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For my 2008 Lollapalooza blog last year, there were two problems: A) it was about three weeks late, and B) it was about 15 years long. I’m pretty sure nobody read it, and I’m not the least bit surprised or offended. I was still learning how to go about the whole blog thing then.
So this year I’m trying a different approach. I’m breaking down my experience into brief synopses of each band I saw, so you can easily find what you’re interested in reading about and skip over what you’re not.
Oh, and I’m submitting it in a timely manner. Go me.
For your convenience: a map of the Lollapalooza grounds – Grant Park, Chicago, IL
http://www.lollapalooza.com/assets/images/in_the_park/map/2009_Lolla_Map_full.jpg
And the schedules:
Friday: http://2009.lollapalooza.com/events/daily/2009/08/07/1/hbha
Saturday: http://2009.lollapalooza.com/events/daily/2009/08/08/1/hbha
Sunday: http://2009.lollapalooza.com/events/daily/2009/08/09/1/hbha
Without further ado, the bands I saw at this year’s Lollapalooza festival:
FRIDAY
GRINGO STAR – Caught the end of these Atlanta natives’ show upon our arrival. With a name as absurd as that, I expected their music to be goofy and lighthearted. And it was. In the final jump blues/rockabilly-sounding song, one member busted out a kazoo solo.
BLACK JOE LEWIS & THE HONEYBEARS – I didn’t expect such a young band from Austin, TX to be so relentlessly soulful. The music wasn’t too original, sure, but it didn’t need to be: the raw energy of Black Joe Lewis’ band was more than enough to entertain, coupled with his guitar prowess, situated somewhere between Jimi Hendrix’s psychedelic blues and the manic funk of Reggie Wooten.
WHITE LIES – From London, these guys had a huge, anthemic, quasi-dark sound that sounded exactly like their Scottish contemporaries Glasvegas (who also played this weekend). Both of these bands are HEAVILY indebted to U2. In brief: it was nothing special.
BON IVER – Soft, acoustic-based music isn’t exactly the best music for a festival atmosphere, but nobody in the crowd could deny Bon Iver’s heartbreaking, fragile beauty. Most of this was due to the soft-spoken frontman Justin Vernon and his flawless vocal deliveries.
SOUND TRIBE SECTOR 9 – Did I mention it was raining miserably practically all day Friday? During STS9, it was probably raining the hardest, but the quintet’s subtly complex, downtempo electronic rock was enough to distract. All of you people who hate on this group just because they’re lumped into the “jam band” scene, reconsider. Yes, it’s instrumental music, and they do “jam,” but there are no solos in this band, only groove and atmosphere. They also drew a hipster-free crowd, which is always refreshing.
CRYSTAL CASTLES – With a stage full of dry ice and smoke, this electronic trio transported everybody into the Atari/NES world for a while. Although main DJ Ethan Kath created some irresistible video game-inspired noises, I just don’t know about that pale chick that does nothing but shriek distortedly into a mic and jump around. I can’t really consider that talent.
ASHER ROTH – No, I’m not an Asher fan, and I abhor “I Love College.” I stopped by just to see what the hell he would be like live, considering I would never pay to see him in any other circumstance. Although I wasn’t feeling it, the crowd apparently was – especially the slew of wasted girls he brought up onstage with him. To his credit, he told the crowd that he wasn’t looking to reinvent the wheel, just to party. Good for him. But that doesn’t make me want to listen to him any more. I also missed Fleet Foxes thanks to him and the mile-long bathroom lines. Lame.
THIEVERY CORPORATION – The most world-influenced music I heard all weekend. Although Thievery is just an electronic duo, they brought a full band (including an actual sitar player) and an endless revolving door of guest singers – it seemed like a different guest for each song. The extra hands definitely beefed up the performance. Had it just been DJs Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, the show probably wouldn’t have been half of what it was. Still an exciting, engaging show.
PETER BJORN & JOHN – The Swedish trio played several new tracks from “Living Thing” along with their requisite smash hit “Young Folks.” After that song, most of the crowd left, but they still gave the remaining crowd their all, delivering flawlessly crafted pop tunes with an explosive edge. Until this show I always thought bassist Bjorn Yttling was a girl. I don’t know why. Because I’m an idiot, I guess.
ANDREW BIRD – Like Bon Iver, it was a quiet affair, but the baroque musical vibes and Bird’s dexterity on guitar, violin and whistling kept the crowd’s interest. Sadly, there wasn’t much of one, especially considering Bird is a Chicago native. The setlist put emphasis on his new tranquil album “Noble Beast.”
DEPECHE MODE – Headlining act; chosen over latest (over)hyped rock band Kings of Leon. Depeche Mode’s members are getting old, and it shows. The show wasn’t exactly high- or low-energy, but somewhere comfortably in between. For such a depressing set of music, the members seemed happy to be there. Dave Gahan’s baritone voice is still sharp, and even guitarist/songwriter Martin Gore got to sing a ballad. The set list included songs from this year’s “Sounds of the Universe” as well as classics like “Policy of Truth,” “Personal Jesus” and “Enjoy the Silence.” Plenty of bizarre digital visuals to boot, including astronauts walking around and a slowly emptying gumball machine.
SATURDAY
ATMOSPHERE – I read main rapper Slug is a mulatto, but I wasn’t sure; he looks like he could be Native American too. He joked with the crowd plenty, also using self-deprecating humor about how he’s getting older and having to keep up with all the “new rappers,” and of course the fact that “God loves ugly” (one of his early singles—he also told all the pretty people in the audience to shut the f**k up at this point). Highly entertaining and witty.
GOMEZ – This was perhaps the band that surprised me the most. They’ve been around for a while, but I’ve never been familiar with their music. With a layered three-guitar setup, Gomez not only had a batch of well-honed songs that spanned pop to blues to folk to psychedlia, but their members showed they could really tear up their instruments. I wish they had had a more prominent set.
ARCTIC MONKEYS – A lot of fun, but somehow forgettable. Their new music sounded far more serious than their freewheeling debut “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.” Not a change for the better. Thankfully “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” still sounded fresh.
SANTIGOLD – An excellent voice with psychedelic-laced dancehall music to back it up. Of all the artists that played on the smaller stages, she had the biggest crowd by FAR, packed to the brim. It only got bigger when Wu-Tang’s own GZA made a surprise appearance.
TV ON THE RADIO – For a Brooklyn indie band, these guys brought plenty of raw soul and honest emotion to the table. Vocalists Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone exchanged bouts of falsetto and heartfelt wailing, backed by David Sitek’s creative guitar textures and an impeccably tight rhythm section. Their setlist was very heavy on newest album “Dear Science,” with “Wolf Like Me” being the lone selection from 2006’s “Return to Cookie Mountain.”
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE – Unbelievably trippy; quite honestly, too out there for its own good. There might have been some songs in there somewhere, but it was like finding a needle in a haystack for anyone but the most obsessed fan. Most of it was just blippy electronic loops and screamy animal noises. What can I say? The “AnCo” fanatics probably loved it, but anyone else was just left confused. I’d already seen them at Bonnaroo so I knew exactly what to expect. Surprisingly, their music was a very suitable prelude to Tool, who started playing across the field before Animal Collective even finished.
TOOL – Headlining act; chosen over the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who filled in for the Beastie Boys at the last second. Tool hasn’t released anything new in 3 years, but it didn’t matter—they still had the biggest crowd of the weekend. Of every band at Lollapalooza, this one is the hardest to describe. If you’ve never seen them live and are having to read about them in this blog entry, you probably won’t get it. I will say this: It was an absolutely unreal, mind-bending experience in every way, shape and form, from the Alex Grey visual artwork to the relentlessly primal, complex and atmospheric brand of metal Tool specializes in. But no amount of praise I can give will ever convince the countless Tool-haters of this band’s talent. They will never understand.
As testament to my previous statement: In between songs, vocalist Maynard Keenan addressed the audience and said, “The only regret this evening is that I wasn’t able to see the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.” And everybody in the audience erupted in laughter. And it was amazing.
SUNDAY
THE RAVEONETTES – After the insanity that was Saturday night, we got a pretty late start, which was just as well because Sunday contained by far the least exciting lineup. Unabashedly retro, Denmark’s The Raveonettes were surprisingly good, and vocalist/guitarist Sharin Foo stands in my mind as one of the only female rock musicians I’ve ever seen who can really, really play the guitar (as in not just basic chords). Plenty of surf flavor along with subtle, sunny harmonies. Their drummer stood up to play his incredibly minimal kit, which consisted of just a tom, a snare and one cymbal.
NEKO CASE – I won’t lie to you; I don’t care much for the New Pornographers. But Neko Case’s new solo album has been so critically lauded this year that I figured she was worth a listen. She was. Although the music stayed mostly in the alt-country vein, there was some tasteful lap steel to relish. Not to mention Neko seems like one of the nicest, most honest people in showbiz and has a voice like sweet honey.
DAN AUERBACH – I was floored. I was expecting to be impressed, but I was still amazed at how good it was. Like his work as one-half of the Black Keys, only not as minimal, Auerbach churned out a stellar set of muscular blues-rockers that actually found ways to stay interesting. Much of the magic came from Auerbach’s attention to melody in his guitar playing, as equally informed by David Gilmour as Jimmy Page.
LOU REED – Yes, he’s an icon, a classic rock hero, and I wasn’t about to miss him for the likes of Snoop Dogg or Deerhunter. But he’s showing his age a little: he showed up for his set almost 20 minutes late and appeared stoic and emotionless on stage. All the members of his band looked like they were having way more fun than he was. His lyrics were still controversial and his presence idiosyncratic, but I couldn’t help but feel like he wasn’t trying very hard. After an avant-garde noise freakout that lasted WAY too long, he salvaged the set with the Velvet Underground classic “I’m Waiting for the Man” and his most popular solo hit “Walk on the Wild Side.” Frustrating but worth it.
MSTRKRFT – Not groundbreaking, but a hell of a party. Ecstasy everywhere. Weed everywhere. Drunk people everywhere. Suffice to say, everyone was still having a raging good time that late into the festival. A remix of “Bohemian Rhapsody” toward the end made the crowd go ballistic.
JANE’S ADDICTION – Headlining act; chosen over the Killers. Duh. Jane’s Addiction, and more specifically singer Perry Farrell, is the reason Lollapalooza existed in the first place. And you could feel that elder statesman vibe in their show through and through. I saw Jane’s back in 2003 on their “Strays” tour, and they sounded about 30 times better this time. Part of it is the fact that original bassist Eric Avery has returned to the fold; the other part is the fact that their set consisted entirely of classic Jane’s Addiction material. Though Perry’s voice isn’t quite as strong as it used to be, he was, as always, an unbelievable showman and leader, decked out in all gold like Freddy Mercury reincarnated. Dave Navarro’s guitar work was electrifying—he made mind-blowing guitar shredding look like child’s play, nonchalantly smoking cigarettes throughout the show. Some sort of Asian theme was going on; there was a giant Chinese dragon-looking thing floating around in the audience, as well as a pair of dancing Asian women on stage that were practically naked from the waist down. (I’m pretty sure one of them was Perry Farrell’s wife.)
For the grand finale, Perry addressed the lingering crowd in a much more intimate fashion to bid us all farewell, had a close friend propose to his girlfriend on stage, and – the biggest curveball of all – brought out Aerosmith’s lead guitarist Joe Perry to play an acoustic rendition of “Jane Says” to close out the festival.
I can say with certainty that this year’s festival was more magical than the year before. Despite the fact that 2008 included Radiohead’s spellbinding performance, there was something utterly perfect about Tool’s mind-boggling intensity and Jane’s Addiction, the festival’s founders, closing out the weekend.
Photos – coming as soon as I get them developed. Some will be good, others will probably be of lesser quality.
- John Barrett
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the first Athens Face/Off. I entered the 40 Watt slightly apprehensive at this seemingly haphazard random pairings of musicians. Other corners of the room had been turned into stages and New York’s The Thirteenth Assembly played between sets. There was music everywhere.
Athens Face/Off began as randomly-selected duos of local musicians teaming up to write two songs in a month. The Face/Off name is misleading; no one actually faces off against anyone else. Maybe all of the songs weren’t earthshakers, but it was definitely a good time and fun to see musicians that are nothing alike sharing the stage. As a musician it was kind of warm and fuzzy, in a way, to see these people crossing genres and band boundaries to play music together for the sake of playing music together.
Bombardopolis, Face/Off II
Saturday’s event is a little different. The duos have upgraded to trios and the event is a benefit for CASA, an organization that trains and provides advocates for abused and neglected children brought before court.
Participants were drawn from bands such as Cinemechanica, Shitty Candy, The Jack Burton, Quiet Hooves, We Versus the Shark, Dark Meat and many, many more. The complete list of trios and their band names can be found here (I’m not even sure I can pick a favorite, though I am a fan of Chickenphod Beeblepox and Kanye Twitty).
The Face/Off is a perfect way to start off the school year. If you’re new to town and want to see just how close-knit the music scene is here, check it out and make some new friends. If you’ve been away all summer and want to reunite with old friends, it’s going to be a party.
What: Athens Face/Off Garage-a-Trois
When: Saturday August 15th, 9:30p.m.
Where: The 40 Watt
Cost: $5 / $7 under 21
In a place where walking out to your car leads to the amount of perspiration normal for a 280-pound defensive end player in triple over time, outdoor exercise seems outrageous.For those who are not lucky enough belong to a gym (or who are not taking six hours and thus cannot workout at Ramsey), have no fear; your summer-shed goals will not be thwarted. Here’s a list of enjoyable (kind of) and creative exercise alternatives.1)   Have a long hallway? Do sets of lunges going back and forth between two points until your legs have had enough (try three sets of 20 on each leg). Your roommates will make fun of you, that is until your thighs and buns of steel put theirs’ to shame.2)   Need a study break? Do some dips using your desk chair as support. (Back facing seat of chair, squat down in sitting position in front of chair w/legs at ninety degrees, use arms to dip up and down). Feels (and looks) awkward, but great for the triceps.3)   Waiting for the water to boil? Try wall sits against the kitchen counter. Three sets of 30s each is a good place to start (just don’t get stuck there).4)   Law and order marathon? You don’t have to be a couch potato to spend an entire Sunday glued to the couch watching 10+ episodes of SVU, try doing leg lefts to work your oblique and abdominal muscles. Fifteen with each leg for three sets (just make sure you don’t block the TV).While the summer heat the south does present serious issues such as dehydration, heat exhaustion, and sun poisoning, it is not impossible to go outdoors. Early in the morning (before 10:00am) is the best time for outdoor activity during the summer. If you are not an early riser (Let’s face it, who is these days?) early evening walks or jogs are the best. Remember to hydrate well and make sure to do a cool down after any strenuous physical activity.Candice Bates is the Online Editor for the Red and Black and contributor to this blog. She avoids outdoor activity at all costs during the months of July and August.
As most students stream out of Athens for the summer to suburbs of Atlanta or around the world to study abroad, residents blessed with spacious living rooms move the furniture aside and move the music in.House shows happen all year, but summer is ideal: hot, clear nights, crowding in a sweaty living room watching your friend’s band play a show on the floor instead of a stage, cooling off on the porch between sets.Â
 Seamonster (Photo Credit Tim Denson)
The close sense of community you get from a house show is unique. Â Even if you’re in a house full of strangers, you’re not strangers for long. Â They’re a great break from venues downtown. Â The performances are intimate, the crowds are smaller, and the shows are oftentimes free. Â House shows are the perfect way to directly support your music scene.It’s kind of impossible to mass-advertise houses in town that have shows — but just ask around.
 Bromance (Photo Credit Jenny Winchell)Â
Or if you havea big living room, a power strip and some friends in a band, clear out the furniture and call up your friends. Â Plan as much or as little as you want, and if you’re at a loss for a clever moniker for your abode, “[Street You Live On] House” works just fine.
The guys and gals that brought you I Have a Dreamcast, the 24-hour MLK Day marathon of Dreamcast games and live music, are at it again.
Sunday night, head on over to www.ihaveadreamcast.com to download your copy of the I Have a Dreamcast EP, featuring original songs written about Sega by the performing bands, and to watch the webcast that begins at 8p.m. EST. It’s a perfect way to enjoy some nerdy nostalgia and hear some live music without leaving your living room.
The webcast will include some Dreamcast fun and performances by Bicycles + Gravel, Captain #1, Grey Milk, Gemini Cricket, I Have Read Other Books Besides Catcher in the Rye and The South Will Rave Again.
A class of PR students has found a way to make historic preservation appeal to college students — pregaming. These days kids pregame for sporting events, downtown, parties and exams, but pregaming for the past is something new.
I talked with PR majors Holly Stiles and Megan Ward about the ghost tour Wednesday night and found out that they’re having an entire week of events devoted to National Historic Preservation Month. The week kicked off Friday with a pub crawl, but continues through Thursday.
Check out trivia tonight at 6:30p.m. at Amici’s, 8p.m. at Wild Wing and 9p.m. at Allen’s; Monday at 9p.m. at Taco Stand and American Tavern; and Tuesday at 9p.m. at Doc Chey’s. Whoever answers the feature history question wins a free pitcher of beer.
Wednesday night is the ghost tour, which you can read about in that day’s paper. It begins at the Arch at 8p.m. and departs every five minutes. After the tour, Mellow Mushroom (9 p.m.) and Blind Pig (10 p.m.) will be hosting trivia.
The week ends Thursday when prizes are awarded to the winners of the online scavenger hunt.
I want to clue you guys on in a few extra-special musical happenings this week about which I am personally very excited.
If you want to kick off your week with a bang tomorrow, American Cheeseburger, Witches and Masshysteri are taking on the Go Bar. American Cheeseburger play some of the best thrash-punk in town and their live show is supremely energetic. Witches will you make you dance (probably erratically). Masshysteri have come all the way from Sweden to show you a good time.
Cinemechanica
Cinemechanica returns to the Caledonia on Tuesday night, with Edie Sedgwick and Medications. Cinemechanica is one of my favorite bands in town to watch. If you have been here for any length of time and have not seen them, take advantage! They’re leaving for a tour in Japan next month.
Friday, the Caledonia is hosting The Jack Burton. These guys have been playing around town and they are really, really fun. Their show leans to the punk-ish side, though you might not be able to hear it on the one demo on their Myspace. That demo, though, is a quality song and has been stuck in my head for weeks and weeks. They have a pretty positive attitude and definitely know how to have a good time.
Hot New Mexicans
That same night over at Rye Bar you can catch one of my favorite local bands, Hot New Mexicans. I’m a sucker for power-pop/pop-punk and these guys do it well, rough edges included. Every time I’ve seen these guys has been when I didn’t know they were on the bill, so finally, here they are. I feel like Rye Bar can be easily overlooked, but the lack of a stage and the [extreme] closeness bring not a coffehouse-type intimacy, but a chance for the band to really get in your face, almost like a house show.
Saturday at 283 Bar you can check out the albums local musicians recorded for RPM last month. The RPM Challenge gives participants the month of February to record an album. I didn’t finish mine (unfortunate rollerskating accident) but I am excited to hear what everyone else did. The time constraint seems like an obstacle to quality, but what I’ve heard so far has been truly excellent.
Maybe the beach is too far of a drive and celebrating Spring Break with the ‘rents doesn’t light your fire. Never fear — Athens is rewarding townfolk and students refraining from travel this week.
Tonight at 10pm, Farm 255 is hosting Necklaces, Ill Ease and MaximumBusyMuscle. Ill Ease is Elizabeth Sharp’s one-woman band from Brooklyn. For live performances, she riffs on bass and/or guitar through a looper, then plays along on drums. MaximumBusyMuscle is the metal project of Mary Joyce and Jay Roach on drums and guitar. Tonight is their first show with Kris Deason on bass. Kate Schoenke of Necklaces plays charmingly simplistic tunes on instruments such as the air organ and keyboard.
Monday, Go Bar plays host to Chartreuse, Talk Me Off, Dog on the Loose and Hawks.
Tuesday at Go Bar, enjoy an evening of noisy fun with maybe some silliness and perhaps some dancing thrown in with Grape Soda, Timmy Tumble, Lemonade, Hearts of Darkness and Plume.
Wednesday, Anthallo is headlining at the 40 Watt with multi-instrumentalist Sam Amidon and Winston Audio.
Thursday, Tasty World bids We Versus the Shark farewell for embarking on a European tour in a few days and won’t be around. Sharks go on at 12:30, but an early arrival will do you good; joining them on the bill are Marriage, Girls, Telethon Veginald Cheeseburger, Nothingberry Plasma, and The Jack Burton (that song on their Myspace page has been stuck in my head for no less than a month).
The 40 Watt features “A Night of Creedence Clearwater Revival Covers” with Bain Mattox, The Beggar’s Guild and The Edison Project. Each band plays a set of originals and CCR covers, and then will apparently form some kind of CCR super band. Not to be missed if you’re a CCR fan.
Somehow, Dark Meat is going to crowd itself into Rye Bar Friday night. Opening are Everthus the Deadbeats and Jookabox.
Twin Tigers are releasing a 7-inch over at the Caledonia. Joining them are A. Armada and Gift Horse.
Farm 255 brings you yet another totally free show Saturday, starring Quiet Hooves, Air Waves and Witches. If your cash is burning a whole in your pocket, though, Maserati returns to the 40 Watt along with Pride Parade and Vincas.
…And they just can’t stop. For one last night of musical diversion before classes resume, head on over to Farm again for Gay Africa and Mi Ami.
Ok, I learned this at a cooking class with Chef Michael Perkin:
When something calls for FRESH herbs, don’t substitute it for dry herbs.
WHY? Because dry herbs are so much stronger…FYI.
I like to make this sandwich for those rainy days when I am tired from studying and exams. It’s easy to make and fills you up pretty nicely. This recipe makes approximately 2 servings.
Estimated cook time: 15 minutes
Estimated Cost: Very cheap
Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 heaping tbsp of mustard
2 heaping tbsp of mayonnaise
2 pinches of salt
2 pinches of pepper
1 pinch of garlic
1 pinch 0f dill weed
Directions:
1.) Boil the eggs
2.) Peel shell off the eggs and chop into little chunks.
3.) Add the rest of ingredients together.
(Note: I like to spread hoagie and sandwich relish on the finished sandwich)
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