Forecastle Festival

I had a bit of a dilemma coming into the weekend of July 13th. Three music festivals were scheduled and each of them would have made for an amazing weekend. There was my perennial favorite Pitchfork in Chicago, but also new-comer Bunbury here in Cincinnati, as well as Forecastle in nearby Louisville.

In the end, I chose Forecastle for its line-up and proximity; I knew I wouldn't be able to attend all dates of Pitchfork and Bunbury didn't have a very extensive line-up. It ended up being a great choice, the festival had a great atmosphere, good food and many of the same acts that also performed at Pitchfork this year. An added bonus, as a smaller festival compared to Bonnaroo or Pitchfork, crowding was much less of an issue at each show!

Here's who I saw:

Andrew Bird
Sleigh Bells
Beach House
Dr. Dog
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Real Estate
Walk the Moon
Wye Oak
Atlas Sound
Cloud Nothings
JEFF the Brotherhood
Lower Dens
My Morning Jacket

The festival was an amazing experience, I finally broke my Real Estate curse (everytime I've planned to see them, something's come up). Unfortunately, I also created a Neko Case curse, I missed her here and also missed her when she came to Cincinnati last August. I'll break that one soon enough! The craziest part of the weekend was running into a friend from high school who I also ran into at Bonnaroo last year. I ended up hanging out with him most of the weekend and making a bunch of new friends in the process!

Bonnaroo pictures

I am back from Bonnaroo! I had an amazing time, met some amazing people and, of course, saw some amazing bands. Here are my pictures from the event!

Bonnaroo Preview

Today, I leave for Tennessee and Bonnaroo! I'm so excited to see some of my favorite bands and spend a few days away from the rest of the world. Unfortunately, the organizers are a little evil and scheduled some of my favorites at the same time. Nonetheless, here are all the artists I'm excited to see:

EMA - Thursday @ 4:15 PM
"Marked"

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Thursday @ 7:15 PM
"An Ugly Person on a Movie Screen"

Alabama Shakes - Thursday @ 11:30 PM
"Hold On"

The Kooks - Friday @ 12:15 PM
"Seaside"

tUnE-yArDs - Friday @ 1:45 PM
"My Country"

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Friday @ 3:00 PM
"I Learned the Hard Way"

Two Door Cinema Club - Friday @ 3:15 PM
"Do You Want It All?"

Laura Marling - Friday @ 3:30 PM
"Salinas"

The Avett Brothers - Friday @ 5:00 PM
"Colorshow"

Fitz & The Tantrums - Friday @ 5:00 PM
"Moneygrabber"

Feist - Friday @ 6:15 PM
"Graveyard"

Dawes - Friday @ 7:30 PM
"Time Spent in Los Angeles"

St. Vincent - Friday @ 7:45 PM
"Krokodil"

Radiohead - Friday @ 10:00 PM
"Lotus Flower"

Black Star - Saturday @ 12:30 AM
"Respiration"

Blind Pilot - Saturday @ 2:00 PM
"3 Rounds and a Sound"

The Temper Trap - Saturday @ 3:00 PM
"Need Your Love"

Battles - Saturday @ 3:30
"Ice Cream"

Punch Brothers - Saturday @ 4:00 PM
"Dark Days"

Santigold - Saturday @ 5:00 PM
"Look at These Hoes"

SBTRKT - Saturday @ 5:15 PM
"Gamelena"

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Saturday @ 10:00 PM
"Monarchy of Roses"

Delta Spirit - Sunday @ 12:30 PM
"People C'mon"

The Black Lips - Sunday @ 1:45 PM
"Modern Art"

GROUPLOVE - Sunday @ 2:00 PM
"Tongue Tied"

Here We Go Magic - Sunday @ 2:00 PM
"How Do I Know"

The Beach Boys - Sunday @ 3:00 PM
"Wouldn't It Be Nice"

The War on Drugs - Sunday @ 3:30 PM
"Brothers"

The Antlers - Sunday @ 3:30 PM
"Putting the Dog to Sleep"

The Joy Formidable - Sunday @ 5:00 PM
"A Heavy Abacus"

Kurt Vile & The Violators - Sunday @ 5:00 PM
"Baby's Arms"

Bon Iver - Sunday @ 5:30 PM
"Hinnom, TX"

The Civil Wars - Sunday @ 6:15 PM
"Barton Hollow"

The Shins - Sunday @ 6:15 PM
"Simple Song"

The Arctic Monkeys and The Black Keys

The Black Keys are currently touring the country (and parts of Canada), opened by the Arctic Monkeys. I've had the chance to see them twice on this tour; once here in Cincinnati and the second time with my mom in Cleveland. Both bands put on an incredible show; which is impressive considering it's a bit of firsts for both of them. This is The Black Keys first headlining arena tour and the Arctic Monkeys first arena tour, at least in the US (they have done an arena tour in the UK).

Perhaps fresher is better. I had a great time at both shows and the pictures to prove it!

First, my up-close pictures from Cincinnati.

I spent most of the first set trying to figure out what "H.Y.F.R." stood for. It's apparently a reference to a Drake song.

He's got that rock star swagger!

I didn't realize I was getting a picture of this guy's butt; just wanted a shot of Patrick Carney's awesome drum set!

Oh, how I love this man...

Don't worry, Dan, I love you, too!

Encore!

Next, my Cleveland pictures...a show enjoyed with my lovely mother.

Hi Mom!

His swagger is evident even from this far away!

I loved the videos playing behind the band!

My favorite shot of the night.

Another great shot...encore!

Until next time, Cleveland!

Mini setlist:

Arctic Monkeys - "R U Mine?"

Arctic Monkeys - "Still Take You Home"

The Black Keys - "Gold on the Ceiling"

The Black Keys - "Girl Is on My Mind"

Hipster Black Friday

I'm really not a Black Friday shopper; I could do without the lines, crowds and pepper spray. Thankfully, though, some retailers have turned the day (and the weekend) into a way to support local small businesses. Friday hosted a mini-Record Store Day across the country.

Record Store Day, held now for four years on the third Saturday in April, serves to promote local records stores and independent bands. The day sees special releases from a variety of both established and newer bands. The founders of the day decided to hold a mini-Record Store Day on Black Friday, serving much of the same purpose.

Yesterday saw singles from The Black Keys, Ryan Adams and The Civil Wars; re-releases from The Beastie Boys, The Doors and The Grateful Dead; and much much more! You can guess what I was there for...that's right, the single release of "Lonely Boy" from The Black Keys!

Thankfully, there is a great independent record store in my mom's town of Akron, OH, Square Records. I arrived there with her about 30 minutes before the store opened and there was already a line! They had only a few copies of The Black Keys' single, but I managed to snag one before they were all gone.

The line was about 6 people long when we got there.

This, so far, has been the store where I can always find things I've had trouble finding elsewhere, and today was no exception. I also managed to snag a copy of Little Joy's (Fab Moretti's, of The Strokes, side project) debut LP, which I couldn't even find on Amazon.

Asobi Seksu at The Bishop

Friday evening, I took another trip the beloved town of my alma mater, Bloomington, IN. The reason for this trip was to see the band Asobi Seksu.

The band is a part of what I would consider to be a second wave of dream pop. The first wave came in the '80s; while some bands were using synthesizers to make punk-inspired New Wave, others were using it to create the hazier, fuzzier dream pop, think The Jesus and Mary Chain. There was a recent surge in the style, with bands like Dream House, Wild Nothing and M83, but Asobi Seksu precedes them by about 10 years.

After spending some time playing card games with friends, I headed to the show. I was able to catch the tail-end of the opening band, White Birds; after which I immediately wished I had caught more of. The band had a little bit of a Fleet Foxes vibe about them. While they certainly were not reinventing the wheel with their music, the vocals and harmonies were excellent, and they really caught my ear. However, I only caught about a song and a half of them, but they deserve some more listens, I think.

After what seemed like the shortest set up I've ever seen (no sarcasm, it really was a quick set up), the main act went on. To be honest, I've never been obsessive about Asobi Seksu, so I didn't have many set expectations for what I was going to get from the show. The performance was well worth the travel, though. The band had amazing energy and I was amazed at how crisp the singer's vocals came out live. They have all the signature fuzziness of dream pop, but seeing them live definitely showed them to be more influenced by older bands (they even covered a song from The Jesus and Mary Chain) than a precursor to more modern sounds.

The only disappointment with the show is that it was too short. The Bishop is right beneath a comedy venue and the band was forced to end after about 30 minutes because an act was going on upstairs (not acceptable). So...The Bishop and The Comedy Attic really need to work something out. As a final act of defiance, though, the guitarist let a piercingly loud guitar chord go on for about five minutes. So...take that comedy!

Taken before the show actually started...surprised I had time!

 

 

 

The show, by the way, was not the last of the weekend, more on that tomorrow!

I somehow forgot about this

In all of my excitement about visiting the Music City in late July, I forgot to post on the main reason for the trip. I had traveled to Nashville, TN to see one of my new favorite bands, Royal Bangs.

The band has released three albums (the first being with Patrick Carney's record label, Audio Eagle), but are only now starting to get some real attention. That said, the crowd at their show, at The End, was still very small. I had been unsure of whether to go to the show, but a local friend who saw them at SXSW earlier this year had nothing but praise for their live show and convinced me to go.

The venue itself is tucked away and kind of hidden. I had done a drive-by earlier, when it was light out, to make sure I could find it and drove past it a few times before seeing it. Thankfully, that made it a lot easier to find it that night. The place is a little sketchy-looking, to be honest, but there was something charming about the dive-bar aesthetic. I especially loved the glow-in-the-dark wall with the names of numerous bands (both major and more underground) on one of the walls. I would say that these were the names of bands that had performed there, but I doubted some of the acts they listed.

Probably mostly due to the time that has passed since the show, I don't really remember much about the opening acts. I know I didn't hate them, but apparently they didn't stand out much either. I do remember that the girl on keyboards for the first act was wearing a really ill-fitting dress and badly needed a bra, and that the lead singer of the second band had a strong David Byrne feel to his stage presence (meaning: awkward dancing).

The main act was incredible though. The band is very young and does have a long way to go in terms of stage presence. Despite their youth, however, they are incredible musicians and songwriters. The show was simple, disappointingly short, but overall enjoyable. I apologize for not having more details, it was a little while ago. Just know that this is definitely a band to check out when you get the chance.

That pretty much capped off my incredible weekend in Nashville. The perfect end to some time in the Music City!

Welcome to the Music City!

I really like music. I might even say I'm borderline obsessed with the art form. It's a wonder I haven't headed to Nashville, Tennessee before (or even been in the state), so I decided to make the trip a couple of weekends ago.

Immediately after work on Friday, I jumped in my car a started driving south. After a 5 hours driving and getting lost in Kentucky, I arrived at the Music City Hostel in the city. It was late and I was tired, so I just went to bed.

I got up bright and early the next morning, though, ready and excited to explore the city! The hostel wasn't far from downtown, so I decided to start walking. The walk itself wasn't too interesting (standard big city sites), but downtown was amazing. Everything about Nashville evokes the spirit of music. There's an Elvis statue on every corner, random street musicians, B.B. King's bar and classic record and poster stores!

After my stroll downtown, I realized it was too hot to spend the entire day walking from place to place and decided to go back to the hostel to get my car (yay, heat advisories). With the quicker mode of transportation, I decided to check out some of the sites slightly further from town.

The first visit was to Jack White's record label, Third Man Records. Housed in a tiny building in an otherwise industrial area, I drove past it a few times before I finally found it. I went inside and browsed their small store. I settled on a couple copies of "De Stijl" (one for me, one for a friend) and a few postcards. Alas, Jack White was not in attendance.

Next, I embarked on what I hope to make a tradition when I travel and visited a local record store, Grimey's. It was a little place, also quite easy to miss. Unfortunately, I wasn't in much of a mood to browse and just settled on a couple of titles I'd had on my list for a while, The Black Keys' Magic Potion and Wolf Parade's Apologies to the Queen Mary.

I do have other traveling traditions, the biggest one being a visit to a local art museum, especially those that specialize in modern art. In Nashville, I visited the Frist Center, which was featuring an exhibit on Andy Warhol. Rather than taking a broad-based approach to his work, they focused on his work involving figures of music and dance (so, just most of his work). Many of his magazine covers for Interview, album covers such as a the one for The Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers and portraits of Grace Jones, Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley were on display. It was a small museum, but the galleries were great.

All of this surprisingly only took up a small part of my day. I spent much of the afternoon being lazy at the hostel. I struck up a conversation with an interesting boy named Bert on the merits of listening to vinyl. I found out, later on, that he had been inspired enough to visit a local record store and discuss the listening and storage of the format with a shop owner. Go me!

I only spend a day in Nashville, but would love to go back and experience more (perhaps the County Music Hall of Fame!) I will definitely go back, a great city to visit.

There was one more big aspect to my visit to the Music City, which I will put in another post!

Pitchfork Music Festival

My stay in Bloomington last Friday was a very short one, I left early the next morning to head to Chicago for the Pitchfork Music Festival.

I've been to Pitchfork three separate times prior to this year, though not since 2008. Having been to Bonnaroo, it doesn't even come close to the epicness, but is still a great music festival nonetheless.

I caught the 9:00 South Shore (a train line that runs between South Bend and Chicago) out of Dune Park and arrived in Chicago before noon. Having nearly two hours before the festival started, I decided to walk around downtown (i.e., shop) before heading down to Union Park.

After my mini-excursion, I met up with some friends who would also be attending the festival, got some lunch and started our trek to the park. We arrived just in time for me to see Woods again! Even better than the night before. I guess they benefited from actually being able to move around on stage.

That guy and his modified headphone/microphone...thingy...

After a short water and bathroom break, we returned to the same stage to watch No Age, a noise pop/punk two-piece. They're somewhat rare for bands, in that the primary singer is also the drummer; something that never ceases to amaze me especially when playing in near 100 degree weather. For the last song of the set, he stepped from behind the drumset, took his shirt off to show his epic pastiness and mingled with a crowd a little bit.

So that's why you took your shirt off...

After another break, during which we simultaneously listened to Gang Gang Dance and Wild Nothing as well as bought some posters and spotted Kurt Vile leaving a port-a-potty, we returned to that stage (the Red stage, by the way) for Destroyer, known for his work with The New Pornographers (he was not a part of their concert back in April, however). Maybe it was being a bit further from the stage, or the nature of their music, but it didn't sound great as far as vocals go. The saxophone, though, sounded great!

We then turned around to face the Green stage (which is directly across from the Red stage) for The Dismemberment Plan who reunited for some shows only earlier this year after a long hiatus. In the course of just over an hour, they became one of my favorite bands. I have a couple of their records and have enjoyed them, but there's an amazing energy that the band, especially Travis Morrison, have live. I've been listening to Emergency & I a lot in the past week!

We took another break, this time for food and exploring the tents. While at the tents, I struck up a conversation with the representative from Bloomington-based Secretly Canadian/Jagjaguwar/Dead Oceans labels. During that time, the boys of No Age sat down in that area just to chill. I was a little starstruck.

We then returned to the Green stage for the night's headliners, Fleet Foxes! I had the chance to see them at Pitchfork three years ago when they were just getting started, At the time, I didn't really know what to make of their music and it wasn't until last summer that I got much into them. With a more rounded sound on their second album and perhaps more confidence three years after their debut, the set was much better this time around. Maybe not as exciting as a lot of other bands, but they provided a good live version of their music. A great end to the day.

Needless to say, my point and shoot does not do well at night

We made the trek back to our hotel and had one more musician sighting, Travis Morrison of The Dismemberment Plan. Unfortunately, he was nose deep on his phone texting, so we didn't really get to say hi. He's really short in person.

I completed the weekend with a visit with one of my best friends from high school and her grandparents and a quick stroll around the Indiana Dunes before heading back to Cincinnati.

Another great weekend filled with music!

Back to Bloomington

I went back to the town of my Alma Mater, Bloomington, Indiana, for the first time in about three months last weekend. The reason for my return? A show by two of my new favorite artists in the town. Kurt Vile and Woods co-headlined a show at Russian Recording.

My first duty upon getting into town, however, was to pay a visit to some of the friends still living there. I first met up with the wife of one of my best friends from high school (he would have been there, too, but he stepped out and wasn't back before I had to leave). I then spent some time with a more recent friend, with whom I enjoyed a rousing game of Scattergories (which I was winning!)

The perfect pre-cursor to a night of great music.

It was then time to head to the venue. Although I spent five and half years in this town, I had never heard of Russian Recording. I was worried I would walk right past it, but found the little house on South Walnut where the studio is located easily enough. The location was obviously set up as a recording studio initially. The studio and home feel to the place made the show very intimate.

First up was Woods, a band whose album, At Echo Lake, I became mildly obsessed with earlier this year and released a great follow-up, Sun & Shade, only last month. Their performance was very true to their recordings, but they did jam out a bit more on stage. One of the members, G. Lucas Crane, used headphones as a modified microphone to create some of the interesting ethereal sub-sounds present in their records. Some things you just wouldn't guess until you saw them!

"Pushing Onlys"

Kurt Vile was the next act, also putting on a great performance. I did take issue a bit with the balance of his set. Although his music is heavy on guitar and it was a small venue, his vocals seemed to get lost. He does have an amazing backing band, though. They all kind of look like him, with long hair hanging over their eyes. The drummer performed with one stick and his hands, which I thought as pretty awesome. Unfortunately, I was unable to stay his entire set. The more people came into the venue, the stuffier it got. It reached the point where I could barely continue to stand. Sadly, I stopped enjoying the show and needed to leave. I'm sure the rest of the set was amazing, though.

"Jesus Fever"

It was the start of a great weekend, which I will talk about more later. It's always fun to discover something new in a familiar place!