Really loved this video that Brandon Sloan put together on this year’s Wakarusa Music Festival, an often overshadowed festival event in the currently crowded space occupied by the Bonnaroos and Coachellas of the world. Given that I’m in a car on my way up to High Sierra and I brought my cameras to get as much coverage as possible, I figured I’d finally drop this as inspiration.
Great work, Brandon.
Yeah! It’s finally time for this year’s High Sierra Music Festival up in Quincy, CA, and my crew in Camp Cock Awe has already secured a healthy chunk of Big Meadow to get ready for the music starting today at 12pm noon. My out-of-office is officially on and I’ll only get a minor chance to check in on what’s happening at Phish Super Ball IX (for coverage, stay up on the twitters and especially @YEMblog and @ohkeepahblog) because of the awesome disconnection factor that comes with a weekend away in the mountains. I like to take this festival easy, play the schedule by ear and mood, and enjoy a ton of time with my friends. This year, my band is also bringing their gear up to play a guerrilla style set at our camp (not to mention a potential kickball set if the mood is right). All in all, it’s once-again shaping up to me one of my favorite weekends of the year in Northern California and I’ll be tweeting as much as possible at @LiveMusicBlog if you’re interested in following along with my antics.
Here’s what I’m thinking I’ll hit in the next few days…
My ride leaves in an hour or so and I’ll be making it up there right in time for Zack Deputy on the Big Meadow stage, which will segue me nicely into my first time catching Big Gigantic. Their live electronica approach is going to be inspirational for me and they’re first on the my list of must-see’s this weekend.
Big Gigantic (Big Meadow Stage, 7:15pm)
From there, I move back to Camp Cock Awe, drink some whiskey, and move swiftly into the Vaudeville Tent to catch Beats Antique.
Beats Antique (Vaudeville Tent, 9:15pm)
I’ve only caught them once previously at last year’s festival, so I feel like I may need to spend time on this and get my groove on. Then I’m likely onto the late-nights or planning my own with NVO, my rad-ass electronic project that you’ll hear more about in the near future.
For Friday’s lineup, I’ll be sampling some of the artists I’m not familiar with like The Brothers Comatose, Mia Dyson and The Sweetback Sisters. The main stage catches my interest by the time The Travelin’ McCourys hit the stage at 2pm, but I’m really going to paying the most attention to the Dumpstaphunk slot on the Grandstand at 4pm.
Dumpstaphunk (Grandstand, 4pm)
Following this recent public spat, departure and replacement of drummer Raymond Weber with Nikki Glaspie (drummer for Beyonce), I’m not expecting them to be firing on all cylinders right away. That said, Glaspie can absolutely slam on the drums and I got to see her sit in over the course of a few different sets at this year’s Jazz Fest. I left thoroughly impressed each time and got to shake her hand at the Maple Leaf to tell her how awesome she is. I can’t miss this set at all.
Yonder Mountain String Band (Grandstand, 6:15pm)
I caught this set shown in the video above and I’ve seen YMSB a few times over the years; they’ve definitely become a festival must-see and always deliver a technically flawless set of amazing bluegrass tunes and some serious harmonies and melodies that always make me wish I gave bluegrass more of a chance over the years. Must. see.
My Morning Jacket (Grandstand, 9pm)
Wonderful, indeed. The obvious must-see for me is a band that needs no introduction or enhanced level of fluffing above and beyond what we’ve already put into this music blog; you know I love My Morning Jacket and Jim James, as you should also be loving this band. I can’t wait to see how they relate to the High Sierra audience.
Oh wait, do I choose the Big Gigantic and Beats Antique late night and completely change my schedule that I have planned for tonight? Uhm…maybe.
I’ll check back in from the festival and throw up a few choice picks for Saturday and Sunday…
On Saturday night I caught White Denim at the Bowery Ballroom and, as expected, I was blown away with their live show. Holy shit, do I love this band!
White Denim’s latest release – D – has quickly become one of my favorite albums of 2011, so it was great to hear the album live nearly in its entirety along with some deep-cuts from the bands full catalog. They opened with a similar non-stop song attack to this live segment I posted last week. But, believe it or not, they played it with even more energy.
Frontman James Petralli is a monster, not only taking on vocal duties with a grit and growl, but deftly handling rhythmic riffs and trading leads with their new second guitarist, Austin Jenkins. The rhythm section — with Joshua Block on drums and Steve Terebecki on bass — provides a kind of jet-engine propulsion for the band to bowl over the crowd. They’re almost like a modern day version Moon & Entwhistle, but dare I say, even tighter on the execution. I wouldn’t necessarily call White Denim a jamband, but they are definitely “jammy” in all the best ways, often unleashing a stream of guitar and bass riffs, but doing so in concise 4- to 5-minute passages. While there were some much-needed quieter moments showcasing the band’s ability to go mellow, most of their hour and a half set was a non-stop dual-guitar assault.
If a great show can be measured in how one physically feels after the encore, then this one gave most of the Bowery crowd some serious whiplash. I think I’m just now removing the neck-brace.
Check out the full gallery below or view a full-page slideshow over on flickr (Mazes — pictured in the 1st few shots — opened the show). READ MORE
AP Photo/Joel Ryan/ @in_focus
The Atlantic’s In Focus blog has 44 amazing photos from this year’s Glastonbury Music Festival, which just wrapped up this weekend and featured a surprise appearance (and return to the stage) by Radiohead.
This weekend, more than 175,000 music fans gathered at Worthy Farm near Glastonbury, England, for the 2011 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts. The attendees, who set up tents and braved the mud, were treated to performances by U2, Wu-Tang Clan, Crystal Castles, Paul Simon, Ke$ha, and many more. The five-day festival wrapped up last night with glowing reviews for the performances by headliners Beyonce and Coldplay. Today, volunteer clean-up crews are out in full force, tidying up the trampled farm grounds. Gathered here are some scenes from this year’s festivities in Glastonbury.
Some really amazing shots in there; definitely check it out.
My Morning Jacket is playing the Fox Theater in Oakland tonight so all the Bay Area fiends are getting their fix ahead of the band’s headlining slot at High Sierra next Friday night. Following the band’s epic Hollywood performance this past Wednesday, the boys stopped into Conan O’Brien’s new studio digs to perform “Holdin On To Black Metal” with a mini-choir and horn section. Dig it.
Arcade Fire @ Jazz Fest 2011 | Photo by Justin Ward
I was pretty blown away by this write-up in the Guardian by Régine Chassagne of Arcade Fire about the band’s first time in Haiti playing a concert.
This is my third time here, but our first as a band. As we unload the equipment I can’t stop noticing how they really pulled out all the stops to welcome us. On the dusty soccer field the town has built a wooden stage, with another crafted and charming “Bienvenue à Cange, Régine et Win, Arcade et Fire” banner hanging above it. Knowing how few resources there are in the Central Plateau, it is becoming clear that this evening is a really big deal. We are happy to see the sound system we rented from Port-au-Prince has arrived in time. It is probably the biggest sound system the town has ever seen. Or seen at all. This is exciting.
Having seen Arcade Fire at Jazz Fest this year and given their special affinity to the island of Haiti (where Régine is from), I loved seeing how well this seemed to go down in the eyes of the band. Really touching story.
I’m psyched to see the video for “Progress” has finally dropped, that new Booker T. jam featuring Yim Yames from his latest album, The Road From Memphis
I may get a chance to see him in the flesh when he rolls through San Francisco in September and he’s making a few random stops across the globe ahead of that…
Read on for his current tour dates…
Photo by Sarah Zanoff
Boy, you better learn to express yourself
My Morning Jacket
Pantages Theatre – Hollywood, CA
June 22, 2011
Set List: Victory Dance, Circuital, Day Is Coming, Wordless Chorus, Off The Record, Touch Me pt 2, First Light, You Wanna Freak Out, The Bear^, Wonderful (The Way I Feel), Outta My System, Lay Low, I’m Amazed, Slow Slow Tune, Movin’ Away, Carried Away, Gideon, Holding on to Black Metal (featuring The Watson Twins +1 Choir), Anytime, One Big Holiday,
_____________________________________________________
Encore Banter – Yim Defends LA Crowds –>
Steam Engine, Smokin from Shootin’, End of Run Thru, Mahgeetah
^Last Time Played 10/18/10 @ Terminal 5 Tennessee Fire show.
Show Notes: Everest opened. All songs on Circuital performed. 5/6 of MMJ albums represented in set list (No songs from At Dawn). Extended jam for One Big Holiday and one of the best versions of Steam Engine ever(?).
Yim Quote of the Night: “Precise, mathematical calculations have been been made to bring you pleasure.”
Continue on for a smattering of videos from MMJ’s big night in Hollywood READ MORE
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