tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55368492454838360822024-03-04T23:03:26.593-08:00San Diego Radio SucksCoachella reviews, alternative music, electronic music, San Diego ramblings and opinions.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger174125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-69284329695161351452022-05-01T10:24:00.008-07:002022-05-01T10:31:20.992-07:00Flock of Dimes / Karima Walker - The Southern Cafe & Music Hall, Charlottesville, VA<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIY45DrZwOPYBuDzjhkdpk9QfL9EivHuqyrt8oXoEQNk6m7fDwr6JzobTUKaRHS6yn2oy0md6rfdCjGtan7dsFYyhVRwN-2iYdBjiN4zdcMU_7idD2YOGZOwt4XuePKlELE1vsT6j0AsK2qPvpvtYpxMP6gfwnaGEFDWJo9kirXUPlMV6NzXkAMDF8/s4032/IMG_3325.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIY45DrZwOPYBuDzjhkdpk9QfL9EivHuqyrt8oXoEQNk6m7fDwr6JzobTUKaRHS6yn2oy0md6rfdCjGtan7dsFYyhVRwN-2iYdBjiN4zdcMU_7idD2YOGZOwt4XuePKlELE1vsT6j0AsK2qPvpvtYpxMP6gfwnaGEFDWJo9kirXUPlMV6NzXkAMDF8/s320/IMG_3325.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>First live music since seeing Wye Oak in Durham, NC on February 29, 2020. Also the first show I'd been to with my brother since we saw Scorpions back in high school. I had fairly high expectations that ended up being exceeded in a sense, but almost replaced by the level of intimacy both with the crowd and the performances.<br /><p></p><p>We arrived at the venue shortly after doors opened and looked around. It didn't take long. The capacity of the Music Hall portion of this property might hold 250 people, it might not. While it was sparsely populated when we first arrived, people began trailing in and the place was respectably full by the time the show started.</p><p>After seeing Thor & Friends open for Wye Oak here in RVA a few years ago, I predicted that Jenn's other band, Flock of Dimes, would have a similarly amazing opener. Karima Walker was another stunner, enrapturing the room with pieces of music that flowed from one to another like water cascading off rocks on the way down a mountain. Hard to tell how long she played, but she gave virtually no opportunities for applause until the set was over. You could have heard a pin drop in that room. So much so that I spoke aloud to no one in particular after the set, "I want to invite everyone here to start a new society, because you people know how to shut the fuck up!" It was stunning that in this day and age you can have a show this delicate, this intimate, and have an audience pay such reverence that it was literally silent save her soft-sung words and ethereal music.</p><p>After a short break, Jenn and the band took the stage, kicking off the set with the entire A side of their latest album, Head of Roses. Over the course of the evening, they would play virtually every song from that album (the lone exception being No Question from side B), ending the main set with the last two tracks on the record. Just before playing the title track, Jenn said, "OK we've got one more for you here, but you know the drill, we'll play this, leave, and be back up here in like 30 seconds." The performance of that song wasn't the first thing that brought me to tears that night, but I wasn't alone in that either.</p><p>Pretty much flawless performances all the way around, and Jenn's guitar tone was incredible - most notably the tearing, slicing feeling it conveyed on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWRjozAXqaw">Price of Blue</a>.</p><p>Here's a link to the <a href="https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/flock-of-dimes/2022/the-southern-cafe-and-music-hall-charlottesville-va-43b7afeb.html">setlist</a> as well as to <a href="https://www.flockofdimes.com/">Flock of Dimes' web site</a>. </p><p>And be sure to check out <a href="https://www.karimawalker.com/">Karima Walker</a>, after she was done, my brother kept saying, "Damn, I'd hate to have to follow that!" A full live performance on Audiotree can be found <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ki1AH0auaYs">here</a>.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-80659740010175338842022-05-01T09:54:00.004-07:002022-05-01T09:54:38.551-07:00Tom Brady Comes Out of Retirement, Is Still Asshole<p> What?</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-35707980076489208242022-01-29T20:47:00.001-08:002022-01-29T20:47:11.322-08:00Tom Brady Retires, Is Asshole<p> That is all.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-39695239488871040092021-07-29T15:50:00.000-07:002021-07-29T15:50:02.264-07:00Ad Hoc Troubador - Cruising the Mayan Coast<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfnv93_EdxGhRwfNxQY_pQ5NuD5jePPpDcx0EmRmmaX9siBpqVlG_lGNjTcGE-cGnFZsw2jVTuADgKBxOJcXy60xdLxjWQPjaXNgbPaUD87ltfNVaJ7JD2ig3cvzB0dsFQWHKqozj9aF4/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="2048" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfnv93_EdxGhRwfNxQY_pQ5NuD5jePPpDcx0EmRmmaX9siBpqVlG_lGNjTcGE-cGnFZsw2jVTuADgKBxOJcXy60xdLxjWQPjaXNgbPaUD87ltfNVaJ7JD2ig3cvzB0dsFQWHKqozj9aF4/" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div>There was this great band out of central Michigan back in the early 1990's named Ad Hoc Troubador. Definitely inspired by early Depeche Mode and some of the other synth-pop bands of that time. I got to see them once near the Michigan State campus, can't remember where but it was cold and probably not far from what was then Frandor shopping mall area.<div><br /></div><div>I was going through some tapes tonight and found this one in the mix. Searching for them on the web reveals almost no results, other than <a href="https://ask.metafilter.com/249700/Tracking-down-a-Michigan-local-band-when-youre-not-in-Michigan">this Metafilter post</a> from like eight years ago and a page on Geocities that doesn't exist any more but the link tries to trick you into allowing multiple fucked up spam sites to send you notifications (so don't click on that one).</div><div><br /></div><div>I did find the original version of that page on archive.org - no review, just the words:</div><div><br /></div><div><div></div></div><blockquote><div><div>Ad Hoc Troubadour - 1991 at a Michigan State University house party in East Lansing</div></div><div></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I recorded the tape to my trusty Tascam DR-05, chunked out the tracks, and saved it all as mp3 files. You can <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1na5XXTAY6ElgKCClC8grkGWvZrSrbzbG/view?usp=sharing">download it here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>I do not own the rights to this content so if anyone has a problem with me sharing it, please let me know and I'll take it down (but it would be cool if you made this music available <i>somewhere </i>as people still want to listen to them).</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9KlxJlVNKyqEIg2CTyBkgFNvzgh8tazERgFVRwhBiOZDWDpWEnmEo-VlFwtogyE7oN5rRV7GopHHGZ9pt9PBm28w86g04g9aZaR5AKGFGJMbiwthC1OfFXtDR6OaVxJHT1RKKHOwxaI/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="2627" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT9KlxJlVNKyqEIg2CTyBkgFNvzgh8tazERgFVRwhBiOZDWDpWEnmEo-VlFwtogyE7oN5rRV7GopHHGZ9pt9PBm28w86g04g9aZaR5AKGFGJMbiwthC1OfFXtDR6OaVxJHT1RKKHOwxaI/" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-88076386696301850022020-08-25T21:00:00.003-07:002020-08-25T21:02:03.481-07:00Flashback - November 9, 2000 - Top 30+1 of the 1990s<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVLlBHKvsehQizGyVCfNQZs05fEqAwbPNJuL2bSH7WjIiOOLgmRMX7ixIT82Td7NGEV_FnXqMYhBhQTeJS6Xkt8TT2RjnN3OkM1wTau88-GujO8IsiDXhDlpoBrlADLKjsBqh7-gea4AI/s1427/Screen+Shot+2020-08-25+at+11.33.56+PM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="1427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVLlBHKvsehQizGyVCfNQZs05fEqAwbPNJuL2bSH7WjIiOOLgmRMX7ixIT82Td7NGEV_FnXqMYhBhQTeJS6Xkt8TT2RjnN3OkM1wTau88-GujO8IsiDXhDlpoBrlADLKjsBqh7-gea4AI/s640/Screen+Shot+2020-08-25+at+11.33.56+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We originally launched SanDiegoRadioSucks.com back in 2000. This is a reposting of one of the original articles - my top list of the 1990s. Looking at it now, I don't see a single album I'd take off this list, only albums I can't believe I couldn't also fit. But that's a whole 'nother article.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This is really just for posterity. I pulled this from Archive.org, which is amazing, but may not be around forever. Blogger (this blog's parent site) is owned by Google (I think) and therefore will be around forever, or as close as it needs to be.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Expect full reviews of each album I never got around to completing. I'm still collecting the vinyl versions of many of these that were never released on that medium when they came out.</span></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>My Bloody Valentine</b> - Loveless</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Spiritualized</b> - Laser Guided Melodies</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Verve</b> - A Storm in Heaven</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Tortoise</b> - Millions Now Living Will Never Die</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Soul Coughing</b> - Ruby Vroom</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>The Orb</b> - The Orb's Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Radiohead</b> - OK Computer</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Swervedriver</b> - Mezcal Head</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Afghan Whigs</b> - Black Love</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Kruder & Dorfmeister</b> - The K&D; Sessions (thus the +1)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Seven Percent Solution</b> - All About Satellites & Spaceships</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Mercury Rev</b> - Yerself Is Steam</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Jeff Buckley</b> - Grace</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Astralasia</b> - The Seven Pointed Star</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>NIN</b> - The Downward Spiral</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Air</b> - Moon Safari</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Crystal Method</b> - Vegas</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://sandiegoradiosucks.blogspot.com/2020/08/top-30-1-of-1990s-18-bjork-debut.html"><b>Bjork </b>- Debut</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Portishead</b> - Dummy</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Kiln</b> - Holo</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="http://sandiegoradiosucks.blogspot.com/2020/08/top-30-1-of-1990s-21-catherine-wheel.html">Catherine Wheel - Chrome</a></b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Flaming Lips</b> - The Soft Bulletin</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Beastie Boys</b> - Check Your Head</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Hum</b> - You'd Prefer an Astronaut</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>His Name Is Alive</b> - Home Is In Your Head</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Nirvana</b> - Nevermind</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>PJ Harvey</b> - Is This Desire?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://sandiegoradiosucks.blogspot.com/2020/08/top-30-1-of-1990s-28-hayden-everything.html"><b>Hayden </b>- Everything I Long For</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Beck</b> - Odelay</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Swervedriver</b> - Raise</span></li></ol>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-57071464372448613292020-08-25T20:56:00.009-07:002020-08-25T20:59:05.722-07:00Top 30 + 1 of the 1990s - #28 - Hayden / Everything I Long For (1995) <p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Everything I Long For - Wikipedia" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ac/Everything_I_Long_For_%28Hayden_album%29.jpg/220px-Everything_I_Long_For_%28Hayden_album%29.jpg" /></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">If you have never seen this artist on any other "best of" lists or even if you have never heard of Hayden, don't feel bad - you are probably in the majority. In fact, most people I know who have heard this album (both of them) would not believe that this made it onto anyone's "top picks" list. Why? Two reasons. First, Hayden is very hard to pin down. He is most easily described as a singer/songwriter from Toronto, Ontario (for those of you who didn't grow up in the Great White North, that's in Canada). Second, to say his music is an acquired taste is like saying he is obscure. Since you have probably never heard of him, I have to tell you that it this a huge understatement. Hayden's voice is scratchy, deep, and soulful, like an old bear drunk on cheap bourbon. It is not for everybody, and it's definitely not commercial.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Another thing Hayden has going against him is the loping single and video he made for MTV, the long sigh of a song, "bad as they seem," which I had the privilege of seeing on 120 minutes exactly once. After that, Hayden was never heard from again as far as I know, save the sophomore jinx "The Closer I Get," which even Music Trader, the godmother whore of CD resellers wouldn't piss on with a ten foot stolen dick if it were on fire.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So of course by now the reader wonders why the hell this album is on my top 30, let alone still in my CD collection intact. It's because it deserves to be there. Hayden's approach to music is one of the most unique takes on the one-guy-and-a-guitar thing in the entire decade. And in a ten-year spurt of MTV Unpluggeds and Indigo BoyGirl Wannabes, that's saying a Flounder-throwing-up-on-Dean-Wormer mouthful.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">"Bad as they seem" is, in reality, a great song. This track starts the album and perfectly sets the theme that runs through the record - suburban boredom and monotony. While this may not sound very appealing, juxtaposed against some of the album's more intense spots, it makes for a disturbing and wonderful record.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The lyrics to "tragedy" tell the story of a pal who dies in a car accident. While not an unusual occurrence, the listener is chilled by the lack of affect in Hayden's voice as he sings "loss of my best friend I grieve / I can take this you will see." "Stem", the next song, can only be described as a silly little love song, while "skates," which immediately follows, is a haunting tale about a man whose wife has drowned. Hayden's voice transitions from his own persona of the quiet store clerk to the sorrowful voice of the widower like a car going from fifth to first gear in one step. The jump is jolting, but all the more effective because of the harsh shift.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">"When this is over" is probably the most upsetting track, a retelling of the Susan Smith tragedy from the older son's point of view. Describing the car in one of the most heartbreaking verses: "filling up / dirty water / where is mom? / I miss her."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The album ends with the same theme as it began with in "lounging" - "why do I stay up 'til three? lounging, eating, watching TV. I promised you . . . that was through."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Perhaps the real beauty of Everything I Long For is that it starts out as a wish list, and ends up as just another crumpled piece of paper that missed the wastebasket by a few feet. The truth is that Hayden doesn't know what he longs for any more than any of us do, and somehow there is comfort to be found in this shared resignation.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-80959755943954673862020-08-25T20:51:00.004-07:002020-08-25T20:51:33.282-07:00Top 30 + 1 of the 1990s - #21 - Catherine Wheel / Chrome (1993)<p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Chrome (Catherine Wheel album) - Wikipedia" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4c/CatherineWheelChrome.jpg" /></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I think the first time I ever heard Catherine Wheel was back in 1993, shortly after Chrome had been released. I remember seeing the video for "Show Me Mary" on 120 Minutes and being immediately in love with Rob Dickenson's voice. It sounded to me as if he'd just smoked ten cigarettes made out of honey.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I went out and bought the album right away. It only takes one listen to decide if you really love or really hate this album. Catherine Wheel manages to do something that most other bands only try to do and fail - giving only a half-hearted attempt like a used car salesman's smile. What I'm talking about here is dynamics. The opening track on the record, "Kill Rhythm", starts with a driving, almost beer-mug-swinging ¾ power chord riff balanced by Dickenson's soft vocals, "Wanna fire a gun? Show me." This is a perfect example of the band's unique sneak attack: the vocals sound innocuous enough, until you listen to the words - a calm and disturbing scene all at once, like a child standing on a ladder reaching for something bright and shiny while the ladder teeters precariously.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It's rare for the area of an album that would be considered the middle of side two on the vinyl to contain the zenith, but that is exactly the case with Chrome. "URSA Major Space Station" kicks off with a serious 6/8 groove, and moves into a daring 7/8 before settling down in dance tempo only long enough for the vocals to break through the complex mesh of time signatures that continue to build right up to the last bars of the song. It is here where the final chords are held interminably, catapulting the listener and allowing them to drift off into "a special place in outer space."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This sets the stage perfectly for the aptly-named "Fripp" that follows, a long, slow-motion ballad marked by Brian Futter's flowing guitar. "There's a shark-shaped fin / In the water of my dreams / An alligator screams from the depths there / I could swim with you there," the ballad begin. The song builds slowly and quietly as the mantra "too much is not enough" repeats… as words whispered into a lover's ear.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Next, is "Half-Life," which starts with a danceable drum beat, cutting a groove that brings the listener back down to the floor and gets his or her blood pumping in a different direction. The song lingers in its rhythm until the chorus rips in, tearing a hole through the song that is soon sewed up by a return trip into pure groove. It's like riding in the backseat of a large car driven by a mental patient whose medication has started to fail.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Chrome affected me deeply and continues to do so with every listen. There can be little doubt about the purity of the emotions that went into creating this masterful blend of beautifully harsh words and intense music.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-57607201273974650972020-08-25T20:43:00.000-07:002020-08-25T20:43:43.471-07:00Top 30 + 1 of the 1990s - #18 - Bjork / Debut<p style="text-align: center;"> <img alt="Debut (Björk album) - Wikipedia" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/77/Bj%C3%B6rk-Debut-1993.png" /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Come here," Stacey said, "I want you to hear something." She pulled me into her bedroom, carefully loading up the tape player with one of those clear cassettes; probably one of the first. It was winter 1989 in Detroit, and the cold outside was no match for the play button she pressed on the deck or inside me. She was a few years younger than I was so it kinda took me by surprise that "Fucking in Rhythm and Sorrow" was what she wanted me to hear. We began clumsily pulling at each others' clothes as if we were wearing mittens. We might well have been if her bedroom hadn't been heated. Thank God her mother worked late so she could pay the bills and I could fondle her daughter and listen to her Sugarcubes tapes.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was my introduction to the vocal styling of Iceland's only daughter. Listening to Bjork has always been a little like that afternoon in Stacey's room - exciting, a little frightening, but always pleasurable. Bjork is one of the few auteurs whose next move is as unpredictable as her last. One moment she's (presumably) sneaking into a limo during a live recording for Debut ("There's More to Life Than This"), while the next she's crooning away like Ella Fitzgerald in the harp-laden "Like Someone In Love."</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While Homogenic (1997) was the album that won her a Grammy (who gives a fuck, right? still, it's nice to know that even good artists are occasionally given the thumbs-up from the status quo press (e.g., Beck)) Debut was the album that made people stand up and take notice of her individuality and diversity as an artist. It's not so much that Bjork was The Sugarcubes as much as Bjork hadn't begun to live up to her full potential before the band broke up.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you can ever catch her <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icjo2kCRcno">MTV version of "Aeroplane" (120 Minutes Live)</a> or the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71Q9XaCmYno">video for and alternate remix of "Big Time Sensuality"</a>, you'll see that the versions of the songs appearing on Debut are merely suggested listening arrangements. Bjork is one of the only artists who can (and did) release essentially the same album within the span of a year and not leave her fans feeling like she's just riding the remix dollar (Telegram (1996) was essentially a remix of Post (1995)).</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-29618731325932087622019-05-07T14:59:00.001-07:002019-05-07T14:59:04.307-07:00Moogfest 2019 Review - Day 1<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">After the demise of Coachella, I thought, let's do something that's basically the polar opposite. While Coachella now attracts the lowest common denominator, Moogfest's crowd were brainy, respectful, and fragrant. It was a completely different class of people, let me tell you, and I came out of it a better person for having attended.</span><br />
<br />
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
I arrived in Durham, NC at lunchtime and hit up a Mexican place I’d researched online called <a href="https://www.gonzatacosytequila.com/" target="_blank">Gonza Tacos Y Tequila</a>. I’ve never been to Lucha Libre in San Diego, but it reminded me of what I’ve heard about that place - lots of wrestler masks and other over-the-top decor. Not necessarily in a bad way. Had some tacos that were decent but too juicy for my taste. </div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Drove across the way to the American Tobacco Campus, a former compound that apparently used to be dedicated to the stuff. Gigantic, neat space with several of the venues for the fest as well as the hands-on Moog-sponsored area and a Guitar Center pop-up Moog store. Moogs at 25% off?! Yes please. Messed around with a Mother 32 and DFAM combination for a bit, while I could get sounds out of the DFAM I decided it’s not really what I’m looking for, but confirmed my interest in the Mother 32. Purchased.</div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWygHigvn5Srlkap7aClYypwyXr9z3uQvivA7frlgVnaqZRYnQ79ZCEsJG-SN-KLpoTxLmBgCfkUoXEkQh06lSIwBNK0iR9955LsycdirGSb0oYZI_MqeKYUPW5BWWvWnqxmXt8bPBdg0/s1600/IMG_8238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWygHigvn5Srlkap7aClYypwyXr9z3uQvivA7frlgVnaqZRYnQ79ZCEsJG-SN-KLpoTxLmBgCfkUoXEkQh06lSIwBNK0iR9955LsycdirGSb0oYZI_MqeKYUPW5BWWvWnqxmXt8bPBdg0/s320/IMG_8238.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Went off to the hotel next to check in. At 1:00 it was a bit early but I figured I’d give it a shot. Turns out the 4th rate travel agency Google booked me through CANCELLED my reservation. Oh, fuck. Luckily the lady was super nice and they still had a couple of rooms. The rate was different each night but turned out to be about as cheap as I was hoping it would be. Folks, go with a major site like Hotels.com, or just don’t go. It’s not worth it. Can you imagine if you showed up to Coachella the day of without a reservation? You’d go to sleep in your car and wake up in your car in a tow yard somewhere in Cathedral City at best.</div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Checked in and grabbed the hotel shuttle to the first venue to see the three-hour A Place To Bury Strangers show. This was listed as a “durational performance,” which I had to look up. Basically it means “long”. They started with a 15-minute drone piece, solid feedback expertly manipulated. They then opened with Alone, the opener from their album Worship, and song I was hoping they’d open with, so that was a good sign. They did a couple more songs, then another drone, then a set of maybe six songs. That was the first hour. </div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtjtn6XCjdsQAeZYi4cmlxZozN9SCMuNaKCmB00-ZzfYMXMEpTdTuK4No815U-velaYERF1DZhuhKNxwPTzOUcj1HSttyHjg3ZmQQdRx2MioC-UPlcUw8aM_nF7l8AX5U9zqDGvurPgY/s1600/IMG_8265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtjtn6XCjdsQAeZYi4cmlxZozN9SCMuNaKCmB00-ZzfYMXMEpTdTuK4No815U-velaYERF1DZhuhKNxwPTzOUcj1HSttyHjg3ZmQQdRx2MioC-UPlcUw8aM_nF7l8AX5U9zqDGvurPgY/s320/IMG_8265.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
The bassist left the stage and we were all kind of wondering what was happening. We turned around and saw him and another guy at some sort of mobile rig, manipulating switches, playing bass. So the whole perplexed crowd walked over to the back right corner of the venue and stood around while the singer worked the mic and the others worked instruments, knobs, dials, faders, and whatever. Then they started moving this contraption around in a slow, wide circle, while the crowd shifted around them.</div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6JZNwOwBEcdlNgBVLVdCiua1zHlFCHnKv2W1PnTyK1uGj2fhvGD9DsSasSu6g7i-_jT0xdFb73VLf6h3y2kBtq5x9x5hXAcmXg-Ockj9U-U50NIWG4cgqFJd-eJDv5hRWZhMeGWCapY/s1600/IMG_8251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6JZNwOwBEcdlNgBVLVdCiua1zHlFCHnKv2W1PnTyK1uGj2fhvGD9DsSasSu6g7i-_jT0xdFb73VLf6h3y2kBtq5x9x5hXAcmXg-Ockj9U-U50NIWG4cgqFJd-eJDv5hRWZhMeGWCapY/s320/IMG_8251.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
After a while one of them walked to the OTHER back corner of the room and got onto a DIFFERENT mobile rig, so there were two sets of them on two rigs, doing weird shit. Eventually all of them ended up on this second mobile thing and slowly, very slowly, walked it to the front, back to the stage. They took the stage again and played until the second hour was up. </div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFw7kqxogyWjBPDWfMlrReMzwJh5GXA2rb6bJbnEihUWfid_QtclpbGVJLG97vprJqrmy63Jhlaqy2mgKhecixRXf9nLrImxVDev-GiFCaiN5MM7fss6tv_LOsuIYi1iuTI0iRKcSQkY/s1600/IMG_8253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioFw7kqxogyWjBPDWfMlrReMzwJh5GXA2rb6bJbnEihUWfid_QtclpbGVJLG97vprJqrmy63Jhlaqy2mgKhecixRXf9nLrImxVDev-GiFCaiN5MM7fss6tv_LOsuIYi1iuTI0iRKcSQkY/s320/IMG_8253.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdP3KQ_cQINDo943H4oSM5JdrTGwXtqCWP0gGtPfeMWaXYPI00KnM6JC5CXVgbjEam2e_u7EoRujHVTAZrwHrIYqUG4dW6KP3_ffrWvRarM8Cs_jAClcLrzdGZABjQ9mdUgu-buL6xAVU/s1600/IMG_8255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdP3KQ_cQINDo943H4oSM5JdrTGwXtqCWP0gGtPfeMWaXYPI00KnM6JC5CXVgbjEam2e_u7EoRujHVTAZrwHrIYqUG4dW6KP3_ffrWvRarM8Cs_jAClcLrzdGZABjQ9mdUgu-buL6xAVU/s320/IMG_8255.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
For the third hour, they started by leaving their instruments in a state of ambient feedback while they moved the drums near the edge of the stage, the bassist and singer moving their amps to the edge of the stage while they decided to stand on the floor with the audience. They were doing literal mic drops, dropping the head of the microphone onto various things - guitars, the floor, switches on pedals. More drone and then, a final, blistering set including the title track from their amazing album Exploding Head followed. At the end of it there were still about 100 people who’d stuck around for the entire thing, applauding as the band smiled at us, stupefied, giving us a thumbs-up.</div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhRFf98bO5JGebzYzLU2USQy9a1Z9mkqK4aSCAtPajNOe-fUx7g463W2wOTpPtOw9R88qvh98kaf6AWQaiOS8UVGIF6YXkDMbsCIIoTi0RUd25M-iYtbvm1opqxyu-GpPNkYuiPBkuyI/s1600/IMG_8262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOhRFf98bO5JGebzYzLU2USQy9a1Z9mkqK4aSCAtPajNOe-fUx7g463W2wOTpPtOw9R88qvh98kaf6AWQaiOS8UVGIF6YXkDMbsCIIoTi0RUd25M-iYtbvm1opqxyu-GpPNkYuiPBkuyI/s320/IMG_8262.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
In the bar before the show I overheard a conversation between a guy from Detroit and two guys from San Diego. I got in on that conversation pretty easily and ended up hanging with Josh from Detroit for that entire show. Nice, big dude named Josh with glasses and a super long beard who was probably the most into the show of anyone, he’d yell, “FUCK YEAH!” About once an hour and get the crowd yelling and applauding. We ended up drinking rye whisky the whole time together and generally getting our minds blown. Afterwards I said, "See ya later man!", to which he replied, “I’ll be around, I’m the dude with the beard!”</div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Went over to <a href="https://quarterhorsearcade.com/wp/" target="_blank">Quarterhorse</a>, another venue around the corner (everything’s right around the corner here) that was an arcade with DJs. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mamisandthepapis/" target="_blank">Mamis and the Papis</a> were playing some housey Latin-inspired tracks, and by the time I headed out about 20 minutes into their set, they had a decent-sized crowd. It was a free event, as were all at that place for Moogfest. I wanted so badly to head back to at least play some pinball (they have many machines) but never made it.</div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
Then onto <a href="https://www.thepinhook.com/" target="_blank">Pinhook</a>, a little Casbah-sized place for <a href="https://dudadius.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank">Dudadius</a>, a guy who’d mentioned he had a set on <a href="https://www.muffwiggler.com/" target="_blank">Muff Wiggler</a> (I know, the name sucks, but it's a great community of wonderful modular synth folks). Excellent combination of (I assume) mostly modular synths sequenced by something like Ableton. That’s a direction I’m exploring so it was great to see how he could put together a 50-minute set with that stuff and make it compelling and feel like it had movement at the same time.</div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxJCPWEnRihqEKnXSFSlQFWvg18o2-UIZafm0iUYprz8l7sox4uiOyRyu6b0jdVoU411PSQ0ROT37j-5T6v' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
I’m ashamed to admit that it was 8:30 and I was beat. I would have liked to have seen Matthew Dear, but I figured I’d rather rest up on the first night to have energy for Friday, which is the big night with Tim Hecker, The Field, and if I can stay awake, Daniel Miller, then Arabian Prince of NWA at Durham Fruit Company (aka "Fruit") until 2:45 AM.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-23460847077873986272019-03-09T20:39:00.000-08:002019-03-09T20:39:42.195-08:00Flashback - Mercury Rev @ 'Cane's - June 10, 2002<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkN6OhnULDly_Y4663ZvlkDKCywHwm5lBhGIkRjaFZRyHBXaOc1akcpdTR9A9oXoVaWujK_BzJ2Bsl2rXvZhyphenhyphencKt6oOQ79zoaACZ-wBQ9yCFirr8dRHJQvY3QoBJK95216rLqG8i5wIs/s1600/IM001134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKkN6OhnULDly_Y4663ZvlkDKCywHwm5lBhGIkRjaFZRyHBXaOc1akcpdTR9A9oXoVaWujK_BzJ2Bsl2rXvZhyphenhyphencKt6oOQ79zoaACZ-wBQ9yCFirr8dRHJQvY3QoBJK95216rLqG8i5wIs/s400/IM001134.JPG" width="300" /></a>I fired up All Is Dream tonight. I've heard it more than a lot of things over the last five-or-so years because I had it on my phone and it would come up in random a lot. So maybe it wasn't so random. Anyway.<br />
<br />
This was an amazing evening. I was with two of my best friends of this time who remain two of my best friends today. The Shins opened up, and back then I wasn't too impressed, to be honest, so that was wasted on we, the front row Joes who'd shown up super early to get full-on front row for some of our sonic heroes.<br />
<br />
At the end of the night, we chased down everyone but Jonathan for an autograph, then hung out outside listening to the surf pound the sand. We agreed we'd that he had to come out at some point, but we didn't want to seem stalk-y or anything. There were two other people kind of milling around when he finally came out. The others ran over to him immediately, but we hung back. After they'd had their couple minutes with him, we cautiously approached with our Sharpies and rekkid covers.<br />
<br />
"You don't have to sign it if you don't want to," I said, offering him both.<br />
<br />
"Oh, you know I'm gonna sign it," he replied, mostly exhausted but I'd like to think with a little smile for us.<br />
<br />
'Cane's was a venue like no other. It was literally on the Pacific Ocean and literally a stone's throw away from the roller coaster at Mission Beach's Belmont Park. It had this rooftop bar where we'd all go and chill on holidays, the drinks and eats were beach prices, but we never felt like they were gouging us.<br />
<br />
I saw some amazing shows there. Spoon. Spiritualized (in a fucking torrential downpour). Mogwai (where I met one of said best friends). Tortoise. The The. Front 242. I'm sure I've forgotten more shows I attended there than I remember.<br />
<br />
Anyway, here are the pictures I took that night with my shitty gigantic HP digital camera.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioCMmXDiHNhNUQRHzsr8m9I0mEULm_oMTyrJZoenU4ktPjrdPm33yitL8NUEbNGblKO9mItSqLvSDPSgJ7JUYpEG6oek3ythFwcKRGgpmMeg7Uya0urQ20x3Pf5zv9jfu0exNAX6QO5Yk/s1600/IM001132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioCMmXDiHNhNUQRHzsr8m9I0mEULm_oMTyrJZoenU4ktPjrdPm33yitL8NUEbNGblKO9mItSqLvSDPSgJ7JUYpEG6oek3ythFwcKRGgpmMeg7Uya0urQ20x3Pf5zv9jfu0exNAX6QO5Yk/s400/IM001132.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Shins (1 of 2)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoaXDBamELNqsj5PipfCPO81wqkXgRe15L8nS2yfTGI6Rho9Q9ogMAu1bdZFHfwDpfKi3cud4VPSfCyGqwHLzk_tusnvPJqpEv4w7zrwXjzcfTxs7QWB_L0iIFaGTF8q0-ynbsNSYqmxM/s1600/IM001133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoaXDBamELNqsj5PipfCPO81wqkXgRe15L8nS2yfTGI6Rho9Q9ogMAu1bdZFHfwDpfKi3cud4VPSfCyGqwHLzk_tusnvPJqpEv4w7zrwXjzcfTxs7QWB_L0iIFaGTF8q0-ynbsNSYqmxM/s400/IM001133.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Shins (2 of 2)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibcVk4USCibanOqenZcq0WwBKIj1xmO_7WxKdi9EZ6xnxHIpFyu1767hOsbkriedzFdvKSvwRkQSoKqmbCbkjk1TcEpfkq4JbA8-9K0sHsmA_MIB0xdq8gP8NQIzcNeb-7VjEDJMtO2QQ/s1600/IM001135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibcVk4USCibanOqenZcq0WwBKIj1xmO_7WxKdi9EZ6xnxHIpFyu1767hOsbkriedzFdvKSvwRkQSoKqmbCbkjk1TcEpfkq4JbA8-9K0sHsmA_MIB0xdq8gP8NQIzcNeb-7VjEDJMtO2QQ/s400/IM001135.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jonathan Donahue</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4t-c4PqZLrSFoxuto5z2bpiyoQIPYr45oe9aM0ra4ZYWgrPKew9B_gWre67QeHy3q9351GMina1nXhyphenhyphenlLqsefizVwanMeOyO2Tb7ieP59RhzecJ9ITpD5XCMaFgEEmeo_wukdbPi715M/s1600/IM001136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4t-c4PqZLrSFoxuto5z2bpiyoQIPYr45oe9aM0ra4ZYWgrPKew9B_gWre67QeHy3q9351GMina1nXhyphenhyphenlLqsefizVwanMeOyO2Tb7ieP59RhzecJ9ITpD5XCMaFgEEmeo_wukdbPi715M/s400/IM001136.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jonathan Donahue walking away</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5HogVv3T8gWCwI9RKInVJeXgXhpRvx8hyphenhyphenK80O5PXop9BzbvMMBUnWXlMSGbG6bAfoFKK2Qv0UycOHDZjGS83T2xRIW-RXwF2KJ8inem6ZIJSzCX81chUU5SIr2fn5sbCsKHx1wNB_vE/s1600/IM001137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5HogVv3T8gWCwI9RKInVJeXgXhpRvx8hyphenhyphenK80O5PXop9BzbvMMBUnWXlMSGbG6bAfoFKK2Qv0UycOHDZjGS83T2xRIW-RXwF2KJ8inem6ZIJSzCX81chUU5SIr2fn5sbCsKHx1wNB_vE/s400/IM001137.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most of Jonathan Donahue</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOF2lTx7uibYQpGWCzEoXAbYiK1fIuDF4iVwjWSKQ0Nn6xv3-X9DI1A54W1FNBPePdEulNDS8hIGgOXurRzUEZW5kV0f4VgwPBNYuOJ2fZin2pX_CEDQmSXuoWQhPN86xHfufN5vTXFM/s1600/IM001139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlOF2lTx7uibYQpGWCzEoXAbYiK1fIuDF4iVwjWSKQ0Nn6xv3-X9DI1A54W1FNBPePdEulNDS8hIGgOXurRzUEZW5kV0f4VgwPBNYuOJ2fZin2pX_CEDQmSXuoWQhPN86xHfufN5vTXFM/s400/IM001139.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just the right amount of cowbell</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieWbovdhfUm7GWwKM8ZB6mQcsra2YjFMggk57YH9uSTGN61SYL1XmRRtA8FGvOJrpfgWzUcjYsPHxx2D18dNl2v5QDCjUUZ3USHTsRhLxoRNy-eOIKvE8Rb88-3f8CQZRU7LE7aYSayvk/s1600/IM001140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieWbovdhfUm7GWwKM8ZB6mQcsra2YjFMggk57YH9uSTGN61SYL1XmRRtA8FGvOJrpfgWzUcjYsPHxx2D18dNl2v5QDCjUUZ3USHTsRhLxoRNy-eOIKvE8Rb88-3f8CQZRU7LE7aYSayvk/s400/IM001140.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"i remember when i saw them with you & [mediaassassin] at '<span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">Cane</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">'s, that was an amazing show!! first row and all... and why? why? why? '</span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">Cane</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">'s doesn't exist anymore? :(" </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">-BW, March 2013</span><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjP2B3HbMcnPxHfdj_MusB-7PosTXQ6muWu1XLTPmg5ABOrHUIDlUW5A_gbS39ch64DGms5cPm3YVIjew-sWpZD5KG6OkHTGa2qfTbrVrvt42aKB797oh5Sk3ZOSYoqnKmYQ2rERUkx4Y/s1600/IM001142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjP2B3HbMcnPxHfdj_MusB-7PosTXQ6muWu1XLTPmg5ABOrHUIDlUW5A_gbS39ch64DGms5cPm3YVIjew-sWpZD5KG6OkHTGa2qfTbrVrvt42aKB797oh5Sk3ZOSYoqnKmYQ2rERUkx4Y/s400/IM001142.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOEYMnWIydTZ9VjoLlIvUWG4GQdgzS0FtmQYKih8_NgrmnfbEIQQl_92KYLZ3wDsQhoZbqSg5Im3Pryr3jXipjGTxM3DyMb2cgrL0pS4csVHiRQQ79bSRjj3uPZVmTbKElp2r-dDX0EU/s1600/IM001143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOEYMnWIydTZ9VjoLlIvUWG4GQdgzS0FtmQYKih8_NgrmnfbEIQQl_92KYLZ3wDsQhoZbqSg5Im3Pryr3jXipjGTxM3DyMb2cgrL0pS4csVHiRQQ79bSRjj3uPZVmTbKElp2r-dDX0EU/s400/IM001143.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jbHw0tloxqmT4cfVkh3g0kQuOXy1-QDyx5Zi_Y2fgOSzrf23nlOI9lN5PFngwyDb3Hw3Loi_dFJubTubXjP9B5hn0JP63xkMNhHdCkRrlJkkbHPCGUT-TaYg6BP5pWC-mzb85O4CBvU/s1600/IM001144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3jbHw0tloxqmT4cfVkh3g0kQuOXy1-QDyx5Zi_Y2fgOSzrf23nlOI9lN5PFngwyDb3Hw3Loi_dFJubTubXjP9B5hn0JP63xkMNhHdCkRrlJkkbHPCGUT-TaYg6BP5pWC-mzb85O4CBvU/s400/IM001144.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbC6s9qZKDiylO_ps4NPv2JQ40EUdafEfM3HIAmjicdQZ32brJe3Kl8tbasTNIQHEvRZcNLKBGTmKH3m-gaCVt9U4QG8oL7q64O9KTDOvtBscP870cq0p8yGeLdxroNx_w1ATmdfcUvW4/s1600/IM001146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbC6s9qZKDiylO_ps4NPv2JQ40EUdafEfM3HIAmjicdQZ32brJe3Kl8tbasTNIQHEvRZcNLKBGTmKH3m-gaCVt9U4QG8oL7q64O9KTDOvtBscP870cq0p8yGeLdxroNx_w1ATmdfcUvW4/s400/IM001146.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: center;">
That was indeed a great evening, BW. I can clearly recall us being at the front of the stage, directly below Jonathon Donahue: The pickup switch on his Stratocaster remained in the treble (3rd pickup only) position the entire night...and I was constantly wondering if the moisture on the side of my neck was sweat or blood from my ear.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">[mediaassassin] and I met and talked to Jonathon outside the venue. He told his he'd be back...that was June 2002 and we're still waiting.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">-BY, March 2013</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqSlYiVHp6CQweR9iOtJPZ9qqInLffbFrw480iua7wD5YCDxyxXi12kU1Gek_e3o4lb9w0RMXqzLodZEyfXFXsT5eylyz3bFni8LCL241ZzktCA6J_B0Cbns-SZutaViPxqnMYhbDVVBk/s1600/IM001147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqSlYiVHp6CQweR9iOtJPZ9qqInLffbFrw480iua7wD5YCDxyxXi12kU1Gek_e3o4lb9w0RMXqzLodZEyfXFXsT5eylyz3bFni8LCL241ZzktCA6J_B0Cbns-SZutaViPxqnMYhbDVVBk/s400/IM001147.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-effN3lNCUAU3UbQHjan8cl_xdkzbket1ceuReoiCxGA-rTJDFt55hOWBm-hi31IDbiSd-uEjXWS1vJYYf3XlNCmJ8s-XrtbkXIgu1G9kz4XshSxYLwlKo5a_ee9eHpKqWfRykzsCus/s1600/IM001148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-effN3lNCUAU3UbQHjan8cl_xdkzbket1ceuReoiCxGA-rTJDFt55hOWBm-hi31IDbiSd-uEjXWS1vJYYf3XlNCmJ8s-XrtbkXIgu1G9kz4XshSxYLwlKo5a_ee9eHpKqWfRykzsCus/s400/IM001148.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJFKuhKAn3xSBg9TvZZmrK7fc3fMarmLcGOWikR5Fu5vZSmTCu1c7go5FZSq72H93PJAzybpZcbfErlNBrrKUyc_eWGBmhNrBemmW7mplGWKM9cYRNz3wwv7C3ZKpRZydvvq1bwf8jyI/s1600/IM001149.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJFKuhKAn3xSBg9TvZZmrK7fc3fMarmLcGOWikR5Fu5vZSmTCu1c7go5FZSq72H93PJAzybpZcbfErlNBrrKUyc_eWGBmhNrBemmW7mplGWKM9cYRNz3wwv7C3ZKpRZydvvq1bwf8jyI/s400/IM001149.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;">
<span class="im" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;">"<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">He told his he'd be back...that was June 2002 and we're still waiting."</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: medium;">
<span class="im" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">never believe the empty promises of a rock star BY!! they'll break your heart... and now he's seen pictures of you hugging Wayne from the Lips!! he's NOT coming back ;)</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">-BW, March 2013</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN30NdsUAhG10D6xR9uc2yUZjIhVTP_BjpG-FnZLcKmqjcLIK9A1B-JYNKqzgzOVvH7FDcZrZSk8YBRk-3ugCUTutncV538m89SHRxJqlslRIhj-OoZVnr71o7nkxcrIW4aWz8PeWHMBI/s1600/IM001150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN30NdsUAhG10D6xR9uc2yUZjIhVTP_BjpG-FnZLcKmqjcLIK9A1B-JYNKqzgzOVvH7FDcZrZSk8YBRk-3ugCUTutncV538m89SHRxJqlslRIhj-OoZVnr71o7nkxcrIW4aWz8PeWHMBI/s400/IM001150.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zbpK_ZFs7L1xTtEA6aQIrn9Hr1e8z2SOPRziKWrxbi4Jd2d5Aw6XJ9VGm3olaAlY67t-_uWV1ZWf-jl_ORdMc2DnrI_DX4j-xKjHgRSXd2OrmrEpWsGXsppvAa1SVZLHUMJ_xFNsK0Y/s1600/IM001151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_zbpK_ZFs7L1xTtEA6aQIrn9Hr1e8z2SOPRziKWrxbi4Jd2d5Aw6XJ9VGm3olaAlY67t-_uWV1ZWf-jl_ORdMc2DnrI_DX4j-xKjHgRSXd2OrmrEpWsGXsppvAa1SVZLHUMJ_xFNsK0Y/s400/IM001151.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;">
<div style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: center;">
I was reminded as I got my copy of 'Priest Driven Ambulance' out on the drive home that night that he had been in the Lips. Totally forgot about that.</div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: center;">
-BY, March 2013</div>
<span class="im" style="color: #500050; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: start;"></span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VwX3L8IzvhrLNn6Yusr5e2Z7jVQRHOr8MQNpovQd4PeB6L5O9SVosAeFJdYf8B6A1XxWFy0MWk4k_P9OEY1o9MUfF4TTW6okSFv_3RNmfVp2mrBq-r2DR4OGSn6ywrffVkQ06eT7lns/s1600/IM001152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0VwX3L8IzvhrLNn6Yusr5e2Z7jVQRHOr8MQNpovQd4PeB6L5O9SVosAeFJdYf8B6A1XxWFy0MWk4k_P9OEY1o9MUfF4TTW6okSFv_3RNmfVp2mrBq-r2DR4OGSn6ywrffVkQ06eT7lns/s400/IM001152.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grasshopper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWMipFOyAsGpX_52DPE5Rf4jidE3pm18jRRI-eeUY3kMiqj1W02CqBSPG-X8jivLKiXONxZP1xfrmTexZZBlzPlRK2k-w28TmQ4QEU2KraiJ9YrJjtVWUl4iorEHLB3hA1M1h5vNSjZc/s1600/IM001154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIWMipFOyAsGpX_52DPE5Rf4jidE3pm18jRRI-eeUY3kMiqj1W02CqBSPG-X8jivLKiXONxZP1xfrmTexZZBlzPlRK2k-w28TmQ4QEU2KraiJ9YrJjtVWUl4iorEHLB3hA1M1h5vNSjZc/s400/IM001154.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saw</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcA7riMlh4S8U9E7JtHaJcAQqQ1RZx8kSbDob2EC4uI7-AOYcp72nmPRLVRPNcE0lZ4K_jnzveCzNIMkqmB8eoPMJ-VdZg6OC4Xa4dUSvjbTjcshVW1_p_dORDDSD8cveYZh93Qt121k/s1600/IM001155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcA7riMlh4S8U9E7JtHaJcAQqQ1RZx8kSbDob2EC4uI7-AOYcp72nmPRLVRPNcE0lZ4K_jnzveCzNIMkqmB8eoPMJ-VdZg6OC4Xa4dUSvjbTjcshVW1_p_dORDDSD8cveYZh93Qt121k/s400/IM001155.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Setlist</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibH6x1bnBCq63WMWyma0JRb4j21gbaw-4i9EHLGcz7gu4bLT-Nr3m9gJOBlOhrch4KnCt269PEzm81wUlw4y0rQP8pi-IhaAQ2pgRO7QPgxJkUKf_ipWfi7qvtdHurvqK1AP10BNM1rqs/s1600/IM001145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibH6x1bnBCq63WMWyma0JRb4j21gbaw-4i9EHLGcz7gu4bLT-Nr3m9gJOBlOhrch4KnCt269PEzm81wUlw4y0rQP8pi-IhaAQ2pgRO7QPgxJkUKf_ipWfi7qvtdHurvqK1AP10BNM1rqs/s640/IM001145.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-65649302212724119362018-12-26T06:38:00.001-08:002018-12-26T06:38:37.557-08:00Coachella 2019 Headliners Supposedly Leaked In October<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHVFGKMPw-BrIbRa8HmH5Dt-amCs0F0VhKFe_A8k6iwCaPoZKVUF0-466thHEL-PnrtBacnGfKxDteNvMMQZbGH9N_WLPPt6B94eHSpQ0LSl9eJcvDqx_CnCQGnbTpLfqiea-gvxHnkZI/s1600/coachella_parody_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1550" data-original-width="1240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHVFGKMPw-BrIbRa8HmH5Dt-amCs0F0VhKFe_A8k6iwCaPoZKVUF0-466thHEL-PnrtBacnGfKxDteNvMMQZbGH9N_WLPPt6B94eHSpQ0LSl9eJcvDqx_CnCQGnbTpLfqiea-gvxHnkZI/s320/coachella_parody_1.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
There's nothing officially from Goldenvoice yet, but <a href="https://www.thefader.com/2018/10/01/kanye-west-childish-gambino-justin-timberlake-coachella-2019">back in October, it was supposedly confirmed</a> that Childish Gambino (meh), Justin Timberlake (eh), and Kanye West (oh fuck no) were headlining the festy this year. 2018 was the first year I didn't go in nearly 16 years, and honestly I have no regrets. The more I tried to find even a few acts I really wanted to see, the more disappointed I became. And while I wouldn't mind seeing JT and I thought This Is America was brilliant, I can't imagine sitting through more than a few minutes of Childish Gambino. It's just not my thing.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I really felt like the last two years have been a turning point for the worse for Coachella, at least for me. I not only think they're not trying to book acts that will appeal to me, I think they're actively trying to book acts that will make me run screaming in the other direction. Between the ever-rising cost of tickets, the now mandatory cross-country airfare (I moved), and this shit show of a turn towards pop and especially rap music, I'm out.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But that just makes better fodder for this blog.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And who knows? I could be proven wrong. It's happened before. But honestly, Coachella has completely jumped the shark for me. I think it's past the point of no return, and maybe that's OK. Mostly I think it sucks, because it used to be something I looked forward to year after year.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Until the true lineup drops, here's an AI-generated poster from <a href="https://theawesomer.com/coachella-ai-generated-poster/464162/">The Awesomer / Botnik</a>.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-57311507691547908552017-04-19T14:40:00.000-07:002017-04-19T14:40:04.925-07:00Coachella 2017 Weekend 1 Review - Friday<h2>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Coachella 2017 Weekend 1 Review - Friday</span></h2>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
The series of poor decisions this little band of malcontents makes every year has concluded, and somehow we are still without a single fatality. Yes, the events that lead up to (and directly result in) the city of Indio, CA being completely sold out of Tecate and pork rinds, the <a href="http://www.coachella.com/" target="_blank">Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival</a>, 2017, weekend one, has concluded. The Denny's is once again safe (tip Annie well, she's the best), the Food 4 Less is no longer replete with the stench of thousands of hungover pie-eyed club kids trying to figure out if you can use Sterno to cook a fucking Pop Tart, and the roads are no longer filled with enough inebriated drivers to book jails full in every contiguous county for hundreds of miles.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
You're welcome, City of Indio!</div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br />
And with that, let's get onto the music!</div>
<h3 style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
FRIDAY</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi68gPyMJ8W2Mq0-q1twgVvbli5igq9ZYzbrTepCvhI3Aehbr_S_GXkiMf_KryuU563s5nsCn5vqLITxlizgl7IKJFEdjc4VFwDPZHfPncXQ3IzrRtC7yx95M-nlJW7I8ZUEjRXAjtATCU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-19+at+4.02.13+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi68gPyMJ8W2Mq0-q1twgVvbli5igq9ZYzbrTepCvhI3Aehbr_S_GXkiMf_KryuU563s5nsCn5vqLITxlizgl7IKJFEdjc4VFwDPZHfPncXQ3IzrRtC7yx95M-nlJW7I8ZUEjRXAjtATCU/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-04-19+at+4.02.13+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">BANKS at Coachella 2017</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Friday's <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">highlight, unbelievably, was <b>BANKS</b>. It's only hard to imagine her being my highlight because I've been waiting to see her for so long, listen to her pretty much daily, and had unrealistically high expectations. Sometimes the patient are rewarded - the high bar I'd set for her performance, she summarily shattered.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">It was nearly a dream set, and although there were a few tracks I really was hoping she'd play that she didn't (This Is Not About Us, Brain), I couldn't argue with any of the set choices. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Perhaps one of the greatest things about Banks's set was that she started off with one of my favorite songs, </span><span class="il" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Poltergeist, using two microphones - the "good" and the "evil" one</span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">. This is the same song that Pitchfork panned in their review of her latest album The Altar, calling it "overproduced." To me, he using this as her set opener was a well-deserved "fuck you" to the snarky hipster site. I do check Pitchfork, and I do respect <i>some</i> of their opinions, but I also know that they worship some real turds (e.g. Kanye). And if you think this is a snarky hipster site, you're wrong. It's a snarky asshole site.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">After the opener, she continued on to do a great representation of the new album (Fuck With Myself, Gemini Feed, Trainwreck, and Mind Games) as well as awesome tracks from Goddess (Begging For Thread, Waiting Game), ending the set off with 27 Hours, the CD-only "bonus" track from The Altar, I guess.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
There were so many "Coachella moments" during this show, it was mind-blowing. People singing along to parts of pretty much every song, and she had these two dancers with her, they all did these very precise, jerky movements that were perfect given the setting and the songs. Virtually a flawless performance from start to finish.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
Banks was actually the 7th act we caught Friday, here are one to six and the rest after BANKS:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0yE3makrQSAgqlGBb-ozbXvoo12QrjE5RAexd-ufl1k1m_BV1kO7nGRrnEjWbUPmCERmKmA38Rx2nMY6UXKCR4EFA0-v4WEZ-L_aUU0sA2XCzg0MOOezC40k9dqCLN4prfrcHAeLPiSo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-19+at+4.05.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0yE3makrQSAgqlGBb-ozbXvoo12QrjE5RAexd-ufl1k1m_BV1kO7nGRrnEjWbUPmCERmKmA38Rx2nMY6UXKCR4EFA0-v4WEZ-L_aUU0sA2XCzg0MOOezC40k9dqCLN4prfrcHAeLPiSo/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-04-19+at+4.05.06+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.8px;">Klangstof at Coachella 2017</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<b>Klangstof</b> - I really liked what I heard, they sounded like they could open for <span class="il">Radiohead</span>. I have no idea who they are or where they're from, but with a "-stof" at the end of their name, I'm betting it's fucking cold. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqVDLk_Lpr0qz3m55q7bMd7EgwSvaN2P1uveTtxUn2G63onsssA_ooukHtP_I7yvmvzvuF_jis7It2UZbmCY4d7WUvnbUhvyGTF_Fr59sROM6Xy2h0xkzeGSTcahok5jn4_lh6AEbi-8/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-19+at+4.06.29+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixqVDLk_Lpr0qz3m55q7bMd7EgwSvaN2P1uveTtxUn2G63onsssA_ooukHtP_I7yvmvzvuF_jis7It2UZbmCY4d7WUvnbUhvyGTF_Fr59sROM6Xy2h0xkzeGSTcahok5jn4_lh6AEbi-8/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-04-19+at+4.06.29+PM.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joseph at Coachella 2017</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<b>Joseph</b> - Three sisters from Portland, Oregon. Two were twins, one was not. I think they were all hot but don't quote me on that. Regardless, they were a little too Partridge Family for me, but they were talented. Their harmonies were really good, at least.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdg3fuXE9ZkMiaFg8jV_0SVjmJXZAE7sffKm_9Bfy8nlr74kqPKNw1QF1a3uqh_5wxw_RT-5r5vDcKaR9wwkTWd9koaAxpcEfJvQu3XaJLnJjxr1M340qgXipxFYhf63eCwG93Gr0J8s/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-04-19+at+4.07.52+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdg3fuXE9ZkMiaFg8jV_0SVjmJXZAE7sffKm_9Bfy8nlr74kqPKNw1QF1a3uqh_5wxw_RT-5r5vDcKaR9wwkTWd9koaAxpcEfJvQu3XaJLnJjxr1M340qgXipxFYhf63eCwG93Gr0J8s/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-04-19+at+4.07.52+PM.png" width="292" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nora en Pure - Blatantly Stolen from Facebook</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<b style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Nora En Pure</b><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">- When I finally snaked my way through all the damn gates to get into the Yuma tent, I was treated to a couple of great tracks this female DJ was spinning. I love her production, I've got several of her tracks, including You Make Me Float, Venice Beach, and Iceland, and these first few sounded a lot like her productions. She kind of started going astray after that, I wasn't really digging the next couple of tracks and so I decided to head back to Coachella Stage to catch the rest of Preservation Hall Jazz Band's set.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<b>Preservation Hall Jazz Band</b> - Probably the most talent pound-for-pound of any band on the roster. Could have been up to an eight-piece combo band. When I first started watching (a few songs into the set), none of the band members were singing, but all were trading off on solos. A few songs in, it turned out they could <b>all</b> sing, the stand-up bassist with the funky hair, the sax dude, and the rest of 'em, I'm pretty sure too. Great stuff, and totally under appreciated, so I was able to get right up front. Which put me in a primo spot for Bonobo.</div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<b>Bonobo</b> - I've seen Bonobo several times before, and this appeared to be a stripped-down version of what he's brought with him before. While usually I remember him having up to a dozen musicians on stage, but this time I think he peaked at maybe eight, if you don't count the seven or so dudes he brought out to chant on one of the songs, to great effect. I think the stage kind of swallowed them up - they're usually playing on the Mojave or Gobi stage, if I'm not mistaken, and I think despite the visuals they had going, they didn't quite command that stage the same way they did in the tents.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 6px; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjIi5-RBNxOX5N65YHIZRH0R93iPHCTiF-s7hnXTGuI-YPeKb-SJ7DNxC3IO84QxlFKvmIeJX-81w9L5rkbAEJLic0g7Hhg1k7T04-MWRKB9En7aPfYhO965PCYicJKYDf0f_OWEWO13Y/s1600/IMG_6347.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjIi5-RBNxOX5N65YHIZRH0R93iPHCTiF-s7hnXTGuI-YPeKb-SJ7DNxC3IO84QxlFKvmIeJX-81w9L5rkbAEJLic0g7Hhg1k7T04-MWRKB9En7aPfYhO965PCYicJKYDf0f_OWEWO13Y/s320/IMG_6347.JPG" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Glass Animals Singer Enters the Crowd at Coachella 2017</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<b>Glass Animals</b> - Probably the most fun-type entertaining vocalist of the weekend. Dude was carried in on the shoulders of two roadies because he'd recently broken his ankle. When he spoke to the crowd, he pointed to the giant prop television in the middle of the stage and said, "They got me this so I could sit on it, but I think I'm gonna stand on it. Fuck it. It's Coachella!" I was prepared for a set where he didn't move around much (a la Florence of Flo and the Ma', Axl Rose of Guns 'n Roses and A-shoulda-C-hired-him-/-D-<wbr></wbr>long-ago-C), but this guy was NOT following doctor's orders. He bobbed around on that massive idiot box (old-school style, btw) for a song, and then jumped down and gimp-shimmied all over the stage for the following tracks. For the climax, he had the roadies bring him down into the crowd and sang the last song while they fed him mic wire so he could get passed around the crowd like an ever-wetting joint. Finally, when he came out of the crowd, he stood on the artists' side of the barrier, directly over me, and sang the last couple of minutes of the song. He was less than a foot from me which made it basically impossible to get a really good picture of him, but I tried.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghznC8LU4bqsk7HlpGUaaxngekSGuVSODxcKL3z11DHyayVJms4U7-AaO_FlcBGXPZQPPr2UCC03wHWgBvByZ7CaGz9-y9MX-LYkKGDAbiRzHMVISxzsot6-8PWl92vJv6edH86oAAHns/s1600/IMG_6350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghznC8LU4bqsk7HlpGUaaxngekSGuVSODxcKL3z11DHyayVJms4U7-AaO_FlcBGXPZQPPr2UCC03wHWgBvByZ7CaGz9-y9MX-LYkKGDAbiRzHMVISxzsot6-8PWl92vJv6edH86oAAHns/s320/IMG_6350.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Glass Animals Singer Decides To Finish Song Standing Over Me at Coachella 2017 (1)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqa7yX8wuH6BAS6Dbw7BsaEaicQsXld9CLhXtT_F1GqoXp565LQ5R9RLQRQQ4125m_UVjfGYPERg_-4BlgUkyrdXH4SgDE8s4-0PCTFFYEV3mVDS8fT_4MAFfh3Ri6euSYpzwl-N-P5k/s1600/IMG_6351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqa7yX8wuH6BAS6Dbw7BsaEaicQsXld9CLhXtT_F1GqoXp565LQ5R9RLQRQQ4125m_UVjfGYPERg_-4BlgUkyrdXH4SgDE8s4-0PCTFFYEV3mVDS8fT_4MAFfh3Ri6euSYpzwl-N-P5k/s320/IMG_6351.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Glass Animals Singer Decides To Finish Song Standing Over Me at Coachella 2017</span> (2)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDiWBpBSUrqyPa8OI5ZeNaL_roNwbccZ2jXPYDBnFV6m7epHFGdgnjamMvAMMh-XqozlrwXeca5M8tKXlSlocSYhnKqNUyh0kdf7sPzpwXeRbC7w3F1gxU_ylpfufS0U729GLkgrEi9tA/s320/IMG_6352.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Glass Animals Singer Decides To Finish Song Standing Over Me at Coachella 2017 (3)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<span id="goog_332927294"></span><span id="goog_332927295"></span><br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<b><br /></b>
<b>BANKS</b> - Well, we've already covered her, now haven't we? OK one more time. She was AMAZING.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKUug-EOaKoE1EaNq4HSdyWmhKfy1fYKSI2Yx15Pyk3n1i4QFbcNZMO5QRuPZlqborMG90XtmnwUPH2UrH3BvF6r87wu-9uihCWUWGDqFf2I62NI2wNqhJBByWBjTYXcny4jqRjLHYo0/s1600/IMG_6355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKUug-EOaKoE1EaNq4HSdyWmhKfy1fYKSI2Yx15Pyk3n1i4QFbcNZMO5QRuPZlqborMG90XtmnwUPH2UrH3BvF6r87wu-9uihCWUWGDqFf2I62NI2wNqhJBByWBjTYXcny4jqRjLHYo0/s320/IMG_6355.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<b>Ritchie Hawtin</b> - Hawtin was doing something called "Close" as in he's closer to the audience because he split the mixing desk into two racks of drum machines, synths, and mixers, leaving a hole between them where the audience could see his stomach. I was expecting him to move around the stage and use various handheld (or even mounted) equipment at various different stations, all a lot closer to the audience than he was for this whole performance. When he started, I didn't like the kick drum, and didn't really like the sounds he was creating. I'm really glad I stuck with it, because about halfway through the set, I got the kick I wanted, and he proceeded to add some more melodic elements to the set. By the end, I was pretty stoked, I knew he'd been making some very, very slight changes to a lot of the sounds throughout the set (like the kick drum), and Mike confirmed it. "That was incredible, he's just making such slight changes to the sounds, and he does it over the length of the entire set!" he lauded. So... "Close," it was not (really), but good, it was. An epic journey of filters, delays, reverbs, and frequency tweaks.</div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<b>The xx</b> - I can't figure out The xx. They sound like a band I should really like, but I just don't. I did like the more house-sounding tracks they played Friday night, but overall, I wouldn't trade a trip to the beer garden to go see them. I think they'll probably be headlining in a year or two, so I'll watch what they do to see if I feel differently about them in the future. They've got potential, but I've been saying that for so long I wonder if I'll ever say "I like them" and not just "I like some of their stuff."</div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<b>Radiohead</b> - Ah, <span class="il">Radiohead</span>. This would be my 10th or 11th time seeing them, and unlike most bands I've seen in the last 20 years, I've seen the bulk of their shows at actual <span class="il">Radiohead</span> shows, <b>not</b> Coachella. So when I write this, it makes me sad, but hear me out. Of all the <span class="il">Radiohead</span> shows I've seen over the years, I'd have to put this one dead fucking last. And it was all because of the sound kicking <b>totally</b> out twice. By the time they came back on stage that third time, they'd worked out the sound issues, and they were able to finish their set. However, given that we were all just waiting for the sound to go out again, it was hard for any of us to really enjoy the music. </div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
I will say, it was an interesting choice to open with Daydreaming from the new album, but it was great that they actually made it through that one all the way. The sound issues started in the next song, and totally knocked out the main speakers after about the fourth. Another quartet of songs, the same problems, and they walked offstage again. I was bummed mostly for the people there who'd never seen <span class="il">Radiohead</span>, who thought maybe this would be the way to catch one of there legendarily awesome shows, but we got this instead. Again, i don't blame the band one bit, but whoever was working with that sound and causing those problems should be dealt with accordingly.</div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-size: 12.8px;">
After Radiohead, my feet felt worse than they had after any day of the festy in memory. It was hard to believe this was my 16th time attending, but the way my dogs were barking, it made me feel like I'd been at 16 in a row. I never doubted I'd finish this one in style, but a little part of me started LOUDLY telling me that, even though it's all but my religion, this might be my last Coachella.</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-4469984002792786802017-03-11T06:56:00.002-08:002017-03-11T06:56:26.071-08:0034 Days 'til Coachella - Banks<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsJGNEa1rqqXtUZJ_EdP3zvpgSGpfvQdfebYartHvRqiqTgMm6DtujM8i97qh-yK633B-9QSsiEt_DgJuLx47daAV0YfmEF9oPsDFQanfWY9nG9cG2b-8nxMCHdW3-YdEsAIUtq-gnHE/s1600/banks_coachella_day_2_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmsJGNEa1rqqXtUZJ_EdP3zvpgSGpfvQdfebYartHvRqiqTgMm6DtujM8i97qh-yK633B-9QSsiEt_DgJuLx47daAV0YfmEF9oPsDFQanfWY9nG9cG2b-8nxMCHdW3-YdEsAIUtq-gnHE/s320/banks_coachella_day_2_10.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Banks first played Coachella back in 2014 in support of her first album, Goddess. I can't remember how I heard about her, but I was curious to check her out. I don't think I'd heard the album yet, but I wandered into the Mojave tent, sat down in the sweltering heat, and waited.<br />
<br />
As the band started, I thought it didn't sound like what I expected. By the time I realized that Banks was actually playing in the next tent over, it was three songs into Bombay Bicycle Club (who were mediocre at best) and I decided that maybe I should just go check out CHVRCHES instead. Yeah, I was a little fucked up, and I missed out on what I heard was a pretty amazing performance.<br />
<br />
Bitchfork panned the first album, which I couldn't understand, because once I got home from Coachella the first thing I did was order the 2xLP of Goddess, and it was on my turntable pretty much constantly for months after that. When I heard she had a new one coming out (2016's The Altar), I was ecstatic. I managed to download the video for the first single, Fuck With Myself, long before it was supposed to be available, and played it in my most important DJ set of the year. Ears definitely pricked up when that one hit, some people knowing exactly what it was, others coming up to the decks to inquire.<br />
<br />
When The Altar finally came out last September, I snapped up a copy, despite knowing it would be something else I'd have to pack for the move. Once again, it's been on heavy rotation. It's a much more focused effort than Goddess, and while it still covers a lot of territory and spans a dark rainbow of emotions, it's infinitely listenable, definitely danceable, and catchy as hell.<br />
<br />
I have no idea why critics don't absolutely love her like I do, and I don't care. Bitchfork gave it the lowest review (51/100) while Sputnikmusic gave it the highest (98/100). Metacritic shows that the 17 critic reviews are "generally favorable" at a modest 70/100, the fan reviews put it at essentially 84/100, based on 113 reviews.<br />
<br />
Add one more glowing review to that, mine:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A logical progression from Goddess, Banks' dark, mysterious and soulful style continues. She still spans a lot of styles, sounding a little abstract like Bjork or FKA Twigs at times (Fuck With Myself, Poltergeist) and more like an old soul spilling her guts at others (Lovesick) but it's a roller coaster of emotion all the way through. Those who say she hasn't grown or progressed as an artist aren't listening for growth. If they're looking for flaws, they're not impossible to find, but why focus on minor imperfections when you really should just be dancing?</blockquote>
<br />
Banks plays Friday, April 14 and 21, like just about every other fucking great artist this year (and every other year, pretty much). This will be the one must-see for me.<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-55539569062592670832017-02-28T16:16:00.001-08:002017-02-28T16:18:18.961-08:0045 Days 'til Coachella - Lady Gaga Replaces Beyonce at Coachella 2017Well, I was right. Again. When will y'all learn?<br />
<br />
Daft Punk would have been AMAZING, but let's face it. We needed girl power this year. If Beyonce couldn't bring it, I knew Gaga could. And she will. <a href="http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7709042/lady-gaga-replace-beyonce-coachella" target="_blank">So sayeth the Innernets</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bESGLojNYSo/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bESGLojNYSo?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
I'd never heard much by her until the time I unexpectedly had to drive several hundred miles for a family emergency. A combination of circumstances that made me realize it was more than just a coincidence arose, and we were off, driving through shit weather in summer. Before we left, I looked through my dad's CD collection (he was the one who played me Bjork's Medulla over the phone before I had the chance to tell him about it). One of the CDs I grabbed was her 2009 album <b>The Fame Monster</b>. Yeah, it's pop, but it's good pop. There is such a thing, and that album helped take our minds off of the task at hand.<br />
<br />
Truth be told, I'm totally stoked she's playing, and I think she's long overdue for a headlining set in the desert. It will be interesting to see how everything else falls around this development but hey. The show must go on.<br />
<br />
And we must get fucked up.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-74656637656924722002017-02-25T06:03:00.000-08:002017-02-25T06:03:03.566-08:00Coachella 2017 - Beyonce Drops Out<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVXRfO_YgGPwJ4vyoorGW01M2PhDUOeAw7Q4MJe5aVn1aOJybcKx1AK5zxTflgPfY4g3YHwMpKmeJehXnOZV0vdFIw1Fbfto5ADLHNsrbImBcMUfxTbkcUAkpZ76Kxui3OZHgftjzfMM/s1600/wtf_coachella.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVXRfO_YgGPwJ4vyoorGW01M2PhDUOeAw7Q4MJe5aVn1aOJybcKx1AK5zxTflgPfY4g3YHwMpKmeJehXnOZV0vdFIw1Fbfto5ADLHNsrbImBcMUfxTbkcUAkpZ76Kxui3OZHgftjzfMM/s320/wtf_coachella.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Well, this is a first. I think. Or is it? I know there was one year where someone pretty big dropped out late, and Beck came to save the day. I also seem to remember that Goldenvoice was trying to get some major act as a headliner that fell through at the last minute, and had to go whining with their tails between their legs to Red Hot Chili Peppers, but it was BEFORE the poster came out. Another shocker was Prince snagging the headlining spot from Portishead just days before the 2008 show (2008 was also just the second time the festival was a three-day affair).<br />
<br />
But nothing this big has ever happened this late.<br />
<br />
And so the rumor mill starts up, slinging shit full steam ahead like some mixed metaphor dopeman working at a McDonalds in Gary, Indiana. Here's our take on the rumors:<br />
<br />
<b>Daft Punk</b> - Never gonna happen. For all the whining pussies who lament Daft Punk "never" playing Coachella, YOU MISSED THEM. They packed the Sahara tent in 2006 and THEY WERE AMAZING. And you missed them.<br />
<br />
<b>Red Hot Chili Peppers</b> - I pray to GOD, ALLAH, BUDDAH, MOHAMMED, and THE FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER that this won't happen. Coachella finally stepped out of the box just a tiny bit this year with Beyonce, and it would suck the biggest balls available to backslide to these guys just because they're convenient and could be there quicker than many other choices. I'd rather watch Kurt Cobain's hologram bugger Sly Stone for 80 minutes than have to sit through an RHCP set at this stage in their "career."<br />
<br />
<b>Rhianna</b> - Now we're talkin'. Not only is she the rumored artist closest in many ways to Queen Bey, she's pants-soakingly smoking hot. She was rumored to headline before B's name was printed on the flyer, but one can only hope she's available and willing to step in and make things suck less for everyone who really, really wanted to see Mrs. Knowles <b>this</b> year (she's headlining 2018, which makes this the earliest we've ever known about a headliner for the festy).<br />
<br />
<b>Katy Perry</b> - She would also be awesome. And is hot. Plus, she wrote like 9 out of every 10 songs you've heard for like the last 50 years, so you can sing along (or preferably, shut the fuck up and watch her in silence).<br />
<br />
<b>Justin Timberlake</b> - I used to think I hated this guy, until I listened to him. Turns out I love him. My main problem with him for this spot is that he's got a penis.<br />
<br />
<b>Adele</b> - Who doesn't love Adele? She sells out every show she does, her tickets are on the order of several hundred dollars and a testicle, and she's one of the biggest stars and best singers out there. Which is why it's not going to happen. Too bad, I'd love to see her if I could keep my Benjamins (and my boys) in tact.<br />
<br />
<b>Lady Gaga</b> - Wow, this would be something, wouldn't it? Hopefully she won't do too much country shit, but if they wanted to, GV could just book her the following weekend for Stagecoach too, and let her go whole hog with that. Actually, the one song I heard didn't suck too much, so overall I'd much prefer her to a lot of Paul Tollett potential picks that would portray a poking of my pee-pee with a pine cone.<br />
<br />
<b>Jay Z </b>- Oh, come the fuck on. Just because he's her husband? Really?? Totally unimaginative idea, and if it actually goes through would at least mean we could go back to the hotel and start drinking earlier on Saturday night / Sunday morning, so it wouldn't be all bad.<br />
<br />
<b>Kanye West</b> - I really liked My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and I kinda liked 808s and Heartbreak. But Kanye West is one of the most disgusting, idiotic, ridiculous pieces of shit that ever tried to pass for a human being in the history of time. And that includes Shit Man.<br />
<br />
There are a few other rumors out there, but really, the fact that just about every single site out there (including this shitty one) is talking about the same 5-10 artists shows you how truly awful the state of music is these days. At least at the top. Coachella hasn't been about the headliners for me for quite some time, so if you're pissed off about this situation, just listen to some of the undercard acts and discover some new music.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-23846903317329861392016-04-18T22:39:00.004-07:002016-04-18T22:41:51.320-07:00Coachella 2016 Review (Weekend 1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSuoD2RnRrrB1B44-aH7AL3yUfgfi2-mxcCWZ-HzNeFs4X8J_L4RllQ-iNYAIWvhLb-uUg_WSRtXTPhT-WQDoCTC58IYery8RUlIfGKjgNefpYn3n9j2jG5Trdll-r_DHDVSrhN8pCvc0/s1600/IMG_4942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSuoD2RnRrrB1B44-aH7AL3yUfgfi2-mxcCWZ-HzNeFs4X8J_L4RllQ-iNYAIWvhLb-uUg_WSRtXTPhT-WQDoCTC58IYery8RUlIfGKjgNefpYn3n9j2jG5Trdll-r_DHDVSrhN8pCvc0/s400/IMG_4942.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I say this every year and I write this every year: I can't believe it's over. Again.<br />
<br />
Like sand falling through the hourglass, Coachella has expired for another year.<br />
<br />
No, it's not like that. It's more like sand blowing at you from every direction, constantly, for three days... slowly but surely filling up every orifice, scar, pock mark and divot in your formerly-clean body.<br />
<br />
In reality, it's only disappeared until next weekend, where festivalgoers will be treated to a moderately soiled polo field, and of course some great entertainment.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmssCF7C6mAA8jI2q-fdf0o_KBxmL_zfoH348e4UPjFE9go3vwhWyfnmQe-zawubCxlWf3D8IsOXLjUkMGRys_JpSB0eWUIYYrW9XE8TXcayvaAHcUDEA3dg8H8yXN0KXd6ro_3baJOBA/s1600/IMG_4865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmssCF7C6mAA8jI2q-fdf0o_KBxmL_zfoH348e4UPjFE9go3vwhWyfnmQe-zawubCxlWf3D8IsOXLjUkMGRys_JpSB0eWUIYYrW9XE8TXcayvaAHcUDEA3dg8H8yXN0KXd6ro_3baJOBA/s400/IMG_4865.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So overall, Friday was the strongest day, Saturday was decent, and Sunday turned out to be way above expectations.<br />
<br />
In the interest of actually posting <b><i>something</i></b> this year (I haven't made the time to do a thorough review in years), I thought I'd go back to a format I did once before.<br />
<br />
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Coachella 2016 Awards!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_nEr1M2YYbd6zsNPUQ-zeTlwre-O5_oRkpC07sBZ3IxncZrI1SGtkhLVG1ZQCezGwqpHAJ0jpLMb2mnbogbgVVME5hCsc_vrXYiiklPsGkj14VnFIo9mIxOFUNj41w9tRdcWOvELE0w/s1600/lush_haha.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_nEr1M2YYbd6zsNPUQ-zeTlwre-O5_oRkpC07sBZ3IxncZrI1SGtkhLVG1ZQCezGwqpHAJ0jpLMb2mnbogbgVVME5hCsc_vrXYiiklPsGkj14VnFIo9mIxOFUNj41w9tRdcWOvELE0w/s400/lush_haha.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Biggest Disappointment (</b><b>No Show)</b><b>: Lush</b><br />
Lush are one of the best, most overlooked and underrated bands from the shoegaze era. I had the luck / pleasure to see them once as the first band on the bill for Lollapalooza 2 in Chicago at The World theater. Few people seemed to care that they were on, but I was mesmerized by the jangly Rickenbacker guitars and Miki and Emma's amazing harmonies had me hooked from the start. If they'd shown, this would probably a love letter to the band rather than starting of with a sincere "How could you???" They're playing weekend 2, so I hope you lucky bastards make it to check them out.<br />
<br />
<b>Biggest Disappointment (Did Show): Guns N' Roses</b><br />
I had high hopes for G&R's reunion, but I was wary at the same time. I decided not to get pinned in trying to get a good place to see them, so I just sort of cruised by every half hour or so. I got to see Sweet Child O' Mine, Paradise City and the AC/DC cover of Let There Be Rock with Angus Young, so I feel like I made a decent choice. In a word, they just didn't have the intensity that they did when they were literally starving heroin addicts in LA (Axl is no longer starving, he's actually very well-fed).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKOVU-9MTzgoHLs4yHzhyphenhyphenVmIdDj3Tw8VX9_ES90f9zdZjxhPsX7ogaFrUoCMn8edrzefolDjeSNc1CWyzvTf7MYviz6iQhZbUKX1dH64MmqKjEN1Pbxuf2YufluQGDfTSzscIIRifl1Q/s1600/IMG_4885-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKOVU-9MTzgoHLs4yHzhyphenhyphenVmIdDj3Tw8VX9_ES90f9zdZjxhPsX7ogaFrUoCMn8edrzefolDjeSNc1CWyzvTf7MYviz6iQhZbUKX1dH64MmqKjEN1Pbxuf2YufluQGDfTSzscIIRifl1Q/s400/IMG_4885-001.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the worst pictures of one of the best bands - Parov Stelar</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b>The "I Knew They Were Going To Fucking Rock That Set!" Award: Parov Stelar</b><br />
Parov Stelar was booked a few years back, and was scheduled to perform during the great dust bowl of Sunday night that year. They actually had to cancel at the last minute due to illness. Probably just as well - Coachella looked like a ghost town, hardly anyone was left to check them out. So it's doubly amazing that they got a decent time slot, showed up, and blew minds for a respectably-sized crowd. Think of a fantastic jazz combo performing swing tunes with a sexy, old soul kind of singer, with drums and electronic kick in the background. You can't even think about standing still when this band is ripping it up.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IjuWvIDccySeAdO2QEb93weOpjK_0qmE2k1aRRqZ6pmY1xiO9XiiOkTuEF8Bwy7ik_NS57XaBo5U3QuZRQKAvYO0125Rxhy0MCrv0cyCaFVk7fDVS08Yc3QrAza60p7YL3T4eU4igrk/s1600/IMG_4884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IjuWvIDccySeAdO2QEb93weOpjK_0qmE2k1aRRqZ6pmY1xiO9XiiOkTuEF8Bwy7ik_NS57XaBo5U3QuZRQKAvYO0125Rxhy0MCrv0cyCaFVk7fDVS08Yc3QrAza60p7YL3T4eU4igrk/s400/IMG_4884.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Most Heartbreaking Choice: M83 vs. St. Germain vs. Underworld</b><br />
This was the closest thing to a tragedy schedule-wise, and it's a wonder it was only this. Friday had so many amazing acts I was certain I'd be crying tears of sand and mud over missing more bands. We ended up doing St. Germain, and from the beginning it was clear that we were there until the bitter end. I can't say enough good things about St. Germain, but I'll say a few other things about them later. We actually only missed maybe five minutes of Underworld because I think they started late, so it all worked out. It was just really sad that we had to miss M83, one of my all-time favorite bands.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_foj_8y_yPCZALhvgds4NvC9LmxQOnnhRPhl9CN-hu7J-8VeRbuKCnYYZX90UT4eDM3ASV9xiDdt879BfpCXX284fIUghZ9trxs6-UxNKrb7tOfesBuqbE_IBQFAVXheB6QAX4dEDHaA/s1600/IMG_4889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_foj_8y_yPCZALhvgds4NvC9LmxQOnnhRPhl9CN-hu7J-8VeRbuKCnYYZX90UT4eDM3ASV9xiDdt879BfpCXX284fIUghZ9trxs6-UxNKrb7tOfesBuqbE_IBQFAVXheB6QAX4dEDHaA/s400/IMG_4889.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Reunion That Most Lived Up To the Hype: LCD Soundsystem</b><br />
While the LA Times wrote that Jack U "won," a reference to the ridiculousness of the crowd and the large attendance), LCD Soundsystem came out and did exactly what everyone expected them to do. A fantastic set, with songs spanning all three albums, opening with the so-appropriate "Us V Them" (The time has come / The time has come / The time has come today), and closing with the festival-defining "moment" - All My Friends. They even did true fan test song Yeah (Pretentious Version) and other deep cuts including Someone Great, also from Sound of Silver. They played pretty much right up until just before they would have cut the power, so it was a pretty epic set.<br />
<br />
<b>Biggest Pleasant Surprise: Miami Horror (Friday), Cloves (Saturday), Meg Myers (Sunday)</b><br />
Three bands I found on Spotify literally hours before we hit the road, and all very different. <b>Miami Horror</b> is a dance band that smacks of Cut Copy, and had the crowd into it the whole time. The singer actually climbed up the scaffolding in the Mojave tent and danced on one of the speakers. Then he dangled, legs free, from the scaffolding on the way down for a few breathtaking seconds. He made it back down, safe and sound, and they kept blowing us away with disco-inspired beats and hooks that could catch any dance-loving listeners within earshot of the tent.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoABFmGl9F_XyjE-Ue0bml8riRvIJZqXP2IlNx3ejT7_ySmnyhsqaq9nbiUQjM6qsQuvkg9ChOdLKk1bd5_W2oPZpcVrgEn6s9PrPvA13VP46ouy5FWnyYr3GVJdUc7KQAnTY_2_6aHDY/s1600/thumb_IMG_4898_1024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoABFmGl9F_XyjE-Ue0bml8riRvIJZqXP2IlNx3ejT7_ySmnyhsqaq9nbiUQjM6qsQuvkg9ChOdLKk1bd5_W2oPZpcVrgEn6s9PrPvA13VP46ouy5FWnyYr3GVJdUc7KQAnTY_2_6aHDY/s400/thumb_IMG_4898_1024.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cloves at Coachella 2016</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b>Cloves</b> probably also got the Least Attended award, but undeservingly. She's got an absolutely angelic voice, a fantastic register and is absolutely gorgeous. If you haven't heard of her, you probably will soon, so go out and buy some of her stuff. If you like the sound of female vocalists who can make you swoon, you'll love Cloves.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Meg Myers</b> was one, I'll admit, that I wanted to see even before I heard her music. Another gorgeous female vocalist, but with a much different approach. While Cloves is more subdued and sad, Meg Myers is just batshit crazy. She can go from a sultry whisper to a melodic scream without taking a breath, and she has the most emotive face of any other singer I saw this weekend. Pick up something from her while you're at it, chick needs therapy and it ain't cheap. <b>Amazon Prime members take note</b>: Her album Sorry is available to stream on Prime Music right now.<br />
<br />
<b>Band That Stuck With Me Even Though I Wish They Hadn't: The Front Bottoms</b><br />
The Front Bottoms sound like a cross between Violent Femmes and a stool softener. In a good way, if that's possible. They didn't make me go, they just made it easier to go. I figured from the name they might be kind of a joke band, and I think I'd have to say I was right to think that. Still, if you're not doing anything else, check them out. They might be just quirky enough to love.<br />
<br />
<b>Moment Where I thought I Actually Might Lose My Fucking Mind: Grimes</b><br />
I got to Grimes early enough to get about 15 rows back, and it was pretty chill until the music started, when she decided to try to destroy her fans' bodies with the loudest, thickest kick drums and the shrillest screeches of entire weekend when she performed SCREAM (yes, that's the title, all caps) with Aristophanes. The two of them together let out this shriek that would have made a ghost shit its pants. They say she's a cross between EDM and punk music, but she's better than that comparison. Despite the poppiness of her new album, her caffeinated performance proved he to be capable of running at 150% for the full 45-minute set. I didn't even take pictures I was so stunned.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Best Old Punk Reunion: The Damned</b><br />
In other years, they might have been the only punk band reunited for the festival, but I didn't see Rancid so The Damned get this one by default. Great energy and I liked the music, probably wouldn't buy anything though.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Most Pitch-Perfect Vocalist: Bat For Lashes</b><br />
We'd gone out to the car to have a few beers and grab our night wear (hoodies) and from the length of the line, I thought I might have to miss her set in favor of Courtney Barnett (who was also excellent, from what I saw, and a highlight for some others in the crew), I made it in just enough time to get about ten rows from the stage. I always forget how much I absolutely ADORE this band until I hear or see them. Her haunting voice had me at the edge of tears for the entire set. Although the reaction from others in the group wasn't as positive. Rick's interpretation was, "Can you imagine how many times someone's played that song <i>just</i> before shooting their lover between the eyes while they're sleeping?"<br />
<br />
<b>Best Old-School DJ: John Digweed</b><br />
Dude's still got it. But then again, was he spinning records? Does anyone anymore? Whatever he was doing, he was projecting some deep, thumpy progressive house, and had the crowd moving. Mostly an older crowd, but some musically enlightened millennials in there as well. They've also nearly doubled the size of the Yuma tent, and have added a chill room and giant chill mattresses along some of the walls.<br />
<br />
<b>Best Show By Something Other Than the Artist: Sia</b><br />
I don't know what I was expecting with Sia, I hadn't seen her since I saw her (two nights in a row, once at Coachella and then the next night at the now-defunct 'Cane's in San Diego), and I hadn't really followed her music much. I liked her, but just never took the time. She never moved during the entire set, and her bisected bangs (one half black, the other bleach blonde) hid her eyes for the entire performance. She had several different dancers on stage with her, doing contemporary dances while Sia belted it out. Her voice was narrowly edged out for the next award though...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHkKB4_Be44Jrdv9TXy_zukdIAiV5-ov4N8HIjvX6Ii5FiitGUeEow4fxbIZz7FV1xjsg9Odr2m6nhnzIxqcvKd_gGJMx2LDkCpDya4cmX_LY5neVoFhZCyO5izprfaddUsHWnCToP-4c/s1600/IMG_4951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHkKB4_Be44Jrdv9TXy_zukdIAiV5-ov4N8HIjvX6Ii5FiitGUeEow4fxbIZz7FV1xjsg9Odr2m6nhnzIxqcvKd_gGJMx2LDkCpDya4cmX_LY5neVoFhZCyO5izprfaddUsHWnCToP-4c/s400/IMG_4951.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Best Music For the Sunshine: Kamasi Washington</b><br />
As I didn't see any of the reggae offerings (there were at least three by my count), Kamasi Washington had the music that best seemed to fit the sunshine. He and his band recorded eight other albums while they were recording his three-CD epic, The Epic, one of which comes out soon. Acoustic Bassist Miles Mosley led the group singing Abraham from this one, which really got the crowd stirred up.<br />
<br />
<b>Most Guest Stars: Disclosure</b><br />
I didn't know it was Lorde who came out to sing with them, and I didn't know Lion Babe. I didn't stick around for Kwebs (who I don't know either) or Sam Smith (who I do), but Lorde did a great job with her song, and Disclosure was solid. I couldn't get too close, but where I was it was a nonstop party the entire time, including a circle people cleared so one guy could do ballet moves to the music.<br />
<br />
<b>No More Awards To Give But Wanted to Mention: Autolux, Bob Moses, CHVRCHES, Dubfire, HÆLOS, </b><b>Silversun Pickups, Wolf Alice</b><br />
<b>Autolux</b> are sort of a cross between shoegaze and noise, and they're good. I liked their set, didn't love it but wasn't disappointed. <b>Bob Moses</b> is someone I want to check out more, they sound a lot like Trent Reznor singing over a house / progressive house kick drum. I only caught three songs from <b>CHVRCHES</b>, two from the new album and the closer, The Mother We Share. The two from the new album were really good. I wasn't immediately struck with their latest album, Every Open Eye, but I'm going to listen with new ears and an open mind. I only saw bits and pieces of <b>Dubfire</b> (Live), but I think it's got potential. Super, super minimal techno, but it had a warmth to it somehow. HÆLOS could have won the First Big Nice Surprise award, as they were the second full act we saw Friday, and rocked. <b>Silversun Pickups</b> were pretty good, they didn't do a lot I knew but I liked most of their songs. <b>Wolf Alice</b> sounded great, especially their first song (which reminded me of Star Sail from the first Verve album, you know, the one when they were fucking phenomenal) and their last song, Moaning Lisa Smile, kicked ass more than most bands' entire sets. Listening to them now on Spotify makes me like them even more.<br />
<br />
So that's pretty much it for this year. I finally got another review up, hooray! I think I've earned myself a cookie. Did I miss anything? Oh yeah, Mbongwa Star. They're really good as well, go check them out.<br />
<br />
Now go get ready, presale for Coachella 2017 should be in about a month.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-34119639623463189132016-01-09T09:33:00.000-08:002016-01-09T09:33:12.084-08:00So Professional - FocalPrice.com<br />
Welcome to a new series where I point out how awfully stupid people are on the Innernets.<br />
<br />
I found this on focalprice.com, June 16, 2014.<br />
<br />
Really?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhteCSfWusyZbAx3QMv4neCSNmA4viTMV_BvaUI1o8gqQNhKofXhpSMf3c-odV-AtYQnFn_XVx0lQPnD1qh73r2Tlj0PbYgjErOWZO7JxxhBoI-VieyIqUTHL0W-6aVUYdJzk8xpAjheJY/s1600/focalprice.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhteCSfWusyZbAx3QMv4neCSNmA4viTMV_BvaUI1o8gqQNhKofXhpSMf3c-odV-AtYQnFn_XVx0lQPnD1qh73r2Tlj0PbYgjErOWZO7JxxhBoI-VieyIqUTHL0W-6aVUYdJzk8xpAjheJY/s320/focalprice.png" width="320" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-88781047006815180592016-01-04T19:50:00.000-08:002016-01-04T19:53:07.916-08:00Coachella 2016 Poster - v 1.0<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVtQhC-OD1IVgVdtO95R6oO0EHhK7IW38huOLjvLRL6shkRxwlAkXAwDddbHXHD1_rw2TWOcGB8TeepJTM6sDpNPU3hBYDQCSFHgWBzOFjbdwzlB7RYaiN3sbXvK1NBrGYFwrRIeZPTEc/s1600/coa16_full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVtQhC-OD1IVgVdtO95R6oO0EHhK7IW38huOLjvLRL6shkRxwlAkXAwDddbHXHD1_rw2TWOcGB8TeepJTM6sDpNPU3hBYDQCSFHgWBzOFjbdwzlB7RYaiN3sbXvK1NBrGYFwrRIeZPTEc/s320/coa16_full.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Here 'tis. A few thoughts:<br />
<h3>
Friday</h3>
<ul>
<li>LCD Soundsystem. Wow, wow, wow.</li>
<li>Underworld. Saw them once and they were amazing until the last track, which sucked. I'd love to see them again.</li>
<li>Sufjan Stevens. Awesome, never seen 'em.</li>
<li>M83. Always amazing, though last time they weren't loud enough.</li>
<li>St. Germain. Haven't seen them since my first Coachella in 2000. Looking forward to it.</li>
<li>Parov Stelar. Really bummed he didn't make it a few years back, so great to see he's booked.</li>
<li>Nora En Pure. Oh man, love me some Nora En Pure, at least the production work.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3>
Saturday</h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Guns 'n Roses. I'd see 'em.</li>
<li>Grimes. Fuck yeah Grimes.</li>
<li>CHVRCHES. I kinda burned out on them, but I'll see if I can burn back in.</li>
<li>Lush. LUSH. OH MY GOD. LUSH. WOW. L-U-S-H.</li>
<li>Bat For Lashes. My highlight of the day she played a few years back, possibly my highlight of the festival.</li>
<li>The Damned. I'd see 'em.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<h3>
Sunday</h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>John Digweed. After Nick Warren, probably my favorite DJ of all time.</li>
<li>TOKiMONSTA. Loved her before, anything on Brainfeeder.</li>
<li>Nosaj Thing. I've heard good things.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Fuck yeah, Coachella. Overall, nice work. A little light on Sunday and I'm sure I'll be transformed into a stream of profanity Friday, but yeah.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
It's Coachella season again. The happiest time of the year.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-49344503539532238802015-04-20T15:08:00.001-07:002015-04-23T21:05:34.716-07:00Coachella 2015 Review (Weekend 2)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-eG2C6Z_ozZ2bhNTWF70pv-z7MC0SDwHx5mPJDsaQzpa7rmNAtK6UZ5enDsgxCN3YVlHRjnfYygNqu7zvHA7Leltsvs1HXErc3ehgQQiFfu0okeiIqYb767KcAMWvS249RLiYJqlflc/s1600/IMG_2157.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9-eG2C6Z_ozZ2bhNTWF70pv-z7MC0SDwHx5mPJDsaQzpa7rmNAtK6UZ5enDsgxCN3YVlHRjnfYygNqu7zvHA7Leltsvs1HXErc3ehgQQiFfu0okeiIqYb767KcAMWvS249RLiYJqlflc/s1600/IMG_2157.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6T3wXRK19PVnhNkc_xQefx6QywtEr0rsDJ_daV9uOKo7RgCwoRgpD_-kimwkdX5bC3cvkksAbMwb3xmhNKa0Ri8jeKKN8H0fJsTEH3Wi_MYPwpO0Gj6j3gZr4m7J1XTLu5u71geNgu0/s1600/IMG_2119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TqZp8Bwyv2F3FGJ0DByMqCRMo0q-iBMp8fdJQ2H_Mtc4eVsZ8yfGxrdr6n7H9TjWa0b9w1pTTCpwckzMRD1eDLI1dy-QqcK_mXnPLPq6PrVBsaSxBw0Z3S1unkdqXIRRElp7LSR2vMk/s1600/IMG_2135.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TqZp8Bwyv2F3FGJ0DByMqCRMo0q-iBMp8fdJQ2H_Mtc4eVsZ8yfGxrdr6n7H9TjWa0b9w1pTTCpwckzMRD1eDLI1dy-QqcK_mXnPLPq6PrVBsaSxBw0Z3S1unkdqXIRRElp7LSR2vMk/s1600/IMG_2135.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHQq2fi4IYxgz2FPVRSFhBoJJWZ7NGIlRAtT9d7Zb7dr0p-0xqb48s_W23ByIFE2oTnHnRiTakebW-p7wfouZVrTBKFi0Ouu_qLW3J8QxQsEKXdUhEvfHRHR9w-5_y1asa1YId53b0Js/s1600/IMG_2144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeuGGc8Ssdj4r2-rG5PeUVjyD7Jh9k13Ql4dKTe73rYrE8GWebmN5fHPgmSqZNJFvTfE9MZ1Lckp6m2IKe2CC5XXT_B99FweHtFT2R-dw_B0bb_uHkWmqVR3IGJbLJInZIc5HMTzT7fVQ/s1600/IMG_2132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGrljTwOT0itKINx0Jz-k3pMyjWpvOGRBV-MS0MxpnC2jJEL8Z7kzrjl2uF6t_H1AVuea4_xtZFxQYtjffSV77BgIASK81t8dbeb526H5gdzXKovrHw9Ck4BQzl9dlS6YGzKHDI2OiZyc/s1600/IMG_2137.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRdoolxEYQp-sT7wlN1mS33vThlPqGCpSc2uT1I9HQ3_hhz8Qe-bQYtAliFr32X7ZGXtNkZrr9RXDgwiCfNR16JPLmHBZFGziKrLgEj5Q7nBoHv0f_V7N4Y3OudWrP1aS_ocY5Ncb-Gs/s1600/IMG_2145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUQoaclMk8xsMrAdFm1rvx7vXjb_2RHd4l1XCAc-7Q30MKq7UROUaZi4ATR24Cj8tK2iCQlpN7AK8RpgeG3cQtRGYb_D8ryqj2LGfO5UN_nete73r2yvowBeTWU24zXNP8WZ-KMS49ZA/s1600/IMG_2079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUQoaclMk8xsMrAdFm1rvx7vXjb_2RHd4l1XCAc-7Q30MKq7UROUaZi4ATR24Cj8tK2iCQlpN7AK8RpgeG3cQtRGYb_D8ryqj2LGfO5UN_nete73r2yvowBeTWU24zXNP8WZ-KMS49ZA/s1600/IMG_2079.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWJDMgyFQw7xBbhgMcONzQOEcWx9tU9m8ASABU_sXd6MOt6BjnM1krweuzt7A5b9gDv35BOC9rjaUP1K_fhf6NHOPg_BACLIbILXBj4JH4vSBZaRHhgkpG6ShAjmOwMr7uUt-7jQ9wMQ/s1600/IMG_2083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWJDMgyFQw7xBbhgMcONzQOEcWx9tU9m8ASABU_sXd6MOt6BjnM1krweuzt7A5b9gDv35BOC9rjaUP1K_fhf6NHOPg_BACLIbILXBj4JH4vSBZaRHhgkpG6ShAjmOwMr7uUt-7jQ9wMQ/s1600/IMG_2083.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This year went faster than ever before. I'm never sure how we let it slip away so quickly, but somehow making it through Coachella number 15 without the usual nightly cramps and other assorted sore muscles made the time speed by even more quickly. It's almost anticlimactic, usually I feel like I left it all out there, but this year I'm not so sure. I've decided to put my public service announcement warning about the evils of Holiday Motel Indio in another post to keep this review relatively positive (for this site at least), but please, <a href="http://sandiegoradiosucks.blogspot.com/2015/04/holiday-motel-in-indio-ca-biggest.html" target="_blank">DO NOT BOOK THE HOLIDAY MOTEL IN INDIO!</a> You'll thank me later.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiogoyqJYNqLo1u9aSbTfPuFjrMUPlVWPeKzl5XXiVFlIn0ddhsBn2eI87WgoB2iTLcIAjH-68eUW0tcOcpJfmj5jmWny3URq90kf1iJUquJvbAX1IeGiArdRcYvFuctlCk41HTF0SekA/s1600/IMG_2161.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiogoyqJYNqLo1u9aSbTfPuFjrMUPlVWPeKzl5XXiVFlIn0ddhsBn2eI87WgoB2iTLcIAjH-68eUW0tcOcpJfmj5jmWny3URq90kf1iJUquJvbAX1IeGiArdRcYvFuctlCk41HTF0SekA/s1600/IMG_2161.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a> <br />
<h2>
Friday</h2>
On the bright side, Friday and Saturday were chock full of fantastic music. We stuck pretty much to the original plan on day one, Checking out <b>The Ghost of a Sabre Tooth Tiger</b> on the Outdoor Theatre first thing. This is Sean Lennon's band, and man does the kid look like dad. Turns out they almost didn't make their set time and started the set pretty jittery, explaining that they had a hard time convincing the security guard that they actually were legit. They drew a good sized crowd for as early as they were on, and sounded sort of like an early 60's psychedelic throwback band.<br />
<br />
<b>Haerts</b> were up next in Mojave, and that's the way they spell their name. A decent poppy band led by a female singer with a decent voice. Not sure what else to say about them but I figured we were pretty much two for two so far at that point.<br />
<br />
Stayed in Mojave for <b>The Reverend Horton Heat</b>, where we witnessed the first of the earmarked of this year's festival, the mosh pit. Yes kids, it's back. Get all that sexual frustration. You feel out by shoving and knocking around a gaggle of your fellow repressed knuckleheads. Rev even commented, "you know, sometimes I feel like the ritual of the mosh pit is a bit passé... That is, until I see a crowd like you." The Rev hasn't lost a thing, and between his rockabilly prowess and his snarky wit, put on a hell of a good show.<br />
<br />
We walked around for a bit after that and found ourselves in the unfortunate position of being between <b>Action Bronson</b> and <b>Allah-Las</b>. By that I mean we could hear them both, and there were no winners. "Let's get the hell away from this," Mike suggested, and we found somewhere to be where we weren't forced to ear-smell this musical sewage.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeuGGc8Ssdj4r2-rG5PeUVjyD7Jh9k13Ql4dKTe73rYrE8GWebmN5fHPgmSqZNJFvTfE9MZ1Lckp6m2IKe2CC5XXT_B99FweHtFT2R-dw_B0bb_uHkWmqVR3IGJbLJInZIc5HMTzT7fVQ/s1600/IMG_2132.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeuGGc8Ssdj4r2-rG5PeUVjyD7Jh9k13Ql4dKTe73rYrE8GWebmN5fHPgmSqZNJFvTfE9MZ1Lckp6m2IKe2CC5XXT_B99FweHtFT2R-dw_B0bb_uHkWmqVR3IGJbLJInZIc5HMTzT7fVQ/s1600/IMG_2132.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yuma Tent in the Afternoon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Well, sort of. We actually ended up sitting before <b>Ab-Soul</b>, a hip hop act. So when he started up, we bailed, preferring to sit in the hot sun and wait for <b>Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires</b>. Bradley might have been the second oldest performer of the weekend (other than Micharl Gira from Swans), but if I look and move as well as he does when I'm 67, sign me up. This guy brought the house down with his gospely, anmes Brownesque voice and commanding stage presence. His band, The Extrordinaires, were killing it as well. A two piece horn section that sounds like four is enough to sell these guys, and speaks to the talent of the ensemble overall.<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPO6NMOsUYcXYz8Up4rEhithCH9TwW9HUzmeiGFi6UprObQiMq84BydVPP0m-S1-9nYzNktQVLahextS-BYVsibH4nFOKubS-X8SRwF8Ny7MpF6XjwqKJ0ipeIHiSnR9f60R0af4HL3aU/s1600/IMG_2082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPO6NMOsUYcXYz8Up4rEhithCH9TwW9HUzmeiGFi6UprObQiMq84BydVPP0m-S1-9nYzNktQVLahextS-BYVsibH4nFOKubS-X8SRwF8Ny7MpF6XjwqKJ0ipeIHiSnR9f60R0af4HL3aU/s1600/IMG_2082.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Headed over to Gobi next and caught the last couple of songs by <b>Kimbra</b> of Gotye / Somebody I Used To Know fame. A great performer and the music didn't offend. <b>Ride</b> was our destination though, and as predicted, there were virtually no hangers-out from her show to Ride. While this wasn't one of the better-attended performances of the weekend, it was definitely one of those core choices of lineup that keep people like me coming back every year. Ride were a seminal shoegaze band back in the early 1990's, and one of those bands I never thought I'd see live. It's been a great six years or so of the revival of the genre, with My Bloody Valentine's reunion, album MBV and tour, and finally their Coachella debut kicking off the whole thing. Since then we've seen Swervedriver come out of hiding and even Slowdive do a reunion tour last fall. Ride sounds pretty much exactly like they did back when they recorded tracks like Vapour Trail and Leave Them All Behind (both played in their Friday set as well), so if you get the chance, for god's sake check them out.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwg6Qg9xKooiDzgQYKeqAysCjOoaHRoNmaUTfKD5kulXNSJoHB2erYN9GGIZTvSznB9WK38gBO2-sEVroKqeM-fkLB2W8mYC4xBTXgnvG9Nw1DFDaXOViix1DKb9ww0_fVJDABUjqJ9IU/s1600/IMG_2089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwg6Qg9xKooiDzgQYKeqAysCjOoaHRoNmaUTfKD5kulXNSJoHB2erYN9GGIZTvSznB9WK38gBO2-sEVroKqeM-fkLB2W8mYC4xBTXgnvG9Nw1DFDaXOViix1DKb9ww0_fVJDABUjqJ9IU/s1600/IMG_2089.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ride</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
We managed to catch the tail end of <b>The War On Drugs</b> on the Coachella stage, which was great since we weren't going to miss Ride for anything. As I learned last weekend watching the stream, TWOD is a fantastic live rock band, just don't try to listen to them at the gym. <b>Alabama Shakes</b> on the Outdoor Theatre was what we were heading to, another find from the weekend 1 stream. This lady is one of the greatest gospelesque voices to come out of popular music in the last ten years, so pay attention. Songs like Don't Wanna Fight remind one of the greats of soul (think Aretha), and Be Mine reaches a state of almost Baptist church revival-like intensity. Awesome backup singers as well, not to mention the musicians.<br />
<br />
The last part of Friday for me was a little schizophrenic. Headed to <b>Gorgon City</b>, yet another find from the YouTube stream from seven days prior. Lesson learned for next year: Keep doing the research! These guys are billed as UK Garage (rhymes with "carriage") but it's still house music to me. One male and one female singer for the most part, and each did their part to create an irresistible atmosphere for dancing. Although they didn't bring out Jennifer Hudson for the closer, Keep On Dancin', the female singer did come out in a pretty revealing get up and melted the hearts and ears of the crowd, so that was pretty cool too. I cannot stress this enough. If you're into live dance music with a serious hit of soul, this is your new favorite band.<br />
<br />
After Gorgon City I headed over to catch what was left of <b>Caribou</b>. Dan Snaith's electronic dancey project has changed a lot since I saw them at The Casbah on The Milk Of Human Kindness tour back in 2005/'06, and I have to say I love what he's done with the place. Apparently, so did the crowd. It was a huge, pulsating one (that's what she said) that moved in time with the music like it was its shadow.<br />
<br />
Next up was Flying Lotus (or as we call him FlyLo), but as soon as I realized this set was going to give a serious nod to the rap genre, I knew it was time to look for another tent. I really wish I'd checked him out on Until the Quiet Comes, but this isn't the tour (or possibly the album) for me to get more into him. So I headed over to see <b>Todd Terje and the Olsens</b>, who were doing a pretty phenomenal job in Gobi. Not a huge crowd, but great music, and the dedicated fans and lucky curious folk like me were treated to a pretty original experience. I also caught a little bit of Porter Robinson from the very very back of the Sahara tent, but they're reconfigured Sahara so there are no speakers in the back anymore, which really sucked. However, I think the reason they did that was because they moved The Do Lab over by Sahara, which I think was high time they did. Why the fuck would you put The Do Lab smack-dab in the middle of everything for so many years? It's cool to look at, the music is usually good, and it's an institution, admittedly, but it should never be in danger of drowning out one of the other stages. Anyway, as a result of this, I couldn't hear Porter Robinson and that was too bad.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguST5Oz1lHrv20OmB4ZFLuJ1COgz5dkF7Q3paZpiix-_8AbypCKfCNvUHZMH8FODyM3ITcljU-8FzmbyWXmBn6fyPIw3zYu-32h9sfnbAxAmXZKDTkI1kR7cLDMohp_gFBsUu7h3O4RlI/s1600/IMG_2183.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguST5Oz1lHrv20OmB4ZFLuJ1COgz5dkF7Q3paZpiix-_8AbypCKfCNvUHZMH8FODyM3ITcljU-8FzmbyWXmBn6fyPIw3zYu-32h9sfnbAxAmXZKDTkI1kR7cLDMohp_gFBsUu7h3O4RlI/s1600/IMG_2183.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
For my final planned show of the night, I checked out <b>Squarepusher</b>, who seemed to dare people to stick around to listen to him. Coming out in something that looked like a beekeeper's outfit (if there were bees on other planets) and working a mixer and two laptops, the techno legend treated us to a bevvy of what I can only describe as drum and bass and tech. Maybe a little backwash from the dubstep era was in there, but I'd say he influenced that genre, definitely not the other way around.<br />
<br />
After about 30 minutes of Squarepusher I felt like my insides had been rearranged, so I stepped out of the tent to try to squish them back into place. Texting Mike revealed what I'd figured / feared, he and Dave were packed in at <b>AC/DC</b> and were loving it. They got lucky enough to get pairs of the flashing, glowing horns they'd passed out at the start of the show and were wearing them proudly when I finally caught up with them around 12:30 AM. While they were thoroughly impressed by the whole thing, I would have preferred leaving my experiences with the band back in 1989 when I saw them. Angus was great, but Brian Jones' voice sounds like shaggy ass singing through static. Not in a good way. Points for trying, but between the vocals and the flaccid cannon fires during For Those About To Rock, I gotta say their best days are long behind them. Sorry, true fans, but you know it's the truth. Bon Scott era is greater than Brian Jones Era, and early BJ is greater than late BJ. It's simple math.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGrljTwOT0itKINx0Jz-k3pMyjWpvOGRBV-MS0MxpnC2jJEL8Z7kzrjl2uF6t_H1AVuea4_xtZFxQYtjffSV77BgIASK81t8dbeb526H5gdzXKovrHw9Ck4BQzl9dlS6YGzKHDI2OiZyc/s1600/IMG_2137.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGrljTwOT0itKINx0Jz-k3pMyjWpvOGRBV-MS0MxpnC2jJEL8Z7kzrjl2uF6t_H1AVuea4_xtZFxQYtjffSV77BgIASK81t8dbeb526H5gdzXKovrHw9Ck4BQzl9dlS6YGzKHDI2OiZyc/s1600/IMG_2137.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />
<h2>
Saturday</h2>
I felt a lot more human waking up for day 2 of the festy, and after the usual breakfast at Denny's with the unusually long wait, we were back on the polo field by 12:30. The funny thing about Denny's is that the manager that's always there is so zen about everything. He and our waitress did their best to keep our coffee cups filled while we waited 30 minutes for our food (after waiting almost 20 to order), and when we mentioned it seemed to be taking a really long time for the food to come out, he only replied, "Yeah, well..." and walked away.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bbqksBIMvTzEwRl0dfSslbjwIdOISnyfpBThLKTtoosl7vmQx_pP6He1nFfONNWL6BwkqXREyL9hIsb1Bloivq67nbCz5cAC9RpKkwO1iPGB5hlXgeyGVO_t-HOcjdkTnXf6oqGFeX4/s1600/IMG_2184.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-bbqksBIMvTzEwRl0dfSslbjwIdOISnyfpBThLKTtoosl7vmQx_pP6He1nFfONNWL6BwkqXREyL9hIsb1Bloivq67nbCz5cAC9RpKkwO1iPGB5hlXgeyGVO_t-HOcjdkTnXf6oqGFeX4/s1600/IMG_2184.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a> <br />
<br />
I checked out <b>Bixel Boys</b> long enough to realize that they probably should have been murdered at birth. Acapella sample from Don't Look Back In Anger by Oaisis? Guy yelling, "Yeah! Yeah!" up on stage to pump up the crowd? Annoying EDM quirky repetative samples? Check all three boxes. The perfect shitstorm in Sahara.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6T3wXRK19PVnhNkc_xQefx6QywtEr0rsDJ_daV9uOKo7RgCwoRgpD_-kimwkdX5bC3cvkksAbMwb3xmhNKa0Ri8jeKKN8H0fJsTEH3Wi_MYPwpO0Gj6j3gZr4m7J1XTLu5u71geNgu0/s1600/IMG_2119.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk6T3wXRK19PVnhNkc_xQefx6QywtEr0rsDJ_daV9uOKo7RgCwoRgpD_-kimwkdX5bC3cvkksAbMwb3xmhNKa0Ri8jeKKN8H0fJsTEH3Wi_MYPwpO0Gj6j3gZr4m7J1XTLu5u71geNgu0/s1600/IMG_2119.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tourist</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I checked out <b>Tourist</b> as well, caught the tail end of their set and thought they had promise, but once again, the lack of real singers left something to be desired. Still, they're good, so check 'em out if you like the dancey-dancey.<br />
<br />
Mike's first pick of the day was <b>Parquet Courts</b>. He said they sounded nothing like their album, but these guys were one of the most creative, original bands I heard/saw all weekend. The best way to describe them is to say they sound like Talking Heads, if Talking Heads had been dropped as a baby. On its head. They also had this great range, everything from spoken word to New York City pit-inspiring punk. I'd see them live again but I'm scared to listen to their album.<br />
<br />
After this, we had the amazingly good fortune to hear another live house music act ripping it up on the main stage, but we didn't head over just yet. I'd previously said I wanted to see <b>Lights</b> because the singer was hot. I will now make the first retraction ever on San Diego Radio Sucks : <u><i>The chick from Lights is not hot.</i></u> About two minutes into the first song, I turned to Mike and said, "OK, so this music's kinda crap. Let's go somewhere else." Dave asked Mike, "Where are we going?" To which Mike replied, "Anywhere but here." Well said, Mike.<br />
<br />
It was because of this excellent choice in a weekend of excellently poor choices that led us to <b>Clean Bandit</b>, yet another live house music band. This one's a bit twisted though. In addition to live musicians and singers, they've got live strings. At one point, they broke into something fit for a French king's dinner service, and Mike's jaw dropped. "That's HAYDN." Pretty impressive, to say the least, and the singers hold their end of the bargain as well. I hope one of these days we get a stage with nothing but bands like Clean Bandit and Gorgon City.<br />
<br />
I caught enough of <b>Cashmere Cat</b> to wish I was deaf before heading over to <b>Carl Craig</b>. The legendary Detroit techno icon opened his set with Fly Like An Eagle by Steve Miller Band, which sounds weird. However, if you listen to that song in this type of context, you realize just how soulful that song is. After that, it was a relentless four by four booty shakin' good time. While I was bummed to have to miss Jungle, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see one of the guys who started an entire genre of music, and from my hometown, no less.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkWTxcSm0eJOUrcxvGyMJIO3mfjkSUwWHq12_TPU1y2yjqxQq55hDosuWW-9fo0ZdyQmfS5OggWWYFzDfgMEN2H2OFUIzvWJddpDE41AOU3U4AamW0na9bXqWAS29FgySZKI0WELWmfI/s1600/IMG_2131.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkWTxcSm0eJOUrcxvGyMJIO3mfjkSUwWHq12_TPU1y2yjqxQq55hDosuWW-9fo0ZdyQmfS5OggWWYFzDfgMEN2H2OFUIzvWJddpDE41AOU3U4AamW0na9bXqWAS29FgySZKI0WELWmfI/s1600/IMG_2131.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carl Craig</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
I saw enough of <b>Belle and Sebastian</b> to confirm my belief that they haven't put out anything good since Fold Your Hands Child... and headed over to<b> alt-J </b>on the main stage. Sadly, I couldn't get very close, and I was around enough assholes who just wanted to talk loudly over the music that I split after half the set was over. This was just after Father John Misty took the stage at Outdoor, and I was pleasantly surprised to be a part of that crowd.<br />
<br />
The next act we had to see was FKA Twigs in Gobi, and I got a text from Mike that he was already there. "Help," it read, "I'm being violated by The Gaslamp Killer." What I saw of this dude was actually pretty inspiring and original. When I first got there, he was introducing the band and ranting in the most energizing way I've ever heard. "Every single one of you motherfuckers was born for a reason! Don't ever let any other person define your destiny! When I was in school, my teachers told me that I was a waste. They told me I'd never amount to anything. Well look at me now, motherfuckers!" The 15-piece band played one more quick song, sounding a lot like something out of a John Zorn project with TGK scribbling at the turntables the whole time and looking like an escaped mental patient. <b>The Gaslamp Killer Experience</b> delivered what it promised, I'll say. An experience.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRdoolxEYQp-sT7wlN1mS33vThlPqGCpSc2uT1I9HQ3_hhz8Qe-bQYtAliFr32X7ZGXtNkZrr9RXDgwiCfNR16JPLmHBZFGziKrLgEj5Q7nBoHv0f_V7N4Y3OudWrP1aS_ocY5Ncb-Gs/s1600/IMG_2145.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfRdoolxEYQp-sT7wlN1mS33vThlPqGCpSc2uT1I9HQ3_hhz8Qe-bQYtAliFr32X7ZGXtNkZrr9RXDgwiCfNR16JPLmHBZFGziKrLgEj5Q7nBoHv0f_V7N4Y3OudWrP1aS_ocY5Ncb-Gs/s1600/IMG_2145.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FKA Twigs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I have to say <b>FKA Twigs</b> is about the best new music I've heard in as long as I can remember, and she didn't disappoint live. My expectations were about as unrealistically high for her as they were for Portishead, and they were exceeded in a similar manner. An apt comparison, as their music isn't so different in many ways, but the performance was night and day. She contorts herself in the sexiest way while she's hitting Every. Single. Note. Perfectly. Her voice is an instrument, and to compare her to Beth Gibbons or Bjork isn't out of the question. It was literally so good I had tears streaming down my face. If you haven't checked out the new empress of trip-hop, please do yourself a favor and buy everything she's ever done. Go ahead. I'll wait.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHQq2fi4IYxgz2FPVRSFhBoJJWZ7NGIlRAtT9d7Zb7dr0p-0xqb48s_W23ByIFE2oTnHnRiTakebW-p7wfouZVrTBKFi0Ouu_qLW3J8QxQsEKXdUhEvfHRHR9w-5_y1asa1YId53b0Js/s1600/IMG_2144.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHQq2fi4IYxgz2FPVRSFhBoJJWZ7NGIlRAtT9d7Zb7dr0p-0xqb48s_W23ByIFE2oTnHnRiTakebW-p7wfouZVrTBKFi0Ouu_qLW3J8QxQsEKXdUhEvfHRHR9w-5_y1asa1YId53b0Js/s1600/IMG_2144.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FKA Twigs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDztyA6mVyZzEXb26XVB0ZamSk4vet1WmlnZLIdzSrzr9Rh7HLZS4XfakFuuQYcuwF94f46NUv2a80x1glbjIj-3zOs6YobteVrdzY1-LLRJ2h_6zdNGVyUKIIfA8BWjZoWqSKK7sJ-AE/s1600/P1030525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDztyA6mVyZzEXb26XVB0ZamSk4vet1WmlnZLIdzSrzr9Rh7HLZS4XfakFuuQYcuwF94f46NUv2a80x1glbjIj-3zOs6YobteVrdzY1-LLRJ2h_6zdNGVyUKIIfA8BWjZoWqSKK7sJ-AE/s1600/P1030525.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FKA Twigs (photo by Mike)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Fk9hN7de8MpWcw7piOjvls5R4_8TDpqxoLaJVHWv0BCopMfIp2_BuC_SD1HPSAKZQo6ix-GszAyA48RIbJggq29TTY75QXRZe-v-SI0HPaLkxqMxo_7Xep2LYNh1xFAu74L5K8MBt3g/s1600/P1030522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Fk9hN7de8MpWcw7piOjvls5R4_8TDpqxoLaJVHWv0BCopMfIp2_BuC_SD1HPSAKZQo6ix-GszAyA48RIbJggq29TTY75QXRZe-v-SI0HPaLkxqMxo_7Xep2LYNh1xFAu74L5K8MBt3g/s1600/P1030522.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FKA Twigs (photo by Mike)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6KND93smi59RJfKLcUl9v9LNqVsGOOodB2Kc0JHn_KyoSYQsmgd5VY4OmcbVSBlSZPm9kTPpmJRfNOgvY4VJ0TJZowr-NaISHpSKvHsjOWyt01KeuQ7D8IiyvWjcyUdpwa8PirkuEpQ/s1600/P1030523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH6KND93smi59RJfKLcUl9v9LNqVsGOOodB2Kc0JHn_KyoSYQsmgd5VY4OmcbVSBlSZPm9kTPpmJRfNOgvY4VJ0TJZowr-NaISHpSKvHsjOWyt01KeuQ7D8IiyvWjcyUdpwa8PirkuEpQ/s1600/P1030523.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FKA Twigs (photo by Mike)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvF7x_guzE4msXr271cpH6wgX92RPTxvfIBeD5ktfmNUBuAdeOQJHcjpMKXbfraF_IP8UwH4StmSR5vTZaHzeaRcGr698klYTZ-Ynd1NRUEazGoi_9Ro_9W63VLy856NWyv_McCdb6SJU/s1600/P1030524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvF7x_guzE4msXr271cpH6wgX92RPTxvfIBeD5ktfmNUBuAdeOQJHcjpMKXbfraF_IP8UwH4StmSR5vTZaHzeaRcGr698klYTZ-Ynd1NRUEazGoi_9Ro_9W63VLy856NWyv_McCdb6SJU/s1600/P1030524.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FKA Twigs (photo by Mike)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUiHZCzBCjbzOpDElQkQC8nrDMU4dTtEZADZYb5QTbdO2zDCbhRL-tspZ4mQicPCZjCZw5M7DtzqVEk13WreJxjwsGq1qUR7Rx2Xl8P5fjw1IbDIEZFcnzs0jvTKbAgjcEvQnRbhQ2IWo/s1600/P1030527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUiHZCzBCjbzOpDElQkQC8nrDMU4dTtEZADZYb5QTbdO2zDCbhRL-tspZ4mQicPCZjCZw5M7DtzqVEk13WreJxjwsGq1qUR7Rx2Xl8P5fjw1IbDIEZFcnzs0jvTKbAgjcEvQnRbhQ2IWo/s1600/P1030527.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FKA Twigs (photo by Mike)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Mike stayed for <b>Drive Like Jehu</b>, who he said were one of his favorites on the day, while I bopped over to Mojave to see <b>SBTRKT</b>. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was more of this semi-live dance music that's permeated the festival this year in the most wonderful way. SBTRKT was really, really good, great even, but the one thing I'd like to see from him would be live singers. You add live singers to that act, and SBTRKT is going to be a real contender for the highlight of the day in the future.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vENK68VzZNb1-JZMyG8o2usPzAqoPh6kMMwS9281bz3u28OrsT0NoUKVHnVJeH7RnuTUoR4aI_4HgEsWHN5cCEAOISFALxDwJ1NB5QALp_1Sm9IvIKh4aj-58IcrMG98AzB6kgxOi7I/s1600/P1030532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vENK68VzZNb1-JZMyG8o2usPzAqoPh6kMMwS9281bz3u28OrsT0NoUKVHnVJeH7RnuTUoR4aI_4HgEsWHN5cCEAOISFALxDwJ1NB5QALp_1Sm9IvIKh4aj-58IcrMG98AzB6kgxOi7I/s1600/P1030532.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drive Like Jehu (photo by Mike)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rK-4JViv_0F7zPSPGgIoWAcdrswSdo9CNi4il-Bgacc7taUomR4PUYqGe8k-Fb2SHGROlwNheOAtqtQSunjRrPeeqmVm3L777jdSagT-4hTHMK0fmUhaS5nuozQYka22zCkcWgunYnM/s1600/P1030549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4rK-4JViv_0F7zPSPGgIoWAcdrswSdo9CNi4il-Bgacc7taUomR4PUYqGe8k-Fb2SHGROlwNheOAtqtQSunjRrPeeqmVm3L777jdSagT-4hTHMK0fmUhaS5nuozQYka22zCkcWgunYnM/s1600/P1030549.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drive Like Jehu (photo by Mike)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
After that, headed back to Gobi for <b>Swans</b>. Michael Gira is like 70 years old, and most of the people in Swans look like they're gnarled up like a beef jerky dog toy, but these guys are not your father's or grandfather's 70. If you like drone music, these guys pretty much invented it. Or at least they're the oldest still-performing pioneers of the genre. Although they seemed to mostly play a single chord the entire performance, I can't make the joke that the show was a little "one-note." ;)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid85SJB9qXAqK7BJ3JwlW6fZ7vj348-PNryQvd2D81E-zdr2uGFPjH0z255GHl4j7tuzBiDDNV8p8PAlZM7npNPzrkHOedrkbo6y53hkBrgYwy_xalZmUkMUC41BqgR5yThyPkjPoH5N8/s1600/IMG_2150.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid85SJB9qXAqK7BJ3JwlW6fZ7vj348-PNryQvd2D81E-zdr2uGFPjH0z255GHl4j7tuzBiDDNV8p8PAlZM7npNPzrkHOedrkbo6y53hkBrgYwy_xalZmUkMUC41BqgR5yThyPkjPoH5N8/s1600/IMG_2150.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swans</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0dqIk5shRk4Vn51eomewlX_PmhxLPYLIn0Us-5E56_i3fZ-spyD2jtt7i-g6qVrF5rtgAI6MQJqqMCwLHpKjFp6kZG8N69mFXHHZ9lcMxlPDZtOQEJCSiQ1AzfGtpAGeJjCBrSmF4tA/s1600/P1030552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR0dqIk5shRk4Vn51eomewlX_PmhxLPYLIn0Us-5E56_i3fZ-spyD2jtt7i-g6qVrF5rtgAI6MQJqqMCwLHpKjFp6kZG8N69mFXHHZ9lcMxlPDZtOQEJCSiQ1AzfGtpAGeJjCBrSmF4tA/s1600/P1030552.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swans (photo by Mike)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2_EpYLGIy2oAlV1w7hGgL3K0mzxlEaBZOUFk-WMwyWxlTEMp9ue3t0IsVe0a3zf6O7rzx7o3QDSiALJmsjmjtr4zaCO5fCnX2xJ3k_f77jTRHEt1kR6IKcx70g8Id7JJ0r83iAjdv4-w/s1600/P1030568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2_EpYLGIy2oAlV1w7hGgL3K0mzxlEaBZOUFk-WMwyWxlTEMp9ue3t0IsVe0a3zf6O7rzx7o3QDSiALJmsjmjtr4zaCO5fCnX2xJ3k_f77jTRHEt1kR6IKcx70g8Id7JJ0r83iAjdv4-w/s1600/P1030568.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swans (photo by Mike)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fG8xhv03m1OT_ZMQapHZw_LPVvRk_RDxT6d4yRmcCbiGJQbmBD8yHACCPLYGbOVbJ9mEpZDqJ_M6TAuNuopPeU3eltRUulrFjSjK4wT9GBziNY0K9CKnO_Z7SkGRCagu9Ozs1L8m2Xo/s1600/P1030573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fG8xhv03m1OT_ZMQapHZw_LPVvRk_RDxT6d4yRmcCbiGJQbmBD8yHACCPLYGbOVbJ9mEpZDqJ_M6TAuNuopPeU3eltRUulrFjSjK4wT9GBziNY0K9CKnO_Z7SkGRCagu9Ozs1L8m2Xo/s1600/P1030573.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swans (photo by Mike)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid82PfQiwLeUauI7Zk09UEAW9S8c5nos7PcOHhlMzTLFulhL59rkcHbNUXj3YQvC1F-pLkcr3_WZ8zlONp1YBHcNXqilKEmewZfjWghS7IKpV9bq1tnqt1S4sn9dK2m7qDjrVs9GNynCs/s1600/P1030557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid82PfQiwLeUauI7Zk09UEAW9S8c5nos7PcOHhlMzTLFulhL59rkcHbNUXj3YQvC1F-pLkcr3_WZ8zlONp1YBHcNXqilKEmewZfjWghS7IKpV9bq1tnqt1S4sn9dK2m7qDjrVs9GNynCs/s1600/P1030557.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swans (photo by Mike)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3csEVBzbIsa0eGTaPju8bfJXlH7Pcam75vanX27PDwA5d3f76OFf_JYmBdVZU5dwnagLNnVRGJEHqgKL-ygV0984j8Dl7WclYvzWqMqjxEEs4ReGmabAaftMQn59Grj4lYFIyV-zV_Mg/s1600/P1030561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3csEVBzbIsa0eGTaPju8bfJXlH7Pcam75vanX27PDwA5d3f76OFf_JYmBdVZU5dwnagLNnVRGJEHqgKL-ygV0984j8Dl7WclYvzWqMqjxEEs4ReGmabAaftMQn59Grj4lYFIyV-zV_Mg/s1600/P1030561.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swans (photo by Mike)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3xN410j-Y-CQSZCf_pOGH-izH-7Mrpwl4VnaSe9YxHinCTYObQ_E3BddYVu8V9Jt8-DBY_w3XGoDiX_zl448zxTEnCiY0ayOiAS5ulghnBIY_eWgiEUSdG8cckO7SDapLj9sS4i22uw/s1600/P1030580.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3xN410j-Y-CQSZCf_pOGH-izH-7Mrpwl4VnaSe9YxHinCTYObQ_E3BddYVu8V9Jt8-DBY_w3XGoDiX_zl448zxTEnCiY0ayOiAS5ulghnBIY_eWgiEUSdG8cckO7SDapLj9sS4i22uw/s1600/P1030580.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swans (photo by Mike)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h2>
Sunday</h2>
Sadly, all good things must end, and this year I felt that the greatest things ended on Saturday. Sorry, Sunday lovers, there just wasn't much for me. <b>tINI</b> was throwing down some great minimal house vinyl in Yuma, and that was pretty much exactly what I expected in the best possible way. <b>M∅</b> was really, really good, possibly even great. I didn't see that being the highlight until the day was over though, and I'd seen the second half of <b>Panda Bear</b> (which was actually really cool and trippy), and parts of <b>Built To Spill</b> (not my style) <b>Marina and the Diamonds</b> (really good but not quite great), <b>Madeon</b> (who actually was amazing but I couldn't get out of the entryway to Sahara, and it was a big pain in the ass to have people passing by me the whole time), <b>Philip Selway</b> (drummer for Radiohead, who played very quiet music while very loud music spewed in from every direction) <b>Florence and the Machine</b> (a predictably subdued set given her broken foot and scant 30-minute time slot, even though it ended with a duet with Father John Misty) and <b>ODESZA</b> (sounded great but couldn't get close enough to even get into the back of the tent).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW09CUVg7N1LCk_frKQmJ0QgJYc73LSiBM6C2VcDdCD4Z2kZCF0jxUGAfvVN1L7k-ForhDHj3a3851haWCNhyphenhyphenG9R7HenOm-Fe1XtYekLhar_afhNE2AJtJ23ybJtPXw4yBWKvXRcNFxi0/s1600/IMG_2171.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW09CUVg7N1LCk_frKQmJ0QgJYc73LSiBM6C2VcDdCD4Z2kZCF0jxUGAfvVN1L7k-ForhDHj3a3851haWCNhyphenhyphenG9R7HenOm-Fe1XtYekLhar_afhNE2AJtJ23ybJtPXw4yBWKvXRcNFxi0/s1600/IMG_2171.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">M∅</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqM4PtmCgOLvfttqEQDnKZsHlf45exUs7ZU6lN7421oIw4upP9nB7PMFXMHIOYvVzreR5DBjpx_tY1ikbfhaB79kr0bZiMsHGamCUpHutbFZZ9KAj5DNyZOhxqRTZTgvLyeFNgodxHg28/s1600/IMG_2174.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqM4PtmCgOLvfttqEQDnKZsHlf45exUs7ZU6lN7421oIw4upP9nB7PMFXMHIOYvVzreR5DBjpx_tY1ikbfhaB79kr0bZiMsHGamCUpHutbFZZ9KAj5DNyZOhxqRTZTgvLyeFNgodxHg28/s1600/IMG_2174.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panda Bear</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6WdAVi6eKdheDi9MZU09nOI3uf-1tW5LrVeo0ddgiCGn5dukAujcwEQzyC0z0kGc0APp8KRXNj16DJQIdeNj7RlEYoDVzvjicLVmy5mX5H7M2GXEcDX4yX9UGkLNgEkwHPeX8Tr96ls/s1600/IMG_2178.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT6WdAVi6eKdheDi9MZU09nOI3uf-1tW5LrVeo0ddgiCGn5dukAujcwEQzyC0z0kGc0APp8KRXNj16DJQIdeNj7RlEYoDVzvjicLVmy5mX5H7M2GXEcDX4yX9UGkLNgEkwHPeX8Tr96ls/s1600/IMG_2178.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Philip Selway</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The only act I'm conflicted about from Sunday is <b>St. Vincent</b>. There were a couple of songs I really, really liked, and when I heard her back at the motel, I liked what I heard, but overall her show just didn't click with me. I watched the whole thing, so there's something there for sure, but I'll have to return to that at another time. She's a great performer, but not being familiar with her music I've been told is to not really get it. She's a grower, not a shower, as an artist.<br />
<br />
And that's pretty much everything. We got back to the motel in record time, and were even allowed to turn up streets we couldn't on Friday and Saturday because the traffic was so light. Sunday's crowd seemed like about half the size of Friday and Saturday, so that was too bad as well. However, it sort of confirms my statement that the great acts were spread very thinly, if at all, on Sunday this year.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJr7mutmh-zN_d7CNdPbhJyqGknAyXO4V7wXJRTvdh9Pi4bOwX2vG-NAmJZgXVpYDI4lfBHtLicpCJkZ9i-f-8BVP3D48wXK2fyPin95WWMA_fNF-KWIVE_2ra02-tvQk2JUXEupEMVNE/s1600/IMG_2185.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJr7mutmh-zN_d7CNdPbhJyqGknAyXO4V7wXJRTvdh9Pi4bOwX2vG-NAmJZgXVpYDI4lfBHtLicpCJkZ9i-f-8BVP3D48wXK2fyPin95WWMA_fNF-KWIVE_2ra02-tvQk2JUXEupEMVNE/s1600/IMG_2185.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-83523058490135378282015-04-20T15:06:00.001-07:002015-04-20T15:21:20.437-07:00Holiday Motel in Indio, CA - The Biggest Shithole In the DesertCoachella is designed to be a weekend of choices, many of them first world problems that have no wrong or bad answer. Choosing a motel, however, is not like that.<br />
<br />
Undoubtedly, the worst choice we made over weekend 2 for Coachella 2015 was booking Holiday
Motel in Indio, where we were charged more money than The Paris Hilton
to stay in a dangerous, run down shithole conveniently located in the
middle of what must be Indio's D-list hooker street. Not just that, but
when we got back Sunday night tarred and feathered with sunscreen and
polo field dirt, we found that the room hadn't even been cleaned. No
fresh towels, nothing.<br />
<br />
<b>Also, they use real keys instead of the standard plastic cards that most civilized places have these days. This would be fine if the keys they gave you actually performed the function of locking the door, which as far as I'm concerned is the only thing keys really need to do.</b><br />
<br />
Seriously, we're lucky we weren't killed, kidnapped, or worse staying at that nightmare.<br />
<br />
Thanks for nothing you soulless fucks.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-2524726999238275002015-04-16T07:38:00.002-07:002015-04-16T07:38:47.913-07:00One Day 'til Coachella - Answer Key 2015I haven't been blogging much this year, mostly because I'm busier than a penicillin shot in a whorehouse after the navy's docked and there was a Viagra festival at the same time, but also because we've got weekend two tickets, and I couldn't be arsed to pick how many days it was until Coachella. Well, now tis the night before day one of weekend two, so there's officially only three more days of the festy left this year, and I figured I should contribute something other than my sunburned wasted ass to the event.<br />
<br />
I got inspired by <a href="http://sandiegoradiosucks.blogspot.com/2009/04/one-day-til-coachella-answer-key-2009.html" target="_blank">a simple post I wrote back in 2009</a>, I liked that I could imitate the format and I wouldn't have to think too hard to do it. So here goes.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Friday</h3>
<h4>
Early</h4>
<b>Los Rakas </b>is about the only thing on early I've heard anything of, and that was just a snippet so it could be good or not. I promised a friend I'd check out <b>Ghost of A Saber Tooth Tiger</b>. It's John Lennon's kid's band, and man, does Sean look like dad these days. Not sure what they sound like but we'll find out. I'm probably going to skip <b>Action Bronson</b>, he's on Vice Records, which is cool, but just doesn't seem like he's going to be anything more special than a blood fart.<br />
<h4>
Middle </h4>
<b>Sylvan Esso</b> did a pretty cool set we watched on the stream for weekend one, so that's a possibility, and even though <b>Kimbra</b> got mixed reviews from my friends, I thought she would be worth checking out in Gobi.<b> Charles Bradley and his Extraordinaires</b> is the first act I'm really stoked to see. This guy's voice could melt edible panties, or real ones. We actually bought tickets to FYF Fest just to see him, but didn't end up going through with the plan. <b>Ride</b> is a band I've been waiting to see since the early 1990's, and from what I've seen and heard online, they haven't lost a thing over the years. It's going to be heartbreaking to miss <b>Lykke Li</b>, but I'm going to have to miss most of it in favor of <b>Alabama Shakes</b>. Damn, that chick can SANG! But they're up against <b>Jon Hopkins</b>, which I'll likely miss most of in Yuma.<br />
<h4>
Late</h4>
<b>Gorgon City</b> was a find from watching weekend one on the stream, supposedly UK Garage but it's all house music as far as I'm concerned. I could easily stay right there in the Gobi tent for the rest of the nights - <b>Todd Terje and the Olsens </b>might be a surprise, and I'm definitely going to catch <b>Squarepusher</b>, but I'm probably going to miss Todd T for <b>Flying Lotus</b> (as we call him, FlyLo). Also, I've heard <b>Porter Robinson</b> absolutely killed it in Sahara, and it really looks and sounds like Sahara is turning a corner this year and actually putting on a significant amount of not dogshit acts.<br />
<br />
Then I'll go find my drunken fucking friends at AC/DC and finish it out with a dustbowl parking lot Tecate and the slow crawl back to the roach motel.<br />
<h3>
Saturday</h3>
<h4>
Early</h4>
<b>Bixel Boys</b> in Sahara, just to represent for Detroit. <b>Parquet Courts</b> because my man Mike likes 'em and his taste in music is above average. <b>Bad Religion</b> is the first act of the day I'm totally stoked on. Their first time at the 17 year-old desert ass-fest, and they destroyed on the stream weekend one. <b>Cashmere Cat </b>sounded good from what I heard, but I didn't hear much. <b>Chet Faker</b> was another find from the stream, he's got a popular song but I won't hold that against him.<br />
<h4>
Middle</h4>
<b>Jungle</b> was another live house music act I didn't know before last weekend, so I'll likely check some of them out and totally catch some <b>Carl Craig</b>. It's a Detroit kinda day. <b>Glass Animals </b>are cool, but up against a lot of quality acts, including <b>Alt-J</b> and <b>Father John Misty</b>. <b> </b><br />
<h4>
<b>Late </b></h4>
<b>FKA Twigs</b> is really the one act I absolutely can't miss. Her two records, LP1 and EP2 are absolutely fantastic. <b>SBTRKT</b> might be a good late night starter before hitting <b>Swans</b>, my close-second must-see act of 2015. They don't even take the stage until 12:05 AM, so that sucks, but we'll be fine. We've survived every other time.<br />
<h3>
Sunday</h3>
<h4>
Early</h4>
We'll wake up with that "what the fuck happened?" feeling, wondering how we could have possibly let 2/3 of the party go by without anything more than a hangover, tinnitus and sore-ass muscles. Something tells me we're going to miss <b>Sloan</b> at 11:55, because we never get there early enough to catch the one good act they put on way too early on Sunday. I always make a point to check out <b>Alf Alpha</b>. I'm not sure if he's this dude I met in a Wal-Mart parking lot a few years ago, but I kinda think he might be. Anyway, when I tweet to him, he tweets back, and that's pretty cool. <b>tINI</b> in Yuma should be good minimal housey stuff, and <b>M∅</b> sounded like she could be an awesome answer to the 95-degree heat they're predicting for Sunday. I might have to miss part of <b>Panda Bear</b> to do it, so I hope she's really good and it's worth it or she sucks and I can catch PB's full set.<br />
<h4>
Middle</h4>
I promised a friend I'd check out his buds in <b>Circa Survive</b>, though I don't know much about them. <b>Built to Spill</b> seems like a reasonable choice for the next act, and then I'll likely eat food for the first time that weekend and catch some of <b>Jason Bentley</b> or <b>Marina and the Diamonds</b>. I like Oh No! from Just Dance, so maybe the latter.<br />
<h4>
Late</h4>
<b>Madeon</b>'s one I've been wanting to see for quite some time, he can play a Novation Launchpad like an instrument so that should be cool, <b>Philip Selway</b> was recommended to me not as the drummer from Radiohead, but as good mellow music as a palate cleanser. Mike likes <b>St. Vincent</b>, as do many other people, so I'll almost definitely give her a shot. Next, <b>ODESZA</b> probably makes sense, and finally, <b>Florence + the Machine + her broke-ass foot</b>. Thanks for giving the show of your life <i><b>last</b></i> weekend, Flo. I'd love to think we'll be up to stay to the bitter end for Kygo, but I know us and I know that's just not going to happen, so I'll settle for several beers and one more nap before it's all over.<br />
<br />
Sorry this post kind of turned into just a bunch of names, but that's what happens when you don't blog for like a fucking year and then get all amped up about the best music festival in the universe.<br />
<br />
Be good to each other, people, and if you can't be good, at least don't get caught. And know when to shut the fuck up. People are trying to experience euphoria, and that doesn't come with a side of you talking in their ear while they're trying to hear the music. <br />
<br />
See you on the other side. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-57434808337195786312015-03-30T20:00:00.002-07:002015-03-30T20:00:24.851-07:00Antony and the Johnsons - I Am A Bird Now<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCVj2jeIRJZZiZVCIgcgfqqFmBPwTriMCsjOIY8u9VqR_nbwO9Xxy-qz2XzpuHlIKfmISWslQrQ0Sd2Vg28aasbMAXq7OpEWql6wK721J_dYRLEPzMFQI62jEti57B2sheqlv31pIXoA/s1600/Candy_Darling_on_her_Deathbed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCVj2jeIRJZZiZVCIgcgfqqFmBPwTriMCsjOIY8u9VqR_nbwO9Xxy-qz2XzpuHlIKfmISWslQrQ0Sd2Vg28aasbMAXq7OpEWql6wK721J_dYRLEPzMFQI62jEti57B2sheqlv31pIXoA/s1600/Candy_Darling_on_her_Deathbed.jpg" height="397" width="400" /></a></div>
I've got a shitload of music, and this album has never been too far from my turntables. I pulled it out the other night to listen to track one, Hope There's Someone, and decided to listen to the whole thing in its entirety tonight for no other reason than it's fucking awesome and I love it.<br />
<br />
With collaborators like Rufus Wainwright, Boy George, and for fuck's sake Lou Reed, it could be heralded as a fantastic effort in its own right. However, what really makes this is Antony's raw openness, his willingness to bare all, stand naked in front of the audience and take whatever comes.<br />
<br />
What it stands for is as powerful as the emotions it evokes. And Antony is the only artist I've ever, ever compared to Bjork as far as vocal control. And that's saying something.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-28928583296540612842015-01-07T17:02:00.000-08:002015-01-07T17:02:32.854-08:0079 Days 'til Coachella - The Headliners<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibDNYDSeoWiTtuK8N0-pCrwk_dc3PzPKe-euvGsDonn44TSPioEp3q7-v2Coorxg3MonkCfFwU1Vft3onowzrTLV9xwb7Ck5hnRgWHqJ2zBfjLj5anxus2AnmCKdjYkPB42_2GZf1WLoc/s1600/poster+v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibDNYDSeoWiTtuK8N0-pCrwk_dc3PzPKe-euvGsDonn44TSPioEp3q7-v2Coorxg3MonkCfFwU1Vft3onowzrTLV9xwb7Ck5hnRgWHqJ2zBfjLj5anxus2AnmCKdjYkPB42_2GZf1WLoc/s1600/poster+v1.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Poster, version 1.0 - which promises will be broken this year?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I never thought we'd have to settle for weekend 2. And I never thought they'd have a lineup that approached the craptacular one they smacked us with like a wet bag of vomit back in 2011. And, I never thought that despite this, I'd be so bummed when I thought we weren't even going to get the makeup weekend passes.<br />
<br />
But all that's changed.<br />
<br />
And yeah, at this point, it's not even about the music so much as it is about the tradition, the religion, the post-Coachella glow that makes me believe people don't totally fucking suck for seven full days after the festy. It's the anticipation, the hunting down of new artists (or new to me), and, of course, the adult diaper full of fucking swear words I get to write every winter.<br />
<br />
OK, so first impressions:<br />
<br />
<h3>
Headliners</h3>
<br />
<h4>
AC/DC</h4>
Say it with me now: WHAT THE <span style="font-size: large;">FUCK</span>!?!?! More like FU/FM. I'll let you figure out what that means. It's about the mystique anymore anyway. Did they drag out these geriatric prunes because they couldn't get the Rolling $tones again? Seriously. I saw them twice back in my regretful mullet phase. Don't get me wrong, they rocked, bro, but after an afternoon in the Detroit sun counting how many times the goddamn People Mover slides by and drinking under-the-well vodka, anything sounds amazing. <br />
<br />
But seriously, can Brian Johnson even sing anymore? And of course, this begs the obvious question, could he ever? <br />
<h4>
Jack White</h4>
Well, here's something that will get those emo assholes to bring out their white belts for. Just what we need. I mean, represent for Detroit, I'll give him that. And supposedly dude's a motherfucker on the guitar, so maybe he's talented. But I just don't like the music. What specifically, you ask?<br />
<br />
Well, it's the shitty sound it makes when it comes out of my awesome speakers, that's what.<br />
<br />
He was in a movie with Jimmy Page and The Edge (don't get me started on U-fucking-2), so that's a thing. Maybe Jimmy is like really, really broke. I mean, just because you used to be in Led Zepplin doesn't mean you've got shitloads of money. It just means you used to have shitloads of money.<br />
<br />
Well hell, now that I've said that, let's start a rumor:<br />
<br />
JIMMY PAGE AND THE EDGE WILL BE ON STAGE WITH JACK WHITE! You heard it here first! Oh, and they'll be wearing The Gimp getups from Pulp Fiction. No music, just interpretive dance.<br />
<br />
There. I've done my civic duty for the day.<br />
<h4>
Drake</h4>
Ugh. I guess this is the new formula. Get everyone out early on Sunday. I actually don't mind Drake as a hip-hop or rap guy or whatever. However, this spot could be better filled by, well, anyone else but the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I guess I should be thankful. We'll get to go back to our (even shittier than in previous years) motel and get our drank on a little early.<br />
<br />
Anyway, definitely not the most disappointing lineup, but probably the second-most disappointing lineup. Still, there are some great gems in there I know about, and I'm sure some I don't yet know about.<br />
<br />
Suggestions? Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-18433485428162105052014-08-24T17:05:00.001-07:002014-08-25T23:23:10.492-07:00Drive Like Jehu to Perform Free Reunion Show in Balboa Park on Labor Day 2014<a href="http://sandiegoradiosucks.blogspot.com/1994/06/drive-like-jehu-blind-pig-ann-arbor-mi.html">The last time I saw Drive Like Jehu</a>, I was pretty blown away, so it's bittersweet that they've reunited and are playing a free show next Sunday (day before Labor Day) in Balboa Park. <a href="http://www.stereogum.com/1699934/drive-like-jehu-are-playing-a-reunion-show-less-than-two-weeks-from-now/news/" target="_blank">According to stereogum.com</a>, they're getting an organ accompaniment. What, like a musical organ? Really?<br />
<br />
Part of me wants to leave that amazing evening in the past, untouchable and unchangeable by seeing an older version of them, with an older version of me in attendance. Hell, that was just over 20 years ago, and I still remember elements of that night perfectly.<br />
<br />
So I dragged out their epic Yank Crime CD the other night (I didn't have a turntable at the time) and threw it on full blast while annihilating some baddies in Watch Dogs, and let me tell you, it's some of the most exhausting music ever created. I don't know how these guys could have created an entire album of this intensity, let alone a single song. It hasn't lost a milliliter of the piss and vinegar it spewed back when it was released in 1994, the year I moved to San Diego, and I doubt it ever will.<br />
<br />
My first exposure to these guys was from a mix tape the bassist in my band at the time had made me. Or maybe I'd quit Dead Clown Pile by then and Smokey was just one of my housemates. Anyway, he made me this tape full of great punk rock, a lot of it from San Diego, and it was all a little faster than it should have been because his turntable ran that way. When I heard Bullet Train To Vegas, I was like, "Fuck man, who <b>are</b> these guys?"<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.balboapark.org/calendar/event/2014-08-31/drive-jehu-dr-carol-williams" target="_blank">The official announcement is here</a>. Looks like the show starts at 7:00, and according to an interview with Bitchfork, they're only planning on doing five songs for a set less than half an hour. I'm not sure what to expect, but I'll be damned if I'm going to miss this one.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5536849245483836082.post-19324401405833207982014-04-10T10:17:00.003-07:002014-04-10T10:17:47.941-07:00One Day 'til Coachella - Final Thoughts Before Hitting the RoadIt's going to be HOT this year folks. Come prepared. Not only do you need the necessities I mentioned in a <a href="http://sandiegoradiosucks.blogspot.com/2008/04/one-day-til-coachella-list-of-stuff-to.html" target="_blank">post many years ago</a>, but I'd like to add to it by setting up my updated Coachella packing list.<br />
<br />
You need the usual stuff mentioned in the previous post as well, but here are a few things I'd definitely add to this list on the eve of my 14th Coachella:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Lip balm (not sure why this never made the list before)</li>
<li>A hat (Ibid.)</li>
<li>The official Coachella app (gets better every year)</li>
<li>Bandana (or something to cover your face in case we get another damn sandstorm worthy of a Darude-like ninth ring of hell)</li>
<li>Sweatshirt (or something warm, again, in case of sandstorm. We stood in line at merch for 45 minutes last year due to poor weather and poor planning)</li>
</ul>
And then of course there's the original list of stuff:<br />
<ul>
<li>Tickets</li>
<li>Hotel reservations</li>
<li>Phone and charger</li>
<li>Sunblock</li>
<li>ATM card, credit card, and ID</li>
<li>several pairs of shorts</li>
<li>several shirts</li>
<li>PJs</li>
<li>Unna-ma-pants</li>
<li>sox</li>
<li>shoes (not good ones, closed-toe, they're going to get dirty)</li>
<li>medications</li>
<li>toiletries like toothbrush, toothpaste, contact solution, floss, and for chrissakes, deodorant</li>
<li>extra contact lenses</li>
<li>glasses</li>
<li>music (duh)</li>
<li>reading material</li>
<li>camera and case</li>
<li>$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$</li>
</ul>
'Tis the season. Let's live.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0