For Chattanooga, that chance came on New Year’s Eve Eve. When the show was announced in November, the whole city was buzzing. This was the biggest “get” that Chattanooga’s new A.C. Entertainment-run venue Track 29 had been able to snag. Located on the campus of the famous Chattanooga Choo-Choo, Track 29 has a movable stage giving them a variable capacity – anywhere from 800 to 1,800 – and for this show they set the cap at 1,500 tickets. The morning that they went on sale, there was a frenzy that resulted in the show selling out in a venue-record 27 seconds. As Track 29 put it, “No server failures, no selling to ticket liquidators, no website overload, just plain old sold out!” Those that were shut out took to Facebook and Twitter to complain, and the secondary ticket market was ridiculously overpriced. Despite the fact that the Avetts had just played the Tivoli Theatre in town in 2009, this was truly the biggest show that Chattanooga had seen in a long time.

Photo by Catherine Watkins

All of the build up and excitement lasted until the day of the show – so much so that people started lining up outside the venue at midnight for the general admission show. By the time CoS arrived on the scene, the doors were already open, yet the line was still extending well beyond the long building. Bottom line: Track 29 hosted one of the biggest crowds in its history thus far, and the excitement was palpable.

As Scott Avett shook his head with a smile, the band jumped right into “Will You Return?” and thus began the singalongs. (The crowd knew every word to about 85% of the songs played throughout the evening.) This only fed into the unbridled enthusiasm the band exuded. For the first half of the show, the Avetts never stopped the energy; jumping, pacing, clapping, and swinging about – they did it all. Then came the show’s downfall: the slow songs.

Most of the band left the stage after “Pretty Girl From Cedar Lane”, leaving only the actual Avett Brothers – Scott and Seth – to sing a few slower acoustic songs on a single mic positioned at the front of the stage. It should have been a highlight – had this been the Ryman, you could’ve heard a pin drop during this segment – but most of the crowd decided they weren’t interested in these slow songs and proceeded to talk just loud enough that you could barely hear the music if you were anywhere but front row. By the time they played their third song in this style – joined by bassist Bob Crawford on backing vocals – it was impossible to hear them at all.

Photo by Catherine Watkins

Try as they might, all the loud talkers in the world could not ruin this show. After the brothers wrapped up their acoustic segment, the full band returned, and they kicked back into a slightly higher gear with “And It Spread” and “Paranoia in B Flat Major”, which at least roped the audience back into singalong mode. Eventually closing the set with “I and Love and You”, the rapturous applause that led them off the stage continued until they came back five minutes later – the reaction was enough that even a band that hadn’t planned an encore would have been forced to come back on. As they took the stage amidst all the fervor, Seth humbly shook his head and said, “Y’all are too good to us.” They treated the crowd with “January Wedding” and a new song, “The Once and Future Carpenter”, before officially ending the set with “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise”.

All in all, the band played for nearly two hours and the audience couldn’t have been more appreciative, regardless of the talking that plagued the middle of the set. Not only was this show a fantastic opportunity to see a band on the rise in a smaller space than normal, but it was the perfect way to bring 2011 to a close.

Setlist:
Will You Return?
Shame
Tin Man
Telling Time
Kick Drum Heart
The Prettiest Thing
Distraction #74
Salina
Slight Figure of Speech
The Weight of Lies
At the Beach
Die Die Die
Pretty Girl From Cedar Lane
St. Josephs
When I Drink
Just a Closer Walk With Thee
And It Spread
Paranoia in Bb Major
Go To Sleep
Colorshow
I and Love and You
Encore:
January Wedding
The Once and Future Carpenter
Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise

The record spans 15 songs but clocks in at just under half an hour: Not a single song on Everything… is over three minutes long. It feels more like an old punk record than an indie album in that regard – most of the songs are fast paced as if to fit as much as possible into a short window. Bandleader Adrian Pillado and the rest of the group work their way through their retro surf-influenced blasts of pop with ease. The album never feels emotional in one way or another, but the lyrics run the gauntlet from cute, socially awkward love stories (“Tell You”) to pessimistic outcries (“What’s the Point?”).

Unfortunately, the songs start to run together after a couple listens, as there isn’t much differentiating any given track from the next. The production isn’t the best either, as the vocals sometimes get lost in the mix. But for a young band just putting out their debut album, these things can be pardoned. If they can build upon this debut and learn from their mistakes, Sea Lions might be able to carve out their own cozy corner in the indie world. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sea Lions But Were Afraid To Ask may not answer all of our questions, but it serves as a solid introduction to a promising new band.

Essential Tracks: “Tell You”

You’ve mostly been touring Europe since the release of your latest LP Black Sun. How has the reception been? Have the shows gone well?

Well we were doing live shows until around May, and the response was amazing, but then Spaceape became unwell and we had to stop the live show. So, I’ve been DJing since then and it’s been the only year I’ve actually enjoyed playing at festivals.

You don’t come to the U.S. all that often. What intrigued you about playing Moogfest?

Not sure really. I have a Moog synth, and love the sound. That was enough really. [laughs]

What are your expectations about the festival coming into the weekend?

I know there are some interesting artists playing, so I’m just happy to fly over for a [few] days, and give people a taste of my medicine.

You’ve recently done some sets of Burial’s music. How important is it to you to get his music out there, since he doesn’t ever appear in public?

Well a lot of people are so keen to hear his unfinished stuff, but its not something I do often, and only tend to do when I’m as far away from the UK as possible, where people tend have the tracks I’ve played up on YouTube within hours. I [rep] most of Burial’s releases, so occasionally I just have to test them out on a crowd in an unfinished state, and see what they sound like in that context. But, usually, I try to save his music for when it’s finished, as some of his fans get a bit feral when they sniff a forthcoming release.

What upcoming projects does Hyperdub have on its slate?

There are four amazing forthcoming albums which are all complete – King Midas Sound’s project which is due out in the next couple of weeks, and then early next year there will be albums from Scratcha, Cooly G, and Hype Williams.

What new music are you listening to these days?

Apart from all the forthcoming Hyperdub stuff, I’m really enjoying the new albums by Kuedo and Rustie.

What are your thoughts on the “U.S.” style of dubstep – Skrillex, Bassnectar, etc. – as compared to the more U.K. style?

It’s well known that I’ve not been a big fan of dubstep, in the UK or the USA for about three years. I still play a bit, alongside grime, house, footwork, etc. Objectively, I can see that the current crop of producers have found a set of frequencies that drives audiences totally mental. That fact is quite interesting to me, as an outside observer, or like a visitor in a zoo. But it’s not a style I listen to or play.

What’s next for Kode9?

I’ve just finished a remix of the band Battles on Warp. I’ve also just started work on my first solo album. Apart from that I’m looking forward to playing in China, South Africa, and Russia over the next few months.

What should fans at Moogfest expect from your show?

To get vibrated in a fashion to which they are not yet accustomed.

Be sure to catch Kode9 at Moogfest this weekend, performing Saturday night at the Orange Peel.

For the past few months, AC Entertainment has been surprising festivalgoers with the ever-evolving lineup for their second annual Asheville-based Halloween extravaganza, Moogfest. From now until the weekend of the festival, we will be sporadically putting the spotlight on some of the talent that can be found on the eccentric lineup. Today, we feature legendary German musician Hans-Joachim Roedelius.

Hans-Joachim Roedelius is a man whose legend looms large. While some Moogfest attendees may glance over his name without thought, those actively involved in electronic or krautrock music know that Roedelius is a giant in both genres. He’s been making music since the late ’60s, including groundbreaking work with Cluster and Harmonia. Hailing from Germany, most of his commercial success has come overseas, which means his U.S. appearances are not a common thing. Always prolific, Roedelius is currently involved in at least two other projects in addition to his own solo work, and he’ll be performing two separate sets at Moogfest – one solo and one as part of Lunzproject, a collaborative effort with Tim Story. We talked to the legendary musician to discuss Brian Eno, Cluster, Bob Moog, and more.

You’re playing ATP New Jersey soon, then embarking on a US tour ahead of Moogfest. Do you still enjoy touring at 76 years young?

Young is the right explication. Only my body feels the age, not my mind.

You’ve remained very prolific since you started making music in the 60s. Do you see yourself slowing down anytime soon?

On the contrary, I’m working more and harder than ever, but I’m also very motivated, because now I know much better than in the beginning what to do and how. And moreover, it’s not only electronic music I create, it’s also (what I love a lot) pure acoustic and my own text/poetry that I recite at special occasions, and poetry of writers I love such as Rilke, Borges, and others.

A good percent of the audience at Moogfest wasn’t born when you began making music with Cluster and later Harmonia. If you could tell them one thing about yourself or your music to convince them to see your show, what would it be?

Come and see/hear an originator performing his authentic music and moreover twice, once as soloist and second with his longtime friend and US collaborator Tim Story as part of the Lunzproject, which is a global-wide, well-respected musical collective that played festivals such as Ether in London’s Royal Festival Hall, Detroit’s DIA (Detroit Institute of Arts), Tirana’s festival Moving Cultures, Vienna’s jazz club Porgy & Bess, and such.

Do you approach your solo set and your Lunzproject set differently?

It’s different musical material. As a soloist, I improvise out of the moment with keyboards and synths using especially pre-prepared sound materials of many kinds. With Tim Story, I’m going to play mainly songs from our albums Lunz and Inlandish, but we also improvise together in the style of our first album, The Persistence of Memory, which is a record  that was very much influenced by Cluster.

You’ve collaborated with Brian Eno multiple times in the past. How did that collaboration first come about, and what was the experience like? Have you retained a relationship with him over the years?

Brian came to Hamburg in 1974 to attend one of our Harmonia concerts. He liked it very much and came onstage to play with us. We invited him afterwards to come to our place in Mid Germany to do serious studio work with us, and he came two years later and stayed with us for about 10 days, sharing our community activities and playing with us, recording onto a 4-track tape machine. Some of what we did came out later as Harmonia ’76 Tracks and Traces, and this material, along with three bonus tracks, was released again two years ago as Harmonia & Eno 1976 via Groenland-Records in London. We got along very well with him and he with us when he was there. He obviously liked the way we behaved in our little community and helped a lot, such as cutting wood in the forests, shopping, cooking, and such matters. The relationship never broke. I just met him in London for a video interview that my daughter Rosa did for our own little festival, More Ohr Less

Brian Eno, of course, will be a special guest at Moogfest. Any chance that you two collaborate during the weekend?

We didn’t yet speak about such a possibility.

What caused Cluster to break up last year? What are your thoughts on it now, being a year removed?

It’s too complex to explain why Cluster split, but as a result, there’s Qluster, with another friend as second member, almost half of my age, with whom I’m collaborating already for more than 15 years, in many different constellations. I think it was the right moment to stop Cluster. We were together for more than 40 years, and our last studio album “Qua” says a lot about our ideas and compositional qualities. I think it is the greatest swan song ever that a group of that long experience and fame did.

Other than the lineup changes, what is the most significant difference between Qluster and Cluster, or even Kluster?

It’s only the personnel that has changed, but even so that Onnen Bock as half of my age is second member; he might be replaced sometimes by other colleagues that are my friends, or even by musicians that I don’t know yet but would like to join me in Qluster. Qluster is a project open for many different constellations.

You were one of the major figures in krautrock, the influence of which is still being felt today. How do you feel about your role in influencing today’s music?

I’m still after what I did from the beginning : Learning by doing! If people like what I’m doing, that says a lot to me. I appreciate that very much, but it doesn’t change my way of living. Art is not something beside my daily life; art is a most relevant part of my state and behavior as a human being. I’m not split into the artist there and the person here. I’m one in one.

You, Tangerine Dream, Brian Eno, and Suicide are legends among the electronic music scene, and you will all be appearing alongside up-and-comers like Flying Lotus, Crystal Castles, and M83 at Moogfest. In your mind, is it important that the younger generation of musicians know and respect what came before them?

Of course, in a way, but not in general. When I started to become an artist, I didn’t care at all about tradition, but because I knew nothing about composition, music, about how to play an instrument, I had to learn everything myself. I’m a self-taught composer/musician. That’s something to reflect about for the youngsters, because if you have to start like I did, if you’re looking after to find your own tone-language, if your aim is to do something really authentic, if you’re able to continue to go your own way even so you can’t make your living from it, but you know you have to do it, you’re sure that one day your art will catch the attention of a broader audience, that more and more people will like it, because you knew all the time during the process of learning what you’re doing that you did relevant art, that’s a totally individual, personal approach to art, to life itself, somehow, not comparable with the traditional approach.

To get into music/composition the traditional way, that’s very difficult, even much more than when you teach yourself from point zero. Because you have to fulfill well-known rules, conventions, you have to rehearse and rehearse and rehearse your instrument, you have to be clear, smart to understand the requests of art, that “traditional” art has to conquer a market on which thousands of talented people have to fight to get the necessary attention, to get the respect of a public that needs to be fed by art to become aware of the real values of life itself not only by perfection, empathy, intelligence, also by an understanding that expresses itself in the way of how artists show up with what they’re doing.

On the other side of that, do you feel a need to keep up with what is happening with the current music scene?

I’m not in the situation to keep attention to anything else than my own art.

You’re playing with Simeon from Silver Apples at ATP as Silver Qluster. How did that come about, and is there any chance that it happens again beyond that one show?

ATP’s main spiritus rector Barry Hogan is one to follow the ideas of the curators he’s choosing for each ATP festival program, wherever they happen. It was Nick Cave who wanted Harmonia to play in Sydney’s ATP some years ago; it’s this year Geoff Barrow of Portishead who wanted me to play with Simeon Coxe as Silverqluster. I think Simeon and I should continue to play together if New Jersey works out well. I’m already in contact with the director of the Donaufestival in Lower Austria who wants me to play next year there, and I told him to invite Simeon as well for a collaborative set.

You’ve been making music for 40+ years and have built up an extensive catalog. Do you have a personal favorite album from your own work?

Oh, my god, that’s a unanswerable question!

Is there any space in particular that you would like to play or record?

Taj Mahal!

Have you been to Asheville before? If so, what did you think of the town?

Oh, yes, twice already. I feel at home! I have friends there. I did bike rides up and down hills with one of them and my daughter in 1999 when I was playing a concert there. I guess it’s one of the rare cities in the US where people can really live a healthy life. The food is soooooo gooooood.

What are your thoughts on the legacy of Bob Moog and the Moog brand that he left behind?

I would like to own, or at least be able to use, some of Bob’s instruments for future recordings. I’m a friend of a guy in Vienna who owns one of Bob’s special singular modular synthesizers that’s connected to a polymoog and -organ, called AARCHY, an instrument of a special beauty, designed in high-grade steel. My friend and I offered this instrument as a musical sculpture to be exhibited and played by famous Moog players to the Museum of Modern Art of Francesca von Habsburg, here in Vienna. She hasn’t answered yet, whether she would like to do it. Perhaps the Moog Foundation in Asheville is interested to get and exhibit it?

What can fans expect from both of your Moogfest shows?

Originators at work with their authentic music.

Make sure to check out Hans-Joachim Rodelius at Moogfest, performing solo Saturday at 5pm at the Diana Wortham Theatre, and as part of Lunzproject Friday at 11:30pm in the same theatre.

For the past few months, AC Entertainment has been surprising festivalgoers with the ever-evolving lineup for their second annual Asheville-based Halloween extravaganza, Moogfest. From now until the weekend of the festival, we will sporadically put the spotlight on some of the talent that can be found on this eccentric lineup. Today, we feature George Lewis Jr., better known as Twin Shadow.

George Lewis has had a busy year. From opening for Florence + the Machine to playing festivals the world over, Twin Shadow hasn’t stopped since the release of his stellar 2010 album, Forget. He’s still on the road, but after this tour – which ends at Moogfest – he’ll be done for a while and will finally have a chance to breathe. It’s fitting that the tour should end at Moogfest, as his synth-fueled, low-key 80′s flashback style of music is perfect for the festival. Be sure to catch his show on Saturday Oct. 29th. You wouldn’t want to miss out on seeing what hairstyle he’ll be sporting, would you? CoS had a chance to chat with Lewis about his tour, the legacy of Bob Moog, and that wicked haircut.

First off, how’s the tour going?

It’s going awesome, man. We’re having a great time, and today’s our day off. We played last night in Atlanta, and it was great.

I read an interview where you said The Earl is one of your favorite places to play. Was it as good as usual last night?

Yeah. It was great. The people there are amazing, and I just really love playing there.

It seems like you haven’t stopped touring at all this year. Do you have plans to take a break soon?

Yeah, after this tour. This’ll be the last tour for this record. After that, we’ll go back to making another record.

When do you think we’ll be hearing that?

Oh, I don’t know… hopefully early next year. Something around there.

Earlier this year, you opened for Florence + the Machine, right as she was sort of skyrocketing. What was that experience like?

It was great. It was great to have played for her audience. I think we learned a lot playing those big shows. I think the biggest thing was just seeing the level of professionalism from her and her crew and how they do things. That’s a good thing to aspire to, to be able to have a big crew on the road with you.

How has your own live show improved since you first started?

Oh, man, all kinds of ways. The players are great… just everything. Building an audience, knowing what songs work in which part of the night. Your nerves kind of… you know, we used to get winded playing a 30-minute set. Now, we can play for an hour with no problem. Things like that.

Have you ever been to Asheville before?

Oh, yeah, for sure. It was nice. We played one of our first shows ever on tour there at The Orange Peel. It was cool. I think North Carolina is beautiful, and I’m actually really looking forward to going to the Moog factory.

What are your thoughts on the legacy of Bob Moog and this festival that celebrates his life for one weekend every year?

Well, we’re all huge, huge synth fans. You know, synthesizer is a huge part of my music, so we’re generally excited about everything that he’s done with that company. We’ve met some people over there at Moog, and they’re all great people. They’re a company that really cares about what they’re making, and that’s exciting.

If you could collaborate with one artist on the Moogfest lineup, who would it be?

Oh, man, I actually can’t remember who all is gonna be there. Is Toro y Moi playing?

Yeah, he’ll be there.

Well, then, yeah, Chaz [Bundick] is a great guy, so I’d love to make some music with him.

What about Chris Taylor, who produced your record? He’ll be there playing as CANT. Think you’ll have anything going on with him that weekend?

Oh, yeah… maybe I’ll jump on stage with him. I dunno. We’ll see. I helped with the songs, but I haven’t learned how to play them.

What’s different, for you, playing at a festival like Moogfest, as opposed to your normal tour dates?

It’s weird, you know, because the night doesn’t revolve just around you. But what’s cool is that you get access to a lot of new fans at festivals who are there to see bands who are locked up with you or playing before or after you. So, it’s just nice to have access to those fans, new fans.

Do you have a favorite festival experience so far?

Yeah, we were just over in Europe, and we played a festival in Poland, and it was crazy. I had no idea we had fans there. We ended up playing in front of, like, 3,000 screaming Polish people. It was amazing. That was really cool to see. When you go far away and you have fans, it’s really cool.

How does that process of booking the lesser known places where you’re not sure if people will show go?

Well, there’s people on your team who do that research for you. They check what the record sales are in the region; they talk to promoters. Promoters know what people are wanting to see. I think, you know, there’s a gamble, but there’s also a science to it, so it’s not a huge risk.

How’s your hair looking right now? I know that’s a pretty important part of you, in general.

[laughs] I was just sitting here talking and combing it, actually. It’s looking alright. It needs some work. I will say that.

Got a special hairstyle picked out for Moogfest?

I’ll see what I can do. You know, a lot of people thought that on this tour I would be sporting different haircuts all the time because of this tour poster. That was just kinda a thing we had drawn up because I wanted each state to have something special. But it’s… it’s kinda impossible. I would need a lot of time and money to make it happen. I’ll try. I’ll do my best, though.

How about a costume? Moogfest is Halloween weekend. Have you ever dressed up for a show?

No, we haven’t, but I don’t think we’ve ever played a Halloween show before. We’ll see what happens.

What can fans look forward to from your show at Moogfest?

There will be some new songs in it, some stuff that will probably be on the next record. They’ll be able to hear it early on. And, I dunno… what else? Just expect it to be really loud.

Are you attending Moogfest? Grab your tickets now, or stay tuned over the next few weeks for our exclusive giveaway!

This time around, it all started with a single tweet. On August 26th, Third Man’s official twitter feed posted “The Raconteurs live at Third Man Sept. 14th!!!” with a link to buy tickets – which went on sale immediately. Only 150 tickets were released to the public, and only half of those were available online that day. The rest were sold at the store the following Tuesday. Needless to say, this became one of the hottest tickets in Nashville extremely quick. Tickets were going for hundreds of dollars on StubHub and Craigslist as soon as people had bought them. All of this only added to the already momentous amount of hype for the return of The Raconteurs. On Wednesday, they finally arrived.

Fans started lining up before noon for the 7 p.m. show – not out of the ordinary for something relating to Jack White. The Third Man store opened up at 5 p.m. to sell the badass limited edition poster (see above) designed by Rob Jones, along with various other Raconteurs merchandise. By 6pm, the line was about as long as it was gonna get, then came the waiting game. The 7pm start time came and went (which is to be expected at Third Man – not that anyone’s blaming them) and all the fans were still waiting in the alley beside the building. After a short delay, we were eventually led into the blue room in the back of Third Man – which, if you’ve never been, is a thing of beauty – and the show started at 8:15 p.m.. Opening the show was St. Louis’ Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three, who were quite a revelation. Pokey and his band were of another time – a time when an upright bass was standard, there was no such thing as electric guitar, and harmonica was the thing. If they stepped into a time machine bound for the 1920s, no one would bat an eye when they stepped out. Their infectious old-tyme American music worked because there wasn’t a trace of irony, yet they had a good sense of humor about them. If you have the chance to see these guys, I strongly reccommend you do so.

The crowd was genuinely appreciative of Pokey LaFarge, but we all knew what we were there for. After a half an hour setup, a Third Man employee stepped up to thank the crowd for being there before cutting to the chase with “Ladies and gentlemen… the Raconteurs!” The acclaimed group then walked on the tiny stage to rapturous applause before ripping straight into “Consoler of the Lonely”. White – the obvious star of the show – kept his back turned until it was his turn on the mic, which just made the crowd go even more wild when they finally did get a glimpse of the recently appointed “Nashville Music City Ambassador“. Right off the bat there was no rust, no dust . Three years later, they still don’t skip a beat – at least on their own terms.

From the opener they tore through “Salute Your Solution”, “Hands”, and “Old Enough” before having to take a short break while they switched the reels in the control booth (every show at Third Man is recorded straight to vinyl). While they waited, White told the story of how he met Brendan Benson (“Which one is Brendan again? The blonde one?”) back in the day in Detroit – the first of a few amusing anecdotes. Everyone was in good spirits, even White, which was comforting considering he usually looks a tad too serious. Throughout the evening, his emotions ran wild. He flashed a few grins, cracked a couple of jokes, and even appeared to shed a tear on “Blue Veins”. Maybe it was just sweat, though.

The material sounded just as fresh, too. New arrangements for “Consoler of the Lonely” and “Broken Boy Soldier” surprised many attendees – the latter now stretched from its original three-minute album counterpart. Although nothing new for The Raconteurs, a horn section tagged along, which was oddly entertaining, given the size of the stage. The section had to set up shop along the side-stage stairs because it was literally the only place they could have gone. Nevertheless, they played strong (and loud) through solid cuts of “Many Shades of Black” and “Switch and the Spur”, the latter of which led to the brilliant rendition of set closer “Broken Boy Soldier”. After a short absence, White & Co. returned to the stage – again to deafening applause – and broke into their “hit”, “Steady as She Goes”.

Let me take a moment here to pay tribute to the temple of music Jack White and crew have built here in my hometown of Nashville. This was my fourth or fifth time being in the back “blue room” of his Third Man building, but every time I walk in I’m wowed. The room has prestine acoustics – it has to, since it’s where Third Man does a good bit of their recording. The stage is elevated far above the rest of the room, giving the Raconteurs (or whoever else is playing) a larger-than-life feeling – a fact that Jack took full advantage of on Wednesday. Half of the room is blue wall curving into a blue floor – the very spot where the label shoots the covers for their “Blue Label Series” 7-inch records. Top it off with a full bar and a photobooth, along with great lighting on the stage and off, and you’ve got yourself a hell of a room – I’m sure Jack White wouldn’t have his in-house venue any other way.

The final song of the encore was no surprise – “Blue Veins” has been a staple to close Raconteurs shows in years past. It works so perfectly because it provides a perfect outlet for White to wail on his guitar like everyone wants to see him do. This night was no exception. The crowd just stood in awe as the former White Stripes frontman churned in emotional solos through most of the 10-minute-long jam. By the time they walked off for good, they had only been playing for an hour. Naturally, I can see how some people could be disappointed in this, but as I mentioned earlier, every Third Man show is recorded to vinyl so they don’t have much flexibility time-wise. Oddly enough, there were no new songs and no surprises. However, over one 10-song set, the band confirmed one thing: The Raconteurs are back, and they’re better than ever.

Setlist:
Consoler of the Lonely
Salute Your Solution
Hands
Old Enough
Top Yourself
Many Shades of Black
Switch and the Spur
Broken Boy Soldier
Encore:
Steady as She Goes
Blue Veins

For the past few months, AC Entertainment has been surprising festivalgoers with the ever-evolving lineup for their second annual Asheville-based Halloween extravaganza, Moogfest. From now until the weekend of the festival, we will be sporadically putting the spotlight on some of the talent that can be found on the eccentric lineup. Today, we feature Canadian quartet Holy Fuck.

Holy Fuck has never been a band to seek out the spotlight. (It comes with the territory of having that word in your name.) Despite the foul moniker, the Toronto-based sonic scientists have found plenty of success on their own terms. After three well-received albums and years of touring, they’ve become one of the most dependable live acts on the circuit – opening for bands from Modest Mouse to M.I.A. The band creates an exciting atmosphere when they play live, creating music out of things like film synchronizers and toys. They make electronic music out of analogue equipment, a blend that fits right in at Moogfest. We spoke to Graham Walsh about the group’s current plans and their upcoming appearance at the festival.

So what is Holy Fuck up to right now?

Graham Walsh: We’re at home, relaxing, enjoying the beautiful weather. I think…we’re maybe thinking about working on new material, but mostly just taking a bit of a break.

Have you guys ever been to or played Asheville?

We did – years ago. We opened up for Wolf Parade on one of the first tours we ever did. We played at the Orange Peel, and yeah, it was awesome. Unfortunately, we have never been able to go back, but I’m really excited that we are for Moogfest. We had such a great time there. I’m excited to come back for sure.

What did you think when you were asked to play Moogfest?

Actually, we were stoked. We’re big fans of Moog, and we’re definitely honored to be a part of the lineup. The bands that are playing are amazing. I remember seeing the lineup last year, and it was just like, damn, incredible bands are playing it. It’s just cool that we get to go and be a part of it.

How does it feel to be playing alongside legendary bands like Suicide and Tangerine Dream?

Oh, yeah. I mean, it’s one of those things where I probably wouldn’t be able to see those bands otherwise. Like, how often do you get to see Tangerine Dream play?

What are your thoughts on the legacy of Bob Moog?

The first synth that I ever owned was a MiniMoog, and it completely opened up my eyes to the electronic music world and making it. So, he definitely had an impact on what I do in the band, for sure, anyways, with the synths that I got.

How do you feel about playing festival shows versus your own shows where people would be coming specifically to see you?

They’re just two different animals, I think. We get asked that quite a few times, like, “What would you rather play, a festival or a club show?” Each of them, as long as you’re in the appropriate headspace for wherever you’re playing, each one can be good for its own reasons. Like, club shows where people are coming to see you are fun. Obviously, we’ll play smaller venues, and it’ll be sweaty clubs where everyone is right there with you. That just has a certain energy to it that’s just amazing when it’s going very well. Festivals are a completely different thing, but they’re also super fun in their own way. You get to maybe play for people who wouldn’t normally see you, and you’re playing for bigger audiences. It can be a little bit more hectic. You know, sometimes you don’t get a sound check or a proper sound check, but that brings a certain energy to it as well, that frenetic energy that comes with just throwing your stuff up on stage really quick in front of lots of people. It brings an energy to the performance.

Moogfest kind of combines the two worlds, because it is a festival with people who may not have seen you otherwise, but at the same time, it takes place in clubs and theaters.

Yeah, for sure. It should be good.

Moogfest falls on the weekend right before Halloween; do you guys have any costumes planned yet?

[laughs ] No, not yet. We played a Halloween show…I guess it was last year. We sorta dressed up. I think we just put nylons on our faces, and it looked kinda weird. But, I dunno, we sorta had this idea of dressing up like the classic Munsters, but I’m not gonna make any promises…it’s too early right now.

What can fans at Moogfest expect from your show?

You know…who knows? I dunno! Maybe we’ll have some new stuff. I don’t wanna promise anything, but the festival isn’t til the fall, and we’re working on stuff, so…

Are you attending Moogfest? Grab your tickets now, or stay tuned over the next few weeks for our exclusive giveaway!

What you’ll find in the EP is less witch house and more a combination of Chino’s two other projects – Deftones and Team Sleep. As a collection of ideas, this EP succeeds. Mixing ’80s synths and beats with Chino’s distinctive vocal presence creates a unique atmosphere that you won’t find in any of his previous work. Some songs take full advantage of this – “Bermuda Locke†” in particular features a good mix of everything that works on this EP. Others, however, fall back on old tricks. “†hholyghs†” wouldn’t sound too out of place on a Deftones album – especially when the drums kick in for the chorus.

If this album were to produce a single, it’d be opener “†his is a †rick”. A heavy, driving beat surges through the song with Chino taking the spotlight and sounding as good as ever. The range of this EP is clear from the first and last songs -  while the former is a loud, catchy song with big beats, the latter – “†” – is an instrumental track that capitalizes on the moody atmosphere created by the cover and the aesthetic. Everything amidst these two songs on the album also falls in between these two songs stylistically.

Clocking in at just under 20 minutes and being released on the internet for free – EP † is worth a listen for anyone with any interest in any of Chino’s projects. Otherwise, for now, this is an inconsequential EP with a few ideas that could develop into something better. However, with the fact that Team Sleep hasn’t released anything beyond their debut album six years ago, I wouldn’t hold my breath for more music from Crosses in the near future.

Essential Tracks: “†his is a †rick”, “Bermuda Locke†”

Curren$y does his listeners a favor by letting them know what they’re getting into with his latest LP, Weekend at Burnie’s, from the album’s title and cover. The car on the cover has a pot leaf on the grill, Cheetos and bubbly are littered about, and stylized smoke pours out of the windows. If that’s not the cover of a stoner album, I don’t know what is. To top it off, the title is an obvious homage to Weekend at Bernie’s, the classic 80’s corpse comedy, complete with the film’s original font being used on the album cover as well. The actual content of the album is just what you’d expect from Curren$y: solid beats and great rhymes.

While some that prefer their hip-hop to be more socially conscious may not be fond of Curren$y’s lyrical content, even they could not deny that he spits with the best of them. His flow is not particularly fast, and he isn’t a master of wordplay, but his power is undeniable. He’s a frontrunner for the rapper of the Twitter age,  as evidenced by album opener “#jetsgo”. So far, he’s kept a high quality to go along with the high volume of his releases, and Weekend at Burnie’s is no exception. It won’t be his breakout into the mainstream, but if he continues at this rate he’ll be there soon enough.

But as good as the scene has gotten stateside, we can never quite compete with the European festival market. There’s just no comparison. They’ve been at it longer, have more of them, and over the years have gotten everything down to a science. So when a U.K. festival promoter decides to create an American festival, we take notice. When that promoter is Festival Republic, which helps put on Glastonbury, Reading, and Leeds, we get really interested.

This is why we’re here talking about Orlando Calling, a festival that we have so little information on. Here’s what we do know: It’s being organized by Festival Republic, it will take place at the Citrus Bowl Nov. 11-13th, it will feature four stages and 100+ acts, and the lineup comes out July 18^th (with tickets to follow soon after). That’s it. We have no confirmations for the lineup, no rumors, not even a hint as to who will end up playing the festival. That’s exactly what makes it so intriguing and why it’s our last hope for some originality this year.

You see, as fruitful as our festival scene has been, there are hardly any real lineup surprises anymore. Lineups just seem to get more and more recycled each year. If you guessed that a festival would have Arcade Fire, Foo Fighters, or Coldplay in its lineup this year, you’d be right for about 95% of the big festivals out there. This over-saturation doesn’t affect each individual festival very much, but for us festivalgoers who like to hit up a few each year, it can feel kind of disappointing. With the variety and uniqueness that Glastonbury brings to the table, we’re all hoping Festival Republic can bring a bit of that magic stateside. This year, they snagged U2, Beyonce, Pulp, and Radiohead–all huge acts that you won’t find on any U.S. festival lineups this year.

The allure of Orlando Calling is everything that we don’t know. It’s hard to keep a secret in the festival business these days, but somehow Festival Republic has remained tight-lipped. This has given U.S. festivalgoers hope that they really can at least somewhat replicate the fantastic feel of a European festival over here in Florida. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen. But until the lineup comes out on the 18^th, we can all hope.

Best case scenario, Orlando Calling is a hit and becomes the closing festival of the season for years to come. In order for this to happen, they’ll have to pull in a solid lineup. Nabbing Radiohead’s first stateside post-King of Limbs show would go far towards accomplishing this goal. Or perhaps they can convince Jay-Z and Kanye to start their much-hyped Watch the Throne tour right there in Orlando. The newly announced Pixies “Lost Cities” tour puts them relatively near the area with a small gap in their schedule; playing a non-Doolittle show at a festival would be a refreshing sight for this year’s festival season. So far, Pulp’s reunion tour hasn’t come anywhere near the United States. Grabbing them for their first U.S. show in years would be a pretty big deal. These are just a few of the acts that could separate Orlando Calling from the rest of the pack. Of course, there’s a chance that none of that happens and it ends up being a flop.

Worst case scenario, it gets canceled (like some other Florida festival…) and is a financial and critical flop. But not everything has to be one extreme or the other. Orlando Calling could end up being something in the middle. It could fail to live up to the hype while still being a solid, financial success. Surely Coldplay, Foo Fighters, and Arcade Fire could top a sold-out bill, even though it would disappoint those who were expecting something unique out of the guys who put on Glastonbury. Or maybe it’ll have a fantastic lineup that doesn’t sell well. Who knows anymore.

My guess? Orlando Calling won’t blow everyone away, but it will have a solid lineup and become a hit. I doubt we will see it go down in flames before it ever gets a chance to shine. But what do you think? Will it live up to the hype? Who will be on the bill? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.