No need to head to Coachella if you live in Las Vegas as plenty of the musicians have/are making pit stops in the neon desert. Last night it was cold and wet after an afternoon turned evening of rain but the show still went on as The Shins kicked off their 2012 U.S. tour outdoors at The Cosmopolitan’s Blvd. Pool.
Big thanks to Erik Kabik (www.erikkabik.com) for the photos from last evening.
It should be one hot, fun weekend in Chicago for Lollapalooza. Late last night the much-anticipated lineup for Lollapalooza 2012 was released and C3 Presents and Perry Farrell definitely did not disappoint. The headliners were pretty much shoe-ins with the exception of Black Sabbath and At The Drive-In (talk about reunion acts) two bands I can’t say anyone really expected. RHCP, The Black Keys, Jack White, Florence + The Machine are all doing their fair share of festival headlining this summer. Add Justice and Avicii to that list and it is going to be a heck of a good time.
I was really excited to see Sigur Ros, Miike Snow, Die Antwoord, Alabama Shakes, The Weeknd, Passion Pit, Franz Ferdinand, Of Monsters And Men, The Temper Trap, Aloe Blacc, Trampled by Turtles, Toro y Moi, The Head & The Heart, The Big Pink, JJ Grey & Mofro, Gary Clark Jr. , The Gaslight Anthem, Dawes, Bloc Party, Passion Pit, Madeon all getting great billing for the festival.
But even more thrilling was seeing some really awesome smaller acts tabbed to play; like First Aid Kit, Bombay Bicycle Club, GIVERS, Michael Kiwanuka, The Growlers, Hey Rossetta!, JEFF The Brotherhood, The Jezabels, Moon Taxi, Chancellor Warhol, The War On Drugs.
Also I have to say I love the logo used on the lineup poster, YEAR OF THE DRAGON.
See you August 3-5 at Grant Park in Chicago.
The Official 2012 Lollapalooza Line-up Video from Lollapalooza on Vimeo.
Fans of Reptar head to their Facebook page for a free download of “Orifice Origami” off their upcoming LP, Body Faucet, which was produced by Ben Allen and is due out May 1.
If you haven’t yet listened to the Athens, Georgia group you are sorely missing out. Last summer/fall they toured with Foster The People and Cults gaining plenty of notoriety and just recently crushed SXSW. I highly suggest you get your hands on their EP from last year, Oblangle Fizz Y’all.
Even more exciting news, they are hitting the road with GROUPLOVE in May!
Ah Music Monday is here again and if you haven’t heard it yet (I sure hope you have), here is “Need Your Love,” the first single and opening track from The Temper Trap’s upcoming self titled, sophomore record. Click here to listen to “Rabbit Hole,” a second track that was actually the first material off the new album to surface. The album is due out May 18, just in time for summer!
Even more exciting news was the recent addition of The Temper Trap to the Bonnaroo lineup this June.
Everyone should be heading into this gorgeous weather weekend with some good tunes so this Friday I bring you, Buxton and their third record and first on New West Records, Nothing Here Seems Strange.
All week I’ve been holding out on posting this and I think it’s because of how much I sincerely love this album and their folk-rock sound, I wanted to keep it a secret but what fun would that be.
The album starts off with some slow harmonies (but in a good way – “Wolves & Owls” and “Fingertips”) before ratcheting it up and kicking some serious butt. Just give “Blown A Fuse” a listen and it will all make sense, I promise. For whatever reason the harmony on “Broken From Bread” makes me think of the Grateful Dead, but the best of the album I believe is with the single, “Boy of Nine” and “Down In The Valley.”
If you are fan of White Denim, DAWES, Middle Brother, Ryan Bingham, Fleet Foxes, The Avett Brothers, Ryan Adams and the likes, you are definitely going to be digging the Buxton sound.
Live & direct
From my Android phone on T-Mobile. The first nationwide 4G network.
Check it out, another handful of acts added to the Bonnaroo line-up today. I must say, most exited for The Temper Trap and they’ll have plenty of new material to play too with their sophomore effort being released just before the festival. Also if you’ve never seen fun. you are in for a treat; anyone who was a fan of The Format, this is a must see performance.
DANZIG LEGACY – featuring music by Danzig, Samhain and Danzig/Doyle performing The Misfits
Puscifer
Santigold
The Temper Trap
fun.
The Cave Singers
Its Friday which means, make today a great day and listen to some music to prime you for the weekend ahead and to get things going here’s the “Dancing Song” by Little Comets.
Now if you are a fan of Walk The Moon, Two Door Cinema Club, New Navy, Frankie & The Heartstrings, this should be right up your alley.
I was hoping to get this up on the blog a lot sooner but ultimately it had to take a back seat for a little bit. In the last week I’ve had the chance to catch a few more great shows here in Las Vegas and last weekend I definitely hit both ends of the spectrum.
First up was David Gray at The Cosmopolitan last Friday. I’m a fan, think he has a remarkable voice, is quite the entertainer but I always imagined seeing him in either really intimate confines or at a venue like Tanglewood or the Hollywood Bowl. Overall it was a good show but man I can’t wait for the Cosmopolitan shows to return to the Boulevard Pool.
On Saturday night it was off to House of Blues for Die Antwoord. Even cooler was friend and great DJ, M!KE ATTACK opened for the trio and definitely set the tone for the evening. As for the South African group, I’ve always been intrigued by them and remember when “Enter The Ninja” came out and people thought it was a joke. Let me just get it out there, y’all need to see Die Antwoord live. Weird? Yes. Crazy? Yes. Awesome show, YES! I couldn’t believe how much fun I actually had. I am still at a loss for the exact words to describe this show but it was entertaining and turned into one gigantic party.
This past Tuesday it was back to House of Blues for The Kooks and I couldn’t be happier to finally get the chance to see the English indie rockers live. A solid crowd was on hand for a mid-week, all ages show and the fellas definitely delivered, tearing through a ton of material. Personally for me, hearing “Shine On” was the highlight of the evening and the show was by far my favorite of the last week.
Until next time….
David Gray photos courtesy of Erk Kabik at www.ErikKabik.com
A little late but still in time for Music Monday. Today’s tune courtesy of Ball Park Music – “It’s Nice To Be Alive” off the album Happiness and Surrounding Suburbs.
Now get out and make the most of this week!
Do You Hear The Music? 