Phenomena. COACHELLA 2006 (DAY 2) Review

Sunday was definitely going to be crazy. I saw Youth Group and luckily they played "Shadowland" and "Skeleton Jar" when I was there back to back because those are my favorite songs from them. Right after, I headed over to Giant Drag. Annie Hardy is hilarious! Giant Drag played "Kevin Is Gay", "This Isn't It", "My Dick Sux", and "Slayer".

Giant Drag

I stayed for Mates of State. I wasn't too excited for them. Their performance was okay, but the most exciting performance that afternoon was TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS. They were greater than my expectations. Ted is fucking awesome. They literally put a smile on my face and I have to say that was a rare moment considering me feeling like shit that day. They played old and new songs including "Walking To Do", "Where Have All The Rude Boys Gone", and "Me and Mia".

Mates of State

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists

It's too bad I missed James Blunt and his Willy Wonka sunglasses, but I tried to catch Metric. I only watched two songs from them including "The Police and the Private" from afar. Metric was one of the other bands that I really didn't want to miss, but it was hard to enjoy the show from so far. Before watching Metric, I saw a bit of Phoenix. They're great as usual. Afterwards I decided to try and meet Editors, but unfortunately I came too late for their signing.

I headed straight towards the Outdoor Stage to catch Bloc Party. I saw a little bit of Minus the Bear before heading straight for the front for Bloc Party. The boys from Bloc Party were beautiful and I enjoyed the show very much. Kele has such a beautiful smile. It's hard not to notice! The highlight of the show was near the end when Kele stood on top of all the speakers on my side while checking out the scenery, crowd, and playing his guitar. It was one of the few shows that I really enjoyed.

Bloc Party

Afterwards, I went straight for Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I had a bad view of Karen O the entire time, but I was up in the front of the crowd off to the side. I loved YYYs. Tool fans weren't enjoying the show very much until Karen O screamed while eating her mic during the choruses of a song. That was seriously the best moment of their set and everyone just got crazy over that. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs were crazy, but not as weird as I thought they were. Some folks got bored from their set and left, but there were plenty of fans who enjoyed it and got what they expected.
Right after their set I went straight for Madonna, but she was taking way too long to get on stage as scheduled and the tent was too packed, so I went to Editors show. I got bored and then I went back to check out Madonna. I saw her perform her first song. Luckily there was a giant screen outside the tent so everyone who can't see her in the tent can just watch the screen. She's a great performer on stage with all her backup dancers, but her singing sucks! And of course lip singing sucks too.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Editors

I skipped the rest of Madonna's set and saw the end of Mogwai's set, which seemed to have never ended. I was bored as hell. To tell you the truth, I'm not that interested in some instrumental music and Mogwai is one of them, but there were Mogwai fans in the crowd who thought they were 'sick'.

Madonna

I saw The Go! Team who were horrible live. They were fun to watch and were upbeat. They got the crowd going, but if you're not a BIG fan of their music, then you're not going to enjoy the show. I was a fan of The Go! Team, but I'm definitely not a fan of their live shows. I wouldn't pay any price over $12 to see them headlining a show unless I want to see the opening act.

The Go! Team

Scissor Sisters were so fun to watch! I was creeped out as first, but that was expected. I loved the gold attire. I'm not a big fan of their music since I only like a few songs, but I loved watching them. I left early and saw a little bit of Tool for a couple seconds, and that was the end of my Coachella experience. It felt good leaving at the end of a long day, but now that I think about it, I miss Coachella and I'm glad I tried to experience it to the fullest.

Scissor Sisters

Clap Your Hands! COACHELLA 2006 (DAY 1) Review

Saturday, the first day of Coachella, we were in heavy traffic, but we still made it up to the front row for one of the first bands to play, The Like. I was hoping to see Head Automatica, who played first on the outdoor stage right before The Like, but we didn't make it there for their set. Since I always missed Head Automatica when coming to town, it made no difference. The Like was good live as was expected. They sounded beautiful. They're such sweet girls when I met them at the Virgin signing and people should definitely not pay attention to the opinions of some haters becuase they're just jealous that they're not as talented as them. Matt Costa was wonderful, but there isn't much to say about him since I was never a huge fan. I haven't heard enough from him and I still haven't heard enough from him.

Z Berg of The Like

Matt Costa

The next band that I went to see were The Walkmen. They were decent live. It was hard to enjoy their show from afar so I went straight for The Zutons. They're very very lively onstage presence and their saxophonist is awesome, but I only watched the first two or three songs from them because I was dieing of heat exhaustion so I decided to head over to the tents early to squeeze my way to the front for TV on the Radio later in the day.

The Walkmen


The Zutons

First band I saw in the Mojave Tent was Wolfmother. I've heard one song from them before, but I didn't think much of them until seeing them live. They are incredible. Probably one of my favorite performances I've seen at Coachella. It's hard not to rock out to them. I wasn't surprised to find that Danny Masterson was a fan as he was watching Wolfmother as well.

Wolfmother

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah was another band that I wanted to watch, but didn't feel too excited for it. I was surprised. I was never a big fan of their album especially since I never had the interest in listening to it in its entirety and I only liked one of their songs, but I've had a change of heart after their performance. Their set included "Let The Cool Goddess Rust Away", "The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth", and the favorite "In This Home On Ice". Their live performances are so much better than their recordings. I think the album has grown on me since then and I'm starting to appreciate it more.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

The band that I've looked forward to all day was TV on the Radio. I've always been a fan of their music and I've been interested in seeing how their live shows were. They have a unique way of blending rock, blues, soul, and they're very experimental I should say. They played old and new songs including favorites like "Staring at the Sun", "Dreams", and "Ambulance". I've heard from people that TV on the Radio are horrible live and some would rather listen to their recordings, but I must say that they are incredible live and their live sound is so much better than their recordings. Actually, live IS always better unless you're Ashlee Simpson.

TV on the Radio

So I saw a bit of Sigur Ros, Ladytron, Cat Power, Devendra Banhart, Franz Ferdinand (until the screen went blank), and Depeche Mode. Sigur Ros played my favorite song "Hoppipolla". Ladytron was interesting, but it bored me. Cat Power opened up with "The Greatest", which was fitting. Devendra Banhart was, well Devendra Banhart. I'm not really a fan of his so there's nothing to say. Franz Ferdinand was enjoyable, but seeing them before already and being front row I didn't want to waste my time. Between one of those sets I was in the SBC tent resting my ass off. And then I went into the next tent with the fake snow, which stunk like hell. I saw Depeche Mode, but for a brief moment. Afterwards, I watched a little bit of The Juan Maclean and then headed over to Atmosphere. Great great group! And then saw She Wants Revenge right after that, who are pretty good. I only remembered later that night that I wanted to see Daft Punk, but I forgot about their performance and my lazy ass wanted to sit down so I missed their spectacular, most talked about performance of Coachella.

Signings

COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL
Virgin Megastore is a proud sponsor of Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. We will have a store on the grounds, and will be hosting lots of signings with so many exciting bands. Our confirmed schedule is below, but make sure to swing by our tent to see if any times change or if any artists get added...crazier things have happened!.

Following is the line up this year:

Saturday, April 29th

2:00 PM - The Like
2:30 PM - She Wants Revenge
3:00 PM - Eagles of Death Metal
3:30 PM - Atmosphere
5:00 PM - Franz Ferdinand
5:30 PM - Wolfmother
6:30 PM - Common
7:00 PM - Living Things

Sunday, April 30th

2:00 PM - Imogen Heap
2:30 PM - Nine Black Alps
3:00 PM - Matisyahu
4:30 PM - Editors
5:00 PM - Magic Numbers
5:30 PM - Tosca
6:00 PM - Seu Jorge
6:30 PM - Mates of State

Source: http://www.virginmegamagazine.com/default.asp?vms=13

Damn Coachella Schedule

http://www.coachella.com/scheduler/scheduler.php?show_token=ab4b179280e0608e8f20988531c746fb

Wes Anderson & Jason Schwartzman

Wes Anderson's American Express Ad:

Johnny Depp as Beavis

"The May 2006 issue of Maxim magazine has an interview with Mike Judge who is the creator of Beavis and Butt-Head, King of the Hill, and the movie Office Space. He's currently working on a new movie staring Luke Wilson called Idiocracy.

The photo with the article is funny as it shows Mike Judge sitting up in bed. His blue sheets have King of the Hill characters on them, his yellow pajamas and a matching yellow cowboy hat have Hank from King of the Hill on them, the wallpaper behind the bed has Beavis and Butt-Head on it with narrow diagonal stripes that have Hank's face and his son's in them. There are two framed pictures on the wall of characters from King of the Hill.

I always wondered what prompted Johnny to play the part of the yoga instructor on one episode of King of the Hill, and here's the answer from the interview:

Interviewer: Johnny Depp played a yoga instructor on King of the Hill. Who knew he was a fan?

Judge: I know Johnny Depp through a couple of songwriters in Austin. And he told me he wanted to play Beavis if I ever did a live-action Beavis and Butt-Head.

Interviewer: Are you kidding? Who the h*ll would play Butt-Head?

Judge: A couple of people emailed me pictures of a guy who escaped from prison in Kentucky that looked a lot like Butt-Head.

Interviewer: So it's an escaped convict and Johnny Depp.

Judge: Yeah, that's a good pairing. "

Source: http://p087.ezboard.com/fjohnnydepp82989frm4.showMessage?topicID=8653.topic

Rumor Has It...

Arctic Monkeys is invading this cow town within a month!

Eisley/Simon Dawes/Fair/Brighten

April 23rd
The Library
Sacramento, CA

What another fun night. It was at a small venue in town that's just a level higher than Boardwalk's, but it still had shitty sound. Just not as shitty as the night of Mellowdrone. The line did not form as early as Franz Ferdinand's, but it was a sold-out show with 300 something in attendance. Brighten opened up the show. From Chico, they've played with Honey Trees opening for Augustana a month or two ago, which was definitely a treat. They played backup for Honey Trees, but this time around we got a taste of what they really sound like. Alternative/Rock is a way to describe their music. They played a short, but strong set with a Blesk member. They played songs from their EP including "Television" and "Friends for Lovers".



Fair was decent. There was nothing spectacular about this Tooth & Nail band. What made it an interesting set was when Sherri Dupree and her sister went on stage for the last song to sing along with Fair.


Simon Dawes was THE highlight of the evening as was expected. It's been a year since these LA boys were in Sacramento since opening for Maroon 5 last year along with The Thrills. Blake and Wylie were the personal faves and Taylor has a crappy attitude, but it can be forgiven. Although, I didn't appreciate him throwing water into the crowd soaking my camera, but luckily it wasn't turned on, otherwise I would have thrown a much bigger fit. Blake is an amazing guitarist and Wylie is an amazing bassist. Without these two, there IS NO Simon Dawes. Blake does not play guitar solos, throughout the song he's playing guitar solos. And using a slider is always a plus. IN general, they had amazing stage presence. They were fun to watch and made new fans along the way. The only disappointment with the set was that they didn't play "Cheap Rip-Off" because we really get to see Wylie shine in that one.


Eisley was beautiful. We got a sample earlier in the show when they sang with Fair, but Eisley sounded amazing live as is expected just like other bands. They sound just as good live as they do on their recordings. As their second only headlining tour, they really shined. This was their last "Room Noises" tour and they played old songs and new songs, some which Sherri wrote after becoming engaged to her fiance from NFG. They ended the show with no encore and with "Trolleywood" All the band members from the other bands, except for a few members like Wylie, joined the stage with Eisley for that last song.



Eisley Set List:

Mr. Pine
Marvelous Things
Escaping Song
My Lovely
Telescope Eyes
Taking Control
Golly Sandra
I Wasn't Prepared
I Could Be There For You
Memories
Vintage People
Invasion
Plenty of Paper
I Feel Good
Head Against The Sky
Many Funerals

(No Encore)
Like The Actors
Just Like We Do
Trolleywood

Second to Last Show for 'Fixed'

The other night (April 22nd) was a little show at JFK High School in Sacramento featuring local hard-rock bands, mostly high school bands. Headlining was Malevolent and opening the show was AP Biology teacher, Mr. Clark. While that was interesting, the saddest part of the evening was Fixed's set. It was supposed to be their second to last show with their last show at CKM High School. The member of Fixed not in attendance was drummer Ian. They played a pseudo-acoustic show with an acoustic-electric guitar and had a friend fill-in for the drums. It was not stated that they were "breaking up", but they are leaving the band for now to go their seperate ways as they are embarking to college next Fall. It was a great set like always. They sound a lot better live than they do in their recordings and that's a compliment.

MAY CD RELEASES

Tuesday, May 9th

Grandaddy's Just Like The Fambly Cat

What a way to end their long career as "Grandaddy". This amazing album is considered to be their best work and is probably the most anticipated album this year. Enough said. It's Grandaddy. Highlights include "Where I'm Anymore", "The Animal World", "Summer... It's Gone", "Skateboarding Saves Me Twice", "Guide Down Denied", and "Elevate Myself".

Snow Patrol's Eyes Open

Don't go illegally downloading this because it's too good for that. BUY THIS ALBUM. Snow Patrol does it again, again, and again. Their previous albums all did even better than the last and this new album really shows what they're capable of with two new members officially. Some of these songs like "Chasing Cars" were played on many of their tours including their Sacramento stop on their U.S. tour last spring beginning of May. It's fucking beautiful. It's still Snow Patrol, but they've matured a bit and is more rock. And these boys will be performing in SF in June! Other highlights include "Make This Go On Forever", "Open Your Eyes", and every other track.

The Stills' Without Feathers

Different members, different sound, but they're still delivering the goods. Highlights include "She's Walking Out", "Helicopters", "Oh Shoplifter", and "Halo the Harpoon".

MAY DVD RELEASES

Tuesday, May 9th

Arctic Monkeys' Scummy Man

"DVD Description

Nina (Lauren Socha) is easy to find. She is on the industrial estate, near the gas tower, She is fifteen, addicted to drugs and on the game. George (Stephen Graham) is one of her nastier punters. His arrival turns the temperature up on her already combusting life. He is the scummiest of scummy men, someone you really don't want to be involved with, at all. A magician and a taxi driver offer Nina a quick fix but doesn't everyone want something in return? She won't take it lying down. Scummy man is a gripping glimpse into the lost and misplaced lives on todays backstreets. The film is brutally honest, intense and not afraid.

PLUS

Bonus Short: (5 mins) Events appear differently depending on who you are and where you're standing. 'JUST ANOTHER DAY' is a view of Nina's world where familiar events can have a completely different meaning and sometimes hope is found... Pop Promo: (3min 30) The original release of the promo for the Arctic Monkeys track 'When the Sun Goes Down'

and: The 'Making of' documentary looking at the unusual construction of this pop video and film"

This is BIG

Big City Rock is... opening for Big Japan! It's "big"!!

May 30th
The Underground
Roseville, CA
Tickets: $8

For the rest of their tour dates, go to http://bigcityrock.net/

New Mat'l from Bright Eyes?

Bright Eyes Gets Busy On New Album

Bright Eyes is eyeing a spring 2007 release for its next Saddle Creek studio album. The three-person crew, whose current incarnation includes leader Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott, has tapped artists like Gillian Welch, Sleater-Kinney drummer Janet Weiss and M. Ward to contribute to the as-yet-untitled set.

According to a spokesperson, the group is whittling down 25-30 songs to 10-12 for the final track list. Oberst and company have already laid down basic tracks in Portland, Ore., and New York, and will regroup for one more session on the artist's native Omaha, Neb., within the next few weeks.

The new album will be the follow-up to 2005's separately released projects "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning" and "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn," the former of which reached a career-best No. 10 spot on The Billboard 200.

The lone show on Bright Eyes' schedule at deadline is a June 16 appearance at the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, Tenn. Oberst recently performed in New York as part of the Bring 'Em Home Now concert, alongside Michael Stipe, Moby and Rufus Wainwright.

Source: http://billboard.com/bbcom/search/google/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002314395

The Dresden Dolls - Yes, Virginia...

Release Date: April 18, 2006

A lot slower than the first album, but The Dresden Dolls still sound good. Their live shows are entertaining and the piano perfectly blends into these upbeat, dark songs. "Backstabber"'s climax and the catchiness of "Shores of California" are just some of the highlights this time around. Other highlights include "Me & the Minibar".

Shows:
For the list of their upcoming shows, visit http://www.dresdendolls.com/calendar/index.htm

Links:
The Dresden Dolls Official Website

'The Boy Least Likely To' WILL Take Over The World

Finally TBLLT headlining tour we've been waiting for with a stop in:

June 2nd, 2006
The Boy Least Likely To
Great American Music Hall
San Francisco, CA

Tickets go on sale this Sunday, April 9th

Poor Kid...

We Are Scientists' "It's A Hit" Video: