After the last tour, you took a series of road trips around the country, which you said ended up being reflected in your songs. You also said your last album, The Mountain (2009), was rooted in the aftermath of a longterm relationship and that your new album, Arrow, is you being comfortable again. I’ve also read that you suffered from writer’s block. Were your trips meant to be a form of therapy?

I get ideas in my head all the time, so I don’t get writer’s block in a sense of musical ideas. My writer’s block comes when I have to sit down and put words to the melodies that are in my head. That’s always been a difficult process for me. I think it’s because I write from a very personal part of myself, and I think it just takes me a while to feel comfortable with putting those thoughts out there for people to hear. So, that’s just a kind of very time-consuming, difficult process for me, and that’s what I get writer’s block with. When I went on that road trip, I already had most of the songs for the album in my head. It was just a matter of, I needed to focus and try to force myself to get those thoughts out of my head.

When you were on the road trip, was that meant more as just a traveling thing, or did you actually play shows while driving around?

No, I didn’t play any shows or gigs. I just wanted to focus on writing new material.

You’ve always seemed to be able to balance the gritty, more rocking guitar with the mellower acoustic numbers. There are a few mellow songs on this album (and I say mellow just for lack of a better word) that still hit you over the head. The first single, “Parted Ways”… my initial impression, for some reason, was that it reminded me a lot of early 70′s Stones. But then while I was walking into the studio tonight, I was humming “Parted Ways” a little bit, and I kept breaking into Social Distortion’s “Ball and Chain”.  

You know, the inspiration for that song is actually Thin Lizzy’s cover of the old traditional song “Whiskey in the Jar”. That song used to be on the jukebox when I bartended in Cincinnati all the time, and I always loved it. I never got sick of that song. When the melody for “Parted Ways” came in my head, I knew I wanted to approach the song in that way, because that song is rocking, but it’s got acoustic guitar in it. And that’s kind of almost every song on this album, other than three. So, seven of the songs are on acoustic guitar, but a lot of them are rock and roll songs, though, like, “Gotta Have Rock and Roll” is acoustic, too. And T. Rex does that same thing; they’ll put an acoustic guitar to, like, a rock sound. I like the percussive elements. It’s a different way of approaching songs than I have in the past, something new for me.

Was that a conscious decision to write differently, or is that just how things worked out?

I think it’s sort of just how things work out. Like, I get these melodies in my head, and I don’t even know where the ideas come from. The melodies are there, and I don’t record them. I tell myself if they’re any good, I won’t forget them. And so I just carry these ideas around with me for long periods of time, and then eventually I have to sit down and force myself to work them out and focus. So, a lot of the ideas I had in my head over the three-year period of The Mountain… er, two-year period, I guess, between when The Mountain came out and we recorded. And some of these ideas… like “Marathon” was actually meant to be on the last album, but we ran out of time. “Down in the Canyon” I started writing in 2007, started writing it possibly for All This Time, but I just didn’t feel like it was coming together right. I think sometimes if you’re not feeling quite right about how the idea’s coming together, it’s better to just shelve it for a while and get back to it later and hope that something sort of gels eventually.

With that in mind, the Heartless Bastards have had numerous lineup changes over the years. I was looking at the interaction of all the players, and it was almost like a game of Mastermind where you’re trying to find the perfect combination. The three that you’re playing with now – Dave Colvin, Jesse Ebaugh, and Mark Nathan – you’ve all recorded with in the past, yes?

Dave’s from my hometown in Dayton, and then I was living in Cincinnati when I started working on Heartless Bastards, the ideas. And it was a recording project, so Dave recorded on that. And Jesse. And then when I moved to Austin, I happened to run into Dave here. He was going to UT. So, I just kind of happened to run into him, and I needed to find a band, and I asked him if he was interested in playing drums. And then I called up Jesse. He was living in Covington, Kentucky, which is pretty much Cincinnati. I called him up and asked if he’d consider moving down to Austin to join the band. I’ve known Jesse for years and always thought he was a great bass player. He was on the demo as well. I just had a good feeling that he’d be a great fit for the band. But Mark… I recorded The Mountain, and then we did a fall tour before its release–Dave, Jesse, and myself as a three-piece–and we brought Mark on. We met him through a friend, and he did sound for that tour. We got along really well. We had similar tastes in music. We had been hearing that he was a really good guitarist, and when we were looking to add a fourth member for the release of the album at the beginning of 2009, we asked Mark if he was interested, and he said, yeah. We didn’t even try him out. He just joined the band. So, Mark wasn’t on the demo.

You said that you felt a connectivity with these guys that helped make Arrow the strongest record you’ve ever done. Would it be safe to say that after all these years you’ve actually found your four-piece? 

Yeah, I think so. I don’t have intentions of changing musicians all the time. It’s kind of how life happens. When I first started the band, Dave was even in the original live lineup, but he got an opportunity for work or something in San Francisco, and he moved away. And Jesse was busy in another band at the time, so I didn’t ask him. Sometimes you just make things work, and I don’t mean that in any reflection of the previous band on the records. I don’t mean it didn’t work. When Mike Lamping, my ex-boyfriend, and Kevin Vaughan came into the band, we worked together for two albums. But when Mike and I split up, it was really painful. It was really hard to continue working together. So, I moved to Austin, and I just sort of needed to start over. There were session musicians on The Mountain because I hadn’t begun the process of looking for a new band yet. Mike McCarthy, who produced it, suggested that I go ahead and just concentrate on writing the songs and that he had people in mind, and then if it didn’t work out, we could cross that bridge when we came to it. Moving to a new place and everything, I just kind of went with that. But I don’t have any intention of changing band members all the time. Sometimes things come up in people’s lives. Dave just became a father, but he’s making it work with the band. I guess I just mean that people’s lives are some of the other elements that… if anybody ever needs to leave because they need to do something for themselves, then that’s okay, but I have no intentions of looking for any other new members.

I kind of viewed Heartless Bastards as your project, and the artists were chosen to fulfill what vision you had.

Yeah, although now I really feel like with everybody I’m playing with right now, that we all have such diverse tastes, but we have similar tastes. I feel like I could want to go in any direction, and we would be able to do it as a band. When we toured on The Mountain, Jesse was playing banjo; he plays peddle steal. Dave has a Master’s degree in Jazz Studies and can totally play jazz drums, which are very complex. I mean, maybe one of these days I’ll want to do a jazz album or something. I don’t know. But I feel like everybody’s got very diverse styles. If I want to go in a certain direction, I think they’ll be just as into trying something new for themselves as well, so we can kind of go there together.

The Mountain was produced by Mike McCarthy, who’s produced Spoon, and Arrow is produced by Jim Eno, Spoon’s drummer. Is this a result of you moving to Austin, or are you just really big Spoon fans?

Well, I actually moved to Austin because I have family here, and my management at the time was here. When I moved here, I was sort of starting over, and it just seemed like a good place to go. I mean, I’ve always liked the town as well, touring through, but I didn’t really move here for the music scene, although it’s a nice plus. Yeah, I’m definitely a fan of Spoon, but I chose Jim Eno because I think he’s just got a great temperament. I knew we would work together really well. We have mutual friends here in town. At one point, I think, Jim expressed some interest in recording an album, and we really like what he’s done with his own band. He also produced Black Joe Lewis’s album… I’m drawing blanks, but he’s produced several other albums as well. I just heard really good things about how he produces, and it worked out really well. He came to a couple of practices, and he sat, and he listened to the songs and made some suggestions here and there, which we would try out. Some of the things definitely worked out, and we agreed that they were good changes to be made. We really just decided we liked working with him. Jim also has really diverse tastes. A lot of the approach of the album, as far as recording it, he was like, “What are some of your inspirations for these songs? What would you want it to sound like if you recorded it?”

For instance, “Gotta Have Rock and Roll” is T. Rex-inspired, so I was like, “I’d really love to get that T. Rex sound.” That’s one of my favorite bands ever. And then I mentioned “Whiskey in the Jar”, the Thin Lizzy cover, so we took the recording process and kind of went for the sounds. I felt like Jim really helped us figure out how to get the sounds that we wanted. We worked together really well as a team. Like on “The Arrow Killed the Beast”, I was like, “I’m thinking something like Ennio Morricone meets Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood, like them singing over an Ennio Morricone song.” Their voices together, they always record them really reverbed out, like it’s in a canyon or something. I’ve been really inspired over the last several years by Ennio Morricone, and that was like, to me, the song was approaching a cross between the two. But I feel like Jim was really good at helping us get those sounds that we’re looking for. It was just a really great process. I enjoyed the whole thing.

I read that you said you were “really, really happy” with this album.

I am. I feel like it’s the closest I’ve gotten to where I was trying to go with ideas. I felt like it was a combination of working with a band. On “Only for You”, I was trying to make myself sound like Curtis Mayfield. I was inspired by… I love the way he sings real close to the mic. But when I was talking to the band about it, they were just as into going in that direction of, like, 70′s soul and R&B. It was something different for them and me. And then Jim has similar tastes and diverse styles of music that he likes. I just felt like the band and Jim, we all just worked together and got to these places. It’s just been a great experience.

For this album, you’ve changed lineups, changed producers, and you’ve also changed labels. Your first three full-lengths were all released on Fat Possum; The Arrow will be released on Partisan Records. What was behind switching labels?

I just thought at this point that maybe it would be good to try somewhere else. We didn’t have a big falling out or anything, as far as Fat Possum. I certainly wouldn’t say anything negative about them, but Fat Possum’s been the only label I’ve ever been on. But I felt like… one thing about Partisan, they’re sort of a new label, and I feel like they’re still growing and wanting to, in a sense, grow and progress as a label. I feel like with Heartless Bastards and this project, I just feel like there’s room for the band to grow as well, and I feel like with Partisan, we’re kind of… I keep on using that word team, but as far as with Jim and the band, I feel like we’re going to be a good team. We’re working together.

Considering the first single is titled “Parted Ways”, is there anything behind the Valentine’s Day release, or did that just happen to be happenstance?

It’s sort of happenstance. I had planned on naming the album Arrow, and Partisan didn’t even realize it yet, because I just hadn’t told them the title, and then they came up with this idea. They were like, “We thought it’d be really funny to release a Heartless Bastards album on Valentine’s Day.” I agree. I totally concur. I was like, “So you know, I was planning on calling the album Arrow.”

I hope people don’t think I’m naming the album based on a marketing plan, releasing it on Valentine’s Day. It was just a total coincidence, and then somebody from Partisan was like, “Most people don’t ever remember the date an album’s released.” Maybe because it is funny, and Heartless Bastards and Valentine’s Day, maybe people will remember for a while. But I could not tell you the release date of any album I’ve ever purchased in my life, other than, I remember always the release dates of my own albums.

When do you go on tour?

We leave Monday [February 5, 2012], so like, six days from now.

How long is it going to be?

I think it’s right around five weeks. Then we get back to Austin, and it’s South By [South By Southwest]. I almost feel like we’ll get home, but it’s kind of a continuation of the tour there for a little bit.

Well, good luck on the road and with the album. I was listening to it today, and I really, really enjoyed it.  I have to say “Simple Feeling” is one of my favorite tracks. It reminds me a lot of The Beatles’ “Tomorrow Never Knows”.

Yeah, actually, that’s definitely an inspiration for it, or when we were writing it. I brought the idea in, and that was probably one of the least formed songs that I brought into the band. Dave and Jesse were there that day, and I was like, “I have this idea and this melody and kind of an idea of structure, but…” Yeah, that one just kind of came together. We were at first, “Does that sound too much like that,” and we decided that it was different enough.

Sharon Van Etten returns with her third LP, Tramp, on February 7th via Jagjaguwar. Spanning 12 tracks, the album features contributions from Beirut’s Zach Condon, Julianna Barwick, Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner, The Walkmen’s Matt Barrick, and Doveman’s Thomas Bartlett. Stream it now at NPR.org.

Also available for an early spin:

– Paul McCartney releases a new album of pop standards, Kisses on the Bottom, on February 7th via Hear Music/Concord. Stream it now at NPR.org.

– Heartless Bastards release their fourth LP, Arrow, on February 14th via Partisan. Stream it now at NPR.org.

The Wakarusa Music Festival has revealed the second phase of its 2012 lineup. Pretty Lights, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and an acoustic performance by Bob Weir, Chris Robinson, and Jackie Green led the first phase. Now, the festival has added Primus, Girl Talk, and Umphrey’s McGee to the fold.

Other new additions include Fitz and the Tantrums, Blitzen Trapper, Heartless Bastards, Big Gigantic, Gary Clark Jr., That 1 Guy, The Secret Sisters, Tea Leaf Gren, Toubab Krewe, Lance Herbstrong, and more. You can check out the festival’s current bill at our Festival Outlook, and stay tuned for the third and final lineup phases.

Wakarusa 2012 runs May 31st to June 3rd at Mulbery Mountain in Ozark, Arkansas. Four-day, VIP, and other ticket packages are now available via the festival’s website.

As previously reported, Heartless Bastards return this Valentine’s Day with a new LP, their fourth, entitled Arrow. Produced by Spoon drummer Jim Eno, the latest effort picks up where 2009′s The Mountain left off, and today we have our first listen with new single, “Parting Ways” (via RollingStone.com). Not surprisingly, vocalist Erika Wennerstrom remains front and center, singing about “lost love and loneliness,” though it’s not nearly that sad as the music’s quite sunny and melodic. Beware, you might drag out your ol’ Tom Petty LPs after listening. It’s just a sunny melody  – sort of like the photo above, come to think of it. Check it out below.

Update: Heartless Bastards have also revealed early 2012 tour dates. Check out the schedule below the stream.

Arrow hits stores February 14th via Partisan.

Heartless Bastards 2012 Tour Dates:
02/07 – Little Rock, AR @ Juanitas
02/08 – St. Louis, MO @ Firebird
02/09 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall
02/10 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry
02/11 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
02/13 – Louisville, KY @ Headliners
02/14 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
02/16 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement
02/17 – Cincinnati, OH @ Madison Theater
02/18 – Indianapolis, IN @ Radio Radio
02/19 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe
02/20 – Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
02/23 – Boston, MA @ Middle East
02/24 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
02/25 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
02/27 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
02/29 – Charlottesville, VA @ The Southern
03/01 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
03/02 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
03/03 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
03/06 – Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree
03/08 – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge
03/09 – Ft. Worth, TX @ Lola’s
03/10 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
03/13-18 – Austin, TX @ South by Southwest 

After releasing their first three full-lengths through Fat Possum Records, the Austin-by-way-of-Cincinnati rockers Heartless Bastards will be releasing their forthcoming album, Arrow, with the support of Partisan Records, the current home of Deer Tick, Dolorean and Middle Brother.

As a follow-up to 2009′s The Mountain, which happened to be produced by Spoon’s producer Mike McCarthy, Arrow was produced by Spoon drummer Jim Eno and features an expanded four-piece studio lineup. Still led by guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Erika Wennerstrom, Arrow  retains the talents of drummer Dave Colvin and bassist Jesse Ebagh, and is the studio debut of current touring-guitarist Mark Nathan. According to a press release, the album was written by Wennerstrom throughout the Fall of 2010 during a series of solo road trips, which included stops in Ohio and Arkansas, All Tomorrow’s Parties in the Catskills, a lake cabin in the Allegheny Mountains, and at a ranch in West Texas.

Arrow is set to make for a pretty good Valentine’s gift, with a release date of February 14th, 2012. The album’s first single “Parted Ways” will be released on December 1st for everyone registered at the band’s website.

I include myself in the alleged stereotype (takes one to know one), but incongruous with the rest of the prototypical indie kid attributes, I’ve always had a certain fascination with, and knack for, sports. I grew up playing little league, recreational soccer, and comp lacrosse. Basketball was my first love, however, and continues to be the only sport I play regularly. The only thing that surpassed my participation was my fandom. And I was certainly in the right place for that.

I grew up in a suburb of Phoenix, and as such I was and am an avid Suns fan. I moved to SLC when I was nine, and I was forced to put the Charles Barkley adoration on hold and adopt the Stockton to Malone mindset of the Utah Jazz, which was fine with me because this would be their year (almost). The Jazz saw repeat stints in the NBA Finals in ’97 and ’98, both times falling to the omnipotent Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls. I cried each time as they lost by inches to the unstoppable MJ. It was that important to me.

My reason in saying all this is to boost my ethos in the arena (no pun intended) of sports. You can like sports and music at the same time, contrary to popular belief. Some of the jocks like music, and some of the musicians like sports. If you really look at it, it’s a much less clear line than we often perceive it to be

Besides, Friday Night Lights isn’t just about about sports. H. G. Bissinger’s groundbreaking non-fiction piece chronicles the 1988 season of the Permian Panthers of Odessa, Texas, but more than that, it chronicles the culture of Odessa and the state of Texas with regards to the Panther’s season. Along with football, Bissinger tackles the subjects of a failing oil based economy, abhorrent racism, compromised morals within the integrity of Texas schooling, and how it feels and what it means to be a teen preparing for adulthood – the pressure, the urge to rebel, and the absurdity of the whole concept.

Bissinger’s angry expose tells the reader of way the town revolves around the team. From September to December, how the team is doing equals how the town is doing. In a failing economy (the town built upon a now-dry oil supply), it’s all many individuals have to look forward to, placing massive responsibility upon the shoulders of the 17 and 18-year-old Permian players. Some succumb to the stress, others thrive. No matter what the outcome – outright victor or complete bust – every player falls victim to the town’s expectation of the Friday night lights.

Sound like the hard-hitting tale you might like to soundtrack? Explosions in the Sky sure thought so. Maybe it was the tale itself that enticed them to do so, or maybe it was the fact that they themselves experienced a bit of that Texas nightmare firsthand, so it hit close to home. Straight from the horse’s mouth:

Every once in awhile someone asks us how we ended up working on a big studio movie about football. The simplest answer is that we got an email. This particular email was from Brian Reitzell who was the music supervisor for both The Virgin Suicides and Lost In Translation (two movies that we are quite fond of). He said he was working on a new movie and he was wondering if we would be interested in doing music for it. We told him we would. He got back in touch with us a few days later and told us that the movie he was working on was called Friday Night Lights. He didn’t really have to explain much as we were somewhat familiar with the book and even more familiar with the setting of the story. West Texas. Midland and Odessa. This is the part of Texas where three out of the four of us grew up. We all read the book and we loved it. It was sad and joyful and depressing and triumphant and funny and ugly and exciting. We said yes.”

Whatever the reason, Explosions in the Sky provide a chilling yet beautiful backdrop to match the emotionally charged story that is Friday Night Lights. The band stuck to their guns, using their signature ethereal sound (which is fairly cinematic anyway) to soundtrack the chapters of the Permian experience. Not their best work, but their most fitting undoubtedly. It sounds like an unreasonable combo, but the first time you hear the layered guitar and muted percussion while watching the football soar through the air, with the hopes and dreams of an entire community riding on it, it all begins to make sense. Explosions has the innate ability to take something simple, and bring out the epic in it, which makes them the perfect fit for scoring this film.

And the fun doesn’t stop there for the Texas quartet. Based on the success of both the novel and the film adaptation, the powers that be decided to keep the ball rolling by adapting the story for a TV series. And the Explosions didn’t stop either. Explosions in the Sky licensed much of their catalogue to the series, including one of their original compositions for the film version of FNL. Also, the theme for the song, and certain sequences of music are written specifically to sound like Explosions.

And though the TV series twists the story quite a bit and adds a pinch of teenage melodrama that was previously unseen in the film and novel versions. Don’t let this fool you, however, this show is no joke. Over four seasons it has won nine Emmys and continues to win the hearts of critics and viewers alike.

And the soundtrack ain’t bad either. Much like the film, the show circles around the stories of the town with regards to football, and does so with a stellar soundtrack to top it all off. Split up into two different volumes, the retail soundtracks includes songs from Explosions in the Sky,  of course, A.A. Bondy, Calexico, …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Iron & Wine, Jakob Dylan, Jose Gonzalez, Outkast, Spoon, Sufjan Stevens, and The Avett Brothers. Artists used in the actual show include LCD Soundsystem, The Black Keys, Pearl Jam, Beck, Yeasayer, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV On The Radio, The Album Leaf, Broken Social Scene, Rogue Wave, Death Cab For Cutie, Wilco, UNKLE, Devendra Banhart, Rye Rye, and Little Joy, among countless others.

Using this list of artists, the producers of the show create a very believable musical atmosphere, and do so in a subtle fashion. No songs are used shamelessly nor does the show use its music as a crutch (here’s lookin’ at you, The OC). One of the characters is a big Liars fan, but you’d never know that unless you had a trained eye. Posters and buttons are the only things that indicate of any Liars affiliation. Later on, when messing around on guitar, one character plays a rendition of The Flaming Lips’ “She Don’t Use Jelly”. At one point in the show, perhaps a little less subtly, Heartless Bastards make an appearance as two of the main characters from the story go to one of their shows in Austin. At any rate, the songs are used less as a device to sell the show to indie kids, and more of a way to move along the story with a little more beauty. After all, you don’t like all the aforementioned bands for no reason; you love them because they create beautiful music that makes you feel. And somebody at Friday Night Lights realizes this and utilizes it in every show.

Friday Night Lights is truly a story for the ages in each of its three forms. Filled with raw emotion and hard-hitting topics, Friday Night Lights is a powerful story deftly told with the help of many of our most beloved musicians. I suggest you try it out.

It wouldn’t be until Jagjaguwar Records (Bon Iver, GAYNGS, Okkervil River) signed the guys in March, that Pisano’s night of musical revelation would begin drifting through the rest of the nation. After playing SXSW later that month, and re-releasing their debut in May, Pisano and Moen joined the Heartless Bastards on their current two month tour, and have now extended these live dates until October 6th.

After concluding their role of support for Heartless Bastards on July 30th in Omaha, they will continue to capture new fans by joining forces with Midlake and Rogue Wave. The Rogue Wave headlined tour begins September 19th in Lawrence, KS.,  allowing enough time for Pisano and Moen to rest, select a new wardrobe, have their mail forwarded, and prepare for indie-stardom.

Peter Wolf Crier’s fall road trip will keep them east of the Rocky Mountains. Highlighted by performances in Chicago, Boulder, Boston, Asheville, and Nashville, the tour remarkably lacks dates in Texas and California, where Midlake and Rogue Wave respectively reside. Plenty of opportunities do exist for the rest of us though, check out all the dates below.

Peter Wold Crier 2010 Tour Dates:
07/15 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom #
07/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ North Star Bar #
07/17 – Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Downstairs #
07/20 – Toledo, OH @ Mickey Finn’s Pub #
07/21 – Lexington, KY @ Cosmic Charlie’s #
07/22 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom #
07/23 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick #
07/24 – Chicago, IL @ The Bottom Lounge #
07/25 – Madison, WI @ Memorial Union #
07/26 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom #
07/29 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Nutty’s Bar & Grill #
07/30 – Omaha, NE @ Sokol Underground #
07/31 – Minneapolis, MN @ Lowertown Music Festival
09/18 – Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre *
09/19 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada Theatre *
09/20 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue Mainroom *
09/21 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall *
09/22 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Ladies Literary Club *
09/24 – Toronto, ON @ The Opera House *
09/25 – Syracuse, NY @ Westcott Theatre *
09/27 – Boston, MA @ Royale *
09/30 – Philadelpia, PA @ Theatre of the Living Arts *
10/01 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club *
10/02 – Carroboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle *
10/04 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel *
10/05 – Knoxville, TN @ Bijou Theatre *
10/06 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge *

# = w / Heartless Bastards
* = w/ Rogue Wave, Midlake

From high profile dates at The Bowery Ballroom and The Music Hall of Williamsburg to Lexington, Lawrence and Sioux Falls, the band will get the best of both worlds, along with opener Peter Wolf Crier. Witness the Heartless Bastards as they rise to the top or fall out of view, either way who knows how long they will be playing these intimate shows.

Heartless Bastards  2010 Tour Dates:
07/02 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Varsity Theater
07/03 – Mobile, AL @ Alabama Music Box
07/05 – Birmingham, AL - Bottle Tree
07/06 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade – Hell Stage
07/08 – Charleston, SC @ The Poor House
07/09 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
07/10 – Wilmington, NC @  The Soapbox Laundrolounge
07/11 – Richmond, VA @ Canal Club
07/13 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
07/14 – Brooklyn, NY @  Music Hall of Williamsburg
07/15 – New York, NY @ The Bowery Ballroom
07/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ North Star Bar
07/17 – Boston, MA @ Middle East Downstairs
07/20 – Toledo, OH @ Mickey Finn’s Pub
07/21 – Lexington, KY @ Cosmic Charlie’s
07/22 – Cleveland, OH @  Beachland Ballroom & Tavern
07/23 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
07/24 – Chicago, IL @  The Bottom Lounge
07/25 – Madison, WI @ Memorial Union
07/26 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom
07/27 – Minneapolis, MN @Varsity Theater
07/29 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Nutty’s North
07/30 – Omaha, NE @ Sokol Underground
07/31 – Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot Music Hall
08/06 – Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon Music Festival
08/07 – Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon Music Festival

The band first hit the scene with 2007′s With the Ease Grace Precision and Cleverness of Human Beings. Now they’re back with the a new EP entitled New Soft Shoe that reflects the growth spurt of a band who has seen some things. Whether it’s touring with White Rabbits and Tapes n’ Tapes or jamming through SXSW, the band’s sound has morphed into a four headed beast who pulls from a collective pool of interests and works to create a sound that emphasizes four unique yet wholly similar voices.

While the new EP has songs that stylistically draw from a group like Animal Collective, the band worked to make a more varied sound. Whether it’s the goliath of old church organs, the rhythm of honky-tonk strings and piano or even Iwanusa’s mom on the sax, the album brings together the structuring of some classical work (Sheinkopf was classically trained in harmony) with eccentric pop work that is light and fresh with just enough thud and kick to it.

The band kicks off a U.S. tour in late September with Bad Veins, The Soft Pack, Chairlift, Heartless Bastards and Micachu and the Shapes. New Soft Shoe is available come October.

The Subjects 2009 Tour Dates:
09/26 – Cincinnati, OH @ MPMF Festival $
10/03 – Boston, MA @ Middle East Upstairs*
10/05 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe #
10/06 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop #
10/07 – Detroit, MI @ Lager House #
10/08 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle #
10/09 – Lincoln, NE @ TBA #
10/10 – Denver, CO @ Hi Dive #
10/12 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court #
10/13 – Boise, ID @ Reef #
10/14 – Seattle, WA @ High Dive #
10/15 – Portland, OR @ Rotture #
10/16 – Eugene, OR @ Sam Bond’s Garage #
10/17 – Sacramento, CA @ Luigis #
10/19 – San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar #
10/20 – Los Angeles, CA @ TBA #
10/21 – Tucson, AZ @ TBA #
10/23 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s Jr. – #
10/25 – St. Louis, MO @ Cicero’s #
10/27 – Cleveland, OH @ The Cambridge Room @ HOB #
10/28 – Washington, DC @ DC Nine #
10/29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie #
10/31 – New York, NY @ Santo’s Party House

$ = w/ Chairlift, Micachu and the Shapes, Heartless Bastards
* = w/ The Soft Pack
# = w/ Bad Veins

Support for all shows will come from thenewno2 and Heartless Bastards. Limited pre-sale begins Wednesday, September 16th through Musictoday and includes a trial membership to The Wolfies, Wolfmother’s official fan club, and opportunities to pre-order Cosmic Egg with your tickets. Plus, there will be this added benefit:

In a first for the band, Wolfmother has partnered with Musictoday & Trees for the Future, planting one tree in a third world country for every pre-sale ticket sold. Says frontman Andrew Stockdale, “This is something I’ve wanted to do for some time, it’s great to have the opportunity to contribute to the preservation of our environment.”

General on sales for all shows begin Friday, September 18th.

Also on Wolfmother’s upcoming itinerary are dates with AC/DC in the band’s native country in early 2010. Find these and the rest of the band’s confirmed tour dates below.

As mentioned, the band’s new studio album, Cosmic Egg, hits stores on October 27th via Interscope. Brandon Flowers recommends you pick it up.

Wolfmother 2009/2010 Tour Dates:
09/17 – Brisbane, AU @ The Tivoli
09/19 – Sydney, AU @ The Enmore
09/23 – Perth, AU @ Capitol
09/24 – Adelaide, AU @ HQ Live
09/25 – Melbourne, AU @ The Palace
09/26 – Frankston, AU @ Pier Hotel
10/04 – Sydney, AU @ NRL Finals
10/14 – Paris, FR @ The Trabendo
10/15 – Amsterdam, NL @ Melkweg
10/16 – Hamburg, DE @ Knust
10/17 – Berlin, DE @ Columbia Club
10/21 – London, UK @ Coronet
10/29 – October, CA @ House of Blues ^#
10/30 – Austin, TX @ Stubbs ^#
10/31 – New Orleans, LA @ Voodoo Experience
11/02 – Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle ^#
11/03 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore ^#
11/04 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club ^#
11/06 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory ^#
11/07 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues ^#
11/08 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5 ^#
11/11 – Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus ^#
11/12 – Pontiac, MI @ Clutch Cargo ^#
11/13 – Chicago, IL @ Riveria Theater ^#
11/14 – Minneapolis, MN @ State Theater ^#
11/16 – Denver, CO @ Ogden Theater ^#
11/17 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot ^#
11/19 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater ^#
11/20 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre ^#
11/21 – Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theater ^#
11/23 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater ^#
11/24 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern ^#
02/11 – Melbourne, AU @ Eithad Stadium *
02/13 – Melbourne, AU @ Eithad Stadium *
02/15 – Melbourne, AU @ Eithad Stadium *
02/18 – Sydney, AU @ ANZ Stadium *
02/20 – Sydney, AU @ ANZ Stadium *
02/22 – Sydney, AU @ ANZ Stadium *
02/25 – Brisbane, AU @ QSAC *
02/27 – Brisbane, AU @ QSAC *
03/02 – Adelaide, AU @ Adelaide Oval *
03/06 – Perth, AU @ Subiaco Oval *
03/08 – Perth, AU @ Subiaco Oval *

# = w/ Heartless Bastards
^ = w/ thenewno2
* = w/ AC/DC

Regardless, the bustling Windy City festival hosted thousands upon thousands of fans, all with the intention of drinking, meddling in mud, or getting in a fight. Yes, despite the array of laid back indie-talent, hundreds of male 20-somethings managed to throw arms and collapse on one another. It might have been cold, what with the frisky wind and pummeling rain, but fellow Chicagoans kept it nice and toasty with good ol’ fashioned bar brawls.

But that didn’t stop everyone else from having fun. After all, this is the festival that keeps Midwesterners sane throughout the winter: The idea that beer will be had, that outside life will be enjoyed once again, and music will never skip a beat. We’re only day one into the festival, but Mr. Perry… we salute you.

Manchester Orchestra
Budweiser: 12:15-1:00 p.m.

“Screw the rain! Let’s rock!” And with that, Q101′s Ryan Manno kicked things off at the oh-so-subtly titled Budweiser Stage.

Well, not really. Seconds later, Manno admitted that the ambivalent, hanging rain that would annoy the rest of the day was pushing things off schedule slightly. A few minutes later, though, one of the first sets of the day began, performed by Atlanta, GA’s Manchester Orchestra. Lead singer/guitarist Andy Hull led the quintet on stage, complete with red wool cap and Doug Martsch-esque beard. And the Built to Spill connection doesn’t really end there. Often times, throughout the set, Manchester Orchestra felt a lot like BTS-Lite. Well, maybe Lite too strongly implies easy listening. Maybe Built to Spill with more shouting and more melodramatic hooks.

They certainly do have the hooks though, and they were plenty big enough to draw a large crowd, especially for a 12:15 spot. The echoed howls of “Shake it Out” got the people pogo’ing pretty early into the set. Big, chunky guitars, plentiful of backing vocals and unbridled enthusiasm were the trademarks of “In My Teeth”, and, really, their entire set.

“This band has never had so many people like us…In the same place,” Hull smirked, before kicking into “I’ve Got Friends”, which proved to be the real crowd favorite. The muscle-y anthem about the success of others (off of the strong if unassuming Mean Everything To Nothing released in April) sounded just as thundering and sharp as the record, an impressive feat for such an early afternoon start time.-A.K.

Hey Champ
Chicago 2016: 12:15-1:00 p.m.

Chicago loves Hey Champ, and rightfully so. The group’s catchy electro rock gets the body moving in all the right ways, but oh how it feels so wrong. The sexy bass lines, the space-y guitar parts, and the velvet vocals all give both The Killers and U2 a run for their talent (not money, let’s be real here). Earlier this year, the band headlined the fourth night of Schubas’ Tomorrow Never Knows Festival, and though they nailed the set and pleased the sold-out crowd, they weren’t nearly as tight and realized as they were here in Grant Park. Vocalist and guitarist Saam Hagshenas dominated the Chicago 2016 stage and led his band into an empowering set, treating their early-bird slot as if it were a celebrated evening set. Songs “Face Control” and “In The White City” brought keyboardist Pete Dougherty to the forefront, but it was hot single “Cold Dust Girl” that roped in the trio as one. Hagshenas danced about, prowling around percussionist Jon Marks, who retained a consistent energy throughout. It may have been even too early for a beer, but these three snagged one hell of a crowd. Even some nearby stragglers over at the Citi Stage — all the way across the park — were swaying those hips. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that they’re locals, either. -M.R.

Gringo Star
BMI: 12:30-1:15 p.m.

After the sardine can train ride that was the CTA Red Line, the drizzly adventure of Lollapalooza started with Atlanta, Georgia’s very own Gringo Star. Mixing one part punk rock ethic, one part manic performance and a heavy dose of 1950′s Americana, these guys got the party started early. Lead singer Nicholas Firgiuele wailed like a banshee hopped up on caffeine and the rest of the band followed his fanatic trailblazing. On songs such as “No One” and “The March Of Gringos”, the quirky Southern quartet packed punch after punch just below the three minute mark. Lead guitarist Peter Firguile’s guitar solos brought to mind the late and great Bob Stinson of The Replacements, complete with overzealous sloppiness and raw intensity. Images of old Western shootouts, drunken nights in saloons and frantic pianos were all over the place while they played. Switching instruments between songs, these guys kept the downtime between numbers next to nil. For 45 minutes, Gringo Star blazed their own path of musical glory in the great city of Chicago and in the process took a few souvenirs with them, concluding with a cover of The Exciters’ “He’s Got The Power.” -J.Z.

The Knux
Citi: 1:00-1:45 p.m.

L.A. via New Orleans’ The Knux were a breath of fresh air after wandering through a bunch of same-sounding, anthemic rock. Plus, instead of talking about how the rain sucked and how they were glad you stayed through the rain (LIKE EVERY OTHER BAND), Kintrell “Krispy Kream” Lindsey offered this feeling: “We know it’s raining, but do we give a fuck?” To which, the enthusiastic crowd shouted, that no, they did not. Krispy and his brother Alvin (aka “Rah Almillio”) were joined onstage by a DJ, a synth player and a guitarist, filling out their genre-crushing hip-hop quite masterfully.

By the end of the excellent “Cappuccino”, most of the huge crowd was bouncing along to the beat. But it did take a little bit of convincing for the ladies to go “Ooh” and the fellas to go “Aah” at the proper times. Once it caught on, though, Krispy was excited. “No homo, but I liked the guys’ one better,” he chuckled. “Don’t twit[tweet?] that. ‘Krispy is gay’.” Their set heavily focused on last year’s excellent Remind Me In Three Days, including “Bang! Bang!”, “Roxxanne” (which included some impressive guitar-work), and the true-love story “Powder Room”(“I don’t know what’s wrong with you, meet me in the powder room”). In the end, there was a lot of superfluous talk about “the smoke,” meeting up after the show and giving shout-outs to the city, which took up a lot of time that could have been used instead for another of their interesting, fun jams. -A.K.

Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
Vitaminwater: 1:00-2:00 p.m.

After the impressive start to the day from Gringo Star, Austin, Texas soul patch descendants Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears stirred the musical Kool-Aid at the Vitaminwater stage. Having previously performed at the Chicago Folk & Roots Festival a month prior, Lewis & The Honeybears nonetheless felt right at home again. Blazing through soul-drenched numbers such as the sexual “Big Black Snake” and the blunt but awesome “Bitch, I Love You”, these modern day soul warriors brought visions of Otis Redding’s legendary 1967 appearance at the Monterey Pop festival. While these guys are hot off the wire no doubt, they’re on their way to serious awesomeness. They sounded much tighter than their Chicago Folk & Roots appearance weeks before, however their energy suffered greatly due to the surrounding hip hop show’s overexuberant bleeding of the music into their downtime. This was a shame however as it felt somewhat stale in an otherwise great performance. Nothing can be said about how great the guitars and saxes sounded, those were on fire. It’s just too bad the ambience couldn’t match the band’s intense soul jams, but good show nonetheless. -J.Z.

The Builders and The Butchers
BMI: 1:45-2:30 p.m.

Portland, OR’s The Builders and the Butchers set up shop at the small-ish BMI stage, where, unfortunately, their sound had to compete with the near-by Perry’s dance party. Once fighting through the techno grooves and the tree groves, the Builders and Butchers’ sort-of-gothic folk (think O’Death on Xanax) had a bit of trouble filling out the small area they’d been assigned. Maybe it was due to the fact that they were largely an acoustic act (a risky proposition in a non-main-stage setting), but the guitars, banjo, and ukulele all sounded rather flat and small.

But their music was still about as interesting as it ever was. “Vampire Lake” (off of last month’s Salvation is a Deep Dark Well) elicited a good crowd reaction, bringing a bit of stomp to the soggy conditions. The excellent “Down in this Hole” was no less stompy, complete with thumping tom drumming and a melody perfect for shouting along to.-A.K.

The Gaslight Anthem
Chicago 2016: 2:00-3:00 p.m.

If there’s one band that’s been the talk of the town all summer, it’s The Gaslight Anthem. Some may argue they broke through last year, especially with their critically acclaimed sophomore record The ’59 Sound, but this summer, they’re everywhere. After a rousing performance overseas at Glastonbury, complete with a cameo by the one and only Springsteen, these New Jersey rockers haven’t slowed down since. In addition to their own touring, they’ve hit the festival circuit pretty hard, and a week after the disaster that was All Points West (which ended up cancelling their Sunday spot), the Jersey boys took it all out on Chicago. Drummer Benny Horowitz machine-gunned into “High Lonesome” and amidst some smoke and rain, the rest of the band followed his lead. His leadership immediately fell to vocalist Brian Fallon, however, who spit out story after story, all about a town and state few had visited, but most related to — sort of the band’s shining hallmark. Song after song entertained the wet and frozen crowd, some of whom kept warm through unnecessary moshing.

Blame the crummy weather, but Fallon appeared rather stoic throughout much of the performance. He nailed each song, especially “Old White Lincoln” and “Film Noir”, but he came off a bit weathered. His knack for storytelling bled through, before he introduced “Miles Davis and the Cool”, as he pointed to the Congress Hotel and talked about Al Capone doing “stuff behind closed doors” and likening Capone to the cool cat that was Davis.

Fallon found his stride when he injected some humor. Before jumping into the three-fist punch that was “Where For Art Thou, Elvis?” into “Meet Me By the River’s Edge” and closing with “The Backseat”, Fallon confessed that his first concert ever was actually Depeche Mode, saying, “I don’t like mayo, but I like Depeche Mode.” People laughed, people applauded, and the rain continued. As if to acknowledge his influences even more, the boys threw in a gentle nod to The Clash (and Fallon’s idol Joe Strummer) by playing a refrain of “Lost in the Supermarket” towards the end of “The Backseat”. On the train back, hours and hours later, someone stated they had checked out the band on a whim, but that they were “definitely buying their fucking album.” That says it all. -M.R.

Bon Iver
Playstation: 3:00-4:00p.m.

Bon Iver kicked off the Playstation Stage’s “Night of Sort-of Pretentious Indie Folk!” (okay, that’s my label for it, not theirs). Well, actually, the definitively-not-dead Thax Douglas kicked it off with an entrancing poem about angels and dead skin cells. And, unfortunately, things went sort of downhill from then.

Justin Vernon and co. kept things light and mellow, for the most part; however, light and mellow, combined with a light and clinging rain and a heavily intoxicated crowd who often talked over the music wasn’t the greatest situation for Vernon’s lilt and croon. “Blood Bank” didn’t have its usual driving, shuddering drums. “Skinny Love” suffered from a glut of completely off-key backup singers in the crowd. New song “Brackett, Wisconsin” sounded like perfect background music for a tender moment on “Gilmore Girls”.

“Creature Fear” ended with a surreal feedback freakout, which felt completely out of place.

Before closing out the set, Vernon made sure to give a shout out to his friends: “Enjoy the Fleet Foxes boys, and Andrew Bird. It’s just going to be a pleasant afternoon.” If this was pleasant, I’m sure I’d like something a little different. -A.K.

Heartless Bastards
Vitaminwater: 3:00-4:00 p.m.

Following the heartening and rain soaked set from New Jersey powerhouse act The Gaslight Anthem, Cincinnati, Ohio garage rock quartet Heartless Bastards took the stage. By this time, the rain picked up and drenched the field with caked up layers of mud, slush and dirt for what seemed like miles. Gathering together in the center of the stage, rhythm guitarist/vocalist Erika Wennerstrom put on a decent display of vocal talent and good musicianship. The Bastards’ served as a good toss up between the late ’60′s Allman Brothers and the perennial favorites from England, The Pretenders. At times, Wennerstrom’s vocals hearkened back to iconic frontwoman Chrissy Hynde (oddly enough from Akron, Ohio), and in an odd way she resembled her appearance, as well. For the most part, save for Wennerstrom, the rest of the band musically weren’t much to write home about until roughly halfway through the set when they woke up a bit and started rocking out. Some random guy in the crowd pulled the “I’m-fucked-up-time-to-get-naked” card from the Lollapalooza UNO deck. Sure enough, while the band performed “Valley Of Dupree”, the Naked Guy showed no shame whatsoever in unsheathing down to nothing in the cold, damp rain, moshing with the crowd and dancing with whomever he could stand near. As aforementioned, the Heartless Bastards were decent at best, even amidst sound problems, but the fact that this guy (literally) had balls to spice it up a bit, it’s what makes this show memorable. You have to respect that…I think you have to respect that. -J.Z.

Ben Folds
Budweiser: 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Up north at the Budweiser stage, thousands relaxed in the depressed mud and gunk before pulling themselves out to the piano-laden soul-rock of Ben Folds. Umbrellas littered the crowd, everything from neon green to polka dots to even the Disney-endorsed affair. They stayed up, too, as Folds and his hired guns dove head first into the tongue-in-cheek “Bitch Went Nutz” off of last year’s lackluster Way to Normal. Whether they knew the song or were just happy to see the four-eyed piano-fiend, that’s up for discussion, but fists were up in the air and poncho-covered heads bobbled up and down.

The problem with Folds nowadays is that he’s kind of, well, dated. Aside from the “bros”, who can really get behind the seemingly-now-forced cover of “Bitches Ain’t Shit”? Even the band seemed lacked the enthusiasm, punch, and wit necessary to make it “work.” Again, blame the dismal climate conditions, but Folds came off rather remiss. Even anthemic tracks like “Landed” and “Rockin’ the Suburbs” lacked the heart ‘n’ soul that always seem to be there on repeated listens — though the latter could be blamed on the lack of synthesizers or effects, which really do sell the song.

Still, it’s Ben Folds, and while this may not have been a keystone performance (even for the day), he did come through on a few tracks. “Kate” brought soggy festivalgoers to drier days, and surprisingly enough, “Hiroshima” tore down the walls, even if there weren’t any there at the time. Though just when the band found its stride — drummer Sam Smith can become a beast — they came to a close. Quite a shame as during the set’s closer, “Army”, the entire crowd filled in on harmonies to near perfection. Forget the rain, blame the weak set list. Where was “Annie Waits”, “Zak & Sara”, or even the bittersweet “Still Fighting It”? Folds, your discography awaits you…use it. -M.R.

Fleet Foxes
Playstation: 5:00-6:00 p.m.

Where Bon Iver had just fallen flat of their recordings, Fleet Foxes took the Playstation Stage next and pushed a sound far larger and superior to their studio recordings. This didn’t seem like a possibility, though, as vocalist/guitarist Robin Pecknold quietly trod into the center of the stage, looking completely overwhelmed and discussing the fever he apparently woke up with that morning. But the soaring harmonies of “Sun Giant” showed no sign of being overwhelmed or sick. It was kind of sad to hear such a bright, breezy song about the sun that just wouldn’t show up at all.

A few songs into the set, I nearly get kicked in the head by a teenage female crowd-surfer. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Fleet Foxes are probably one of the least crowd-surf-able bands this weekend, but it was attempted nevertheless.

The rollicking, beautiful harmonies and rich musicality made “White Winter Hymnal” the absolute standout of the set, which, I guess, was to be expected from the outset. But, “Mykonos”, off of last year’s serene Sun Giant EP, gave it a run for its money. The dreamy, swirling rock paired with Pecknold’s ethereal vocals and lyrics about a pleasant (there’s that word again!) getaway made for a brief escape from the rain. -A.K.

Peter Bjorn and John
Citi: 6:30-7:30 p.m.

The last time we heard from Peter Bjorn & John at a major United States music festival it was back in March at South by Southwest. If you remember, things didn’t go to smoothly and led many to begin asking if the success of 2006′s Writer’s Block had begun to get to this Swedish outfit’s head. If Friday’s performance at the Citi Stage said anything, the weekend in Austin was nothing more than a small blip in what has otherwise been a pretty flawless career.

Within minutes of its Friday set at the Citi Stage, it became quite evident that the trio was on a mission, having returned to Lollapalooza to followup on a 2007 debut performance that was best described as disastrous — the sound cut out 15 minutes into the set. And while the weather may not have cooperated, the sound sure as hell did. The result was a 45 minute set consisting of both selections from their most recent full-length, Living Thing, and old favorites, including “Young Folks”, “Amsterdam”, and “Up Against The Wall”. It was fun, powerful, downright kick ass, and ultimately, left little doubt that these Swedes are still a force to be reckon with. – A.Y.

Andrew Bird
Playstation: 7:00-8:15 p.m.

A large portion of the Playstation crowd jumped ship after the impressive set by Fleet Foxes, but a hardcore constituency stuck it out for hometown hero Andrew Bird. After enduring a good bit of “I love you”s and the like (including [no joke] a group of females throwing underpants on stage), Bird and his bandmates were ready to get down to business (and play music, you weirdos). The sublime “Fiery Crash” opened the set on a positive note, complete with plenty of his trademark whistling. “Masterswarm” featured the first use of the iconic functional and esthetically pleasing double-leslie speaker, filling the area with a whirlwind of multi-looped violin. Bird’s excellent touring bassist Mike Lewis also filled in on clarinet and saxophone. The typically impressive violin intro for “Anonanimal” only grew more impressive with tenor sax backing Bird note for note. “Not a Robot, But A Ghost” got an extended ambient outro, including the guitarist (who Bird introduced twice as “Lonesome Jim”) holding a portable radio up to his pickups, producing a distant, echoed noise wash.

“There might be some snacks, later,” Bird hinted before jumping into “Oh No!”, the opening track off this year’s excellent Noble Beast. The latin-tinged pop of “Imitosis” was a huge hit with the laid-back crowd, even producing some dancing. The typically distant(or perhaps embarrassed) Bird even gave back some of the love he was receiving: “You’re important to me” he drawled in that bass-y way that only he could.

The typically middling “Scythian Empires” was quicker, sharper than usual. It really shows that the group has been working together for a while, establishing connections and an understanding of the way the songs worked.

And, what do you know, there were snacks. Well, there was “Tables and Chairs”, off of the sublime Mysterious Production of Eggs, with its endearingly understated chorus of “There will be snacks, there will.” The band powered right through the subtle, complex tune, adding a layer of clarinet to match Bird’s looped violin hook. But this impressive work was quickly eclipsed by a rousing, masterful rendition of “Fake Palindromes”. Bird stood on one leg, kicking the other at the knee like a child telling a long story, violin held aloft as he coyly sang the song’s second chorus. As always, Bird was nothing short of amazing in his musicianship, his engaging lyrics and his impressive, multilayered(in so many senses) performance. This set proved, for those that didn’t already know, that he is a can-not-miss type of performer, something that needs to be seen and never gets stale, instead growing and changing organically with each new day. -A.K.

Kings of Leon
Budweiser: 8:15-10:00 p.m.

Kings of Leon played to a very different Lollapalooza than they’ve played in the past. Instead of the 10 or so fans that Caleb Followill mentioned during the festivals’ traveling days and the mediocre afternoon crowd back in 2007, they played to roughly 40,000 screaming fans as one of this years six headliners opposite the park from Depeche Mode. With a headlining spot, the brothers (plus a cousin) really had a chance dig into their catalog this time around. That’s exactly what they did, as they pulled plenty of songs from all four of their albums, pleasing both avid and casual fans. Caleb mentioned that Chicago is one of his most favorite cities in the world, and he added between some sips, “I’m gonna get drunk tonight.” Something tells me that wasn’t wine up there…

After getting through the sing-a-long “Sex On Fire”, Caleb thanked the crowd again for “making us a bigger band than we really are.” Somewhat of a double edged sword, Caleb isn’t exactly happy with the huge crowds that are showing up to see the Southern rockers as he’s mentioned in multiple interviews with Rolling Stone and Mojo to name a few. After dedicating the show to a girl named Louise (sp?), who the band met during the day, they launched into current single “Use Somebody” only to follow up with a crowd pleasing “Black Thumbnail”, to which Caleb kicked the microphone off the stage. Awesome. – A. Keil

Depeche Mode
Chicago 2016: 8:00-10:00 p.m.

It’s been a long time since Depeche Mode hit the Second City, and boy does it show. An hour before the English sensation graced the stage — and just as the rain cleared and the skyline lit up — fans arrived by the truck load, camping out and claiming ground with the utmost sincerity. Mountains of sweaty, rain-weathered flesh came together at the front of the Chicago 2016 stage and went back as far as behind the sound tent, and this was at 7:45 p.m. By the time frontman Dave Gahan rattled off the lyrical madness of “In Chains” (off of this year’s Sounds of the Universe), the dedicated fanbase had formed walls and started shoving those attempting to push forward — more often than not, just stragglers who decided too late to catch Depeche.

This brought about some remarkable scenes, that played out even better with Gahan and co.’s accommodating scores. During “Wrong”, another new cut from this year, intimidating and pulsing red lights flashed on and off as zombie-looking drunks stumbled atop the fan club fans. It was chaos, but beautiful, too. As Gahan traipsed around the stage, twirling the microphone stand as if it were as light as a scarf, more and more attemped to push through, only to be butted back out. These weren’t the only spectacles, however. No, as if to top last year’s magnificent light displays (thanks to Radiohead, NIN, and Kanye West), Depeche Mode came prepared.

Throughout each song, surrounding video engulfed the band in one giant digital display. At one point, during Violator‘s classic “Policy of Truth”, gumdrops fell from a bubble, bouncing up and down, left and right, creating this jaw dropping display of candy-coated colors. Oddly enough, they all bounced along perfectly to Andrew Fletcher’s rhythmic basslines. What’s more, during “A Question of Time”, neon pinks and blues accented the stage, while each member had their share of time on-screen. It looked straight out of a music video from 1986, and added to the decadence the band sports with no shame.

What’s remarkable is how tight, crisp, and clean this band sounds. Drummer Christian Eigner is flawless, rivaling the likes of Stewart Copeland, as he throws in fill after fill. And then there’s Martin Gore, the band’s brainchild, who literally adds the glitter to the already overflowing glam this band trademarks. While nowadays Gore shares more looks with Keith Richards than that of the trendy ’80s poster-boy from yesteryear, he still dances and sings like he’s 25. During “Home”, the sparkly guitarist smiled and giggled about when the crowd gave him props. It was nice.

Some other highlights included the hair-raising, head-popping, and hip-breaking performance of “Enjoy the Silence” (no doubt a religious experience for some), the driving tour-de-force behind “Precious”, and naturally, the perfect chart topping closer, “Personal Jesus”, complete with the lifting bassline that could make any geriatric boogie. While there were some tunes amiss (“Waiting for the Night”, anyone?), the set list pleased even the most casual spectator, enough to have them argue and throw water at the more dedicated fans who refused to let them in. That’s the formula for a perfect headliner, and really, that’s exactly what Depeche Mode offered. How nice of them. -M.R.

Photo courtesy Brad Bretz

Throughout the months of August, September, and October, The Decemberists will hit venues and music festivals across North America, joined by Heartless Bastards and Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames along the way. The fun will run until mid-October at which point the band will take a much deserved break before heading to Europe for more touring in November.

A limited number of pre-sale tickets will go on sale today, first-come, first-served, via Musictoday.com. Tickets will go on sale to the general public beginning Saturday, August 1st. Select dates via Ticketmaster.com.

Looking to save a buck? You could always just stream the band’s performance at this weekend’s George Wein’s Folk Festival for free via NPR.org.

The Decemberists 2009 Tour Dates:
08/01 – Newport, RI @ George Wein’s Folk Festival
08/02 – Montreal, QC @ Osheaga Music Festival
08/03 – Toronto, ON @ Kool Haus *
08/05 – Madison, WI @ Orpheum Theater *
08/06 – Chicago, IL @ Metro *
08/07 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
08/08 – Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Egyptian Room *
08/10 – Louisville, KY @ W.L. Lyons Brown Theater #
08/11 – Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Theater *
08/13 – Buffalo, NY @ UB Center for the Arts *
08/14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Byhan Theater *
08/15 – Schwenksville, PA @ Philadelphia Folk Festival
08/16 – Holyoke, MA @ Mountain Park *
09/20 – Burlington, VT @ Flynn Theater ^#
09/21 – Montclair, NJ @ Wellmont Theater ^#
09/23 – Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa ^#
09/24 – Charlottesville, VA @ Charlottesville Pavilion ^#
09/25 – Asheville, NC @ Thomas Wolf Auditorium ^#
09/27 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium ^#
09/29 – St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheater ^#
09/30 – Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live ^#
10/02 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues ^#
10/03 – Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits
10/04 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom ^#
10/06 – Lexington, KY @ University of Kentucky ^#
10/07 – Columbia, MO @ Ninth St. Fall Fest
10/18 – San Francisco, CA @ Treasure Island Festival
11/18 – London, UK @ Forum
11/19 – London, UK @ Coronet

* = w/ Heartless Bastards
^ = w/ Laura Veirs & the Hall of Flames
# = w/ Blind Pliot

Check out all the official aftershows via Lollapalooza.com. Oh, and did we mention there are such things as unofficial aftershows as well? Head to the Lollaboard for all that info.

Still supporting last year’s release, Lewis has announced plans for Welcome to Van Nuys, a documentary film chronicling the making of Acid Tongue. Included on the film will be your standard behind-the-scenes footage, along with live tracking of several songs from the record. It will be released soon with screenings to be announced shortly.

Of course, if you’re looking for something a bit more personal from the Las Vegas native, then her recently announced summer tour should do the trick. Following stops in Australia and a quick west coast trip centered around Coachella, Lewis will a six week endeavor beginning in late May, which will take her just about everywhere, including a little farm in Tennessee, a big mountain in Colorado, and even the capital of New Mexico. The Heartless Bastards, Deer Tick, and The Sadies are among the acts tagging along for the fun.

Pre-sale tickets to the upcoming dates will go on sale beginning Wednesday, April 1st via Ticketmaster.com.

Jenny Lewis 2009 Tour Dates:
03/28 – Sydney, AU @ V Festival
03/29 – Gold Coast, AU @ V Festival
03/30 – Sydney, AU @ Hordern Pavillion
04/01 – Aldelaide, AU @ Adelaide Entertainment Center
04/02 – Melbourne, AU @ Palais Theatre
04/04 – Melbourne, AU @ V Festival
04/05 – Perth, AU @ V Festival
04/07 – Sydney, AU @ The Metro
04/10 – Honolulu, HI @ Pipeline Cafe
04/13 – Pomona, CA @ Glass House
04/14 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up
04/15 – Sacramento, CA @ Empire
04/18 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival
05/27 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Rio Theatre *
05/28 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore *
05/29 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore *
05/30 – Portland, OR @ Roseland Ballroom *
05/31 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox at the Market *
06/03 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue *
06/04 – Madison, WI @ Barrymore Theatre *
06/05 – Chicago, IL @ Park West
06/06 – Columbus, OH @ Wexner Center for the Arts
06/08 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero ^
06/09 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg ^
06/10 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues ^
06/11 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club ^
06/12 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle ^
06/13 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music Festival
06/14 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant ^
06/15 – Lawrence, KS @ Granada ^
06/17 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown ^
06/19 – Telluride, CO @ Telluride Bluegrass Festival
06/20 – Santa Fe, NM @ Santa Fe Brewing Company %
06/22 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s %
06/23 – Dallas, TX @ Granada %
06/24 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live %
06/26 – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues %
06/29 – Orlando, FL @ Plaza Theatre %
07/01 – Athens, GA @ TBA %
07/03 – Richmond, VA @ The National %
07/05 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls %
07/06 – Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall %
07/07 – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic %
07/09 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Twilight Concert Series !

* = w/ The Sadies
^ = w/ Deer Tick
% = w/ Heartless Bastards
! = w/ Bon Iver

In many ways it was, but that didn’t stop everyone from punching in and out in a very work-like fashion. After all, this isn’t your typical music festival, where every band’s there to just rock out. Most acts, if not all of them (save for the big ones), were there to shatter the proverbial bars they all set for themselves months or years beforehand. This is where songwriters sweat from playing hard and being nervous. It’s where everything is raw and everyone is on their game. This has always been the case with SXSW and nothing has changed this year — only the bands and a newer, trendier logo.

Unlike last year, when our correspondent Matt Sanders went solo into the city-spanning chaos, Consequence of Sound (CoS) took it upon itself to not only cover the event this year, but to get involved as well. With two parties and a showcase, we found ourselves working nonstop, yet we were only waist deep in the media muck that could swallow even the strongest, most ambitious patron. That’s why we decided to start early, arriving Tuesday night, on the eve of the week’s most insane and surprising festivities.

Needless to say, our knees are sore, our ankles feel swollen, and our eyes feel like they’re going to pop. Awesome? You be the judge…

Tuesday, March 17th:

While Tuesday served more as the closing for the interactive and film portion of this year’s South by Southwest, there was music to be found, particularly at La Zona Rosa where the SXSW Interactive Closing Party was going down.

Hailing from Montreal, Winter Gloves pleased on lookers with a collection of synth friendly sounds that blended groovy electro beats with a youthful indie persona. Think Holy Fuck-lite, add vocals, and a touch of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Needless to say, the quartet made for a great way to kick off SXSW.

As did the band that followed. In what was their first live performance in well over a year, Voxtrot used their first of two SXSW appearances to further introduce a packed crowd to the band’s new darker, heavier, and somewhat synthy – yes, more synth! – style that the world first got wind of last week with the release of “Trepanation Party”. Fortuanly, these sounds don’t contrast with the ear pleasing vocals of Voxtrot’s clean shaven frontman Ramesh Srivastava. In fact, they worked quite well together, resulting in a set that can’t help but get one excited over the band’s upcoming, yet-to-be-announced endeavors.

Wendesday, March 18th:

The first “official” day of South by Southwest’s music portion offered a brilliant example at just how incredibly overwhelming and mind-numbingly chaotic the week can, and eventually would be.

Over at Red 7, Force Field PR and Terror Bird Media offered a day party showcasing a rather eclectic mix of up-and-comers and industry favorites. Despite the early afternoon time slot and subdued feel of his sound, Swedish multi-instrumentalist Emil Svanängen, aka Loney Dear, garnered quite a crowd with his sweet and innocent melodies, while The Thermals basically blew off the roof – well, they would have if there had been a roof in the outside area of Red 7 – with a ruckus 35-minute set. Consisting mostly from material from the band’s forthcoming studio album, Now We Can See, which in the end, basically sounds the same as any of its past work give or take a guitar solo or two, the set earned Hutch Harris and Co. quite a reception, and a positive first of eight SXSW sets.

Inside, two hip-hop outfits hailing from completely different backgrounds each had no trouble making quite te impression. Though still baby faced and raw, the duo known as DMG$ (pronounced Damaged Goods) exhibited a charisma and spunk that can best be described as jaw-dropping. Between their on stage dance moves and in crowd free styling, DMG$ has a persona comparable to the best of their contemporaries. The potential is there and once the rhymes solidify, which will come with time, the duo should have no problem make a name for itself in the coming years. The same can probably be said about fellow hip-hoppers Themselves. Well, that is if they stay together. Doseone and Jel took the Red 7 stage on Wednesday for what was one of their first performances since reuniting after a five year hiatus last month. The talent is still there and in a big way. The only question now is whether Themselves will stay Themselves long around long enough to see this talent through.

Three blocks and four hours later, it was Stubb’s time to shine. Playing hosts to NPR’s official showcase, the Red River Street venue was jam packed from the get go with hungry SXSW’ers looking to get a good spot for the evening’s best bill, one which in the end, failed to disappoint.

Albeit featuring a much different style the acts to come, Phillipa Brown showed just why nearly every Australian and Perez Hilton is clamoring over the musician better known as Ladyhawke. Sounding a cross between Madonna and Peaches, Ladyhawke turned Stubb’s into an 80s dance floor during her nearly 45 set, well, give or take the time she dabbled in some guitar playing.

These days, it isn’t often you find down right dirty rock ‘n’ roll, but then again, these weren’t any ordinary days. So perhaps it was only appropriate that one of Texas’ own brought some of the dirtiest rock South by Southwest would see. Playing a set consisting of material mostly from their recently released new studio album, The Mountain, the Heartless Bastards to put it blatantly, shredded for the better part of 40 minutes. Punchy, punctuating, and powerful is another good way to put it, especially during renditions of “The Mountain” and “Hold Your Head High”.

Equally compelling was the night’s next act, just in an entirely different way. With cello, bass, and banjo in hand, The Avett Brothers took to Stubb’s to offer one of a kind folk styles, or in other words, some of the most enthusiastic unplugged music one will stumble upon. The one problem? Due to the extensive set up required for such an act, the band was limited to a 25 minute set.

At first look, it would seem as if The Decemberists would be the perfect act to close such a showcase. Not only Colin Meloy and Co. offer the best of both worlds when it came to the sounds of the previous bands, but they would also be using sets to introduce the industry to their forthcoming studio album, The Hazards of Love. Yet for as unique of an opportunity as the set was, it may have also set up The Decemberists for failure. By no means, was their performance of the 17-track effort in its entirety bad, because in reality, it was anything but that. In fact, it was almost too much; too many sounds, too many musical shifts, too much texture, all which in the left left fans dazed at what had just taken place in front of them. Some left the sluggish, prog-rock rifts early, others heckled for old favorites amidst the band’s Arcade Fire-like tribal drumming. Needless to say, the reaction was almost as emotional as the album itself.

Thursday, March 18th:

While Full Metal Texas kept to capacity over at Emo’s Annex, down the road at the Radio Room, where Brooklyn Vegan’s day party kicked off, things were heating up — literally and metaphorically. Brooklyn’s own Bishop Allen held the attention of most daytime attendees, where at least five hundred folks cluttered the outside patio. In a flannel button up, vocalist Justin Rice sweat from every pore, his back an engulfing mass of perspiration, which made their catchy song, “Rain”, a rather hopeful one. Both he and instrumentalist Christian Rudder kicked things up a notch with the Nick & Norah favorite, “Middle Management”, which rocked n’ rolled just about every sweaty hipster wearing too much black or too many layers for comfort. Some new material off of their latest, Grrr…, went over well, but past hits (“Click Click Click”, for one) were sorely missed.

Maybe it was all the Brooklyn influence (that might be a good educated start), but everyone seemed to be quite the fish out of water. Between the skinny jeans and the Wayfarers, Greenwich Village was well represented here, with artist types up the ying yang. Some were acts waiting off to the side to play, which included the very posh Hymns, who would go on to back Daniel Johnston on a few tracks. The New York quartet looked like four Jason Schwartzman’s, only slightly taller with more of the silent treatment. Their jangly sound seemed to combine ’60s Rolling Stones and Gimme Fiction-esque Spoon. It was a lovely sound for the afternoon, though cut short with the inclusion of legend Johnston, who started with “Mean Girls” and digressed into something else altogether. The wild songwriter looked wild in general, with color-streaked silver hair and a tense, apprehensive stare. With his songbook in tow, the West Virginian held his own with the crowd, though his popularity was unmeasured with the acts present.

Back inside, things, to quote the late Johnny Carson, got a “lil crazy, a lil wild”, as These Arms Are Snakes pretty much destroyed the indoor stage. Despite hailing from Seattle, the amicable-if-not-highly-disgusting quartet held a somewhat hillbilly look, perhaps in honor of the Texas spirit. The skeleton skinny frontman Steve Snere battled the stage himself, jumping over amps, gyrating stupendously, and kicking over various chairs off stage. At one point, the bratty frontman spit up a loogy, only to catch it on his hand and lick it up again. Think that’s gross? How about the moment he pulled a Jim Morrison by sliding his fingers down his pants, only to kick it up an extra notch by licking ‘em after. Everything about this act was performance which is unfortunate because their music isn’t interesting in the slightest. It’s unfocused distortion without being shoegaze, which in other words, is somewhat irritating — especially with the sprawling screaming that seems to pre-date them to 2002. On a good day, they could be likened to At The Drive-In, but that comparison stems from the fact that both Snere and guitarist Ryan Frederiksen seem to play the Cedric Bixler/Omar Rodriguez playbook note for note. If anything, they’re fun to watch on stage, but hardly a logical act to get behind.

Call it what you will, but Cursive‘s live show is one of this year’s best on the scene. Vocalist and guitarist Tim Kasher is quickly becoming one riotous hero in the indie community. His vocals have grit, his movements are concentrated and fitting, and the emotion is always raw and vital. Under a thick mop of sweaty hair, Kasher led a jagged, if not downright exceptional rendition of “Art is Hard”, one of the band’s best tunes live. The swinging violins, the dancey drums, and the crunchy guitars are too addicting. While playing a great deal of their latest record, Mama, I’m Swollen, the Nebraska heavies kept it “old-school” with plenty of old time favorites, too. While an early set, and the first of many SXSW appearances, Kasher & co held a larger than expected crowd, with a line coming in that sweltered by the minute. To be fair, it wasn’t just Cursive picking up the pace, and Kasher took note of this: “The Wrens are playing outside. I’d much rather be there right now, but I’ll have to catch them another time.” Fortunately for the crowd, Kasher stuck around and punched in an exceptional set, rewarding the Brooklyn blog with some very necessary props.

So, The Hold Steady took to Red 7 in the late afternoon as part of the Found Magazine and Quackmedia Day Party. Or, at least we think…

Kidding aside, The New York Times was there, as was Tiny Mix Tapes. So read about it there.

Is 80s influences, electro infused, synth heavy, Apple approved music your thing? Then Emo’s Annex was the place to be on Thursday evening for The Windish Agency official showcase.

With their new album, Bitte Orca, set to hit record stores in a couple months, Dave Longstreth and the Dirty Projectors took to Emo’s to offer fans a taste of what is to come, and on first listen, it’s pretty damn solid. Cool and funky are some words that come to mind in describing the poppy, yet heavy, R&B, yet artsy nature of the band’s 45 minute set, but in this case, maybe it’d be better to just take a listen yourself. NPR is currently streaming the entire set right this second.

Based off their recently released debut album, The Spirit of Apollo, there was probably no act more anticipated at this year’s than N.A.S.A. Draped in space suits and backed by a barrage of movie clips from who knows where, the DJ duo of Squeak E. Clean and Zegon had both a successful lift off, and minus a few rough patches (was it just us, or was 30 minutes of dancing aliens just too much?), their expedition proved to be quite successful. Highlights included remixes of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kanye West, and Nirvana, along with a Girl Talk-like on stage danceapalooza that left Emo’s sole bouncer in a state of sheer pandemonium.

Since stumbling upon Little Boots at Brooklyn Vegan’s day party at CMJ last fall, we have been pretty big fans of the 25-year-old Brit. Ok, we’ve been obsessed. But even that didn’t stop us from noting the changes in both Little Boots’ on stage performance; in just six short months, her vocals have transcended from cute and innocent to powerful and engaging, while her sways behind the microphone have been replaced by confident crowd interactions. This Madonna Jr. now not only exuberates potential, she is finally beginning to realize, and in the end, it’s only a matter of time before the entire world knows the name Little Boots.

To be continued…

]]> Consequence of Sound (CoS) took it upon itself to not only cover the event this year, but to get involved as well. With two parties and a showcase, we found ourselves working nonstop, yet we were only waist deep in the media muck that could swallow even the strongest, most ambitious patron. That's why we decided to start early, arriving Tuesday night, on the eve of the week's most insane and surprising festivities. Needless to say, our knees are sore, our ankles feel swollen, and our eyes feel like they're going to pop. Awesome? You be the judge... Tuesday, March 17th: While Tuesday served more as the closing for the interactive and film portion of this year's South by Southwest, there was music to be found, particularly at La Zona Rosa where the SXSW Interactive Closing Party was going down. Hailing from Montreal, Winter Gloves pleased on lookers with a collection of synth friendly sounds that blended groovy electro beats with a youthful indie persona. Think Holy Fuck-lite, add vocals, and a touch of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Needless to say, the quartet made for a great way to kick off SXSW. As did the band that followed. In what was their first live performance in well over a year, Voxtrot used their first of two SXSW appearances to further introduce a packed crowd to the band's new darker, heavier, and somewhat synthy - yes, more synth! - style that the world first got wind of last week with the release of “Trepanation Party”. Fortuanly, these sounds don't contrast with the ear pleasing vocals of Voxtrot's clean shaven frontman Ramesh Srivastava. In fact, they worked quite well together, resulting in a set that can't help but get one excited over the band's upcoming, yet-to-be-announced endeavors. Wendesday, March 18th: The first "official" day of South by Southwest's music portion offered a brilliant example at just how incredibly overwhelming and mind-numbingly chaotic the week can, and eventually would be. Over at Red 7, Force Field PR and Terror Bird Media offered a day party showcasing a rather eclectic mix of up-and-comers and industry favorites. Despite the early afternoon time slot and subdued feel of his sound, Swedish multi-instrumentalist Emil Svanängen, aka Loney Dear, garnered quite a crowd with his sweet and innocent melodies, while The Thermals basically blew off the roof - well, they would have if there had been a roof in the outside area of Red 7 - with a ruckus 35-minute set. Consisting mostly from material from the band's forthcoming studio album, Now We Can See, which in the end, basically sounds the same as any of its past work give or take a guitar solo or two, the set earned Hutch Harris and Co. quite a reception, and a positive first of eight SXSW sets. Inside, two hip-hop outfits hailing from completely different backgrounds each had no trouble making quite te impression. Though still baby faced and raw, the duo known as DMG$ (pronounced Damaged Goods) exhibited a charisma and spunk that can best be described as jaw-dropping. Between their on stage dance moves and in crowd free styling, DMG$ has a persona comparable to the best of their contemporaries. The potential is there and once the rhymes solidify, which will come with time, the duo should have no problem make a name for itself in the coming years. The same can probably be said about fellow hip-hoppers Themselves. Well, that is if they stay together. Doseone and Jel took the Red 7 stage on Wednesday for what was one of their first performances since reuniting after a five year hiatus last month. The talent is still there and in a big way. The only question now is whether Themselves will stay Themselves long around long enough to see this talent through. Three blocks and four hours later, it was Stubb's time to shine. Playing hosts to NPR's official showcase, the Red River Street venue was jam packed from the get go with hungry SXSW'ers looking to get a good spot for the evening's best bill, one which in the end, failed to disappoint. Albeit featuring a much different style the acts to come, Phillipa Brown showed just why nearly every Australian and Perez Hilton is clamoring over the musician better known as Ladyhawke. Sounding a cross between Madonna and Peaches, Ladyhawke turned Stubb's into an 80s dance floor during her nearly 45 set, well, give or take the time she dabbled in some guitar playing. These days, it isn't often you find down right dirty rock 'n' roll, but then again, these weren't any ordinary days. So perhaps it was only appropriate that one of Texas' own brought some of the dirtiest rock South by Southwest would see. Playing a set consisting of material mostly from their recently released new studio album, The Mountain, the Heartless Bastards to put it blatantly, shredded for the better part of 40 minutes. Punchy, punctuating, and powerful is another good way to put it, especially during renditions of "The Mountain" and "Hold Your Head High". Equally compelling was the night's next act, just in an entirely different way. With cello, bass, and banjo in hand, The Avett Brothers took to Stubb's to offer one of a kind folk styles, or in other words, some of the most enthusiastic unplugged music one will stumble upon. The one problem? Due to the extensive set up required for such an act, the band was limited to a 25 minute set. At first look, it would seem as if The Decemberists would be the perfect act to close such a showcase. Not only Colin Meloy and Co. offer the best of both worlds when it came to the sounds of the previous bands, but they would also be using sets to introduce the industry to their forthcoming studio album, The Hazards of Love. Yet for as unique of an opportunity as the set was, it may have also set up The Decemberists for failure. By no means, was their performance of the 17-track effort in its entirety bad, because in reality, it was anything but that. In fact, it was almost too much; too many sounds, too many musical shifts, too much texture, all which in the left left fans dazed at what had just taken place in front of them. Some left the sluggish, prog-rock rifts early, others heckled for old favorites amidst the band's Arcade Fire-like tribal drumming. Needless to say, the reaction was almost as emotional as the album itself. [youtube 8gyUeUVfapo] Thursday, March 18th: While Full Metal Texas kept to capacity over at Emo's Annex, down the road at the Radio Room, where Brooklyn Vegan's day party kicked off, things were heating up -- literally and metaphorically. Brooklyn's own Bishop Allen held the attention of most daytime attendees, where at least five hundred folks cluttered the outside patio. In a flannel button up, vocalist Justin Rice sweat from every pore, his back an engulfing mass of perspiration, which made their catchy song, "Rain", a rather hopeful one. Both he and instrumentalist Christian Rudder kicked things up a notch with the Nick & Norah favorite, "Middle Management", which rocked n' rolled just about every sweaty hipster wearing too much black or too many layers for comfort. Some new material off of their latest, Grrr..., went over well, but past hits ("Click Click Click", for one) were sorely missed. Maybe it was all the Brooklyn influence (that might be a good educated start), but everyone seemed to be quite the fish out of water. Between the skinny jeans and the Wayfarers, Greenwich Village was well represented here, with artist types up the ying yang. Some were acts waiting off to the side to play, which included the very posh Hymns, who would go on to back Daniel Johnston on a few tracks. The New York quartet looked like four Jason Schwartzman's, only slightly taller with more of the silent treatment. Their jangly sound seemed to combine '60s Rolling Stones and Gimme Fiction-esque Spoon. It was a lovely sound for the afternoon, though cut short with the inclusion of legend Johnston, who started with "Mean Girls" and digressed into something else altogether. The wild songwriter looked wild in general, with color-streaked silver hair and a tense, apprehensive stare. With his songbook in tow, the West Virginian held his own with the crowd, though his popularity was unmeasured with the acts present. Back inside, things, to quote the late Johnny Carson, got a "lil crazy, a lil wild", as These Arms Are Snakes pretty much destroyed the indoor stage. Despite hailing from Seattle, the amicable-if-not-highly-disgusting quartet held a somewhat hillbilly look, perhaps in honor of the Texas spirit. The skeleton skinny frontman Steve Snere battled the stage himself, jumping over amps, gyrating stupendously, and kicking over various chairs off stage. At one point, the bratty frontman spit up a loogy, only to catch it on his hand and lick it up again. Think that's gross? How about the moment he pulled a Jim Morrison by sliding his fingers down his pants, only to kick it up an extra notch by licking 'em after. Everything about this act was performance which is unfortunate because their music isn't interesting in the slightest. It's unfocused distortion without being shoegaze, which in other words, is somewhat irritating -- especially with the sprawling screaming that seems to pre-date them to 2002. On a good day, they could be likened to At The Drive-In, but that comparison stems from the fact that both Snere and guitarist Ryan Frederiksen seem to play the Cedric Bixler/Omar Rodriguez playbook note for note. If anything, they're fun to watch on stage, but hardly a logical act to get behind. Call it what you will, but Cursive's live show is one of this year's best on the scene. Vocalist and guitarist Tim Kasher is quickly becoming one riotous hero in the indie community. His vocals have grit, his movements are concentrated and fitting, and the emotion is always raw and vital. Under a thick mop of sweaty hair, Kasher led a jagged, if not downright exceptional rendition of "Art is Hard", one of the band's best tunes live. The swinging violins, the dancey drums, and the crunchy guitars are too addicting. While playing a great deal of their latest record, Mama, I'm Swollen, the Nebraska heavies kept it "old-school" with plenty of old time favorites, too. While an early set, and the first of many SXSW appearances, Kasher & co held a larger than expected crowd, with a line coming in that sweltered by the minute. To be fair, it wasn't just Cursive picking up the pace, and Kasher took note of this: "The Wrens are playing outside. I'd much rather be there right now, but I'll have to catch them another time." Fortunately for the crowd, Kasher stuck around and punched in an exceptional set, rewarding the Brooklyn blog with some very necessary props. So, The Hold Steady took to Red 7 in the late afternoon as part of the Found Magazine and Quackmedia Day Party. Or, at least we think... Kidding aside, The New York Times was there, as was Tiny Mix Tapes. So read about it there. Is 80s influences, electro infused, synth heavy, Apple approved music your thing? Then Emo's Annex was the place to be on Thursday evening for The Windish Agency official showcase. With their new album, Bitte Orca, set to hit record stores in a couple months, Dave Longstreth and the Dirty Projectors took to Emo's to offer fans a taste of what is to come, and on first listen, it's pretty damn solid. Cool and funky are some words that come to mind in describing the poppy, yet heavy, R&B, yet artsy nature of the band's 45 minute set, but in this case, maybe it'd be better to just take a listen yourself. NPR is currently streaming the entire set right this second. Based off their recently released debut album, The Spirit of Apollo, there was probably no act more anticipated at this year's than N.A.S.A. Draped in space suits and backed by a barrage of movie clips from who knows where, the DJ duo of Squeak E. Clean and Zegon had both a successful lift off, and minus a few rough patches (was it just us, or was 30 minutes of dancing aliens just too much?), their expedition proved to be quite successful. Highlights included remixes of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kanye West, and Nirvana, along with a Girl Talk-like on stage danceapalooza that left Emo's sole bouncer in a state of sheer pandemonium. Since stumbling upon Little Boots at Brooklyn Vegan's day party at CMJ last fall, we have been pretty big fans of the 25-year-old Brit. Ok, we've been obsessed. But even that didn't stop us from noting the changes in both Little Boots' on stage performance; in just six short months, her vocals have transcended from cute and innocent to powerful and engaging, while her sways behind the microphone have been replaced by confident crowd interactions. This Madonna Jr. now not only exuberates potential, she is finally beginning to realize, and in the end, it's only a matter of time before the entire world knows the name Little Boots. To be continued... ]]> http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/03/sxsw-09-in-review-tuesday-thursday/feed/ 1 http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/02/heartless-bastards-roll-out-a-mountain-of-a-tour/ http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/02/heartless-bastards-roll-out-a-mountain-of-a-tour/#comments Thu, 05 Feb 2009 21:45:07 +0000 Shayna Hodkin http://consequenceofsound.net/?p=11715 Fresh off the release of their latest studio effort, The Mountain, the Heartless Bastards have added even more to their already mammoth U.S. tour that is now as impressive an endeavor as anything that went down in Peak. As a result, the Bastards’ 31-date trek, which kicked off last week, will now see Erika Wennerstrom and Co. on the road for nearly four months, highlighted by stops at Letterman and South by Southwest. Most of the dates will be in support form, where the Cincinnati based trio will hang with the likes of The Black Keys, The Gaslight Anthem, and Andrew Bird. However, as Paste Magazine so cleverly points out, the exhausting trek won’t include one stop in Ohio.

Heartless Bastards 2009 Tour Dates:
02/04 – Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s
02/05 – Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory +
02/06 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5 +
02/07 – New York, NY @ Terminal 5 +
02/11 – Charlottesville, VA @ Gravity Lounge
02/12 -Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree
02/13 – Ocean Springs, MS @ Government Street Grocery
02/14 – Houston, TX @ Last Concert Café
02/16 – San Antonio, TX @ Sam’s Burger Joint
02/27 – Fort Worth, TX @ Longhorn Saloon
02/28 – Denton, TX @ Hailey’s
03/15 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant @
03/16 – Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall @
03/17 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom @
03/18 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/19 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/20 – Austin, TX @ SXSW
03/21 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues @
03/23 – Oxford, MS @ The Lyric @
03/25 – Cincinnati, OH @ Madison Theater *
03/27 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall #
03/28 – Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero #
03/29 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls #
03/30 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall #
04/01 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s Hall #
04/02 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall #
04/03 – Chicago, IL @ The Bottom Lounge #
04/04 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater #
04/07 – Calgary, AB @ The Warehouse #
04/08 – Edmonton, AB @ The Starlite Room #
04/10 – Vancouver, BC @ Plaza Club #
04/11 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile Café *
04/13 – Portland, OR @ Berbati’s Pan #
04/15 – Sacramento, CA @ The Boardwalk #
04/16 – San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s #
04/21 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Clubhouse #
04/22 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad #
04/23 – Colorado Springs, CO  @ Black Sheep #
04/24 – Denver, CO @ Gothic Theater #
04/25 – Kansas City, MO @ Beaumont Club #
04/28 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theatre #
04/29 – Austin, TX @ Antone’s #
05/02 – Tampa, FL @ The State Theatre #
05/03 – Orlando, FL @ The Social #

+ = w/ The Black Keys
@ = w/ Andrew Bird
# = w/ with Gaslight Anthem