Coachella 2014: It’s officially festival season

April 17, 2014 by 2 Comments

Coachella-Scene1Photos by Marc Fong // Written by Molly Kish, Pete Mauch & Kevin Quandt //

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival //
Empire Polo Club – Indio, CA
April 11th-13th, 2014 //

Well, that time of year hath arrived in the form of sun burns, overpriced Heineken and jamming in as much music as you can into a three-day window. Coachella has grown to be so much more than simply just a “music and arts festival” now, for better or worse, but it always retains the feeling that something special is really happening on these grass fields. Some embrace it, and many loathe, but overall, time spent at the polo fields in Indio is always an enjoyable romp full of the freshest artists mixed with many old favorites in a colorful sea of eye candy. 2014’s first weekend featured its biggest demand to date as wristbands hovered near four figures and many were left roaming the suburban streets surrounding the site. Yet, this didn’t keep the masses down, and persistence paid off to those who were lucky enough to snag a last-minute pass.

Goldenvoice has feverishly plugged away at creating an encompassing experience to the nearly 90,000 attendees who flock to the wind-swept stretch that is the Empire Polo Club, where it all started 15 years ago. Things have changed each and every year, and at this point, it’s a well-oiled machine needing little tinkering. This year featured more room in the Terrace area with the Do-Lab stage finding a new home off the main field, as well as an expanded Yuma Tent which kept dance enthusiasts complacent to rage in their own little nightclub. 2014 held many surprises that were laid out over the days before the event, culminating with a smorgasbord of guest appearances over the three-day span. Below, you will find some of our favorite sets as presented by the 2014 ‘Chella Bam Team.

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Goat // Outdoor Theatre // Friday 1:25-2:05PM

This show was quite the eye opener for anyone who wasn’t familiar with the Swedish psychedelic outfit called GOAT, especially since this was the first set of the entire weekend for many in attendance. The whole band was masked and decked out in extravagant tribal attire that would fit perfectly into many a children’s nightmares. The band drew songs from their 2012 release titled World Music with the highlight being their single “Run To Your Mama” that had many in attendance gyrating their hips to the infectious groove. I couldn’t think of a better opening set to start the long and definitely weird weekend that is Coachella. -PM

OutKast // Coachella Stage // Friday 11:30-1:00AM

Friday night marked the reuniting of one of the most influential acts in rap, albeit for a crowd that maybe wasn’t ready or as generally excited enough for such a momentous occasion. Saving radio hits for the closing numbers, they pulled from a set list spanning their entire career, including “Aquemini”, “Skew It on a Barbeque” and an explosive version of “B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)” to start off the set. Several guests joined them throughout their performance, including Future debuting a new track, Sleepy Brown joining in for “So Fresh and So Clean”, and most impressively Janelle Monae gracing the stage for her collaborative performance of “Tightrope”. Each emcee featured segments revolving around their solo work — Big Boi smashed “Shutterbug” while 3 Stacks brought a little tenderness during “Prototype”. A weary crowd, half dominated by a pre-Stankonia generation of EDM enthusiasts, didn’t quite give the response that most would anticipate for the kick off to a massive summer festival tour, and some onstage could tell. However, die-hard fans were pleasantly surprised by the song choices and were bouncing along in camaraderie the entire set. -MK

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Temples // Mojave // Saturday 2:40-3:25PM

The crowd gathered early inside the Mojave Tent to see one of the more buzzed about bands of the weekend, an English Psychedelic rock band simply called, Temples. Fresh off their debut release, Sun Structures, they delivered 45 minutes of psychedelic bliss, drawing tracks mostly off their new album with the exception of a b-side called “Ankh”, which was one of the many highlights of the set. The song is driven by the powerful bassline from Thomas Warmsley and the guitar slaying of James Bagshaw. The song had some serious legs that found the band soaring over the crowd in a psychedelic haze, a plateau they hopefully reach every show. The one-two punch of their singles “Keep in the Dark” and “Mesmerize” had the hot and sweaty crowd in an absolute frenzy. -PM

Future Islands // Gobi // Saturday 7:05-7:55PM

Hot off the release of their fourth studio album, Singles, not to mention their Late Night with David Letterman performance going viral, the Baltimore outfit took the Gobi tent by storm. Sam Herring and Future Islands are not your typical rock band; they are fronted by easily one of the most enigmatic lead singers in contemporary rock. Hurling himself across the floor, throwing wild fists and debuting some brand new gyrating dance moves throughout the set, Herring was feeding off the love from his festival fans and reciprocated in full throttle for the band’s Coachella debut. “Inch of Dust” appropriately opened the show as the palms swayed along in the background while being assaulted by airborne sand particles. Pulling from their entire discography the band catered their signature hard-edged new-wave rock to the festival environment. Herring spoke tenderly to the crowd, re-assuring the youth that things will be alright before falling into “Balance”. Speeding up each career spanning track, such as “Tin Man”, into dance floor face-melters, Herring’s signature growling vocals sparked cheers of enthusiasm from the afternoon crowd. -MK

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Pixies // Mojave // Saturday 8:50-9:40PM

It had been almost exactly 10 years since the original Pixies reunited on the big stage in Indio, however this year we saw Black Francis and associates take to a smaller tent to pummel a decent sized crown with some good old rock and roll. The Pixies’ new release, Indie Cindy, was played before their set, which was somewhat odd, and they played relatively heavy off the release. Highlights of the set included a cover of Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Head On”, along with old favorite “Wave of Mutilation” and “Crackity Jones”. Frank was fired up as he scorned objects being oddly floated over the crowd, possibly miffed at the bleed of the Sahara, but then again, that’s why we love him. “Where Is My Mind?” received popular praise, as always, and featured new bassist Paz Lenchantin wailing as best she could. “Caribou” also showed that Paz can hang with the band, and that there may be a bright future in the coming years for the alt legends. -KQ

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Pharrell Williams //Outdoor Theatre // Saturday 10:35-11:35PM

What turned out to be a tough night for Pharrell ended up being one of the most fun sets of the weekend as throngs of girls belted out “Hollaback Girl” while dudes lit up in honor of Snoop’s presence for “Drop It Like It’s Hot”. The last 2 years of Weekend 1 have been slightly marred by high winds turning into small dust storms, and this year, Saturday was both the blustery day and the big Pharrell show. Promises of guests were fulfilled by the likes of Nelly, Tyler, the Creator, Puff Daddy and Diplo among those listed above. “Lose Yourself to Dance” opener was a good sign as the sizable crowd loosened up to the adventure that lay ahead, but the prolific producer’s voice just couldn’t weather the storm, and the finale of “Get Lucky” and “Happy” was largely sang by the crowd as Williams shook his head in sheer disappointment. -KQ

Nas // Outdoor Theatre // Sunday Midnight-1AM

Hip-hop is alive and well in 2014 and Coachella wanted to reinforce this. If you are a hip-hop head, then this was the year to be at Coachella. With OutKast, Nas, Kid Cudi, Chance the Rapper, GZA’s impromptu set in the Heineken House, and all the special guest MCs throughout the weekend, rap fans had a grand ‘ol time this past weekend. It was known that Nas was set to perform his 20-year-old classic album, Illmatic, in its entirety from start to finish. However, that’s not all that “nasty Nas” had in store for the late crowd. After the fourth track of his legendary album, Nas invited his longtime nemesis Jay-Z to the stage for an unforgettable performance of Jigga’s “Dead Presidents”. If you remember, this is the song that started all the “beef” between the two New Yorkers when Nas declined to re-rap the chorus. All the hate was squashed as the two legendary MCs showed the crowd that it’s all “One Love”. Toward the end of the set, Nas invited hip-hop guru Puff Daddy up to the stage to perform their song “Hate Me Now”, which truly delighted the rap freaks in attendance. Nas was on Point! -PM

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Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue // Coachella Stage // Sunday 12:40-1:30PM

Trombone Shorty is arguably the king of New Orleans right now, especially since he has taken the closing duty reigns from The Neville Brothers at JazzFest. So seeing Troy Andrews in the early heat on Sunday was kind of odd as I felt that he deserved a better slot, but that didn’t stop him from performing a fiery set of trombone-driven NOLA funk. The small but very enthusiastic crowd was hanging on every note as he effortlessly banged through his soon-to-be classic hits. “Fire and Brimstone” was a clear highlight of his raucous set as was his closer “Do to Me”, which had the crowd singing along to every word. Trombone Shorty is truly a national treasure, and you gotta tip your cap to Coachella for even having him on the bill. -PM

Arcade Fire // Coachella Stage // Sunday 10:20-Midnight

Closing out festivals isn’t anything too out of the ordinary for these veterans, especially after 2011’s massive display, so Win Butler and cohorts knew to bring all the stops. Touring in support of their critically acclaimed fourth studio album, Reflektor, the band had various options of surprise guests they could potentially have join them on stage as a grand finale to Weekend 1. Rumors of David Bowie or James Murphy had the crowd abuzz due to their direct involvement with the latest release. Halfway through the epic set of hits from both 2010’s The Suburbs and cuts off of the new album, the band broke into the opening notes of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass”, only to be joined by Debbie Harry of Blondie fame for this full rendition. Sticking around to provide back-up vocals and ribbon dance around the stage with Regine, Debbie joined in on Arcade’s quintessential “Sprawl II”. Confetti canons spewed out into the crowd during the climactic notes of “Here Comes the Night Time”, igniting the crowd for their closing number “Wake Up”. And with that, the first major music festival of the 2014 season was in the bag. -MK

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Guest sets were prevalent this year with additional highlights including:

• Beyonce shook her “jelly” on stage with little sister Solange during her sunset performance on Saturday for song, “Losing You”.

• A$AP Ferg brought out the whole A$AP Mob for multiple tracks before A$AP Rocky debuted a new track, featuring a diss on Been Trill clothing. Rocky also came out with Skrillex.

• Chromeo’s set included a collaborative performance with Toro y Moi to perform the duet off of White Women called “Come Alive”.

Chromeo

• Girl Talk pulled Busta Rhymes, Too $hort, Juicy J and E-40 into his remix set on Friday night (while the Bryan Ferry set played oddly on the screens flanking Greg Gillis).

• Justin Bieber decided to put a funny taste in people’s mouths and backed up his buddy Chance The Rapper.

• Mary J. Blige came on for a rousing rendition of her alternate vocal version of “F for You” with Disclosure Sunday evening. Sam Smith came out for “Latch”, as well. AlunaGeorge also lent a helping hand.

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• Up-and-comer Jene Aiko welcomed some big names in the form of Drake and Childish Gambino while Disclosure and Arcade Fire played against this stealthy guest set.

• The legendary Motörhead brought out Slash for a healthy dose of guitar.

• Classixx bounced back from a tough start to a set with help from Nancy Wang, Yacht, The Preatures and Sarah Chernoff from Superhumanoids.

• Flosstradamus welcomed a bit of help from another big-named emcee in the form of Waka Flocka Flame.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Festivals Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Future Islands connect amid high expectations at The Chapel

April 14, 2014 by 1 Comment

Future-Islands_postBy Pedro Paredes //

Future Islands with Ed Schrader’s Music Beat //
The Chapel – San Francisco
Thursday April 10th, 2014 //

While outside in the streets of San Francisco the weather seemed typical for a spring night, a sold out Chapel was experiencing its very own microclimate, with a diverse crowd energized by the atmospheric electricity generated by Future Islands’ highly anticipated show. The band’s notorious network debut on Letterman plus a series of energetic performances at SXSW kept expectations as high as they can get, and I was not surprised to hear a few people wondering if Sam Herring, Future Islands’ charismatic frontman, was going to be able to keep up with his own pace.

Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, the Baltimore duo in charge of opening the night, did not have an easy task, as one could argue that their post-punk rowdy style wasn’t necessarily in line with the main act’s more polished sound. Nevertheless, it took no more than one song for the audience to quickly connect and engage with them, as they moved along their setlist in a refreshingly awkward, authentic manner. Equipped only with a floor tom and a bass guitar, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat delivered a wide range of songs that went from highly energetic lo-fi numbers (“Gas Station Attendant”) to hypnotic ballads beautifully carried by Schrader’s gravelly voice (“Air Show/Can’t Stop Eating Sugar”).

After that, the tone was set for the evening’s main course.

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Around 10:30 PM, the lights went out and the crowd got loud. Sam Herring and band descend upon the stage and allowed themselves some time to get a feel of the attending crowd before beginning their set. As the audience roared and cheered, it became more clear the source from which the North Carolina native draws the energy required to make his performances so intense and unique.

He promises to bring the house down. We believe him. We are at The Chapel — the ceremony is about to begin.

The setlist began with “Back in the Tall Grass” from the band’s celebrated new album, Singles. Sam Herring is in no rush, and he takes it slow while the bass line marks a steady beat. He wants the people not just to feel, but to listen as well, and he takes time to give some context before commencing a new song. “Balance”, for example, was written in a dark time of his life, when the support from a friend saved his life, and as the lyrics go by, we could all feel the intensity level of his performance boosting up.

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As the show progressed, it became clear that Herring is all about making a connection with the audience. To make this happen, he uses a wide set of resources that have made his appearances reach an almost legendary status. His style seems to draw inspiration from multiple sources, and I can’t help but to be reminded of the insane intensity of Ian Curtis, the shamanic charisma of Jim Morrison, and the storytelling skills of Johnny Cash.

By the end of the concert the bond was established and the band and crowd become one, with the stage becoming public domain. As the last chords were played and the Baltimore trio waved goodbye, we were all reminded of Herring’s first words before the show; the house had been in fact brought down. Until we meet again.

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Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: ,

New Music Tuesday: Future Islands • Liars • The Bad Plus • Glenn Kotche

March 25, 2014 by 1 Comment

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Every Tuesday, we focus on new music releases by naming our top tracks, album highlights, lowlights and important takeaways for select albums.

Future Islands – Singles

4-BamsTop Tracks:
“Seasons (Waiting On You)”
“Sun in the Morning”
“A Dream of You and Me”

Album Highlights: The fourth album from Future Islands, Singles, jumps right out of the gates, showing their cards early and presenting the listener with their trademark new-school new-wave sound. Spotlighted by Samuel Herring’s assaulting vocals, opening track “Seasons (Waiting On You)” is a quintessential slice of the emotion this band has become well known for both onstage and in the studio. Hailing from Baltimore, this three-piece band has been nestled snuggly in the bosom of the underground, playing smaller festivals such as FYF and house parties alike, over the past years. Only recently have they been launched into the ears, and eyes, of new fans and having sold out the majority of their spring tour (not to mention banner sets at Coachella).

Future Island’s music can be described as polarizing. It truly is brilliant music as bassist William Cashion’s thumping lines perfectly compliment Gerrit Welmers synth and drum sequences. Samuel Herring’s vocals are stunning as he pitches and growls through tales of the tougher side of love. It’s pretty, gripping and powerful while also holding certain pop sentiments, lending to an overall lightness while being arresting. “Doves” balances all the elements nicely, shining a light on the top-notch production featured on Singles. “Song for Our Grandfathers” is another tender example of the bands ability to transform some serious subject matter into a beam of thoughtful optimism, all delivered by Herring’s supreme baritone. Powerful stuff going on here, guys.

Album Lowlight: This music is not for everyone, though it should be respected by the vast majority of tuned-in listeners. It’s plain to see Future Islands, as a band, appeal to fans of new-wave music, so again, may not be for every taste. On that note, every inquisitive music aficionado should give this album some time and respect.

Takeaway: It’s been a long wait for the fanatic followers of Future Islands as their previous release was released in 2011, and with this wait they have all been rewarded with a full album of superb tracks to dig deep into. As previously mentioned, Future Islands are polarizing and not everyone will latch onto Singles immediately, but those who give it time and attention will be rewarded. Surely, you’ll need to see them on stage as that is a whole other beast altogether. In the meantime, settle into a pinch of 80s nostalgia with a dash of heart, and play Singles by candlelight… if that’s your thing.

~Kevin Quandt

Liars – Mess

4-BamsTop Tracks:
“Mask Maker”
“Vox Tuned D.E.D.”
“Mess on a Mission”

Album Highlights: It feels strange to talk about an album of dark electro and industrial as a band’s most mainstream work, but Liars have never been much for conforming to norms. On Mess, their 7th album, the band delivers two relatively neat halves – one for the party, and one for the dank recesses of the after party – that are unified by their straightforwardness and presence on the spectrum of electronic dance music.

After spending the majority of their career exploring different ways to create anxiety and vertiginous instability, Liars kick off Mess by saying “Fuck it, let’s dance.” Not literally, though. Literally they start the album with Angus Andrew’s detuned voice dementedly commanding the listener to “Take my pants off, use my socks, smell my socks, eat my face off” before launching into a track (“Mask Maker”) that could sit comfortably between Front 242 and Revolting Cocks.

Emboldened by their new-found mastery of electronic instrumentation (made possible by the difficult making of 2012’s WIXIW), Liars spend the first half of Mess exchanging their traditional dread and unease for debauched revelry. “Vox Tuned D.E.D.” and “I’m No Gold” flaunt an end-of-the-world-party libido, while on “Pro Anti Anti”, an eerie organ riff is pummeled by a battering ram of synths, drums and Angus Andrew’s bellowing baritone, and the song proceeds to dance all over the debris.

Following the cerebral electro of the lead single, “Mess on a Mission”, the album shifts to a muted, post-apocalyptic tone and stays there for the duration. These songs have their root in the despair of WIXIW, but are fleshed out as proper dance tracks – “Dress Walker” is a particular highlight, with its percolating percussion and bouncing yet understated techno melody. The album concludes with “Perpetual Village” and “Left Speaker Blown,” 16 minutes of hypnotic murk.

Album Lowlight: Front-loading Mess with all of the album’s muscular & tuneful numbers was a gamble, and though it succeeds in providing a visceral rush, the dramatic about-face (never to return) will no doubt result in many jettisoned listeners. To be sure, there are interesting ideas throughout Mess‘ second half, but it does takes a few listens for them to reveal themselves. Liars earned a reputation early on as being difficult; one infamous review in Spin called them “unlistenable.” Through their sequencing choices in the second half of Mess, the band comes dangerously close to sounding boring.

Takeaway: Every Liars album is a transitional one, and Mess feels especially liminal. In pre-release interviews, the band has discussed how they wanted to break from the habit of over-analyzing every detail during the recording process, and this desire to cleanse the palate is palpable throughout Mess. And it suits them well: as a vocalist, Andrew is as dynamic as he’s ever been, and Aaron Hemphill has now fully transformed himself from a guitarist to a synth wizard. After resisting it for so long, Liars have finally opened themselves up to the musical possibilities of catharsis on Mess, and in doing so they’ve created a bonafide goth album. Whether it reaches the Hot Topic crowd is another matter entirely, but either way – don’t expect Liars to concern themselves with it the next time around.

~Karl Kukta

The Bad Plus – The Rite of Spring

3.5-BamsTop Tracks:
“The Augors of Spring”
“The Sage/Dance of the Earth”
“Glorification of the Chosen One”

Album Highlights: With the ninth album by the avant-garde jazz trio The Bad Plus, they decided to record Igor Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring, and they absolutely nailed it. This classical piece is widely considered one of the most moving and important works of the twentieth century, and even started a small riot when it first premiered in 1913 Paris, France. Leave it to this trio to transform a historical musical masterpiece, most recently recognized in Disney’s “Fantasia”, into a work that is very much their own. Although this is essentially a cover album, The Bad Plus only use drums, bass, and piano to cover all the instruments that the original piece uses, so it is quite the task for these three talented men. If the original premiere was anything like this band’s version, then one can fully understand why a riot broke out over a century ago when listening to “The Augors of Spring”.

The beginning piano pounding off this song is extremely dramatic and could easily cause the mild-tempered to become crazed with anger. “The Glorification of the Chosen One” is my personal favorite piece from the whole ballet, mainly because of the many fast and swift time changes throughout, especially on piano. Another highlight is the amazing section of “The Sage/Dance of the Earth”. This piece starts quietly, as if trying to portray the morning stillness, then suddenly erupts into a bouncy, glorious afternoon of dance rhythms, primarily played by Dave King on Drums and pianist Ethan Iverson.

Album Lowlight: It’s quite hard to give a lowlight on this album because it is, after all, considered one the most important pieces in ballet or classical music. One lowlight would be that The Bad Plus took this long to put out a recording they have been playing live since 2011.

Takeaway: The Bad Plus took a chance with recording this masterpiece, and I feel that they succeeded with what they were setting out to do, which is to record an important piece of history while putting their own unique twist on it. Any fan of avant-garde jazz would enjoy this album immensely, while the traditionalist might find it hard to connect with such a wild style of play. I challenge anyone to listen to the original composition and then throw on The Bad Plus’s version and tell me that they’re not impressed with the group’s musical ability.

~Pete Mauch

Glenn Kotche – Adventureland

3-BamsTop Tracks:
“Anomaly: Mvt. I”
“Anomaly: Mvt. II”
“Anomaly: Mvt. VII”

Album Highlights: Glenn Kotche has found great success as Wilco’s drummer since the release of the classic Yankee Foxtrot Hotel. Throughout his tenure with Wilco, Kotche’s playful exploration of word percussion has become apparent with the implementation of unique items, such as hubcaps, to his drumset. And so it comes as no surprise his latest solo effort, Adventureland, is exactly that; an exploration in percussion that is both deep and diverse.

After hearing Kotche’s initial release Mobile, David Harrington of Kronos Quartet fame (a San Francisco based string quartet) asked Kotche to compose a piece for them. The result was Anomaly, a seven movement piece which provides the structure to Adventureland. The electronics-heavy album opener “Anomaly: Mvt. I” is the first signal of Kotche’s compositional talents in contemporary music. Static introduces perfect textures to this movement, creating a soundscape which simultaneously entrances and orients the listener to the ensuing movements.

“Anomaly: Mvt II” might be considered the only track that mimics a more conventional structure. The strings of the Kronos Quartet blend beautifully with the driving bass of the drums, creating melodic moments that are hard to come by throughout the rest of the album.

Anomaly, on the whole, is the true meat of Adventureland. The progressive nature of each of it’s movements creates a nice arc, leaving us with the more subdued “Anomaly: Mvt: VII” and one last taste of the Kronos Quartet’s gorgeous string melodies.

Album Lowlight: The intention behind contemporary works is to create aural environments that tell stories or relate feelings. Kotche’s compositions are certainly successful at this throughout Adventureland. However, some of the compositions such as “The Haunted” selections feel as though they lack the cohesion that is present in the “Anomaly” movements, as though a thread is missing between a few of the movements.

Takeaway: While Wilco may be on Glenn Kotche’s list of credentials, only the foolish would expect to hear anything reminiscent of Sky Blue Sky from this album. Adventureland is Kotche’s escape from all things Wilco. This album is an exploration into the loose musical structure only contemporary works will allow for, a modern take on an ancient form of musical expression. While it may be likely this album finds it’s audience with Berklee School of Music grads, I would like to bet with the right ear, many can come to appreciate Glenn Kotche’s ability to create such intricate compositions.

~Kory Thibeault

Filed Under: Featured, New Music, New Music Tuesday Tagged With: , , , ,

Showbams’ best live music photography of 2012

December 27, 2012 by 6 Comments

Ultraísta at The Independent – By Michael Frash
Ultraísta

Click a photo to view full size.
Click the band and venue link to view the photo’s full article.
Click the photographer name to view more photos.

M83 at Treasure Island Music Festival – By Marc Fong
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Future Islands at The Independent – By Maggie Corwin
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Die Antwoord at The Fox Theater – By Marc Fong
Die-Antwoord

Charles Bradley at Royce Hall – By Pete Mauch
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Santigold at The Fox Theater – By Michael Frash
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The Lumineers at The Chapel – By Marc Fong
The Lumineers

Best Coast at Treasure Island Music Festival – By Marc Fong
Best-Coast

The Faint at Regency Ballroom – By Michael Frash
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Yeasayer at The Fox Theater – By Marc Fong
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Japandroids at The Fillmore – By Michael Frash
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How To Dress Well at Rickshaw Stop – By Michael Frash
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Blondfire at Rickshaw Stop – By Maggie Corwin
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The xx at Treasure Island Music Festival – By Marc Fong
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Geographer at Bonfire Sessions – By Michael Frash
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Gossip at Treasure Island Music Festival – By Marc Fong
Gossip

Simian Mobile Disco at Mezzanine – By Michael Frash
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Devine Fits at Treasure Island Music Festival – By Marc Fong
Devine Fits

Knife Party at The Fox Theater – By Marc Fong
Knife-Party

Red Baraat at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass – By Michael Frash
Red-Baraat

Of Monsters and Men at Not So Silent Night – By Michael Frash
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Electric Guest at The Independent – By Michael Frash
Electric-Guest

Bloc Party at The Fox Theater – By Michael Frash
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Bombay Bicycle Club at The Fillmore – By Chaya Kranz
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Tame Impala at The Fillmore – By Michael Frash
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Matthew Dear at Treasure Island Music Festival – By Michael Frash
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Father John Misty at Bonfire Sessions – By Michael Frash
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Rufus & Martha Wainwright at The Fox Theater – By Marc Fong
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Bassnectar at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – By Marc Fong
Bassnectar

Jack White at Not So Silent Night – By Michael Frash
Jack-White

Sea Wolf at The Independent – By Marc Fong
Sea-Wolf

The Shins at Not So Silent Night – By Michael Frash
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Wilco at The Greek Theater – By Michael Frash
Wilco

White Fence at Bonfire Sessions – By Michael Frash
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Django Django at The Independent – By Michael Frash
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Justice at The Warfield – By Michael Frash
Justice

…And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead at The Independent – By Marc Fong
You Will Know Us...

Filed Under: Best of, Best of 2012, Featured Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Showbams’ best shows of 2012

December 23, 2012 by 2 Comments

Showbams contributors name their favorite shows of 2012.

It has been a top-notch year for live music, and we witnessed some great acts that have come through California over the past 12 months. Check out our favorite shows from 2012.

What was your favorite concert in 2012? Let us know in the comments below.

The xx at Treasure Island Music Festival

The xx at Treasure Island Music Festival

Mike Frash – San Francisco

1. Sigur Rós at Outside Lands Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – August 11th
Leaving Metallica for Sigur Rós to end the second day at Outside Lands was a torturous decision. Metallica was a warzone spectacle, but i stuck to my guns and headed to the Twin Peaks stage. I’m glad I did. Jonsi now conducts a mini orchestra, and the eerie SF fog lowered on command to the slow builds & crescendos. It was a spiritual show that effected me more than any other concert in 2012.

2. Japandroids at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – June 14th
Brian King and David Prowse brought ecstatic energy to the sold out Independent in June the week after Celebration Rock was released. Brian King understands how to control the pace of his set, offering fun pre-song statements that prepare you for what’s next. Their songs are vibrant live – it doesn’t sound like only two people are playing instruments. They truly seem to live the life they glorify on their 2012 album – still drinking, still smokin, and full of hyperactive desperation.

3. Phish (Night #3) at Bill Grahm Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – August 19th
The highly anticipated phish three-show SF run in August started off a bit slowly. Saturday’s show left me a little bummed about Phish due to some sloppy play (“Split open and melt”) and what felt like a lack of enthusiasm. I was questioning why I still see Phish live heading into the last show of the weekend. My lowered expectations combined with a killer show quashed those thoughts. “Crosseyed and Painless” > “Light” > “Sneakin’ Sally” > “Crosseyed” was some of the best Phish I’ve ever heard, “Boogie on” redeemed Stevie Wonder’s omission of the song at Outside Lands the week before, “Meatstick” made me really happy, and the San Francisco-mentioning “Ride Captain Ride” made a surprise encore appearance. The show was pure bliss.

4. The Rapture at Coachella – Indio, CA – April 13th
5. The xx at Treasure Island Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – October 14th
6. The Presets at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – October 12th
7. STS9 at High Sierra Music Festival – Quincy, CA – July 5th-6th
8. Head and the Heart at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass – San Francisco, CA – October 6th
9. Tame Impala at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – November 15th
10. My Morning Jacket at Greek Theatre Berkeley – Berkeley, CA – September 15th

Honorable Mentions:
Father John Misty at Jansport Bonfire – San Francisco, CA – September 30th
Of Monsters and Men at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – March 22nd

My Morning Jacket

My Morning Jacket at The Wiltern

Pete Mauch – Los Angeles

1. My Morning Jacket at The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA – September 13th
MMJ capped off the best three-night run I saw this year with this stellar closing show complete with a horns section. This is a big statement for a band I knew I loved but wasn’t fully convinced about until this night. Highlights: “All Night Long” and “Movin On Up” with horns.

2. Phish at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – August 19th
Phish played a terrific 3-night run, and topped off by an amazing Sunday night show that proves that Phish is still top of the Jam Scene. Highlight: Light > Sneakin Sally Through the Alley

3. Ryan Adams at Walt Disney Concert Hall – Los Angeles, CA – February 17th
Ryan Adams, an acoustic Guitar, and a Piano is all this show contained, and it was truly special. Adams’ classic songs stripped down with his raspy croons is all I needed to make this a top show of the year. Highlight: “Rescue Blues” on Piano “Holy Diver” on Guitar

4. Trey Anastasio and LA Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall – Los Angeles, CA – March 10th
5. Neil Young & Crazy Horse at Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA – October 17th
6. Charles Bradley with Menahan Street Band at Royce Hall – Los Angeles, CA – November 29th
7. Radiohead at Coachella Music Festival – Indio, CA – April 21st
8. Trombone Shorty at Key Club – West Hollywood, CA – February 11th
9. Wilco at Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA – January 24th
10. New Multitudes (tribute to Woody Guthrie) at Mayan Theater – Los Angeles, CA – March 7th

Honorable Mentions:
Phish at Long Beach Arena – Long Beach, CA – August 15th
String Cheese Incident at Greek Theatre Berkeley – Berkeley, CA – July 14th
Roger Waters presents “The Wall” at LA Memorial Coliseum – Los Angeles, CA – May 21st
Umphrey’s Mcgee (True Hollywood Stories acoustic show) at House of Blues – West Hollywood, CA – March 16th

The Faint

The Faint at The Regency Ballroom

Molly Kish – San Francisco

1. Radiohead at HP Pavilion – San Jose, CA – April 12th
After merely catching glimpses of them while shoved against thousands of festivalgoers at Outside Lands 2008, I was determined to catch Radiohead the next time they came through the Bay Area. The sound, visuals, performance and energy of the evening were electrifying. Although I was extremely lucky to have been viewing the concert from the sixth row, the entire crowd looked as though they were just as lost in the moment as I was. The band’s enigmatic stage presence, fully developed set composition and career-spanning choice of material made for one of the most collectively impressive concert experiences that I have ever witnessed.

2. Of Montreal with Deerhoof, Kishi Bashi at Slim’s – San Francisco, CA – March 22nd
As a long time Of Montreal fan, I was ecstatic to get the opportunity to interview their opening act and latest addition to the lineup (Kishi Bashi) the night of their Slim’s performance. It wasn’t only for the sake of getting a personal perspective on the band, but also due to the fact that this would actually be my first time catching them performing live. The entire show and evening that followed was everything I could’ve wanted for my first experience seeing Of Montreal. Accompanied by three screens of psychedelic visuals, various costumed extras, balloon drops, props and whole score of vaudevillian rivalry, the band took the crowd and venue by storm. During the encore to top it off, I was able to reconnect with Kishi Bashi and ended up initiating an after-party with the entire band, crew and record label affiliates at an industrial themed “dark carnival,” taking place across the street at local dive bar Butter. Several jello shots, deep-fried twinkies and contortionist carnie-prompted dance battles later, I looked around and felt assured that I had enough material to develop my own personal “Of Montreal” concert story contender.

3. The Presets at Treasure Island Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – October 13th
Completely blown away by their performance the night before, I was overwhelmed with excitement and intrigue to see how the Presets could accomplish translating such energy to a festival setting. Anyone who had caught their Treasure Island Music Festival opener at the Independent instantly was taken over by sensory recall as they broke into song almost right where they left us hanging less than 24 hours earlier. Almost in homage to those who witnessed them destroy their previous set, they picked the dance party up right where they left off, only this time kicking it up about ten notches with the accompanied stage show, visual intensity and professional grade sound of seasoned professionals. Completely upstaging their more commercially recognized headliner and showing the younger generation how it should be done, they stole the show and were easily the stand out act of the 2012 TIMF. To this day I still find myself saying that I wish I could continually be going to a Presets show, based off of the concert experience I had at these two performances.

4. Dan Deacon at Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA – October 23rd
5. Against Me! at The Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA – September 10th
6. The Faint at The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA – November 18th
7. Justice at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – November 4th
8. Metallica at Outside Lands Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – August 10th
9. Animal Collective at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – September 21st
10. The Shins at Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium – Santa Cruz, CA – April 22nd

Honorable Mentions:
Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Creators Project – San Francisco, CA – March 17th
Cold War Kids at Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA – March 5th
Dr. John at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – August 17th
Girl Talk at Sasquatch! Music Festival – George, WA – May 25th

David Byrnes & St. Vincent

David Byrnes & St. Vincent

Kevin Raos – San Francisco

1. David Byrne & St. Vincent at Orpheum Theater – San Francisco, CA – October 15th
This is my number one show of 2012 for a couple of reasons. First off, Love this Giant, the recently released collaborative album between Byrne and St. Vincent, was a major disappointment. One of my most anticipated albums of the year ended up being one of the most disappointing. All was redeemed, however, when I saw these songs performed live. The accompanying brass band and the chemistry on stage breathed new life into was I felt was a stale album. Playfully executed and precisely choreographed, these songs shined live.

Secondly, I am a huge David Byrne fan and was able to check a big one off my bucket list of musical artists. Byrne’s career needs no introduction, and this evening we were treated to a few Talking Heads classics such as “Burning Down the House”, “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” and “Like Humans Do”.

This show was simply a once in a lifetime experience.

2. Phish at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – August 19th
A three night run at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium was capped off with a masterful performance by jamband kings, Phish. The final night of the run was easily the best night as the band flexed their improvisational muscles in a blistering two-set performance, highlighted by covers of the Talking Heads’ “Crosseyed and Painless” and Robert Palmer’s “Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley.”

3. Sigur Rós at Outside Lands Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – August 11th
Sigur Rós on my birthday to cap off an unbelievable festival day? How could it possibly get any better? It can’t really.

4. Duo de Twang at Terrapin Crossroads – San Rafael, CA – October 4th
5. Keller Williams, Steve Kimock & Kyle Hollingsworth feat. Bernie Worrell, Wally Ingram & Andy Hess at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – October 7th
6. Miike Snow with Penguin Prison at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – April 12th
7. Washed Out at Mezzanine – San Francisco, CA – May 4th
8. Electric Guest at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – November 2nd
9. The Album Leaf with Blackbird Blackbird at Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA – September 30th
10. CITIZENS! with Tomorrow’s World, Lescop and Housse de Racket at Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco, CA – October 12th

Honorable Mentions:
Zee Avi at The New Parish – Oakland, CA – September 28th
M83 at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – April 22nd

Japandroids

Japandroids

Eric Shaden – San Francisco

1. D’Angelo at House of Blues – West Hollywood, CA – July 4th

2. Passion Pit at Rock en Seine – Paris, France – August 26th

3. STRFKR at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – January 7th

4. Stevie Wonder at Outside Lands Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – August 12th
5. Miike Snow with Penguin Prison at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – April 12th
6. A.Skillz + Krafty Kuts Presents Tricka Technology at MIGHTY – San Francisco, CA – June 1st
7. Aaron Freeman (Gene Ween) at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – October 19th
8. Japandroids at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – June 14th
9. Guns N’ Roses (Bridge School Benefit) at Shoreline Amphitheatre – Mountain View, CA – October 21st
10. Kid Koala (Vinyl Vaudeville Tour) at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – November 4th

The Lumineers

The Lumineers at The Chapel

Marc Fong – San Francisco

1. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros at Slim’s – San Francisco, CA – March 25th
It’s not often I gush like a school girl (only about once or twice a week), but seeing ESatMZ at Slim’s was panty dropping. Can I say that? Well, I just did. It was a secret/private show so Slim’s was overcrowded. I stood center stage close enough to see the dirt on Alex Ebert’s suit. The sound was great, and the band always puts on a damn fine show.

2. The Lumineers at The Chapel – San Francisco, CA – October 11th
LIVE 105 brought the Lumineers to newly opened Chapel in SF and the band didn’t disappoint. The venue was the perfect size for the band and like most of the other bands on this list, the Lumineers had fun playing and it made for a great show.

3. Kronos Quartet at Greek Theatre Berkeley – Berkeley, CA – October 5th
OK, this was really Amon Tobin’s show, but Kronos opened and performed beautifully. Being a longtime fan, it’s not a surprise these openers made my list. Great music from great performers. And the Greek Theatre in Berkeley was the best venue to see them at … and most other concerts.

4. Willie Nelson and Family at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – March 15th
5. Of Monsters and Men at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – May 22nd
6. Fun. at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – May 28th
7. Sage Francis at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – March 17th
8. Steve Aoki at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – January 21st
9. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – May 12th
10. Avicii at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – June 28th

Tame Impala at The Fillmore in November

Tame Impala at The Fillmore

Kevin Quandt – San Francisco

1. The Walkmen at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – January 20th-21st
These 10th anniversary shows were a Walkmen fan’s wet dream as they played their first album in full among multiple sets and configurations including a horn section. Over 30 songs of Hamilton Leithauser and company churning out their own brand of rock and roll to devote fans from across the States.

2. Refused with The Hives, The Bronx at The Warfield – San Francisco, CA – April 18th
Having seen their Coachella show a week prior, the anticipation was less palpable, yet the reigning post-punk champs delighted a more rowdy and dedicated crowd with a spirited set for the masses who patiently waited a decade to witness.

3. Trey Anastasio with Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall – Los Angeles, CA – March 10th
Dressing up for a show is fun, especially when Trey is at the helm of philharmonic symphony in one of the best rooms to hear, and see, music in. From the playful rendition of “Guyute” to the half hour “Time Turns Elasctic,” this night had the packed concert hall re-charmed by Ernest and his recharged song book.

4. Tame Impala at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – November 15th
5. Phish at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – August 19th
6. Woods & White Fence at The Chapel (Preservation Hall West) – San Francisco, CA – October 17th
7. Howlin Rain at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – February 18th
8. Radiohead at Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA – April 12th
9. Father John Misty with Har Mar Superstar at Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA – May 5th
10. Mala at Yoshi’s – Oakland, CA – June 23rd

Festival sets:
Sigur Rós at Outside Lands Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – August 11th
Future Islands at FYF Fest – Los Angeles, CA – September 1st
Flying Lotus at Coachella – Indio, CA – April 14th

Justice

Justice at The Warfield

Sean Little – San Francisco

1. Justice at The Warfield – San Francisco, CA – November 4th
What else is there to say about Justice that hasn’t already been said. They came, they saw, and they melted faces with an amazing set the blew fans away and converted first timers alike. At least half my friends decided to go last minute (tickets were still available because it was a Sunday) and all of them became huge fans. Some of these friends are not into electronic music of any kind either, so that really says something. It was one of those rare shows where you leave euphoric and can’t stop saying “wow” to the people you went with.

2. Florence & the Machine at Coachella – Indio, CA – April 15th
The only other performer I’ve ever seen that commanded an audience like Florence did was Snoop Dogg back in 02 at the Smoke Out (stop-you’re not better than me so put that eyebrow back down). It was one of the rare festival sets where everyone felt really in tune with the performer and each other, singing along and knowing when to interact with each other and the songs. She was absolutely amazing, and the set was a dark horse highlight to my festival as I didn’t expect her to command the audience like she did. She’s truly a presence.

Showbams

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Baltimore’s Future Islands dish at The Independent on the ‘happy mistakes’ in their music

September 17, 2012 by 2 Comments

Photos by Maggie Corwin // Written by Molly Kish //

Showbams spoke with Samuel Herring (vocals), William Cashion (bass) and Gerrit Welmers (keyboards) of Future Islands before their show in San Francisco at The Independent on September 4th, the night before the group left for Northwest Music Fest.

Showbams: Initially you all met when studying in East Carolina & formed Art Lord & the Self Portraits in 2003, reconfigured into Future Islands in 2006 and in 2008 relocated to Baltimore and recorded both Feathers & Hallways and In Evening Air. Through all the shifting lineups, recordings and locations, what made this particular one stick the most? What was it about you three?

Herring: I’ve actually know Garret since we were about 13/ 14 years old, and we were like best friends throughout high school, went off to college together and then I met William. Me and William, as soon as we met we became really close friends, and really started to bounce ideas off of eachother – crazy art ideas, musical ideas – and that’s when we started Art Lord. When we lost our fourth member who moved out of town for Art Lord, that finished that and we started Future Islands with another guy, and when that didn’t continue… It was really a lot of us just trusting in each other, like we’ve been through all the crazy times, the fights, especially me and Garrett at that point knowing each other for a long time, and me and William are always very similar so sometimes we get into it. We’d already been through all that stuff, and by the time we moved to Baltimore, I think we were just realizing that we all just wanted the same thing and we saw that in each other, we saw that in our group, and we’re just like “You want this, don’t you?” Because it’s what I want. And were all just, “Ya I want this.”

So I think it’s really just that dedication that we knew we could trust in each other, that we all wanted to be full time musicians, and that we were going to sacrifice everything to go for it, and that’s when the tables really turned for us.

Showbams: That full-level commitment thing — that’s important for any successful band to have the cohesive nature of everyone wanting it as much as the other one. You studied art and music throughout college. Was this something you wanted from the beginning to be the end result? Did you say, “I want to be in a band, I want this to be a full-time job”, or was it something that you naturally fell into?

Cashion: I’ve always wanted to be in a band. I had an ex-girlfriend that really pushed me to try visual art, I never really felt like an artist, then I decided I wanted to go into graphic design, then I had some friends I met in college that pushed me more toward a fine art kind of atmosphere. I thought art school was a pretty cool place to go, a lot of bands I like – Devo, Talking Heads – they all went to art school. Honestly, I did think about that and I wanted to be in a band for sure that toured. But ya, I guess it’s worked out, so far. (laughs) I’m not sure if all of us felt that way…

Herring: When I went off to school I didn’t have any intention of starting a band. I was really into hip-hop stuff and I was leaning more to doing that type of stuff. But I was really just into performance art and conceptual art. So I thought I was going to be this, this ‘great artist’ and music kind of took ahold of me completely. And I was able to find that sort of performance release in music, and that’s something that I still have. So it’s kind of a funny, full circle, how when I was 18 /19 I was trying to find the perfect way to blend my words, and performance, but also two dimensional, three dimensional works, like how do you do that? I was always trying to figure that out. And through music, I’ve been able to kind of, find that place, through performance and the use of my words.

Welmers: Well, I hated art school and nor did I think I was going to be in a band. But then we started playing together and it was pretty cool. It just worked out.

Showbams: Do you feel as though you can correlate the experiences that you had meeting each other, first starting out in the band together with the work that you do today? Do you see a large growth from where you began or is it something that easily transpired into where you guys are right now?

Herring: There’s definitely a growth, and that’s us just maturing as humans, or as individuals and also as a group. Well especially these two, they’ve always had an amazing chemistry musically together, and that’s something that’s kind of been there since the start and it continues. I know my writing has changed a lot. Just as I’ve tried and failed at certain things, and succeeded in some areas, and figuring out different ways to say things. We’ve of course grown a lot, but we’re still working with a similar palate that we started with, and we’re just finding new ways to use it. Kind of just through life experience, you know the songs are very much just linked to what’s happening in our lives. As we live we have more material to write from to figure things out. So it’s growing with us.

Showbams: In your recording process, you choose really interesting places to record. You choose a very different landscape than other artists would go with. “Wave Like Home” was done at a skate shop. “On the Water” was done at the Andrew Sanders house, both of which are a little obscure for a work place. Did you feel as though you wanted to branch out and do something different than going into the typical studio?

Cashion: We just got our start with Art Lord. hanging a microphone on the ceiling fan, that was turned off. We would do tests and put the amps in different places, and just make it so that everything was even, that’s kind of how we got our start. All of the old Art Lord EP’s are kind of recorded like that just live, in a room, no overdubs just straight to tape. Art Lord back in the day used to got to studio’s and it was just always a train wreck, it sounded horrible. It sounded good in a room but not so much in a sterile lifeless studio. So when you record some place like a skate shop or in somebody’s house there’s already that built in character. There’s tricks in the studio to fake it, but we have always felt more comfortable just in a place like that. We can live there, there’s a kitchen and we save a lot of money too.

Showbams: Do you feel your choice in studio location, impacts the work you produce on your album? Were the inclusion of field recordings something that you guys wanted to do off the bat or was it an idea that came during the process?

Herring: With “On the Water”, the house that we recorded at just kind of actually fell into our laps. A good friend of our Abe was moving back down from Baltimore to North Carolina for the summer and he basically was kind of lonely and said ‘hey come and hang out,’ and we asked him if we could record there and he said ‘yeah totally.’ So we just loaded up the van with all of our gear and Chester our producer’s gear and just headed down there for ten days. It was kind of a perfect thing, we got to hang out w/a good friend and he was the one that ended up doing the ‘Before the Bridge’ video and that’s all through that house that we recorded in, so it was really kind of touching. He actually named that song too.

I think it’s those kind of happy mistakes that our music is all about. The kind of serendipitous elements of creating and finding inspiration in creating. Being inspired to create, but you know you’re with your friends and your creating sound and then things just happen! I know that we didn’t think about a lot of those field recording elements until we started to put down the album and we realized in those ten days that we were recording how some of those elements could work. Like ‘Tybee Island,’ we didn’t have any clue how we were going to record that song until we went down to the beach and decide to have a day to do some recording there as well.

Showbams: Throughout your body of work you touch upon a lot of passages of travel and cycles both literal and emotional, is this something that you consciously create or that naturally manifests?

Herring: We, of course, want to make an album that flows and within that a circularity. With ‘On the water,’ it was important for me to have it flow back into itself, which is simply done by having the sounds that lead you in be the sounds that lead you out and back in again. I miss that though from when I was a kid and I would listen to these sixty to seventy five minute hip hop albums that were just these unfolding things. Whether you listen to ‘Three Feet High and Rising,’ or De La Soul’s ‘Dead,’ or “Blue Mind State,’ it’s like a seamless thing and I really appreciate that. When I got into indie rock, I didn’t find that as much and I think all of us are into creating really full albums that can exist completely on their own.

We’re doing it ourselves so we can take these chances, I think w/bigger labels they may ask you for a little bit more out of what you do and we still really push ourselves to do what we want to. We have that luxury b/c we’ve been doing this a long time. We took some chances with “On the Water”. Nothing crazy, no noise jams or anything, but more with the way we were writing and chose to display ourselves.

Showbams: There have been a lot of artists you guys have worked with: Lonnie Walker, Dan Deacon and Wye Oak. Is there anyone you would like to work with in the future, or do you just figure it out accordingly?

Cashion: We’ve been talking about doing a supergroup with Wye Oak, which maybe that’ll happen (should I have not have talked about that, is that top secret)? We’ve been talking about getting together w/them and writing some songs, seeing what happens. I guess we all have different people we’d like to work with, Brian Eno of course would be super cool. Richard James of Aphex Twin, James Murphy.

Herring: I’d love to sing a duet with Joanna Newsome, I think our voices would be really interesting together. Garret is going to have Dave Lombardo play drums on his next album.

Showbams: I know recently you guys released a 7″ with Ed Shrader’s Music Beat, which is the second release from Less Artist More Condo’s Series (LAMC), in reference to concerts that Ariel Primero from the NYC label Famous Class, used to put on. I know there’s a story behind the album, can you elaborate?

Cashion: Our friend Cyrus runs the label, he’s really good friends with Ariel. who about a year ago passed away and there’s a series of albums in memory of him. Each of the 7″ are available for download in a pay what you want w/ all the money going to a VH1 Save the Music Fund in Ariel’s name. Which basically means money goes to public school’s for music education funding, it’s a really good cause. They choose the band that’s going to be on the A Side and then they want those bands to choose lesser known bands in hopes that they’ll get more attention and for us it was an easy choice, Ed Shrader’s Music Beat. Those guys toured the US w/us all last year and they’re also our roommates. They have some really great, new and interesting stuff w/music that I think more people should hear. Their debut is amazing and I’m really excited for what’s going to be next w/those guys. They’re like the next wave of American, underground DIY.

Herring: You can go to Load Record’s to find out more abut Ed Shrader’s Music Beat, their album Jazz Mind came out earlier on this year, but you can find that 7″ at Famous Class, too. The cover of the 7″ is a picture of Ed’s cat and Garret’s cat, the two band cats, they make sure the house is cool back home.

Filed Under: Featured, Interviews Tagged With: ,

PHOTOS: FYF Fest 2012

September 6, 2012 by 1 Comment

FYF Fest 2012By Pete Mauch //

FYF Fest //
LA State Historic Park – Los Angeles
September 1st-2nd, 2012 //

We hit FYF Fest in LA last weekend to cover the two-day music festival for our first time.

With headliners Refused, M83 and Beirut leading the way, the 2012 edition also boasted an outstanding undercard featuring sets by James Blake, Yeasayer, Desaparecidos, Sleigh Bells, Simian Mobile Disco, Dinosaur Jr., Warpaint, Twin Shadow, Cursive, Liars, Chromatics, HEALTH, Fucked Up, Future Islands, Tycho, Purity Ring, Baroness, Gold Panda, Aesop Rock, Cloud Nothings, Father John Misty, Dâm-Funk, Wild Nothing, The Allah Las and more.

Check out our full gallery of photos here and favorite performances from the weekend here.

FYF Fest 2012 - Aesop Rock

FYF Fest 2012 - Warpaint

FYF Fest 2012 - Yeasayer

FYF Fest 2012 - Chromatics

FYF Fest 2012 - AA-BONDY

FYF Fest 2012 - Nicolas Jaar

FYF Fest 2012 - Dinosaur Jr.

FYF Fest 2012 - Dinosaur Jr.

FYF Fest 2012 - Dinosaur Jr.

FYF Fest 2012

FYF Fest 2012 - Twin Shadow

FYF Fest 2012 - Chairlift

FYF Fest 2012

Filed Under: Festivals, Photos Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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