Category: Concerts (Page 22 of 47)

SXSW, RedGorilla Music Fest And Austin, Texas

March 24, 2009 /

SXSW 2009

I spent the last seven days in Austin, TX immersed in live music from both SXSW and an independent music festival called RedGorilla Music Fest.

If you haven’t heard of RedGorilla, it’s a renegade festival started by Brian Waymire and Chris York, of Dreamscapers International.  The pair is based out of both Nashville and Austin, and focus on discovering and promoting the best in independent music today.  While RedGorilla is in no way associated with SXSW, they do have an unmistakably large presence in Austin, during the same week as the mother festival, with 11 venues and over 500 bands playing up and down 6th st.  This year the RedGorilla lineup was killer, and featured The Matches, The Effects, The Hollywood Kills, Luna Halo, AutoVaughn, Dizzy Balloon, and many more.

I started the week off strong, seeing The Matches playing a killer set for SXSW, and then two secret shows for RedGorilla.  All three were incredible and even in the Texas heat people were dancing their little hearts out to staples like, “Papercut Skin” and “Sunburn Vs. The Rhinovirus.”  Complete with new bassist Dylan Rowe these Oakland rockers brought a taste of nor-cal to Austin in all the right ways.

I caught some incredible pop/rock from The Hollywood Kills Friday and Saturday night at RedGorilla.  This little band from Nashville is making big waves thanks to a polished sound that has evolved from garage rock to commercially shiny, alternative pop/rock.  There’s an element to their live performance that instantly draws you in and, whether you like it or not, keeps you dancing to their tunes all night long.  If you haven’t heard of THK yet, make sure to check out CakeOrDeath Productions for a FREE DOWNLOAD of four songs off their new record Idiot’s Guide To Desertion

One of the many surprises I encountered over the week was Ace Enders’ set at the Photo Finish Records Showcase for SXSW on Friday.  Formerly of The Early November, Ace played some new tunes for the Audience for the Recover Reunion show and had everyone’s ears on him.  It was great to hear the new project and get a tast of what’s to come from such a talented artist.  Make sure to check out Ace Enders And A Million Different People’s new record When I Hit The Ground asap.  You’ll love it!

Another high point of RedGorilla was Tulsa, Oklahoma rockers The Effects.  Now, these guys wouldn’t usually fall into a category of music I normally keep on shuffle, but after seeing them live all that has changed.  These boys are 100% rock ‘n roll.  They’ve put a sparkly millennial twist on classic rock with screaming guitar solos, and beats that keep your eyes fixed on drummer Erin to see what he’s going to lay down next.  The one drawback to The Effects is that they don’t currently have recordings that do them justice.  This is a live band through and through, and to truly experience the magic of their music you have to see them live.  So…make sure you check out their MySpace for a complete list of upcoming tour dates near you.

One final experience I’d like to share with everyone was a set by a somewhat unknown band called Dizzy Balloon.  Hailing from Oakland, CA this five-some is everything I could have ever asked for in a new band.  They’ve got the looks, the sound, the stage presence, and the personality to take them straight to the top.  With their Beatles-inspired sound and insanely catchy tunes like, “Raise A Glass” and “Chinatown” Dizzy Balloon kicked ass this week at RedGorilla.  I was most impressed by a cover they did of “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” by the Beatles.  At first listen you wouldn’t think their poppy sound fits with the appropriately named, heavy tune, but DB pulled out all the stops on this one, mimicking the iconic song effortlessly, while still putting a signature twist on the classic riffs and turn-arounds that define it.  There’s a clear Beatles influence in Dizzy Balloon’s sound, and this was a perfect cover to round out their phenomenal set this weekend.

Whether you were in Austin for SXSW, RedGorilla, or even Texas Rock Fest this week, all the music on 6th St. was amazing.  Live music has the power to move people, bring people together, and keep them coming back for more long after their first listen, and that’s what all these festivals are about.  A good band is a good band, but a good band that is also good live automatically becomes a great band, surpassing the hordes of wanna-be’s and has beens chasing fame without a prayer.  Thanks to all the amazing bands for playing your hearts out at all three festivals, and making the trip to Austin to share your music with people that truly appreciate it.

Peace

Concerts

Spinal Tap Rockers: “Unwigged & Unplugged”

March 3, 2009 /

The Spinal Tap gang is back.

They’ve put the wigs in a closet and kept the mini-Stonehenge in storage, but the members of Spinal Tap are back onstage. Not in character as the comical and perpetually washed up metal act, but as themselves: actor-musicians Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, together performing an acoustic “Funky Sex Farm,” adding vocal grunts and heavy breathing between lyrics. “Getting out my pitch fork/ Poking your hay …”

It’s part of a medley of tunes at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California, on Monday to announce what amounts to a busy year in 2009, with a 30-city “Unwigged & Unplugged” tour beginning April 17th in Vancouver. The trio is also finishing a new Spinal Tap album, combining studio re-recordings of songs from the original film and brand new material.

Artists, Concerts, News

Stevie Wonder at the White House

February 27, 2009 /

With Barack Obama in the White House, we have a president who doesn’t go to bed at 9:30 with a glass of warm milk. President Obama and Michelle Obama like to have fun, and Stevie Wonder rocked the White House the other night.

The East Room of the White House, normally a place for staid presidential news conferences and other Washington happenings, was switched into a nightclub Wednesday night as Stevie Wonder stepped inside and rocked the house.

Wonder was the winner of The Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize, which was bestowed on him by President Obama.

In a celebration to be broadcast on PBS Thursday night, Wonder serenaded the first couple, kicking things off with a version of “Sir Duke” and later Wonder classics like “Isn’t She Lovely” and “Superstition.”

But the night was also a tribute to Wonder. Tony Bennett, Paul Simon, Will.i.am and Martina McBride all paraded though, each with their own rendition of Wonder’s hits.

President Obama and Michelle Obama, in an elegant emerald gown, along with Vice President Biden and his wife Jill, took in the show from the front row.

Good stuff.

Artists, Concerts, External Music, News

Ticketmaster and Live Nation announce merger

February 11, 2009 /

The merger is valued at $2.5 billion and the surviving company will be called Live Nation Entertainment.

The deal is subject to the usual legal issues, including regulatory review, and there’s sure to be some pressure against it from the music industry and others who see this consolidation as a threat.

—Management: A lot of ego to fit into one space … Barry Diller, chairman of Ticketmaster Entertainment, will be chairman of the board with Michael Rapino, now CEO of Live Nation, as CEO and president, and Irving Azoff, now CEO of Ticketmaster, as executive chairman and CEO of Front Line.

—The name change: Dropping the Ticketmaster brand in favor of Live Nation could be the first step toward distancing the new company from the negative press surrounding the long-standing ticketing giant. A WSJ source said management wants to diminish the impression that the “company is out to gouge” consumers—as concert-goers have long complained about the service fees Ticketmaster tacks on to ticket prices.

It will be interesting to see if this passes the anti-trust test. I suspect they will have some trouble, but who knows.

The news is coming at a time when Ticketmaster is struggling with some bad press following the Springsteen ticket fiasco.

Bruce Springsteen has responded to his fans’ outcry following Ticketmaster’s problem-laden sale of his Working on a Dream tour tickets earlier this week. Countless fans reported technical malfunctions during the onsale, while others complained that Ticketmaster forwarded them to the company’s secondary ticket site, TicketsNow, even though seats were still available through Ticketmaster. The New Jersey Attorney General has also announced an investigation into the sale. Ticketmaster has since issued an apology to Springsteen, and vowed to make amends to confused fans.

“Last Monday, we were informed that Ticketmaster was redirecting your log-in requests for tickets at face value, to their secondary site TicketsNow, which specializes in up-selling tickets at above face value. They did this even when other seats remained available at face value. We condemn this practice,” Springsteen and his tour team said in a letter posted on Bruce’s official site. “We have asked this redirection from Ticketmaster to TicketsNow cease and desist immediately and Ticketmaster has agreed to do so in the future and has removed its unwanted material from their and our site.”

As for the merger, Bruce wasn’t very supportive of that idea.

Springsteen isn’t keen on the idea of a Live Nation Ticketmaster merge either. “A final point for now: the one thing that would make the current ticket situation even worse for the fan than it is now would be Ticketmaster and Live Nation coming up with a single system, thereby returning us to a near monopoly situation in music ticketing,” Springsteen writes. “If you, like us, oppose that idea, you should make it known to your representatives.”

Artists, Concerts, External Music, News

Bruce blogs the Super Bowl

February 11, 2009 /

Bruce Springsteen has written a journal on his web site about his Super Bowl experience.

Since the inception of our band it was our ambition to play for everyone. We’ve achieved a lot but we haven’t achieved that. Our audience remains tribal…that is predominantly white. On occasion, the Inaugural Concert, during a political campaign, touring through Africa in ’88, particularly in Cleveland with President Obama, I looked out and sang “Promised Land” to the audience I intended it for, young people, old people, black, white, brown, cutting across religious and class lines. That’s who I’m singing to today. Today we play for everyone. I pull myself upright with the mike stand back into the world, this world, my world, the one with everybody in it and the stadium, the crowd, my band, my best friends, my wife come rushing into view and it’s “teardrops on the city…”

I know I’m biased as a big Springsteen fan, but I felt he really delivered an exceptional performance for the Super Bowl. The song selection was excellent, and he delivered a 12-minute party that most people enjoyed. Even Howard Stern, who loves to criticize Bruce, argued that is was a fantastic performance.

Artists, Concerts

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