All posts in: Bonnaroo

27 May 2011

A Look Back on Seattle U Shows

This past school year, I have had the wonderful privilege of working with some incredible musicians and bands at Seattle University. Within just one school year, they are already making headlines, putting out new albums, headlining tours, and have found themselves on the lineups of music festivals.

I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to work with these eight very talented musicians and bands:

If there are any musicians and bands that you should be following from Seattle, it is them.

– My dearest friend Liz has relocated to the state of Colorado, but has been keeping busy with a string of shows. Please go out and support her because she is a wonderful and talented little lady. [Source]

Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground will be releasing their album “Introducing” on July 26, 2011 from Suburban Home Records. The band will host CD release shows in both Portland and Seattle, June 11th and 12th respectively. [Source]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBPTz4Z5XTI&feature=player_embedded]

– Almost immediately after my show with He Is We ended, the band hit the road to head East to begin their tour with The Rocket Summer. The band will be headlining their first tour beginning mid-June. Did I also mention that they will be performing at Bonnaroo 6/9 – 6/10? [Source]

– Two of my performers Robbie Christmas and Matt Bekker will actually be performing a show together tomorrow at the Crocodile Cafe! The show is 21+. My friend Matt Bekker also recently became a part of the Rocket Music Entertainment Group family, which is home to Elton John, James Blunt, Lily Allen, and Oh Land.

Champagne Champagne will be releasing a new album this summer and will be performing at the 2011 Capitol Hill Block Party, Bumbershoot Music Festival, and Doe Bay Fest!

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/21446029]

– I am so excited to be working with Campfire OK for my last show of the year. This year, the band was voted by City Arts Magazine as one of the best new bands of 2011 and this summer, you will be able to catch the rustic-sounding band at both Capitol Hill Block Party, Bumbershoot and Doe Bay Fest! I would say that this band is going to be in a completely different place in the next year, but I know that things for them are moving fast and that the change will most likely occur within the next few months. Their CD “Strange Like We Are”  is definitely one of my favorites from the year. Expect to see them on the bill for various music festivals next year because that’s probably where they will be.

27 Jun 2010

Let’s Talk Shows: Reviews

Last weekend, I had the chance to see a private performance from Minus the Bear at the Vera Project because they were promoting the Pepsi Refresh Everything Project. I didn’t get a chance to talk about the show in a previous post because I was so pumped about meeting Suchin Pak though! My bad, sowwy!

It’s been a few years since I last saw them perform. The first time I saw them, I was w/ my best friend at Neumos on a school night. Reckless behavior. Before they got on stage, they set up plush white tigers on top of the speakers to set the mood. I can’t remember  if they were promoting Planet of Ice or if it was the album before. I do, however, remember attending  a laser show for Planet of Ice to preview the whole CD before it came out in the summer of 2007. Minus the Bear didn’t need the tigers at their recent performance though.  Since I saw them last, their sound has matured and so did they naturally. They have come a long way since Pachuca Sunrise, which is still one of my favorite songs.  There is more structure and cohesiveness apparent throughout their entire new CD Omni. For Planet of Ice, we heard bionic and futuristic sounds that different from their previous two albums. With Omni, each part within a song – intro, chorus, bridge is emphasized. They’ve also upped their game in terms of performance. This past week, they performed on Jimmy Kimmel and I couldn’t be more proud of them.

Along with a show review, I guess I’ll give you a CD review too.

Best songs:

  • My Time
  • Summer Angel
  • The Thief
  • Into the Mirror feat. Rachel Flotard of Visqueen

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpOfnuUjlOc&feature=player_embedded]

Portugal. The Man

Way to exceed my expectations this past Friday! It had been three years since I last saw them and even back then I had decided that they were one of the best performers I had ever seen. Not much has changed. They have been blowing up all year performing at some of the biggest names in music festivals including this year’s Coachella, Sasquatch, and Bonnaroo. They began their entrance with a thick fog emerging off the stage and into the crowd. It wasn’t long before the lasers appeared, which really got the crowd excited. [myself included]  They performed tracks from their 2010 album American Ghetto as well as last year’s The Satanic Satanist and even songs from when I first started listening to them nearly four years ago.

Portugal. The Man – Thanks for reminding me of what I have been missing from my life.

14 Jun 2010

How do you Bonnaroo?

Missing this festival is sad, very sad indeed. I’m never going to be able to fly down to Tennessee for it because I will always have finals during this week. I know my Seattle U friends are in the same boat as well. Here’s what we missed out on 🙁

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb766mrd6Ac&feature=player_embedded]

And for a better recap, just click here

12 May 2010

Quadstock – and why you should go

We’re just two days away from Quadstock 2010 and this year is sure to be much more “epic” than last year’s. Nearly every student at Seattle University knows that there are two Quadstocks. One is the actual event. The other is an event not put on or associated by SEAC at all and is basically a party for the masses. Both are great and both cater to types of people with different needs.  I’d also like to let you know that you will be missing out if you choose not to attend this year’s Quadstock.

This year our Quadstock Chair has truly outdone himself. He has put together the best lineup that has ever come to Seattle University in the history of Quadstocks. Our main stage will include performances by Beehive, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Hey Marseilles, Dan Deacon, and

Tokyo Police Club!

We have touched based with a variety of genres including pop, hip hop, indie, local etc and each are bringing something new and fresh to the table. Hey Marseilles is a well-known local band from the Seattle area. Dan Deacon puts on the most incredible performances and this year Tokyo Police Club performed at Coachella and will perform at Bonnaroo– two very big music festivals [that you should know of]

Also, you should know that it isn’t easy planning a music festival. It has spanned over the entire school year and that it is also difficult to book musicians and artists because there is such a thing as tour dates, recordings in the studio, and contract bindings. It is not a job that anyone can do. And despite what you might think about us being a private school, we do not have infinite amounts of money.

Our chair has done a fantastic job! This year we are offering food from local vendors including Ezell’s, Dicks, Pita Pit, Jimmy Johns, and Mighty-O Donuts. Tickets are only $10! A ticket for a normal Tokyo Police Club show is $20+ but for this $10 price you are getting amazing food (lots of it!) and four other bands as well as being able to catch our wonderfully talented student performers.

Last reminders:

– If you don’t buy your tickets soon, they will probably sell out.

– We are not associated with the “other Quadstock,” but we are tempted to sell you one of our shirts for $20 when you ask us.

Quadstock is for Seattle University students and is not open to the public.

For more information click here

14 Apr 2010

Glastonbury Music Festival Lineup 2010

Tickets are already sold out and the finalized lineup was JUST released today. Wow.

I’m not gonna list the whole lineup, just my favorites or whoever is worth seeing –

U2, Corrine Bailey-Rae, Vampire Weekend, Snoop Dogg, The Flaming Lips, Hot Chip, La Roux, Phoenix, Groove Armada, Ellie Goulding, Tegan and Sara, Mos Def, Nouvelle Vague, The XX, Local Natives, Fatboy Slim, Chromeo, Muse, Kate Nash, Imogen Heap, Two Door Cinema Club, Beach House, Holy Fuck, Stevie Wonder, Jack Johnson, Norah Jones, LCD Soundsystem, MGMT, The Temper Trap, Julian Casablancas, Crystal Castles.

Alright Glastonbury… you win.

So many festivals!!

GLASTONBURY, Bamboozle, Coachella, Sasquatch, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and Quadstock… YAY!!!!

Bumbershoot and Outside Lands…I see you baby 😉

To see the rest of the lineup click here

03 Apr 2010

Louisville and the Forecastle

Louisville, Kentucky has a music festival. Why are all these cities trying to have music festivals now…? Anyways, the lineup for Forecastle has just been released. (What does that even mean?)

You ain’t no Bonnaroo. Merr Merr at this lineup. The only band I care about at all is MINUS the FREAKIN Bear. Seattle locals for the win. And maybe Spoon and Dar Williams don’t hurt either.

18 Feb 2010

Song of the Day

Cavil at Rest – We Could Love

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Pm06WDarX4]

Before Local Natives became a band, they were Cavil at Rest and they were amazing. I really wish that they would have continued with Cavil because they had so much potential and I thought they were doing well then one day all of a sudden, they decided to change their name and their music. I don’t not like Local Natives, I enjoy listening to them, but Cavil will always have a special place in my heart first before them.

Now they are so big that they will be performing at SXSW, Coachella, Sasquatch, and Bonnaroo. I guess they’re happy.