LAUNCH Festival 2013

 If you happen to live on the west coast, this is the one festival that you will want to invest your time & energy in attending next year, believe me.   

This year marked the 5th anniversary of LAUNCH in downtown Sacramento, California and brought the community together in a unique way. Starting off with a block party on Wednesday evening & wrapped up with two full days of music at Cesar Chavez Park, this particular festival covers all of the necessary bases: music, fashion, art, and design.  

Around 10,000 attendees took part in this two-day event of the five-day festival, and was the largest attendance so far. With Imagine Dragons & Girl Talk as two of the main headliners, the crowd surfaced from all over. Elysse Ralph (who wrote about the bands below) & Julia Frather were there to capture the essence of both days, and needless to say it was a great time all around. 

LAUNCH Instagram: @launchsacramento

LAUNCH Twitter: @5432launch

Doombird

Doombird was the 3rd performance on the Tower stage and they did not disappoint. This dancy quad band is Sacramento homegrown. Although this is the 1st time seeing them live, they were a highlight for Day 1.

Minus The Bear

One of the bands I've seen most live, and will never get sick of. They played immediately after Blond Redhead on the main stage, and it couldn't have been a better transition of bands. I had the pleasure of hanging out with Alex and Jake a while before the show, and they are as great as their music- genuine, different, and definitely humble.

Washed Out

 A little different than my live experience with Minus the Bear, a band I have NOT had the pleasure of seeing live. I was like a giddy school girl waiting for this band, arms up on the railing, staring at the stage in awe of what I was about to see. As I had expected, they did not disappoint-they were as equally excited to play for us as we were to see them perform for us as a crowd, which made the set in entirety a music funhouse. The thick bass, and that synthesizing voice pumping through the speakers is all I was focused on.

Geographer

 This band has never failed to not make me sing at the top of my lungs in my car-WITH NO SHAME. Except this time it was in my backyard-Ceaser Chavez Park. Michael Deni's voice sounds like a god, and who could deny the cello along with the synthesizer? Not I! They know how to get the crowd hyped, and they did just that. Michael jumped off stage and into the crowd waving his hands back and forth, and all I could think about is "man, I am so lucky to have these undeniably talented men play in front of me right now."

Surfer Blood 

Ya know, this band has played over our speakers at work and I found myself bobbing my head, then eventually singing along hoping I would seem then live one day. So when I saw they were on Launch's lineup, you could say I was quite excited. Of course i was smack dab in front, sweating, and so pumped. I'll just put it plain & simple - they put on a powerhouse performance.

More highlights from the festival:

Mark Robert Fuller of Gold Fields

Patricia Beranek of St. Lucia 

Van She 

  

With Alex & Jake from Minus The Bear

Be sure to visit Julia's Flickr account to see more of her work - all of the photos above were captured by her! 

Songs That are Younger Than They Sound.

Hope all of you are enjoying the new Beach House album Bloom. Despite what other critics say, I do recognize slight similarities...but this is THE STYLE OF BEACH HOUSE. Cryptic, Classic, and overall it's JUST WHO THEY ARE. Respect this powerhouse duo who convey some of the most mind-boggling lyrics through a voice that literally gives a grown man the chills (who will remain nameless for now) and to this day their setup of instruments is just as simple as it was when they first started. I read an interview on Pitchfork with the members of Beach House (Victoria Legrand & Alex Scally) recently that needs to be read by everyone, words can't explain their intelligence. 

 http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/8831-beach-house/

So if beach house isn't your style, here are some jams that go great with sunshine, or possibly make you stir-crazy if you're somewhere in the world where the sun doesn't shine. 

ENJOY FOLKS! :)

TENNIS

"ORIGINS"

After releasing the crafty & extra retro Cape Dory , Tennis (a husband & wife duo from Denver consisting of Alaina Moore & Patrick Riley) joined forces with Patrick Carney of the Black Keys to create their 2nd LP titled Young & Old. Tennis has a way of literally taking you back in time with their sound, and their chemistry when performing live is absolutely something to love. The sound in Young & Old definitely has a more mature sound to it overall, yet maintains the same quality of passion that you find in Alaina's voice. Catch them in August at this years Outside Lands Music Festival, you won't be disappointed. 

Other tracks to check out: Petition, Deep in the Woods, Marathon, My Better Self (newly released video for this track on YouTube now!). 

"IT ALL FEELS THE SAME" on the Dave Letterman show (4/9). 

Never underestimate the power of a voice that comes from a body so petite. 

SURFER BLOOD

(if you go to UCSB, here's some time for you to complete a little bit of your Extravaganza homework, because they will be performing live).

"FLOATING VIBES"

One of their most popular songs from their 2010 album Astro Coast, and overall it's a pretty decent album. The award for my favorite song is actually from their 2011 EP Tarot Classics, and you can access their Halfway House Sessions performance of "I'm Not Ready" HERE!

& feel free to call me crazy, but towards the end of the "I'm Not Ready" track that John Paul Pitts starts to sound like Glenn Danzig? You know, "MOTHERRRRRRRRR, can you keep them in the dark for life?"

REAL ESTATE 

"EASY"

Mmmm. mellow, fresh, and totally something to read the newspaper to. Or put together your new fixie bike? Close your eyes and imagine drinking a forty on Venice Beach in the early 1960's, does that do the trick for you? Phew. If you are diggin' Real Estate, I recommend going back to their first self-titled album and starting from there. Your ears will be so chilled you won't know what to do with yourself. 

"IT'S REAL" (Live on KEXP)

These indie sweethearts have only been around for a few years, but here's a live version of "It's Real" to let you know...... well, they're real. 

SUMMER CAMP 

"BETTER OFF WITHOUT YOU" a track found on the first track on their 2011 full-length Welcome to Condale. With a name like Summer Camp, what were your expecting? It's flirty. It's borderline dramatic. It's hopeful. These are just a few of the emotions exposed at Summer Camp. Elizabeth Sankey nails it as a lo-fi version of Alison Mosshart in the track "Nobody Knows You". I suggest your ears have a listen & let me know.

CAMERA OBSCURA

"FRENCH NAVY" off their 2009 full-length album My Maudlin Career. They have a sweet sound, and I literally mean sweet. After listening to their 2006 LP Let's Get Out of This Country, I literally wanted to go layout at the beach with my cassette tape player. 

Except, it was nearly 2AM on a Tuesday night, 

and I don't own a cassette tape player. 

"THE SWEETEST THING"

Other tracks to check out from Camera Obscura: Tears For Affair, Comeback Margaret, Honey In The Sun.

Feel free to let me know what you & your ears think! Tweet about it. Share with everyone and your mother... Please & Thank You! :)