Consequence of Sound » People Under The Stairs

Top Photos of the Month (April)

CoS Staff — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:00:11 +0000

Following South by Southwest, it appeared as if everyone suddenly kicked off tours everywhere. Chicago’s Metro hosted some fabulous gigs (e.g. Wild Flag, Porcelain Raft), New York exploded with buzz bands, and California offered up two unique festivals (Paid Dues, Coachella). Our photographers snapped shots night after night, making April one of our busiest months on the live circuit in a long, long time. Naturally, they had a blast.

Event: Wild Flag at Chicago’s Metro (4/5)
Photographer: Michael Roffman
What Michael Says: “It helps when you’re sort of crushing on an artist. Once Carrie Brownstein turned toward the camera, I think my eyes shattered. Thank god the lens didn’t.”

Event: Cloud Nothings at Chicago’s Schubas (4/6)
Photographer: Michael Roffman
What Michael Says: “I’ve listened to Attack on Memory probably 58 times by now. So, I kind of knew when he’d scream.”

Event: People Under the Stairs at Paid Dues 2012
Photographer: Joseph Engel
What Joseph Says: “Because my background is mainly in punk rock and hardcore music, live hip-hop can often be a bit dull to photograph. People Under the Stairs brought energy and movement that was more than just swagger, and I think that passion really comes out in this photo.”

Event: The Horrors @ New York City’s Music Hall of Williamsburg (4/10)
Photographer: Harley Brown
What Harley Says: “The Horrors not only look like rock stars, they’ve got the absurdly erratic lighting to prove it. When it was bad, I wanted to throw my camera at frontman Faris Badwan’s stupid striped t-shirt; but when I lucked out with shots like this luminous head-bang, it was really fucking good.”

Event: Kitty, Daisy & Lewis at San Francisco’s Rickshaw (4/10)
Photographer: Summer Dunsmore
What Summer Says: “Photographing Kitty, Daisy & Lewis was about catching that moment in which their respective personalities, their individual identities as performers, shined through. During “Don’t Make a Fool Out of Me”, Lewis Durham exuded a classic masculinity, and his features provided a natural palette – I just took the shot.”

Event: Alabama Shakes at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom (4/11)
Photographe: Nate Slevin
What Nate Says: “It was a charm to fall under the southern spell of Brittany Howard and her Alabama Shakes. This enchanted moment came at the tail end of the set — at the height of their wild magic.”

Event: Porter Robinson @ Coachella 2012
Photographer: Ted Maider
What Ted Says: “Dub-step is this weird new phenomenon between punk rock and electronic dance music; somehow you get intense mosh pits to strangely structured beats. But Porter Robinson stirred the pot far more than any other DJ I have ever seen. Not bad for a 19-year-old nerd.”

Event: Willis Earl Beal at D.C.’s Rock and Roll Hotel (4/24)
Photographer: Drew Litowitz
What Drew Says: “Willis Earl Beal was an unhinged enigma onstage. You could see flashes of light shining through the darkness of his impenetrable mystique, though. I tried to capture the physical light that mimicked the figurative, a moment where Beal was outlined by some sort of normalcy. Though, we still shivered anxiously wondering where he’d take us next.”

Event: The Beach Boys @ New Orleans Jazz Festival 2012
Photographer: Michael Roffman
What Michael Says: “There’s a lot of humor with this photo; in a way, it sort of summarizes the reunion on the whole – they’re old, but they’re having fun with it. Also, I was close enough to read the Tommy Bahama tag on Mike Love’s shirt.”

Event: Tortoise at Chicago’s Empty Bottle (4/28)
Photographer: Jeremy D. Larson
What Jeremy Says: “John McEntire is the most animated member of Tortoise by a mile. He’s not always on drums, but when he sits down at the kit he feels it just like that face for the entire song. I took maybe 50 rapid-fire shots of McEntire and this was the best mug he made.”

In Photos: CoS at Paid Dues 2012

Lainna Fader — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 04:24:34 +0000

It’s been seven years since the inaugural Paid Dues Independent Hip Hop Festival took place in Los Angeles. The annual music festival has since gained a solid reputation for its celebration of the diversity in the underground rap universe. Curator Murs’ vision hasn’t changed, even if the fest’s venues and sponsors have—his commitment to supporting up-and-coming artists is unwavering—but this year, it seems he had to make a few concessions to keep attendance up in this economy, and as a result, Paid Dues 2012 had more big name acts than ever. Beyond the stacked lineup, the event was exciting because it brought together two generations of rap fans: long-term supporters of veterans like Wu-Tang Clan and DJ Quik and kids just getting into hip-hop thanks to the rapid rise of young superstars and Paid Dues headliners Odd Future and Kendrick Lamar.

The massive NOS Events Center was a natural choice for Paid Dues. Just last month the venue hosted the Cypress Hill Smokeout, a rap and rock festival that draws thousands every year from all over California, and in August, it’ll hold Rock the Bells, another giant single-day hip-hop fest.

You had two equally undesirable options on Saturday: stay outside and risk getting a gnarly sunburn in the scorching heat or head inside the fairground’s two windowless airplane hangers and choke on weed and cigarette smoke. Some of the biggest names—Wu-Tang Clan, Living Legends, Odd Future, Dipset—played the outdoor Paid Dues stage (not to be confused with the indoor Dues Paid stage in a nearby hangar, where People Under The Stairs, DJ Quik and Kendrick Lamar performed). The Monster Energy Stage—also in a hangar—hosted Lecrae, Three 6 Mafia, Brother Ali and Mac Miller. Once a breeze came through and the sun went down, we forgot our initial discomfort and actually had a pretty good time. Here are some photo highlights from Paid Dues 2012.

Photography by Joseph Engel.

[nggallery id=350]

Album Review: People Under the Stairs – Highlighter

Mike Madden — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:58:09 +0000

Here’s the answer to a potential trivia question: Highlighter, Los Angeles-based hip-hop duo People Under the Stairs’ (PUTS) eighth full-length, is the first album to ever be released in 24-bit HD-AAC format. In layman’s terms, that means it sounds fractionally better than most albums while munching up a whole lot of hard drive space. Apart from that, it’s mostly a typical PUTS album: warm, slick, and unmistakably sample-heavy. And that’s hardly something to gripe about.

At this point, the group’s members, Thes One and Double K, are becoming underground rap elder statesmen; their first album together, The Next Step, was released in 1998. But while that would seemingly give them a certain swagger, they still come across as workhorses. Highlighter’s songs evidence that in spades. The brass-driven “Too Much Birthday” evokes EPMD’s “The Steve Martin”, while the reflective “This Lifetime” would probably sound great while sitting on a Cali beach and watching the sun dip below the horizon. Most of the innumerable samples used here were probably culled from the bottom of an Amoeba Music dollar bin, but a few are easily recognizable. Just to name three, there are slices of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Under the Bridge”, a sitar cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, and a brief interpolation of Audio Two’s “Top Billin’”.

Lyrically, the guys are giving us more of the same. “Can’t Hold It Back” is an ode to PUTS’ loyal fan base (“The radio dissed us, but the crowd kept clappin’”), “Foolish People” features an account of a Double K acid trip, and “WRLA” references the Wu-Tang Clan and Tony! Toni! Toné! Few individual rhymes are especially impressive, but based on PUTS’ history, that’s not surprising.

Since only a handful of the 18 tracks here really stand out on their own, Highlighter is best taken as a whole. If you aren’t a fan of PUTS’ previous efforts, you won’t be into this either, but it’s a sturdy production from two guys who have a catalog full of them.

Essential Tracks: “Too Much Birthday”, “This Lifetime”, and “Can’t Hold It Back”

Festival Review: CoS at Governor’s Ball 2011

Joe Marvilli — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 22:20:47 +0000

The inaugural year of a music festival is really a roll of the dice. You never know what you’re going to end up with. It can turn into a stunning success or an incredible disaster. Thankfully, Governor’s Ball Music Festival in New York City was definitely a success in terms of the music, though the logistics could use some tweaking.

Located on Governor’s Island south of Manhattan, the festival got a pretty good haul in terms of the artists chosen. It felt like each act built up the energy a little more, leading up to an explosive performance by headliner Girl Talk. The variety was decent, mixing up rap, dance, and rock between the two stages. There were plenty of other activities to keep the crowd occupied during sets they didn’t enjoy. Basketball, volleyball, and ping-pong were all popular, though the beer-pong table seemed far ahead of the rest.

On the other hand, there were a couple delays and problems that should be worked out for future iterations. First off, the gates opened a half hour later than originally specified on the website. Rather than getting in at 11:30 a.m., festivalgoers stood out on the pavement until a little after noon, baking in the sun without cover. As a result of this delay, both Outasight and Reptar played at the same time, creating a conflict in a festival that was advertised to have no overlapping sets. Despite the delays, all was forgiven as the day went on and everyone danced into the night.

Reptar – Big Apple Stage – 12:50 p.m.

Photo by Dana Grossman

With a shout of “Hey everyone, we’re called Reptar, come see us play,” the Athens, GA-based group got things started on the right note. A psychedelic, tribal note at that. Underneath the summer sun, the band grooved its way through a sublime mess of bloopy synths and tribal beats. Singer/guitarist Graham Ulicny was energetic enough for the entire band, stomping through songs like “Stuck in My Id” and “Blast Off”. His vocals sounded like a mix between Talking Heads-era David Byrne and Sting in the early Police days. It wasn’t all fun in the sun, though. The yelps during “Sebastian” were pretty grating, even if the anecdote about how Ulicny recorded the birds at the beginning while naked in his bedroom was pretty hilarious.

Passion Pit (DJ Set) – Gotham Stage – 1:30 p.m.

Photo by Dana Grossman

Passion Pit had probably the most traditional DJ set of the entire festival. But there’s nothing wrong with that. Far from wrong, in fact. With a mix that incorporated everything from “I Want You Back” to “Where’s Your Head At?”, the duo of Ian Hultquist and Ayad Al Adhamy really got the dance party started for the day. It took a little time for the crowd to get into it, but familiar tunes like the aforementioned were enough to get a few hands waving and feet jumping. The rest of the audience was content to just sit back and nod their heads along to the rhythm.

Das Racist – Big Apple Stage – 2:20 p.m.

Photo by Dana Grossman

For those unfamiliar with Das Racist’s style, they are pretty much the Frank Zappa of rap. Performing experimental hip-hop, the trio ridiculed the imagery and negative aspects of the genre while celebrating the actual music underneath the hype. Underneath visuals of clips from The X-Files and X-Men: The Animated Series, they ripped through numbers like “”Who’s that? Brooown!” with loud vocals and abrasive bass beats.

Everything about their stage presence was a mockery. Heems’ shout-outs to the crowd included lines like “Here’s another stupid song” and “It’s great to be in Tokyo!” Kool A.D. took off his hat, looked at the symbol on it, and dismissively threw it over his shoulder. Deconstructing the rap genre while kicking ass with the music at the same time? Works for us!

Mac Miller – Gotham Stage – 3:10 p.m.

Photo by Dana Grossman

First off, it doesn’t matter if the act you’re seeing is good or bad if the audio levels are loud enough to physically hurt your ears. That was the first of many problems with Mac Miller’s appearance. The second issue was the rapper’s lateness. When you only have a 45-minute set, every minute counts. While the DJ insisted to the crowd that Miller would be there any second, he didn’t hit the stage until 10 minutes after he was due to start. Once he arrived, the crowd was pumped up by his high-energy performance and good flow. But the loud volume muddled the music, making every song sound far too similar. The audience lost interest by the end as seen by a call-and-response attempt by the Pittsburgh rapper that fell flat.

Miami Horror – Big Apple Stage – 4:00 p.m.

Photo by Dana Grossman

Every festival has at least one surprise. It’s an artist that you weren’t expecting to hear and didn’t know anything about, but the set turned into a highlight of the whole show. For Governor’s Ball, Miami Horror was that standout act. The Australian-based band is a New Wave throwback with sharp, sexy guitar riffs, and flashy synths.

Singer/guitarist Josh Moriarty’s stage presence is what Matt Bellamy would be like if he joined Duran Duran in the 80s. He spun, twirled, and danced with his guitar, taking Prince’s best moves and adding his own lively touches to them. He was pretty damn charming when talking to the audience as well. “I want to take you all to meet my mom. Let’s get married, but first show me what you’ve got.” The crowd did, jumping around happily, so Moriarty replied by putting down his guitar and climbing the scaffolding of the stage, singing the whole way. Coolest moment of the weekend? Yeah.

People Under the Stairs – Gotham Stage – 4:55 p.m.

By the time everyone headed back over to Gotham Stage, the sound engineer had thankfully reduced the audio levels to a bearable volume. It was just in time for People Under the Stairs, who arrived to the stage with “Trippin’ at the Disco”. The ’70s-influnced soul beats were a jazzy touch that displayed the duo’s gift for sampling. Commercial jingles that introduced other tracks drove this point home even more. As sick as the beats were, all the attention remained on the two MCs. Focusing on bouncing lyrics and rhymes off each other rather than jumping around, Thes One and Double K had an incredibly tight performance that made a good lead-in for Big Boi.

Neon Indian – Big Apple Stage – 5:55 p.m.

Photo by Dana Grossman

By the time Neon Indian started their performance, fans had already started camping out for Empire of the Sun and Pretty Lights. As a result, Neon Indian’s set felt wasted. The bumping bass, echoing vocals, and space keyboards from 2009’s Psychic Chasms all sounded great. But not even Alan Palomo’s jittery, kinetic energy onstage could save them from a strong case of songs sounding far too similar. The swirling synths also occasionally fell into sharp feedback, further detracting from their show. However, despite these obstacles, a good portion of the audience still had fun. Not a terrible set, but not memorable either.

Big Boi – Gotham Stage – 6:55 p.m.

Photo by Dana Grossman

There was a definite shift in the atmosphere once Big Boi’s set got underway. The evening had arrived, the temperature was dropping to a more comfortable zone, and the first really big act of the night was about to begin. The audience was singing along, loud and often, as the rapper moved through verse after verse with his well-known lightning flow. The addition of a live drummer next to the DJ threw in an additional bounce to the beat-heavy set, but it always supported the melodies without overwhelming them. Big Boi shifted between solo cuts like “Shutterbug” and Outkast favorites like “So Fresh, So Clean” and “Ghetto Musick”. Of course, everyone went nuts for “Ms. Jackson”, singing Andre 3000’s part at the top of their lungs. With such a varied set, no fans walked away disappointed. They got to hear at least part of every era that Sir Lucious L. Leftfoot has to offer.

Empire of the Sun – Big Apple Stage – 8:00 p.m.

Photo by Dana Grossman

If you’ve never seen Empire of the Sun before, you should go the next time they’re in the area. The first reason is the one everyone talks about: the beyond-crazy visual show. Guitarist and singer Luke Steele commands all the attention at first, dressed up in a metallic headpiece and neon blue jacket with white paint across his eyes. After that, the focus shifts to the mind-bending footage on screen, featuring everything from a pre-industrial ship sailing into a space-time vortex to what looks like a solar eclipse if the sun was a strobe light. Then there are the dancers, arriving in a number of outfits that go between strange and surreal.

Once your brain can register what you’re seeing, you’ll realize that the music is pretty damn good as well. The opener, “Standing on the Shore”, is full of ghostly atmospherics that engulf the simple, sweet melody that Steele plays out on guitar. On Saturday, the set continued through most of the songs from the band’s debut, Walking on a Dream, but it was the title track that truly set the audience on fire. People sang along, crowd-surfed, danced alone or in groups, and generally left with a smile on their faces. Behind all the visuals, that’s the best reason to see them.

Girl Talk – Gotham Stage – 9:05 p.m.

Photo by Dana Grossman

Although many artists at Governors Ball were excellent and got an outpouring of support from those around them, it felt like many were saving up their energy for this one spectacle in particular. Girl Talk’s sets are so legendary by now, they almost don’t need to be described. If you haven’t seen him yet, then download his albums. You’ll quickly come upon a whole bunch of really great mash up moments over the course of the record. The best bits you hear are the ones that he builds his shows around, expanding them and throwing in some new pieces he’s come up with, too. He kicked the whole thing off by screaming at the crowd to get ready before launching into “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath, which was soon joined by “Move” from Ludacris. It didn’t get any less familiar from there. Rye Rye featuring M.I.A.’s “Bang” smashed into Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name”. A “Bad Romance” sample burst into the horns and chorus of “Thriller”. Nirvana’s “Lithium” was followed by Depeche Mode’s “Just Can’t Get Enough”. Now, imagine these awesome moments following each other for an hour and a half. Needless to say, the audience exploded into raves and wild dancing the whole time.

The mash up artist doesn’t just give the crowd dancing music, though. He threw as much stuff as possible out into the crowd. Toilet paper guns were used. Beach balls filled with confetti and glow sticks bounced over everyone’s heads. A bag full of balloons was ripped open, letting them loose to float into the sky. Far too soon, it was time to call it a night. Girl Talk stopped the show to tell us we only had a couple minutes left and to make them count. He sure as hell did. Mixes with “Karma Police”, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Shout!”, and “Imagine” to close the show? It doesn’t get better than that.

Pretty Lights – Big Apple Stage – 10:30 p.m.

Photo by Dana Grossman

If Girl Talk is the veteran remixer with an explosive mix of live tracks, then Pretty Lights is the younger prizefighter who offers a fresh alternative to the mashup formula. Not everything he does is a remix or mashup. Instead, the DJ played a collection of work that combined original beats with popular songs he’s reworked. He opened gloriously with “I Know the Truth”. LED towers slowly lit up, like the buildings of New York City lighting up as the day turns to night. From there, he threw in mashes like the recently released combo of Radiohead, Nirvana, and Nine Inch Nails, as well as a remix of “Empire State of Mind”. The segment was a gentle downshift after the hyperactive, exhausting Girl Talk set. It was a wonderful way to end the night, with the afterglow of the light show in our eyes and the bumping bass pulse in our ears.
——

Gallery by Dana Grossman

[nggallery id=230]

Big Boi, Girl Talk head inaugural Governor’s Ball Music Festival

Alex Young — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:14:48 +0000

New York City and music festivals have never really mixed. Just ask All Points West, Vineland, or Bonnaroo NE. The reasons for this reality are many, ranging from transportation options to location to 1,400 other venues all competing for a limited pool of acts.

What has worked recent memory, however, is one-off concerts on Governor’s Island. Situated on a former U.S. Coast Guard base, the capacity is limited and thus transportation is often smooth. Plus, you can play mini golf!

So maybe this idea will work: On June 18th, the folks behind the first-ever Governor’s Ball Music Festival will look to combine the idea of a music festival with the location and set-up of Governor’s Island when they host more than a dozen artists across two stages.

So far, Girl Talk, Big Boi, Neon Indian, Pretty Lights, People Under the Stairs, Miami Horror, Reptar, Outasight and Mac Miller are among the confirmed acts. Members of Passion Pit are also set to perform a DJ set.

‘Early bird’ tickets (priced at $75) go on sale Thursday, February 24th at 10:00 AM EST. Once that allotment is sold out, the price will rise to $85 and then $95. VIP Tickets (priced at $150) will also be available.

Gentle People and Strange Vibrations: CoS at Outside Lands ’10

CoS Staff — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:51:34 +0000

This was the easiest festival to attend in the history of attending festivals. The glory that is Outside Lands, the Bay Area’s biggest, finest, and currently most hip summer festival could not have been a more accessible festival to attend. Between the proximity of all the stages (four major ones total), the variety of bands (in one afternoon I saw a metal-head DJ, famous hippies, indie icons, and classic rock ‘n’ roll), the layout of the grounds (I could have walked through blindfolded), and the fact you left each night to one of the most amazing cities in America, all added up to make this weekend something worth remembering.

It’s already been a gloomy summer on the coast of California, so we needed this festival. SoCal already had its dominating festival, Coachella, and it was time for the Bay Area to strut its own breed of music festival again. And what better place to spend a weekend at than the legendary Golden Gate Park? The California coast might not have brightened up, but everybody was certainly in high spirits. In retrospect, how couldn’t you be?

This year, Outside Lands came off like a modern hybrid. For one, the lineup bridged a number of generation and stylistic gaps, opening up some people’s perceptions. This was one of the first festivals in which I can safely say a large chunk of the audience was over 40, and it didn’t seem creepy, or weird (a young girl asked about Furthur posting their set list online and everybody looked at her like she was insane). You had bands catering to the aged crowd who remembers what things were like “back in the day,” like Levon Helm, Al Green, and Social Distortion, but you had the top acts of generation-now like the Strokes, the Kings of Leon, Phoenix, and My Morning Jacket. This was a festival for all the freaks of the Bay to come out of the woodwork and unite under the sun, even if it wasn’t out.

And the freaks came out, rest assured, and it was wonderful to remember that if it weren’t for weird people like us, there wouldn’t be a festival to talk about. Outside Lands was a place this year where everybody could gather, be themselves, and rock out in one of America’s most historic spots in one of its coolest cities. Overall it was alright, I guess I’ll go next year.

Saturday, August 14th

People Under the Stairs
Lands End, 12:00 p.m.

Nothing could have made me happier than walking into Golden Gate Park to hear the San Francisco Knights themselves conducting some turntable Scientifics. “I think we got this party started,” they boasted to a crowd of “old hippies”: as they so eloquently put it. The titan twosome of Thes One and Double K threw it down to kick off the first day of the festival. The group had no problem representing the Bay Area, with their classic tune “San Francisco Knights”, and even discussed the weather, just before dropping into “Acid Raindrops”.

People Under the Stairs genuinely wanted to get the party going with their Mid-City Fiesta antics. Everyone around was totally indulging, as they lit joints all over the place, which was relished by the MCs themselves, who stated “shit was kicking in.” But they wanted to keep it positive, “It’s a little cold, but it could be warm if you believe,” Double K said. The group then launched into “Tripping at the Disco” to close their set of stoned age hip-hop for the early risers. -Ted Maider

Electric Six
Sutro, 12:40 p.m.

“That opening act was amazing. Rap rap rap. rap ra rap rap rap (in mock-rap tone). We are trying to start shit with the other bands so maybe they fight us and we get more press.” – Dick Valentine

Electric Six are instigators. They were out to start a party, get in trouble, make you dance, anything, really, to get you out of your 12:45 p.m. trance. And if you base you enjoyment of music by your engagement rather than what you actually hear, they were a success. Lead singer Dick Valentine is a ham, thrusting his pelvis, shaking his arms, and cracking jokes like he was at the Brea Improv, but I laughed at all of them, so I guess his mission was a success. When the group busted out “Danger, High Voltage”, I expected some kind of mass hysterics (like when I perform the same song at karaoke), but, alas, it was still the early afternoon and the moderate enthusiasm that was prevalent for everything was about as much as they were going to get. We sure had some laughs, though. - Philip Cosores

Freelance Whales
Twin Peaks, 12:45 p.m.

You can only read a band’s name so many times, and see them on so many festival lineups before you get curious enough to see them. Freelance Whales‘ brand of mellow indie seemed to win over the San Fran hipster crowd at Outside Lands on day one. Their music seemed mystical, and slightly warming on this dreary Bay day. But it wasn’t their show that drew me in, it was their bizarre instrumentation. For example, percussionist/keyboardist/guitar player Kevin Read had a watering can that he repeatedly beat with a mallet. Not to mention, Doris Cellar played some sort of tabled squeeze box for one of their slower and more melodic numbers. “We’d like to thank San Francisco for the last six months of our lives,” they said with pride towards the end of the show. So they thanked us, by playing some more cheery tunes. -Ted Maider

Sierra Leone’s Refugee All-Stars
Lands End, 1:25 p.m.

You got to have yourself some sort of reggae act at a festival to get the early and sunny crowd in high spirits. Well, there was no sun for Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Star’s performance, but they brought forth hypothetical sunshine with their slick reggae grooves. All throughout the crowd, girls splashed with tie dye and dancing in hula hoops were present, as well as several other patrons smoking copious amounts of marijuana to accompany the world music Sierra Leone and company put on. People didn’t necessarily sing along with lyrics that were a) in a different language or b) indecipherable, but the vibe of the music asked everyone to groove, and that’s exactly what they did. -Ted Maider

Pretty Lights
Sutro, 2:15 p.m.

I wandered around for quite some time before Derek Vincent Smith, aka Pretty Lights (aka the sole DJ I wanted to see at this festival), took the stage, and I planned on staying for every second of his jaw-dropping show. Just one year ago, I saw the guy at one of the tents at Bonnaroo, at 3 am, with the e-tard crowd coming down from Phish. Now he had his own slot on one of the bigger stages at Outside Lands in the middle of the afternoon, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t know how to throw down.

The thing about Pretty Lights is he embodies everything about the modern DJ. He’s got some sort of turntable scenario going on (whether they are digital or not is beyond me), as well as two laptops (one Mac, one PC) set up on both ends of his operation. Then, he takes his fantastic contraption of an instrument and brings in samples from all over the spectrum, from eerie piano to distorted guitars, thus getting everyone in the crowd to break it down. But he turns these samples into all different types of electronic music, making his work totally accessible to anyone endorsing in that medium. Pretty Lights is going to make things happen in the electronic world if his show keeps building and building up like his live music. -Ted Maider

Gogol Bordello
Lands End, 3:05 p.m.

Just prior to Gogol Bordello arriving on stage, I passed their singer while roaming through the VIP section. He looked, for lack of a better term, fucking menacing. And let me tell you, that menacing dude can rock in quite the menacing fashion. The high-tempo Gypsy insanity that is Gogol Bordello was a sound to be reckoned with at three in the afternoon. The band blasted through songs like the sonic insanity of “Start Wearing Purple” and “Wonderlust King”, while the audience proceeded to go into a gyrating frenzy. It’s not like the band took it easy either, though. Lead singer and guitar player Eugene Hutz sweat out his entire body weight as he rocked to the band’s furious songs. To pronounce their ending, Hutz jumped up onto the drum set and took a bow. Everybody was quite pleased. But did you expect anything less from them? -Ted Maider

Levon Helm Band
Twin Peaks, 3:45 p.m.

Levon Helm and his gang of cronies showed up at the Twin Peaks stage in the mid-afternoon to lighten up the mood a bit. Between all the electronic, hip-hop, and rock music, it was finally something the older and Dead-Head crowd could truly appreciate. The group launched through some Band classics (like “The Weight”), covered the Dead (“Tennessee Jed”), and played a number of post-Band tracks, as well. His 10-plus unit performed some crunchy tunes that hippies gladly twirled around to in the grass. Meanwhile, the band had a good time by improvising with acoustic fury as they used their unique and large group of instruments to perform tunes for a sleepier, more laid-back crowd. -Ted Maider

Bassnectar
Sutro, 4:05 p.m.

Bassnectar is the scariest DJ ever. In fact, the whole time I was watching him all I could wonder was how in the fuck he became a DJ. As soon as the guy came out, everyone immediately lost their shit and began to rock their hardest electronic moves. Accompanied with hundreds of giant, black, beach balls, Bassnectar broke it down with his rare form of alternative metal dub-step, mixing bits from all over (most notably his remix of “No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn”). The multi-genre mixer caused the earth to quake, people’s hearts to pump up a few notches, and me to freak the hell out. -Ted Maider

My Morning Jacket
Lands End, 5:00 p.m.

“God bless you, San Francisco.” –Jim James

My Morning Jacket never ceases to amaze me. The Bay Area crowd was genuinely stoked that Jim James and company had come to grace their presence with their rare, intellectual, and fantastic style of rock. The band kicked it off slow with tracks like “Tonite I Want to Celebrate with You” and “Gideon”. As the band jammed, escalated, rocked, and shocked, it really struck me that they truly work to perfection as a complete unit. If one member were to be replaced, the whole show would be at a loss. It’s the chemistry they share that speaks volumes. That… and their donkey, which happened to make an appearance at Sasquatch, too.

Eventually, the band busted out a chilling and hypnotic version of “Touch Me, I’m Going to Scream (Part 1)” and churned out a triumphant version of “I’m Amazed”, which sequed into a jet-fueled speedball rendition of “Highly Suspicious”, which fueled the crowd into a furious mosh. Towards the end, they brought it all back full circle as they lurched on with “Touch Me, I’m Going to Scream (Part 2)”.

Throughout the set, the band played a number of older tunes, too. “Golden”, “Off the Record”, “Steam Engine”, and “Anytime” were all showcased and all well-received. But, nothing came close to their powerful performance of “Wordless Chorus”, which saw the crowd uniting together under rain and through harmonies and reverb. But it wouldn’t stop there, either. Before they left, the group carved out a magnificent, 10 minute cut of “One Big Holiday”, which pumped out enough octane to tear apart the crowd. These guys may not be a jam band, but they sure do fucking jam. -Ted Maider

Wolfmother
Sutro, 6:30 p.m.

The biggest surprise at Outside Lands goes to Wolfmother, hands down. I attended mainly because my brother is a big fan and he dragged me along. However, thank goodness he did. It was the best decision I was forced into making all weekend. Little did I know this would be one of the most unexpectedly awesome sets of the festival. The only person who had more fun than the crowd at Wolfmother was frontman Andrew Stockdale. And why shouldn’t he have a bit of fun? With lineup changes galore since 2005, he deserves to smile. Despite the group’s latest effort, Cosmic Egg, they stuck to mostly material off their self-titled album. Climax? When the band busted into “White Unicorn”, transitioning midway through into a very fitting version of The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm”, only to transition back into the end of “White Unicorn”. Like I said, unexpectedly awesome. -Winston Robbins

Cat Power
Twin Peaks, 7:05 p.m.

I’ve never seen Cat Power before, so I won’t be too hasty in my judgment. But is she always so boring? Julian Casablancas nonchalance is one thing, but seeming utterly bored is something different entirely. Maybe it’s just her steaz, but she looked like she just rolled out of bed for this show. With her hair pulled back in a ponytail, and frumpily dressed in a hoodie and jeans, she spent most of the set with her hands in her pockets. There was a portion of her show where she got down off the stage and into the photo pit to sing two songs, which I’m sure was awesome for all 53 people who could still see her, but eventually the rest of us just forgot she was there. It’s not like her being onstage was that much more exciting. But enough about stage presence. Musically, Chan Marshall couldn’t have been more spot on. “Sea of Love”, “The Greatest”, and “Metal Heart” were all pitch perfect. Every note hit, every inflection impeccable. I just wish she would have been a little more excited about her own talent. -Winston Robbins

Furthur ft. Phil Lesh and Bob Weir
Lands End, 7:25 p.m.

“They really did take it one step further…” –Dead-Head in Sculpture Garden after the show.

I have to start by admitting this straight up; I am not the biggest Dead-Head in the world. This has always been the biggest problem amongst my friends and I. Granted, I enjoy some of their songs quite thoroughly (how could you not), but I have never been one of those kids who goes through phases and phases of nothing but obscure Dead sets. But this entire set-up seemed like something I would totally be all about. For one, you have Phil Lesh and Bob Weir back together on-stage. Secondly, you have John Kadlecik of the Dark Star Orchestra, stepping in Jerry Garcia’s shoes, which he seems to have already done for a portion of his career. Take notice of the setting, though. It was the climax of Jerry month in the Bay, and the band was in Golden Gate Park, the place that pretty much spawned them.

Needless to say, all the tell-tale signs of a Dead-Show were there. All day, my buddy kept saying, “In San Francisco, Dead-Heads just seem to grow up from the ground.” Sure enough, this is what happened. Just prior to Furthur’s show, I watched the kid behind me drop a tab of acid into his friend’s mouth as a surprise. There were more Stealies than I could ever fathom in one place. And people had managed to sneak in recording gear to obtain what they would believe to be a priceless piece of live memorabilia. Well, this night, they were right.

The band was no longer slow, dreary, and too-hypnotic. They were back to the old Dead-style, quicker and extensive jams that kept the pace up. Opening with songs like “Cassidy” and “The Loser” got people on their feet, and scribbling song titles on their notepads all around me. The band launched into a rendition of “Let it Grow”, which they wove into a cover of Pink Floyd’s “Time”. People were hip to the cover, considering cheers emanated throughout once those all-too-familiar sound of clocks chimed in.

But the band also launched into a number of Dead staples that belonged in Golden Gate Park. Extended jams on “Fire on the Mountain” and “Terrapin Suite” caused people to astro-project themselves back to the ’70s. To close off the single set, the band started up “Morning Dew” which spiraled into “I Know You Rider”, leaving all the Dead-Heads, who’d coughed up the 70 bucks to get in, very, very pleased.

When I was younger, I saw Ratdog and all the offshoots, but this to me was something far greater than a Grateful Dead recreation. This wasn’t a reincarnation; this was the future of the enterprise that is the Grateful Dead. Even I’ll admit it; they have had one of the best careers in history that any band could possibly ask for. Their material still impacts kids today as it did 50 years ago. So, the bottom line? I may not be a Dead-Head, but I can see that they have done a lot in their time, and they will continue to bedazzle their cult as time goes on. As I wandered off into the night, I heard techno drums going, infused the Furthur’s jamming, which somehow seemed to work in this modern age. Who knows what the future of music will bring? -Ted Maider

The Strokes
Twin Peaks, 8:45 p.m.

Let’s begin here: Why was Furthur headlining this festival? Look, we all know that Bob Weir and Phil Lesh are local Haight-Ashbury legends and were once a part of one of the most influential jam bands in the history of Rock and Roll, but does that really warrant a headlining slot? Seems like an irrelevant stretch to me. The tickets for day one sold, but they certainly didn’t sell out. The Deadheads are slowly dying off. The Strokes should have headlined. But that’s an argument for another time. It was funny, however, what a tangible barrier Furthur versus The Strokes created. In the impeccable words of Philip Cosores, everyone 30 and under was at one side of the park watching The Strokes, while everyone else was re-living their Dead days across the park.

At any rate, Julian Casablancas and company returned to performing on American soil once more after their Lollapalooza appearance, and I can only imagine that the shows were incredibly similar. I say that because tit for tat, the setlists were exactly the same, except Lolla got one more song that Outside Lands did. It was an unbelievable set in every way, musically, visually, you name it. But they were obviously missing one thing: chemistry. It was sad further proof that The Strokes might be on their way out.

However, it was fantastic to hear the songs that got me through the hard knock life of Middle School. They played mainly old favorites such as “Someday”, “Last Night”, “Reptilia”, and “Hard To Explain” interspersed with only a couple First Impressions of Earth cuts. In between each song, they seemed to stall and talk amongst themselves about what they were doing, which showed a lack of preparation, perpetuating the rumors that they’re imploding. On a lighter note, though, Casablancas will never stop being one of the greatest frontmen of our time. He kept crowd interaction at a maximum and all night he made jokes and basically said whatever the hell came to his mind. It was an endearing, nostalgic run down memory lane that was ultimately enjoyable, but painful in that these are very much so not The Strokes I saw back in ’06. -Winston Robbins
——

Gallery by Philip Cosores

[nggallery id=100]

Sunday, August 15th

Amos Lee
Lands End, 12:45 p.m.

The Philadelphia singer/songwriter had the misfortune of playing to a tired crowd in the early afternoon, but made the most out of it. Amos Lee has the kind of voice the can sooth both the weary soul and the weary bones, managing to bring the crowd both to lie for the moment and awaken them at to the fun that laid on the horizon. Lee sings with conviction, and for a writer who had never heard him before and feels a slight bit of shame admitting that he enjoyed the set, it was a pleasant surprise to start a day. -Philip Cosores

Mayer Hawthorne and The County
Sutro, 1:30 p.m.

If this day was about voices, Mayer Hawthorne was up to the challenge laid down by Amos Lee. Luckily for Hawthorne, where his voice lacks the immediacy of Lee’s, he has Mayer-ettes to provide the eye candy that the singer may lack himself. Sure Hawthorne may seem like a nerd, but he has soul and can get a giant crowd behind him. And somehow most of the crowd knew all the words (maybe this guy is huge) but even those that didn’t seemed to have a blast. Hawthorne may have made the most new fans of anyone at the festival. -Philip Cosores

The Temper Trap
Lands End, 2:15 p.m.

Well, I guess I just don’t get the appeal here. But people were sure excited to see The Temper Trap, to see their weird looking singer, to hear their harmless songs, even a new one that appeared three songs in and went absolutely nowhere. In hindsight, they are known for a song that came out last year with 500 Days of Summer, and oddly enough, it’s not really catchy whatsoever. -Philip Cosores

Janelle Monáe
Sutro, 3:05 p.m.

Most deserved Best New Music handed out by the almighty P4K should go to Janelle Monáe. Not only was her ArchAndroid fantastic from beginning to end, but she is quite the musician/dancer/fashionista. Playing mainly tracks from her most recent album, the crowd seemed to show particular interest in “Cold War” and “Tightrope”, and rightly so, as they were both spot on in every way (except Big Boi didn’t show up for his verse on the latter). Personally, I was quite moved by the stop-free four song medley which contained “Suite II Overture”, “Dance or Die”, “Faster”, and “Locked Inside” in one fell swoop. Impressive. Furthermore, her style is something that is to be simultaneously marveled and envied. Monáe is so much cooler than any of us will ever be, but we should love her for it, not be jealous. Some people were born to front bands (and Janelle is without question the best frontwoman I have seen in recent years), and others were born to write for/read music blogs. To each his own. -Winston Robbins

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Twin Peaks, 3:40 p.m.

“This is a fucking miracle!” –Edward Sharpe (Alex Ebert)

I made it to the front of the crowd by the skin of my teeth, but goddammit, I made it. And thank the lord I did. Four months ago, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros were just some band that seemed to be playing every festival I wanted to go to. Now, they’re a crucial portion of my 2010 soundtrack, with a record that continues to sell and a fan base that continues to grow. Hey, you can only appear in so many car commercials before everybody understands your band rules that much.

The 10-piece band wasted no time kicking things up, opening with “40 Day Dream”, one of the stand-out and triumphant tracks from their debut record. The crowd went nuts at the opening drum beats, and then began to sway majestically while singing all the words. Luckily for them, the band played the majority of their album, Up From Below, and in order. Following the opener, they launched right into the happy-go-lucky tune of “Janglin’” and then continued with the album’s titular track.

The Magnetic Zeros did some great renditions of “Desert Song” and even let Jade Castrinos take over on lead vocals for awhile. The real gem though, of course, was “Home”, which the crowd screamed for the entire time. When the hot single finally did come on, everybody leapt up and down in a united frenzy, which seemed warranted for the song’s enthusiastic beat. During the breakdown, though, Alex Ebert and Castrinos discussed the first time they came to San Francisco, and what they did, but most all Castrinos wished the sun would shine. We were all right there with her, but it didn’t matter, because everybody was just elated to be in the presence of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, a band who will clearly be remembered when 2010 music is discussed for years to come. -Ted Maider

Al Green
Lands End, 4:00 p.m.

After Furthur took us back to the 60’s, somebody had to represent the 70’s, and no man was better for the job than Al Green. At 64, our beloved soul singer took the stage to a massive, loving crowd to give them a taste of his era. Not only did he come out belting his own barn burners “Tired of Being Alone” and “Let’s Stay Together”, but he did a tribute to all his contemporaries. He covered The Four Tops’ “I Can’t Help Myself”, The Temptations’ “My Girl”, and Otis Redding (whom he referred to as ‘Big O’)’s “Sitting On the Dock of the Bay”. At the end of the set, the soul mastermind was all smiles, as was the crowd. -Winston Robbins

Slightly Stoopid
Sutro, 5:00 p.m.

How many Slightly Stoopid shows do I normally hear about within a summer? Way too many is an accurate answer. Slightly Stoopid has been able to strike a chord with the cannabis culture, and in California, that’s about ¾ of the population. Basically, these guys picked up right where Sublime left off, and now their brand of reggae-rap-rock has begun to get extremely popular. Throughout the entire show, a cloud of smoke loomed over the crowd, while the band played their cheery reggae tunes. However, they were not afraid to bust out the punk rock when things got a little too mellow. This has always been one of the band’s more positive traits; that they appreciate their punk roots. Not to mention, they covered Ol’ Dirty Bastard, while the crowd held W’s in the air with their hands. After enough Slightly Stoopid, I began to feel slightly stupid due to how spaced out I was, so it was time to vacate the smog and see some other aspect of our culture. -Ted Maider

Chromeo
Twin Peaks, 5:15 p.m.

As soon as the sexy leg keyboard stands were unveiled, the cheers began to roar: Chromeo was on their way. Taking the stage to their signature Fancy Footwork intro, the crowd went berserk. It was a very distinct crowd too, filled with college frat boys, but that didn’t take away from the show in the slightest. Dave 1 and P-Thugg know how to work any audience. By the first song, they had us in the palm of their hands and we loved every minute of it. Unfortunately, they didn’t play anything from their forthcoming album (due out in September), but maybe that was for the best because hearing their old songs just got me super pumped to hear the new record. The kids went nuts for Chromeo classsics “Tenderoni” “Bona Fide Lovin’”, and “Needy Girl”, and they had every right to. Chromeo knows how to write quirky electro love songs like no one else. -Winston Robbins

Phoenix
Lands End, 5:55 p.m.

Holy… shit… dude. Phoenix has become somewhat of a cultural icon. Singer Thomas Mars has begun to acknowledge this, as he embodied what is true rock star persona while running around the stage with his bright red microphone chord. The rest of the band kept it going too, as their drummer pounded on each head mercilessly to keep the beats of all their high-energy songs going. This was easily one of the best shows of the weekend, and it’s so easy to see why the French five-some were given a sub-headlining spot.

The band kicked it off with “Lisztomania” and the crowd wasted no time diving into the grooves. But neither did the band. While they tore through the majority of their opus, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, playing songs like “Lasso”, “Fences”, and a thrashing “Armistice”, they were not conservative about pulling out past numbers. Tracks like “Run Run Run”, “Consolation Prizes”, and “Long Distance Call” resonated well with those watching, even though they didn’t necessarily sing along.

But the band kept everything interesting. Mars climbed up the amps, over the audience, and across the stage, all while his band kept mixing up instruments, bashing their equipment, and rocking their hardest. It was all straight up amazing and with so much energy. As they’ve done for the past year now, the band closed things off with a nearly 10-minute rendition of “1901”. It didn’t drag, but at one moment I felt they were playing a different song altogether. As the band’s set came to a close, all the clouds parted for the day, and the sun finally came out. It felt good to feel the warmth again, but it wasn’t the miracle we needed. The miracle we needed was another four songs from Phoenix. -Ted Maider

Nas & Damian Marley
Twin Peaks, 6:50 p.m.

I’ve always been intrigued by Damian Marley & Nas‘ collaboration. I respect both artists in their respective genres quite a bit, and their duet on “Road to Zion” (off Marley’s 2005 album Welcome to JamRock) was fantastic. But a whole album? It seemed a stretch. I was wrong in thinking that. The second I heard the album, it all began to make sense. It was like I finally go the joke that had been eluding me for weeks. They’re obviously distant relatives due to their African-American complexion, but musically they’re distant relatives as well. Hip hop draws so much from reggae, and contemporary reggae is constantly borrowing from hip hop. And these two make for quite a pair. Two of the most talented in their respective genres, it only makes sense that they are incredible together.

At the Twin Peaks stage, the two played mainly tracks from their latest effort, Distant Relatives. They came out with barn burner “As We Enter” and hit us with a couple of curveballs just before exiting the stage. First, Marley (and his floor length dreads) pulled out his mega-hit “Welcome To Jamrock” out and got the entire place thrashing. Then, Nas and Marley both went back to play their JamRock collaboration “Road to Zion”. They closed the set off with a cover of Marley’s father’s classic hit, “Could You Be Loved”, which of course won the crowd over and had us all singing in unison like a bunch of drunk Irish soccer fans. Lesson learned? Damian Marley and Nas are a perfect combination. -Winston Robbins

Social Distortion
Sutro, 6:55 p.m.

True story: The last time I had seen Social Distortion, I stopped drinking for three years. Since then, I have not listened to the band nor paid any attention to where they are in their career. But, everything ends and so did my boycott of Social D on this Sunday afternoon.

The sun was finally out and the Orange County natives seemed no different that the tough thugs that drove me into a drunken frenzy of terror so many years back. Now that I can actually recall experiencing them, I was impressed by the level of professionalism they showed in their set. They covered all the bases of their long career, with Ness still as menacing as before. “Bad Luck”, “Don’t Drag Me Down” and “Mommy’s Little Monster” kicked things off, but as the set rolled on song’s like “Ball and Chain”, “Prision Bound”, and “Story of My Life” made their way into the set.

Even though their set has probably been similar for 20 years, the band never looks bored or withdrawn. In fact, Ness seems like he wants to relate to the fans just as bad as the young man who wrote these songs. In closing with “Ring Of Fire”, you can’t help but think that Ness has written some songs as timeless as Johnny Cash. It’s a weird thought, but remarkably, it’s true. -Philip Cosores

Kings of Leon
Lands End, 7:50 p.m.

When did the Kings of Leon become this big-time, American headlining band? I think I missed this part in recent pop culture, because I still find the Kings of Leon to be a good band, but not a spectacle worth headlining some of the biggest festivals in America. The thing is though, most people like the Kings of Leon, so they are able to draw a crowd. Kings of Leon just embodies that simple, classic, and timeless American sound, and they actually do a decent job of it.

The Oklahoma quartet of brothers looked like classic American figures as they rocked their finest in front of tens of thousands of people. Jared Followill was dressed up like James Dean, while Caleb Followill kept up his gritty and down-to-Earth persona. The band kicked things off with the ultimate creeper-track, “Closer”, which sent chills down my spine as I watched them grace the monitors in a black and white color scheme. One could feel the ground vibrating as they got closer to the stage and as the sun sank over Golden Gate Park to the Kings of Leon’s gritty, welcomin,g and rocking tunes.

The band also played their hit songs like “Sex on Fire”, “The Bucket”, and “Use Somebody”, while also covering the Pixies’ “Where is My Mind?”, which all seemed to keep the crowd genuinely pleased. The main stage was packed as far as one could see, so this was clearly a hot ticket for the last night of the festival. At the start, Caleb asked, “Mind if I have a drink?” and then toasted to the wonderful city of San Francisco. Clearly, the guy was the right man to finish off the show. As the band drew to a close, fireworks lit up the sky behind them and filled the polo fields with smoke. One had to ask, though… where was the crowd’s groove? -Ted Maider

Empire of the Sun
Twin Peaks, 8:25 p.m.

If you don’t listen to Empire of the Sun now, you will soon enough. The Australian electronic space bots from beyond will invade your stereo much like they invaded my brain Sunday night. For one, no band nowadays has a visual show like they do. It’s hard to explain (or do it justice), but the show involves spacey videos, frantic lighting, synchronized dancers in weird costumes holding even weirder props, and lots and lots of techno-future rock. Let’s just say that at one point I wondered if I was watching humans. Actually, looking back at the hour that was Empire of the Sun, I’m still trying to figure out what I saw.

Singer and proverbial captain of the group’s spaceship Luke Steele stood in what looked like a docking station in the center of the stage, surrounded by synthesizers, guitars, and microphones. You’d think this would be all overwhelming, and it probably would to an average musician, but Steele traded off instruments with no problem, and at times, he even managed to play several at once. Opening with the gem “Standing on the Shore”, the crowd found a perfect outlet to a.) find their groove and b.) trip the fuck out.

Basically, the band played their entire debut record, Walking on a Dream, but in an order that was more like a journey than an actual album. The group jammed on songs like “Swordfish Hotkiss Night”, keeping the drums loud, wild, and futuristic by mixing up all sorts of instrumentation from the great beyond. Other tracks like “Delta Bay”, “Half Mast”, and “We Are the People” were all accompanied by a light and video show that would make any performer rethink the entire visual aspect of their show. Think Bowie, but on a rare combination of steroids, coke, and MDMA. To close off the amazing spectacle, the band thrashed out its single, “Walking on a Dream”, as the ecstasy-starched crowd went nuts to finish off a night they didn’t want to end. -Ted Maider
——

Gallery by Philip Cosores

[nggallery id=101]

Coachella Friday: Finally feeling the music…

Aram Rappaport — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:20:48 +0000

“Coachella exists in two time zones: the event itself and its digital afterlife,” wrote Ben Ratliff in his coverage of the festival for The New York Times. “The second zone, on cameras and blogs and Twitter and video-sharing sites, comes a heartbeat after the first, like a rockabilly slap-back echo. We agree with this assessment, and our Twitter followers probably do too, so rather than try to thrust ourselves into the “second zone,” we figured we’d dedicate our coverage to a “third zone,” the one in which memories reign supreme…

For many years past, I’ve watched, come January and February, my friends start their preparatory Coachella season with a ridiculous grin slapped across their faces. I breathe a sigh of relief come late March when they decide once again to screw all hopes of implementing an organized plan and, instead, just come to the conclusion that they’ll try to catch as many bands as possible and just, “feel the music.”

For far too long, I’ve never “felt” the music. I just couldn’t comprehend it. “You don’t FEEL music, you LISTEN to music.”

“It’s time to feel the music,” I thought to myself, deciding to take the leap. “How hard could it be?” Scared out of my mind, I typed away my credit card information on the Ticketmaster website, where I eventually settled on only one day: Friday. “Paul McCartney, should be good.” Turns out later, I would get a lot of shit for only mentioning Paul McCartney as the guy that, “should be good” — whatever that means.

Not that I was really going to see them anyways; I prepared my friends for the fact that I would only be coming for a single day. After dodging band names from Saturday and Sundays lineups like machine gun fire, everyone calmed down just a bit and decided the next best thing to do was sit me down, with a map in hand, and get me acclimated to the rules of the road. This, in all honestly, proved to be more difficult than it lets on. After going through various art installations and where to buy drugs under which fire breathing mechanical snake head, I decided to give up and just experience it all fresh and new, you know, from my own point of view. So…here goes nothing:

Things started around 9:30 Friday morning. After having hit my buddy up for a pair of his “Coachella-esque” sunglasses, I was on my way, packed to the brim with…ummmm, nothing. Well, not nothing. I did bring a back pack with a shirt, just in case it got cold. Oh, and a small overnight bag for the hotel. This seemed to be enough. I mean, how prepared could one honestly be for a day on a polo field, where they’d be watching a few bands play?

By the time we reached the highway exit towards Coachella, I was ridiculously hungry, desperately looking for a place to pull off and grab some grub. I happened into the line of cars leading directly toward the parking lots for the festival…shit. Not to worry though, my hunger was abolished by a Coachella carpooler two cars ahead, who abruptly took to puking nuclear pink chunks out the car window. Not just once, or twice, but for a fluid half mile, all the way until we entered the parking lot and lost sight of the car altogether. Hunger issue solved!

As we parked the car and opened the doors, the heat hit me like a freight train. Bloody hell was it hot. Why did I wear jeans? And later the general sentiment would be, “Why did I decide to wear a back pack the whole day?”

As we followed the mess of people towards what appeared to be the festival, I suddenly realized I was not in fact a camel, and did actually need to hydrate. Unfortunately, we were stuck in the wrong line, waiting to get into the campground instead of the festival. One hour, absolutely wasted!

At first, I thought the very unhappy overweight security guard was joking around when he asked me to empty every pocket and open every zipper on my backpack, but with a quick look, he clearly expressed otherwise. He sniffed my bag for drugs as I insisted, “Don’t worry I’m not trying to smuggle any drugs in” That seemed to go over well with the crowd, who laughed riotiously. “No seriously, I don’t have any drugs.” Harder laughter followed. Comedy for everyone, apparently.

Not really knowing anything about the festival, we stumbled upon Noah and the Whale first. They seemed to be the only thing really going on at 2:30 in the afternoon on Friday, or at least they had the most vocal following.

This British group absolutely astonished me. They seemed a bit young in their sound, not as crisp as the older guys like Leonard Cohen, but the way the violin was incorporated into the songs was fantastic. Despite the fact that the lead singer had completely lost his voice, these guys really pulled together a great set with fantastic melodies.

From there, it was time to cool down some, which seemed to be the popular thing to do all day. Many women braved the day in scantily clad clothing, an idea that proved brilliant in the day, though later on…not so much. Those same brave souls really didn’t know how to handle the cooler temperatures later on in the evening, as they shivered in their bikinis while watching a very playful Paul McCartney jam past midnight.

After stopping by the DOLAB (a fun water themed art/dance performance installation) for some desperately needed misting, we decided to catch the second half of People Under the Stairs.

Cramming my way into a mostly packed GOBI tent, knowing absolutely nothing about this group, I was pleasantly surprised by the vigor and beats they threw out. The crowd seemed “die hard” about the music, which only added to my experience. They definitely made a fan here!

Shortly following a quick bite of ridiculously over priced pizza (I hadn’t found the good food yet, only the shitty stuff on the far side of the festival), I made my way to the main stage for the remainder of The Airborne Toxic Event. Almost exhausted at this point, it seemed a perfect opportunity to lie at the outskirts of the stage and take in a great set of music.

It was only after that I became almost morbidly fascinated with three speedo-clad gentleman being stopped by all walks of life for various picture opportunities. A million questions buzzed my head: Gay? Straight? Is this a joke? Were they hired? Why do I care?

It didn’t matter, I was on my way to the Sahara tent for an experience of a lifetime, Crystal Castles. Now, I had no idea what I was in for as I met up with a couple friends who pushed our way to the center of the madness. As we passed one guy heading the other way I could hear him muttering, “Wow, it’s never been like this before.” His foreboding warning proved right. People were packed like sardines into what was the biggest tent of the festival. It was simply amazing to throb to a beat that relentlessly demanded all of your energy. I didn’t necessarily enjoy the music, but…did I have a choice? I had to remind myself I wasn’t on drugs. No really, I wasn’t.

Still drenched in sweat from my first real rave experience, I stumbled upon a still hip Leonard Cohen, who couldn’t have played a better set. He put the young guys to shame with his crisp instrumentals and absolutely amazing vocals. My all time favorite moment of the day was when he performed the all-time classic, “Halleluiah”. If for nothing else, I felt it an honor to hear this legend sing the equally legendary song.

Girl Talk came next. Clearly a party more than a concert, this guy did the same thing he always does. Take off his clothes? Check. Play around with his seran wrapped laptop? Check. Invite people to let their freak flag fly? Check. Naturally, it worked. The party was absolutely bumpin.’ Unfortunately, Paul McCartney was right up against his set, which meant a lot of people, me included, ended up splitting the scene twenty minutes in, all in hopes to try and grab a good spot for the main act.

After a thirty minute delay of some sort (did we actually expect him to be punctual?), Macca took the stage to a somber applause. Was it somber? I honestly couldn’t tell. I think there was a time delay between the stage and the back of the house far beyond the horizon. McCartney made reference to this as his first few seconds on stage included a look of “awe” over the crowd.

The camaraderie was clear as Beatles melodies mixed with recent McCartney material. Young and old rockers, punkers, rappers, children all seemed to hold their breath. Although I don’t think he quite knew how to pronounce Coachella, he won the audience over with his candid memory of Linda (Friday was the anniversary of her death, eleven years ago) and his suave, joking demeanor throughout. Responding more favorably to the Beatles tunes he played, I couldn’t believe I was in the presence of a true legend. And as the crowd sang along to “Hey Jude”, I smiled to myself, forcing my mind not to reminisce quite yet. I just let myself be in the moment.

As we pulled out of the parking lot, in relatively quick timing given the high volume of drunken drivers all headed toward the same two-lane road, I began to miss it all already. Never before have I experienced such an electric energy, and such an accepting vibe amongst peers. Despite the ever-changing line-ups, this festival always brings people together for one weekend in the middle of the desert to celebrate music. Influenced less by present day society and pop culture than it lets on, Coachella is a place to be free, and be yourself without ridicule. It’s a place where individuality thrives and music is not just heard, it’s felt.

As we hit the main roads, heading towards the hotel, it hit me, “I think next year I’ll have to plan better and catch more stuff…Naw, better just play it by ear and see where the music take me…”