lollapalooza recap - top eleven

yes, it’s been two weeks.  but turns out i haven’t had as much free time as i thought i would…who am i kidding? i knew i wouldn’t have free time… anyway, i wanted to do a full recap of our wonderful concert-going experience, but i’ll just do a top eleven bands recap (mainly because i did a top ten about a the things i learned).  is that ok with you? ok great.

11. mgmt - i really want to put them higher on the list, but i could not get a great spot and kept hearing the booka shade bass bleeding over.  their set was great and they played with a full band which was awesome.

10. john butler trio - they are so incredibly talented.  i have been trying to see them for the past couple of festivals i’ve been at, but never made it.  i’m so glad - their music is meaningful and very entertaining.

9. rage against the machine - i would feel bad if i ranked them higher only because i didn’t even get to stay for half their set.  i made it through the first two songs before i began to fear for my life (we were very, very close) but they rocked it as expected, and the crowd was…let’s just say “responsive”

8. the parlor mob - this was my new “find” for the festival.  they really rocked it out and i am so glad my brother dragged us to their set! they kind of seem like they’d be the next wolfmother…only hopefully they won’t disband after a few years.

7. explosions in the sky - this was such a pleasant surprise.  while i love their music, i wasn’t sure of how they would translate to a festival setting.  they really had a great energy and the music was so beautiful.

6. gnarls barkley - having seen them twice already, i kind of knew what to expect.  cee-lo and dangermouse exceeded those expectations immensly.  their set was amazing, the crowd was so involved and fun, and their cover of radiohead’s “reckoner” was surprisingly wonderful.

5. lupe fiasco - he really had so much energy at his show.  so many people were there just waiting for the rage show, but the crowd was mostly good and i think my favorite was go go gadget flow

4. chromeo - so. much. fun. i can’t really say much more than that. besides the fact that their setup was on “legs” that was hilarious/amazing.

3. the raconteurs - i knew i would like it because i like pretty much anything that jack white does…but this show blew me away. there were so many amazing songs, including a cover of charley parker’s “keep it clean.” (click on the link for the “steady as she goes” video)

2. radiohead - i might get in a lot of trouble for putting them second… don’t get me wrong, it was one of the most amazing sets i’ve ever seen - the lights, the songs, the crowd- but you’ll understand when you see my number one.

1. wilco - to see them in their hometown was  a magnificent experience.  even after going from the madness that is rage to the calmness that is wilco, it didn’t phase me. my favorite song they did was “handshake drugs,” “hate it here” was a close second.  but the best part about it was their outfits!!

photo from brooklynvegan - click to see the rest of their suits and a setlist.

honorable mention goes to g love and special sauce, booka shade, the black keys, kanye west (yes, he had an amazing show), and louis xiv. it was extremely hard to even narrow it down to eleven.  i loved every act i saw, even if it was just a couple of songs.

10 things i learned in chicago

most of you know that i went to the lollapalooza music festival in chicago last weekend.  i had an amazing time, and would love to share my experience with all of you! however, right now i’m sifting through 600+ photos as well as catching up with my real work, so you’ll just have to hang tight for the full recap. for right now, i’d like to give you my 10 things i learned in chicago:

10. there is a reason that a giordano’s pizza takes more than 45 minutes to make…oh and it’s worth it!

9. it is better to sleep on the floor of someone else’s hotel room than in the chicago jail

8. if a homeless man asks you to sign his chicken basket, just do it

7. contrary to popular belief, kyle gass and jack black do not always travel together

6. if you get too close to rage, you will get smushed…and you may lose a toenail

5. there is nothing that jack white can’t do (and he always looks good doing it)

4. if you go to billy goat’s tavern, you’re getting the double cheese…no arguments.

3. traveling with good people will make all the difference in the world

2. radiohead+fireworks=amazing

1. no matter what i do, or the new adventures i take, nothing ever moves me like music…and live music at that.

dfest starts tonight!

if you’re in the tulsa area - or you’re up for a little road trip - the dfest music festival and conference starts tonight! it’s their biggest one yet and shows promise to be an excellent time.  unfortunately for me, i’m not going to make it in time to see the band i was looking forward to the most: ghostland observatory.  ah well. good things in good time.  check out the schedules for each day:

friday

saturday

also on saturday night, i’ll be heading out a little early from the roots’ set to catch heady p at tiny lounge.  as your attorney i would advise you to do the same.

have a fun weekend, folks.

obamapalooza

a while back i told you all about my much anticipated trip to chicago for lollapalooza - well it is fast approaching (2 weeks from today!) and the rumor mill just keeps on turning…

i’ve been perusing message forums (a lot, shamefully) and music blogs to keep up with all the hype, and my favorite so far is that perry farrell is dj-ing with a “special guest” who many, many people speculate is going to be moby (!!!) - this makes me happy. but then i check out my daily dose of consequence of sound and see this:

according to the daily swarm, there is a possibility that obama will make an appearance at the much anticipated festival.  wow - talk about surprise guest appearances!! i think that would even beat last year’s pearl jam set with lance armstrong, dennis rodman and bill parcels among others. the swarm states that the presidential nominee “has left a slot open in his schedule during the first weekend of august for an appearance at the lollapalooza music festival in his hometown of chicago.”  while this is merely speculation, to say that it’s exciting is a great understatement.  and if it doesn’t happen? well, i’ll settle for moby *wink*

expect a full report upon my return.

your dallas weekend rundown

it’s weekend time! woohoo! ok just a few things i know that are going on this weekend ’round town:

johnny lang is playing tonight at the house of blues, he is such a soulful artist… show starts at 8.

tomorrow cork wine bar and retail store is hosting a benefit for the river network. for $5, you can enjoy organic wine from chilean vineyard natura paired with locally made cheeses and a reusable shopping tote. it’s from noon to 6 pm at cork(3636 mckinney ave., suite 170). wine and cheese and charity?! yes, please.

saturday night, i’ll be heading to the majestic theater downtown to enjoy comedian nick swardson perform.  that should definitely be a riot! show starts at 7:30.

also on saturday night, hands up hosts gracie chavez at the loft - should be some funky party/dancing/craziness for sure! here is some more info on the show.

so hope everyone has a super weekend! maybe i’ll see you around town!

edit: i almost forgot that the assassination city roller derby girls have another bout this weekend in mesquite! tomorrow night (saturday 6/21) is the night of the speed demons - they’re playing the alamo prim reapers and the east texas bombers.  remember it’s byob and bring a chair as well! a percentage of the proceeds will benefit the dallas women’s foundation, so watch some derby and feel good about it!

radiohead live in dallas

i had so much going on last weekend, and i haven’t gotten to download all my pics yet but i just couldn’t pass this up. the radiohead show on sunday was amazing - one of the best live performances i’ve ever seen. gorilla vs. bear posted some of the mp3’s of the show, you can listen to them here and also see the video for “you and whose army.” on radiohead not for profit, you can download the entire set. my personal favorite was idioteque. here are some photos, also courtesy of gvb. i’ll post mine, along with video asap. enjoy!

happening in dallas this weekend

alrighty, another fun-filled weekend coming up! tonight i’m headed to the richardson wildflower! arts & music festival to see pat benatar play. since i’m tagging along with some girlfriends, i didn’t know much about the fest until i looked it up - there are some really good bands playing out there! tonight’s lineup is loverboy, eve 6, le freak, pat benatar and then everclear - blast from the past much?! but then tomorrow is america, blue oyster cult and the guess who! too bad i can’t make it for that night, but someone should go and tell me how it is!

tomorrow i’m headed to ikea to round up the rest of my baskets for the closet. saturday night i’m going to my first ever roller derby! the assassination city roller derby girls are playing against arkansas and i’ll be there to support them in their bout.  the after parties i hear are pretty fun and are usually held at lee harvey’s so come on up! go to their site for more info on tickets, bouts, and parties.  this should definitely be a good time! also on saturday night, kyle caldwell and the astonishing wonder featuring the kick-back kid are playing at alexandre’s starting at 10 pm.  they are a riot and you will definitely have a good time. but if you’re not into that, tulsa local band congress of a crow is playing at the lakewood bar and grill.

sunday funday!! radiohead!! yes, it’s finally here, and i’ll be heading to the superpages.com center to enjoy the show (seriously, that name is so lame, i’ll still call it the smirnoff for a while).  tickets sold out almost immediately, so if you wanted to go and you didn’t get tix in time, call me….and i’ll give you a rundown of how awesome the show is! oh that’s mean, but really, i’m sure there will be lots of scalpers out there.  i’ll have pics and all that good stuff next week.

hope you all have a good weekend and maybe i’ll see you around town!

more dfest additions

dfest just announced another round of artist additions, and the lineup just keeps getting better! here are some of the additions:

moe.

all american rejects

phantom planet

the roots

i LOVE me some moe.! and the roots?? that’s so awesome!! the others are definitely icing on the cake…those are just a few of the additions. you can see the full lineup here, and buy tickets here (only$30!).

and that’s not all kids! word around the campfire is that there will be another wave of announcements soon. stay tuned!

weekend fun times III

sorry for the delay in posting, but my internet is down at home so i have to find time before work to post…so here goes!

i made it out to taste addison with a few friends on friday. ran into the beautiful nicole who made sure that we got the extra special treatment in vip…nice to have great friends in good places! it was a really nice vibe; lots of people, delicious food, and good music. i surprisingly liked switchfoot a lot…even though it’s not really my thing, the band was really energetic and put on a good show. i’m sure gavin degraw did a good job, but we left mid-set cause i was so tired (lame, i know).

what’s a festival without a turkey leg?!
Continue reading »

around town this weekend

there is a lot going on this weekend but here are the two things i definitely will be going to…

tonight taste addison begins - a weekend filled with fun, food and music!! tonight gavin degraw and switchfoot are playing and tomorrow it’s the black crowes! the participating restaurants include texas de brazil, the melting pot, truluck’s, two rows and blue goose cantina. hopefully i will see you there, cause we’re gonna have a large time! taste runs from 5pm today till 6pm on sunday.

also this weekend is the 5th annual bishop arts district block party, car show, and urban bazaar. the block party is tomorrow (saturday) from 9:30 am - 8 pm and will have everything from food to clothes to live music and prizes! definitely something to check out!

so i hope you’ll check out one of these fun things and maybe i’ll see you around town!