Vinyl Notes

After getting lost in downtown San Francisco, I finally made it back to Treasure Island for day two of the festival and just in time for Vampire Weekend. To my surprise they were not nearly as boring live as I had expected. After being built up in the blogosphere and then ripped apart by critics for lackluster performances, the ivy league educated indie pop group has likely made some improvements over the last year.

For all of Dr. Dog’s supposed effort to recapture a by-gone era in music, their music was discordant and decidedly modern. The influences were apparent however, from the gruff exposition of Jim Morrison-esque vocals, the Jimmy Hendrix reminiscent noise distortions and harmonies evocative of The Beatles and the Beach Boys. The set was quite entertaining despite the feedback, the off sync arrangements and unfortunate imbalance of the instruments, which drowned out the vocals.

Twin duo Tegan & Sara were simply charming. The combination of infectious rhythms, dissonant chords and punk influences made for a excellent performance. Between songs, the pair engaged the audience with dialogue, providing festival attendees with bits of Tegan & Sara trivia. Once their set was over, there was a surprising mass exodus of younger audience members.

The Kills were electrifying. Of all the male/female twosomes to come out of the UK, The Kills are arguably the most gritty and caustic. Together, vocalist Alison Mosshart aka VV and guitarist Jamie Hence aka Hotel have a magnetic energy and drew the attention of the crowd, and definitely gained at least one new fan. Hotel’s appropriately jarring guitar rips were a great complement for the acerbic lyrics and gravelly voice of VV. The pair are one of the best up-and-coming rock bands of the current era. 

It was The Raconteurs who stole the show and blew the rest  completely out of the water. From stage presence to stage dressing, from arrangement to sound quality, The Raconteurs where enthralling and took the other bands to school in terms of how to put on a good show. From start to finish the Nashville quintet captivated the audience. The set spanned the gambit from bluegrass to hard rock to funky pop ballads. Jack White is the obvious star of the group, he stepped back into the shadows several times allowing other band members to have the spotlight.

As I attend more and more festivals I’m learning to appreciate the unique quirks about each one. Every festival has its own theme, local culture, craft vendors, and even fashion trends.

The Treasure Island Music Festival in San Francisco is by far one of the  funkiest festivals I have ever attended. Because Treasure Island is a military base, clearance to actually drive onto the Island was limited. So we music lovers embarked on an adventure in comfy leather seated charter buses.

Once on the Island we disembarked to find that we were among the first to arrive and the first band The Frail was in mid set. Taking in my surroundings, I noticed that the two stages were set up within ear shot of each other, there was no seating except for a few bleachers for VIPs and the entire festival venue was pretty small. That didn’t bother me much though, after the 74 acre trekking I’d done a few weeks ago at Bumbershoot .

There were several lounge areas, the most popular of which was probably the the Boost Mobile Tent where there was a phone charging station, as well as futon beds and huge pillows to veg out on while soaking in the atmosphere. InCase gets the prize for the best giveaway, but loses points in the branding department since we walked away from the booth still unsure what the product was.

The line up was an eclectic collection of pop music from around the world; from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Brazil and the UK. Loquat’s performance was a display of raw talent, with melodious chords and pulsing baselines. Nortec Collective moved the crowd with its fun fusion of electronic and acoustic elements, traditional Mexican dance samples combined with an accordion and tuba.

Antibalas had some definite Latin jazz influences. Slightly disorienting was when they went from melodious and soothing to seething and acerbic with political chants. Amon Tobin was properly disconcerting with its droning baselined noise distortion that shook the ground.

The highlights of day one were definitely Chester French and Goldfrapp. Where Chester French was funky with lyrics reminiscent of Weezer but with rhythms far more energizing and a vocalist with a surprisingly big voice. Together, Guitarist Maxwell Drummey and vocalist D.A. Wallach were an adorably charismatic pair and put on one of the most entertaining sets of the day. Watching them on stage, it’s no wonder they’ve caught the attention of Kanye West and were signed to Pherell’s Star Trek label. Put these boys on your list of groups to watch.

Goldfrapp was magical. While much of the music sounded the same, the visual of the band in all white, the reflective sun and the gusting winds was fantastic. With wind gusting and  front woman Alison Goldfrapp clad in a slinky white slip dress covered in rainbow ribbons, the affect was almost ethereal. July was the most esoteric with the spacey lazer like sounds rose from the stage; the band members all swayed as if being driven by the wind. As the base throbbed and the beat to “Satin Chic” marched on, the crowed bounced happily along.

Check back for more coverage of the Treasure Island Music Festival.

America’s Got Talent (AGT) features dancers, singers, musicians, acrobats, magicians and other acts, all competing to will $1 million and the next big Las Vegas act. Last week the final five were revealed.

Neal E. Boyd may be an insurance salesman by day but by night he is a world class opera singer. He has enthralled the viewers since his first AGT performance after which he received a standing ovation.

Neal E. Boyd

Nuttin’ But Strings are two brothers from Queens, NY who want to bring the violin to the forefront of mainstream music. How you ask? With their genre bending combination of hip hop, rock and classical influences, they amazed the judges with a high energy performance that would make any kid think playing the violin. Piers Morgan, the toughest of the three judges, called Nuttin’ But Strings “fresh, exciting, original, super talented.”

Nuttin’ But Strings

Queen Emily had everyone – everyone following America’s Got Talent that is – comparing her to Aretha Franklin after her performance of “Chain of Fools.” Last week she sang “You’re Gonna Love Me” and wowed the judges with her phenomenal voice and larger than life stage presence. All her life she has been waiting for a moment like this to live out her dream and now, she’s in the top five. Proof that dreams do come true.

"Queen" Emily David

Donald Braswell was a professional singer and lost his voice after a freak accident. 11 years, three kids, relearning how to talk and almost being booed of the stage by the audience, Braswell is in the AGT top five. His rendition of Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up” was moving and took the crowd from wanting him to get the heck off of the stage to chanting their hope that he will be the winner: “Vegas! Vegas! Vegas!” Donald Braswell may be a veteran vocalist, but he is this competitions black horse.

Donald Braswell

Eli Mattson became an instant heart-throb with his emotive execution of “Walking In Memphs.” Judge Sharon Osborne expressed her surprise that this 26-year-old sing/songwriter had not been signed. Like all the others, America’s Got Talent is his chance for the big break he’s been working his whole life for. Even if he doesn’t win, he can’t lose.

Eli Mattson

To find out who wins or just to see more of the awe inspiring performances, check out America’s Got Talent Wednesdays 9/8 Central. The finale airs Oct. 1,  9/8 Central.

A few weeks ago we hit the Seattle ground running at Bumbershoot, this weekend I’m in the Bay Area for San Francisco’s Treasure Island Music Festival (TIMF).

The lineup for the weekend is a collection of both veterans and up-and-comers including The Raconteurs, GoldFrapp, Tegan & Sara, Vampire Weekend, Chester French, The Kills, Loquat and TV on the Radio.

Ever since watching the streaming of the Lollapalooza AT&T stage, I vowed that I would see The Raconteurs live. It was a magical experience, and I wasn’t even in Chicago’s Grant Park that night. So this weekend is my chance.

Goldfrapp has been around for ages, but has only popped onto my radar recently. She has definitely undergone some changes since her 2005 glam-pop hit “Ooh La La.” I especially like “Happiness” with it’s lovely bouncing melody and breathy allure.

Beyond those two, this will be an adventure in discovery for me. With none of the sets overlapping, and being stranded on Treasure Island (so to speak), I’ll be able to take in most of the shows.

Check back over the weekend for festival coverage!

After an intentionally slow Saturday – besides Beck there were no absolute must sees – we headed back to Bumbershoot Sunday for a whammy of an evening. Everything we planned to see was packed into the last five hours of the day. The only reprise, however bittersweet, was a cancellation by Kid Sister.

The lawn surrounding the Starbucks Stage was packed with a diverse group of all ages from Pampers to Depends to catch Jakob Dylan. Surprisingly, the audience didn’t contain rabid women throwing their unmentionables. Much like his father, most of his set was indiscernible, with Dylan chewing on his words in mumbles. Unlike us, clearly, there were people there just for the music, many sitting and even laying in the grass.

Half way through Dylan’s set, we bailed, bound for the mainstage to see rock as pure driven snow from The Black Keys. Though, the audience was full already, as the Keys began playing, the floodgates opened and people poured into the venue like the tide. We overheard many a conversation among spectators wondering who was playing; one even vowing to make an iTunes purchase. The music cut through all distractions with laser like focus, driving people to dance involuntarily.

The last hour of our day, as we wanted to catch three performances who were all playing at the same time. First stop Stone Temple Pilots but they were late, so we left to see a recommended band called Thee Emergency. Described by a fan as “Saul Williams as a woman with soul,” our curiosity was piqued. Unfortunately, they didn’t deliver. It was also strange to see the lead vocal actively directing the band, though it was hard to see who was actually playing because so many people apparently loitering on stage. So we left.

Back at STP the crowd had gotten antsy. It was thirty minutes past the scheduled start and the roadies were still setting up. Finally, at 9:45 pm the tour bus pulled up and the audience went ape shit. The sheer volume of people in the stadium was astounding, and almost made the reception for Beck and The Black Keys look small. Seattle clearly loves STP. As the set began, we could see why. There was a good mix of easily recognizable radio hits as well as songs that were clearly for die-hard fans. These are veteran showmen; not only was Scott Weiland in constant motion, the rest of the other members of band also engaged the audience.

Though Weiland started the set in shades, hat, leather jacket, vest and scarf by night’s end he was down to his shirt. The organized mayhem of the mosh pit increased with each number and the band sprinkled their performance with just enough banter between songs. Someone once asked “What’s the Big Deal with STP? Answer, see them live.

We started the day refreshed, slept in, and took our sweet time getting to the festival. After the suck that was yesterday, we were stoked at the efficiency and consideration of the festival organizers, One Reel. Not a single detail was overlooked; right down to the free water refills and the convenient recycling bins. Also a pleasant surprise, patrons could re-enter the festival. Unfortunately, it was also a slow and arduous process; probably used to collect data. Ironic, considering the strong (get link) presence of RFID protesters.

Neko Case the perfect first course; preparing our musical pallet for what was to come. Her voice was strong and rich; the band tight. The response to her set could be likened to polite spectators at a tennis match, with people politely clapping and cheering. There were two stand-outs among the set, one a banjo country number the other, a plucky number with a surprising dose of yodeling.

The air around the Fisher Green stage buzzed with electric energy. The crowd was intent on Saul Williams, paying close attention to his words. They responded enthusiastically to his message and charismatic delivery. When Williams eluded to Seattle’s political activism the audience was appreciative. When the set was over, we bolted through the crowd like hounds on a bloody fox, determined to score an interview.

After alternately talking ourselves into and out of walking into his tent, we decided fortune rewards the bold. We tentatively pulled back the curtain to find Williams plainly waiting for us to come in. His air of self-assurance was calming and as we settled into his cramped, he told we could ask three questions. His response to questions regarding attempts to pigeon hole him was a gem.

“People will always have their preferences.” He paused briefly before adding, “and will tell you. I think we try to live our lives as poems, and try to remain open to possibilities.”

Williams had nothing but love for the results of the digital release of The Rise and Eventual Liberation of Niggy Tardust, unlike Trent Reznor his collaborative partner. In the past Reznor has expressed disappointment about free downloads versus album sales. Williams considers the free release a success.

“People get to say ‘I tried this out,’ and it’s guilt free,” he said. Another boon was that there was enough interest for the album to be released in stores, as well as an overall increase in album sales for Williams.

Our last stop of the day, Beck on the mainstage. He started the set with a classic, “Loser,” which he dedicated the city. Though a charismatic and seasoned performer, it was almost as if Beck was just going through the motions. All the ingredients were there, but the souffle didn’t rise. The energy of the set was inconsistent, starting strong before quickly descending to a down-tempo movement. It’s not that Beck’s set was bad, per se, it was just a disappointed considering the breadth of his talent and experience. Even the encore was dialed in and predictable. Regardless of our interpretation, the audience was definitely behind him, especially during the numbers from Midnight Vultures.

Come back for more festival coverage tomorrow…

© 2008 Kimberlee Morrison and Tanya Payne. Some rights reserved