I’m sorry to the other music festivals, but I must say that Bonnaroo is my absolute favorite U.S. festival. The atmosphere of Bonnaroo is something that just cannot be found at any other festival that I have been to in the United States. I don’t even care about the bands who play at the festival (that’s not true, just trying to make a point), it’s the people who attend Bonnaroo that make the festival the magical weekend that it is. But also, I do care about the bands. My musical experience at Bonnaroo has also been incredible. Two of my most treasured memories with bands took place at Bonnaroo. The first was Arcade Fire at 2011 and the second was Radiohead at 2012. Both of these headliners managed to take the energy of Bonnaroo, amplify it, and send it right back to the people. These two bands created an atmosphere that cannot be compared to anything else that I have ever experienced. Somehow they confined all the onlookers into one entity, making all of us feel as if we were getting a private show from these massive acts. If that sounds weird, so be it. Bonnaroo’s weird. Bonnaroo is many things. And today, Bonnaroo is back.

In a rather impressive campaign, Bonnaroo have managed to create quite the buzz for their Lineup Announcement Megathon today. With Daniel Tosh and Weird Al Yankovic (did you guys know he still existed?) announcing the lineup, they managed to absolutely top last year’s list of bands, and then some. Topping the bill we have the brilliantly popular Mumford & Sons, Paul McCartney, and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Then throw into the mix a bit of Bjork, R. Kelly (!), and Wu-Tang Clan and that shows what Bonnaroo’s always about. They always have the greatest mix of bands, for young and for old. I’m just going to run through a few more names that I am looking forward to: the ever-incredible The National (does this mean new album?!), Grizzly Bear, Father John Misty, Earl Sweatshirt, Alt-J, Reptar, and Matthew E. White. Uh, we’re lucky.

Tickets go on sale on Saturday, February 23 at 12pm EST at $234.50 a piece, until those get sold out, then the price level goes up. Snatch ‘em up quick!

Sasquatch Festival   The Gorge, Quincy, WA  May 24-27, 2013

This summer’s festival circuit is already looking to be one of the best in recent years. Already announced we’ve got festivals such as Governors Ball and Shaky Knees boasting lineups featuring artists new and old destined to put on an incredible live show. But then Sasquatch Festival goes and announces it’s delicious lineup attempting to blow all other summer festivals out of the water. The winner for best festival lineup cannot be decided until both Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza announce their always fantastic lineups, but Sasquatch are putting themselves at the top of the pack. SceneSC covered Sasquatch last year and are ready to experience this festival all over again. Sasquatch takes place in a beautiful location in Quincy, WA where the party pretty much never stops.

Alright, so as you can see in that poster, this lineup is stacked. However, I must start with the two SC bands Shovels & Rope and Toro y moi. Toro are no strangers to music festivals, having taken over the festival circuit last year, but Shovels & Rope are new to the major festivals, having just released their debut album O’ Be Joyful just last year. I am incredibly excited that Shovels & Rope are being featured on both Coachella and Sasquatch’s lineups as they are an incredible live band and deserve all the recognition that they are getting. Along with these two gems you have the newly-reunited The Postal Service, Bloc Party, Alt-J, Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers, Nick Offerman, Earl Sweatshirt, Father John Misty, The Tallest Man On Earth, and so many others. As I said in my preview for Governors Ball Festival, I recommend just staring at this lineup for a while.

Tickets are on sale Saturday, February 9. You can check out all the festival’s info here: http://www.sasquatchfestival.com/

Hello SceneSC readers. I have not written here in a rather long time, but there was some big news that I thought was worth me writing about! Although it’s not in the South, this music festival is on the east coast, and not too far for festivalgoers to head up to from South Carolina. Since the lineup announcement, I have seen many of my friends in SC post about how this is the festival that they want to go to this year, and I can see why. The lineup is pretty much perfect. There’s Kanye West, Grizzly Bear, The Avett Brothers, Alt-J, The Lumineers, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and countless others. Even if you don’t think you’re going to go, I think you should check out the lineup (http://http://lineup.governorsballmusicfestival.com/) and just see what a music festival is all about.

I went to Governors Ball Festival last year and it seemed like a much smaller event, with the headliners being Passion Pit and Beck. Still big bands, but nothing on the same level as Kanye West, Kings of Leon, and a sure to be exciting TBA headliner. The venue is is a lovely park on Randall’s Island in New York City. If you’re thinking of visiting NYC this summer, this would be the weekend to go. The atmosphere at this festival is almost comparable to Bonnaroo and the lineup is going to top many of the other festivals this summer, making Governors Ball one of the best music festivals of summer 2013.

You can go to http://governorsballmusicfestival.com/ to book tickets, see the beautiful lineup, or get any other info you need about this festival.

Music Midtown    Piedmont Park, Atlanta, GA    September 21+22

After parading across the country to see music festivals this summer, there is finally a fest that is close to home. It’s not as massive as Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza but last year’s Music Midtown in Atlanta, GA had an atmosphere that could match all of the top festivals. It takes place at the end of September in a lovely park in Atlanta called Piedmont Park. There are only two stages and the way the set times work make it so you are able to see every single band who are play the festival if you wanted. Quite clever in my opinion.

This year the lineup boasts a variety of huge artists such as Foo Fighters, Pearl Jam, and The Avett Brothers. However, it also features two smaller bands who have quite a following here in Columbia, O’Brother and Civil Twilight. Then there are female-fronted acts, Florence + The Machine and LP who have quite differing levels of fame, but both can belt out a high note like nobody else. It’s the perfect time for a festival like this, and features cheap ticket prices for the amount of bands you get to see.

You can buy tickets and see the lineup through the website: http://musicmidtown.com/

I would like to thank Big Hassle Media for their hospitality. They were great to work with and I hope that we can continue this relationship forever and always. Also, thanks to Lillian Cai and Alex Chura for taking the pictures that are in this article.

I tried to write this article on my way back from Bonnaroo last Sunday and it was a mistake. All I wanted to write about was how I was looking forward to showering, sleeping, and eating. Now that I have fulfilled those urges by doing excessive amounts of each, I think that I can finally wrap my head around Bonnaroo 2012. The theme of this year’s Bonnaroo was, without a doubt, fake british accents. Everyone and their mother seemed to be attempting to sound as if they were from across the pond. I could be cocky and say that they were probably just trying to sound like me, but I think the real truth can be found in Bonnaroo’s lineup (and the popularity of Game of Thrones). There were a lot of British artists this year. Obviously there were a whole bunch of American acts as well but the bands that I heard most people talking about were the ones who were visiting from the UK. This could possibly be due to the fact that they do not tour here as much, who knows. Regardless of whether the bands were American, British, or whatever else, I enjoyed all the music I saw and this year’s Bonnaroo was a major success.

It all started with an eight-legged cat. Well, that is not true, that came later. It started with me and Jake Causey driving through the magnificent Tennessee mountains. Unfortunately when the road got closer to Bonnaroo’s location, the mountains and the scenery got boring again. When we arrived we got some things from the Bonnamart (Walmart next to Bonnaroo), got lost three times, and finally got directed to our campground. When we secured out spot and jumped out of the car, it was nighttime and it was cold outside. You are probably furiously thinking, “Rupert, you are straight up lying to me. Bonnaroo is never cold.” Well, sir or madam, I am not lying. I was at the point where I was wearing a cardigan and thermals to sleep. It got slightly warmer by Saturday but it was nothing compared to the sweaty nights of Bonnaroo 2011. It was pretty hot in the days obviously, but still not too bad. Anyways, we unpacked our bags and went to sleep, anticipating the festivities of the days to come.

Thursday

Thursday started with an eight-legged cat. That was the right place to put that sentence. we were camping with 8 other people and we were all sitting and waiting for Centeroo to open. A man appeared and said “I can show you an eight-legged cat for three dollars”. Obviously we says heck yes. Then he pulled out a jar full of isopropal alcohol that had a stillborn kitten in it. No joke. He took us on a tour of its eight legs, four ears, and two tails. He told us that Discovery Channel tried to buy it from him but he will never sell it.None of us knew what to say. It was really weird, and really Bonnaroo. After that introduction to the weekend, we wandered into Centeroo alongside thousands of buzzing-with-excitement festival-goers. In terms of atmosphere, Bonnaroo is the best festival there is. Everyone is friendly and happy to be there. It creates a little world where everyone feels like family.

The band that kicked off my day was The Lonely Forest. They were solid and sound like a baby version of Death Cab For Cutie with some Tokyo Police Club mixed in. I saw Rubblebucket next, a wonderful band featuring a lovely female singer, a horn section, and colorful flags everywhere. At one point, giant robots came into the crowd and danced with everyone. Very impressive. I went back to This Tent and witnessed a triple attack of hip-hop music with Danny Brown, Yelawolf, and Kendrick Lamar. Surprisingly, my favorite of the three was Yelawolf. He is slightly terrifying at first glance/listen but he had such a good stage presence and it was obvious that he greatly appreciates his fans and their support. He made fun of Eminem, sung Johnny Cash, and pleased mostly everyone in the packed tent. Danny Brown and Kendrick Lamar were good as well, I just did not like them as much. From-nothing-to-huge band Alabama Shakes were up next and showed us exactly why they deserve their recent surge of popularity. The only problem that I had with their was that lead singer Brittany Howard’s vocals were turned down too low which was unfortunately because her voice is one of the main draws of the band. They sort of fixed it throughout the set, enough to where I could enjoy it. They were incredible though, and so young! All of the members have insane talent, with the star of the show being Brittany Howard. She was a bright star full of infinite energy. She was talkative, emotional, and inspirational. Everything you could want from a lead singer. She introduced one song by saying that she wrote it because she was best friends with a boy since they were little. As they got older, people started telling them that they can’t just be friend. This enraged her so she wrote a song about it. After their explosive set there were no more bands to see so I meandered off to bed.

Friday

Bonnaroo really upped its game with everything this year. There was more shade, more toilet paper and most importantly, more water. Last year I spent half my time lining up for water but this time I was barely in any lineups the whole weekend. We cooked some sausages then walked into Centeroo the begin the first full day of the festival. I started off the warm day by heading to That Tent, hearing some fake british accents, then getting a nice spot for one of my most anticipated acts, Michael Kiwanuka. Kiwanuka is a sweet fellow from London who has a soul sound akin to Otis Redding and Bill Withers. He won BBC’s Sound of 2012 and his live show showed just why he won this coveted award. He had a full band with him but luckily it just the right amount of sound so as to not drown out his soulful, era-transcending voice. He played guitar so well that you would think that he went to university for music (which he did). His biggest hit in the UK, Home Again provided a sort of anthem to Bonnaroo since I know that every returning Bonnaroo attendee was thinking those two words when they entered the festival gates. Next up was another Londoner, folk artist Ben Howard. I have his debut album Every Kingdom, and I enjoy it, but I did not expect to see the absolute show that he and his band put on. There were only three of them but they somehow managed to give me goosebumps by the second song. A lovely brunette girl played cello, bass, drum, and provided hauntingly beautiful harmonies. The energetic drummer also added his voice and played guitar as well as pounding on the drums. The thing that surprised me, and I think it surprised the band as well, was the support from the crown. I did not think that many people knew Ben Howard but the tent was full of screaming, happy fans. Together, we hung onto Howard’s every word and were all impacted by his godlike guitar playing. It really was something special.

Afterwards I caught some of Hey Rosetta!’s set before heading over to the What Stage to wait for Radiohead. Hey Rosetta! were a good live band but they just did not seem too special after seeing Ben Howard. Then I headed to the massive What Stage to wait for 4 hours to get a good spot for Radiohead. The excitement was already in the air. Radiohead was the band that most of the people there were looking forward to most and they were finally going to see them. I sat next to some friendly people and got ready for the long wait. As the sun was setting Rodrigo y Gabriela came onto the stage. They were so good. I have never seen guitar being played the way that they played theirs. At some points they were playing the most complex guitar parts I had ever seen with their eyes closed! During their set, I ran into Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell and they were both beautiful.

Finally, after getting 8 rows back and making some wonderful friends, the lights turned off and Radiohead stepped out onto the stage and played underneath one of the most impressive stage setups I have ever seen. They had about 10 separate monitors that moved around, flashed different colors, and showed videos of the band. At one point the monitors all came down flat and made it look as if Radiohead were performing in a small club venue rather than a massive outdoor stage. Though without these screens, the band would have done just fine. I do not even want to talk about how good the band were. I was mesmerized from start to finish. I heard people complaining after the set that they did not play many of their old songs but seriously, how could they complain? The set was flawless. What surprised me most was the amount of energy that all the band members had. They were dancing, screaming, and having fun. I just did not expect this brilliant stage presence. Thom Yorke was nuts. He spoke in weird voices, taunted the crowd, and most importantly, sang his heart out. Contrary to the ideas of some, their new songs were the ones that stuck out most to me. Their newer songs have an enormous range of genres and style from hip-hop to chillwave. During new song Indentikit, Thom Yorke and guitarist Ed O’Brien were singing what sounded like two different songs but it sounded absolutely perfect. The Daily Mail and Weird Fishes were some other highlights. You probably saw this on the internet already but they hinted at a collaboration with Jack White and also dedicated a song to Saturday’s headliners Red Hot Chili Peppers. I could seriously write an essay about Radiohead’s performance due to their massive, expansive set featuring two encores but I cannot write too much as I have already busted out a lot of words. I did not even get a chance to talk about Johnny Greenwood’s immense music palette. After being wowed by Radiohead and experiencing my first full day of Bonnaroo 2012, I went to bed.

Saturday

On Saturday I slept in, got a free homemade granola bar, and saw some more talented acts. When I got into Centeroo I went straight to This Tent and stuck it out there for most of the day. At the tent I saw Das Racist, Battles, and SBTRKT. Das Racist were as ridiculous and fun as I expected them to be. They hyped up the crowd a whole lot and at one point they made us all turn around and face the back of the tent before launching into their song Michael Jackson. I saw Battles at around 2am at Moogfest last year and was just about asleep so I enjoyed their performance at Bonnaroo this year a lot more. They told the crowd that they had planned to take a year off but had to come back just to play ‘Roo and I think that everyone was glad they did. They are way too good at instruments. Up next was SBTRKT, which is a stage name and project headed by Aaron Jerome from London, UK. It also refers to the live musical duo of Jerome and his frequent collaborator Sampha. Jerome spent the show triggering samples, mixing, and playing the drums which Sampha played keyboards and sang. His voice and both of their passion and energy was highly impressive. The only gripe that I had was that the show not at night. I believe that with an amazing light show, their sound would have worked ever better. Afterwards I headed over to see The Roots who were huge and full of energy. All of the members were all over the place and having the time of their lives. They got the enormous crowd moving and left an impression on everyone. During Red Hot Chili Peppers I went on Bonnaroo’s fantastic ferris wheel and then saw some of ?uestlove’s Superjam featuring D’Angelo and members of The Roots.

I woke up Sunday morning and thought that I had drooled everywhere but I realized that it was actually raining. Jake and I had already been planning to leave early due to our 8am summer class but this rain convinced us to skip Sunday altogether and drive home. It was very unfortunate that we had to miss The Civil Wars, The Antlers, and Bon Iver, among others, but that is the price I have to pay for being a super smart college student. As you can tell from my review, Bonnaroo was amazing. I will be in Europe for the first half of 2013 so I will not be there next year but I hope that SceneSC can continue this happy relationship with the festival. Happy Bonnaroo!

Counterpoint Music Festival     Atlanta, GA    September 27-29    TICKETS

Counterpoint is pretty different from most of the festivals that I have posted about and also a little bit closer to home. It takes place just outside of Atlanta, GA and in its first year as a festival, it boasts some of the biggest names in electronic music around. Everyone I have talked to about it is so excited about the lineup, with many of them proclaiming that it’s the best festival lineup they have ever seen. I am not even a huge fan of electronic music and I am looking forward to seeing almost all of these bands. It is a lineup that draws from the south, featuring local artists Toro y moi and Washed Out, along with Reptar from Athens, GA. It features headliners Bassnectar, Skrillex, Pretty Lights and AVICII, all HUGE names in the music industry at the moment. Personally I am looking forward to Com Truise, Atmosphere, Big Gigantic, and Super Mash Bros.

It is a “camping optional” event so if you want to camp, you are more than welcome. It will be at the end of September so the temperature should be just right for camping. It will also feature art from local Atlanta artists, local food, a Cinema arena showing football games, and most importantly, extreme sports. With all these artists and activities in tow, this festival is showing promise to become another huge one along the lines of Ultra or Electric Forest.

You can check out the lineup/ticket info/etc. here: http://www.counterpointfestival.com/

That lineup announcement video is what’s up. It came out a while ago but I think it deserves a post because it is just so good. As I write my review of Bonnaroo’s insanity I am preparing for another music festival in just under two weeks. This festival takes place in New York City, one of my favorite places on Earth, and features some pretty amazing bands. They’ve got Passion Pit, who will be presenting cuts from their soon to be released new album, Beck, Modest Mouse, Fiona Apple, Cults, Phantogram, and a whole lot more. Also, there are no overlapping sets which is an absolute plus so you really could see every band at this festival.

The flights to New York are mega cheap right now, so get on this! I am so excited for it. The two new songs that Passion Pit have released hit hard. Modest Mouse and Beck are meant to be two of the world’s best live acts, and I have always wanted to see Cults. It’s a special festival and it’s in New York City, which, like I said before, is the best city ever. While I’m there I think I’m also going to check out Moonrise Kingdom and Safety Not Guaranteed, two movies that are not being released anywhere else for a while. Let’s do this!

Check out the lineup/festival info/etc. right here: http://governorsballmusicfestival.com/

Memorial Day weekend marked the beginning of yet another Sasquatch musical adventure.  Anticipation seemed to stream through the lines of cars as they began to line up off the Washington Interstate. The cracks of beer cans echoed through the gorge as the EPIC wait to get into the campground began. Hours later, wristbands intact, booze smuggled passed security, people began to make their way into the small village that would be their home for the next three and a half days.

Day 1

Due to the wait and the time it took to set up camp, Friday began with the masterful mashup DJ Girl Talk, aka Greg Gillis.  The crowd was amped and ready to dance their faces off and Gillis certainly delivered.  In true Girl Talk fashion he came out and immediately began to pump up the crowd by having everyone throw toilet paper, or glow sticks, and the craziest dancing fools were brought up on stage with him. His set started with “Play Your Part,” the song that kicks off one of his most popular albums Feed the Animals.  Gillis’ ability to keep a crowd engaged is beyond what most DJs are capable of doing on their own. He never lost the crowd’s focus; beating us over the head with endless hit after hit.  Pretty Lights followed and kept the crowd moving.  When he started, the crowd threw glow sticks in the air making it look like it was temporarily raining neon at the gorge. While his light show and set were interesting after Girl Talk it’s hard to keep a crowd as excited, and people began to filter back towards camp, where the party never stops.

Day 2

Saturday began with newbies Alabama Shakes, who had the Bigfoot stage swarmed. Their debut album Boys and Girls has been a gift from the musical gods reminding people what it means to play real rock and roll.  Lead singer Brittany Howard’s voice is reminiscent of Janis Joplin.  Listening to her perform songs like “I Found You” and “Boys and Girls” makes it feel as if you’re reading her diary they’re so personal. Yet she rocks the house with her roaring vocals on songs like “Be Mine” and “Hold On.”  It will be interesting to watch this band blossom in the years to come.

After Bigfoot it was time to go to the Sasquatch stage to post up for the heavy hitters to come that evening. Caught the tail end of the Civil Wars set, an adorable duo whose mellow tunes seem to go hand–in-hand with the natural beauty of the gorge.  Country singer Jamey Johnson followed and seemed hell-bent on putting everyone to sleep with his laid-back set.   While a talented musician, his country music was out of place.

Childish Gambino’s music had been blaring throughout the campgrounds that morning in eagerness of his performance.  Gambino, otherwise known as Donald Glover, on top of being a rapper is also a standup comedian, and a writer and actor for NBC hits such as 30 Rock and Community. His energy, as well has his band’s, was relentless and exactly the kind of energy boost people needed especially after the sleepfest that was Jamey Johnson.  I had never heard much of his music, but as a huge fan of Community (not going to lie I was hoping Abed would show up), I knew I wouldn’t be let down. Gambino’s lyrics are incredibly clever and he calls ‘em as he sees ‘em. He calls out his haters, his friends, family and even the girls he’s uh been “romantically involved with.”   His talent is so incredibly genuine it’s hard to focus on anything other than him. He commanded his audience and helped bring the main stage back to life.

Metric continued the life support with their electro pop anthems. Lead singer Emily Haines, in all her whimsy, danced around the stage with her tambourine and blasted our ears with her synthesized love. She appeared to be exactly where she wanted to be and reminded her audience that their souls were out there for us and we were grateful. They played new songs from their up coming album Synthetica, due out June 12th, as well as chart toppers from their album Fantasies.

The chart toppers didn’t stop when The Shins took the stage. As a band should in a festival setting they played all their big hits from “New Slang,” to “Kissing the Lipless” and “Sleeping Lessons.”  The crowd sang along and front man James Mercer made us all honorary members of the band.

As soon as his roadies hit the stage dressed in typical Third Man fashion, fedoras, black suits with silk blue ties, Jack White’s newest album Blunderbuss’ signature color, a frenzy seemed to grip the crowd as people descended into the pit to get a better view.  The roadies began to transform the giant main stage into a more intimate setting reminiscent of the White Stripes, but with many more instruments. Once everything was in place including the Third Man spotlights and drapes, the band took the stage banging on their instruments amping up the crowd which erupted in to screams and cheers when White appeared.  As soon as he picked up his guitar he went right into playing The White Stripes song “Black Math” sending the crowd into a dancing fit, jumping up and down.  From that point on we were taken on a journey through the music career of Mr. White. He played songs from his new album, as well as songs from his other groups The Racounteurs and The Dead Weather. He even did a Hank Williams cover. Mostly he delighted the masses with many a White Stripes song including, “Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground,” “Hotel Yorba,” “Catch Hell Blues,” “Hello Operator,” and “Ball & Biscuit.” He picked up his acoustic and played “We’re Going To Be Friends,” while everyone sang along.   He ended with “Seven Nation Army,” which has become quite the anthem, and involuntarily causes people to chant along with the well know guitar rift.  It was interesting to see how much White still plays to his drummer, which he was known for doing with former band mate Meg White.  There was a lot of White Stripes nostalgia going on, and it was different hearing all the songs played with much more sound.  Jack White played an amazing show. His music is universal, and truly authentic. He’s a living legend who continually shows us what music is and can be.

The Roots ended everyone’s Saturday evening with their usual crowd pleasing ways. They are a phenomenal live band and if you ever have the opportunity to see them live go, because not only will they entertain you, they’ll keep you grooving all night long.

Day 3

Day three was a grassy knoll day.  I saw the end of Chiddy Bang a hip-hop/rock duo from Philly. Their sound would have been better on one of the smaller stages, but cheers to them for being given the opportunity to perform on the Sasquatch stage. M. Ward charmed the afternoon crowd with his ethereal guitar melodies and winsome lyrics.  His songs always seem to remind me of a fairy tale and the gorge provided a perfect backdrop for his sound.  A local Washington favorite The Head and the Heart followed playing to a fairly large audience for an afternoon band. Their music has an easy flow of vocal harmonies with a danceable side to it.

After the mellowness of the afternoon my friend in I went in search of something to dance to. We headed to the Banana Shack where all who wish to move go.  We were disappointed with euro-trance band Apparat, so we moseyed over to the Bigfoot stage to get a good spot for Little Dragon, a band I was quite unfamiliar with, but am so grateful I found. If you have not heard Little Dragon go out and buy their album Ritual Union immediately. It is exceptional. Lead singer Yukimi Nagano’s stage presence is subtly commanding.  She directed the lights and her partners on stage with her tambourine and drumstick, while moving around as if she was walking on water. Thank you Little Dragon for giving me something to dance to and saving me from the easygoing monotony of the day.  Sunday ended in the dance tent with James Murphy who put on a typical DJ set, but with an amazing light display and awesome graphics.

Day 4

Monday, the day every Sasquatcher is saddened to see, started with Welsh band The Joy Formidable.  I wasn’t too impressed with this band. They sounded like any other alternative rock band you might hear on a popular radio station. Their lead singer’s facial expressions were distracting, but boy could their drummer tear it up.  The audience was graced with a true afternoon delight in Feist.  She is one of the best female performers around. She taught herself how to play music, as well as sing. She writes and produces her own material, and her creativity is unmatched. Live she is quite the fireball one might expect from a redhead, enticing the crowd to sing along, clap, and dance. Her back up singers The Mountain Band were three hippie girls, fully clad in peasant girl type dress, who helped with the vocal harmonies so essential to Feist’s music. Their performance helped enhance hers and they all looked like they were having one hell of a good time.

People moved towards the Yeti stage to catch a glimpse of funny man John C. Reilly and Friends. Reilly is a part of Jack White’s Third Man Records label and has recently put out a couple singles produced by White. His sound is old timey country with a rockabilly vibe to it.  It seemed that most people were expecting him to bust out into characters he’s played in movies, not really giving him the opportunity to prove himself as a musician.

Ready to dance, the Banana Shack once again became our destination, and L.A. Riots was raging away beneath the white tent.  The excitement disappeared with SBTRKT, so we went over to the main stage just in time to catch the beginning of an epic rock show put on by the amazing Tenacious D.  They were incredible, not only because they are talented musicians, but also complete fans of rock and the theatrical aspect of a show.  They are sincere performers even if the things they’re talking about are completely insane.  For example in celebration of their new album Rize of the Fenix, a “phoenix” arose center stage. When I say “phoenix” I mean a giant penis with a face and huge pair of balls with flaming wings arose from the middle of the stage and leaned towards the audience.  I was scared it was going to shoot something at us.  Later a giant evil squid appeared on stage and Jack Black killed it will a nerf gun. It was like being at a more comedic GWAR show.  You know less aliens and blood, but more dick and butt jokes, but the same kind of performance rock.  At one point Black even sings, “Look inside my anus and you’ll know Sasquatch is real.” The whole audience including the people on the grass sang along to the soft rock ballad “F**k Her Gently,” which was hilarious, and heartwarming.  Tenacious D was a much need dose of face melting R’n’R for the people of Sasquatch.

In a last ditch attempt to get some dancing in we tried the Banana Shack one more time for the DJ Nero.  He had good moments, but every time he’d build up the beat he’d drop into some dub-step bass line, and that’s all he did. The music became predictable, so we went to the last show of Sasquatch, Beck.  He played all the songs you’d want to hear Beck perform, but he looked so bored through his entire performance the novelty wore off quickly. If you’ve seen videos of older Beck shows you know what he’s capable of, but his stage presence at Sasquatch was incredibly disappointing. I wanted to go up there shake him and remind him that the lovely people of the audience were paying for him to get to his next Operating Thetan Level, so if he could pretend to like us for just a minute that would be much appreciated.  He closed out his set by bringing Tenacious D back on to help him sing his last two songs. Thank goodness he did that, it was the most physical energy his set had all night.

Tuesday’s mass exodus back to the real world always begins entirely too early, but people have to return to their normal lives. It’s easy to forget about everyday life at Sasquatch, and everyone seems dismayed as they called out their goodbyes to the beauty around them.  Overall my Sasquatch experience was fairly mellow this year, but with definite high points. Girl Talk, Alabama Shakes, Childish Gambino, Jack White, Little Dragon, and Tenacious D all helped to provide me with classic Sasquatch moments.  For those four days there wasn’t a single place in the world I would have rather been.  Thanks for the opportunity SceneSC!

Check out the festival’s schedule right here

About a week ago, the Manchester, TN-based festival announced its schedule for the crazy weekend about to happen. Until I looked at the schedule I did not realize how many good bands are playing at Bonnaroo this year, but man, there are a lot. There are also a whole lot of bands playing at the exact same time which is frustrating. But Jake Causey and I will both be there to supply fantastic reviews of all the bands we see and I am sure we will see a lot of them.

I got to listen in on a fantastic press conference featuring Jack Antonoff from fun. and Leslie Feist regarding Bonnaroo and they had some great things to say about Bonnaroo and festivals in general. One of my favorite parts of the interview was when Jack said “I think everything about Bonnaroo is strange”. I’ve never heard a truer statement. Bonnaroo is the strangest, most magical thing that happened to me last year. Last year I volunteered at the festival so I was on that farm for a whole week. I’m pretty sure I did not even truly exist after being there for that long. I am very excited to see what being there for just the weekend is like. I’m sure I will have a lot more energy to check out as many bands as possible.

Jack Antonoff is both the lead guitarist for fun. and the singer and lead guitarist for the band Steel Train. During the conference he mentioned a number of times how his 2005 performance was “probably [his] favorite experience of all time”, and he’s been playing music for a long time, so that’s a pretty big deal. He mentioned that he has an unparalleled excitement for this year’s festival and that fun. are going to stray from what they usually do at their shows. He wants to have “the best show of the year” with surprises for everyone watching.

Feist also mentioned how excited she was for the show due to music festivals’ unpredictability. She mentioned how sometimes – since the band do not get soundchecks – the sound completely does not work at festivals and it keeps the band on their toes throughout their set. I for one am very excited to see Feist. I saw her back in 2008 and it was a magical experience. Her voice is something else.

Bonnaroo 2012 is almost sold out so if you were postponing buying tickets, I would do it right now! I am already packing and preparing for the festival. I’ve got about 6 liters of sun screen, a tanktop, and some gym shorts. I think I’m good. Personally I am looking forward to see Radiohead, Michael Kiwanuka, Ben Howard, Alabama Shakes, and obviously fun. and Feist. Last year’s festival was one of the most memorable experiences of my life and I am hoping that this year will be even better.

You can buy tickets, check out the lineup, and find all the information you need on Bonnaroo’s official website.

The wait between Fool’s Gold and the anticipated headliners was almost an hour. Obviously with 11 members, there is a lot to set up, but even after everything was completely set up they waited another half an hour until the show started. However, the crowd was energetic and fun so it did not seem like too much of a wait. Just as I was trying to convince a man named Sanchez to fight his way to the crowd, the Los Angeles-based band hit the stage and went straight into Up From Below highlight 40 Day Dream. The sound levels took a few minutes to be perfect but once they were, the show was a non-stop success. They played around 17 songs in a two hour set and what a show it was. Not many bands play for two hours these days, but Edward Sharpe had the crowd eating out of their hands for every single minute. They did not play an encore, they just played right until the end, and that was perfect. They did not need to play an encore.

Their set consisted of songs from their debut album, their upcoming album Here and a couple of songs from lead singer Alexander Ebert’s solo album. One of my favorite parts about their set was the song Truth, from his solo album, which had Ebert adopting a hip-hop-like sound reminiscent of Matisyahu. The band’s set flew through a number of different genres including folk, gospel, punk, reggae, and as I said before, hip-hop. What did stay the same was Ebert’s passion for his fans and his brilliant stage persona. He was an absolute character. He held hands with the audience and interacted with the crowd many times throughout the show, making everybody feel like they were someone special. During unreleased song If You Wanna, after singing “If you wanna dance/Go ahead and dance” he jumped right into the crowd and danced with those around him. It was obvious that he is legitimately happy with his fans and his life, and it made everyone in the venue feel so happy as well.

Another amazing thing about the show was the big sound that the band had. They had 11 members play the show and every single one of them added to the majestic sound that the band produced. All of the members were talented and energetic, especially singer and guitarist Jade Castrinos. She was smiling through the whole set, providing brilliant chemistry with Ebert, especially during Home. Though most of the songs were upbeat and happy, the band took some ominous, dark paths, especially during Desert Song with Ebert asking the crowd, “how old were you when you found out you were gonna die?” The crowd still ate it up, right until the very end when, after a fantastic rendition of Om Nashi Me featuring the members of Fool’s Gold, Ebert collapsed into the crowd and hugged everyone who wanted to hold him. There were a whole number of other highlights including Jade Castrino’s voice/dimples, the pounding drums in most of the songs and an 10 minute improvised whistle/trumpet/piano session. It was a fantastic, passionate show and I would highly recommend you see them if you get a chance. If only for the reason to see 11 people sing separate harmonies and bring tears to all the eyes in the room.

Thanks to BB Gun press for the opportunity.