F*CK YEAH FEST 2013

Welp, we meet again. Needless to say that my wallet & I are just now recovering from the $8 beers and lack of shade (except for the Samantha tent where I spent 80% of Sunday, by choice.) I am here to tell you about the FYF Fest, but here's a spoiler alert: IT WAS AWESOME. This is the festival you want to invest in next year, because it just keeps getting better. If you're not ready for the overwhelming $$$ festival in the desert we all know as Coachella, FYF is for you. With 30,000+ attendees, it did get a little tight in the beer gardens at night, but there was still plenty of room to get your groove on at the four different stages named after Sex & the City characters. 
So to sum it up before I flood you with pictures, I got a taste of every branch of diversity that took place at the festival from Mac DeMarco to Shlohmo to Holy Ghost! Just like every other festival, you hop around everywhere and sometimes you miss the acts you were looking the most forward to. That's life. 
Oh yeah,the blown up emojis scattered across the festival grounds were a nice touch. 

SATURDAY:

 

As if their set couldn't get any better, Aloe Blacc joined Classixx on stage to perform "Holding On." Talk about one big dance party.

Jeppe was also a special guest to perform "I'll Get You."

Yeah Yeah Yeahs closed out the Carrie Stage Saturday Night perfectly with "Heads Will Roll" and a whole lot of confetti. Are my ears still ringing? Possibly.  

Who also stole the show on Saturday that I didn't successfully capture? TV ON THE RADIO. Not only did they play the classics, but their new tune "Mercy" sounded incredible through the festival speakers. One of the heaviest tracks to date, it was also accompanied by other new material that the crowd absorbed in quite perfectly.

SUNDAY:

How To Dress Well 

Glasser 
(P.S. She has a new album coming out, details here.)

The Samantha tent was filled to the brim for Flume's early evening set. I can honestly say that he left me absolutely speechless and was a nice turnaround after catching How To Dress Well & Glasser's intimate performances. Flume is currently touring North America, and if you know what's good for your ears you'll click here for tour dates.  Check him out over on SoundCloud where you'll find an abundance of great material to spend the rest of your day with. 

If you're wondering if Tim Harrington (of Les Savy Fav) did in fact crowd surf on a ladder held by the fans, the answer is YES. LSF's set was filled with fun and good vibes thanks to Harrington's crazy antics. Going from a metallic suit down to his underwear, and falling off the ladder during "Sleepless in Silverlake" yet still singing in the words... there wasn't a dull moment. It was a pleasure to experience those around me who were just as excited LSF as I was. If you ever have the chance to catch these guys, do not pass this up!    
~
So, who was your favorite set? Did you get to see everyone that you wanted or did you have to miss out on Beach House like I unfortunately did. 
If you could sum up your experience at FYF Fest in three words, what would you say? 
If you asked me, I'd say "worth every penny."

Friday Fascination: No Joy

As i'm searching on the Club Mercy website for upcoming shows in Santa Barbara, I stumbled upon No Joy, a band I had zero idea about. It wasn't long before I looked up their opening track "E" (from their sophomore album Wait to Pleasure) to make me wonder if this band were inspired by the gods of shoegaze, My Bloody Valentine. 

My first impression when I heard this band was somewhere along the lines of a jaw dropping to the floor....seriously. As friends of mine know, I'm constantly on the lookout for discovering bands, and although they've been around since 2009 - they're "fresh" to me. No Joy has a hypnotic sound that makes it hard to turn off until the album is over. After a solid listening of Wait To Pleasure, I knew there wasn't a chance that I was going to let this band slip by LYED. 

Although it seems like I've been traveling all over the states (which I have) I will definitely be there at Muddy Waters on October 8th, and I hope that if you're in the area - you will join me! I'm very excited about this show because this will be the first Muddy Waters show in Santa Barbara that I will be attending. I've heard plenty of good things about this coffee house/music venue where acts such as Young Magic & Poor Moon have played in the past.

Listen to Wait To Pleasure below via Spotify and/or grab it on iTunes here!

(PRE) FYF FEST 2013

Ruth Radelet of CHROMATICS at FYF 2012 (taken by yours truly)

This weekend is about to be a great one, and that's because the 10th annual FYF Fest is taking place at the Los Angeles State Historic Park! 

Last year's lineup was a solid one in my opinion, but this year's announcement nearly blew my mind. Along with downsizing the amount of names on the bill, the festival now starts at 2PM instead of 12PM. A later start means more time in the morning to recover (or rally.)  Also, as every festival-goer knows... plan ahead if you want to make it to one of the opening acts because you'll never know what obstacles you'll have to face when heading to the fest. 

Be sure to check out this Billboard.com article where Sean Carlson (founder of FYF who was on this year's 30 under 30 - Rising Stars in LA via Refinery 29) is interviewed more in-depth about the festival. 

Who I'm most excited to see: TV On The Radio, Classixx, and Deerhunter

I'll be lucky if I make it in time for: Waxahatchee & Mikal Cronin 

Biggest Dilemma: Death Grips & Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Winner: Yeah Yeah Yeahs 

Although Death Grips was one of my favorite sets from Primavera Sound earlier this year, I'm all about the lengthy timeframe that YYY has (more time for oldies?) I'm not making any promises though, I'll probably pay a visit to the Miranda Stage (that is if Death Grips decides to show up.)

Who I'm most excited to see: Les Savy Fav, My Bloody Valentine, and Flume

I'll be lucky if I make it in time for: Mac DeMarco & ANTWON (although their the same time, eek)

Biggest Dilemma: Flume / Shlohmo & Beach House

Who am I going to see? All 3 (hopefully.) This is where the art of "stage hopping" comes into play. This will be the 2nd time that I will get to see Flume, and the 3rd time that for  Beach House. I'm definitely driven to see both of them again, but I've yet to see Shlohmo.. who's been climbing into my interests more & more with every release (see here.)  

So who are you looking forward to seeing the most? Which stage is "your stage?"

 Hope to see all of you guys if you plan on attending! 

(P.S. Below are a couple other pictures that I captured at last year's FYF Fest.)

BJM of HEALTH

J Tillman aka Father John Misty

Eric Emm of Tanlines

ON AN ON Covers Hot Chip & Bjork

Ah, just when I was perfectly satisfied with ON AN ON's debut album Give In, they continue to deliver with two amazing covers. Earlier this year, On an On covered Hot Chip's "And I was a Boy From School" over at Driver Recording for Sessions From the Box. By nailing that familiar loop, the trio channels just the right amount of dance vibes (insert imaginary toe tapping emoji here.) Bjork's "Unison" sounds like a completely different track when ON AN ON covered it recently. Their synthesized take on the track gives me goosebumps as the vocals switch from lead singer Nate Eiesland to keyboardist/vocalist Alissa Ricci for "I never thought I would compromise." Although the original is more stripped down, both tracks convey the level of intimacy suggested through the lyrics.  


   

Like what you hear?

Be sure to visit ON AN ON's bandcamp when the singles drop on August 20th!

They're also selling this on cassette during their fall tour (see dates below.)

If OAO is coming to a city near you, you should definitely check them out. One of the most underrated bands currently, (fangirl on) I would stumble across the US to catch this entire tour if I could (fangirl off.) They were without a doubt one of my favorites from my SXSW experience.

Ellie Goulding Covers Midnight Star (ft. BURNS)

If there is one thing that Ellie is not afraid to share with her fans - it's her influences. By covering artists such as Dolly Parton, Alt-J, and Rihanna (p.s. click on the links to hear her covers), she makes it clear that certain artists play a huge factor in her life & work. As an avid Ellie Goulding fan, I've been keeping up with her randomness of YouTube videos that are portrayed as videos via Instagram.

When Starsmith uploaded this video of her 
goofing around to Midnight Star's "Midas Touch", I knew this wasn't the beginning. As Ellie has casually tweeted lyrics about songs that she has now covered, I knew it wouldn't be long before she covered this gem that I've been hanging on to since I first heard it awhile back. What is even better is the fact that she has BURNS, a creative music producer from London as her collaboration partner. Can you say, "match made in heaven?" I sure can... Well done, you two. 

Curious to hear what the original sounds like? Check it out below! 

Friday Fascination: Popstrangers

Popstrangers is a trio from New Zealand consisting of Joel Flyger, Adam Page, and David Larson. Currently stationed in London,  They're the perfect medium between Cloud Nothings & TOY, and that is why they are this week's Friday Fascination. Distorted "pop music" that's incredibly influenced by punk to say the least. Other songs to check out by Popstrangers are Witches Hand & Roy Brown. 

Click here for a free download of I can't wait for summer to end, a Damaged Goods x Art Park x Spunk Records compilation feat. Popstrangers, Mac Demarco, Merchandise, Palms, White Fence, and more! 

"It’s a little but surfie, a little bit fashionista & a hell of a lot indie punk rock."

Antipodes out now via Carpark Records, pick it up on iTunes here! 

Coachella 2013

C'mon man, you're blocking my view. 

Coachella is always an experience for the books. This year marked my 3rd Coachella & definitely not my last. With every festival there will always be a list of pros and cons when observing the lineup. For me personally, there was no way in hell that I was going to miss out on Modest Mouse, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and The Postal Service to say the least. This year's lineup held a large amount of rising acts for those early birds, and from my experience on Day 3.. absolutely worth it. Other highlights include Dillon Francis, Bassnectar, Jessie Ware, and some of the most ridiculous moves by attendees who were old enough to be my parents. You're guaranteed to not witness a dull moment once you step foot in the desert, believe me.

P.S. 245 days until Coachella 2014! Which weekend are you planning on attending?

(Weekend 1 is where it's at, you guys.) 

Friday Fascination: Little Green Cars

So once upon a time while I was at Coachella, I found myself entering the venue on Day 3 alone so I could catch the brother-sister duo Wild Belle. They played the second to earliest slot at the Outdoor stage, and I wasn't going to let anything get in the way. I had already missed Guards & The Neighbourhood on the previous days, so after I found some sunscreen & a handful of goldfish- I made my escape. As I expected, Wild Belle put on an amazing set that had me wanting more - so instead of walking back to the campgrounds I decided to roam the polo fields to see who else was playing. The first tent I stumbled into was Gobi where I read "Little Green Cars" on the sign next to the stage. This was a band I knew very little about, but it wasn't long before I found myself in the crowd among a large amount of die-hard fans who were ooohing and aaahing with every song. This was probably the best decision I made all weekend. 

The Irish band looked relatively young onstage, and as I found out afterwards - all of them had turned 21 recently. 
Their age definitely doesn't show in their stellar debut album Absolute Zero, released back in March via Glassnote Records (also home to CHRVCHES, Two Door Cinema Club, Oberhofer, and more!) 

Grab Absolute Zero on Itunes here!

"Angel Owl" is my personal favorite from the album, but let's be honest - this is a pretty impressive album from beginning to end. Fun Fact: The album was produced by Markus Dravs who is responsible for contributing to the production of both Mumford & Sons albums as well as Arcade Fire's Neon Bible. Below you can check out LGC covering James Blake's "To The Last" for Triple J's Like a Version series. 

So, if you attended Coachella & can't believe you missed out on Little Green Cars, guess what? They're playing at this year's Outside Lands in San Francisco, another one of my favorite festivals that I'm sadly missing out on next weekend. For those of you in my neck of the woods: LGC will be coming to Fort Worth, Texas this October to play at the Live Oak Music Hall. For tickets, click here!

P.S. One of the coolest sections of Little Green Car's website is their "Music We Love" tab, where you can find the bands' latest inspirations & favorite tunes.

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