Bloc Party were one of those influential bands that swayed me back to dance beats.  Even though I grew up with some form of dance music playing in the background hip hop and rock music dueled to compete for the most played genre in my library. Bloc Party were that in between… the little indie, little rock, little electro, little interesting, and a lot unique band.  At least when it came to four years ago, there was a lot to capture for someone listening to a BP track.

Typically, it was their hit banquet that took me by storm.  But not with the original- the Phones dance remix.  That remix was a beauty! So to pay a small tribute to the remix that made me seek out other remixes… we salute you and all the other BP remixes that knock our socks off!

Bloc Party – Zephyrus (Holy Fuck Remix)

BONUS!

Bloc Party – Signs (Armand Van Helden Remix)

Bloc Party – One More Chance (Alex Metric Remix)

Bloc Party – Hunting For Witches (Crystal Castles Remix)

Bloc Party – Hunting For Witches (Villains Remix)

Bloc Party – Banquet (Phones Disco Edit)

Belle initiative qu’a eu le label Young Turks de sortir un vinyle édition limité (250 copies) avec comme concept que les 2 groupes arrivent avec une nouvelle track et en plus, que chacun y aille d’un cover de la track de l’autre.  Vous me suivez? Pas grave, regardez les mp3 plus bas, c’est beaucoup plus simple que de déchiffrez ce que j’ai tenté de mettre en mots.

C’était il y a un peu plus d’un an. Évidemment, ces disques sont en rupture de stock depuis un bon moment déjà. Heureusement, qu’il y a ces bons vieux mp3’s pour nous permettre d’en profiter nous aussi.

Holy Fuck – Balloons (Foals cover) (mp3)

Foals – Balloons (mp3)

Foals – Super Inuit (Holy Fuck cover) (mp3)

Holy Fuck – Super Inuit (mp3)

via I guess I’m floating via Young Turks

Holy Fuck Website
Foals Website

Life’s taken a full circle back and smacked me hard on my face!

It’s quite unbelievable, actually. I’m still reeling from the shock. The unpredictable turn of events has definetly got me smashed up.

And for the time ever, i regret.

“We like the dark and moody vibe”

Electronic music lovers around the world seem eager for new material from established bands like LCD Soundsystem and Justice. It is in fact a well loved local band (who initially grabbed the attention of aforementioned Justice) leading the way and exciting their audience with new single This New Technology, leaked online last month and quickly pushing them up the chart as the most blogged artist on reputable music blog aggregate, The Hype Machine. Midnight Juggernauts have withdrawn from their dance anthem beats, suggesting a move towards their psychedelic Pink Floydian influences. As drummer Daniel Stricker puts it, “We’d been playing live for so long [on their 8 month long international tour] that I think we changed as a band, and the things we listened to, the influences, evolved.”

Midnight Juggernauts have performed with a lot of musicians who have cropped up on music blogs over the last year or so. It seems there are so many of these experiences that Daniel is almost too excited to articulate, “There were a lot of bands we played with that I liked. We’ve done a lot of shows with this band called Holy Fuck in the past couple of years – they’re great! There’s another band called Fuck Buttons as well… Bands that do electronic stuff live and create this massive sound; that’s been inspirational to me. Not just those bands, specifically, but that technique.”

Apart from bands with the word Fuck in them, the soft-spoken drummer also seems keen on older music, revealing that he’s, “been into a lot of the old kraut music. Like nord-ian stuff, where they use four-track cassette players to manipulate the sound of things. There’s a bunch of that on the [new] record. There’s this one track where we got these vocals and we recorded them through a synthesizer, and then we re-recorded that through a four-track tape player through a delay pedal. And it gives this weird sounding texture, it’s really gritty. A lot of this record had just been running stuff through a million different things, manipulating sounds…”

Daniel explains the differences employed on the new album (compared to their debut), being that the sophomoric release is, “More like a live band playing in a room. Instead of it being a massive dance production (though it has elements of that), it’s more about the layers. A lot of the time you’ll get a warped sound effect, really lush and washed out; more that kind of intensity.”

Beyond their, once again, self-produced album, Midnight Juggernauts have been given multiple gig reviews, some describing them as energetic and fun, others saying they’re more chilled out. “I guess it’s a bit of both but we like the dark and moody vibe. And we try to do a bit of everything. We have all these samples and loop pedals and toys and make a real effort so we can be improvised and so that it can be organic.” Regardless of the wild or relaxed atmosphere, it can be said that things have changed for Midnight Juggernauts when performing live, no longer ad-libbing with Chinese menus or getting booted from the stage by John Travolta so he can sup in front of a jazz band. Reception has improved, to say the least! But it’s not about playing it safe on stage either. Daniel tells me that while, “our songs won’t be improvised, their structure and how they will be played will change. There’s nothing tying us down to play it exactly the same way each time. A lot of electronic bands are tied to a backing track or other electronic aspects, which stops you from moving around. We make an effort to recreate everything we can as live as we can.”

What seems to have persevered over the course of their ever-expanding career is the dark ambience of their sound, provoking comparisons with David Bowie and descriptions like, “prog dance meets cosmic film score.” It wouldn’t be a stretch to see Midnight Juggernauts scoring some intergalactic flick, or even producing the kind of album that can be played in sync with an eighties horror film (much the same way that Radiohead’s Ok Computer can be played while watching Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy). “Film and the visual element is a big part of the band,” Daniel emphasises. “A lot of our references and ideas come from different soundtracks by guys like John Carpenter. A lot of the music we do focuses around a mood, and the music and the imagery supplement one another, adding to an overall effect.”

Midnight Juggernauts’ technique has opened a lot of windows of opportunity, Daniel explaining that, “We’ve been saying no to a lot of remixes. We get asked almost every single day but we’ve had to say no so we can get this album together. We’re totally going to get back into it though!” Amidst some pondering, Daniel does briefly mention that a remix for Health is in the works. They don’t seem to stop!

In fact, now that they’ve completed their second album (after their big international tour) Midnight Juggernauts are already about to tour their Mother country (Australia, not England).

Author: Peter Rosewarne

Midnight Juggernauts – Twenty Thousand Leagues

hitler in my heart-antony and the johnsons-2000

hands away-interpol-turn on the bright lights-2002

heroes and villains-brian wilson-smile-2004

hold your secrets to your heart-miracle fortress-five roses-2006

in limbo-radiohead-kid a-2000

in my room-last shadow puppets-the age of understatement-2008

knot comes loose-my morning jacket-z-2005

jackie-the new pornographers-mass romantic-2000

k-hole-cocorosie-noha’s ark-2005

libraries-seabear-the ghost that carried us away-2007

lovely allen-holy fuck-2007

Pop is not just about catchy melodies.  It’s also about catchy rhythms.

Holy Fuck – Lovely Allen

It’s a car commercial, and it’s great.  I like this song because they are amazing arrangers with great rhythms (ie. bass and drums).  This song barely focuses on any significant melody, just a nice bassline, great sounds, and dynamic.  Not to mention, without an amazing melody the sounds have to be great. And they are.  Great contextuality, smart, poppy, joyous, slightly sloppy and unkempt, and I don’t miss a voice.  It’s also rare in a pop song where the bass takes the majority of the melody in the beginning.  Admittedly I think they took a page from Broken Social Scene’s first record but more music like that in the world makes the children chant and drink Coca Cola.

An interesting trend I’m noticing in popular music is how big rhythms are completely dominating big melodies in popular esteem.  It’s why Timbaland is a cagillionaire, why dance punk is so popular, why electronic music in North America is growing quickly.  Kick on one, snare on 2, kick on 3, snare on 4.  Harder than it sounds, but I feel the world of melody is being really under-appreciated these days.

Let’s face it, it’s not cool to be a guy who loves melody right now.  To overly generalize, I feel like rhythm is more of a masculine quality while melody is  more  of a feminine quality.  It’s why whiny, overdriven, melodic rock is popular with girls and skinny jeans boys, and why hip hop is more popular with men.  Lyrical content is obviously a factor, but it’s just a veil – big and simple beats for big and simple men.

You spend months looking for certified bangers and then two come along at once. The first is almost a no-brainier featuring Röyksopp with guest vocalist Karin Elisabeth Dreijer (of The Knife and Fever Ray fame) remixed by the supremely talented Stuart Price (aka Thin White Duke). While This Must Be It doesn’t quite reach the heights of Price’s last Röyksopp remix, What Else is There, it gets damn close. The track fizzles and pops before building for the type of restrained climax Price is known for. Immense.

The second banger takes us into 174 territory with recent Med School signing Randomer. While it may be 174 in spirit this track owes more to the recent sounds of dubstep and UK funky. All scattering percussion, stomping synths and dance-hall breakdowns Scapegoat is one to lose your shit to.

Röyksopp - This Must Be It (Thin White Duke Remix)

Randomer – Scapegoat

Here are a few things that I found online this week. Enjoy!

The Shins: Plenty Is Never Enough

Holy Fuck: Jungles

The New Pornographers: Don’t Destroy This Night

why do i feel so numb

why do i feel so tired

why does time go so  fast

why can’t i read all the books i have

why am i so lazy

i listened to a sad song

i felt tired of the song

i want to live in the wild

i want to live in a condo

i want people to love me

i want to stop being lazy

i want to call my mom

i want to stop feeling depressed

i want money and not work for it

i want to travel to china and live in a giant hotel

i want to feel content

i feel asleep to an audio book of  naked lunch by william s. burroughs

i thought ‘ seems strange’

i woke up and felt depressed and perplexed

when i am around people, i feel like i just want to be alone

when i am alone , i feel like being around a person

i can’t get nothing done

depression keeps me up all night

tiredness keeps me sleepy all day

i can’t understand this at all

i can’t understand this at all

i am too unhappy to work some shitty job

i am too unhappy to enjoy night clubs

i much rather read

but i don’t read much

i spend my time listening to music

and staring at things feeling unhappy

i want to  buy a tuxedo

wish i could afford a tuxedo from tom ford or burberry

so i can prove a point to people that getting out of bed is a ‘ grand event ‘

life is sad

i hope your coming with me

Photos: Street Scene Day 1

After Band of Horses’ first song, I high-tailed it back over to the Casbah Stage to catch the beginning of Holy Fuck’s set. I shot them at Coachella 2008, and was strangely drawn in by their intensity. The same thing happened this time, and I was so caught up in their vibe that I almost forgot to make it over to Mastodon’s set.

5 music news stories… Peter Mulvey, Holy Fuck, Sufjan Stevens, David Bazan/Pedro the Lion and Megadeth…

So, Peter Mulvey has toured all over the world.  A few years back, he started also doing some bike tours within his own state.  Well, he just embarked on his “Long Haul” Tour in support of his new, fantastic record Letters from a Flying Machine.

He’s riding 1,100 miles from Grand Rapids, MI to Northampton, MA on The Long Haul Tour, September 9 – 26.  His friend, and presumably co-rider, Kathy Wittman will be blogging about it as it goes on.  The daily blog will be HERE.  Here’s his tour path, created via the Google based on his gigs along the route:

(click for larger)

He’ll be in Oregon (Portland and Eugene) in early November.  Not part of the bike tour, but I’ll be glad to see him nonetheless.  In fact, he might be less worn out from riding so much.  Getting to see him twice in one weekend is gonna be fantastic… PS- go to PeterMulvey.com for info on the new record.  Seriously, it’s good, folks!

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Next up… a vinyl you can play at either 33 1/3 or 45 rpm…

This one from Off the International Radar including a remix by fellow Toronto’ans Holy Fuck.  I don’t know about the rest of the songs on “Hot Lips,” but the Holy Fuck collaboration features “Holy Radar” – which is a reworking of OTIR’s “E bowl of Iris.”  Holy Fuck sped up the original recording on a record player in studio and then played along and added their own layers.  So, at 33 1/3, you’ll hear OTIR with a slowed down HF; and on 45 rpm, you’ll hear HF with a sped-up OTIR.  You can listen to the “as normally played” version of the song on OITR’s MySpace page.  There is also ordering links there as well.

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Sufjan Stevens‘ The BQE (as reported here) is coming out in limited edition vinyl (in addition to the CD/DVD combo).  It’s now up for pre-order at the Asthmatic Kitty store and over at Amazon.  Also, in the news, Sufjan will be playing his 2004 album Seven Swans in its entirety at ATP NYC this weekend. ATP = All Tomorrow’s Parties (festival).

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Help (Pedro the Lion) David Bazan buy a tour van… click the picture for more info…

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And to round it out with some metal… Megadeth’s latest record, Endgame, is out next week (9/15/09).  It’s streaming in its entirety on the MySpaces…

out 9/15

~Dan – np: The Beatles – Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band {mono}

no torrents or free downloads here

The "Four Headed Beast"

The sterotypical Canadian is polite, wimpy, and irrelevant. Holy Fuck is none of the above. Holy Fuck is LOUD! They have been hailed as “Toronto’s evil super group.” I was lucky enough to catch its ninety minute set at the Virgin Free Fest on Sunday, August 30th. The weather was beautiful, the dance tent was grooving, and Holy Fuck was in the air, on your tongue, and all around. My friend and musician Joe Osborne summed it up perfectly in his Tweet, “Holy Fuck might be the tightest band I’ve ever seen play live music.”

This electronica influenced rock band is headed by Graham Walsh and Brian Borcherdt with rotating rhythm players, currently Matt Schulz (Drummer) and Matt McQuaid (Bassist). The music is not “computer” generated, but the sound is very similar. Outrageous and bizarre tones from an old fashioned moviola, an array of pedals, and multiple keyboards, blend perfectly with the cadence of drums and bass. Walsh and Borcherdt refer to their keyboards as the Greek gods Apollo and Dionysus, symbolizing both chaos and order. Very fitting to say the least.

During the entire set, Walsh was hunched over his keyboards grooving and jerking like a mad scientist. The “Four Headed Beast” played in a circle, instead of directly to the audience. This made the music more intense and orgy like, and probably helps Holy Fuck communicate through subtle gestures.

Mad Scientist

Since the show, I can not get enough of the raw, improvisational, yet solid sound of these four experimental musicians. I for one am looking forward to the release of Vicious Circles Vol. 1 a collection of  three artists (Black Moth Super Rainbow / Holy Fuck / Shugo Tokumaru), and their interpretation of each other’s works. The official release date has not been announced, but should be before the end of 2009, just in time for Christmas.

*Pictures courtesy Dawn and Tony Biedenkapp*

Playing the Viola

Holy Fuck 2009 Tour Dates:

09/09-Seattle, WA @Bumbershoot

09/10-Quebec City, QC @Le Festival Envol et Macadam

09/24-Vancouver, BC @ The Venue

09/25-Whistler, BC @ Garabaldi Lift Company

09/26-Victoria, BC @ Rifflandia Music Festival

Listen to some tunes at pitchfork

Band’s website http://www.holyfuckmusic.com/

My Space Page

A day late a buck short… I’m writing the report… oh wow, Blink 182?  really?

Capital Rock City #71 is a couple days late, and I apologize to you passionate CRCers out there who wait breathlessly each and every week for your fix of some fine BC rock & roll.  Corj and I took Mads on a trip of the interior, then yesterday was just way too busy and I was sick and blah blah blah… yeah.

Today is the day, and I thank you for finding Capital Rock City and downloading the show.

Download: Capital Rock City #71

***

DJ Notes:

01) Vince Vaccaro – “Costa Rica (acoustic)”
02) A Trophy Life – “Samonite (I was Way Off)”
03) TV Heart Attack – “A/O”
04) Daniel Wesley – “Pilgramidge (live on The ZAS)”

Vince Vaccaro crafted a video for an alternate recording of one my favourite VV cuts, “Costa Rica.”  Whenever I play this song for someone they become a Vince fan.  Both my sister and Coral love the song.  The video is an excellent DIY creation and well worth about 3 minutes of your time.

The only thing Vince… I noticed a shot of Vancouver radio station The Peak 100.5, but no clips of The Zone?  next video I’m sure.

Our September Band of the Month ’round these parts is a group called A Trophy Life.  You can hit the Band of the Month PAGE on THEZONEDOTFM and download some songs for totally free man.

TV Heart Attack is a Vancouver band that I have featured on the show before.  Peak (and former Zone) music director James Sutton turned me on to the group.  They recently competed in the Peak’s Performance Project where they were a finalist.

TVHA’s new record is called Lost in the Sway and is available now at finer record stores or on iTunes.

On October 20th I will have been married for 9 days AND I’ll be able to get my paws on the brand spanking new Daniel Wesley record.  Before taking off on holidays last week, Daniel came by the Zone and recorded a song called “Pilgrimage.”

The shows today starts with a fine taste of the group Holy Fuck.  I love this group with features the dude from the band By Devine Right!  remember them?

Holy Fuck is going to be in Victoria for the Rifflandia Festival and as luck would have it, they are playing on the only night I have free that weekend to hit a rock show!  Rifflandia looks amazing this year and I wish I could check out more shows… I know a few Morning After Show readers would be interested in Sam Bradley… yup, he’s playing too all you R Pattinson fans.

Next week on CRC 72 I am hoping to have the boys of Saul in the studio.  Steve of the band Rotterdam and his set of Vic metal for CRC 73 and then maybe Two and I will be ready for the special live acoustic CRC 74?  maybe?

That’s all I got, thank you for downloading Capital Rock City and if you like the show, please share it with a friend.

Go with yourself.

My two week trip to California could not have gone any better! It was a much needed vaca away from school, but now I’m back in beautiful Seattle and cannot wait to be back in the city and seeing all of my friends again

Click the cut for moar pictures!

Getting ready at Gelesabella’s apartment

Sushi in Santa Monica at Rollout Sushi

soooo many shoes at the Kitson Outlet.

Andy Grammer at 3rd Street Promenade. He was phenomenal! Check out his music here

Okay… you don’t get this in Seattle hah

Cousins!

Santa Monica, why are you so gorgeous

Favorite candid of all

Out on the lake with the fam

Disney Land trip!

lulz

Ghiradelli w/ my Seattle U girls!

On top of the convention center

Just… extremely excited you know

Laguna Beach

Balboa Park

“Sometimes homeless people will come out here at night and relieve themselves in the fountain.”
Oh coooooooool.

I also wanted to nab some Street Style photos while I was at the Street Scene Music Festival too. Meet Liza! Also, the next few shots are kind of the same ish style, but I assure you there were LOTS of bright colors and fedora hats. San Diego hipsters dress so much better than Seattle hipsters. Seattle ones just look dirty Also, one girl denied me when I asked for her picture, it was weird.

Jessica

Dorothy and Tatiana. Street Style will return this Saturday at Bumbershoot!

The band Holy Fuck

Chromeo!

Gregg Gillis continues to snub me all my life. Stage attempt number 2 was a no-go.

Fuglylicious!

La Jolla shores

Kind of looks like last month’s header doesn’t it?

I would say that being overly caught up in auspicious symbolism is probably not a really effective way to go through life. However, I am going to roll with it for right now.

A business class upgrade got me home in style – and I am still not sure why I got it, but like they say: Why ask why? I arrived in San Francisco under the clearest blue skies, well rested and well fed. It was awesome and I swear the weather in California just taunts me with perfection every time I come home… But there was not a lot of time for dawdling in SF as I was headed to SD and so just had the chance to stroll through the airport and admire the blue skies and hot guys. San Diego was/has been/is equally beautiful. Hot, clear, delightful.

In spite of having tons of stuff to do, I mostly didn’t do it in San Diego and played instead: morning coffee at the Pannikin, walks on Neptune, and, oh yeah, Street Scene and the Hard Rock Hotel downtown. Niiiiiiiiiiiiiice. So, I won tickets to Street Scene this year on Twitter, yeah, go ahead and mock it – I won – and so the decision was made to get a room at the Hard Rock and just stay in San Diego rather than commuting back up to the North County. Good call. This is a concert that often gets mixed reviews, but I was psyched even though it meant forgoing Outsidelands in SF. The line-ups were actually pretty similar, and since the Beasties had to cancel on both shows, it was sort of a wash. I was thinking that Saturday might be the bigger night, but actually, I think I liked Friday better… either way, I saw a bunch of bands I love, saw some new ones I now love, and hung out with some people that I love. That’s a whole lotta love.

Check it out:

The show was really awesome (you know me, I think hyperbole is, like, the best thing ever.) Some weekend highlights?

• Multiple midgets in the hotel, partying like rock stars
• Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue
• Holy Fuck
• “What does a $9 margarita do for me?” –ooohhhhh… I see.
• Conor Oberst
• Cake
• The Black Eyed Peas – btw, Fergie? So NOT fat.
• Photos with cops (strange, standard operating procedure. Don’t ask. But it has proved helpful on occasion.)
• Bo-ho-ho
• Re-hymenation project
• Chicken gyros
• In the elevator with Jaime Luis Gomez and his fly jacket before he headed up to Outsidelands
• Drunk lawyers
• Real ranch dressing
• Pool skanks & a blended Bloody Mary – wtf?
• “When I tell a fat guy I can’t go to dinner with him don’t say I’m doing something else – I just want some Kobe beef!”
• Zee Avi
• Los Campesinos
• Seeing my former students all grown up… Hey Ben – you are famous now!
• Of Montreal
• The wooly headed Blue Lagoon Christopher Atkins guy
• “I am totally dressing as Flamer Flame for Christmas this year!”
• Whatever, we were hanging with Chuck D’s cousin
• Ozomatli
• Being totally relieved that the Silversun Pickups were NOT the Dead Weather
• Theivery Corporation
• M.I.A.’s legs
• Meat sticks & Big Gulps
• “Ian saw the most bands of anyone – I was just bouncing around like a little rabbit – bounce, bounce bounce…”

There were some seriously GREAT bands there, and if you are not familiar with the ones I listed up there, you should check them out. I have lots more thoughts on the whole thing… but for now, a list of annoying private jokes and strange references are going to have to suffice.

It has been an auspicious beginning, to be sure.

On a forty acre lot in the heart of Columbia, Maryland, sits the Merriweather Post Pavilion. With a twenty-thousand person capacity, the venue hosted the Virgin Mobile FreeFest, a combination of local acts, top radio bands, and, most notably, the Blink-182 reunion tour. Spread across three stages (placed in spaced out corners of the the fenced-in plot of land), artists across a wide spectrum of genres performed for twelve hours.

Toronto’s Holy Fuck opened the Dance Tent with their blend improvised electronica. For about an hour, frontmen Brian Borcherdt and Graham Walsh provided a strange blend of synthesizers, keyboards, and unconventional effects (was that a film synchronizer?) over the rhythmic blasts of drummer Matt Schutlz and bassist of Matt McQuaid. Without the use of pre-programmed loops, the quartet separates themselves from their peers with a live take on the electronica genre. Somehow, the band sounded cluttered yet strangely coherent during their performance, making for an extremely fun way to kick off the festival.

Wale

Local rapper Wale was given a spot on the West Stage at 2PM. Known throughout Washington, DC, for his two singles (“Nike Boots” and the Lady Gaga collaboration, “Chillin”) the twenty-one year old college dropout performed well in front of a fairly large crowd. Connecting with the local audience, Wale announced he would “Shawn Suisam the next roll of toilet paper thrown on stage”–a remark that drew applause from Washington Redskins fans. Wale’s debut, Back to the Feature, is set for a release in October, but the highly recommended The Mixtape About Nothing should serve as a quality introduction to the rapper for those interested in clever lyrics and a tight flow.

Taking Back Sunday

Taking Back Sunday played the main stage around 3PM. The band sounded weak, and frontman Adam Lazzara sounded inexplicably unintelligent between songs, relating the band’s songs to various pop-culture elements–fun fact: “Carpathia” was inspired by the blockbuster film Titanic.  The band left much to be desired in terms of song selection, focusing heavily on the subpar Louder Now and New Again efforts. Taking Back Sunday was hardly interesting and even less exciting.

In complete contrast, The Hold Steady were exhilarant. Lead by storytelling wonder Craig Finn, the Minnesota five-piece played an excellent set for more than sixty minutes, digging through their four-album discography with ease. Beginning with the racing “Constructive Summer”, the band quickly captured the packed crowd, but it wasn’t until the band’s biggest singles (“Chips Ahoy”, “Sequestered in Memphis”) went back-to-back midway through the set that the assorted audience finally felt whole.

The Hold Steady

Two of the band’s more recent standout tracks (“Hot Soft Light”, “Ask Her For Some Adderall”) were unfortunately omitted, but older songs like “Your Little Hoodrat Friend” were undoubtedly crowd-pleasing. “Magazines”, a song about the cliche girl with “daddy issues”, was decidedly not cliche, and is easily one of the band’s most powerful live cuts. And in front of a festival audience holding nine-dollar beers, “Party Pit” and its big “I’m gonna walk around and drink” chorus was all too appropriate. “Separate Vacations”, a new brand new song from the band’s next album, was also played for one of the first times live.

The sun began to set as The Hold Steady finished their set, relieving some of the day’s intense heat. With a crisp performance and excellent song selection, The Holy Steady were clearly the strongest act during the first half of the festival.

On a day filled with excellent acts across all genres, perhaps none were more important than Long Island’s Public Enemy. Taking the stage at 5:30, the hip-hop pioneers cut through their hits from the last three decades. Songs from the politically charged–yet twenty year old–It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back hardly sound dated. The group’s strongest moments came from frontman Chuck D, a socially conscious rapper with an uncanny ability to combine tales of oppression with messages of hope. Backed by a tight production team and live band, Public Enemy performed extremely well.

Public Enemy

And then, of course, there’s Flavor Flav. Now fifty years old, the quirky rapper spent a large portion of the band’s set talking about his recent television shows and celebrity status; what began as sincere gratefulness for his success quickly wore off the fourth or fifth time Flavor Flav stopped to talk about his life. Thankfully, Chuck D kept his partner in check, moving the set along despite Flavor Flav’s interruptions. In front of the largest West Stage audience all day, Public Enemy was fierce and genuine, furthering their reputation as one of hip-hop’s best groups.

To have any chance seeing Weezer under the overcrowded main stage pavilion, I got in a wrapping line to enter the seated area–which did allow me to catch some of The Bravery, who sounded alright during the few songs I heard. To build anticipation for Weezer, a team of helicopter parachute jumpers landed on the pavilion’s roof minutes before the band took the stage. Greeted on the rooftop by Virgin founder Richard Branson, the jumpers put on a show for the camera as Branson sprayed champagne into the crowd.

Beginning with Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”, Weezer exploded out of the gates and didn’t let up for sixty minutes. The band’s performance was quite similar to their show in Holmdel, New Jersey, and I’d encourage you to read our review of that event for a more in-depth review of Weezer’s set. Rivers Cuomo sounded great, and the rest of the band clicked to give the packed pavilion a tremendous show and possibly the best performance of the entire day.  Though the fifteen-song set was strictly singles, one third of the cuts came from their best album, 1994’s Weezer:

Weezer

War Pigs (Black Sabbath cover)
Hash Pipe
Trouble Maker
Undone (Sweater Song)
Surfwax America
Perfect Situation
If You’re Wondering If I Want You To (I Want You To)
Say it Aint’ So
My Name is Jonas
Island in the Sun
The Good Life
Pork and Beans
Beverly Hills
Buddy Holly
Should I Stay or Should I Go? (The Clash cover)

Blink-182 took the mainstage around 9:30PM. The band’s setlist was very similar to their date just a few days earlier (please our review of that event for a more in-depth review), but with “Adam’s Song” and “Violence”  dropped in favor of “Going Away to College” and “Obvious”. The trio was thankful for the chance to play the festival and grateful for the giant crowd in attendance. Guitarist Tom DeLonge  and bassist Mark Hoppus gave a lengthy pitch encouraging the crowd to donate to homeless charities, since the concert itself was free.

Not to suggest that it was all serious, though; the Mark, Tom, and Travis show was as juvenile as ever, with songs like “Blow Job” and remarks about “going down on Oprah” the rule, not the exception. Adolescent romps like “Reckless Abandon” and 1997’s “Josie (Everything’s Gonna Be Fine)” were fast and fun. The full setlist:

Blink-182

Dumpweed
Feeling This
The Rock Show
What’s My Age Again?
Obvious
I Miss You
Stay Together for the Kids
Down
Always
Blow Job
Stockholm Syndrome
First Date
Man Overboard
Don’t Leave Me
Not Now
Going Away to College
All the Small Things
Reckless Abandon
Josie (Everything’s Gonna Be Fine)
Anthem Pt. 2
Carousel
Dammit

Though often imitated, few bands have matched the California trio’s penchant for crafting powerhouse punk-pop riffs over intense drum beats. The band performed well, even if DeLonge often missed lines in his own songs. For Blink-182, it’s not about precise execution or musical theory; it’s about three reunited friends sharing stages across the country and entertaining thousands of fans.

To catch Weezer and Blink-182, I unfortunately missed out on sets from The National (excellent Brooklyn indie-rock), Girl Talk (also known as Gregg Gillis, in a “mash-up” genre by himself), and Franz Ferdinand (surprisingly strong Scottish indie-rock). The entire evening was excellent, and most certainly worth a trip New York City to Maryland. The free festival unquestionably served up something for everyone, and, at its price tag, who could complain?

Photos courtesy of the incredible Brandon Wu

inTuneMusic is very interested in any submissions/corrections from this event including photographs, setlists, and audio/video. Please contact us, you will receive complete credit for any submission.

When San Diego parties, they do it up big. This had to be … better than any Capitol Hill Block Party or Bumbershoot I have ever attended. So here are some things I’ve discovered/learned tonight

• Gregg Gillis of Girl Talk denied me tonight by not giving me a wristband to go on stage with him, and I cried. It’s not that embarassing, I’m just very passionate about some things k?
• Bands that people should start listening to now: Holy Fuck and Matt and Kim
• Tonight, some girl denied me from taking her street style photo. That’s a first
• Southern California boys are very good looking
• I love San Diego
• I love this music festival
• If the rest of the world is dancing to Girl Talk, you should be dancing to Girl Talk too
• If you get on stage for Girl Talk don’t act like it’s your own personal stage for karaoke.
• I dance too hard, and then I get danced on
• A boy in pigtails jumped on both of my feet

here are a few of the most played tracks i’ve been listening to over the few weeks at work/school/home/driving/drawing/arting/walking/drinking/blogging…enjoy

thieves like us – american skies

the chemical brothers – all rights reversed

thee more shallows – night at the knight school

phreek plus one – phreek party

higamos hogamos – infinity plus one (the emperor machine vocal instrumental)

rubies – i feel electric

college – she never came back (russ chimes remix)

sally shapiro – miracle (extended mix)

mux mool – merlinfist

loleatta holloway – hit and run (original walter gibbons 12′ mix)

sam sparro – hot mess

munk – kick out the chairs

memory cassette – surfin

britney spears – if u seek amy (weird tapes club mix)

watussi – purple moon

lindstrom – disturbing the perfect

julien plenti – fly as you might

holy fuck – korock

studio – life’s a beach! (todd terje beach house mix)

heartsrevolution – switchblade

hall and oats – i can’t go for that (streetlab mix)

mylo – paris four hundred (sebastian remix)

bag raiders – fun punch (calling in sick remix)

golden girls – too cute

danger – 8888 (stage 3 the club danger edit)

haircuts for men – adult swim demo 9

i’m off to never never land for my “special” day. see you all later!

-bv-