Blue Ribbon Glee Club!

This might well be just what the world was waiting for...

BLUE RIBBON GLEE CLUB:
www.myspace.com/theblueribbongleeclub

The Other Side Of Lillith Fair...

Much attention has been given to Sarah McLachlan's resurrection of the Lillith Fair Festival, a travelling concert series designed to level out the gender playing field on the shed circuit. In that spirit, here's a quick tip of the hat to 2 equally idiosyncratic young ladies who are most definitely doing it their own way...

Don't let the smooth soul jam fool you, this could only be the work of Erykah Badu...the first clue is her ride...Inspired by Matt & Kim's 'Lessons Learned' video, she puts her own particular spin on the business...



M.I.A.'s clip for 'Born Free' is lensed by Romain Garvas, son of Constantin Costa-Garvas (European political thriller 'Z'), and the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree cinematically. M.I.A. soundtracks the clip with a chopped up riff from electro-punk godfathers Suicide (Ghost Rider). On the heels of her chart conquering 'Paper Planes', she shows no sign of backing down from her more adventurous side.

Coachella Festival 2010, day three

One Eskimo was not deterred by the volcano...they opened up Sunday on a warm note, rousing the groggy campers as the rolled out for the home stretch...

Word again about the weather...Saturday barely scratched 90, and had overcast stretches, really damping down the impact...day for day, it was the most gloriously temperate weather i've ever encountered at Coachella. Also, the third day zombie hoard was much less 'fragrant' than years past...


Kevin Devine led an energetic combo in the Gobi tent that was well received. Yet more volcano related cancellations impacted my day, affecting the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, another outfit i was looking forward to checking out, and scotching an anticipated dj set from Talvin Singh, the founder of Cornershop...









I steered back to the Mojave tent for LA's own Soft Pack; they put a nice noisy spin on the day. I missed the later Local Natives set, but tried to make up for my lack of LA repping with these guys, and their rocking set will definitely get me to grab the album...A nice surprise.
Still had the feeling of being in idle, waiting for Something To Happen. Shortly after this thought, it would be more than seven hours before i found peace again...




The day then kicked into overdrive with the one and only King Khan and the Shrines, whose festival appearances have garnered a lot of chatter, and it wasn't too long before it was evident why. He hit the stage, resplendent in a gold lame top and tight pants, and by the second song in, he was already off the stage and into the audience...Few songs later, he brought out the Yo Gabba Gabba crew, (must watch video below for those of you with youngsters), bringing to mind what could rightly be considered my very first concert, an amusing park appearance of the one and only Banana Splits!

He then proceeded to top himself by commanding the audience to bust out dollar bills and set them on fire! Yes, with 75,000 people packed into a grass field...Smokey the Bear he ain't, but he does come across as some hellish version of an Indian McGruff the Crime Dog crossed w/Mitch Ryders Detroit Wheels...Needless to say, he blew the tent apart, and really had to be seen to be believed.








Detroit area smooth soul sensation Mayer Hawthorne hit the Gobi stage shortly after 3 with a full band that added a sparkling Motown.esque burst of energy to the songs from his debut album.

I was pleasantly surprised that the tent was packed for his gig, a testimony to his twitter mobilization, and the good rep of his label Stones Throw records, no doubt.

Obviously in a new era when an artist pimps his Twitter feed (@MayerHawthorne) in a song intro.



Hella hard to tear myself away from Mr. Hawthorne's tent revival, but there was no stopping the block party that was De La Soul, tearing up the Main Stage...I got there right in time to see the whole field turn into a whirling mess as they layed down 'A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturday'. Hip Hop 101 for all who aspired that weekend, it was the crafty veterans that took care of the business, ending the set with a tribute to Run DMC...


As the De La Soul crowd cleared, i took advantage and manuevered down in front to stake out some prime real estate for Hoboken's own Yo La Tengo. In another victory for the vets, the indie crew hit the stage early and with a hail of feedback, storming into 'Big Day Coming', and twisting through a set that touched on all the bases of their varied career.

Many questioned why they were on the Main Stage, and more hyped bands were seemingly exiled to the outdoor stage, but their fearless set answered every question, veering from chamber pop to pure noise...

High point was the endgame of their set, a juxtaposition of 'You Can Have It All', a George McRae cover that featured Georgia stepping out from behind the drums to carry the song on the organ, while James & Ira abandoned their instruments to do a total Gladys Knight & the Pips routine, following a shout out to Sly Stone...(video below).

They closed the set with a stunning version of 'Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind', paced by Ira's manic shredding, blowing it out past the 12 minute mark, leaving the audience breathless. The yin and the yang of Yo La Tengo...


The Main Stage onslaught continued with Spoon, from Austin, TX. Led by Britt Daniel, they overcame a rocky start being dumped by a major label, managed to regroup and find a home on NC indie Merge Records, and have hit a hot streak with their last three records: 'Gimme Fiction', 'Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga', and the January release, 'Transference'.

The audience gave them a conquering hero's welcome, and they assayed a set of brutally chopped angular tunes...




With much regret, I left my wondrous perch on the barrier of the Main Stage, and traced a circuitous path along the perimeter of the fence, and towards the back of the festival grounds, walking briskly, then jogging, and finally flat out running towards the tent that was my destination, a rendezvous i thought i'd never be making...

Ladies and Gentlemen: Sly & The Family Stone...
Or Not...

In retrospect, what in the hell was i thinking...
Sly's only rival for cancellations/no shows in the '70's was George Jones. Sweated out some time until the inevitable 'delay' announcement, watched the crowd visibly sag, then had a good long laugh at myself. It ocurred to me that i recalled reading an article about a journalist trying to interview Sly that ended up being titled something like: 'And I Keep Waiting for Sly'...hmph...

Redemption came in the form of Pavement...As witnessed in a warmup show at the Fox Theater in Pomona thursday night, the reunited unit is in fine fettle. (complete coverage in an upcoming post).

Thoroughly drained in both the body/soul and camera battery/flash card departments, I skirted the edges of the mammoth turnout for the band Thom Yorke put together to support his solo record, 'The Eraser'. Teeming with great musical minds, but perhaps most notable for sporting Flea, the group added a welcome funkiness to a claustrophic laptop record, (in the very nicest sense), bringing new layers to the tunes...

It was a welcome bookend, having seen Radiohead at my very first Coachella, so many years ago...Yorke's siren song seemed a fitting soundtrack to my exit strategy from the desert.

Final thoughts: Interestingly enough, this seemed like the year Coachella finally came into it's own, eschewing the major celebrity bookings in favor of a micro.focus on the music. It's daring economic strategy, going to 3 day passes only, away from single day tickets, seemed foolhardy at first, but came up a cropper as the show sold out completely. What next? Rumors for the '11 lineup are already flying...but at this juncture, i'm shutting them out in favor of savoring what has just past...

Coachella Festival: Randomness

Miscellaneous collection of art installations & fun people!

welcome to the show...














crane at night...














nice pin...














reels on the bus go round & round (day)














reels on the bus go round & round (night)

























































teeter totter=cellphone charger...














spinning mirror














rockin' robot...


















her touch is gold...

Coachella Festival 2010, day two

Saturday...Saturday...Saturday...started on the bleary tip, being that the early bands were mostly outdoors and the sun sucked the life out of me...

Chugging water and still ended up dehydrated. Today fit the ideal...all the early shows were in tents.

Laid out on the grass in the tent shade, digging on England's Frank Turner, who was either over here touring already, or has God for a travel agent. His brisk set put the right spin on the day, and helped rouse me to life.

And if i wasn't awake at that point, an hour with John Waters surely would have done the trick. He used his oeuvre, (heh heh...oeuvre), as a touchstone, and freelanced amongst basic topics of interest to those who find his work compelling. Once again, a missed opportunity in the taping department, but needless to say, the hardest i've laughed in a long time.






The Almighty Defenders were entertaining, but not captivating...The group is comprised of members of the Black Lips & the BBQ Show.

Good sloppy fun...









Portugal. The Man, from Alaska originally, via Portland, conducted their business in the Gobi tent. They amped up the volume level and showed off one of the more traditional rock sets, along with Band of Skulls, to grace the festival.

The volcano related cancellation of Frightened Rabbit was a shame, another one that I'd been looking forward to on the heels of their newest record: 'The Winter Of Mixed Drinks'.




The hole in my lineup was quickly filled by Scottish veterans Camera Obscura, working off of their last record: 'My Maudlin Career'. The band warmed the hearts of those who were there, and kept on gamely when nearby tents threatened to overwhelm their sound.








Girls, from San Francisco, brought their Noise Pop A-Game to the Gobi tent, with each song seeming to be deliciously louder. They dropped great chunks of their debut album, and threw in some new stuff as well, (or covers i'm not hip to).

One of the high points of the day for me.










Back to the Mojave tent for Beach House, who've made plenty of waves with 'Teen Dream', one of the years better considered records, thus far. The question was how it would translate to the stage, and i'd heard their stage presence questioned, but i was totally captivated.

Snuck over to see Band of Skulls...they were fine; it was me. Had to return to see the end of Beach House.







Opinions are all over the place on the recorded work of the Gossip, but i've heard very few question their live prowess. Beth Ditto is compelling, and in the bands first Coachella appearance, she gave a performance worthy of the main stage.

She owned the tent, and gave no quarter, controlling the band, and playing with, and off of the audience, culminating in a stroll through the front row, parting the sea of people like you know who...




Caught the brutal ending of a set by the Raveonettes, sorry both that it overlapped with the Gossip, and that i couldn't get close enough for pictures.) Debated running down to see the XX, but given the mass of people at the outdoor stage for them, i sacrificed, and decided to err on the side of pole position for the Dirty Projectors, who did not disappoint.

Hard to explain the band's combination of African polyrhythms on electric guitar with an angular, Gang of 4ish tilt, over which is poured the elastic vocalise of the groups singers...Pretty polarizing for most, but right up my alley.


After a few songs, I extricated myself from the sweaty hordes and plopped down on the grass outside, when i fell prey to one of those moments that makes Coachella magic. I was singing along to the Dirty Projectors and staring off vacantly, when i happened to focus, and notice a young lady staring intently at me. I thought she was mouthing the words: 'are you talking to me', and i shouted: 'I'm singing...', and got that 'oh, here we go' feeling.

She came over and continued to stare, and she said: 'i think i know you', and suddenly all the pieces fell into place...It was Dru, who i worked with a dozen years ago, if it was a day. Since long decamped to the bay area, she had come after a friend bailed out on her. I never ceased to be amazed by the randomness of the world.

A truly, (for me), unexpected treat was the Faith No More set on the main stage. I always felt bad that, having set the Nu Metal template, many lesser bands cashed in on what was theirs, without their style, sense of humor, and presence.

Presence being the operative word; Mike Patton hit the stage in a Pimp.a.licious red outfit, and restaked his claim.

Light flashed across the dark stage, and pin lights spotted various members as they took verses on Peaches & Herb's 'Reunited'...Absolutely...they had me from there on. Bonus points for inserting a riff from Stevie Wonder's 'Sir Duke' into the middle of obvious. The band was tight and hungry, and compelled me to listen to music that isn't in my wheelhouse. No higher praise can i give...if only for a night, Faith No More came back home.

Coachella Festival 2010, day one

And so it begins...another weekend in the desert. Weather is uniformly beautiful, mid to high 80's, truly a best case scenario. Friday was full of nice surprises...nothing i really had my heart set on except for the Specials reunion that night, so it was just stroll and dig.

Came in on the very end of Kate Miller-Heidke, who kicked the weekend off in style, following her partner's solo with an operatic high note...would like to have caught more of the set.



Programming notes: changes to this year's fest included dropping one day tickets in favor of three day only passes. Interesting swim against economic trends, but it worked for them, culminating in a complete sell out. Another change was allowing car camping and in and outs for the first time. Sources in the camping area report growing pains in the car camping concept, first not allowing cars in an ancillary area, then relenting. As for in and outs, the number of gates was not increased, and the subsequent backup of traffic caused lines by mid.day of up to 1000 people, and waits in the 90 minute to 2 hour range. This was mostly due faulty scanners, and they were back on line later in the day. High tension on the first day, but soon it was just a memory as the festival kicked into gear.

Cruised sets by Pablo Hassan in the dj tent, Jets Overhead, a young band from Vancouver, and Alana Grace on the outdoor stage (pictured above).

There's always that lull moment when you think 'nothing's really happening', and before you know it, some band steps up and smacks you in the face...First happy discovery of the day was Deer Tick, who opened with a drunken monologue that ended with the point that nothing in punk has improved since the second Meat Puppets record. Touche!
They went on to bash out an inspired set of shambolic roots punk.




Headed over to the main festival stage to catch the highly anticipated rapper Wale. He remained highly anticipated for half an hour after his scheduled start time, at which point, beside myself with what else i was missing, voted with my feet. I could hear that he did come on, from the rumble, and I clocked from my phone that he did a twenty minute set...wow. Campers told me that he'd soundchecked the night before, so what exactly was the problem? Not like anyone was onstage fiddling with the equipment. People need to learn, this isn't the Key Club...it's professional time, especially if you're honored with a main stage spot.
Hid out in the mojave tent, and salved my bitterness with a rocking set from 'As Tall As Lions', (pic above)...
Hustled back to catch the Avett Brothers, graduated to the outdoor stage after a raucous tent appearance in '07.

This set marked the first instance of major sound issues that randomly plagued the festival throughout the weekend. I'm not an engineer, so i won't speak as to cause, but i can certainly speak to effect...eww!

The Bros soldiered on, showing no signs of discontent, simply bailing on malfunctioning instruments and working harder to make up for it. Set built up to a rousing climax, then ended with a really touching sing a long. Never count out the Avett Brothers...

With a little trepidation, I headed back to the main stage for Calle 13 from Puerto Rico, and this time i wasn't disappointed...Party Time with a capital P! The brother/sister led combo held the crowd rapt. Special shout out to the relentless horn section that underscored the drive & kept things moving.

First volcano related scrub of the day was the Cribs, who now feature former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr. Was quite looking forward to them.


Back to the tents for Brooklyn's much heralded Yeasayer, fresh off their second album, and Syracuse's own Ra Ra Riot. (both pictured below) Yeasayer had a hugely packed tent, and their new material held up better live.
Ra Ra Riot didn't have the crowd, but played with a lot of heart...















Next up was the controlled chaos that could only be the Dillinger Escape Plan, (pict left), easily the loudest band to this point, who laid down an ecstatic barrage. Amazing energy, and certainly not for the faint of heart. Pictures don't even begin to suggest what went down, I really should have shot some video of these guys.

Just four songs left me absolutely drained, at which point it was back to the main stage to stake out a front and center spot...



Which ended up being a front left spot, but who am i to quibble...the moment i'd been waiting 30 years for was here...the legendary Specials, (above) reunited for a brief 30th anniversary tour, (with everyone but founder Jerry Dammers), and took the coveted sunset slot and turned the main stage into a whirling dance party. Losing none of their energy, they rarely stopped moving, and worked their way through an impressive catalog of hits. All the favourites were there, 'Monkey Man', 'Too Much Too Soon', 'Night Klub', and more.

Now totally totally drained, drifted back to the tents for another 'always wanted to see..', the one and only Gil Scott-Heron, backed with a full band, which proved to be the perfect antidote to the frenzied day...didn't even try to fight the packed Gobi tent, just layed back on the grass and soaked the goodness in...his set ranged all over, touching on the new record, and running the gamut of his storied career...



Thus restored, i staked out a space next door in the Mojave tent for the triumphant return of Grizzly Bear, fresh off last years 'Veckatimest', and a followup to their '07 appearance here.

Grizzly Bear didn't disappoint, bringing the intricate record to life, and adding a lot more oomph to the songs in a live setting.

Finished off a long day with another reunion, Echo & the Bunnymen on the outdoor stage. Their majestic tunes fared well, and some well picked covers, (Doors 'Roadhouse Blues'), helped save the day for them.