Consequence of Sound » Rogue Wave

Cold Days on the Bay: CoS at Treasure Island ’10

Harry Painter — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:00:59 +0000

There aren’t many suitable locales for a music festival in San Francisco, but Another Planet Entertainment has them covered pretty well. APE runs the shaky but largely successful Outside Lands in the very green and very beautiful Golden Gate Park (also home to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass) every year, and along with Noise Pop has made use out of an otherwise useless, tiny, artificial island in the Bay.

Treasure Island sits next to the Bay Bridge between Oakland and San Francisco. It was built out of landfill in the 1930s specifically to celebrate the completion of the bridge, along with the Golden Gate Bridge, and has been owned by the Navy since then. The Navy closed its base over a decade ago, however, so now its main functions are being an earthquake disaster waiting to happen and hosting more celebrations, like dragon boat festivals and music festivals.

The Treasure Island Music Festival, which by its fourth year has found its niche as California’s most worthwhile annual concert not in a desert, took place over the weekend. There are reasons it’s so worthwhile — the tickets have been great value from the start, the setting is top-notch, the transportation is efficient, and, most importantly, it knows what it is and doesn’t try to be anything else. Twenty-thousand-plus people came out for two days of music tailor-made for the Bay Area audience: one day of electronica and dance for the rolling-super-hard crowd, and a second day of chill indie rock for the rolling-fatty-joints crowd.

Photo by Ted Maider

The festival also featured all the usual (and some not-so-usual) festival amenities, such as a ferris wheel, a cybercafé/DJ Hero station, a silent disco, and various sponsored tents (one, of course, was a cannabis club tent offering coupons for free “medijoints”). There was a salon tent giving out free haircuts, a workshop for learning crafts, and a skee ball booth. The food was mostly the usual fare, but there were some interesting options, including a booth for organic health food and a vendor offering potato and spinach knishes along with the hot dogs. A French truck featured escargot lollipops and what were called Maine lobster cappuccinos. Yum.

Only real downside to all of this? It’s cold as hell. In San Francisco, you can expect the weather to be cold, windy, and foggy at any given time of year, and in October there’s just no way you’re going to get your comfy, dependable, 100-degree-plus summer festival weather. On Saturday, no amount of dancing could have prevented the unprepared from shelling out for a hoodie or flannel shirt; the heavy wind was a disaster for the myriad hipsters in hot-pants. The wind chill Sunday was equally cruel, and the intermittent rain that marked the first three hours of the fest was actually a welcome change.

Photo by Ted Maider

But outside of one stage change and a short set time early on for The Mumlers, the music was unhampered by the weather. And the music is what matters, right? Right.

Feature photo by Harry Painter.

Saturday, October 16th

Maus Haus
Bridge Stage, 12:00 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

The first of several local bands, San Francisco’s own Maus Haus kicked things off with an energetic set of experimental electropop jams. The sextet was heavy on the synthesizers (there must have been at least three up there), but Maus Haus is no generic dance pop band. There was a little of that, but there was also a little ambient noise and electro rock. Also, as any good festival opener should, Maus Haus opted to take some time between numbers to educate the early crowd on some of the history of Treasure Island. All of it was equally welcome, and hopefully the next time the band plays the fest it will be at a well-deserved later slot.

wallpaper.
Tunnel Stage, 12:45 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

When the highlight of your show is bringing out your “band” of brightly dressed hipsters with cowbells, you’re probably a bit of a gimmick. Like Mayer Hawthorne, Oakland’s Eric Frederic — one-half of wallpaper. — makes his living as a skinny white guy singing ironic soul songs. Both corny, except wallpaper.’s music is even less authentic, if that’s possible. The duo (Frederic on vocals and iPod, Arjun Singh on drums) played song after mailed-in neo-disco song about sex and booze, Frederic playing the backing tracks on his iPod while Singh drummed along. Of course, the iPod handled the complex drum parts. Oh well, being bored at a festival at one in the afternoon is nothing to complain about. Besides, it was all in good fun; Frederic was charismatic and made some choice jokes about casual sex and selling drugs at the merch booth. And he apparently has a song called “Laptops from Methadone Clinics”, so there’s that.

Holy Fuck
Bridge, 1:30 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

If you haven’t seen these folks yet, go go go. I won’t profess to have any idea what Holy Fuck does on stage, but I know it sounds great and the novelty hasn’t worn off yet. Visualize a drummer and a bassist backing two guys standing opposite each other twisting knobs and screaming into distorted microphones. You’re already probably halfway to knowing what the Toronto four-piece sounds like, but basically it’s noisy, improvisational, sometimes psychedelic, and all live (*cough* wallpaper. *cough*). Instruments include analog synths and a 35mm film synchronizer, but that translates into a bunch of gadgets on a table tangled in a mess of wires. It’s fun to watch. I had the thought, Holy Fuck’s sound would fit an arena quite nicely, so Radiohead, if you’re reading this, first stop reading and put out your album, and then invite Holy Fuck to open for you please.

Jamaica
Tunnel, 2:15 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

Fun fact: Eight of the 13 Saturday acts were foreign, and only three of those were from primarily English-speaking countries. Another fun fact: Jamaica isn’t from Jamaica, but Paris. The band also doesn’t play even remotely electronic music, so what was it doing on the Saturday lineup? Never mind, it’s dancey rock music so close enough. Jamaica, dressed for climbing Mt. Everest, put on a set of catchy grunge-pop songs in the vein of fellow slackers Free Energy. There wasn’t much beneath the surface, but it was kind of nice to have a token riff-rock band on Saturday.

Die Antwoord
Bridge, 3:00 p.m.

What does it say about the state of indie hip-hop when Die Antwoord is the only hip-hop act at a festival that previously signed on acts like Murs, Cut Chemist, Zion I, The Streets, Aesop Rock, and Crown City Rockers? Screw it, what does it say about the state of indie hip-hop that Die Antwoord is even popular (and not even technically indie anymore)? Yes, the South African trio is a joke, but the band is not any funnier than ICP, which everyone hates (or Ali G, who Ninja is shamelessly biting).

Photo by Ted Maider

Anyway, a certain portion of the crowd ate this shit up. Die Antwoord came out dressed in the same outfits from the “Enter the Ninja” video, Yo-Landi Vi$$er making a wardrobe change halfway through and Ninja gradually undressing. Ninja can flow and both of them have stage presence and can work a crowd. But maybe I’m a little old to be impressed by generic electro-rap beats and fart-joke lyricism. One crowdmember remarked after it was over, “Some people will dance to anything with that type of beat.” Exactly. However, like wallpaper. earlier, Ninja and Vi$$er did not take themselves seriously; they actually made the butterfly gestures during “Enter the Ninja”, for example, and ended the set by yelling out “Be happy!” No arguments here.

Phantogram
Tunnel, 3:45 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

Phantogram, one of the best acts Saturday, also turned out to be one of the mellowest. The duo, guitarist Josh Carter and keyboardist Sarah Barthel (accompanied by a live drummer), plays a blend of shoegaze, trip-hop, and psychedelic pop backing dark, atmospheric vocals from both members. This was the first band that really packed the stage, and if that’s a sign of rising popularity, it’s well deserved. Phantogram played a dance-friendly set but sported some substance to go along with the style. And, okay, elephant in the room, Sarah Barthel is cute. It’s just a little crush.

!!!
Bridge, 4:35 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

Everyone should be familiar with what !!! does by now. The Sacramento dance-punk outfit is a nonstop ball of kinetic energy, particularly metrosexual frontman Nic Offer, who made his way into the crowd several times and was never standing in one place for five seconds – despite having performed in Tokyo the day before, according to Offer, and getting a mere three hours of sleep. While the band is much more suited to the club, like say the Noise Pop festival earlier this year, than a large festival stage, it’s not for lack of presence. !!! is no stranger to festivals and handled the large crowd gracefully. At times, Offer seemed out of breath and couldn’t quite nail his parts. In hindsight, it wouldn’t have killed the energy for him to slow down a little — there is plenty else to focus on at a !!! show, with the band’s multiple guitars, keyboards, a backing vocalist, and a saxophonist.

Four Tet
Tunnel, 5:25 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

Kieran Hebden’s main live instrument is a laptop, and his light show came across as modest with full daylight still out. However, flashiness was not required and Hebden, better known as Four Tet, put on an irresistible set. Probably the second-best of the day, in fact. It’s understandable that IDM doesn’t get a lot of love at festivals where people just want to wear mouse masks and dance, but artists like Hebden lend credibility to the mainstream-again dance music community. Still, it’s hard to tell what Hebden was doing up there besides checking his e-mail and bobbing his head.

Kruder & Dorfmeister
Bridge, 6:15 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

The Austrian duo Kruder & Dorfmeister are renowned for their downtempo remixes, but they kept the tempo up in a rare live show Saturday. Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister, the first nighttime act, rocked the turntables in front of some stunning visuals, while two well-dressed MC’s kept the crowd involved. This meant prancing around stage and yelling inane things like “everybody go boom!” but the crowd would surely have lost interest otherwise. Actually, for a crowd that was oblivious even to LCD Soundsystem’s early material, the audience was rather enthusiastic about K & D. This performance marked the end of the duo’s first North American tour in 10 years, and whenever K & D does it again, it won’t be soon enough. Well, a couple months or so would be fine.

Little Dragon
Tunnel, 7:05 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat — Little Dragon is known more for frontwoman Yukimi Nagano’s appearances on Gorillaz’ album Plastic Beach than its own music, and it would have delighted people to hear a line from “Empire Ants” during Little Dragon’s set. But there was no need to pander, because believe it or not, Little Dragon has some fantastic songs in its own right. The Swedish quartet played a new one for the Treasure Island crowd, and it fits right into the band’s tiny canon of subtle dance pop. These songs are to be heard live, not only because of Nagano’s infectious dancing and sexy crooning, but because the band is pretty damn good too. Sure, Little Dragon plays some simple, atmospheric pop songs, but the guys can also jam a little — and that’s when they’re at their best.

Deadmau5
Bridge, 7:55 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

Firstly, Deadmau5 apparently flew to the Smokeout Festival in Southern California after his set to perform another set there, but he does wear a giant mau5 mask, so he could’ve swindled us — we’ll never know. Either way, a plethora of Treasure Island attendees were there just to see Deadmau5, whose star has risen swiftly. It’s not clear why; is he doing anything dozens of other artists aren’t doing, besides wearing a giant, glowing mouse mask and performing behind a v-shaped structure and a bunch of cool visuals? Maybe that’s the point, to drug up, dance, and be impressed with the lighting, but why is Deadmau5 better than Mickey Mau5? Besides “Ghosts n Stuff”, most of the tunes he played at Treasure Island were relatively tuneless, which is fine if done right; it’s just hard to get into the repetitive noodling. Further, the energy never really built up; he would tease at something explosive before reverting to stagnant, lifeless minimalism. Once again, that single of his was the only exception.

Like K & D, Deadmau5 had an MC come out to hype the audience, but she was only on stage for a song or two before leaving the man to his work. The DJ (real name Joel Zimmerman) is certainly hard-working, and has put together a beautiful show. The question is whether people would care about that show if a couple of French robots hadn’t popularized the concept of masked DJ’s and personalized stages in the first place. I suppose it doesn’t matter, because if you want to see Deadmau5 for the visuals and the drugs, you will not be disappointed. If it’s the music you care about, just don’t expect anything special.

Miike Snow
Tunnel, 8:45 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

Deadmau5 concluded the rave portion of the evening, meaning people began to leave, but Miike Snow and LCD Soundsystem kept the vast majority of folks there for the rest of the night. The former, which played amidst a thick cloud of smoke, played to an enthusiastic but exhausted crowd — an inevitable side effect of a long and relentlessly cold day. The Swedish band, which American singer Andrew Wyatt insisted was a band and not a person, strolled through songs like “Burial” and “Black and Blue”, the latter of which went through a pretty ugly and unnecessary distortion job. However, Miike Snow nailed singles “Sylvia” and “Animal”, the song that will never escape this band. “Animal”, which seemed to go on extra long just for shits and giggles, obviously elicited the largest crowd response.

LCD Soundsystem
Bridge, 9:35 p.m.

How do you follow up a career-defining headlining gig at the Hollywood Bowl with a short headlining set at a small festival? The way James Murphy and co. pulled it off was to do everything the same but cut out a few songs. Literally, we’re talking the same set in practically the same order, minus “Get Innocuous!”, “Someone Great”, and “Losing My Edge”. Those are three songs that it sucks to have missed out on.

But let’s focus on the positive, namely that LCD Soundsystem murdered this festival. As Murphy has neared the end of his tour — like so many other acts at Treasure Island — he and his band have begun playing “Dance Yrself Clean” live, and now it’s hard to imagine being satisfied without hearing the This is Happening opener. Everyone knew when the beat was going to drop, everyone was waiting for it, and most reacted appropriately and danced thmselves clean. The other two This is Happening tracks which opened the set were also well received, although “Drunk Girls” is kind of a snoozer, at least coming between “Dance Yrself Clean” and “I Can Change”.

Photo by Ted Maider

LCD continued to murder with “Daft Punk is Playing at My House”, although the audience shockingly seemed to lose interest. This trend continued for the other old songs; there were singalongs for the new ones, but anything off of the self-titled (almost half the set) was met with half-assed response. Even “Tribulations”, for God’s sake. Was 2005 really that long ago?

The band ignored Sound of Silver material with the exception of “All My Friends”, which was probably not a wise choice for this crowd, but if Murphy is really going to be easing off of LCD Soundsystem in the coming years, it was the right choice.

Photo by Ted Maider

Lame crowd notwithstanding, the show was the best you could hope for in one hour and 15 minutes. Murphy really sings nowadays instead of just yelling into the mic, and you can tell his band is having a good time. The highlight was Murphy leading the audience in a slow clap which built directly into the opening of “Movement”, which just so happens to shred live.

Murphy acknowledged that the show was just too short, however: “I don’t make the rules,” he quipped as he introduced the final number, “Home”. Finishing up at just after 10:50 p.m., LCD was not allowed an encore, which was expected given the strict start and end times to every set. Still, here’s hoping Murphy comes back before he abandons the project.

Sunday, October 17th

Phosphorescent
Tunnel, 12:00 p.m.

Phosphorescent was booked for the main stage, but the weather had different plans for indie folk musician Matthew Houck and his band. Thankfully, no cancellations, because damn if Phosphorescent wasn’t one of the best acts all day. There’s no good reason Phosphorescent should have been on so early — this meant a lot of people missing him, rain or not. Houck’s guitarist Jesse Anderson Ainsley and his keyboardist Scott Stapleton were some of the most technically proficient musicians at the festival. Phosphorescent’s set included a good mix of vocal harmonization and good, old-fashioned rock soloing. Houck is quite the musician himself, and an even better vocalist. “The Mermaid Parade”, in particular, was a moment of brilliance.

Photo by Harry Painter.

The Mumlers
Tunnel, 12:52 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

Thanks to Phosphorescent being switched to the Tunnel stage, The Mumlers held the distinction of being the only act with a snipped set time. The San Jose sextet, which was also the only act with a guitarist dressed like a pirate, was able to make it on stage 12 minutes after scheduled. The Mumlers, despite the pirate (bloody face makeup and all) and a french horn or two, got kind of lost in the shuffle of chill indie rock acts on Sunday. They’re more than just an indie rock band, though — they displayed classic rock, jazz, and folk sensibilities and aptly followed a Phosphorescent set everyone seemed to love. When The Mumlers weren’t allowed to play their final song, the audience let out a loud groan. The pirate took it all in good humor, leaving us with “The greatest treasure was having you for an audience.” Arrr, matey.

Ra Ra Riot
Bridge, 1:15 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

My, oh my, I can’t believe I’ve ignored this band for so long. Ra Ra Riot is much more than a pretty cellist — she also has a good voice. Kidding, kidding. Really, Ra Ra Riot was perfect. If you’re a sucker for strings in your indie pop, jump on this bandwagon. The Syracuse sextet has a penchant for playing cheerful, emotional music with marching skins and sweeping strings. Frontman Wes Miles, who seems comfortable with the band’s popularity, can make the main stage feel like the most intimate place on Earth, like you’re up there with them just watching them rehearse. Ra Ra Riot will certainly be on much later next time the band plays this festival; the band was an absolute pleasure so early in the day.

Papercuts
Tunnel, 1:55 p.m.

Local musician Jason Quever’s project Papercuts is another act that failed to leave an impression amongst the several laid-back indie acts Sunday. Quever makes droning dream pop accompanied by soft, almost whispering vocals. He and his band had a couple of genuinely interesting moments, but the majority of Papercuts’ set was background music.

Superchunk
Bridge, 2:30 p.m.

The old guys of the festival, North Carolina’s indie rock heroes Superchunk, were touring behind new album Majesty Shredding, their first album since 2001′s Here’s to Shutting Up. Superchunk’s DIY riff-rock fit in just fine in an era when people suddenly care about Pavement again. The band played new tracks such as “Rosemarie”, “Digging for Something”, and “Crossed Wires”, along with old faves like “Slack Motherfucker” and “Throwing Things”. The band looked happy to be there, but also made a point whether they meant to or not — bring back the fucking rock and roll.

Photo by Ted Maider.

The Sea and Cake
Tunnel, 3:15 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

The Sea and Cake, which has opened for fellow Treasure Island band Broken Social scene in the past, probably isn’t the best example of bringing back the fucking rock and roll, but the Chicago indie act did partake in some quality jamming. The Sea and Cake’s set wandered into everything from chill surf rock (which was becoming quite tired by now) to smooth jazz to post-rock. The mood wasn’t exactly befitting of the band, coming after Superchunk, but anyone who skipped The Sea and Cake is going to have to put the band on his list.

She & Him
Bridge, 4:00 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

If Zooey Deschanel wasn’t the queen of all that is indie, She & Him would not be booked at every damn festival on the planet. Half the people there are watching for the novelty of seeing Deschanel sing — and she’s pretty good at it, but the songs are another story. They range from poppy indie folk to doo-wop anthems, none of which are very original. And while Deschanel can sing, she just lacks power, the same way Charlotte Gainsbourg does. Deschanel has the better voice, but she either gets drowned out by the band or simply trails off at the end of each line. M. Ward is a little more reliable on the guitar, but he couldn’t save this set. If you were forgiving, however, you could have appreciated Deschanel’s earnestness on the ballad “Take it Back” or her cheeriness on Vol. 2 track “In the Sun”.

Monotonix
Tunnel, 4:50 p.m.

My God, what did I get myself into here? These three hairy guys from Tel Aviv may have sounded nothing like they do in studio, but I wouldn’t have known that beforehand and it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Where do we begin? Singer Ami Shalev was dressed like an aging former soccer player making a final comeback just to break some bones. Guitarist Yonatan Gat and drummer Haggai Fershtman looked like the guys MGMT modeled themselves after before turning it into a lame fashion trend.

The band, Monotonix, doesn’t play on stage. The trio set up in the middle of the crowd from the start and proceeded to jam. Shalev was all about crowd participation, standing on top of the bass drum, crowd surfing, going out of his way to make everyone part of the show. The crowd formed a circle around Monotonix, Gat doing his best to keep on track while being shoved from behind. Periodically, the band would pick up its instruments and relocate, with fans doing what they could to help (it’s amazing the guitar cord made it through the show intact).

The very indie crowd wasn’t prepared for 40 minutes of garage punk between the She & Him and Broken Social Scene sets, but the mosh pits soon began. Anyone within 30 feet of the band couldn’t hum a single line from a Monotonix song, but everyone will remember three things: the impromptu Shalev-led singalong to “A Hard Day’s Night”, Shalev dumping a bag of garbage onto Fershtman, and the finale of Shalev tossing a tom into the stacked drum kit. Shalev is no GG Allin, but crazy is crazy and he was crazy enough.

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Photos by Harry Painter.

Broken Social Scene
Bridge, 5:35 p.m.

It can only be described as a shame that Broken Social Scene was limited to 50 minutes, but that’s the nature of Treasure Island — it was actually one of the longest sets of the day. The band started things off with Forgiveness Rock Record track “Meet Me in the Basement”, then quickly squeezed in some longtime favorites like “7/4 Shoreline” and “Texico Bitches”, both of which rock so much more live than on record. No Emily Haines, but BSS managed a sweet rendition of “Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl”.

Photo by Ted Maider

Kevin Drew dropped his guitar early on, which didn’t seem to matter, as BSS has four or five guitarists at once. Drew joked that he literally breaks a guitar at every show, which may not have been a joke at all. By the end of the set, Drew took to the crowd, making sure to leave his mark on the fest in case the music wasn’t enough. It really wasn’t, but that’s because there just wasn’t enough of it.

Surfer Blood
Tunnel, 6:25 p.m.

Photo by Ted Maider

This band so deserves all that hype it gets. There was plenty enough surf rock going on at Treasure Island, but if it’s good it’s good, and none was better at it than Surfer Blood. Touring behind its only album Astro Coast, Surfer Blood tore through tracks like “Swim”, “Take it Easy”, and “Floating Vibes”. The quintet even did a cover of Pavement’s “Box Elder”, which was appropriate considering the band is pretty much a cross between Pavement and Modest Mouse. The songs did blend together late in the set, being that most of them are similar in tone and tempo, but all in all Surfer Blood left a promising impression. Skipping even one song, the last song, to get a spot for The National was a tough decision.

The National
Bridge, 7:15 p.m.

Yet it was the right decision, because The National was the best act at Treasure Island this year. The National has gotten better and better over the years, and in 2010 has found the ideal mix between being sensitive, artsy poets and outright rock stars. This is especially the case with the Brooklyn band’s live output; songs that amount to midtempo hummers on record, like “Squalor Victoria” and “England”, become fiery and full of rage when performed live. The difference is the Dessner brothers’ love for loud, unhinged distortion and Matt Berninger’s willingness to scream — when Berninger gets red-faced and shouts “afraid of the house, because they’re desperate to entertain,” you realize he means every last word. Or maybe it’s the wine he drinks before he performs.

Photo by Harry Painter

The National also appear increasingly comfortable being on stage. It takes a lot of confidence to be a rock star, and it didn’t feel like the band had or wanted that confidence in 2008. Now, Berninger and the Dessners pose on stage and exchange witty banter like they’re in a living room with 8,000 friends. “He doesn’t let us wear suits,” complained Bryce Dessner about Berninger’s wardrobe choices. Berninger responded with, “Respect the suit; you guys are frumpy.” Before “Slow Show”, Dessner pointed out the song makes reference to Berninger’s genitalia, to which Berninger clarified that it wasn’t true: “A small area of the song is about my dick.”

The set was heavy on High Violet and Boxer stuff, including only the essentials from Alligator (“Abel”, “Mr. November”) and nothing from the band’s early albums. This was doing pretty well for a one-hour festival set though, and the band covered a pretty good range of the stuff people wanted to hear. The National, at the end of its tour, played all the late-set mainstays in the expected order: “Fake Empire” into “Mr. November” into “Terrible Love” — a lineup there’s no complaining about. Dessner dedicated “Mr. November” to the Democrats, after which Berninger, not wanting to be uncool, dedicated “Terrible Love” to the Republicans, and then to babies, because “everyone loves babies.”

Rogue Wave
Tunnel, 8:15 p.m.

“Following The National sucks,” sighed Zach Rogue, frontman of Oakland’s Rogue Wave. He wasn’t kidding, but his band held its own coming between the two big Sunday names on the smaller stage. Rogue Wave may have been the indiest band at this mercilessly indie musical gathering, but performances of songs like “Lake Michigan” and “Bird on a Wire” were anything but indie kitsch. The band made the performance something special by bringing out fellow Oakland musician Ted Nesseth of The Heavenly States for a collaboration. Both Rogue Wave and Nesseth had their fair share of supporters at the festival.

Photo by Ted Maider

Rogue Wave brought the politics much more readily than The National, dedicating “Solitary Gun”, a track off the band’s latest album, Permalight, to Oscar Grant, the man who was shot and killed by a police officer at an Oakland train station while face down and unarmed. Trade secret: If you want to get a Bay Area crowd on your side, it’s a good idea to bring up Oscar Grant.

The set consisted of material spanning Rogue Wave’s career, and it felt like the band was a miniature headliner for the local folks. Nothing but love from the Bay Area audience.

Belle & Sebastian
Bridge, 9:05 p.m.

There was no one more deserving to headline the Treasure Island fest than Belle & Sebastian, but the Scottish indie poppers were an anticlimactic close to a great festival. Any huge fan would have been just fine with the set — it was heavy on If You’re Feeling Sinister and Dear Catastrophe Waitress material, and gave equal attention to new album Write About Love. To top it all off, the band was accompanied by a five-piece string section. Stuart Murdoch was crowd-friendly, exchanging banter incessantly and even making a couple of kids’ days by pointing them out in the audience.

In fact, it was a good show. Belle & Sebastian just isn’t the band to close a festival.

Photo by Ted Maider

Guitarist Stevie Jackson at one point led the crowd in a relatively complex singalong for new track “I’m Not Living in the Real World”, featuring an “ooh” in three different keys. Jackson joked that we could handle it, because “San Francisco is a musical city.” SF handled it just beautifully, and it was one of the highlights of the set.

The band of course played “Piazza New York Catcher”, which features lyrics about the San Francisco Giants playing the New York Mets, and also references SF’s Tenderloin district. Murdoch remarked that he had not realized how many of Belle & Sebastian’s songs were based on San Francisco. He then did a little pandering: “The Phillies don’t stand a chance, man. Give it to them!” Sorry, Philadelphia, he’s right.

“The Boy with the Arab Strap” had people all the way across the grounds dancing jovially; this was on a weekend when people were reluctant to dance even on the dance day, and the talkers came in droves. But for this one song, Belle & Sebastian had everyone’s attention and there was nothing but happiness in the air, which is kind of what this band is about.

Photo by Ted Maider

So what made this the wrong band to close the festival? It’s just that they’re so damn…twee. By about halfway through, Belle & Sebastian had overdosed us on the upbeat four-minute pop songs, and I just wanted them to depress me for once. Where was the soul? Belle & Sebastian is such a lovable band in moderation that it’s hard to see how stale the band can get until it happens. Not once did Belle & Sebastian ever turn a head or wow anyone, not the way The National, LCD Soundsystem, or even Broken Social Scene did. Perhaps it just wasn’t an ideal setlist. The performance never felt important, not even during the encore of “Judy & the Dream of Horses”, which is a fantastic song, but not one with which to close a weekend of great music. Oh well.

CoS vs. Grant Park III: Round Two at Lollapalooza ’10

CoS Staff — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 11:13:49 +0000

Lollapalooza 2010. You wake up. Every muscle in your body hurts, even the ones you didn’t know existed. The excitement of day one has all been replaced with a feeling of sheer exhaustion. “Ugh… two more days of this,” you think as you contemplate the best method of getting your legs working again. Your mind then quickly focuses on which bands can be skipped in favor of an extra hour of sleep.

But then you get up. A cool shower washes off all the stale sweat you chose not to get off the night before. Remember that part about sheer exhaustion? You dress, gingerly walk down the stairs of your apartment, and grab breakfast at your favorite local diner. After all, nothing says energy like a healthy dose of two cage-free eggs and toast.

Upon arriving at Grant Park, the first thing you notice are the religious zealots yelling about how you’re going to hell because you listen to Lady Gaga. As you chuckle in response, you realize the blistering sun of yesterday has been replaced by a healthy dose of clouds. Your exhaustion immediately turns to anticipation and you race into the park to begin your day.

Ten hours (and 15 minutes) later, you’re walking home, having just witnessed one of the great Lollapalooza performances to date. And to think, you — for at least a second — had considered skipping the day and watching reruns of America’s Next Top Model.

Every person goes through this emotional roller coaster and every person — like it or not — has this love/hate relationship with any and every festival. You love it because of stuff like what happened Saturday night (e.g., Green Day). You hate it because of the morning after exhaustion, and you even end up making some absurd promise about how this is the last time you’ll put yourself through such a grind or that next year you’re getting a cabana. Of course, that never ends up being true because, well, of stuff like what happened Saturday night at Lollapalooza.

So when you wake up tomorrow morning, remember why it’s all worth it…

Saturday, August 7th

Mimicking Birds
adidas MEGA, 11:30 a.m.

Photo by Cap Blackard

The very small (yet sincere) crowd gathered around the adidas MEGA stage seemed wrapped in a mellow cocoon with vocalist/guitarist Nate Lacy weaving it all around. The trio seemed a little nervous (which is surprising, considering their 2009 opening slot for Modest Mouse), yet their acoustic twinged songs still plucked at the heartstrings. The songs alternated between sunsets (“Burning Stars” with its repeated mantra of “All we are is burning stars”) and sunrises (the eruption of “The Loop”, with lines like “Soon now her star will swell, bloat up, turn bright red”). With so many lyrics dependent on the stars, Mimicking Birds set left their audience with heads gently swimming in the clouds. -Adam Kivel

The Morning Benders
Sony bloggie, 12:00 p.m.

“We recognize it’s the crack of dawn…Lollapalooza time,” said lead singer Chris Chu, shortly after The Morning Benders began their “early” set. Under overcast skies, the shoegaze pop (if there is such a thing) provided the sun for a while, and the harmonies provided the breeze. Highlights included the funky verse/sunny chorus of “Promises” and the short, upbeat “Cold War”, both off the band’s new record, Big Echo. The voices harmonized stunningly, and the instruments were played well, but there was something that didn’t quite ring true with the band. Perhaps it was the “too cool for school” attitude of Chu, who seemed to try too hard at times to look the part. By the time he dropped the sunglasses and let loose, the set was almost at an end. The talent is there, though, and hopefully The Morning Benders will be allotted a set longer than half an hour next year. – Justin Gerber

The Soft Pack
Budweiser, 12:30 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

By no means is half past 12 really all that early. But, when you’re a musician, on the second day of a music festival, and it’s a fucking Saturday, half past 12 is an axe to the eyes, a weight to the head, and a major, major bummer. Frontman and guitarist Matt Lamkin would agree, who looked as excited to be on the Budweiser stage as Mickey Rourke did for his prison mugshot. But that didn’t stop him from pummeling through an assortment of material off his group’s latest LP. Renditions of “C’mon” and “More or Less” seemed tired, but Lamkin finally found his swing after introducing the band in the most cheesy, obnoxious way (all in good fun) and jumping into “Parasite”. The rest came natural. They even introduced a killer new tune, which goes untitled, but features a slide guitar and sounds very Doors-ish, a la L.A. Woman-era. Total win. -Michael Roffman

Rogue Wave
adidas MEGA, 1:00 p.m.

Photo by Cap Blackard

A scattered, relaxed crowd gathered for Rogue Wave as they eased their way on to the stage and tried to play, only to face technical difficulties. On the second try, with Steve Taylor still motioning for his keyboard to be turned up, sound gradually improved and sent the crowd on their way for a great set starting with Permalight‘s “Stars and Stripes”. The crowd started to pick up on the band’s energetic spirit with the third song of the set, “Solitary Gun”, as beach balls flew up into the air along with enthusiastic claps, causing vocalist, Zach Rogue, to scream, “I love you!”. When it came time to perform the very appropriate “Lake Michigan”, there was nothing but the banging of drums, teasing the crowd for a good minute until the rest of the band chimed in, lifting the audience into the most exciting moment of the set. -Lauren Guagno

Harlem
Sony bloggie, 1:00 p.m.

“Oh, it’s gonna be another one of those shows.”

Playing a show early in the afternoon is a challenge for anyone, especially young bands who, let’s face it, more than likely partied a little too hard the night before. When the guitarist for Harlem apologized to the crowd by saying that they had just woken up, no one was surprised. Though they had some technical difficulties early on, the band played through them and the loose, ramshackle atmosphere they created was rather endearing. Midway through the show, the guitarist and drummer switched places, proving that these guys are talented musicians, even if their music tends to get a little off key. While the crowd was sparse, Harlem kept their energy high throughout their 35 minute set. While none of the songs were particularly remarkable, as my friend put it, “they’re just a fun rock ‘n’ roll band.” Sometimes, that’s all that matters. -Carson O’Shoney

Wild Beasts
Playstation, 1:15 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

From the introductory electronic plinking and spoken word poem, it was clear that Wild Beasts were going to be one of the more theatrical sets of the weekend. Dual vocalists Tom Fleming and Hayden Thorpe’s operatic falsettos upped that gambit, much to the crowd’s delight. Fleming’s hollers of “Watch me!” over the marching beat of fan favorite “All the King’s Men” garnered matching howls from the huge, dancing crowd. “Where we’re from, everyone huddles and shivers and gets sad,” Thorpe remarked, lamenting the lack of a Lollapalooza in the band’s native Kendal, in the northwest of England. That might explain all of the pastoral drama, but it sure fit in even in the bright, midday sun. -Adam Kivel

Blues Traveler
Parkways, 1:45 p.m.

Photo by Cap Blackard

This writer grossly underestimated the audience that would turn out for this band’s performance Saturday afternoon. The biggest stage on the south side of Lolla, if not the whole of the festival, was packed with those eager to hear the jam band play their hits and deep cuts. Blues Traveler obliged right off the bat, marching out to “America, Fuck Yeah” from Team America: World Police and playing their most famous hit, “Run-Around”. Between this and the closer, “Hook”, the group played a solid hour’s worth of extended jams, including “You, Me and Everything”, with calls from the band and answers from the crowd. Two covers were also performed: Sublime’s “What I’ve Got” to big success, and Radiohead’s “Creep” which proved to be, well, different. “Wanna thank the Lollapaloozans,” said frontman John Popper near the end of the set. “Chicago, you rule!” Chicago apparently felt the same in return. – Justin Gerber

Warpaint
Sony bloggie, 2:15 p.m.

Photo by Cap Blackard

Shoegazy, psychedelic, dank; the four L.A. women that make up Warpaint may have only one EP under their belt (the solid Exquisite Corpse), but the controlled, tamed sound the group poured out onto the relaxed, shaded crowd sounded like a veteran outfit. “This song is called “Beetles”,” guitarist Theresa Wayman coyly announced, “It’s about your mind.” The chiming guitars, reverbed, dim bass and thundering drums sounded out songs that were simultaneously like a drug-induced hypnosis and a lithe dance party. The anthemic “Elephant” closed out the impressive set, with the telling “I’ll break your heart” looming over the stage. -Adam Kivel

Against Me!
adidas MEGA, 2:45 p.m.

“We got three hours of sleep last night… so we’re holding nothing back,” proclaimed Against Me! frontman Tom Gabel shortly after his band launched their mid-afternoon set at the adidas MEGA stage. By the time it was all said and done, Gabel proved a man of his words, as the Florida punk outfit spent the next 60 minutes dishing out ferocious punk rock, stopping only to take catch their breath. In turn, the crowd, already jazzed for the evening’s other mosh friendly entertainment, responded with a non-stop onslaught of moshes and crowd surfing. Even those in the back couldn’t help but offer a head bang or two. But, of course, mosh inducing was only one component of Against Me!’s set — the lyrical potency of 2007′s New Wave and the newly released White Crosses was on full display. In fact, the only real complaint that could be made was the presence of former Hold Steady multi-instrumentalist Franz Nicolay, who joined Against Me! earlier this year. There’s just something about curly mustaches and accordion playing that doesn’t really jive with lyrics pertaining to societal dissatisfaction and songs about abortion clinics. Thank god punks are so accepting. -Alex Young

Photo by Heather Kaplan

The xx
Playstation, 3:15 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

As Chicago’s hot sun baked the mixed crowd of fans (that being a mixture of “bros” and die-hard fans sporting black and white XX shirts), heavy drums and bass teased the crowd until Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim, and Jamie Smith hit the stage. For a band who favors playing in the dark, the sun certainly didn’t mix well (or help), resulting in an odd setting that slowly bled spectators away. However, for the fans who stuck around, they witnessed a tremendous and awfully tight set. Sim stole the spotlight, though Croft appeared quite comfortable whispering every once and awhile. Next time, an evening set at the very least? -Phillip Roffman

Grizzly Bear
Budweiser, 4:15 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

“Holy shit, look at all of you!” – Ed Droste (after walking onstage to a massive crowd)

Music festivals are tailor-made for bands with high energy, high volume music. Grizzly Bear’s music is the exact opposite. They create subtle and beautifully intricate melodies that can be easily lost on large outdoor crowds. That kind of music is always a challenge in front of thousands of people on a hot day. Just a couple years ago, the thought of Grizzly Bear at a festival scared me away – as reviews of their sets at Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo in 2008 and 2009, respectively, were less than spectacular. But something happened between then and now – they’ve figured out how to make their music work for a large festival crowd. They’ll always be more of a club band – but playing to your audience is never a bad thing. They slightly beefed up their sound and put on a great show for a receptive crowd. The biggest cheers came for Veckatimest tracks, especially “Two Weeks”, but the band also dug into their earlier work and played fan favorites like “Knife” and “Little Brother”. In the end, Grizzly Bear beat the odds and came out on top with a captivating show. -Carson O’Shoney

Royal Bangs
BMI, 4:15 p.m.

Photo by Cap Blackard

“Hey, we’re Grizzly Bear, thanks so much for coming to see us tonight.” -Ryan Schaefer

This Knoxville trio’s been receiving its fair share of press lately. It helps that they’re adding more and more fans by the week, too. (I can’t tell you how many shirts I saw at Pitchfork this year.) But, they deserve it. Dubbed as Tropical and Neo-Soul, the Royal Bangs may not truly have a grasp on their sound yet, but whatever they’re doing is fun. At times it feels as if it’s Passion Pit covering a Billy Joel tune (“Maniverse”), other times it sounds like a quick take on LCD Soundsystem (“My Car is Haunted”). At the intimate BMI stage, where hundreds of folks cluttered the forest-y area primed to dance and groove, the sound apparently was a major success. Let’s just hope any new fans don’t go home thinking they’re Grizzly Bear. -Michael Roffman

Deer Tick
Sony bloggie, 5:00 p.m.

Photo by Cap Blackard

Beard of the festival goes to Deer Tick drummer, Dennis Ryan, whose beard puts Zach Galifianakis to shame. As for the music, equally impressive. John McCauley, rocking white-rimmed sunglasses and a white fedora, brought out his road-weary pipes amongst the southern-rock music. Within the controlled chaos, stunning five-count-‘em-five-part harmonies could be heard that hearkened back to The Allman Brothers. However, I doubt Gregg Allman and Duane Allman ever locked lips onstage after a jam session like McCauley and guitarist Ian O’Neil did during “Electric Funeral”. The audience was highly receptive, and played along with McCauley’s sense of humor. “Because this [“28 Miles”] is our only single off the new album,” he said, “by default, it’s the closest thing we have to a hit single.” A good band to check out as the sun began to set Saturday afternoon. – Justin Gerber

Metric
Playstation, 5:15 p.m.

Vocalist/guitarist Emily Haines (sometime contributor to Broken Social Scene, with a mellow side project called Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton) is clearly at the front of Metric‘s live show. She strutted and posed around the stage in the same vein as a Karen O, or even a Debbie Harry. The gigantic, pulsing electro-rock washing out over the humongous, elated audience. After the super-sing-along of “Help I’m Alive”, Haines tossed a “Hey Chicago, you’ve got to fight for your right to party” chorus into the middle of the pummeling, rapid “Empty”. After finding a pair of sunglasses tossed up at her feet, Haines swapped hers out for the fan donated ones, declaring that “this may be the only time there’ll be a wardrobe change in a Metric show,” her big, rock star grin beaming. James Shaw, Joshua Winstead and Joules Scott Key added a potent, crushing dose of rock for Haines to work with, making the seven year old “Dead Disco” ring out like a visceral, modern party jam. -Adam Kivel

Photo by Heather Kaplan

Social Distortion
Parkways, 5:45 p.m.

While older punk fans might cringe at the idea of veteran rockers Social Distortion opening for the likes of Green Day, frontman Mike Ness didn’t seem to mind. Sporting a tan, which showed off his glorious tattoos, and working off a voice that’s only become more scruffy over the years, Ness enthusiastically worked through the past hits and even managed to squeeze in a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Under My Thumb”. It wasn’t a memorable set by any means, and in fact, eight hours later, the only thing that comes to mind are tunes like “Story of My Life, “Ball & Chain”, and naturally, their iconic cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire”. And while that’s not the most promising sentiment to leave on – especially since their next effort, Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, is due out this November – it’s highly unlikely this band will have a problem maintaining its highly loyal fanbase. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t kicking myself for not seeing Spoon or Edward Sharpe, instead. -Michael Roffman

Spoon
Budweiser, 6:15 p.m.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

“The last time we played a show like this was Coachella – you guys are putting them to shame.” – Britt Daniel

If there is one thing that Spoon has been throughout their 16-year career – it’s incredibly consistent. Over that span they’ve made seven albums, and not one of them is a clunker. It’s no surprise then that Spoon’s main stage show on Saturday night was consistently good throughout. From the opener, “Me and the Bean”, featuring just Britt Daniel and an acoustic guitar, to the rest of the set – which featured a horn section at some points – Spoon kept the crowd engaged from beginning to end. The one disappointment that was on everyone’s tongue at the end was the lack of “The Way We Get By”, but other than that glaring omission, Spoon played crowd favorites from their entire catalogue, like “I Turn My Camera On”, “The Underdog”, “I Summon You”, and “Writing in Reverse”, even throwing a Wolf Parade cover (“Modern World”) in for good measure. It wasn’t fancy and it wasn’t flashy, but it was a very solid set from a very solid band. -Carson O’Shoney

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Sony bloggie, 6:30 p.m.

“You should see how you look right now,” shouted Stewart Cole. “You look beautiful!” That “you” referred to the thousands who overwhelmed the Sony bloggie Stage, where fans hung from trees and crowd surfed nonstop – most of them covered head to toe in paint and toilet paper. Let’s break this down: Why were fans hanging from trees? Why were they covered in paint and toilet paper? Because Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros happened to be in town.

Photo by Cap Blackard

To say they stole the night would be unfair and unrealistic, but for lack of a better assessment, let’s just say they stole the night. How? Every song was delivered with so much enthusiasm and energy that fans never stopped moving. Not once. At one point, “40 Day Dream” brought about stomping feet and waving hands, keeping the ground in a healthy rhythm. The band had no intention of ignoring this energy either; instead, opting to get the crowd involved in more ways then expected, whether it was frontman Alex Ebert physically handing out tambourines to shake about or Jade Castrinos guiding us along through choruses.

Photo by Alex Young

It’s hard to believe that 10 musicians weren’t enough for everyone present. The cold, hard truth is that they weren’t. The fans just couldn’t help but want to be involved. So, in retrospect, the band was everyone present at the Sony bloggie Stage. Altogether, in this innate response to love and community, people both short and tell glimpsed a rare miracle. Once “Home” rung out, the ideal belief that world peace could happen seemed somewhat, believe it or not, realistic. As mentioned before, Stewart Cole cried out “You should see how you look right now. You look beautiful!” What we left out was that the crowd shouted back, “So do you!” It’s just a shame it had to end. -Phillip Roffman

Phoenix
Budweiser, 8:30 p.m.

Here’s a recipe for a good way to end day two of Lollapalooza. A crowd practically on cocaine or speed. Either one you pick. An overwhelming light show which could leave anybody an epileptic. Oh I almost forgot…Phoenix being the last ingredient. Although Green Day may have played 30 or so songs (clearly going over Lollapalooza’s curfew), Phoenix gave the crowd nothing less than what was to be expected from them in their recent visit to Letterman, KCRW, Bonnaroo etc. You could argue they added a spin on things, too. Let’s talk about this crowd, though.

Photo by Lauren Guagno

From the moment the band pummeled out “Lisztomania”, people went apeshit. Dance party would be an understatement, as it was a little more chaotic, so try and wrap your head around this image. Imagine hundreds of glow sticks (all resembling colors taken straight from Phoenix’s breakthrough effort, last year’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix) thrown into the air, dancing over the crowd, some exploding and spilling their colors out onto fans below. With this neon dressing everywhere, it was only a matter of time until it reached the stage, which it did, pegging Thomas Mars and the remainder of the band. Oh, there was sweat. Lots of it. And that was everywhere, too.

Photo by Lauren Guagno

Straying away from the setting and focusing primarily on the band, passion and energy come to mind. Passion in the sense of their overall message, which is to have nothing less than a good time. This idea came to fruition when the French quartet left the stage for a meek 30 seconds, only to come back and knock out “Funky Squaredance”. This kept the dance party in rhythm – there were even French flags! – and although they ended the set a tad early, you can’t say they didn’t try to keep things going. A cover of Air’s “Playground Love” went over well, as did their last song, the sleek mix up of “1901+1902”. -Phillip Roffman

Empire of the Sun
Perry’s, 9:00 p.m.

Empire of the Sun certainly know how to make an entrance. Their appearance at Lolla marks their first performance on North American soil and it was one for the record books. Not even Gaga, with all her fireworks and whatnot could achieve the theatricality that Luke Steele and company unleashed on the Perry’s stage. Any unsuspecting raver kids who didn’t know what was coming must’ve had their ecstacy-addled minds blown. Glittery dancers took the stage wearing large headdresses shaped like aqueducts and posed elegantly, with their capes billowing from strategically placed fans. Then the Emperor himself took the stage in his spiked headdress and chrome samurai armor. The audience was in awe.

A strong opening with Walking on a Dream single, “Standing on the Shore” led into the non-album thrasher, “Breakdown”, with Steele making frequent trips to the front of the stage to lay down some guitar work. This was not a predictable set. Yes, all the singles were played, but many were reworked, upping the tempo to keep the crowds dancing, and there was one song that has yet to be identified and possibly a new track. This show was glam performance at its finest. The dancing girls had at least five outfits and as the Swordfish Girls performed their own dance number, Steele slipped into something more comfortable. During a slightly faster rendition of the single version of “Without You”, Steele approached the audience and slipped into the pit of sweaty bodies, disappearing, but still singing and chiding on his fans with a cheerful, “c’mon girls.”

The tragic flaw of the show was Perry’s. It was a venue that could hardly contain the Empire. The stage, though well-equipped in lighting and sound, was built to house DJs and little else. Though the space was transformed to accommodate a rock set-up, it was still congested for Steele, plus his two bandmates and four dancers. The reconfiguration of the stage caused a slightly delayed start and the encore was only one song long and the obligatory, but sublime “Walking on a Dream”. You could tell Steele was disappointed to leave when curfew was called and the audience was disappointed to see him go. Hopefully this is only the beginning of the Empire’s reign in the States.

Photography by Cap Blackard

Green Day
Parkways, 7:45 p.m.

Christ, where do we start? Let’s go with the short summary: Green Day came to Chicago, lit off a couple of fireworks, and unloaded its two-decade plus catalog with smiles galore. Not good, enough? Okay…

Tonight, the Bay Area trio, led by a bleach blonde Billie Joe Armstrong – who should really take the Tonight Show reins from Leno – set the bar incredibly high for any headliners to follow. They did it all. Oldies surfaced (“Paper Lanterns”, “2,000 Light Years Away), flames rose from the stage, fans gave Armstrong a run for his money, fireworks lit up the sky 10 times over, and Jason Freese reinterpreted Van Halen’s “Eruption” via saxophone. That’s only a smidgen of what went down, though.

“Coming up is the Smashing Pumpkins,” Armstrong screamed to an adoring, swollen crowd. “Oh shit, wrong year.”

Quips continued throughout the night, including persistent demands for the crowd – everything from hand claps to countless “Hey oh’s”, which seemed to happen every five minutes. However, Armstrong intended to do more than just rile up the crowd, he wanted to turn the Windy City into a fiery hellstorm. Take for example, the event’s 10 p.m. curfew, which he sneered at, jovially declaring, “I say you kiss my white fucking ass, and we’ll play how long we want.” It should be noted that he stuck true to his words. They did play overtime – by 15 minutes, mind you – and the crowd did see his white ass. They just didn’t kiss it; though, a fan later did lay a smooch on Armstrong’s lips. Very funny.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

In terms of the actual performance, there was little room to complain. Sure, they spent a good 40 minutes performing material off of 2004′s American Idiot and last year’s sister album, 21st Century Breakdown, but to say any of it was uninteresting would be, well, a lie. Hell, they even threw in live rarities like “Letterbomb”, arguably one of the better non-singles off of American Idiot. Not to mention, when they started to dish out older material, they relished every minute of it, extending solos, working off bridges, and inviting sing-a-longs. At one point, they even worked through an assembly of classic rock riffs, starting with “Iron Man”, continuing with “Ain’t Talkin’ ’bout Love” and “Sweet Child of Mine”, and finally finishing with “Highway to Hell” which eventually morphed into one hell of rendition of “Brain Stew”. And, naturally, that led into “Jaded”.

But it wasn’t just the adrenaline-induced songs that sold this show. No, it was Green Day’s consistent charisma and charm; the sort that lets you know this band loves you, just as much as you love them. Just look at ‘em: Armstrong’s youthful smile, bassist Mike Dirnt’s silent humor, and drummer Tre Cool’s cartoon-like behavior… it all adds up. They’re characters, they’re entertainers, and they’re exceptional musicians. They cover all the angles, and yet they always appear to be trying harder. What’s more, you never feel left out. You always feel as if you’re adding to the experience.

Photo by Heather Kaplan

Okay, so the majority of the crowd were hardly out of their diapers when Dookie hit the streets back in ’94, but what does that matter? There were still plenty of old timers, all looking to find a solid rock ‘n’ roll show and hear their favorite tunes. Green Day accomplished all of that, without sacrificing any of their sound. They went the extra mile. That seemed pretty obvious when they dove into the nine minute opus, “Jesus of Suburbia”, five minutes after their set was scheduled to end. They also followed it with two more tracks. Let’s just say Mr. Farrell will probably have a couple of letters from unhappy nearby residents next week.

Eh, lump ‘em in with the minor few who didn’t consider tonight one of the best nights in Lollapalooza history. Popular opinion is usually bullshit, but we’ll weigh in with the majority this time around. Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Cool, and Mr. Dirnt, we’re not worthy. We’re not worthy. -Michael Roffman
——

Gallery by Heather Kaplan

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Gallery by Cap Blackard

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Peter Wolf Crier teams up with Rogue Wave, Midlake for fall tour

Derek Staples — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 20:20:00 +0000

The story goes that the debut album by Peter Wolf Crier, Inter-be, was written on a single lonely summer night in Minneapolis, during a flood of creativity for singer/songwriter Peter Pisano. Pisano shared the songs with drummer Brian Moen, and over the next couple months the duo would refine their vintage sound; eventually self-releasing the debut LP in October of 2009.

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

Lollapalooza unveils 2010 Aftershows

Jeremy D. Larson — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 14:34:05 +0000

You know all that griping you did about the schedule conflicts at this year’s Lollapalooza? Well, you knew this day was coming, and hopefully it will solve some of your Lolla dilemmas. Lollapalooza announced its lauded Aftershow lineup this morning and it features the literal bulk of the 2010 Lollapalooza lineup, including headliner Phoenix and upper echelon bands like New Pornographers, MGMT, The National, Devo, and The Black Keys. Also getting some more time with fans are Parry Farell, Rusko, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, The Walkmen, Gogol Bordello, and Cut Copy.

Upon cursory inspection, some conflicts that have been discussed seemed resolved here:

The National vs. Getting A Good Spot For Arcade Fire, Edward Shapre vs. Spoon, The Black Keys vs. Hot Chip vs. Jamie Lidell, and long-time Green Day fans can now rock out guilt free for 2 hours and 15 minutes and catch Phoenix at the HoB Sunday.

Of course, now new conflicts arise, namely: all Afershows on Saturday, August 7th. But, if this list doesn’t take some of the weight of your chest, I don’t know what will. Where will you be when the lights go out at Millennium Park?

Tickets for all of the shows go on sale starting Friday, June 25th at 10:00 AM CST at the respective venues. Tickets for the festival itself remain on sale here.

Update: The Precision Guiding Musicians featuring Hot Chip et al. has been cancelled due to scheduling conflicts.

Thursday, August 5th:
Devo w/ Dirty Projectors @ Congress Theater 7:30pm
Slightly Stoopid w/ Collie Buddz @ House of Blues 8pm
New Pornographers w/ Dodos @ Metro 8pm
Big Pink w/ Night Gallery @ Lincoln Hall 8pm
Cymbals Eat Guitars w/ Young Galaxy @ Schubas 8pm

Friday, August 6th:
MGMT @ House of Blues 10pm
Cut Copy w/ Dragonette @ Metro 10pm
The Walkmen w/ Warpaint @ Double Door 10pm
Edward Sharpe & Magnetic Zeros w/ Freelance Whales @ Lincoln Hall 10pm
Wild Beasts – Empty Bottle @ 10pm
Rogue Wave w/ Gamble House @ Schubas 1opm

Saturday, August 7th:
Precision Guided Musicians featuring Hot Chip (Live), Rusko, Steve Porter, Ancient Astronauts, and Perry Farrell @ Congress Theatre 10pm
The National w/ Antlers @ House of Blues 10pm
The Black Keys w/ Morning Benders @ Metro – 10pm
Minus the Bear w Miniature Tigers @ Double Door – 10pm
Blitzen Trapper w/ Avi Buffalo @ Lincoln Hall 10pm
Gogol Bordello @ Subterranean – 10pm
Wavves w/ Harlem @ Empty Bottle – 10pm
The Soft Pack w/ Royal Bangs @ Schubas – 10pm

Sunday, August 8th:
Phoenix w/ Toro Y Moi @ House of Blues 10pm
Health @ Reggies Rock Club 10pm

Rogue Wave announces summer tour dates

Chris Coplan — Tue, 25 May 2010 18:25:20 +0000

With the March 2010 release of its fourth album Permalight, Rogue Wave offered up an album that got mixed reviews, with most, including our own, leaning toward the effort being one of inherit value, but with still some growth to be done by the Oakand five-piece. But don’t take our word for it; now you can be the judge of the material when the band hits the road this summer.

There’s a few June dates (including a gig at the Verge Music Festival) before things get started all proper-like on July 14th in City Bay, Nevada. It’s a pretty steady schedule from there, leading up to a stop at Lollapalooza. Full dates below, and if you’re looking for another Rogue Wave festival date, make sure to head over to the July 24th concert at Discovery Park, a part of the L.L.Bean Summer Concert Series; we’re thinking rock music and stripped cardigan sweaters.

Permalight is available now on Brushfire Records. Tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster.com.

Rogue Wave 2010 Tour Dates:
06/05 – Milwaukee, WI @ Verge Music Festival
06/27 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues
07/14 – City Bay, NV @ Crystal Bay Club Crown Room
07/16 – Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue
07/17 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
07/18 – Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
07/20 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
07/21 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Andy Warhol Museum
07/24 – Freeport, ME @ Discovery Park (L.L. Bean Summer Concert Series)
07/26 – Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall
07/28 – Norfolk, VA @ The Norva Theatre
07/29 – Baltimore, MD @ OttoBar
07/31 – Montauk, NY @ The Surf Lodge
08/03 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
08/04 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement
08/05 – Cincinnati, OH @ 20th Century Theatre
08/06-08 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
08/22 – San Francisco, CA @ Stern Grove Festival

Soundgarden, Green Day, Arcade Fire head Lollapalooza 2010

Alex Young — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 01:21:44 +0000

Update: Scroll down for an unconfirmed day-by-day breakdown of the lineup.

Afters months of guesses and leaks and a week-long word puzzle, we finally know who will be playing the 2010 edition of Lollapalooza.

This year’s festival, set to take place from August 6-8 at Chicago’s Grant Park, will be headed by what is currently the first scheduled performance for the recently reunited, iconic grunge outfit Soundgarden. Legendary punk rockers Green Day, pop superstar Lady Gaga, influential indie outfits The Strokes and Arcade Fire, and French sensations Phoenix are all set to top the lineup.

Other notables acts include Erykah Badu, Social Distortion, MGMT, Devo, Cypress Hill, Spoon, The National, The New Pornographers, Wolfmother, Gogol Bordello, Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer, Hot Chip, Drive-By Truckers, Dirty Projectors, Metric, Cut Copy, AFI, and the legendary Jimmy Cliff.

As we scroll further down, names such as Mavis Staples, Minus the Bear, Frightened Rabbit, The xx, Blitzen Trapper, Fuck Buttons, Switchfoot, The Temper Trap, The Dodos, Jamie Lidell, The Cribs, and Raphael Saadiq can also be found.

The bottom tier of the lineup features up-and-comers like Mumford & Sons, Cymbals Eat Guitars, The Soft Pack, The Morning Benders, Warpaint, The Antlers, Freelance Whales, Jukebox the Ghost, and These United States.

Finally, this year’s bill will once again feature Perry’s, a dance-oriented stage. Among those scheduled to appear include 2ManyDJs, Empire of the Sun, Digitalism, Tiga, Felix da Housecat, Rusko, Flosstradamus, Wolfgang Gartner, Joachim Garraud, Peanut Butter Wolf, and a DJ set from Cut Copy.

As it stands now, the current 2010 bill looks like this:

Soundgarden, Green Day, Lady Gaga, Arcade Fire, The Strokes, Phoenix, Social Distortion, MGMT, Jimmy Cliff, Hot Chip, The Black Keys, The National, Spoon, Devo, Cypress Hill, Cut Copy, The New Pornographers, Erykah Badu, Slightly Stoopid, Grizzly Bear, Gogol Bordello, Chromeo, Wolfmother, Yeasayer, X Japan, Mutemath, Metric, Dirty Projectors, AFI, Mavis Staples, Matt & Kim, The xx, Drive-By Truckers, Blues Traveler

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, The Temper Trap, Jamie Lidell, Frightened Rabbit, Fuck Buttons, Deer Tick, Blitzen Trapper, Stars, Raphael Saadiq, The Cribs, Minus the Bear, Switchfoot, The Walkmen, Mumford & Sons, Wild Beasts, Rogue Wave, Los Amigos Invisibles, The Big Pink, The Dodos, Hockey, Cymbals Eat Guitars, B.o.B, Dawes, Warpaint, The Antlers, The Soft Pack, Rebelution, Balkan Beat Box

Wavves, American Bang, The Ike Reilly Assassination, Company of Thieves, Nneka, Harlem, The Constellations, Miniature Tigers, Mimicking Birds, The Kissaway Trail, HEALTH, Javelin, The Morning Benders, Foxy Shazam, Violent Soho, Royal Bangs, Neon Trees, Freelance Whales, Semi Precious Weapons, Dan Black, The Band of Heathens, Dragonette, My Dear Disco, Shawn Fisher, Neon Hitch, Skybox, The Ettes, Jukebox the Ghost, These United States, MyNameIsJohnMichael

Perry’s DJ stage lineup:

2ManyDJs, Empire of the Sun, Digitalism, Perry Farrell, Tiga, Felix da Housecat, Rusko, Erol Alkan, Kaskade, Flosstradamus, Wolfgang Gartner, Joachim Garraud, Mexican Institute of Sound, Caspa, Peanut Butter Wolf, Dirty South, NERVO, Cut Copy (DJ Set), Beats Antique, Steve Porter, Didi Gutman of Brazilian Girls, Ancient Astronauts, Ana Sia, Team Bayside High, Dani Deahl, FreeSol, DJ Mel, BBU Vonnegutt, Only Children, Lance Herbstrong

Additional acts, including the lineup for this year’s Kidzapalooza stage will be announced in the weeks ahead. The day-by-day schedule will likely be revealed in June.

Three-day passes are currently priced at $190 and can obtained here. Once that allotment sells out, the price will raise to $215. VIP passes and travel packages are also available.

Update: For those looking looking to get their scheduling freak on, it appears that Lady Gaga and The Strokes will be playing Friday, Green Day and Phoenix on Saturday, and Soundgarden and Arcade Fire on Sunday. Here is the day-by-day breakdown, which is TOTALLY UNCONFIRMED, per the Lollapalooza message board:

Friday, August 6th:
Lady Gaga
The Strokes
Jimmy Cliff
Hot Chip
The Black Keys
Devo
New Pornographers
Chromeo
Dirty Projectors
Mavis Staples
Matt & Kim
Drive-By Truckers
Jamie Lidell
Fuck Buttons
Raphael Saadiq
The Walkmen
Los Amigos Invisbles
The Big Pink
Cymabalks Eat Guitars
B.o.B
Balkan Beat BOx
Wavves
American Bang
The Constellations
Javelin
Foxy Shazam
Semi Precious Weapons
My Dear Disco
The Ettes
Jukebox The Ghost
These United States
2ManyDJs
Tiga
Erol Alkan
Caspa
Peanut Butter Wolf
Cut Copy (DJ)
Ana Sia
FreeSol
BBU Vonnegutt

Saturday, August 7th:
Green Day
Phoenix
Social Distortion
Spoon
Cut Copy
Erykah Badu
Slightly Stoopid
Grizzly Bear
Gogol Bordello
Metric
AFI
The xx
Blues Traveler
Edward Sharpe
Deer Tick
Stars
Wild Beasts
Rogue Wave
Dawes
Warpaint
The Soft Pack
Rebelution
Harlem
Mimicking Birds
Kissaway Trail
Morning Benders
Royal Bangs
Dan Black
Dragonette
Skybox
Mynameisjohnmichael
Empire of the Sun
Perry Farrell
Rusko
Kaskade
Wolfgang Gartner
Joachim Garraud
Beats Antique
Steve Porter
Ancient Astronauts
DJ Mel
BBU Vonnegutt
Only Children
Lance Herbstrong

Sunday, August 8th:
Soundgarden
Arcade Fire
MGMT
The National
Cypress Hill
Wolfmother
Yeasayer
X Japan
MUTEMATH
The Temper Trap
Frightened Rabbit
Blitzen Trapper
The Cribs
Minus THe Bear
Switchfoot
Mumford & Sons
The Dodos
Hockey
The Antlers
Ike Reilly
Company of Thieves
Nneka
Miniature Tigers
HEALTH
Violent Soho
Freelance Whales
Band of Heathens
Shawn Fisher
Neon Hitch
Digitalism
Felix da Housecat
Flosstradamus
Mexican Institute of Sound
Dirty South
Nervo
Didi Gutman (Brazilian Girls)
Team Bayside High
Dani Deahl

Verge Music Festival rounds up Weezer, She & Him, Rogue Wave

Alex Young — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:26:32 +0000

Your Music Festival will be called the Verge Music Festival and takes place from June 4-5 at the Summerfest Grounds in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Weezer, Three Days Grace, and AFI will head the inaugural bill, while acts like She & Him, Rogue Wave, Cold War Kids, Eagles of Death Metal, The Raveonettes, Nico Vega, and Crash Kings will also take part.

Advance tickets are available now through June 3rd and are $25 per day or $40 for both days. A free ticket for a weekday ticket to this year’s Summerfest will be included with your purchase. For additional info, including who won the naming rights competition, click here.

Dusting ‘Em Off: Rogue Wave – Descended Like Vultures

Kacie McKinney — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:00:05 +0000

In honor of its new release Permalight, I got back to thinking about the dark California sounds of Rogue Wave. While “Bird on a Wire” and a few others have stayed in my playlists over the years, I forgot what enjoyable albums Rogue Wave used to produce.

(Whoops, did I reveal too much about my feelings for the un-Sub Pop, Owl City-esque Permalight?)

Before Jennifer Aniston movie appearances, The O.C soundtracks, and family sitcoms, the intimate and acoustic sounds of Out of the Shadow showcased the raw talent and vocals of Rogue. But the band didn’t get much attention when it first released Out of the Shadow on a private label. While The Postal Service, Iron & Wine, and The Shins were reviving Sub Pop with new releases in 2003, Rogue Wave got lost in the mix. Sub Pop brought the band alive in 2004 when it re-released the album (pretty good for a group whose founder was just trying something new after losing his job in the dot-com bust), but Descended Like Vultures brought the band to a whole new level.

The more ambitious sound of Descended Like Vultures came in 2005. A fully formed band and collaborative production brought a louder and fuller sound than that on Out of the Shadow. This new bold sound brought tracks such as “Publish My Love” and the humming electric guitar of “Bird on a Wire”. The strumming acoustic guitar stayed with Descended Like Vultures for some tracks such as “California”, but more electric and a Hammond B3 organ were thrown in.

But it’s Zach Rogue’s voice that has remained consistent throughout. His California-style tenor wrapped into Gene Park’s viola and Evan Farrell’s Wurlitzer in “Catform” create Rogue Wave’s memorable surfer-happy, yet depressive-style vocals while the voice-filtered “10:1” is carried with heavy drums and a textured layer of keys, organ, and intense sound.

The good thing about an extensive iTunes and LaLa library is we can always go back and revisit the good ol’ days.

Album Review: Rogue Wave – Permalight

E.N. May — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:00:40 +0000

A new decade seems like the perfect time to change things up a bit and start fresh. For a band like Rogue Wave, who’ve spent most of the time keeping a low profile with excellent but sparse records (now four in the past seven years), it’s the perfect time to try a new direction. Nothing drastic, just subtle tweaks in style to see if a slightly new sound could work, and it almost does. The introverted melodies and catchiness are all still there, but the guitar work has been scaled back. What once were simple layered guitar rhythms have mostly been turned in for more uniform chord changes and, for a couple tracks at least, an electro facelift. Permalight is a fine fourth record, but it leaves one question, is this a rock band reaching for overdue pop success, or is this genuine desire for a fresher start?

The album opens with the delightfully strummed pop of “Solitary Gun”. Automatically the mood is lighter, even though the lyrical themes are just as dark and reflective. The track twinkles with soft blips and a bouncy melody that shows a little more of Brushfire’s [Records] influence. That easier feel is what defines this record, with romantic eulogies like “I’ll Never Leave You” strumming and clapping on your heartstrings. They’re 12 songs to sway and bounce too, leaving the Sub Pop days of Descended Like Vultures twinkling in the background.

While electro special effects litter the record, “Good Morning” is the only track to go for the dance rock gusto. It’s the first outright dance song they’ve done really, complete with a drum machine, shiny guitars, and a pulsing synth hook. It’s very out of character even though they throw in some of their old psychedelics and note bends as they circle around the blown out chorus. In the end, it lacks real substance, and feels more like a stab in the dark than a Rogue Wave song. The album’s titular track gets in on the dance fun as well, but it too feels ill fated, as it sounds like more of a reaction to the current scene, as opposed to something honest.

Really, that’s how the album plays through, but is it indeed a last ditched effort for success, or is it the sound they’ve always been after? After all we have excellent tracks like “Sleep Walker” and “We Will Make A Song Destroy” scattered around to give you something to hold onto. The latter would fit in perfectly with Asleep at Heavens Gate, as it builds up to the catchy crescendo for the last minute that makes it all worth it. “Stars and Stripes” shows what happens when the new electronics are used well with blips and beeps behind the fast rattles of the cymbals and surf-guitar riffs. Songs like those show the kind of positive growth that you would want to hear from this band, and they fit in with the best they have to offer.

After seven years and two record labels, maybe this is the sound they were always after. Truth is, there’s a fine line between quality and filler, and many tracks on Permalight straddle it. That being said, the record is consistent from start to finish, and by the final songs they seem to pick up right where the last record left off. Rogue Wave has always been a solid post-rock band, and they managed to find a niche early on that has since been recycled throughout the indie rock community. With their sound now standard thanks to everyone else, you can see why they would do what they did. Unfortunately you just end up with a mediocre record held together by a few genuinely solid tracks. Rogue Wave was there for the start of the indie rock explosion, and by all accounts they should be one of the greats, but with Permalight, they still seem to finding what their all about.

Harvest of Hope ’10 taps Billy Bragg, Dr. Dog, The Mountain Goats

Alex Young — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:23:01 +0000

The second annual Harvest of Hope Music Festival will return to St. Augustine, FL this March 12-14, and one thing is becoming quite clear: music’s most underrated music festival is quickly becoming one of music’s most stellar music festivals.

This year’s lineup once again again showcases a diverse roster of national and international acts, including alt-rock legend Billy Bragg, acclaimed folk-rock outfit The Mountain Goats, psychedelic rockers Dr. Dog, indie sensations Rogue Wave, UK punk band Leatherface, and the hardcore group Senses Fail. And that’s just getting started.

Man Man, Delta Spirit, Anti-Flag, The Moldy Peaches’ Kimya Dawson, Torche, High on Fire, Anvil, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Portugal. the Man, Danielson, Of Montreal’s James Husband, Past Lives, Bear In Heaven, Freelance Whales, Dead Confederate, Fruit Bats, and Dr. Octagon (aka Kool Keith) are also confirmed participants. The full list of notables can be found here.

Three-day tickets are on sale now and still incredibly cheap, however, they will rise in price as the festival draws closer. From January 14th through February 11th, tickets will be available at the early-bird price of $39.50. From February 12th to March 11th, they will jump to $49.50. Walk-up 3-day tickets will be $60.00. Single day tickets will be available for $25.00/day in advance and $35.00/day weekend of. Three-day camping passes are also now available at $19.50/person. A small number of VIP passes are available at $99.50 per person. The VIP pass includes access to the VIP camping area, a three-day festival pass, and extra goodies. Find all the info here.

Of course, we’d be remiss not to note that Harvest of Hope serves to raise awareness and provide financial support for the Harvest of Hope Foundation, a charity organization that aids migrant farm workers across the country. Check out our recent interview with co-founder Ryan Murphy for the complete story.

Rogue Wave frontman details forthcoming album

Chris Coplan — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:05:54 +0000

For their fourth album Permalight, Oakland indie rock band Rogue Wave had a particular message and spirit in mind that they wanted to get across sonically. Luckily for frontman Zack Rogue and company, Los Angeles artist Becca Mann had already given them a roadmap and a hefty dose of inspiration with her intense and technicolor artwork.

“It’s very hard to find an image that captures the totality of a record, but this painting is what we wanted,” Rogue recently told Spinner.com of the painting that is now the album’s cover art. “It has beautiful vibrant colors, it’s kind of warped and it’s a woman reaching, pulling herself out of water. It’s pulling yourself out and moving on to the next thing. What I love is people who are always reaching for something. That’s why the artwork is an image of a woman reaching something. I like the spirit of that.”

And, in what can only be a trend, more of life’s tiny little outcomes furthered the creation of the album. While art work is important, a dinner party conversation with Elvis Costello will undoubtedly have more clout on the album’s finality.

“When I was sitting next to Elvis and hearing about his life and how he’s done all this stuff, he has this wry sense of humor that downplays it — ‘Oh, I just did an opera with Sting,’” Rogue said. “It was very inspiring as we were making music.”

But ultimately for Rogue, the album’s sound comes down to a philosophy that stokes the creative fires in a rather rushed way.

“Like Lee Hazelwood says, ‘You’re only as good as your last song,’” Rogue said. “As a songwriter, I shoot for that.”

Permalight is due in stores March 2nd via Brushfire Records. Find the album’s inspirational artwork and tracklist below.

The band will also be on tour beginning February 24th in San Francisco, CA until April 30th when they make a return to The City by the Bay. Tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster.com.

Permalight Tracklist:
01. Solitary Gun
02. Good Morning
03. Sleepwalker
04. Stars and Stripes
05. Permalight
06. Fear Itself
07. Right With You
08. We Will Make A Song Destroy
09. I’ll Never Leave You
10. Per Anger
11. You Have Boarded
12. All That Remains

Rogue Wave 2010 Tour Dates:
02/24 – San Francisco, CA @ Noise Pop
02/26 – Toronto, ON, CA @ Mod Club
03/01 – Club Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock
03/02 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
03/03 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
03/04 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church Sanctuary
03/05 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
03/06 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
03/08 – Atlanta, GA @ The Loft
03/09 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
03/10 – Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree
03/13 – Orlando, FL @ The Social
03/15 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks
03/16 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
03/17 – Dallas, TX @ The Loft
04/07 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Rio Theatre
04/09 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
04/10 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
04/13 – Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre
04/14 – Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
04/15 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Cafe
04/16 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
04/17 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
04/20 – Columbia, MO @ Mojo’s
04/21 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
04/24 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
04/27 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
04/29 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
04/30 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore

Rogue Wave shines Permalight on the road

Timothy Berger — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:05:05 +0000

Along with a March 2nd debut of their 4th LP, Permalight, Oakland rockers Rogue Wave have also announced a slew of spring dates, which kick off at the end of February. The tour contains dates from around the country and will stretch a full two months before wrapping up April 30th in San Francisco.

Permalight was produced by renowned producer Dennis Herring (Elvis Costello, Modest Mouse). Rogue Wave lead Zach Rogue has a quip about the upcoming record: “This record sounds, for lack of a better word, fun.” Based on that logic, we can also assume the aforementioned tour will be quite fun.

In other Rogue Wave news, founding member Pat Spurgeon has a documentary coming out, which follows his through the trials and tribulations of finding an organ donor for his failing kidney. You can check it out here. Issues covered on this film range from the current health care system, lack of affordable insurance and the process of organ donation. The film also features musical contributions from artists such as Ben Gibbard, John Vanderslice, Nada Surf, and Rogue Wave of course.

Find the tracklist for Permalight and upcoming tour dates below. Tickets here.

Permalight Tracklist:
01. Solitary Gun
02. Good Morning
03. Sleepwalker
04. Stars And Stripes
05. Permalight
06. Fear Itself
07. Right With You
08. We Will Make A Song Destroy
09. I’ll Never Leave You
10. Per Anger
11. You Have Boarded
12. All That Remains

Rogue Wave 2010 Tour Dates:
02/26 – Toronto, ON, CA @ Mod Club
03/01 – Club Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock
03/02 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
03/03 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
03/04 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church Sanctuary
03/05 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
03/06 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
03/08 – Atlanta, GA @ The Loft
03/09 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge
03/10 – Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree
03/13 – Orlando, FL @ The Social
03/15 – New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jacks
03/16 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
03/17 – Dallas, TX @ The Loft
04/07 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Rio Theatre
04/09 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
04/10 – Seattle, WA @ Neumo’s
04/13 – Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre
04/14 – Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck
04/15 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Cafe
04/16 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
04/17 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
04/20 – Columbia, MO @ Mojo’s
04/21 – Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
04/24 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
04/27 – Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
04/29 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
04/30 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore

Death Cab shine at Pritzker Pavilion (6/3)

Michael Roffman — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 05:38:20 +0000

It was a foggy and chilly night in Millennium Park, and although that sounds like the beginning of a cheap thriller, it was really the setting for tonight’s impressive show by Death Cab for Cutie. Under the steel bars once designed by Frank Gehry, the Seattle indie rockers shattered the glum expectations, providing a quaint set list that promoted Narrow Stairs while managing to squeeze in ol’ hits.

Despite the jaw dropping architecture and the panoramic showcase of Chicago’s best, Pritzker Pavillion is an unfortunate venue for many reasons. For one, most of the seats are inundated with members of the board and what have you, which means most of the hardcore fans watch from a far. It’s the same ordeal that plagued last year’s Wilco and Decemberists sets. Though for a ten dollar ticket price, you really can’t complain much.

Openers Rogue Wave held together a tight set. The Oakland quartet played a good thirty minutes, entertaining a crowd that was busy attending to overpriced drinks and various picnic happenings. It was still light before they finished, rocking through the appropriate “Lake Michigan” before wrapping things up. Considering they played Reckless Records a few months back, they should be building up a strong fan base, which should help come August at Lollapalooza.

The adventurous “Bixby Canyon Bridge” brought out the band in full form, rigging up enough of an attraction to start the night right. Shortly after, the ex-opener “A New Year” went over well with the Transatlanticism fans, who were pretty much frolicking around the lawn. In fact, this was one of the first concerts in awhile where the fanbase seemed somewhat nonexistent; instead, there were hundreds of Chicagoans that seemed moreover interested in the “new band.”

Like it or not, the Narrow Stairs material sounded fresh and inviting. It might be the reason this indie act is becoming a bigger deal. In the past, their live act has been pegged as either boring or contrived, yet now the band seems assured and well adjusted to the growing fan base that’s proliferated over the past few years (and weeks, really). “Grapevine Fires” and “Long Division” blistered across the venue, with much help from a “less is more” light show that shined across the steel infrastructure. Though with a sprawling eight minute track like “I Will Possess Your Heart” it would have been nice to hear some more improvisation, or something reworked there. Then again, these guys aren’t the Secret Machines.

They do enjoy themselves though. While vocalist Ben Gibbard shuffled throughout every song, especially the trademark single “Sound of Settling”, the audience seemed inclined to follow. Many “free spirits” rollicked back and forth, forcing their many boyfriends or girlfriends to join. It was quite the site.

In the end, the original soul searchers brought the immediate set to an end. Both “Soul Meets Body” and “I Will Follow You Into the Dark” went over well, with plenty of fans singing along, and “Title and Registration” is still a great track, both on disc and live. This was a well prepared set list. Even the encore fit, which eventually led to a clinching, “Your Heart is an Empty Room”, and a balmy “Transatlanticism.”

Of course, this is all from the perspective of a concertgoer who happened to be in the lawn area. However, one things for sure, this lil’ big band is certainly convincing me to flip out some more cash for better seats whenever they come back. That’s for sure.

Set List:

1. Bixby Canyon Bridge
2. The New Year
3. Why You’d Want to Live Here
4. Photobooth
5. Crooked Teeth
6. Long Division
7. Grapevine Fires
8. A Movie Script Ending
9. Company Calls
10. Company Calls Epilogue
11. Soul Meets Body
12. I Will Follow You Into The Dark
13. I Will Possess Your Heart
14. ….Cath
15. No Sunshine
16. The Sound of Settling
17. Marching Bands of Manhattan
18. Your Bruise
19. Title and Registration

Encore

20. 405
21. Your Heart is an Empty Room
22. Transatlanticism

*w/ additional photography by Art Pena