DJs Make Art

These pictures were taken by Brandon "Boom D" Dorsky at Cinespace on August 20th at Mark The Cobrasnake's birthday party. The DJs photographed are (from top to bottom) - Diplo, Devro and Them Jeans.

SUPERGOODMUSIC Festival Preview: May Kicks Off The Season

Summer is fast approaching as music festivals galore are just around the corner, from L.A.’s very own UCLA’s Jazz Reggae Festival on Memorial Weekend, to the esteemed (and much larger) Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza Festivals, all the way through to the San Francisco’s mid-August Outside Lands Festival (whose line-up will be announced June 1^st) and the young, but hip, Sunset Strip Music Festival at the end of August.

SUPERGOODMUSIC is already gearing up for the festive summer with planned stops at Wakarusa, Bonnaroo, and potentially Electric Daisy Carnival, Reggae on The River, Outside Lands, Sunset Strip Music Festival and more. That said, there are a few new or recently minted festivals that we don’t think you should let fall below your radar, so we wanted to give you a full rundown on festivals we think might be worthy of your attendance. Over the next week or so we will be giving you month by month breakdowns of where the hottest, most action packed festivals are. This installment brings you our take on the May events that really kickoff festival season.

As previously mentioned, May is when UCLA’s Jazz Reggae Festival takes place and this year they are really bringing the heat with a line-up that includes headliners Nas & Damian Marley, as well as Raphael Saadiq, Q-Tip, Bilal, The Foreign Exchange, Zion-I, Declaime, Nneka, Barrington Levy, The Lions and more. Tickets are not too expensive, just $26 for a single day and $45 for a two day pass, but if you are on the super strict budget, apply to be a volunteer by filling out the application at http://jazzreggaefest.com/ and sending it to volunteers@jazzreggaefest.com .

Up the coast, but still in the same state at Angel’s Camp, CA is Furthur Festival taking place May 28^th to May 30^th headlined by the Grateful Dead reincarnation Furthur featuring Bob Weir and Phil Lesh, as well as the former lead from Dead cover band Darkstar Orchestra and Joe Russo on drums from the always amazing Benevento-Russo Duo. The band will be joined by Galactic, The Mother Hips, Carney, Jackie Greene, Electric Hot Tuna, Common Rotation with Dan Bern and more. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.furthurfestival.com and camping is included in the cost of the ticket.

Further north, all the way in Quincy, WA at The Gorge is Sasquatch Festival! The 3 Day Event with an uber eclectic line-up kicks off on Saturday with performances by My Morning Jacket, Vampire Weekend, Deadmau5, Ok Go, The Hold Steady, Miike Snow, The National, Brother Ali, Z-Trip, Fool’s Gold, Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Nada Surf, Dam-Funk, Dawes and more. Sunday is just as good if not better with my festy faves LCD Soundsystem, as well as Kid Cudi, Massive Attack, Pavement, The xx, Dirty Projectors, They Might Be Giants, YACHT, Simian Mobile Disco, Girls, Public Enemy, Tegan and Sara, A-Trak, tune-yArDs, Los Angeles’ own Local Natives and Avi Buffalo, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Fruit Bat and more. Monday is good too – although the least exciting day in my opinion – with performances by the still disappointing in concert MGMT and Passion Pit, but also the always enjoyable Band of Horses, Mayer Hawthorne & The County, Ween, Dr. Dog, The New Pornographers, She & Him, as well as newcomers like Neon Indian and Yes Giantess. Check out more at http://sasquatchfestival.com/

Over in the Midwest, there is a festival for all hip hop lovers that my high school only wishes he could attend. The line-up includes Atmosphere, Method Man & Redman, Heiroglyphics featuring Del The Funky Homosapien, Murs, Freeway & Jake One, People Under The Stairs, Yelawolf, Casual and Pep Love, Eyedea & Abilities, Souls of Mischief, Busdriver, DJ Revolution, BK One, Wiz Khalifa, P.O.S. and many many more. Tickets can be copped at http://www.soundsetfestival.com

Also on Memorial Day Weekend is Summer Camp, now in its 10^th year. The line-up includes over 60 bands on 5 stages, with three days of performances from both Umphrey’s McGee and moe. Adding to the jamband vibe are other jam veterans – STS9, Gov’t Mule, Yonder Mountain String Band, Keller Williams, Victor Wooten, Dumpstaphunk, Railroad Earth, Cornmeal, ALO, The New Mastersounds, Zach Deputy, Hot Buttered Rum, Kyle Hollingsworth Band, Backyard Tire Fire, Dweezil Zappa Plays Zappa and other jambands you just haven’t heard of yet. On top of jambanders, there are reggae sensations Steel Pulse and Rebelution, and hard to define, but nonetheless stellar acts like G Love & Special Sauce and Slightly Stoopid. The festival is also cutting a bit more in the electronic generations direction, with performances by Pretty Lights, Bassnectar, EOTO, Future Rock, Boombox, The Hood Internet, That 1 Guy, Groovatron and more. Having attended this festival in the past, we can’t recommend it enough – the vibe and the people are fantastic and, since it is in Illinois in late May, you know it won’t be too hot. You can get tickets and learn more about the festival here – http://www.summercampfestival.com/2010/

However, those Memorial Weekend festivals are not the first festivals we think are worthy of your attendance.

This weekend, what really looks like the kickoff for festival season to us is the very first Hangout Beach, Music and Arts Festival in Alabama. Not only is the line-up absolutely stellar for a festival in its inaugural season, including performances by The Roots, Ben Harper & Relentless7, Trey Anastasio and TAB, John Legend, Zac Brown Band, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Funky Meters, Matisyahu, Girl Talk, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, OK Go, Orianthi, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Gov’t Mule, Ray LaMontagne and more, the festival also set-up special late night performances where the proceeds go to designated non profit organizations. Friday the 14^th, Alex B, Gift of Gab and Big Gigantic are performing and donating all profits to Mobile Baykeeper; Saturday Keller Williams Electronica performs a very special and cheap show (only $5, but tickets must be purchased in advance) where profits are being directed toward The Rex Foundation and Mobile Baykeeper.

The following weekend, on May 22^nd and 23^rd, in Dana Point, CA at Doheny State Beach – a host of musicians break it down over 2 days on 3 stages for a slightly older set – including Crosby, Stills & Nash, The Black Crowes, Taj Mahal & The Phantom Blues Band, Booker T. Jones, Eric Lindell, Jackie Greene, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, Big Sam’s Funky Nation and more to be announced soon. You can snag tickets to that event at http://www.omegaevents.com/dohenyblues/

For our international readers, in late May (27^th – 29^th), Barcelona plays host to the amazing Primavera Sound Festival. Although no SUPERGOODMUSIC representatives have ever attended, the line-up to this international event is too good to ignore. It feels like everyone under the sun is playing from Wilco, Spoon, Florence and the Machine, Grizzly Bear, The Pixies, The xx, The New Pornographers, Yeasayer, Beach House, Pet Shop Boys and Pavement to Diplo, Major Lazer, The Bloody Beetroots, Delorean, Orbital Sleigh Bells, Matt & Kim, Boy 8-Bit, Big Pink, The Antlers, Les Savy Fav, Fuck Buttons and more. If SUPERGOODMUSIC was in the E.U., we would be sure not to miss this event.

June brings arguably the heaviest month to our festival calendar, so heavy, you’ll have to wait a few days for our June Festival recommendations….

Monolith Music Festival 2009

As you all are well aware, I spent this past weekend in Denver, CO at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre for the Monolith Music Festival. I have to start out by saying that Red Rocks is by far the best music venue that I have ever been to in my life. It is in the small town of Morrison and it is built right into the center of a beautiful mountain. The greatest ting about Red Rocks is that the sound is breathtaking. There truly is not one bad seat in the entire venue and no matter where you are (even if it is in the parking lot) you can hear the music perfectly.

A very big thank you to Claire and everyone at Madison House Publicity for bringing SUPERGOODMUSIC to the Monolith Music Festival. It was an amazing two days and I am so happy that I was able to be there and to share my experience with all of you.

Enjoy my review of the festival below.

Monolith Festival: Day One

I knew that I was in for a very interesting weekend when I arrived at Red Rocks to colder than normal weather and some pretty heavy rain, but the prospect of seeing so many incredible bands in one day helped me to rally under some pretty bad festival circumstances.

After hearing so much about Red Rocks, I knew that I couldn’t begin my first experience at this historic venue without spending some quality time in what is referred to as Shakedown Street. Named after the song by Grateful Dead, Shakedown Street is where many music going people congregate to tailgate before anyone ventures into the venue. After spending around 2 hours in Shakedown Street, my crew and I made our way into Red Rocks to start enjoying all that the festival had to offer.

Whenever I attend a festival for the first time, I need to spend a good amount of time gathering my bearings of the environment. After looking at the festival map online a couple weeks ago, I was intrigued as to how everything was going to be set up. First there was the regular main stage where concerts at Red Rocks usually take place, but up at the top of what seemed like a million stairs, was another smaller stage called the Southern Comfort stage. Around the corner from the main stage was the madeloud.com stage, and in the depths of the Red Rocks Amphitheatre where there is a mini museum were two small stages called the woxy.com stage and the Radius Earphones Stage.

The first band that I was able to see was The Walkmen who played at the Southern Comfort Stage at 5:30. I have been a fan of The Walkmen since their album Bows + Arrows came out in 2004, so I was very excited to see them in concert. Even though it was very cold and the rain was coming down very hard, the band didn’t let either of those two factors affect their performance. It was the perfect way to start off Monolith because The Walkmen gave a highly energetic performance that was filled with great songs like “The Rat,” “What’s In It for Me,” and “Little House of Savages.”

After The Walkmen, I made my way over to the main stage to see one of my favorite artists M.Ward. If you don’t know anything about M.Ward then I highly suggest you check out his music because he has been making some great albums for many years now. His set included many songs off of his latest album Hold Time and it was the perfect act to see before the night really began to take off.

Following M.Ward was Girl Talk. If you have never seen Girl Talk than you are missing out on one of the most interesting live shows out there right now. For those unfamiliar (which I’m sure there aren’t many of you) Girl Talk is a DJ of sorts who crafts mash ups of artists that you never would think go together, but he makes it work. One great thing about Girl Talk is that he always brings members of the audience on stage with him in an effort to feed of the energy that they bring to aid in his “performance.” Even though the days heaviest rain occurred during his set, Girl Talk was one of the best artists that I saw all weekend.

Following Girl Talk was one of the best bands out right now the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I had seen the Yeah Yeah Yeahs four times now this summer, but every time that I see them they continue to impress me. Their set is the perfect mixture of new material and classics that you expect the band to play. Many people attending Monolith this year were concerned that they wouldn’t bring a high energy performance, but I assumed that they had never seen the band from Brooklyn before, and hopefully they were blown away by how amazing the band is live. The highlight, for me, came when during the opening of “Heads Will Roll.” There is just something about the opening notes that just take you into another zone. They once again proved to me that they are one of the best live bands touring right now, if you ahven’t seen them, than you need to immediately.

Day one of the Monolith may have been cold and wet, but it did what every first day of a festival is supposed to do and that’s get you even more hyped up for day two.

Monolith Festival: Day Two

Even though it rained day two of Monolith, it was not as heavy as day one, and for most of the day, festival goers were treated to blue skies and amazing music. When I woke up that morning, I checked twitter and read a tweet from Passion Pit saying that they were taking over Phoenix spot because MSTRKRFT had cancelled and Phoenix was moving to the main stage. Even though I was looking forward to seeing MSTRKRFT, I was ok with the cancellation because I felt that Phoenix deserved to be on the main stage.

I got to the festival earlier than I did the day before to ensure that I could see more music than I did yesterday. The first band that I wanted to see was Neon Indian, who was scheduled to play the woxy.com stage at 3:00 PM. Even though it was completely packed, I was able to enjoy a few songs by this upcoming band. If you haven’t heard of Neon Indian, than you need to find their music online and learn about them now before they become the Passion Pit of 2010.

After Neon Indian, I made my way over to the main stage to see The Dandy Warhols perform. I used to be a big fan of The Dandy Warhols and it has been a very long time since I have listened to one of their albums, but as soon as they began I was immediately taken back to the time when I used to listen to them all the time. The highlight came at the end of their set when the band played their biggest song “We Used To Be Friends.”

When The Dandy Warhols were finished, I headed back up the stairs to the Southern Comfort Stage to see The Thermals play. By that time, the rain picked back up again, so I found a spot to sit on the wall and sat there as I enjoyed The Thermals set. The crowd there had to be full of people who loved them because it seemed as if everyone there knew all the words to their songs. Even though I’m not that familiar with them, I found it very refreshing to see so many people enjoying them.

Before The Thermals were done, I made my way back down to the main stage to see The Glitch Mob. I had never heard of them before, so I knew that I needed to check them out because you don’t play the main stage at a festival without having major credibility. What I loved most about seeing The Glitch Mob is that I didn’t know who they were, so my expectations were completely blown away by what I witnessed. The Glitch Mob is made up of three DJs who use these touch screen tablets as their turntables and also use what looks like the drum set from RockBand to add heavy drums to the songs. They took me by surprise because it was unlike anything that I have ever seen before. Each of the three members does something different to each song and I enjoyed everything that they did. I love nothing more than discovering love for a new band or artist while at a festival and I look forward to seeing more of The Glitch Mob in the future.

After The Glitch Mob I traveled back up the stairs to get prepared to see Passion Pit play at 7:00 PM on the Southern Comfort Stage. To me, Passion Pit is a double-edged sword because I love their music so much, but after seeing them live twice, and being very disappointed by them, I was hoping that they would prove me wrong, unfortunately, they didn’t. The band sounds great live; it’s just that lead singer Michael Angelakos voice isn’t good live. It’s upsetting because I love the band so much.

I left Passion Pit early to ensure that I would get a good spot for one of my favorite bands, Phoenix. I have been dying to see Phoenix for so many years now and to be able to finally see them live and at one of the United States best music venues was a dream come true. The great thing about their set was that many people there were disappointed that they weren’t going to be seeing MSTRKRFT, and they were worried that Phoenix wasn’t going to be as good a live show as MSTRKRFT. In my opinion, Phoenix should have always been scheduled for the main stage, because after years of trying to break the States, they finally have with their latest album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. Their set was filled with high-energy music that is the perfect storm of dance-pop goodness. Every song was amazing, but the highlight definitely came at the final song of their set “1901,” purely because it was the song that everyone knows so it brought the energy of the crowd way up.

Unfortunately, I had to leave early due to an early flight the next morning, but I was more than happy to end Monolith on such a high note.

This was the third year for Monolith and I recommend that anyone who is able to attend the festival in the future to do so because it was one of the best festivals that I have ever been to. They always have an amazing lineup and I can guarantee that it will only get better with age.

Enjoy all of my pictures from the weekend below.

Red Rocks at Night

Girl Talk

WOXY.com Stage

The Walkmen at Southern Comfort Stage

Phoenix

Passion Pit

Passion Pit at Southern Comfort Stage

Monolith Festival Crowd

The Glitch Mob
The Dandy Warhols

The Main Stage at Monolith
Empty Amphitheatre

Main Stage at Monolith

Shakedown Street at Monolith

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Monolith Festival: bands to look for

Here is another installment of Monolith Festival: bands to look for.

I leave for Denver, CO in just two days and I couldn't be more excited for this weekend of incredible music.

The Twilight Sad

It’s often very rare that you find a band whose name really represents their music, but The Twilight Sad do. Their music is very somber and evokes a very depressing mood, but I’m no stranger to sad music, and I find The Twilight Sad to be a very enjoyable band. How their music will play out during a festival is another story, because I have seen many “sad music” bands not translate very well to the festival scene. Regardless, I plan on making my way over to their set on Sunday and I hope you all do as well. To hear more music from The Twilight Sad, head over to their official MySpace page.

http://www.myspace.com/thetwilightsad

Thunderheist

Thunderheist are the latest Canadian import to bring with them a dance heavy electronic sound, but what separates them from other bands like them is the lo-fi quality that their music has. If you’re looking for gritty underground beats that you would normally find in a small dirty club than I highly recommend that you check out Thunderheist. Songs such as “Nothing 2 Step 2,” “Jerk It,” and my personal favorite, “LBG” are the easiest way to turn even the most proper parties into a more interesting affair. Watch their video for “Jerk It” below and head on over to their official MySpace page to hear more from Thunderheist.

http://www.myspace.com/thunderheist

Deer Tick

Deer Tick is a rock band. The beauty of them is that they aren’t trying to be something that they aren’t and all they want to do is make rock music. One of the things that makes them so special is the voice lead singer John Joseph McCauley III. You feel every single word that he sings because of how unique his scratchy voice is. Watch Deer Tick perform live on KEXP in Seattle below and head over to the bands official MySpace page to hear more music from them.

http://www.myspace.com/deertick

Woodhands

Woodhands is an electronic band from Toronto who made minor buzz this year with a popular remix of Peter, Bjorn & Johns “Nothing to Worry About,” but are now making waves with their own original music. Unlike other electro-dance bands from Canada, Woodhands is more listener friendly and not as harsh as the other bands from the North Country land. To hear more from this exciting band, head over to their official MySpace page, and if you can’t wait than watch their music video for “I Wasn’t Made For Fighting” below.

http://www.myspace.com/woodhands

Health

Health is one of the most buzzed about bands out right now and I am so excited to get the chance to see them live for the first time. The best way to categorize them as a band would be to call them experimental. They make music that is unlike anything that is out their right now, and even though most people may not like it, I have nothing but respect for a band that is going out on a limb and doing something different. Their latest album “Get Color” was released today and I highly recommend that all of you check it out. Watch their music video for “Die Slow” below and head over to their official MySpace page to hear more from this amazing new band.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWZxThGh5wQ

Monolith Festival: bands to look for

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day Weekend. Here is another post about bands to look out for at the 2009 Monolith Music Festival. If you haven't already planned out who you want to see at the festival then head over to the official website to look at the schedule for this weekends music.

The Generationals

The great thing about The Generationals is that they have a very retro sound that is also very 21^st century. A lot of the tracks on their debut album Con Low sound like they could’ve been recorded in the 60’s especially the songs “Nobody Could Change Your Mind,” and “Our Time 2 Shine.” If you’re attending Monolith you can check out The Generationals on Saturday September 12 at 12:20 PM on the woxy.com stage. Check out their official MySpace page to hear more from the band.

http://www.myspace.com/generationals

Spindrift

Spindrift is one of those amazingly original bands that are hard to place into one single category of music. They have a very psychedelic rock vibe, but that just isn’t good enough to explain who they are. Much like The Generationals, Spindrifts music has a very retro vibe to it while still sounding very now. If you are unfamiliar with them then I highly recommend that you check out their song “Speak to the Wind,” which sounds like it came straight off the Kill Bill soundtrack. Watch their video for “Conversation with a Gun” below as well as a link to their official MySpace page below.

http://www.myspace.com/thewest

These United States

These United States are an indie rock band from Lexington, KY who have a very lo-fi sound. Their third album Everything Touches Everything was released last week and it’s a great album for autumn. I recommend the albums title track as well as “I’m Gonna Assemble a City.” Check out their video for “Honor Amongst Thieves” below as well as a link to their official MySpace page.

http://www.myspace.com/theseunited

The Love Language

The Love Language are another lo-fi band that make music with a great pop sensibility. Lead by Stuart McLamb, The Love Language are quickly becoming one of the most buzzed about bands on the internet after bands like Wavves and Times New Viking started to take off. Out of all of the reviews that I have read about The Love Language my favorite has to come from Q Magazine when they said that The Love Language sounds, “like Cold War Kids raiding Arcade Fire.” Discover them for yourselves at their official MySpace page and watch their video for their song “Providence” below.

http://www.myspace.com/thelovelanguage

Stars of Track and Field

Stars of Track and Field are one of the biggest indie rock bands out right now, and the band has even more material for their set at Monolith since they just released their second album A Time For Lions just last week. The new album is full of epic rock songs such as my personal favorite “Racing Lights.” Years ago, I made the proclamation that Snow Patrol were one hit song away from being one of the biggest bands in the world, and I feel the same exact way about Stars of Track and Field. Watch the official video for “Movies of Antarctica” off their debut album and visit the bands official MySpace page to hear more new music from the new album.

http://www.myspace.com/starsoftrackandfield

Monolith Festival: bands to look for.

Tigercity

If you like 80’s inspired dance rock than Tigercity is the band for you. The band from Brooklyn evokes an 80’s sensibility in everything that they do, from their music to their image and even their MySpace page is filled with random icons from the era like Jose Canseco. Their EP Pretend Not To Love is RCA recommended for when you want to put on something to move to. Check out their official MySpace page below.

http://www.myspace.com/tigercity

The Answering Machine

The Answering Machine are quickly starting to build buzz with their debut album Another City, Another Sorry, which is filled with pop rock tunes that are made to sing along to. If you like bands like The Strokes and Razorlight, than you will love The Answering Machine. I believe that this band is one song away from making it big, so I am eagerly waiting seeing them at Monolith while they are still in the land of obscurity. To hear more from The Answering Machine check out their official MySpace page below.

http://www.myspace.com/theansweringmachine

Savoy

The electro trio from Boulder is living proof that our generation loves to dance. They offer up rave heavy beats with the backing vocals of bands such as the Beastie Boys and Clipse. Some people may write them off as MSTRKRFT rip off, but I think that Savoy is about to hit it big in the dance world. I look forward to seeing them live when they play day two of Monolith and I expect my feet to be pulsing when their set is done. If you don’t have any of their tracks, then head over to their official MySpace page where you will find a link to download a copy of their EP for free.

http://www.myspace.com/savoyband

The Antlers

The Antlers are riding a big wave of critical acclaim since the release of their album Hospice, which got rave reviews from NPR, Pitchfork and Time Out New York. Hospice is filled with ambient rock that beckons listeners to visualize the music in their own way. I have been a fan of theirs since their second album In The Attic of the Universe was released back in 2007, and I am excited to finally see them live at this years Monolith festival. Watch The Antlers video for the song “Two” below as well as a link to the bands official MySpace page.

http://www.myspace.com/theantlers

Bad Veins

If you’re into bands like Interpol and She Likes Revenge, than you may want to seek out Bad Veins at Monolith because their music is right up your alley. The band from Cincinnati was unfamiliar to me before looking over the Monolith lineup, but after listening to a handful of their songs, I find them to be an exciting new act that I hope to see succeed. Take a look at their video for my favorite song of theirs “Falling Tide” as well as a link to their official MySpace page.

http://www.myspace.com/badveins

Cymbals Eat Guitars

Cymbals Eat Guitars is best described as an experimental rock band that remind me a little bit of The Shins, but the band from Staten Island definitely stands on their own. They are currently on tour with The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (who are also playing Monolith this year), and I predict that they’ll soon become one of the next big indie bands. Head on over to the bands official MySpace page to hear more from them as well as receive a free download of their song “Tunguska”.

http://www.myspace.com/cymbalseatguitars

The Features

The Features have a bright future ahead of them as they were recently signed to the music label owned by Kings of Leon. They make great dance rock that is meant to sing a long to, so I think everyone attending Monolith this year should learn their songs now so as not to be left out. I’m shocked that they have flown under my radar for such a long time, but I am very happy to have found out about them. Check out their recently released video for their song “Lions” below as well as a link to the bands official MySpace page.

http://www.myspace.com/thefeatures