Category: Alternative (Page 118 of 155)

Lollapalooza, Day 2: Gaga for an unsigned act

August 5, 2007 / David Medsker

With constant cloud cover and a 15-degree drop in temperature, this was the most picture-perfect weather an all-day concert fan could possibly ask for after being burned to death the day before. And with better weather came a much better day of performances. Oh, and BE writer James Eldred assures us that Daft Punk was “fucking incredible” on Friday. Sigh,.

2:30: Silverchair, AT&T stage
David: The quote of the day came with the first band I saw: “I had a dream that I vomited dolphins.” And laugh all you want about Australia ‘s teenage answer to Pearl Jam playing Lolla, but these guys freaking brought it live. I just got a copy of their new album. I can’t wait to hear it.

3:00: Lady Gaga, BMI
Jason: Ho-ly shit. What the hell did I just witness? Lady Gaga came out and rocked on keyboards and vocals while Lady Starlight DJd and go-go danced on the stage! They were both scantily clad and oh so luscious. Lady Gaga’s only 20 years old and is making amazing music. Check her out!

3:30: Motion City Soundtrack, MySpace stage
David: At the risk of dating myself – which is illegal where I come from, bad um bump – I had never heard of this band in my life. But they were the kind of band that I’d be okay with my kids listening to. Sounded good, seemed to be decent human beings, and their drummer was damn good.

4:30: The Roots, Bud Light stage
David: So, these guys write songs of their own, right? Half of their set consisted of covers, including, God help us, Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend.” I know that lots of people love the Roots, but this was not their finest hour

5:00: Roky Erickson & The Explosives, PlayStation
Jason: Oh. My. God. Roky fucking Erikson came out and blew the place away with his psychedelic blues. Just incredible. This is a legend we’re talking about people, and the man did not disappoint. It was everything great, real rock and roll should be and then some. I witnessed history, folks, and even Jeff Tweedy showed up in the crowd. Beautiful.

5:30: Regina Spektor, Adidas stage
David: So, so cute. Like eat-you-all-up cute. During one song, she whacked a drum stick on a chair while singing and playing piano with one hand. Adorable.

6:30: Snow Patrol, Bud Light stage
David: Sounded fab, but not terribly engaging. The bit where they spoke of Spider-Man (I was out of view of the stage) was funny. Someone must have come up onstage for a snog.

7:30: Patti Smith, Adidas
Jason: What was gonna top Roky? Nothing, but Patti equaled him. Patti’s 61 this year and is still as powerful as ever. It was if she was exorcising herself and the crowd as the rain came down and she and her band thundered through “Gloria” and a ton of other rockers. I am so glad I opted to see Patti instead of Spoon, as I had originally scheduled. This was powerful, earth-moving stuff.

7:30: Spoon, Myspace stage
David: I like Spoon, I really do. But they bore me to tears live. Three songs in, we left to get as close as we can to see Muse.

8:30 – Interpol, Bud Light
Jason: Yeesh. What’s this wannabe Bauhaus stuff? I’m not sure what the big draw to this band is, having now heard them live. Needless to say they were not anywhere close to matching the entertainment and excitement I witnessed from the three prior acts. Ah well, it was a wonderful day overall filled with amazing music and performances.

8:30: Muse, AT&T stage
David: As BE’s resident Muse nut, I have to say that I was slightly disappointed with the set list. “Butterflies and Hurricanes,” YES. A whole bunch of mellow piano songs in the middle of the set, NO. But “Knights of Cydonia” freaking killed. “No one’s gonna taaaaaake meeeee aliiiiiiiiiive…”

Alternative, Artists, Concerts, Lollapalooza, Rock, Songs

Lollapalooza Day 1: Hot hot heat

August 3, 2007 / David Medsker

It was near 90 and cloudless. A faint breeze blew around far too infrequently. And everything, it appeared, was much louder.

The main stages aren’t in the corners this year. The AT&T stage and Bud Light stage point due north and due south, respectively…and you can hear the bands on those stages for miles. Which is fine, when the mix job is done right. When it’s not, it’s death. We were a quarter mile away from one band, and they still hurt our ears. Who’s at the mixing board, Pete Townshend?

11:30: Rock for Kids Youth Jam Band, Kidzapalooza stage
Jason: Unfortunately this first little act I caught sounded more like an informal session than a real gig. Did these kids “jam?” It’s hard to say.

11:15: The Helicopters, Citibank stage
Jason: I caught the middle and end of this band’s set, a local group playing as part of the “Last Band Standing.” They rocked the hell out of the stage and made me an instant fan. The “modern rock” tag doesn’t always have to be bad, and these guys are proof.

11:45: The Fratellis, MySpace stage
David: Easily the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen at Lolla for a band playing this early, but the fans were rewarded for their troubles, even though the band admitted it was a tad early for them (“We’ll be good by the end of the set.”) They weren’t much to look at in terms of stage presence, but they sounded fabulous. “Chelsea Dagger” has the best drunken barroom chorus since “Tubthumping.”

12:00: Illinois, Citibank stage
This Pennsylvania group sports a lead singer who also doubles on banjo and keyboards. These guys sounded great, despite their second song being riddled with microphone and keyboard problems. Nevertheless, Illinois persevered and the crowd enjoyed them muchly.

1:00: Improv Comedy: The Second City, MOTO Mindfield stage
Jason: This, along with the Helicopters, was my favorite thing I saw on the first day. These guys seemed to do skits instead of improv, but they were hilarious, combining short films and live sketches. Absolutely hilarious. I wanna see ‘em again.

1:30: Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, MySpace stage
David: To paraphrase Morrissey, I was bored before it even began. Off to the north side to see the Polyphonic Spree.

2:30: Polyphonic Spree, Bud Light stage
David: Man, I can’t tell you how disappointed I was by the Spree. With all of those people onstage, I expected a party. What we got instead was the worst mix job in Lolla history, and the loudest band in Lolla history, thus making it even more unfortunate that the mix job was so bad. I was a good 100 yards from the stage and wearing earplugs, and they still hurt my ears. Time to go check out Jack’s Mannequin

2:30: Jack’s Mannequin, AT&T stage
David: I’ve seen these guys before, and they’re very good. We watched a good chunk of their set (after the 10-minute walk from the north side stages) from the AT&T Oasis, just to get a break from the sun.

3:30: Slightly Stoopid, MySpace stage
David: Who the hell are these guys? What started off as harmless reggae turned into an unopened love letter to the Beastie Boys. We were so annoyed that we went to get something to eat…

…and never came back.

We would like to send our deepest apologies to Daft Punk (currently playing as we post this piece), but when you’re staring down a four and a half-hour wait until the next band you give a damn about takes the stage, it’s difficult to rationalize subjecting yourself to such brutal conditions for no reason. We’re arriving a little bit later tomorrow, since there is no way we’re missing Muse and Interpol. Though Jason may require a trip to the disabled list after the wear and tear he suffered on his first day.

Alternative, Concerts, Lollapalooza, Rock, Songs

Road Warriors 26

August 3, 2007 / Mike Farley

The inaugural Echo Project Day Green Music & Arts Festival is set to debut in Atlanta October 12-14, and the initial list of performers includes The Killers, Cypress Hill, Polyphonic Spree, and The Roots. The goal of the fest is to revolutionize how music and arts affect our environment. Tickets went on sale July 30 and are available at www.the-echoproject.com.

The Squirrel Nut Zippers are bringing their reunion tour to the East Coast, the first time the band has played there in almost seven years. After playing Philly on August 21, the band plans to tour through Rhode Island and New York City as well. Fans can go to www.snzippers.com for more information.

Country music star Reba McEntire is releasing her new album, Reba Duets, on September 18 and is hitting the road in advance of it. Here are the confirmed dates so far:

08/03/2007 Hollywood, CA Hollywood Bowl
08/04/2007 Hollywood, CA Hollywood Bowl
08/05/2007 Hollywood, CA Hollywood Bowl
08/24/2007 Fresno, CA Chukchansi Park
08/25/2007 Lancaster, CA Antelope Valley Fair
08/26/2007 Kelseyville, CA Konocti Harbor Ampitheatre
08/31/2007 Morton, MN Jackpot Junction Casino Hotel
09/08/2007 Orlando, FL UCF Arena
09/14/2007 Puyallup, WA Puyallup Fair

The Beastie Boys have added dates to their already-sold-out tour, including full-scale shows and Gala Event Exclusive Instrumental shows. The band is also doing its part to help the environment, by donating $1 for every ticket sold to the EcoFund through non-profit organization ARIA (Artists Resources In Action). Here is the full schedule Continue reading »

Alternative, Concerts, Country, Hip Hop, Pop, Rock

Lollapalooza 2007: The calm before the storm

August 3, 2007 / David Medsker

Had an interesting day in terms of getting a visitor pass (the Midway kiosk was broken), and getting into the hotel (they didn’t have our names on the reservation, only the name of our fearless leader, who was in Kiev), but about six glasses of Jack Daniel’s made all of our problems go away. (As Homer Simpson will tell you, alcohol is the cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.)

The weather forecast isn’t nearly as bad as we feared. It’s only supposed to get up to 87 degrees, which is a huge improvement over, say, the 105-degree heat of 2005. First up: the Fratellis, who hit the stage before lunch (11:45). I’m also particularly stoked to see Polyphonic Spree, and it’ll be interesting to see if LCD Soundsystem can live up to their ridiculous hype in concert. Stay tuned, kids. In the meantime, go watch Daft Punk’s videos on YouTube and start working on your robot dance.

Alternative, Concerts, Lollapalooza, Rock, Songs

Will Harris brands Jack White arsehole

August 2, 2007 / Will Harris

It’s only fair, after all, what with this NME article, Jack White brands journalists lazy.

In the short piece – which is undoubtedly part of a longer rant, but you know me: as a journalist, I can’t be bothered to confirm that – White declared, “Journalists are inherently the laziest people on earth. Even in the age of Google, they don’t do any work to check what they’re writing about. I’d say 90 per cent of what they get is from the press release. We have fun putting things in there – like in the press release for ‘Elephant’, somebody inserted a joke about how none of our studio equipment was made after 1963. Before you knew it, people thought we wouldn’t touch a piece of equipment unless it’s 60 years old or something! It gets to the point where you’re answering questions based on a joke somebody made.”

Okay, first off, if I’m putting together a piece and it falls to me to provide a fact or figure, then I absolutely confirm its accuracy before I place it within whatever I’m writing. Honestly, who wouldn’t? White’s right about one thing, at least: in the age of Google, where just about any answer is available at your fingertips within mere seconds, there’s absolutely no reason not to check your facts.

But, see, here’s the inherent problem with White’s jackarsery: why in the hell would a journalist Google something from a press release?

Dude, your band put the fucking thing out! I mean, I write press releases and bios for bands all the time, and I would never knowingly and willfully put a fake bit of information into either one of them. Why? Because there’s a very reasonable presumption that you’re going to include accurate information in those things!

Similarly, while I know bands love to just make shit up to fuck with the writers that bore or irritate them, there’s no reason for most writers to presume that the person they’re interviewing is going to give them a statement about themselves that needs to be fact-checked. One of my first-ever interview was with Sean Kelly, lead singer of The Samples, and he fed me eight kinds of shit about the various between-album hobbies of his bandmates, offering claims that one of them followed ornithological pursuits, while another made mirrors in his spare time…and me being a squeaky-clean young intern, I ate it up like it was ambrosia, running his comments intact in the piece.

Ouch.

Now, mind you, years later, I ended up writing The Samples’ official bio, and a not-very-chagrined Kelly apologized with a laugh, saying it was all in good-natured fun…and I was cool with that.

This, however, isn’t cool at all.

This is Jack White, one of the biggest alt-rock figures of the 21st century, basically telling the journalists who’ve praised their work for the last several years, “We put a bunch of bullshit in our press releases, and if you accept it at face value, then you’re a lazy dumb-ass.”

Actually, I’m pretty sure Jack White’s the only real dumb-ass in this situation. I mean, clearly, the journalists he’s just railed against will be extracting their revenge in the pages of their respective publications. Of course, I’m sure he’s of the belief that it won’t matter, and that the fans will still keep buying White Stripes albums as much as they always did…and, even worse, he’s probably right.

But that doesn’t make him any less of a dumb-ass.

Alternative, Artists, External Music, News, Rock