out with more positive and less negative people.

I know, I know, I sound like a jerk for not using the time machine to kill Hitler or stop George Lucas from wrecking Star wars. But in my defense, how cool would it be to see Jim Morrison live at the Whisky a Go Go with a bunch of people freaking out?

Anyway, the point I’m making is that when you write about ideas to make festivals better and more fun, some positive people step up to say “how can I help?” Or more often than not I’m hearing, “guess what, I am already doing that!”

So I wanted to do a follow up article telling you about all the awesome “Upgrade” ideas people sent me. In fact, I am going to turn the last part of this article over to Britz Bitz from Shambhala Music Festival. She will talk about how part of her job at Shambala Music festival is literally to promote positivity and encourage Upgrades by their fest goers. (And I thought my job was cool.)

Here are some awesome UPGRADE ideas you can try at your next fest/rave:

FLASH THE PEACE SIGN
It’s super hard to misinterpret your attitude or intent with this one. I mean seriously why did this go out of fashion? What’s so funny about Peace, Love, and Understanding?

TELL PEOPLE THEY ARE “KILLING IT”
I like to hi-five anyone who I see that is dancing or singing or being awesome at a festival. There is no clearer way to say, “You are killing it”.

OFFER TO TAKE PEOPLE’S PHOTOS
Everyone hates taking a “T Rex Selfie”. Next time you see someone struggling to hold their phone out far enough to take a decent picture, just offer to take it for them. Guess what? You just made an instant concert friend and totally helped someone document an awesome memory.

BONUS: if you want a pic of you and your girlfriend, they kind of have to take your picture back. It’s like the law or something.

WEAR A COOL T-SHIRT
This is super easy and yet has a huge impact. I usually wear a crazy silver disco shirt to fests. I do this mainly because a silver disco shirt is the universal symbol of “Let’s Party”. Also, a silver disco shirt sends the clear message, “go ahead and approach me. I am wearing something so ridiculous that I clearly won’t judge you.”

But really, T-Shirts can do more than just make people have more fun at festivals. Just ask the “I Am So Happy” crew. They all wear “I AM SO HAPPY” T-Shirts to their festivals. They emailed me to tell me about their awesome philosophy on going to festivals. Check out their cool credo below. It’s got a very “In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night” Green Lantern Corps kind of vibe to it:

We will do literally anything to enhance the experience of those around us. This familial tendency is what, we feel, the scene is lacking. We are a family, we are all there to enjoy ourselves and the music, but not at the expense of our health or the enjoyment of those around us. This is a part of the credo that takes priority once donning the shirt, to always look out for your neighbor and always act when circumstances require action. With every shirt we give away or sell, that is the ideology we bestow on the new member.

How awesome is this idea? (you can find them on Twitter @imsohappycrew or their website.)

GIVE OUT WATER
Giving out water at a rave or watching to make sure your friends are hydrated and cooled down is not only an “Upgrade” but goes to that “Responsibility” thing as well. But what might not have occurred to you is that there can be fun ways to be responsible…Don’t believe me? Check this out:

Kate wrote,

Great article! I’ve been nicknamed “the water fairy” because I’m always offering water to my friends and even strangers that look like they need it. Pretty sure I’ve saved multiple lives because instead of just looking at someone in trouble I will go find a medic or security to help them… once I even crawled under a bathroom stall to unlock it for security because a girl was passed out at a club. I’ll definitely be thinking about upgrading more from now on! Party safe and party smart.

GIVE PEOPLE COMFORT STUFF
Another thing you can do to Upgrade people is give a little gift that although small in price is huge in terms of how much comfort it gives.

My girlfriend (the amazing and awesome Mrs. Festival Lawyer) carries some cardboard “p-mate” disposable female urination assist devices with her. This is a device that lets women use the bathrooms standing up. When she sees a woman who shares her horror of porta-potties, she will give one to her and tell her how to get them for herself next festival.

I know what you are thinking, “If God had wanted women to pee standing up He would not have created urinals.” And honestly I don’t think as a man I truly “got” how much more horrifying public toilets are for women than men. But I do now. Honestly the amount of Upgrade this conveys is amazing to see. Women are sooo happy when she gives them out. I almost expect them to come out of the bathroom area singing “Sisters are doing it for themselves”. Find them here.

GIVE AWAY FREE SMALL STUFF
Giving away some small stuff is a total upgrade because of the simple fact that people love free shit.

It’s like those times you find a free newspaper in the lobby outside your hotel room when you wake up. You get seriously pumped up, right? This is true even though logically you know that paper actually cost 200 dollars (or whatever the rate for your room was).

Candy is probably the easiest thing to give out. The main issue is that people assume you are trying to give them drugs or trying to poison them, and in fact people might be super suspicious of what you are doing. I’m not even kidding. Honestly, I recommend saying out loud to people “Don’t freak out – I am not giving you drugs or poison it’s just a Jolly Rancher.” Repeat this calmly and deliberately with a non-maniacal smile on your face for best results.

Monserrat commented:

Fuck yeah!!! No way we would have survived our crazy party days without our friends having our back! I like to upgrade by bringing something to give and share with ppl. Like candy necklaces, shiny things, etc…

INCEPTION MOMENT
So before I turn this over to Britz, let me blow your mind for a second.

The premise of my original article in this series was that if you think positively and “Upgrade” people, you will get more back in terms of your festivals.

Now get this, positive people who read it wrote back to me and gave me Upgrading ideas and cool ways to make my fest better. In other words, I wrote about “Upgrading” and people responded by “Upgrading” my column with their ideas and enthusiasm for the project.

Cool right? But check this out — I “Upgraded” them back in this column by telling people about their projects and their dreams and enthusiasm. This (hopefully) will cause other people to check out their festival or crew or program. In other words this whole article was an “Upgrade” back to them.

But wait, that’s not the crazy part! I had a premise that Upgrading stuff makes your festivals better. And by writing that article, people responded by telling me about cool festivals to go to, wanting to meet me at festivals and telling me cool stuff that will make my own festivals better. In other words…

I WROTE AN ARTICLE ABOUT HOW UPGRADING WILL MAKE YOUR FESTIVAL BETTER AND I ENDED UP PROVING IT BY THE ARTICLE MAKING MY OWN FESTIVALS BETTER!!!

Quod Erat Demonstrandum baby!! Oh man! Is that spinning top going to fall or keep spinning? Are you in someone else’s dream right now? Do you see the Matrix? Do you now know Kung Fu? Mind officially blown!

Okay, calm down everyone. Now that your mind is right, check out how all these ideas work in an actual music festival.

Upgrades & ParticiPARTYing — by Britz Bitz

When I was reading part one of the Upgrade series, my first thought was, “I want this guy at our festival!”

“Our festival,” is Shambhala near Salmo, BC, Canada. 2014 will be our 17th year. I’ve been going since 2003, and working for the festival since 2007.

One of the things about Shambhala that captured my heart all those years ago was the community. You really couldn’t ask for a better crowd of attendees. “Upgrades” kind of naturally worked their way into our festival culture.

For a long time, it was just this unspoken thing. But we realized at some point that if we wanted that part of culture to sustain, we’d have to communicate it somehow as the festival grew and electronic music gained more mainstream popularity.

The answer came in “Shambassadors” – “Shambhalove”, personified (ok, yeah, we totally have our own lexicon. That’s just a scratch on the surface). They share the heart of Shambhala throughout the festival grounds. They’re the first to greet guests, and the last to say goodbye. They carry spritz bottles and offer to mist people in the heat of the day, while communicating our community values to guests (as well as some practical stuff, like letting them know what health & safety services are available to them).

ParticiPARTY is an idea that kind of crystallized in my overactive mind last winter. My friends at AYNiB asked me to write a blog for them, and as I thought about my favourite experiences from 10 Shambhalas, 2 Burning Mans and dozens of other festivals, I recognized a common thread in what makes a festival experience great. And you’ve identified it as well – Upgrades, ParticiPARTY, Rage it Forward – we’re all talking about the same thing. And I love that the fire of this idea is burning in so many hearts and minds, named or unnamed.

Here’s a few of my favourite examples of ParticiPARTYing / Upgrades from this past festival season…

KEEP ON READING.

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Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Britz Bitz, The Festival Lawyer, Upgrade

Treasure Island Music Festival 2013: Top sets

October 22, 2013 by The Bam Team 4 Comments

Photos by Marc Fong

Treasure Island Music Festival delivered one its best artist lineups in recent years October 19 & 20, allowing fans to immerse themselves in some of the best progressive dance and indie rock today. The festival seemed louder this year (that’s a good thing), and a sold out Saturday raged harder than most other TIMF days in the past. Sunday featured many acts with a tendency to inspire dancing and earplug use more than past Treasure Island Sundays (that is also a good thing).

Thoughts of lovely Indian Summer evenings were washed away by cold evenings, something that was on the mind of many artists. In the world of live music, artists are forced to choose style over function in relation to the idea of look versus comfort. Brian King from Japandroids must wear his white t-shirt and Alexis Krauss from Sleigh Bells has to show some leg, but fest-goers can wrap themselves in emergency blankets, furry costumes and bundles of layers. So we had that going for us.

View our show reviews below, including eight performances named TOP SET, along with hundreds of artist and scene photos.

Saturday ~ October 19, 2013

Atoms For Peace ~ TOP SET
Saturday • Bridge Stage • 9:25pm

Thom Yorke does not like “playing at sea”, so don’t hold your breath in regards to Atoms For Peace playing SS Coachella anytime soon. Thom might not win any new fans with his ‘witty banter’, but the infectious cacophony he produced with Flea, Nigel Godrich, Joey Waronker and Mauro Refosco was difficult to ignore, or stand still to. Barrage is one word that comes to mind as you are pummeled by bass and drums at almost every moment, and it’s evident Flea loves the challenge of bringing the most complex afro-funk bass lines he humanly can. Atoms can’t slow down, they go hard the whole show. Hell, even the originally sedate UNKLE track “Rabbit in Your Headlight” had a rousing pulse to it. This is where Yorke wants to be, this is the sound that he wants to produce, especially as he brings his hyper-rhythmic love over into his primary project. -Kevin Quandt

Phantogram
Saturday • Tunnel Stage • 8:35pm

Phantogram are back on the road, road testing new material from their new self-titled EP and a forthcoming long player, and they closed out the Tunnel Stage Saturday with a rocking psychedelic dance party. “Black Out Days” packs a punch as powerful as “Don’t Move”, which closed out the set. “Nothing But Trouble” and “Howling at the Moon” (song titles unconfirmed) were two tracks the band unveiled despite commenting that they probably should not be playing them. Despite a few technical glitches and unwanted feedback, Sarah Barthel’s voice was flawless and the new material received a big response, adding up to one of the many highlights Saturday night. -Kevin Raos

Little Dragon
Saturday • Bridge Stage • 7:40pm

Swedish electro-pop group Little Dragon continues to mature with age. Performing on the big stage towards the end of the night, they were certainly granted the respect that they deserve. Having just wrapped the recording of their fourth studio album due in the spring, Little Dragon was eager to demonstrate their evolved sound to the eager crowd, giving older songs a new, sonically swirling spin while debuting a new song or two. Fronted by the talented vocals of Yukimi Nagano, Little Dragon sounded as good as ever on the island. -KR

Holy Ghost! ~ TOP SET
Saturday • Tunnel Stage • 6:50pm

The largest act off DFA Records to be part of the bill since LCD Soundsystem, Holy Ghost! kept the “dance bar” raised high during their Sunset shift on Saturday at the Tunnel stage. Predominately playing tracks off their recently released 2013 album Dynamics, the New York disco distributors started a dance party almost immediately as the first notes hit the audience’s ears. Electrifying the crowd with new sing along favorites “Dumb Disco Ideas” and “Dance a Little Closer,” the Bay Area got a taste of what these boys will have on deck for their just announced New Year’s Eve headlining show at The Independent. -Molly Kish

Major Lazer
Saturday • Bridge Stage • 5:55pm

For a festival act, it’s hard to top the energy that Diplo and the Major Lazer crew bring to the stage. Riding a tsunami of booty clapping trap music into the rest of the evening’s insane line up, the crowd lost their collective minds witnessing the onstage antics and bone shattering bass lines of Major Lazer’s early evening set. Vuvuzelas blared, sirens rang and between the acts’ revamped hype-man roster, twerk army and Diplo’s human hamster ball, the festival escalated quite rapidly into full-throttle rage mode. -MK

DJ Falcon
Saturday • Tunnel Stage • 5:10pm

French DJ & producer Stéphane Quême, aka DJ Falcon, had a prime time slot on paper, but his audience was rather small. It looked like most folks were taking a breather or getting food between Disclosure and Major Lazer. While there was plenty of space at the Tunnel Stage for DJ Falcon, it was filled out by dance-heads that had to keep the train moving. The set ended with Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” into “Give Life Back to Music”, but the set would have had a bigger impact by ending with his own Random Access Memories cut “Contact”. -Mike Frash

Disclosure ~ TOP SET
Saturday • Bridge Stage • 4:20pm

The brothers Lawrence returned to the Bay Area for their second ever show, exemplifying how much things can change in the course of a year. Disclosure attracted the most dense and one of the most mentally immersed crowds of the weekend — it’s safe to say the UK duo are the most popular electronic act on the planet at the moment. From the moment these two fans set the tone of the show by sharing a lollipop, Guy and Howard Lawrence performed most of the tracks off their landmark first LP Settle, adding live drum and bass instrumentation. “Help Me Lose My Mind” was especially effective at slowing down the BPMs late in the set while keeping emotions high. If they could manage to bring along the likes of Jessie Ware, Aluna Francis, London Grammar & Sam Smith on tour with them to sing in the flesh, Disclosure would pack in arenas from Sydney to San Francisco. -MF

Poolside
Saturday • Tunnel Stage • 3:35pm

Poolside curated a mellow, island vibe that suited the bright afternoon sun at the Tunnel stage. Ultra-catchy songs like “Why You Wanna”, “Do You Believe” and “Slow Down” deliver seductive mantras that are hypnotic, yet keep you swaying to the beat. A bonus Poolside highlight came for those that were lucky enough to stick around after Atoms for Peace had finished for an intimate Poolside DJ set on the way out. -KR

Danny Brown
Saturday • Bridge Stage • 2:45pm

This late addition to the lineup was embraced, even if we had to lose the UK rarity that is Tricky, and his early Saturday showcase allowed him to span his releases more fully, primarily with the release of Old. A long intro built hype nicely, and by the time Danny Brown sauntered onto stage, the youthful crowd was revved up and eating from the MCs hand for the remainder of a high-energy set. Highlights included “Radio Song” and “Monopoly” off XXX. The sky’s the limit for Brown as he settles into his newfound ‘King of Weird’ title. -KQ

Robert DeLong
Saturday • Tunnel Stage • 2:00pm

21st century one man band Robert DeLong inspired early movement from the audience with his danceable, percussive beats. Equipped with an array of musical toys, DeLong demonstrated his ability to create deep layers of sound with only the use of his two hands. Robert DeLong is clearly a drummer at heart, however he takes his music to another level, synchronizing his beats through the tip of his drum stick. DeLong continues to build smart and innovative beats in a live environment, surpassing many of his ‘button-pushing’ peers in technique and output. -KR

ADULT.
Saturday • Bridge Stage • 1:15pm

Goth electro rockers ADULT. warmed up the main stage in a big way Saturday. Dressed in all black with a heavy dose of leather, singer Nicola Kuperus and beatmaker Adam Lee Miller, were battling the heat of the sun the entire set. Kuperus commented on her desire for the sun to go away and contemplated refuge under the stage. Kuperos, however, found relief from the sun during the final two songs when she jumped into the audience to perform at crowd level. Kuperos eventually found a patch of shade to the left of the stage under a tree to close out the set. -KR

Sunday ~ October 20, 2013

Beck ~ TOP SET
SUNDAY • Bridge Stage • 9:25pm

Beck emerged for his Sunday headlining set about 25 minutes after the printed time, but he more than made up for it by playing a collection of upbeat material to help “keep us warm” well past 11pm. All in all, the set was a greatest hits showcase — the Bay Area weekend warriors still rocking on the island heard “Devil’s Haircut”, “Loser”, “E-Pro”, “Girl”, and to end the night “Where It’s At”. New songs like “I Won’t Be Long” and “Defriended” didn’t get played, but the final show of the fest did see one of the only guest appearances of the weekend. Beck treated the Bay to the live debut of “Let’s Get Lost” from the Twilight:Eclipse soundtrack, enlisting Alexis Krauss from Sleigh Bells for the wonderful duet. This surprise was only topped when Beck reminded us he was ‘bringing that quiet storm’ during “I Wanna Get With You (And Your Sister, Debra)”. Beck showed, yet again, that he is one of the coolest guys in music. -MF

Sleigh Bells
SUNDAY • Tunnel Stage • 8:30pm

Alexis Krauss and Derek E. Miller closed down the Tunnel Stage on a bitterly chilly Sunday evening. Though many in the crowd, and likely on stage, weren’t too cold for too long as the energy levels rose quickly as thick riffs and bombastic beats came rushing from off the Bay. “Comeback Kid” and “Tiger Kit” were early highlights in the set. Showbams contributors were commenting that Sleigh Bells has become a quintessentially solid festival band that all can enjoy and head-band along to. Even though it was the second to last set of the event, it would’t be the last time Alexis graced the stage on this night. -KQ

Animal Collective ~ TOP SET
SUNDAY • Bridge Stage • 7:40pm

Ramping up the “weird” during the festival’s most surreal performance, Animal Collective pulled out rare cuts and old classics for their Sunday night set on the Bridge Stage. Bringing along their all-consuming, giant mouth set design from the Centipede HZ tour this past year, the boys blew the minds of the early evening crowd with their intense visuals, spasmodic stage show and extended psychedelic jam session. Shying away from the radio hits, Animal Collective delved deep into their catalogue for a surprising set list with songs like “The Purple Bottle”, catering to an audience full of devoted fans and impressed noobs. A bold scheduling call for the traditionally more mellow of the two days, Animal Collective fulfilled the TIMF diversity quotient while properly mind-fucking the withstanding festival-weary crowd. -MK

Japandroids
SUNDAY • Tunnel Stage • 6:50pm

It’s hard to fathom how many miles on the road Brian Davis and David Prowse have racked up since the release of Celebration Rock. Treasure Island was their last show in the continent for a while, but they continue on to far off places before taking their well-earned break. In the meantime, the Canadian duo did their best to shake off the brisk wind by blazing through songs like “The Night of Wine and Roses” and “Fire’s Highway”. The enthusiastic crowd bopped along in a combination of adoration and warmth. -KQ

James Blake ~ TOP SET
SUNDAY • Bridge Stage • 6:00pm

James Blake‘s sound fit the moment exquisitely as the sun began to disappear behind a long band of fog that threatened to take over Treasure Island. Blake now tours as a trio, wisely adding live percussion to enhance his dreamy soundscapes. Confident yet mostly stoic, Blake’s measured vocals hung in the brisk fall air to mostly pin-drop silence. The progressive nature of the 25-year old’s music suddenly feels so familiar since Blake blasted into the worldwide music scene four years ago. Maybe its a product of his influence, or just the fact that his heavenly voice, modulated or not, blends so well with his post-dubstep-based production. This set elicited gasps of joy from the throngs of female fans along the stage rail, and the ending of “Overgrown” had an orgasmic effect on a couple of people near me. Set placement of songs was ideal — “Retrograde” and “The Wilhelm Scream” bookended the performance perfectly, and “Voyeur” stole the show, igniting an extended dance session. James Blake is simply a legend in the making. -MF

Real Estate
SUNDAY • Tunnel Stage • 5:10pm

Sunday afternoons don’t get much more ideal than sail boats as a backdrop, sun in our eyes and Real Estate churning out their breezy style of surfed-out indie rock. However, this set was not a showcase of previously released material, but rather a showcase of new material, and even a new touring keyboard player. Even with a few brand new songs filling their set, Real Estate still managed to represent both of their stellar releases. “Green Aisles” was especially strong as a large palm tree behind the stage swayed along with the crowd. -KQ

STRFKR
SUNDAY • Bridge Stage • 4:20pm

STRFKR sees you’re confetti cannons and giant hamster ball Diplo and ‘raises you’ a crowd surfing astronaut and an army of blow up dolls! STRFKR pulled out all of the stops for their over the top afternoon performance. Pulling from their four full length albums, the boys were out there to get the crowd moving. While catching the last glimpses of sunlight on the Bridge Stage, the band executed one of their most polished Bay Area performances to date amongst a complete shit show of on stage distractions and “hype animals.” Dancing furries, a sumo wrestling battle and simulated oral sex/bestiality provided humorous stage antics for the second half of the set. Depending on your mindset during this point in the weekend, the show either came off as unnecessary overcompensation or one of the best shows Sunday. -MK

HAIM ~ TOP SET
SUNDAY • Tunnel Stage • 3:35pm

How is it possible that the spunky LA-based sister trio HAIM has never played a proper set in San Francisco until TIMF? Well, if life is about first impressions, the Bay Area is smitten. Part of HAIM’s success lies in their equal value and contributions to the group — Este, Danielle & Alana Haim share singing duties, adorable stage banter and the ability to play their instruments magnificently. Most of all though, it’s HAIM’s fearless and passionate approach to everything they do that is most memorable. They are all very comfortable on stage, as seen through their ‘in the moment’ mentality, responding to calls from the crowd and telling people to throw their food on stage for a mid-set snack. “Honey and I” got a stripped down treatment that worked well, something the ladies said they did specially for SF. Asking if we were ready to dance, HAIM launched into “Forever”, and TIMF obliged. This international sensation has finally played the other end of their home state, and HAIM is likely to play theater-sized venues next time they are back. -MF

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: ADULT., Animal Collective, Atoms for Peace, Beck, Danny Brown, Disclosure, DJ Falcon, Giraffage, Haim, Holy Ghost, James Blake, Japandroids, Little Dragon, Major Lazer, Phantogram, Poolside, Real Estate, Robert DeLong, Sleigh Bells, STRFKR, Treasure Island Music Festival

15 things to expect at Treasure Island Music Festival

October 16, 2013 by The Bam Team 2 Comments

Expect to see or experience these 15 things at Treasure Island Music Festival 2013:

1) Thom Yorke dancing like this:

2) 27% of females in attendance will borrow their boyfriend/girlfriend’s jacket because they came ready for warmer weather, forgetting the festival takes place in the middle of San Francisco Bay.

14% of the boyfriend/girlfriends’ that gave up their layer will buy a TIMF hoodie.

3) A group of drunk British blokes and Palma Violets’ manager/hype-man/party-starter Harry Violent lead the pogo-pit charge at 1:30, proceeding to get much of the crowd to join them. Impressive for an early Sunday show.

4) Move over dubstep. Meet the most amazing bass-face in contemporary music:

5) Old and Young lose their shit to Disclosure’s breakout tracks like “Fire Starts to Burn” and “Latch” — Treasure Island will hence be dubbed “Dance Island”.

6) Danny Brown’s “Kush Coma” illustrates how wonderfully stoned the Bay Area is, soundtracking the scene with 27 weed references. And, that’s only the marijuana references!

7) You walk in early on Sunday, swear to yourself you’re hearing Beck, but it’s actually Cayucas.

8) Overheard at Holy Ghost! sunset show:

“‘Bridge and Tunnel’, that’s the name of the two stages!!!”
“Dude, this is this is the new LCD.”
“And my Dad said Disco was dead, pshhhh.”

9) As the ‘mad shuttle dash’ begins during the Atoms for Peace encore, the festival faithful will enjoy every last note, understanding that shuttle lines offer time to recap the day! Or you could plan your own exit route.

10) The one guy with the furry hat that never leaves Silent Disco.

11) Diplo attempts to talk the crowd into breaking Big Freedia’s twerking world record during the Major Lazer set, but only 6 girls in the front row “express themselves” as Diplo takes a cell phone pic, then tweets it.

12) That adorable couple that stakes out a small spot between the Tunnel and Bridge stages and sees all 13 acts in one spot Sunday.

13) A beautiful James Blake sunset show moment confirms why you live in San Francisco or Oakland.

14) You swear you won’t wait in line for the ferris wheel, but end up giving in by the end of the night on Saturday or Sunday.

15) Overheard from first time TIMF attendee:

“Wait, both stages are right here with no overlapping sets? Awesome. Pretty good view too…”

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Atoms for Peace, Beck, Cayucas, Danny Brown, Diplo, Disclosure, Haim, Holy Ghost, James Blake, Major Lazer, Palma Violets, Thom Yorke, Treasure Island Music Festival, Treasure Island Music Festival 2013

Upgrade your Fest Experience by following the 3 “Festival-Buddy Golden Rules”

October 16, 2013 by The Festival Lawyer 40 Comments

Photo by FestivalSnob.com // Written by The Festival Lawyer //

This article started with me wanting to talk about what happened at Electric Zoo and the need for people to “Rave Responsibly”. You know, things like the need for accurate information, testing kits, and organizations that promote “Harm Reduction” and other practical advice. But when I started to write that article, I realized we needed to talk about something else first.

Did you know that PLUR used to have a second R? And that the second R stood for “Responsibility?” The question I keep asking myself is, “Do people still follow that second ‘R’?” Are Festival Buddies still taking care of their friends?

If so, why do we now see so many drunken folks left passed out or wandering aimlessly around by themselves at Coachella, sometimes looking like an episode of The Walking Dead? And how come a young woman is taking 6 tabs of Molly at Electric Zoo without her buddies stepping in? And why are women being put in potentially dangerous situations because their friends don’t know who they left with?

So, instead of just focusing on the EDM scene, I think we need to talk about a bigger topic: How do we create and promote an awesome, and more positive festival scene for everyone? To me the solution is for all of us to work on being better festival buddies to each other. I suggest following the Three Golden Rules:

FESTIVAL BUDDY GOLDEN RULE #1:
You are responsible for your buddy’s (and rest of the audience’s) safety.

This rule is basically another way of saying, “There are ways to do irresponsible things responsibly.”

As a good Festival Buddy, I won’t leave your drunk ass lying in a heap because I am mad at you and just cross my fingers that you get home. Instead, I will get you home safely like you would do for me, and THEN tell you what an ass you are for wrecking my show.

Festival Buddy Golden Rule #1 Examples:
Many years ago, I pretty much missed most of a Pink Floyd show because halfway through, the dude I was with leaned over and said “Hey…I just took something from someone.” As smart as secretly taking an unknown drug from a stranger might seem, it turned out be a huge mistake on his part. Soon thereafter my friend started flipping out and told me that he was now seeing “cavemen on his eyelids.” Your humble narrator required constant use of the phrase “keep your shit together dude…right now…I’m super serious” and some Vince Vaughn level of fast talking to authorities to get us safely home that night.

I did that not because I am a great guy, but because my buddy was helpless and vulnerable. And because he would have done the same for me. A true Festival Buddy adopts a strict “Leave no Raver/Rocker behind or alone” philosophy.

Also, a good FB is an Educated, Empowered Citizen. He (or she) is educated and informed about organizations like dancesafe.org, bunkpolice.org, and plur-rx.com that promote testing and other “harm reduction” ideas at festivals and raves. Any person taking any drug has by definition engaged in a uniquely dangerous act. But if that’s your personal choice, then you need to be one seriously informed individual. Anything less is not “personal choice” but “personal recklessness”.

Also, as my last two articles have discussed, a good Festival Buddy knows his/her rights, and would watch and record an arrest for his buddy, or at least make sure to be that person’s lifeline to friends and family. (If you need to get up to speed on this, here is Part 1 and Part 2 of “What To Do if The Police Stop You at a Music Festival”.

THE SECOND RULE OF FESTIVAL BUDDIES:
(No, not “You do not talk about Festival Lawyer Club”)
“I will try to enjoy the show in such a way I don’t wreck your enjoyment of the show.”

A true Festival Buddy also knows how to “UPGRADE” his friends’ experiences. I call this philosophy the “UPGRADE” now, but I’ve seen this same idea floating around under a lot of different names and variations: PLUR, Good Vibe tribe, Rage it Forward, The 10 Principles, Concert Karma, etc.

All of these are different names for the same basic idea; that the level of fun you have at a festival has less to do with how good the performer is (although that helps) and way more to do with how good the audience is.

In other words, you will have the most fun at any festival where the audience is being fun and spreading positivity and good vibes to each other. This may sound a bit too “new agey” and “woo woo” for your tastes, but I assure you it is true both sociologically and psychologically. But seriously, do I really need to scientifically prove this to you? Isn’t it obviously more fun to be in a crowd of fun, positive, dancing people than be surrounded by a bunch of negative bad vibey jerks?

So part of the way I can UPGRADE the audience is by enjoying the show in such a way that it doesn’t wreck my friends’ show experience.

Festival Buddy Golden Rule #2 – Examples:
Maybe you might want to record the whole show on your iPhone (or now iPads? seriously?) and just stand there and focus on getting the best video and pics. I’m not here to judge or scold you. Although I do feel the need to point out that you will NEVER watch that stupid motherfucking shaky video again and you are watching something through a tiny screen that is actually happening really big and loud RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU LIVE!!! (Umm…actually maybe I am judging you a tiny bit. Sorry.)

But that’s beside the point. The point is, I can “UPGRADE” the experience around me by being present, being fun and by not holding up a large metal view blocking device throughout the concert in the face of the guy behind me.

Or maybe you like to treat the show as a backdrop to your private conversations with your friends. I KNOW you paid for your ticket too and have the RIGHT to talk about stupid crap at an awesome concert. So you can certainly do it. But for me, I know that I might be standing next to someone who is hearing some quiet, beautiful song that he might have waited years to hear live. So I can UPGRADE the audience by not talking over it.

I was at a Jack White concert last year and this guy was loudly arguing with his girlfriend during “Love Interruption”. (Oh the irony!!) Turned out the argument was about whether Radiohead or Coldplay was a better band. Which was weird because:

A) Fuck you if you don’t know that Radiohead is about 1 million times better than Coldplay.
B) Neither band was playing at that festival so that’s an even better reason to shut up. That dude totally downgraded his festival buddies’ experience and was a serious buzz kill to the audience around him.

But more than just not being disruptive, a true UPGRADE requires a commitment to making the audience better through positivity and fun.

THE THIRD RULE OF BEING A FESTIVAL BUDDY:
I will UPGRADE the rest of the audience by personally taking positive actions.

The best definition of Positivity I know is that it makes me happy to see other people happy. So Upgrading is me just letting other people know that’s it’s okay for them to have fun around me.

I mainly do this by letting you know that I don’t think you are a freak or stare at you if you feel like dancing, singing or doing some kind of insane interpretive dance. In fact, I prefer that you stand next to me so I can tell you how you are “killing it”.

Festival Buddy Golden Rule #3 Examples:
Last year at Outside Lands, I asked someone to take a picture for us. “Fuck yeah I will” was his response. While taking the picture he was saying “fuck yeah..fuck yeah..this pic is going to be killer”. When it was done I told him thanks and he said “No..thank YOU!..that was fucking awesome!” (This dude seemed sober and just awesome.)

That was a huge “Upgrade” for us right? We laughed our asses off and kept saying it to other people at the festival. Whenever anyone asked me to take their photo my reply was “Fuck yeah I will!” We felt happier and spread more fun because of it. The effect rippled because other people would laugh about the story. Heck, we STILL laugh about it. An Upgrade is anything you do that is a way of paying forward positive vibes and letting people know that near you is the best, most fun place to party.

So wearing a crazy costume is an upgrade. Giving a hi-five at the show to someone wearing a crazy costume and saying “you’re doing great!” is an Upgrade. Saying “sorry, bro” to someone who you just bumped into is an Upgrade. Responding with “No Worries” is an Upgrade back. Starting a dance circle is an Upgrade. Joining that dance circle is an Upgrade back. See what I mean?

Or maybe you might give away your last bottle of water to someone who looks miserably hot, or give your Spirit Hood to someone freezing. Or take someone’s picture that is struggling to take a “selfie” with his or her partner.

If you need more examples, talk to just about any Deadhead or Phish or Widespread Panic fan. Or talk to people about PLURR. (I’m trying to bring back the second “R”) Or read the Burning Man 10 principles.

Or you could do what I did, Follow the Festival Guy on Twitter and read his blog and meet him at your next fest. Tucker Gumber was there at my “origin story” and first told me about “Raging it Forward”. Tucker is basically the Tyler Durden of positivity.

In other words, find cool people who believe in this way of “festing” and support them. If you see someone who is doing great, tell them. Maybe even ask “How about an Upgrade?” If the person doesn’t know what you are talking about, they are probably just a “Natural” partier and you should be fine for the rest of the night. But if they say “Fuck yeah” and hi-five you back? Well You KNOW they are a party professional and you are in good hands.

Do you have a code of positivity and responsibility (example PLURR) when you fest? Who taught you about it? Do you have a favorite way to upgrade other people’s experiences? Tell me in the comments about it or hit me up on Twitter to tell me about it.

Footnote 1 – Here is how this stuff works in real life:

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Filed Under: Featured, Festivals, The Festival Lawyer Tagged With: Festival, The Festival Lawyer, Three Golden Rules, Upgrade

The Festival Lawyer: What To Do if The Police Stop You at a Music Festival – Part 2

October 9, 2013 by The Festival Lawyer 35 Comments

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Let’s face it. Sequels suck. The only exceptions are Godfather 2, Aliens (Game over man!) and Paul’s Boutique by the Beastie Boys.

On September 25th, I published an article with Showbams entitled “What To Do if The Police Stop You at a Music Festival“. If you haven’t read it you can find it here.

That original Showbams article started getting reblogged on other sites and tweeted and shared and re-shared on Facebook. Ultimately, it ended up going “viral”.

How viral? Well, the article has had over 250,000 unique views. It ended up receiving over 30 thousand Facebook likes. But I knew we were truly viral when someone in Australia asked me, “Is there an Australian version of this article that explains Australian law?”

If you’ve read this far, I know you think I am about to pull a Kanye and announce that I am now a “A Legal God” and want to be referred to as “Festival Yeezus Lawyer” from now on.

Sadly, no. I am not quitting my day job. However, I think the article went viral due to the fact that “doing whatever the police tell you” is not really what Jefferson had in mind when he came up with that whole Bill of Rights thing. And because we all recognize that the Founding Fathers wanted an educated, empowered citizenry who kept an eye on their police. And because a heck of lot folks have found that getting into a bad situation with a cop and not knowing your rights is one of the scariest things that can happen to you at a festival.

So despite the obvious danger, I really think a sequel is needed to talk about the great comments and reactions the first article generated. Wish me luck.

ADDITIONAL TIP 1: Educate yourself on how to legally record cops in your home state.

I had a LOT of lawyers in other states write me to tell me I had given bad advice about videotaping police making arrests. In particular I had several lawyers tell me that my advice was going to get someone going to Lollapalooza arrested. Their point was that Illinois had a law making it a felony to record video of an encounter with a cop. Several other attorneys pointed out that their own states had similar “wiretapping” laws.

Nice try, but when it comes to the Festival Lawyer, “There can be only one” (*Highlander theme plays*)

The actual law in this area is that in Illinois (home to Lollapalooza), the American Civil Liberties Union recently won a challenge to this law. A federal judge issued a permanent ban on enforcing the law. Also, almost every state has an exception for videotaping where there is no “reasonable expectation of privacy”.

I started to write up a little clarification of different State laws in this area and give some tips on videotaping the police. But one of the great things about this article was that it caused me to finally get to talk to the amazing Steve Silverman at www.flexyourrights.org.

Turns out he had already written a great article explaining EXACTLY what you need to know to record the police in any state and in any scenario.

However, this is an excellent reminder to always do your own research and find out the law in your home state. I am a California lawyer and your state may have very different laws. So even though I just teased them slightly, I want to thank the out of state lawyers who took the time to contact me. Please keep the comments and questions coming.

ADDITIONAL TIP 2: Recording cops? There’s an app for that.

Several people also pointed out that there are numerous apps that allow you to upload your videos to the “cloud”. (For the purposes of this article, let’s just collectively pretend that I know what the cloud is and how it freaking works rather than get ourselves bogged down in unnecessary details.) The point is that you may need to have your video of the cops instantly uploaded to a secure location so that you have it in case your phone is taken from you or damaged.

As commenter “sarahrwilson” wrote:

As to making a video recording, the key is to also stream it from the phone so regardless of what the police do to the device, there will at least be a copy of the video they can’t touch. The ACLU of NJ has an app for I-phone or Android that does exactly that.

The ACLU has provided a collection of Apps on their website that lets you upload cell phone videos to the cloud immediately.

Festival Lawyer Protégé Tip: At the same time you download your Festival’s app, download the ACLU ‘cloud’ app, just in case.

ADDITIONAL TIP 3: These are “Break Glass – Only Use In An Emergency” tips.

A few members of law enforcement wrote in to point out that taking an immediately aggressive tone could actually inflame the situation:

As a police officer, I initially read this on the assumption I was looking at another story of how to “politely disrespect” officers (LEOs). I was pleasantly surprised to see that this was, in fact, a well-written article by an educated member of our society that gives valuable information on how not to become a victim of over zealous officers. That being said, I’d like to add that all of these tactics are great if you aren’t doing anything wrong; however festivalgoers and the likes should know the reason LEOs are at these events is ensure people have a safe and fun time. If you’re actually doing wrong, these tactics only stall the inevitable and eventually, you will be arrested and face the courts for your misdeed.

Also, recording an event does set the tone (from an officer’s point of view) that you are being non compliant and confrontational. Exercise your own good judgement, and don’t get excitable. Much like the open carry activist, if you handle law enforcement with respect, they will most likely return the favor.

I mainly quoted the above comment because it makes me look good. But besides that, it makes a valuable point. If I could add just one thing to the original article it would be that these tips are essentially a “BREAK GLASS – USE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY” toolkit.

I think it was implied before but let’s add a step zero – be nice and treat the cop like a fellow human being. Personally, I hate when people wear “fuck the police” shirts to a concert. It’s not how I feel. And it sends a super negative vibe and message. I hold a huge amount of respect for the police and for the law. But I am also an Educated, Empowered, Positive US citizen. That means I love my Country, and want to make her better, but I don’t necessarily trust all of her employees. The comments page is FULL of real life innocent festivalgoers who ran head on into a bad situation: A sexist cop. A racist cop. An overly aggressive cop. A cop who didn’t like someone’s sexual orientation. Or a cop who just wanted to fuck with someone. (Not to get too legal or technical with you). You need to be prepared for THOSE situations.

All of that brings me to my final tip…

ADDITIONAL TIP 4: Educate and empower yourself, even if you don’t ever plan on doing “anything wrong” at a festival.

In some ways, Festivals can be kind of a clash of two worlds.

Cops see themselves as being present at Festivals to keep the peace, and to keep people safe. Festivalgoers see fests as a playground that consenting adults can attend, and the normal rules of society don’t necessarily apply. When you add in some super crazy choices we have made as a society about drug laws, there is always the potential for things to go really badly, really quickly.

That’s because there is a small percentage of cops who feel the drug war really is a war. And in wars, normal rules don’t apply. (People use the phrase “All’s Fair in Love and War” for a reason.) Added to that are police agencies who are not there to “keep the peace” at all. They are there instead to “keep the quota” and make arrests for stats. One of the many examples from the comments to the article should suffice:

Wish I had seen this a few months ago! After leaving (a music festival in an RV my husband and I were pulled over for an “Illegal lane change”. After the cop asked a bunch of questions, he nicely asked if he could take a look inside to make sure we didn’t have any “weapons or dead bodies inside”. Of course we stupidly said yes…becuz we didn’t want him to think we had either of these things inside. Upon entering the RV, he claimed that the straws in our garbage can are considered “paraphernalia” so he then had the right to search the entire vehicle. He made us stand 50-feet away while we watched him take apart the RV with an electric drill. He dumped out all my vitamins and medication into one big pile on the floor, open up all my cosmetics, went through my dirty (personal) clothes, dumped out all our food, and tore apart the lining on our RV rental. He then gave us tickets for the straws since in the state of Arkansas, “paraphernalia” is a crime. We didn’t argue or say anything, figured that was in our best interest. But because we (live out of state) we couldn’t exactly travel back to Arkansas to defend ourselves. We had to hire a local lawyer (that never met us) to defend us. My husband got the charges dropped against him, but the cop was adamant that one of us get charged with paraphernalia – so lucky, I am a mom, and had no record. I was coming from a music festival in an RV. Everyone I spoke to told me we should have NEVER let him search the vehicle, but I didn’t know my rights or the law. We were just scared.

So at this time, let’s all repeat the Festival Lawyer’s motto together:

“Better to know your rights and not need them, than to need your rights and not know them.”

More than anything I wanted to write a sequel so I could have a chance to thank you all. The idea of a legal article with zero cats in it going viral is seriously insane. But it did. And because of that, I got to meet a bunch of amazing people and had some really cool conversations. Believe me when I say I enjoyed being the “legal advice meme” for my entire 15 seconds (that’s not a typo) of internet fame.

Next Column: How to “upgrade” your entire Festival experience without spending a dime.

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