Conclusion

So over the course of this semester I have started this blog, titled Music on My Mind. I’ve stayed rather consistent on my topic these past weeks, but have strayed away a little. I thought I was going to do more of just write about whatever I’m listening to at the moment, but it has become more than that. The expansion now covers anything and everything music. I’ve talked about festival lineups; the death of music festivals, concert reviews, CD reviews, and music people should download or buy. Pretty much anytime I came upon new music I enjoyed, I wanted to share it with people who read my blog, although I’m almost convinced no one even reads this damn thing. I plan on continuing with this blog because I did enjoy doing it. I know I posted pretty much only on Sunday’s, which yet again I find myself doing. But in the future I hope to listen to new music, go to a concert, and come back to my computer and write about it. Being a journalism major, not writing is the only thing that will hold me back. I want to eventually write about music for some sort of publication, so this is I guess the first step to achieving my goal. This assignment has helped me think about writing about music and how to go about it. Writing about music is something that I find very difficult because music is delivered to people in very different ways. People hear music in their own original way so trying to tell someone how I received the music is difficult. This has given me great practice and I want to thank my English 306 professor Jenna for assigning to my fellow classmates and me.

Mos Dub

So on the website www.mosdub.com there is a link for you to download the album for FREE people. I highly recommend downloading this album, not only because it’s free, but because it is beauty to the ears. It is a mixture of Mos Def and some dub reggae, hence the name Mos Dub. Being a big fan of both Mos Def and every kind of reggae, this was something I downloaded as soon as I heard of it. It says on the website that it is produced by Max Tannone, who I have never heard of. Also on the website there is a link to check out other remixes called Jaydiohead, a remix of Jay-Z and Radiohead, as well as a remix of Beastie Boys over themselves. The remix of Beastie Boys over themselves was an interesting idea to me. I never really thought to mix an artist with other songs of that same artist before. I still haven’t downloaded that album yet, but maybe after writing this blog I’ll check it out. I can’t praise Mos Dub enough. I’ve been listening to it non-stop for the past 2 or so weeks. I just love the perfect mixture of Mos Def rhymes and the chill music of dub reggae. I can listen to it when I wake up, when I’m riding my bike to class, before I go out, or when I come back for a couple of cold beverages with the homies.

Umphrey's Mcgee

If you guys haven’t heard of Umphrey’s Mcgee I highly recommend taking a listen. There in the jam band scene, but their sound is very different then their fellow jam peers. There is a certain metal and rock sound to their guitar riffs and overall sound, which I immediately fell in love with. They’ve been compared to the Grateful Dead and Phish in their improvisation skills. Not only are their originals amazing, but also their ability to cover songs is another part of the band that I love. I have an album of theirs titled, “Umphrey’s Covers the World” and they really do cover everything. Some of the songs on the album include, “Billie Jean”, “Regulators”, Trenchtown Rock”, “Paradise City”, etc.

Now, I’ve seen Umphrey’s a handful of times, and they still are one of my favorite live acts in the scene right now. I never leave a show of theirs dissatisfied or unhappy. Every person who sees them for the first time always says how amazing their concert was, or how it was not what they were expecting. Umphrey’s shows are really an experience I think everyone should try out. They are from South Bend, IN, but are now based in Chicago, IL. This also makes it great for me, be it that I’m from Chicago, so I get to see them frequently. I saw them this last New Year’s Eve and it was amazing. I also plan on seeing them this summer, probably more than just once too.

Pretty Lights Concert Review

So this last Tuesday I went to the Pretty Lights concert here in Tucson. I’ve seen a little of Pretty Lights before, saw a couple of songs of his at the Rothbury Festival in Michigan this past summer. I arrived at the Rialto Theatre not really expecting anything in particular. I just hoped there were more than a couple rows of people in the crowd. I’ve been to a show at the Rialto and there were legit three or four rows of people. It’s really a sad site when the band is playing there hardest and there are only 40 or so people in the room. But walking into the Rialto that Tuesday night was a different site. The room was full, and not just full of people sitting around watching, but people feeling the music and grooving. It’s refreshing to be with people who aren’t afraid to let their guard down and appreciate live tunes at it’s fullest. Pretty Lights was one of the better shows I’ve seen here in Tucson. The energy they brought was insane; they really brought the crowd into it.

I’m probably seeing Pretty Lights again this summer, at the SummerCamp Music Festival. Their scheduled to play one of the late night shows, which I feel is completely fitting. They are the perfect music to play the late night shows. It’s the kind of electronic music that Pretty Lights’ produces is exactly what my ears want to hear at 2 or 3 in the morning at a festival.

Phish 3D

So recently I have read that Phish will be coming out with a 3D film of their concert out in theaters. The film is set to come out April 30th in selected cities. Phish 3D is going to cover their Halloween show this past October in California. It was in Indio, Ca, which is the same location the Coachella Festival is on. The film is going to be an exclusive one week run in theaters nationwide. There is never before seen footage of them backstage and songs they covered during the Phish 8 fest in California. The film is supposed to be a little over 2 hours. I hope someone I know wants to go see this with me. I mean, Phish in 3D? C’mon that sounds like a visual and audio spectacle. Phish is also going to be heading on tour this summer. I plan on seeing them at the Toyota Park in Bridgeview, IL. I missed out on them last year and knew I made a mistake. Some of my friends attended the show and said it was unbelievable. I wonder what the film is going to be visually, what exactly is going to be 3D? I heard the Halloween show was incredible that weekend. They covered certain songs by the Rolling Stones, and I heard that is supposed to be in the movie as well.

Coachella- Live Stream

What would we do without modern technology? Well, without that I wouldn’t be watching a live stream video of the Coachella Music Festival right now. This is amazing, multiple camera angles, close to the stage, and good sound and video quality. The program is wired through Facebook application, which I found just searching on google. The Internet is changing the music scene in such an obvious light it’s insane. How music is distributed, watching live streams of concerts (like what I’m doing currently), and album leaks are all apart of this ever-changing music revolution. I’ve been watching it all-day and kicking myself for not going to the festival. Wish I had the money to go this year, but I plan on seeing LCD Soundsystem at this year’s Pitchfork Festival in Chicago. I didn’t even know how many people were in the band, definitely more people than I originally thought.

Today I’ve seen segments of De La Soul, Them Crooked Vultures, and as I mentioned before LCD Soundsystem. Them Crooked Vultures rocked, I mean their a legit supergroup. As this weekend progressed I was getting more and more jealous of the people who attended Coachella this year. I know the headliners weren’t the best, but seeing pictures of people enjoying the live music and atmosphere made me wish I got the money to go this year. Maybe I’ll start saving some money for next year’s fest.

Mike Posner

So recently one of my buddies showed me some new tunes. These tunes are courtesy of Mike Posner. He is currently a senior at Duke University and just signed a major record deal with J Records. When I first read this I was completely jealous of the guy. I mean a record deal your senior year of college? Pretty much my dream in a nutshell right there. He is a singer/songwriter/producer who has been considered in the synth-pop, electro-hop, and hip-hop genres. He currently has two mixtapes out right now. His first mixtape is titled, “A Matter of Time”, and his second is titled, “One Foot Out the Door”. His sound is unique in the fact that he brings hip-hop and dance beats together. His catchy melodies combined with the synth noises add for a nice mixture. My favorites from Posner include, “You Don’t Have to Leave”, “Cooler Than Me”, and “Bring Me Down”, all of which are off his latest mixtape, “One Foot Out the Door”. I’ve seen a youtube video of him where he just makes one of his songs in his dorm room. He’s got a massive piano/synthesizer and a laptop in his room. It really is amazing how now a days you don’t even need a recording studio to become popular. You can literally make your own music in your room, in Posner’s case in your own dorm room. I can’t even imagine how popular this guy is on Duke’s campus. It’d be a pretty tough decision to stay in school after signing a major record deal, but I think he made the right one. Being so close to graduating I would probably have done the same thing. Posner tours on the weekends, with that and studying probably takes up most of his time. That’s a hell of a way to end your collegiate career if you ask me.

Bored/Itunes shuffle

Well I haven’t really been listening to any new tunes so I guess I’ll just put my itunes on shuffle and tell you guys what I’m listening to. First song is by a band I’ve talked about on my blog in the past, this band is STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9). The song that was just put on is called “We’ll Meet in Our Dreams”, which to me is a perfect title for the kind of sound the song brings. The overtones and catchy riffs of the synthesizers really bring a euphoric sound to table. They add so many different noises in the song; innovation is the only word I can think of for this band. STS9 has slowly become one of my favorite bands on that scene right now. Seeing them a couple months ago definitely helped, considering it was one of the most fun nights of the semester for me. Listening to their albums really does not do this band any justice; the live experience for STS9 is a completely different game.
This next song my itunes decided to blast in my ears is by a band called Thievery Corporation, with the song titled “Sound the Alarm”. Another band where they don’t just fit into one category. They have been considered to mix different elements of dub, reggae, acid jazz, Middle Eastern, and Brazilian. Now that is a pretty crazy array of musical genres if you ask me. This song in particular definitely has a reggae/dub feel to it. With vocal guests Sleepy Wonder on the song, definitely has a reggae vibe to it. This band is another innovative group, and if you haven’t checked these guys out I advise you to do so.

Pretty Lights- Rialto Theater, Tucson, AZ - 4/20

So today I just bought my Pretty Lights concert ticket. Pretty Lights is playing at the Rialto Theater in Tucson, AZ on Tuesday April 20th. Derek Vincent Smith goes by the name Pretty Lights. Pretty Lights is considered in the electronic beats genre. I was overly excited when I saw Pretty Lights on the Rialto Theater schedule. I’ve only seen them one time and I only caught a couple songs of them. I saw Pretty Lights last summer at the Rothbury Music Festival. Smith is joined on stage with Cory Eberhard, who adds live drums to the equation. I expect nothing less from this concert than 2 or more hours of a straight dance party. These electronic music type concerts are probably one of my favorite types of music to see live. It’s not as visually appealing as much as live instruments being played, but the crowd’s reaction is what makes it. Everyone is dancing, having a great time, and I wish all concerts were like that.
Pretty Lights seems to be blowing up now days. Their great party tunes, which is definitely one of the reasons the music is getting more and more popular. One thing that I love about Pretty Lights is how he puts all his music for free on his website. prettylightsmusic.com is the home page for the artist, so I advise all of you to download his albums. All his albums are downloadable for free. Cannot wait for this concert, been waiting ever since it as announced.

Neon Indian

Just started jamming to this band called Neon Indian, really like his sound. Neon Indian is the mind of Alan Palomo. A live band joins him on the stage normally, but Palomo composes all the music. Neon Indian came out with their first full length in 2009, titled Psychic Chasms.
With funky grooves, catchy synth-noises, and ridiculous song names and lyrics, Neon Indian is bringing something fresh to the psychedelic/electronic genres. While listening to them, I see a little bit of early MGMT in their style. More the melodies of the songs is what I can compare them with MGMT. The poppy synth-noises Palomo puts together at times makes me want to get up and groove and at other times it makes me want to sit down and chill. Each song has such a different personality to it; it keeps it exciting and fresh. My favorite song title on the album has to be “Should Have Taken Acid With You”. I saw this song name and just had to put it on in my headphones. Definitely a catchy up-beat song that makes me have some euphoric feeling. There is a huge psychedelic influence in Palomo’s music as well. With the poppy-synth noises being the main drive in most of the songs, there are subtle synth additions, which gives it the more psychedelic feel. If you’re looking for some new funky, psychedelic, electronic tunes, check out Neon Indian. After listening to the whole album, I’m regretting not seeing him when he came out to Tucson this past year.

We Were Promised Jetpacks

So over Spring Break I drove from Boulder, Colorado back down to Tucson with some of my buddies. With about 12-15 hours to kill in the car we obviously listened to massive amounts of music. My buddy Ryan put in the CD titled These Four Walls by We Were Promised Jetpacks (probably one of the coolest band names ever). This indie-rock four-piece hails from Edinburg, Scotland and is signed with Fat Cat Records. As soon as my buddy started blasting the record I was instantly hooked. With driving riffs and drum beats this band definitely brings a lot to the alternative rock table. With singles such as “Quiet Little Voices” (my personal favorite on the album) and “It’s Thunder and It’s Lightning” it’s not only the lashing riffs and drum beats but it’s the melodies of these songs that shine through. Adam Thompson (vocals, guitar) brings a heavenly tone with his guitar and voice. His Scottish accent is also noticeable which in my opinion makes this band unique and creates a different style that they can call their own. These guys have radio appeal as well as some good old-fashioned post-punk material. This album really was one of the best albums to have on a road trip. With poppy melodies alongside driving and heavy riffs this band is without a doubt one of my newer favorites. I wouldn’t be surprised if these guys hit it big in the indie/alternative scene soon. If you’re bored and looking for some new tunes, please check out We Were Promised Jetpacks.

MGMT New Album- Congratulations leaked

The long anticipated follow up album, “Congratulations”, from the duo that makes up MGMT, has been leaked onto the Internet. On their website, www.whoismgmt.com, reads this statement, “Hey everybody, the album leaked, and we wanted you to be able to hear it from us. We wanted to offer it as a free download but that didn't make sense to anyone but us.” You can listen to the whole album on the band’s website listed above. I’ve only listened to the album one time through but I’ve like what I’ve heard. This album definitely has taken a different turn than their first album. The psychedelic-pop sound is obviously still there, but with their second installment I feel they have drifted to more of a surf-pop kind of sound in some songs. This album doesn’t have the mainstream feel to it quite as much as “Oracular Spectacular” but I don’t think that to be a bad thing. The album title song, “Congratulations”, is one of my favorites on the album. It has catchy guitar riffs with a melodic chorus, which blends well with the guitar part. The song has such a chill vibe to it I was drawn to it automatically. I’ve been waiting for this album ever since I first listened to their 1st album in the radio station 2 years ago. I think this duo is bringing a cool style to the music business, which is refreshing to see. Being a rather big psychedelic music fan, I think it’s great that in this modern day bands still can come up with creative psychedelic tunes. If you’re reading this, please go to the band’s website and check out the album for free, you won’t regret it.

Pitchfork Music Festival 2010

The 2010 Pitchfork Music Festival is officially set to go down in Chicago’s Union Park on July 16-18. They have recently added more bands to the initial lineup. So far some of the big names in the lineup goes as follows: Modest Mouse, LCD Soundsystem, Pavement, Broken Social Scene, Panda Bear, and Raekwon. Being from Chicago it’s always nice to know there are going to be days in the summer where I can catch some quality live tunes. Ever since Coachella’s lineup was released I have been thinking about seeing LCD Soundsystem live, plus Pavement is also headlining. With 2 of the Coachella headliners at the Pitchfork Festival, in my hometown, looks like I’m not going to be in Indio, Ca this April. Modest Mouse is also a band I’ve been itching to see for the past 5 or so years. I’ve never gotten an opportunity to see them and I have been a fan since The Moon & Antarctica. I saw Broken Social Scene two years ago at Lollapalooza. It was awesome, saw them during the day, laying in the grass with my buddies hanging out and listening to them. They have so many different instruments during there live set it’s really special to see them. I still can’t believe Pavement is having some shows this summer. Cannot wait to have the lake breeze and Pavement tunes collide this summer at Union Park. Also, me turning the magical age of 21 at the end of the month will also help any of my concert journeys this year.

Portugal. The Man- American Ghetto

I have heard of these guys since I saw them my freshman year, which was two years ago. I saw them at the Rialto Theatre here in Tucson, AZ, while they were on tour opening for Minus the Bear. I only had a couple of their songs when I saw them so I didn’t know much about them, but their live performance completely blew me away. I have been an avid listener ever since and have been religiously listening to some of their records for the past year and a half or so. With their latest installment, American Ghetto, was released on March 2nd, 2010. They have leaked the complete album online for fans to listen to it before they decide to buy it. I haven’t gotten a chance to go out and purchase this album yet but I plan on doing it this week. I haven listened to some of the songs online (only some because I like to save some new ones for when I buy the album), but from what I hear am I enjoying. They have gone to more of an electronic feel, much like their first release, Waiter: “You Vultures”, with the same melodic choruses as The Satanic Satanist. I love how each record of theirs is different than the previous, without completely straying away from their roots. They have such a unique sound to me because they draw from so many various genres of music. There is so much soul in their songs it’s hard to replicate. It’s as if John Gourley (lead vocalist) is preaching you the words he sings. I recommend people who read this check out their music if you haven’t already, and pick up a copy of American Ghetto and support some quality music.

Festivals Festivals Festivals

With the summer approaching us sooner than we think, festivals are on my mind. Actually, when are festivals not on my mind? Hmm, anyways, I’ve been doing my research and I’m most likely going to be attending Summer Camp Festival and All Good Festival. Summer Camp is located in Chillicothe, IL, and All Good Fest is located in Masontown, WV. The initial lineup for All Good Fest includes: Furthur (featuring Bob Weir and Phil Lesh formerly of The Grateful Dead), Widespread Panic, Umphrey’s Mcgee, Yonder Mountain String Band, Dark Star Orchestra, Lotus, Perpetual Groove, the New Deal, and George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic. Summer Camp Fest lineup includes: moe., Umphrey’s Mcgee, STS9, Gov’t Mule, Keller Williams, EOTO, Pretty Lights, Bassnectar, Steel Pulse, and Victor Wooten. I was pretty impressed with both of these lineups. More than the other festivals I have seen thus far. For All Good fest I was happy to see Furthur as the headliner. Being a Grateful Dead fan, I love seeing any original members play live music, it truly is a spectacle to see. Always love seeing Lotus on any lineup. Such happy instrumental music, highly recommend taking a listen to them when your bored or something. Never seen Perpetual Groove before, but ever since taking a listen to some of their live CD’s, I would love to see what they got going live. For Summer Camp Fest, I was glad to see Umphrey’s, STS9, Keller, Pretty Lights, EOTO, and Victor Wooten to say a few. I know Umphrey’s will kill it, considering their playing 3 days. Pretty Lights will bring the late night dance party, also playing a set with STS9, which should be unreal. Honestly cannot wait for festival season to be upon us. If anybody is reading this, do yourself a favor and check out some of these great musicians.

Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9) Concert Review

So yesterday I took a trip up to Tempe to see Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9) at the Marquee Theatre. Sound Tribe is an instrumental band known for their live performances. Influenced by genres such as funk, jazz, drum and bass, psychedelic, and hip-hop. I’ve seen them twice; once at Rothbury and once at Lollapalooza. I didn’t really know what to expect going in. I tend to think that Arizona’s “jam band” scene isn’t quite as big as other places around the country; with that said, I’m always rather tentative about going to these types of concerts in Arizona. Arrived at the venue moderately early, and there were literally about 20-30 people in the whole place. Not that I was shocked to see this but still a little disappointed. Then the opener, Emancipator, came onto the stage. At this point, the crowd started to fill in and the vibes were as well. Emancipator surprised me, never heard him before but he was pretty good. Just had a laptop set up with what looked like some sort of midi controllers. Also, he played some electric guitar over the beats he played. It was real mellow electronic music, which personally I believe to be great live. More and more people flooded into the venue as the night grew later and later. Sound Tribe finally came on at around 10:30 p.m. or so. Couldn’t have been more excited. Front row, center, can’t get much better than that. With the lights blaring and psychedelic visuals in the background, the mood changed with every beat of the drum. At points the crowd would be raging and dancing, and then at other points the crowd would groove to the slow bass line. Not only did Sound Tribe rip apart the show, but also the crowd was pretty good. Everyone seemed into the music, everyone seemed to be having a great time, dancing, feeling the vibes. For what seemed like 15 minutes, turned into me checking my phone and seeing 11:30 p.m. Sound Tribe took a quick break and then got right back into it with a second set. As the sweat dripped down the faces of the crowd, the music blared until 1:00 a.m. Overall, had a great time, one of the better concerts I have been to in Arizona. If any of you guys get the chance to see them, I say cough up the 20 or 30 bucks and see some live music.

Listening to...

So in a couple of weeks I am going to see the band Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9), in Tempe. I’ve seen them twice already, but its definitely a concert I will not get sick and tired of. They have been put into the electronic jam genre, but it’s a sound that’s hard to describe really. No vocals or anything, but with groovy enough instrumentals it works. The band is really known for their live performances; the live recordings do not do them justice at all.
They recently came out with a new album, titled Ad Explorata. Haven’t really listened to the whole album yet, but from what I’ve heard from it sounds what I’ve come to expect from Sound Tribe.
Animal Collective, is another one of my favorite “newer” bands. I think its their psychedelic influence that drew me in. I started listening to them around 2 years ago. I was working here at the radio station, KAMP student radio, and I had to review one of their CD’s. It was the CD of theirs entitled Strawberry Jam. At first I thought the music sounded a little too strange to me, but with a couple more listens to them I fell in love with their creativity and originality. There really is no one like them.
One of Animal Collective’s members, Noah Lennox, or known as Panda Bear to his fans, also has his own original tunes. I really dig Panda Bear’s music. So mellow and creative I fell in love. Take a listen to Comfy in Nautica.

Blah

So I’ve been listening to a lot of Bon Iver recently. For those who don’t know Bon Iver is a band founded by Justin Vernon and is considered indie folk singer/songwriter. Hailing from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Bon Iver also consists of Michael Noyce, Sean Carey, and Matthew McCaughan. With an EP released and one full length album titled, For Emma, Forever Ago, Bon Iver has already become popular. Playing at prestigious festivals such as Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, and Bonnaroo. Take a listen if you haven’t heard him before. Skinny love and flume are some of my favorite songs to play on guitar. I love some of his guitar tuning on his songs; it gives him such an interesting sound.
MGMT recently announced the date for their next album release. The release is set for Tuesday, April 13. It is one of the most eagerly anticipated new releases of 2010. With already 2 years gone past their last album, Oracular Spectacular, this is an album I personally have been waiting for. MGMT is one of my new favorite bands out. Something about their electronic psychedelic sound appeals so much to me. Also, their music video and whole approach to their music is what I’m all about. Some songs have been leaked on youtube from live concerts where the band is playing the new material, so I have heard them, but I still can’t wait for the mastered versions. For the songs I have heard, it seems that they have changed their sound a little bit, but who wants to write the same record twice in a row right?

Random

So I was thinking today, I’m glad that in this day and age of crappy radio music, there are still groups out there that are still rocking. Listening to some old Kings of Leon today is what sparked this thought in my head. Kings of Leon is a band that just got the recognition they deserved here in America. Yes, their new album is definitely more mainstream for our radio over here in the States, but it’s their old stuff that really got me hooked. Their first album, Youth and Young Manhood, is one of my favorite albums. It’s like at that time, they probably were thinking about how no one really has the soul or feel to rock music. I think it’s something about the southern twang in their music that really appeals to me. They started off getting really popular in England and over in Europe. It makes sense, I feel English and European radio is vastly different then radio here. In my opinion probably a lot better. I used to listen to the radio when I was a kid; I feel I didn’t know much more than that. But now days I can’t even do it. I swear if I hear another new song with the T-pain voice over I might go crazy. All those songs sound the same to me. I feel like I’m constantly asking people who the artist is when I know the song, but it’s always someone different. I don’t know where I’m going with this blog entry, it ended up going in a direction I did not think it was going haha. Anways, yeah, I think this is about 250 words…

Badfish (Sublime Cover Band) Concert Review

This Wednesday, I saw a band called Badfish. A Sublime cover band, with their original band opening, Scotty Don’t. I was surprised on how similar the band sounded to Subime. It was a three-piece band, like the original Sublime, but at some points a fourth member would come out to play keyboards and such. They played most of the classics. You know, Santeria, April 29th 1992, Scarlet Begonias (originally from the Grateful Dead), Seed, and tons more. There was a rather good show up at the concert too, which I was very happy to see. It was held at the Rialto Theatre in downtown Tucson. To be honest, I’ve been pretty upset with the recent shows in Tucson, but not that night. People were actually into the music, with a good crowd comes a good concert in my mind. Not only does the crowd get excited but also the band feeds off the energy in the room. With such classic songs, everyone in the room pretty much knew all the tunes. The lead vocals had the Bradley Nowell sound down. Yes, it’s hard to sound exactly like the originals, but overall the guitar riffs and vocals went well with the rest of the band. I just appreciate how Badfish is keeping around Sublime’s music. I never got the chance to see Sublime live, which is unfortunate, but when I realized these guys were coming around I knew I needed to see them. Some people say they shouldn’t be making money off Sublime’s songs, but I say their just keeping the music ‘round.

Coachella

With music festivals still on my mind, the Coachella Music Festival lineup was announced about 2 weeks ago. Coachella takes place in Indio, Ca, which is about 5 or so hours away from the UA. I have some mixed feelings on the lineup, but overall I’d say it’s pretty good. Jay-Z, Muse, and Gorillaz are the headliners with LCD Soundsystem, Them Crooked Vultures, Faith No More, Tiesto, Pavement, and Thom Yorke as the openers for the headliners. I was so happy to see LCD Soundsystem in the lineup, definitely one of my favorites in the lineup. I have been listening to LCD Soundsystem’s album titled “45:33” nonstop for the past couple weeks. I love their sound, and I feel it would be a great live concert. The headliners didn’t really please me like I thought they would. Saw Jay-Z last year when he came to the UA, Muse is alright but would’ve liked to see someone else in their spot, but I was glad to see Gorillaz in the headlining spot. Never seen them before but I’ve been a fan of them since their self-titled album came out.
Besides all the big names there are definitely some bands that I’d like to see. So happy to see Dirty Projectors in the lineup. If you haven’t listened to Dirty Projectors before, I highly recommended you pick up some of their tunes immediately. Some of the more original tunes I’ve heard in a while. Passion Pit is in the mix as well, like their synth-pop electronic driven sound. Don’t know how they would be live but haven’t really heard much about their live shows.
There are a lot of electronic based bands on the lineup, as there should be, but I only hope that these bands are signed on to play late night. Electronic groups or DJ’s like Deadmau5, 2manyDJ’s, Major Lazer, Benny Benassi, etc. should never play in the daylight. It completely takes away from the live show. With that type of music I feel like the light show is necessary. For instance, last summer I saw Sound Tribe Sector 9 (amazing band, seeing them in late February) at Lollapalooza in Chicago. The only problem was they played at 4 p.m. It just wasn’t as good as when I saw them at night. I don’t really know what it is, but electronic music is supposed to be played at night
I haven’t decided if I’m going to attend Coachella this year, but there is no doubt in my mind if you plan to attend you will have great live music the whole weekend.

R.I.P. Rothbury

It comes with great sadness to say that Rothbury Festival will be no more. For those of you who don’t know what Rothbury is, it was a music festival that took place on the July 4th weekend in Rothbury, Michigan. For 4 days, roughly 30,000 people gathered to camp out and listen to some great live music. The headliners in 2008 included: Dave Matthews Band, Widespread Panic, John Mayer, 311, in 2009 the headliners included: The Dead, Bob Dylan, The String Cheese Incident, and Willie Nelson. There was a statement on the Rothbury Festival website last week that stated the festival would not be taking place this summer, due to complications assembling a lineup. I was astounded when I read this. It was hands down the best weekend of my summer last year, and just like that it’s gone. Just everything about the festival amazed me all weekend. Waking up early because the sun is beaming down, getting out the sauna you like to call a tent, crack open a few beers, hang out with the homies, then enjoy some live tunes. It’s a very jam band oriented festival, which I love, but it’s great, at night it turns into a whole different world. Electronic based music bumps from the speakers as people walk around the mystical festival grounds. The “Sherwood Forest” is what many Rothbury goers rave about. It’s a forest with different colored lights, hanging art pieces, and hammocks to go around. It makes the festival grounds into this mystical world, which is what made Rothbury so unique. My friends and I have been discussing what were going to do this summer now that Rothbury is no more. Perhaps Bonnaroo, Coachella, Summercamp, Wakarusa, who knows. Excuse me while my mind drifts away to Sherwood for a little…