NOISEPOP!!
Day 2 of noisepop:
Last night was Feist, with openers John Vanderslice, Youth Group, and The Botticellis. A memorable show - I'll start with Feist. Kassie and I (and Rick and Suzi) had seen her open up for Kings of Convenience last year - apparently her first show in the US. We liked her enough to buy her album after her set, but it was just her and her guitar and she didn't blow us away. But last night was a completely different experience. As a headliner, she brought a band with her, along with a spirit and confidence that was lacking in last year's show. Halfway through the show, the sound system died. This would have been disastrous for many of today's bands. I can't imagine what the Flaming Lips would have done if this had happened to them the night before (same venue). But Feist kept on going. She was a bit thrown at first. But they were able to turn around the monitors to face the audience, and her electric guitar was still audible from her amp. So the show went on. The backup band took a break, and we were treated to a few of her softer songs. Funny how the loss of power creates such instant intimacy. 15 minutes later, the sound came back on. The crowd was pumped. Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene) made a guest appearance to sing a BSS song with Feist. While this was happening, Kassie and I glanced to our right and saw Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips) enjoying the show only a few feet from us. He and the other Lips left a few minutes later. Feist closed with a Nina Simone song, which blew out the sound system again. The encore, which included Let It Die, was once again "acoustic". All in all a really fun show.
John Vanderslice was really good too - I have a couple of his albums, but they haven't done much for me. I was surprised by his live show though. He's well-known as a studio guy - founding record labels and producing for other indie acts - which made me think he wouldn't be that good live. But I was wrong. I found all of his songs to be much more engaging live than on the record. After the show, I bought his latest, Pixel Revolt, and talked with him for a few minutes, since he was standing behind his merch table. Nice guy.
Youth Group showed some promise. They're apparently going to open for Coldplay this summer in Australia. They were tight, but a bit on the boring side. They need some more time to develop their own sound. Currently they sound too much like Coldplay, Travis, Keane, etc. Perhaps they'll find some way to differentiate themselves over the next couple years.
I missed the Botticellis because of choir practice, but Kassie say's they were great. She bought their EP.
Recap of Day 1: The Flaming Lips opened the festival with a bang, as usual. Such a fun show. They started with Race for the Prize, as they did the last time we saw them. Second song was a Bohemian Rhapsody sing-along. They played a few songs off their new album, which isn't out yet. My only complaint is that Wayne went on a 5 minute political rant telling us that SF is one of the most tolerant cities in the world, but we should not be tolerant of the Bush administration, blah, blah, blah. And then, 20 minutes later, the last song of the encore was War Pigs (Black Sabbath) with images from the Iraq War flashing on their big screen, and Wayne is throwing confetti out in the crowd and everyone was bopping around the big balloons again. It just seemed wrong. Too bad, because the rest of the show was fantastic. Midlake, one of the openers, was really good. I'll have to listen to more of them.
Tonight: The Cuts, Col. Knowledge & the Lickity-Splits, A-Fir Ju Well; plus, we're planning to cut over to another show afterwards - Heavenly States
Tomorrow: The National, Mark Eitzel, Talkdemonic, Division Day
Friday: We Are Scientists, Foreign Born, The Grates, The Blood Arm
Saturday:
12:30: I Am The Avalanche, Summer Obsession, Overview
8:00: either The Velvet Teen, Xiu Xiu, Minipop, Polar Bears OR Wolfmother, Parchman Farm, Danava, Dear Kerosene (io)
Sunday:
12:30: Trainwreck Riders, Gavin Newsome (Full Moon Partisans), Pine Box Boys, Ghost Family
7:00: Vetiver, Brightblack Morning Light, Neil Halstead (Mojave 3), Peggy Honeywell
Later in April:
- Josh Rouse, April 18 (also happens to be the 100th anniversary of the 1906 SF earthquake and fire)
- Magic Numbers, Willy Mason, April 27 (also happens to be weaklingrecords's birthday...)
Whew...are you tired yet? I am.
Last night was Feist, with openers John Vanderslice, Youth Group, and The Botticellis. A memorable show - I'll start with Feist. Kassie and I (and Rick and Suzi) had seen her open up for Kings of Convenience last year - apparently her first show in the US. We liked her enough to buy her album after her set, but it was just her and her guitar and she didn't blow us away. But last night was a completely different experience. As a headliner, she brought a band with her, along with a spirit and confidence that was lacking in last year's show. Halfway through the show, the sound system died. This would have been disastrous for many of today's bands. I can't imagine what the Flaming Lips would have done if this had happened to them the night before (same venue). But Feist kept on going. She was a bit thrown at first. But they were able to turn around the monitors to face the audience, and her electric guitar was still audible from her amp. So the show went on. The backup band took a break, and we were treated to a few of her softer songs. Funny how the loss of power creates such instant intimacy. 15 minutes later, the sound came back on. The crowd was pumped. Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene) made a guest appearance to sing a BSS song with Feist. While this was happening, Kassie and I glanced to our right and saw Wayne Coyne (Flaming Lips) enjoying the show only a few feet from us. He and the other Lips left a few minutes later. Feist closed with a Nina Simone song, which blew out the sound system again. The encore, which included Let It Die, was once again "acoustic". All in all a really fun show.
John Vanderslice was really good too - I have a couple of his albums, but they haven't done much for me. I was surprised by his live show though. He's well-known as a studio guy - founding record labels and producing for other indie acts - which made me think he wouldn't be that good live. But I was wrong. I found all of his songs to be much more engaging live than on the record. After the show, I bought his latest, Pixel Revolt, and talked with him for a few minutes, since he was standing behind his merch table. Nice guy.
Youth Group showed some promise. They're apparently going to open for Coldplay this summer in Australia. They were tight, but a bit on the boring side. They need some more time to develop their own sound. Currently they sound too much like Coldplay, Travis, Keane, etc. Perhaps they'll find some way to differentiate themselves over the next couple years.
I missed the Botticellis because of choir practice, but Kassie say's they were great. She bought their EP.
Recap of Day 1: The Flaming Lips opened the festival with a bang, as usual. Such a fun show. They started with Race for the Prize, as they did the last time we saw them. Second song was a Bohemian Rhapsody sing-along. They played a few songs off their new album, which isn't out yet. My only complaint is that Wayne went on a 5 minute political rant telling us that SF is one of the most tolerant cities in the world, but we should not be tolerant of the Bush administration, blah, blah, blah. And then, 20 minutes later, the last song of the encore was War Pigs (Black Sabbath) with images from the Iraq War flashing on their big screen, and Wayne is throwing confetti out in the crowd and everyone was bopping around the big balloons again. It just seemed wrong. Too bad, because the rest of the show was fantastic. Midlake, one of the openers, was really good. I'll have to listen to more of them.
Tonight: The Cuts, Col. Knowledge & the Lickity-Splits, A-Fir Ju Well; plus, we're planning to cut over to another show afterwards - Heavenly States
Tomorrow: The National, Mark Eitzel, Talkdemonic, Division Day
Friday: We Are Scientists, Foreign Born, The Grates, The Blood Arm
Saturday:
12:30: I Am The Avalanche, Summer Obsession, Overview
8:00: either The Velvet Teen, Xiu Xiu, Minipop, Polar Bears OR Wolfmother, Parchman Farm, Danava, Dear Kerosene (io)
Sunday:
12:30: Trainwreck Riders, Gavin Newsome (Full Moon Partisans), Pine Box Boys, Ghost Family
7:00: Vetiver, Brightblack Morning Light, Neil Halstead (Mojave 3), Peggy Honeywell
Later in April:
- Josh Rouse, April 18 (also happens to be the 100th anniversary of the 1906 SF earthquake and fire)
- Magic Numbers, Willy Mason, April 27 (also happens to be weaklingrecords's birthday...)
Whew...are you tired yet? I am.