The Tealights came to Notre Dame in October for an in-studio acoustic set. Check out some footage at http://www.nd.edu/~wvfi/videos.html and http://www.ilovetealights.blogspot.com. They played “Passport” from their album “Take Us By Sea.”
Get excited for their concert at Legends this December!
Never has sitting down felt so good. That was a good sit.
The final four hours of the second day of Lollapalooza turned my legs to wax, standing, jumping, pushing, and fistpumping to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Muse.
But before we get to that, my day started with an impressive performance from Tapes ‘n’ Tapes, one of three scheduled Twin Cities bands on the day (c’mon Hold Steady, you’re not really from New York–yet). Playing a satisfying set of tunes from The Loon and a handful of new, unidentifiable tracks, they blew away a strong showing at the Myspace stage, the third biggest stage at the festival.
Afterwards, lunch was in order, and I urged Kelly and Riley to hurry back for Cold War Kids.
Most disappointing performance of the day and probably most disappointing showing of the whole event.
The set was really mellow for a hyped up-and-coming rock band. They were scheduled on far too small of a stage, causing the crowd to block walkways and hang from trees. But the worst part was it wasn’t even worth it. Sound quality was really weak, as the guitar had virtually no color to it, and the vocals were nowhere near as loud as they ought to have been.
They played “Hang Me Up to Dry” second to last and then complained when people left. Dude, most of the people watching you were only there to hear that song. Deal with it. Considering it was the highlight of their set, it wasn’t even that great. It’s two notes back and forth, they could have jammed it up a little, improv-ed, done something different. For a band that has been lucky thus far and had at least 2000-3000 people watching them, they failed. The rest of the set was really unimpressive, and the seemed like a band that didn’t even belong there.
It didn’t ruin the day though. After CWC, I saw a few tunes from the Roots–a pleasant contrast to the Cold Bore Kids set. Probably the best instrumental performances of the day and one of the most fun atmospheres, even though we hung out towards the back for what we saw. But they definitely convinced me I should catch them another time. The highlight was a hip hop medley (with a subtle dig at Nas for his latest declaration that hip hop is dead) with tunes from Salt ‘n’ Pepa, Sugar Hill Gang, ODB, Vanilla Ice (debatable), Nas, and about four more I can’t remember.
From there, it was time for Hold Steady to rock from the same stage Tapes ‘n’ Tapes worked it. Craig Finn sported a Twins jersey, and they played a fair amount of material from both Boys and Girls in America and Separation Sunday, as expected. But I didn’t see much of it because Kelly, Riley, and I planned to get in position for a good spot for Muse three hours in advance. It paid off, but wait two more paragraphs for me to get there.
Karen O was terrific. I was a little nervous she wouldn’t put on as much of a show because this wasn’t a club gig, but she came out in a big silver gown, a strange leather zip-up half-sleeve corset, and black stockings. Jumping around for every song, singing with the microphone in her mouth, and screaming her brains out, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs rocked it.
They mostly played tunes from their latest EP and Show Your Bones, but they made room for the hits from Fever to Tell: Maps, Pin, and they closed with Date With the Night. Not sure if they performed any of their pre-Fever material.
Then came the big push forward to get to the front for Muse. Even though they weren’t starting for at least another 60 minutes, there were easily 1000 people at the front of the lawn ready to go. Interpol was playing at the same time, and manipulation of all types came into play. Fans at the front spread rumors that Muse cancelled and this was Interpol’s stage, all in an effort to get rid of some of the people. But to be honest, I don’t think I would have wanted it any less crowded. Crowd surfing almost every song, jumping around, screaming, and the audience was louder than Bellamy on stage for most of the set. Easily the best experience of the festival so far. Hands down. Multiple balloon presentations, a light show probably more advanced than Daft Punk (which is saying a lot), and really great song selection and order. The set is from memory, so let me know of any inaccuracies.
JFK Intro/Take a Bow
Map of the Problematique
Hysteria
Supermassive Black Hole
Time Is Running Out
Butterflies and Hurricanes
Feelin’ Good
Sunburn
Invincible
New Born
Starlight
Apocalypse Please
Stockholm Syndrome
Encore:
Plug-In Baby
Knights of Cydonia
The new songs sounded terrific live, and some mechanical problems between songs didn’t hurt the experience at all. I even got to hear Dominic Howard’s voice for the first time after seeing the band play several times.
I can’t see Sunday topping this, but anything is possible with My Morning Jacket, Pearl Jam, and plenty more on the horizon.
P.S. For those of you who like the tune, Knights of Cydonia, I want to plug my friend’s film project. If you like the song and have decent film taste, you’ll enjoy this:
After a volunteer shift of “standing” from 9:30-1:50, I headed out to see some shows with fellow MINDsetters Kelly and Riley.
Ted Leo kicked off my lineup, and after taking an early spill in his set (not sure which song it happened during), he rocked a set consisting of mostly Living material. While Ted has a tendency to speed up even his faster songs live, some of the tempos increased ridiculously in the Chicago heat–notably “Timorous Me,” perhaps the only song in every set I’ve seen him play.
early but unknown order (any help welcome): Me and Mia, Bomb Repeat Bomb, Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone?, Army Bound, Sons of Cain
6. Colleen.
7. Unwanted Things
8. Heart Problems
9. Timorous Me
10. C.I.A.
The big disappointment was that Ted ended the set 15 minutes early. Not sure if there was a misunderstanding in the schedule or if there was another factor. But 2-3 more songs were what the crowd wanted to hear, and instead he just ended with C.I.A. “Rappaport’s Testament?” “High Party?” “Under the Hedge?” “Dial Up?” Bueller? Bueller?
After Ted and a lunch at the Billy Goat Tavern, Riley and I caught the tail end of Against Me!’s set on a sidestage. The crowd was way more into Against Me! at 3:30 on a sunny and humid day. Crowdsurfing and moshing in the front, anarchy onstage, and fans of all ages climbing to get a glimpse of Gainesville, Florida’s finest. Really rough on the setlist, but I know for certain they played “Pints of Guinness Make You Strong” and plenty of stuff from their latest album, New Wave.
After a short break from the punkest show of the day, we met up with Kelly to catch a spot for The Rapture. I had seen them at Curiosa Festival a few years ago and was really unimpressed. Guitar effects and vocals were weak, and they didn’t have much stage presence the first time around. First things first:
1. Down For So Long
2. Get Myself Into It
3. Sister Saviour
4. The Devil
5. Pieces of the People We Love
6. Killing
7. Whoo! Alright Yeah Uh Huh
8. House of Jealous Lovers
9. Don Gon Do It
10. First Gear
11. Olio
Opened with “Down For So Long?” They would have been more successful just skipping that and going straight to “Get Myself Into It.” Maybe the sax wasn’t ready. But there was a strong faction of shirtless Filipino men tearing it up next to me. Then a series of crowd surfers toward the middle of the set.
On a sidenote, if someone crowd surfed at a festival, would they mind sharing what happened when they reached security? If they got booted or just sent back in?
Anyway, the guitars were off (intentionally or not) for “House of Jealous Lovers,” but everything else was really strong, and probably the best crowd on the day. The bass was exceptional, especially on “The Devil” and “House of Jealous Lovers.”
That’s it for now. Totally exhausted. Reviews and discussion of LCD Soundsystem and Daft Punk will follow. For now, here is Murphy’s set:
1. Us v Them
2. Daft Punk Is Playing At My House
3. Time to Get Away
4. North American Scum
5. All My Friends
6. Tribulations
7. Movement
8. Yeah (extended, non-crass version)
9. wtf? not sure if this was a recorded song or not, any help welcome
Goodnight!
Tomorrow’s picks: Matt & Kim, Ludo, Sam Roberts Band, Cold War Kids, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Hold Steady, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, wait there (I’ll see Spoon when they play a longer set), MUSE
1. Pioneer to the Falls – opens their latest album, opens their set. I get it.
2. Slow Hands – definitely the biggest crowd reaction of the whole night.
3. Narc – what else would they play after Slow Hands?
4. C’Mere
5. Rest My Chemistry – eh
6. Mammoth (maybe)
7. Hands Away – interesting TOTBL choice, not a song I would expect to make the set… at least it hints that they’ll play more from their best album later
8. No I in Threesome – obviously about how when you play golf with two other people, it’s a team effort, even if it isn’t a scramble
9. Heinrich Maneuver – not as big a reaction as I would have expected.
10. Evil
11. Not Even Jail
12. wtf interlude? – impromptu? sure seemed like it; just guitar and drums, lasted about 3 minutes.
13. PDA – please don’t be the last song before the encore
3 minute break (main set = 55 minutes)
14. Leif Erikson – awesome
15. Obstacle 1 – boom goes the dynamite.
16. Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down – again, not about sex, about swimming
Overall, the show was way better than their appearance at Curiosa. Of course they didn’t play as much from “Turn on the Bright Lights” as I would have hoped, but I’ll take 5 tracks out of 16 when the last two albums were what made them rich. Cigarette count? Carlos D-2, Daniel-1.
The light show featured more professional looking lite-brites on stands that displayed monochromes for various songs. Appropriate since each Interpol doesn’t display a whole lot of personality, but (for the most part) you can still tell them apart.
The crowd was pretty solid. The floor was a heavy mix of older teens, about as packed as it gets. Higher up you found more people in their late 20’s, 30’s. Overall way more men than women, maybe even 2-to-1, yet not much aggression or moving around (except to Slow Hands).
The big disappointment was how short the set was – 75 minutes for $30. I expected closer to 20, 22 tracks, maybe “Wrecking Ball,” “Say Hello to the Angels,” or their latest closer – “The Lighthouse.”
Seriously though, how can a guitarist only strum down and never palm mute? I know it’s their trademark sound, and it’s really cool how every note rings with the dual guitars, but when is he going to break his right wrist? (Strumming up is for those Rastafarian types!) Carlos’ bass was so smooth. He never plays fast, and he never gets fancy, but it’s flawlessly done.
Opener Calla started out strong, performing some of their shorter, upbeat tracks. But then… not so much. No setlist, and I didn’t take any notes. If Riley and I would have been stuck at will call waiting for the Pageant staff to figure out our situation another 20 minutes, I wouldn’t have been heartbroken.
Interpol vs. Muse at Lollapalooza? I still recommend Muse for the festival setting. Riley and Kelly second and third that opinion.
I had a chance to speak with Carl Broemel about his summer, Price Is Right, and the future of My Morning Jacket. Continue reading below to check out the full article.
So what have you and the band been up to all summer?
We did some rehearsing and working on some songs actually just last month, but we’re going to actually record later this year.
I’m home for the week and then we’ll head up to Chicago on Thursday.
How does a performer stand out at a festival as large as Lollapalooza?
“It’s not like we’re going to shave our heads and put on a bunch of costumes,” Holland, Michigan native and singer/songwriter David Vandervelde said.
The 22-year old released his full-length debut “Moonstation House Band” on indie label Secretly Canadian earlier this year. Although the album has earned the attention and praise from internet authorities Pitchfork Media and All Music, Vandervelde has yet to perform on a stage with figurative lights this bright.
“We’re going to have a keyboard player and some more guitar players,” Vandervelde said about playing “in front of a lot of people.”
Lollapalooza 2007 features veterans and popular artists from a variety of movements including Pearl Jam, Interpol, Muse, Daft Punk, and Ben Harper.
“The best part about it is the exposure in front of a lot of people who can hear what we’re doing,” Vandervelde said over the phone in a van headed for a gig in Wilmington, North Carolina. “I think that’s the obvious plus.”
Vandervelde said he landed on the bill when a critic from Chicago’s The Onion recommended him to the festival’s committee “a few months ago.” His relationship with the city of Chicago might have earned him extra points with getting a spot on the three-day festival’s schedule, he said.
“I lived in Chicago for a while,” Vandervelde said. “That’s where everything came together, and that’s where I made my record.”
He is scheduled to take the stage with his band at 1:00 PM on the Citi stage on Sunday, the final day of the festival.
School Yard Heroes (above and right), the touring opener, began the night off right and pleasantly surprised all those in the audience who had never heard of them (and equally satisfied a surprising number of their own fans who had come just to see them). After talking to the guy at the merch booth and hearing a little about them (they’re from Seattle, have been together about 5 years, have a really unique sound and live show), I was pumped to check them out. And they definitely did not disappoint! Reminded me a lot of Dandi Wind with the kick-ass front woman and electro-ish sound, but were far more rock-oriented than the Canadian trio. The bassist and guitarist both had HUGE hair which was sweet, and the singer was energetic, intense, pretty, and rather dark-sounding. She had the cutest dress on as well as high top converse!
And of course — the Horrors!! What can I say, these guys are a vision. 
Before the band took the stage, the first thing I noticed were the two rather gorgeous Fender Jaguars which were situated right in front of me. I’m not sure I even saw the band come 
The show got more and more intense as the set continued, Faris pacing in circles like a dog on the stage, yowling into the mic, hair perpetually in his face, invading the crowd, perching on a speaker and yelling right into people’s
Closing with “Gloves” was absolute genius because not only is it my favourite song of theirs, but also provides a good climax to the set and allows the band to leave the stage with a powerful finish. During this song, Faris spent the whole time singing from different places in the audience before disappearing to grab a clock off a wall (from somewhere in the bar) and fitting it down the front of his shirt which allowed him to strike himself in the chest with the mic. Finally, at the end of the song, he is at the back of the bar (and yes, his mic still has a cord swinging from it) and approaches the glowing, brightly-colored pinball machine and, instead of singing the words to the song, yells for someone to get him a quarter! Anybody get me a quarter for the pinball game! He then gets up on one of the counters at which patrons are sitting, stomps about for a while before leaping onto the top of one of the other games in the bar (I am directly under the mic cord at this time and its swinging rather invades my head-space!). The band finish the song with Faris singing the lines, “I’ve gotta go / I’ve gotta get out of here /I’ve gotta go.” And then, all of a sudden, the band are gone as quickly and mysteriou
If NME’s website is to be believed (which it isn’t!), the next Gallagher Brothers album is set to start recording this summer! But believe me, NME has been all too wrong about this kind of thing in the past…
check it out here, anyway.
On Sunday, Twin Cities’ own Tapes N Tapes played Grand Old Day block party in St. Paul. There were 5 stages or so and about 5-6 bands per stage throughout the afternoon. I have to say that Tapes were the main event and they played a good 75 minute set. Mainly I just enjoyed myself and the people watching without worrying too much about setlists, analysis, etc. Good tunes, good hipsters, decent weather… But I did take some good photos, so please enjoy those!
(was there a wet t-shirt contest I didn’t know about?)
What is it about today’s music scene that encourages, nay, forces consumers as well as artists to pay such respect to the cover song? Here are a few recent/ recently discovered ones I just had to share. All the links lead directly to the blogpost the music can be found on…just hit the link, scroll down, and you’ll find what you’re looking for =)
Kanye’s pseudo-cover of PB&J’s “Young Folks” can be heard on All Things Go.
Ryan Adams doing classic Stones’ tune “Brown Sugar”? Sorry Christine, but the only thing I can compare it to is what I imagine the Stones would sound like if Mick Jagger lost his vocal edge and the band were playing a casino in rural Minnesota circa 1987. (The Music Slut)
Or what about Snow Patrol’s rendition of Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love”? It’s on Sound Gymnastics.
This one should take the cake: Marilyn Manson doing JT’s “What Goes Around Comes Around.” I can’t link to it, but if you go on http://hypem.com and search for it, trust me, you’ll be rewarded. However, it’a actually a pretty mellow acoustic version, but entertaining none the less.
Um, and this Panic! one is for Riley… Again the link doesn’t work but search on http://hypem.com for Maneater. Yes.
Of course, no WVFI-related list of cover songs would be complete without Ted Leo’s (okay, Kelly Clarkson’s) “Since U Been Gone” (on The World Forgot)
Finally, my favourite I think, is a band I’ve never heard of (I just sacrificed indie cred for this, so appreciate it!) Je Suis France kinda covering LCD SoundSystem’s “Daft Punk is Playing at My House” but the alterations are genius. Pure Genius. (on Culture Bully)
