all photos by Matthew B. Thompson (view set)

Benjamin Booker has earned himself a bit of a reputation ’round these parts for his wild music and even wilder on stage antics. Born in Tampa, Booker now lives in New Orleans, though his band is based in Nashville. His rootsy, southern-steeped sound erupts intro overdriven garage and even punk rock at times. But his demeanor on the main stage of Sasquatch today was decidedly mellower than his last Seattle area show. “Last time I was here [in Seattle], the show ended in a riot and I was banned from the club. But we’re taking it easy today,” Booker said. And indeed, the set wasn’t all made up of the signature blues punk he is best known for. One song stripped it down to just Booker on vocals, lit cigarette jauntily draped between his fingers, while his drummer pulled double duty playing mandolin and the bassist switched to fiddle. Booker’s smoky voice can drop down to a mellow, soulful whisper, then suddenly erupt into a raw scream.   He seemed at ease on the massive stage, relaxed and enjoying himself, and even leaving a song hanging for a long moment while he strolled over to take a pull from his bottle of beer before dropping back into a riotous chorus. While Booker claimed to be taking it easier today, his guitar was not, as he built a wall of crunchy sounds that at one point went deep into Jimi Hendrix feedback territory. The crowd, now starting to fill in the bowl in earnest, wasn’t taking it easy either, whipping themselves int0 a dance frenzy that seemed on the verge of wanting to mosh. Booker ripped through a tight set of garage blues and rock, and left the crowd wanting more.

Staten Island’s The Budos Band tore through a tight set of instrumental funk and soul tinged with a heavy, ominous dose of retro stoner metal. Their set on the Sasquatch main stage drew heavily on their latest album Burnt Offering. This fourth release is a marked departure for the eight-piece band, finding them mining darker, more 70s rock sounds driven by baritone sax and fuzzed out guitar. The sun beat down on the crowd, who managed to ignore the heat and dance along with the driving grooves. Budos is a Daptone Records band, along with Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings and Charles Bradley. Like their label mates, they bring a devotedly warm and retro analogue sound. But this new material finds them stretching out to explore more rock and metal influences, and it translated well to the big stage. The album’s title track sounded positively epic, if not apocalyptic, on the stage’s massive sound system. With no lyrics and sparse crowd interaction, the band mostly kept it in the pocket and launched from groove to groove. But the crowd was right there along with them, bopping and dancing along enthusiastically.

all photos by Matthew B. Thompson

Philadelphia rockers The War On Drugs have been touring tirelessly on the wide success of their third album, 2014’s Lost In The Dream. KEXP listeners voted it as their top album of the year, and with good reason. Singer and songwriter Adam Granduciel wrote the songs during a post-tour period of isolation and depression. But it’s hard to imagine him feeling low and alone any more. The main stage pit was full of fans eager to hear these grandly swelling ballads, and the gorge’s massive hill side was packed as well. Granduciel was resplendent in his typical denim Canadian tuxedo, his long curly hair blowing in the warm breeze. He projected ease on stage, syncopating some lyrics and changing up solos from studio versions. Songs like the hit “Red Eyes” built to massive proportions on the giant stage and speaker array, waves of sound washing out over the crowd and bouncing into the grand gorge below. The sound was a bit classic rock, a bit indie, and while mellow at times songs tended to build to a satisfyingly full release. Granduciel’s guitar work has only gotten more confident throughout this tour, and his solos brought a heightened excitement to tonight’s set. The only problem with a great band like The War On Drugs getting so (deservedly) popular is that it heighten’s their demand as a live act. Hopefully they will be able take the time they need to be off the road and working on new material  soon.

all photos by Matthew B. Thompson (view set)

Friends of the station Of Monsters And Men have come a long way since KEXP filmed them playing in a living room in Reykjavik, Iceland in 2010. In fact, they’ve come a long way even since the station filmed them playing on a bluff at Sasquatch in 2012. KEXP was one of the earliest to discover this band, and it is exciting to see them being embraced by so many fans gathered at the main stage. They have grown along the way, filling in a much larger sound that translates well to a massive stage in front of thousands. This set started a bit late, possibly delayed by a sudden pour of fat rain drops blown in on a very strong wind. Consequently, the crowd was quite packed in by the time Of Monsters And Men took to the stage, and roared with excitement as soon as the lights came up. The band started slow and ominous, with a droning tone buoyed by horns and a few flashes of lightening in the distance. Songs swelled and built, rolling out over the eager audience.  The set moved on from the moody rock of the first few songs to the more ebullient folk pop of “King And Lionhearted”, which brought claps and singalongs from the crowd. In some ways, this was a bit of a mellow set for night time on the main stage, but the band has clearly been working on their show, shifting toward the epic sounds that a massive stage requires. New songs like “Crystals” from their soon-to-be-released album Beneath The Skin show promise. KEXP knew years ago that this band was going places, and tonight’s show only served to reinforce what was glimpsed in that little living room set in Iceland.

all photos by Brittney Bollay

One clear highlight among a very stacked day of great bands at Sasquatch came from former Seattleite Josh Tillman, aka Father John Misty, who now calls LA home. Touring on his second album I Love You Honey Bear, recently out on Sub Pop, FJM somehow found a way to make his already dynamic stage show even bigger. The deeply sarcastic balladeer made full use of the Bigfoot stage, strutting out onto an extended catwalk, swinging his mic stand and high over his head, and gyrating wildly. It’s hard to believe Tillman was ever relegated to the back of a stage as the drummer for Fleet Foxes, he is a delightful ham that easily commands the spotlight. “Are you ready to have a reasonably good time?!” Tillman implored the crowd after opening with the album’s title track. The crowd was packed in tightly and shouted their enthusiastic assent. “It’s wonderful to be back here at my home gorge,” he added. He certainly is a contender for best banter of the festival, working the audience for laughs between each song. His lyrics are often quite sardonic and humorous as well, but at times they seem to attempt to hide moments of tenderness or vulnerability behind a punchline. Vocals were satisfyingly clear on this stage, and his wordy songs drew listeners in to stories of breakups, lovemaking, and road weariness. Sounds moved from soaring ballads, to Laurel Canyon twangy folk, and even took a newly bass heavy electro-pop turn on songs like “True Affection”. One of the bigger hits from his debut Fear Fun, “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings”, threw the crowd into an enthusiastic singalong to the dark, driving song of drugs and the dead. And the newer single “Ideal Husband” amped up the energy further and rocked out harder than any other in the set. This was one show not to miss.

all photos by Matthew B. Thompson (view set)

Friend of the station Shakey Graves drew quite a sizable crowd to the main stage at Sasquatch, despite the heat and relatively early time slot. Alejandro Rose-Garcia built his repetition as a one-man band (and before that, as a recurring actor on Friday Night Lights), but he now adds drums and at times a second guitar to the Shakey Graves live sound. Though he shares little with The Osmonds, his sound is indeed a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll, and a lot of fun. Rose-Garcia was full of energy, switching between intricate hammer-on guitar lines and blazing overdriven chords. He also likes to play with the levels of his voice, going from an intimate whisper to a full on yelp at a moments notice. This ass kicking Americana set included a fair amount of crowd participation, and the audience filling in lyrics clearly pleased the performer, who encouraged the crowd with a Texas-twanged, “fuck yeah, y’all!” For his biggest hit, “Dearly Departed”, co-vocalist Esmé Patterson was not able to make it, so Rose-Garcia implored the crowd to “please scream her parts as loud as possible,” with which the audience eagerly complied. This was a sweaty, fun, stomp along set of rootsy folk rock, and a great start to the day. Unusually for Sasquatch, the crowd stuck around after the last notes died, clapping and screaming for an encore (which are not allowed except for the last artist of the day on any given stage). Cleary, this audience loved what they heard and wanted more. Catch Shakey Graves at an exclusive show at The Garage in Seattle on May 28th, a benefit for KEXP’s new home campaign.

all photos by Matthew B. Thompson (view set)

South Carolina husband an wife team Shovels & Rope threw an infectiously fun clap and dance along set on the Sasquatch main stage. Somehow this dynamic duo managed to fill the enormous bowl with roots rocking americana sound, trading off on guitar, drums, keys, harmonica, and sharing beautiful close harmonies. A lot of the draw of Shovels & Rope is how much they seem to be enjoying each other, and enjoy performing. “Thank you guys so much, this is so fun,” drawled Cary Ann Hearst, as Michael Trent gave an amiable nod, and their grins throughout the set lent her thanks an air of humble authenticity. On some songs they lean in to share a single mic, drawing kissably close. It’s cute, but they also aren’t hesitant to employ a big synth bass line and blazing electric guitar on some more upbeat songs. It’s also fun to watch them trade duties on guitar, drums, and keys throughout the show. They played a set mostly made up of 2014’s Swimming’ Time and a number of tunes from their break through 2012 album, O’ Be Joyful. They went from that album’s title track into its single “Birmingham”, a great double header of feel good foot stomping.  Newer tunes like the southern gothic rocker “Evil” showed a greater dynamic range. This is the group’s third time playing Sasquatch, but their first time on the main stage. Theirs has been a deserved rise in popularity, and it is hard to resist this sort of organic and joyous get-down on a sunny day at The Gorge.

all photos by Matthew B. Thompson (view set)

British psych pop four-piece Temples have garnered a lot of attention in the short time since their formation in 2012. Their 2014 debut, Sun Structures, made its way onto lots of best-of lists. Consequently, the Bigfoot stage was considerably crowded as they launched into the single “Shelter Song”. The long-haired lads have elements of mod, glam, and even garage rock all drenched in psychedelic rock. Singer and lead guitarist James Bashaw was dressed in fringed leather, drummer Samuel Toms in a Stooges shirt, added to the effect of a band in a retro time warp. Yet there is something fresh and forward about their sound as well, and energy was high. They kept things moving, with little delay or banter between songs, but Bagshaw did take a moment to appreciate his surroundings, saying, “wow, what a view, amazing!” This is a common refrain, especially from this stage, which affords bands a sweeping vista of the Columbia River Gorge. Temples offered a glimpse of solid follow up material. New song “Henry’s Cake” built on a syrupy retro synth line and grew to a crunchy rock crescendo. Though the band is only a few years old, they played a tight set. The future is bright for these Brits.

all photos by Matthew B. Thomson (view set)

On stage Annie Clark, or as she’s known, St. Vincent, is like an alluring, otherworldly android. She skitter steps around rapidly on high stiletto heels, staring blankly and doe-eyed, smiling at odd times while tearing through guitar lines seemingly effortlessly. Much of her show seems almost choreographed, moves precise, robotic, and at times in unison with her rhythm guitar player/keyboardist. Hers is a very conscious stage presence, each strange move intentional, and it is completely captivating. But her set on the Sasquatch main stage proved her to be not just an engaging performer, but an excellent musician as well; Clark is the complete package. Her confident guitar lines lead the way on her early hit “Cruel”, and the single “Digital Witness” from her 2014 self-titled album was very danceable over the massive, bass-heavy sounds coming from the stage. Her set was fairly light on stage banter, but when she finally spoke she said, “good evening ladies and gentlemen, and a special welcome to the others, and the queers, and the dominatrixes, and the dominated of Washington State,” before launching in to “Huey Newton”, drawing her fingers across her exposed neck in a throat slitting pantomime. At one point she briefly handed her guitar to an audience member and surfed over the excited crowd. When she finally returned to the stage, she collapsed dramatically, laying almost perfectly still on for several long beats before finally rising to a kneeling position as a tech draped her with a new guitar. It’s theatrical moments like these that make St. Vincent such a stellar live act. 

all photos by Matthew B. Thompson

Future Islands has certainly blown up over the last year, as evidenced by the large crowd they drew to their main stage set at Sasquatch. This Baltimore, Maryland band is one of those rare groups whose breakthrough success essentially comes down to one single performance. In their case, it was their network television debut, an enthralling performance of “Seasons (Waiting on You)” on Letterman in March of 2014. Frontman Samuel T. Herring’s passionate on stage dancing and vamping throughout the lead single from their fourth album, Singles, was the talk of the internet, and the video quickly garnered millions of views. This set the bar quite high for future live shows. But if anything, Herring somehow found a way to up the intensity, drama, and energy for their set at Sasquatch.

Backed by catchy synth pop sounds, Herring’s voice soared into an emotive lyricism before suddenly crashing into an deep, growling roar more commonly found in hardcore or metal music. He bobbed his head and craned his neck in time with the uptempo beats, bent his knees deep, shimmied across the stage, and essentially danced all-out for the entire show. The man does not stop moving for a moment. Several times he underscored emotional moments by pounding on his chest so hard that the thumps were clearly picked up by the microphone. So big is his performance, so theatrical, that it is tempting to wonder if Herring is being a bit tongue in cheek. But his earnest and humble banter between each song, the genuine intensity he brought to his moves, and the often pained and lovesick lyrics tend to suggest that the singer means business. And it is hard to deny a performer that literally bleeds for his audience. At some point in the show Herring must have cut his hand on something, because streaks of crimson dripping down his fist were easy to spot on the giant screens flanking the stage. The singer paid no mind, and continued through a fiery set, wearing his heart on his sleeve both figuratively and literally.

KEXP DJs Troy Nelson and John Richards
all photos by Hanna Stevens (view set)

The Morning Show with John Richards on KEXP has come to mean a lot of different things to different people over the years. But the overwhelmingly pervasive theme at Neumos on Friday for the revival of John In The Morning At Night was a whole hell of a lot of fun. The room was packed with jubilant KEXP listeners for an event raising money for the New Home campaign. And with so many awesome people and bands all coming together for a good cause, a great night was almost guaranteed.

Navvi

The show kicked off with Seattle electro pop duo Navvi, who paired samples, loops, and guitar from Brad Boettger with haunting vocals and additional keys from Kristin Henry. Stripped down trip hop and trap flavored beats, fuzzed out synths, and swelling singing warmed up the crowd as dreamy slow motion video played behind the performers. Boettger’s sample pad was set up at an unusual angle, tilted down and away from him, perhaps so the audience could see and appreciate what he was doing as he made or augmented beats live. The set included a tasty cover of Radiohead’s “Climbing Up The Walls”, as well as several originals. They’ve been together for 2 years and released a series of singles leading up to their EP, // (pronounced “two”). As their last song, “LA 3am” ended the set, the room was really starting to feel full despite the early start time, and the crowd applauded appreciatively.

Navvi

After their set, Navvi entertained a few questions in the green room. They said their full length is about half way done, and they are excited to finish it and get it released. They are playing Barboza as part of Beneath The Block on Thursday, 6/25, and West Seattle Summerfest on Saturday, 7/11. When asked how the duo felt to be a part of JITMAN, Henry said it was an honor, and “so much fun. Plus I’m a huge fan of HAERTS.” Boettger added that he is also a huge fan of the venue as well. And Henry said she was fairly shocked at how much of the crowd showed up for their early, 8pm set time. When asked what she thought of John in the Morning, she admitted she tunes in religiously. “I’m a commuter,” she said, “so I’ve listened to John every day for the last 8 years!”

KEXP DJ John Richards

Back upstairs, John Richards himself took to the stage, his voice a bit hoarse from a successful one-day fund drive that morning. He thanked the crowd, and introduced the first surprise guest of the evening, Seattle singer-songwriter Tomo Nakayama, to sing the John in the Morning Theme Song (written by Damien Jurado). Nakayama has a beautiful, unique voice, and he did the jingle justice, while giving it his own twist.

Tomo Nakayama

Baby Dayliner was up next. A tall and imposing figure in a posh, shiny suit, Ethan Marunas strutted and danced across much of the stage, never staying still for long. There hasn’t been a proper Baby Dayliner release since 2006, but Marunas has been working on a lot of new material for a series of EPs to be released on Brasslands this fall. Much of that unreleased material was on display at Neumos, and Marunas appeared to be enjoying himself. His act was somewhere between earnest and jokey, lounge singer and plaintive crooner, and his moves were infectiously fun to watch and get swept up in.

It takes an engaging performer to captivate with just a mic in hand and a laptop sitting in a briefcase to provide backing tracks, but Baby Dayliner did just that, even with very little stage banter. His voice took on a fun 80s tone at times, and his production sat somewhere between retro and futuristic. When the single “You Push, I’ll Go” began, the audience erupted enthusiastically. Although the song has not yet had an official release, it has been played fairly heavily on the Morning Show, so it was a natural crowd favorite. After this song he took one of the first opportunities to address the crowd, thanking KEXP for all the support over the years. The room was feeling packed and sweaty now, as people loosened up and began to dance with abandon.

Baby Dayliner

Baby Dayliner

After the set, John took the stage to thank the singer, saying Freshkills turned him on to Baby Dayliner in New York City years ago, “and I’ve been waiting for years to see that live.” John added his thanks to Neumos, calling it his favorite venue in Seattle. And he once again thanked donors in the room, saying that, “more people are supporting KEXP than ever before,” before finally giving shout outs to KEXP staff members peppering the crowd.

In the green room, Ethan Marunas seemed to have shed his theatrical Baby Dayliner persona, and was very friendly and personable. He said this was a special one-off show that he’d flown in for from New York, and he was catching an early morning flight back east. He said he was honored to play the JITMAN show. Apparently it was something that was supposed to happen a couple years ago, and he was happy it was finally coming to fruition. After taking a somewhat lengthy break from producing and releasing new music, Baby Dayliner is squarely back in the saddle, and mixes for his new EPs go in for mastering this week. “John playing [“You Push, I’ll Go”] has been huge,” Marunas said, “KEXP and John in the morning has kept me relevant.”

Galen Disston of Pickwick

John welcomed fellow DJ Troy Nelson on stage to help introduce the evening’s third act, Seattle garage soul rockers Pickwick. As they took to the stage, it became clear that lead singer Galen Disston was injured, as he gingerly made his way up the steps on a pair of crutches, his foot in a fresh cast. Guitarist Michael Parker commented, “our baby boy over here broke his foot yesterday, so Galen is going to sing sitting down.” By day, Disston is a window washer, and apparently broke his foot falling off a ladder, “so if anyone wants to buy some vicodin after the show, I’m not working for the next 6 weeks,” he joked. But he clearly wasn’t going to let the injury hold him back. The set kicked off with the single “Lady Luck”, a Richard Swift cover from their 2013 album Can’t Talk Medicine. The song has some very challenging, high falsetto parts, which are presumably even harder to belt out when restricted to a seated position. But Disston hit the notes with apparent ease, yet he couldn’t stay in his seat for long. When he stood for a verse, perching on his injured foot, the crowd cheering appreciatively.

When he sat back down, Disston said, “It’s gonna be like VH1 storytellers, minus the VH1 and the stories.” As the crowd laughed, he reassured them jokingly, “we’ll give you what you paid for.” And Pickwick certainly delivered. Even perched on a stool, Disston was captivating, while the 5 other members of the band amped up the energy considerably on songs like the new burner “Red Handed” and the rocking “Mother Superior”. The crowd clapped and danced along as Disston rose, first leaning on his crutch, then wielding it almost like a weapon, stabbing it out over the audiences’ heads. After the song, Michael Parker took to the mic to express his gratitude, saying, “we just want to thank KEXP for having us tonight. They’ve given us so much support over the years.” He went on to say that as the band has had the opportunity to tour across the country, he’s come to realize that most places just don’t have stations like KEXP, and Seattle is very lucky to have this resource for new music.

Pickwick

Pickwick

Pickwick

Another highlight of the set was the slower number “Brother Roland”, possibly an anti-war screed, or maybe about someone suffering from sickle cell anemia. Whatever the case may be, it is a seething song, full of passion and power. Disston careened from a growl, to a near screech, to a croon, bolstered by big organ sounds from keyboardist Cassady Lillstrom. The effect of the injured Disston rising to his feet during songs’ emotional crescendos and discarding his crutches was almost akin to watching a faith healer (in this case, the music itself) work wonders on a broken body. If anything, this act of ignoring injury and adversity upped the intensity of the set, and the crowd responded in kind. Hands were thrown into the air with abandon for the “ahhh” refrain of Pickwick’s biggest local hit to date, “Hacienda Motel”.

But the band is certainly not resting on its laurels, or crutches, as the case may be. They’ve been hard at work on their second release, and Parker said they’ve written about 20 songs, which they will narrow to about 10 for the new record. Brand new songs, including one Parker said was written, “like two weeks ago” (whose working title is “A New Hope”, an homage to the band’s Star Wars passions), showed a lot of promise, and suggested some of the soul sounds the group started with are continuing to morph into a more straight up garage rock approach. After the set, Parker said the band might take longer to release a record than the industry has come to expect, but he personally believes the next album is going to be even better than their first, even if its sound takes some listeners by surprise. Take all the time you need, Pickwick, if you keep putting on top notch, high energy shows like this, your audience will eagerly wait for you.

Vox Mod

After Pickwick left the stage, local electro producer Vox Mod started to set up his gear. He was not announced on the bill. What surprise was in store? Afternoon Show DJ Kevin Cole jumped on stage to give the answer, as he introduced a local supergroup of Vox Mod, MC Tilson (of The Saturday Knights), and drummer (and writer for The Stranger and Vice) Trent Moorman, known tonight only as The Morning Show Players. “Are you ready for some history?” Cole implored, “This is the first time this song will be played live in Seattle!”

As the instantly familiar beat of what has come to be known as “The Friday Song” started up, a gaggle of furry creatures took to the stage and the crowd erupted in cheers. The song is actually  called “Show Me” by Mint Royale, featuring Pos from De la Soul, but loyal KEXP listeners know a Friday morning show is not complete without this feel good tune. It was, of course, the perfect pick for JITMAN, which happened to fall on a Friday, no less. As Tilson rapped, altering lyrics to make them locally relevant, a furry otter, penguin, tiger, and meerkat were joined on stage by two giant, dancing Rainier beer bottles.

Tilson

John crowd surfs

It was a raucously fun surprise, which only increased in crowd exuberance when the the meerkat took off his over-sized head to reveal an understandably sweaty John Richards inside the costume. John leapt into the crowd and surfed around Neumos. It was a special moment, as loyal listeners and fans literally reached up to support their beloved DJ. After The Friday Song, a breathless Richards took the mic, exhaling a long, celebratory expletive. He re-introduced the supergroup, gave thanks to the Woodland Park Zoo and Rainier Beer for donating the costumes, and KEXP personalities Troy Nelson, Morgan Chosnyk, and Tilly Rodina for donning the animal suits. Up next, the headliner of the night, HAERTS!

HAERTS

HAERTS is an indie electro-pop four piece from Brooklyn, New York. But in truth they are an international outfit, with members from the US, Germany, and England. The met while studying in Reykjavik at the Iceland Academy of the Arts, and three members went on to study at Berklee College of Music. The group became HAERTS in 2010, and their popular debut single “Wings” was a featured song of the day on KEXP. Their eponymous debut came out on Columbia last fall, and has produced a number of singles. Though the crowd had thinned slightly at Neumos after the supergroup madness that preceded HAERTS, the remaining audience became enthusiastically drawn in to sweeping synths, and epic, syrupy bass lines.

After singing “Wings”, lead singer Nini Fabi, dressed in a striking white dress, thanked KEXP, saying that John in the Morning was one of the first radio shows to play her band. The stage was decorated with pure white calla lillies on each mic stand, echoing the white of Fabi’s dress. These flows are popular at funerals, and as such they often symbolize both life and death. These dual light and dark themes are also apparent in HAERTS’ music itself. The dreamy set of keys, guitar, bass, and drums set the backdrop for Fabi’s undeniably powerful vocals. She is slight of frame, and presents as almost timid at first blush, or at least vulnerable, until she opens her mouth and begins to sing. “It’s really great that there are radio stations out there that are courageous enough to say they like something before anyone else does,” Fabi added before launching into the set’s 80s tinged final song “All The Days”. After leaving the stage and letting the crowd cheer for a bit, they returned for an encore of what Fabi called “one of our favorite songs that is not our own song.” It was Procol Harem’s “Whiter Shade of Pale”, and Fabi’s voice was strikingly strong on this one, showing she can wail and take ownership of the popular ballad from 1967.

HAERTS

HAERTS

It was a great end to a great night. The sound man threw on Joe Cocker’s version of “With A Little Help From My Friends”, and happy people headed for the doors. As the crowd of KEXP supporters filtered out into the hot dog and onion scented Capitol Hill night, a feeling of camaraderie was pervasive. Several seemingly spontaneous high fives were spotted. KEXP and John in the Morning are made possible through supportive listeners, after all, and that support also extends to great bands like those who had just performed. All in all, this was a smashingly successful return of John in the Morning at Night, and a feel good evening full of delightful surprises.

KEXP’s Morgan, Troy, and John

Charity, Josiah, and Jon from The Head And The Heart on the Campfire Stage (all photos by Morgen Schuler, see complete Friday set)

It’s a bit difficult to accurately convey in words the many factors big and small that contribute to making Timber! Outdoor Music Festival a weekend unlike any other. As cliche as it might seem, Timber really is one of those things that has to be experienced in person to be fully appreciated. Now in its third year, the festival brought three days and nights of music, swimming, mountain biking, skydivers dropping in to a game of bubble futból, good food and beer, outdoor diversions, great community, and so much more to the banks of the Snoqualmie River at Carnation’s Tolt-MacDonald Park.

The folks at Artist Home, the production company behind Timberrr (its winter sister held in Leavenworth each January), and the beloved Doe Bay Fest held each August on Orcas Island, describe Timber as “summer camp for adults.” That motto holds true in more ways than one.

Unlike many other festivals, with their bevy of overlapping stages, Timber had just two, plus some other secret venues. Bands are not booked on top of each other, so fans are never faced with tough decisions of which show to watch. This lessens the FOMO stress, and allows people to just go with the flow. The main stage ran all day long and into the evening, and once darkness fell it was time for the crowd to make their way to the intimate campfire stage, tucked into a clearing in the woods. On Thursday evening an “after party” show was held at Pete’s Bar and Grill in town with, a bit of a treat for locals and early attendees alike.

The camp grounds remained clean and uncrowded throughout the weekend, and there were no late night thumping sound systems. This was a festival where you could wake up and go mountain biking on the park’s trails, swim and float all day in the river (or take a free paddle with REI), enjoy music into the night, go stargazing with an astronomer for an after party, then catch a good night’s sleep so you could be rested and ready to do it all over again the next day. And it was all just 45 minutes from the city, so plenty of people chose to make the drive each day and spend the night home in their own beds. Kids and families made up a good portion of the friendly audience.

The festival kicked off on Thursday afternoon, with 2015 EMP Sound Off winner Emma Lee Toyoda first to play the Campfire Stage. She and was one of several young and talented acts to grace the festival, which has made it a point to introduce audiences to new sounds. The first day was filled with mostly local/northwest musicians like the beautifully-voiced Tomo Nakayama, and a comedy hour from Derek Sheen, Bri Pruett, and Evan Morrison. Rootsy rockers Bigfoot Wallace & His Wicked Sons and Lonesome Shack played those later night shows in Carnation at Pete’s.

Highlights of Friday included soul star on-the-rise Grace Love & The True Loves, and the infectiously poppy, fun dance party of Seattle’s Beat Connection, which really got the crowd moving. The night culminated in an intimate acoustic performance from Jon, Josiah, and Charity of The Head and The Heart. This group got their start busking at Pike Place Market, and have grown in popularity to stadium-filling fame. To see them back on their home turf, playing for a smaller, attentive audience was a special moment indeed.

Saturday was a blazing hot day in the 90s, and the river offered a much needed respite from the heat. Still, plenty of people enjoyed a more rock oriented day of music from bands like Naked Giants, Tacocat, and La Luz. The headliner, 80s Philadelphia jokesters The Dead Milkmen, continued the punk rock energy. This sarcastic, profane, hilarious band was a bit of a departure from much of the earnest fare of Timber’s past acts. Yet the crowd seemed ready to rock, and laugh, and a flip flop mini mosh pit kicked up dust with abandon.

David Bazan, former leader of Pedro The Lion, closed out the festival back on the campfire stage with an emotionally raw set of songs. He kicked off with the more electro synth sounds off his decade old album Headphones, then switched to acoustic guitar to regale the audience with bittersweet songs and often funny banter.

For many, the festival ended there, on a definite musical high note. But for those who had followed a trail of digital breadcrumbs in the form of geocached clues, there was one more secret show in store. Seattle’s The Maldives played a stripped down, completely unamplified set for a lucky 50 or so people huddled under the stars. Jason Dodson led the band through a complete performance of their as-of-yet unreleased new album. Folks listened in rapt attention, straining to catch every note.

Timber is a special festival. It is a perfect balance of relaxation and excitement, fun party and mellower moments. The setting is top notch, yet easy to get to. This is one of those events for people who have sworn off other festivals. It draws a wonderfully tight knit community, yet feels as though it has room to grow and welcome newcomers without losing its unique appeal.

Tomo Nakayama on the Campfire Stage (see complete Thursday set)

Grace Love & The True Loves on the Main Stage (see complete Friday Set)

Tacocat on the Main Stage (see complete Saturday set)

The Dead Milkmen on the Main Stage (see complete Saturday set)

David Bazan at the Campfire Stage (see complete Saturday set)

Photo by Matthew B. Thompson

Bumbershoot Music and Arts Festival was in a time of fairly major transition in 2015, as it entered its 44th year. Many long time fans of the festival wondered how the beloved event would change under the new management of AEG, which penned a five year deal with the nonprofit OneReel after the organization found itself needing a bailout due to sizable debts.

Regardless, each year brings some change to Bumbershoot, a rearrangement of stages and attractions, a slight shift in booking philosophy. This year saw the return of a Broad Street stage, past the Chihuly Museum. It was here, a bit tucked away and apart from the rest of the festival (and frankly a bit hard to get to), that the many local acts played. One Seattle band that has been steadily gaining momentum throughout the summer is Grace Love & The True Loves, a throwback soul and R&B band with a reputation for getting audiences moving.

Despite the competition from four other music stages and even more comedy and arts venues, the crowd for Grace Love was substantial. Love has a wonderful, classic voice, and she can really belt it out. Her band is tight, funky, and on point. The True Loves are led by guitarist Jimmy James, who keeps the group inn unison by calling out commands and drawing quick riffs out of his guitar. He spent most of the show with his back to the audience, facing the drummer and other band members, mostly only turning towards the crowd for a couple of impressive solos (including one played with his teeth) and, later, to introduce Grace Love and urge people to follow the band on social media.

The lineup, which varies, was an eight piece for this show, with two horns and a keyboardist added to the usual guitar, bass, drums, percussion, and, of course, the singer herself. The slower, sadder ballad “Mean To Me” showed love at her most wounded and vulnerable as she pleaded, “can’t you see, I’m no good without you?” Others, like her always popular slinky and sexy cover of Backstreet’s “No Diggity”, got the crowd moving and singing along. Love makes music with wide appeal, and the crowd showed a diversity of age. She closed, as she usually does, by going off mic and leaving the stage entirely, joining the crowd for the refrain of “yeah, yeah baby”. It was a great, feel good, danceable set, and an excellent warm up for a full day of music.

photo by Isaac Kaplan-Woolner

Unfortunately, the weather seemed to have other plans. While the day had started off sunny and mild, a heavy blanket of low clouds moved in, and by about 4:30 in the afternoon they opened up in earnest. Thousands of underdressed teens bolted for any available piece of cover, and huddled like soaked rats waiting out the storm. Still, the floor of the main stage remained respectably full, with an enthusiastically large crowd gathered for longtime underground hip hop darlings Atmosphere.

Minneapolis-based Atmosphere’s rapper Slug and DJ/producer Ant have been at the forefront of underground hip hop for many years, bubbling just under the surface of mainstream success. Slug raps a lot about struggles, liquor, and women. There is often a defiant tone to his verses. The crowd seemed ready to vent this steam all together, pumping fists wildly when Slug asked if they’d brought their hammers. Still, in 2015, there is something a bit off putting about seeing a giant, almost entirely white crowd raising up clenched fists in a sort of bizarro world version of a black power salute.

For many, this appeared to be a great show, but for others, the rain was simply too much. As lighting streaked the sky and sheets of rain pelted the Seattle Center, festival organizers decided to temporarily call a halt to all outdoor performances in the interest of safety. The Bumbershoot app promised to update once weather conditions improved. Soaked and shivering people streamed out of the exits and into lower Queen Anne. Some were trying to sell their wrist bands, too bedraggled to consider returning.

Atmosphere at Bumbershoot 2015 (photos by Matthew B. Thompson)

Atmosphere at Bumbershoot 2015

Atmosphere at Bumbershoot 2015

A little over an hour later, the rain let up to more of a reasonable Seattle drizzle, and the lightning subsided. Some sets were shortened and the schedule was slightly rearranged. But all things considered for a major weather event, Bumbershoot did an impressive job getting back on track. Unfortunately for California’s funky alternative rock band Cake, singer John McCrea’s immune system presented yet another challenge. He spoke several times about being sick, and could be seen coughing heavily in between songs. At one point, he asked if anyone the audience had a cough drop. Someone threw him a bag, and he made use of them throughout the rest of the show. Still, while his volume and delivery wasn’t top notch, and some songs had to be avoided, the band put on a fun, nostalgic set of feel good dance tunes like “Italian Leather Sofa”, “Love You Madly”,  and “You’re Never There”.

McCrea was very funny on stage, and cajoled the audience to participate in sing alongs and not to take cell phone videos of the show. “This is not an acquisitional experience,” he declared, “this is fleeting.” His jokes and banter worked to good effect, warming up the crowd as the damp night got colder. Unfortunately, the set was cut short, as some time had been lost to the earlier storm. The band did a sort of soft encore with their hit “Going The Distance”, and sent the happily dancing crowd off into the dark.

Cake at Bumbershoot 2015 (photos by Dave Lichterman)

Cake at Bumbershoot 2015

Cake at Bumbershoot 2015

Meanwhile, experimental Los Angeles electronic and hip hop producer Flying Lotus was performing in Key Arena. In years past, this venue has served as the Bumbershoot main stage. This year, Memorial Stadium was the main stage while Key Arena also hosted big electronic artists. But it was eerily quiet outside the arena, so much so that it was hard to believe a show was going on inside. The unusual lack of lines might have been due to the storm chasing away some of the crowd, or perhaps Flying Lotus didn’t quite have the draw to fill that giant space. In any case, the big bass heavy sounds and spacey, complex rhythms seemed fitting for a cool, rainy evening.

The floor was decently full, but the stands were largely empty. People were swaying along more than dancing with abandon. Flying Lotus wove in jazzy breaks and instrumentals with more danceable hip hop beats. Behind him, a screen showed wild animations and, at times, disturbingly gory images like weird toddler-like creatures disembowling each other. This producer has built his reputation on a more cerebral and challenging take on what would otherwise fall into hip hop or EDM genres. His set definitely tended towards his more danceable and approachable material, but it still had a syrupy and subdued quality. It was as much a trip into the cosmic rumblings of the universe as a DJ dance party.

Leaving Key Arena before the end of Flying Lotus, it became clear who this night of the festival was really geared towards. At about 10pm there were only three stages running. On one, the complex beats of Flying Lotus. On another, the dubstep and EDM violin stylings of Lindsay Stirling, and on the main stage, breakout modern R&B pop star The Weekend. While each of these acts is distinct, they all fall loosely into the dance music world, and appeal more to a younger crowd. On this day there seemed less to appeal to a diversity tastes and ages, especially as the day progressed. Perhaps this is a symptom of the new approach AEG is taking to booking Bumbershoot, trying to pull it out of financial dire straights. Perhaps the world music, jazz, and legacy acts that once filled out Bumbershoot’s schedule just weren’t selling enough tickets. But that diversity in the lineup (and crowd) is part of what made Bumbershoot great. Luckily, days two and three promised a wider range of acts to choose from.

photo by Dave Lichterman

The weather was still shades of gray on Sunday, but overall promised to cooperate a bit more than the deluge of Saturday. The second day of Bumbershoot kicked off with the big, warm country rock sounds of Israel Nash. Nash plays very much in the tradition of Neil Young, and marries swelling rock with pedal steel twang. Pop country in 2015 has largely abandoned its roots, leaving a void for alt country acts like Nash (plus the likes of Sturgill Simpson and Jason Isbell) to pick up the slack. And Nash does it in style, swaggering in snake skin boots and fancily decorated denim shirt, long hair flowing around aviator sunglasses.

The music was often more sorrowful than celebratory. Yet it was somehow simultaneously sad but feel good as Nash sang, “pour me out just like sour wine.” The band was tight, and built towering rock solos and breakdowns. Nash introduced the group, saying they’ve been playing together for a number of years; it certainly shows. Tunes from a new album due out in October tended towards more subdued ballads, and highlighted Nash’s strong lyrics and the groups pretty harmonies. The crowd was sparse at first, as it often is for the first shows of the day at this fest, but it grew steadily. Nash was short on stage banter, saying they only had a short time on stage, “and we like to play long songs.” Rain started sprinkling lightly during the set, which closed, appropriately, with the perfectly titled “Rain Plans”. This was an excellent show, and the harbinger of a great day to come. Israel Nash plays the Crocodile December 12th.

Israel Nash at Bumbershoot 2015 (photos by Matthew B. Thompson)

Israel Nash at Bumbershoot 2015

Israel Nash at Bumbershoot 2015

Memorial Stadium played host to a choice lineup of classic punk, rock, and metal bands thought the day. Unfortunately, Portland post punk band Dead Moon ended up cutting their main stage-opening set short just about twenty minutes or so in, after guitarist Fred Cole doubled over on stage. He apparently is suffering from a heart condition. Best wishes for his recovery. With the set ending early, it was time to head to the Mural Stage for Chimurenga Renaissance. This Seattle hip hop project is helmed by Zimbabwean Tendai Maraire, who is also one half of Shabazz Palaces. Beats were largely being played live on a drum pad, which was bolstered by a percussionist and a guitar player. Maraire joined in on congas at times, as the music shifted into African-inspired rhythmic breakdowns. “We just wanna show you where all these beats come from,” he said. Chimurenga Renaissance brought spaced out, bass heavy, socially conscious hip hop tinged with African sounds. Maraire rapped about such topics as anti-consumerism, “sick politicians and their ponzi schemes”, and his Zimbabwean roots. The group debuted new tracks from the soon to be released album Girlz With Gunz, due out soon, which showed a lot of promise.

Chimurenga Renaissance at Bumbershoot 2015 (photos by Matthew B. Thompson)

Chimurenga Renaissance at Bumbershoot 2015

Chimurenga Renaissance at Bumbershoot 2015

Mikal Cronin, a sometimes member of the Ty Segall Band, built psychedelic rock and pop garage anthems atop a foundation of keys and buzzing guitars. The crowd at the Fisher Green stage was bigger now, with more people filling the festival as the day went on. Still, this day overall felt less crowded overall than the day before. Cronin introduced a newer song, “Say”, off his 2015 album MCIII. This one tended more towards modern indie rock, as opposed to the retro tinged garage rock of other numbers. By the way, the video for this single is a pitch perfect parody of Paul Simon and Chevy Chase’s video for “Call Me Al”. Despite sometimes morose lyrics, Cronin clearly has a sense of humor. He pulled an ever bigger psych rock sound from his 12 sting electric, with the song “See it My Way” off 2013’s MCII building to some big, full on rock solos. This solid, layered set played with the duality of wistful melancholy and raucous release.

Mikal Cronin at Bumbershoot 2015 (photos by Dave Lichterman)

Mikal Cronin at Bumbershoot 2015

Mikal Cronin at Bumbershoot 2015

For those who haven’t seen them live for some time, Montesano, Washington band The Melvins may have been a bit of a surprise. It would appear that if you put hardcore punk on a massive stage, it begins to sound a bit more like stadium rock, complete with two drummers and many a drum solo. Buzz Osborne, aka King Buzzo, was dressed in a delightfully bizarre black robe adorned with giant golden eyes. His mirror finish guitar glinted in the stage lights, and his wildly kinked silver hair shivered with each fevered convulsion. He and the rest of the band brought a lot of fire to this main stage set. Memorial Stadium was nowhere near as full as it had been the night before for The Weekend, but there was a sizable crowd nonetheless, clad mostly in black. The song “The Water Glass” off 2010’s The Bride Screamed Murder made full use of the extra percussion section with its rapid military marching style call and response. Then the set veered off into sludgier metal moments. Buzz strode around the large stage, tearing into his guitar. It was loud, wild, and a lot of fun.

The Melvins at Bumbershoot 2015 (photo by Dave Lichterman)

The Melvins at Bumbershoot 2015 (photos by Matthew B. Thompson)

The Melvins at Bumbershoot 2015

The Melvins at Bumbershoot 2015

If there were justice in the (Jamiacan) music industry, Lee Scratch Perry would be long retired on a huge pile of money, not dragging his aging 79-year-old body out on tour. This is not meant with disrespect, but on the Mural Stage Perry surfed the line between venerable musical genius and frail, ranting madman. Perry is nothing if not a colorful character. He was adorned in a magenta velour track jacket, his beard and hair dyed a similar bright shade of red, and dripping with necklaces and rings. Waving a candle, and later a torch of incense, he exhorted the almighty to bring down fire and lightening, or toasted about magic, as his croaking patois growl echoed out over the stony crowd. Perry has courted an image of madness ever since the 70s, when he burned down his own Black Ark Studios in a fit of rage. But the man also worked with many of the Jamaican greats, including Bob Marley and The Wailers, and employed unique and innovative studio techniques.

As he chatted over dub tracks of roots classic he’d produced in reggae’s 70s heyday, like Max Romeo’s “War Ina Babylon” and “Chase The Devil”, it was unclear what was rehearsed and what was a sort of freestyle. Perry’s production is unassailable, and he had a hand in countless revolutionary sounds. Unfortunately, as a performer, he brought little to the stage. His chants on the microphone were largely unintelligible, a bit quiet, and filled in a sort of “generic rasta guy” role in the tracks (to be fair, Perry professed as much love for Jesus as he did for Jah). Of course, the shuddering bass heavy dub sounds were excellent, but they were played by a DJ, not a live band. A saxophone, percussionist, and two backing singers did add to the live experience. But overall it was a strange show, not quite satisfying as a concert experience. Perry has cemented his status as a master of his craft, an innovator. But he should perhaps leave the stage behind.

Lee Scratch Perry at Bumbershoot 2015 (photo by Dave Lichterman)

Lee Scratch Perry at Bumbershoot 2015 (photo by Dave Lichterman)

Lee Scratch Perry at Bumbershoot 2015 (photo by Matthew B. Thompson)

Punch Brothers would probably show up in the bluegrass section of your local record store, but they bring some sweet pop sensibility and an almost classical chamber orchestra level of technical virtuosity. Led by Chris Thile, of Nickel Creek fame, the band was dapperly dressed, their harmonies as on point as their fashion. Songs were fun, sweet, and pretty, veering almost towards the precious at times. But love or hate Thile’s singing, there is no denying how tight and talented this band is. Thile is set to take over as host of A Prairie Home Companion when beloved public radio host Garrison Keillor steps down next year. Thile may not be able to hill Guy Noir’s shoes, but his stage banter at Bumbershoot showed he’s got his on stage charm down pat. When he spoke to the crowd, he sounded like a host, and while playing he did a bit of showboating, cajoling the crowd to sing along. Highlights included the tongue in cheek prayer for love “This Girl”, and the closing song “Magnet” off their latest album The Phosphorescent Blues. Punch brothers injected a dose of carefully crafted pop Americana and acoustic instrumentation into a day pounded by harder rock and  electronic beats. Along with Lee Scratch Perry’s earlier dose of dub, it was nice to have some of the musical variety on which Bumbershoot has built its reputation.

Punch Brothers at Bumbershoot 2015 (photos by Matthew B. Thompson)

Punch Brothers at Bumbershoot 2015

Punch Brothers at Bumbershoot 2015

Bumbershoot Day 3 (photo by Matthew B. Thompson)

The final day of Bumbershoot 2015 finally saw sunshine and good weather all around. Maybe the crowds could sneak in one more summer festival after all, after the torrential rains that started the whole thing off. The lineup for this day included another solid dose of excellent local bands, like Sisters, Bread & Butter, and Hey Marseilles. The latter got to perform on the larger Mural Stage, not relegated to the  hard to find no man’s land of the Broad Street stage. Before the indie chamber pop group took the stage, the house sound was blaring “The Hills” by Saturday headliner The Weeknd. This was not the first time the house song choices seemed a bit out of place. Sure, this was an artist that had played the festival. But did the crowd gathered for Hey Marseilles’ earnest and heartfelt set want to be blasted with heavy beats and lyrics like, “I just fucked two bitches ‘fore I saw you”? The band actually sounded quiet compared to this loud track that preceded them. It was an odd juxtaposition, and one more small piece of evidence that the festival, under new management of AEG, is working to find its center and its core audience. On the other hand, it is also possible that the band requested this music be played as they walked out on stage.

In any case, Hey Marseilles drew quite an impressive audience. In fact, it was probably the largest daytime crowd seen at the Mural Stage all weekend. Hey Marseilles has clearly garnered quite a following, and rightly so. Their melancholy, wistful sound has evolved somewhat, and the set took on a poppier, dancier tone at times. Singer Matt Bishop’s voice has a Ben Gibbard-like quality at times, and the band continues that northwest tradition of sweepingly emotive songs. The group has a new album set to come out some time this year, their third full length. Some of the newer material had a more optimistic, forward facing feel, with lyrics like “leave what we know, find what we’re after.” This contrasts with some of the older, more morose break up ballads like “Heart Beats”, where Bishop sings “I still believe you love me, but in a different way.” The set featured some beautiful interplay between viola and cello, which is part of what makes the band’s sound unique. And the slower ballads built towards more bouncy beats and rock energy. Hey Marseilles is sounding stronger all the time.

Hey Marseilles at Bumbershoot 2015 (photos by Dave Lichterman)

Hey Marseilles at Bumbershoot 2015

Meanwhile, over on the aforementioned Broad Street stage, local blues rock duo The Grizzled Mighty were tearing through a short set of power chords, killer solos, wild drum beats, and plenty of on stage antics. Their latest album, Closed Knuckle Jaw, lives up to its name sake with fiery riffs that land like blows to the face. Singer and guitar player Ryan Granger took on a new drummer for the album. Lupe Flores (who also plays in the metal duo Tacos!) is a lot of fun to watch live, hammering away behind her kit and clearly having a lot of fun. She and Granger have similar long, curly brown hair that they tend to flail around while head banging in unison. Granger jumped high in the air with his guitar, while Flores stood at times behind the drums, bringing a larger than life theatricality to the set. You might not think it would be so entertaining to watch just two people making music, but they certainly held the crowd’s attention as they ripped seamlessly from one rocker to the next. The duo easily shifts tempos, moving in lock step through their songs’ twists and turns. Towards the end of the set, Granger jumped into the crowd with his guitar to solo for a bit, then leapt back on stage to perch atop Flores’ kick drum, even using the drums as a slide for his guitar. It was a bad ass twisted side show of a set. A drink-party-fight kind of show. If you haven’t seen these guys do their thing live, do yourself a favor. They are not to be missed.

The Grizzled Mighty at Bumbershoot 2015 (photos by Matthew B. Thompson)

The Grizzled Mighty at Bumbershoot 2015

The Grizzled Mighty at Bumbershoot 2015

Key Arena continued to host bass heavy electronic groups throughout the weekend. One of the more interesting acts to grace the massive stage on Monday was Canadian born, Berlin based singer and producer Peaches. Things had gone a bit quiet since the release of her 2009 album I Feel Cream, but she has embarked upon a major tour in support of her forthcoming release RUB, due out soon. Peaches has always played with the profane, challenging traditional morals and gender norms. While she could be viewed somewhat as a dirtier Robyn or Lady Gaga, and indeed does share some similarities with both artists, Peaches is certainly her own woman, and brought quite a creative and confident flair. She plays all the instruments on her tracks, and played the role of her own DJ on stage. This meant there was just one woman facing down thousands of fans. But she is clearly fearless, stripping out of a body suit to reveal a skimpy one-piece underneath, and spraying the crowd from champagne bottles held between her thighs. She made use of the whole stage, and amped the dancing audience into a frenzy. The floor was packed fairly full, maybe 80% or so, but the stands were almost entirely empty. Still, energy in the arena was high. She closed out her set with her biggest hit, “Fuck The Pain Away”, off her 2000 album The Teaches of Peaches. As the song ended, she thanked the crowd graciously. A middle aged security gaurd at the back of the stands shouted out, “boo! We want you to leave!” Then, seeing she had been heard, the guard quickly added, “I’m sorry, I’ve never heard anything so vile in my life.” Clearly, Peaches had been successful with her tongue in cheek(s), filthy fun.

Boise, Idaho, indie rock stalwarts Built to Spill have been on a roll this year, touring behind their eighth studio album, Untethered Moon, which came out in April. It was the band’s first release in nearly six years, and one of their most solid in a long time.  Guitar player and singer Doug Martsch, the band’s only permanent member, is famously subdued on stage, and rarely does much talking at all. This show was no exception, with Martsch only very occasionally pausing to say a terse “thanks.” Instead, he let his guitar do the talking, and, along with two other guitars on stage, the music wailed. Built to Spill are one of the most jam-friendly indie rock bands, unafraid of taking long instrumental interludes before Martsch’s high, nasal voice returns. A new single, “Living Zoo” was a lot of fun to see performed live, as the five piece band sped up the tempo in unison and kept things tight though the songs’ many twists and turns. They played Seattle not long ago, performing on Capitol Hill Block Party’s main stage in July. But judging by the sizeable crowd for their Mural Stage show at Bumbershoot, Seattle was already wanting more.

Built To Spill at Bumbershoot 2015 (photos by Dave Lichterman)

Built To Spill at Bumbershoot 2015

Built to Spill at Bumbershoot 2015

Built To Spill at Bumbershoot 2015

Bumbershoot has a fairly longstanding tradition of getting bands back together, or snagging some legacy acts on a reunion or anniversary tour. This year, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals was one of the bands to fill that role. The group disbanded in 2008, but came together for a run of shows earlier this spring. They must have enjoyed the reunion, because they soon embarked upon a major North American tour. It’s been 20 years since the release of Harper’s breakthrough second album, Fight For Your Mind, and these songs remain among his most popular. The set included plenty of early material, like the preachy “Don’t Take That Attitude To Your Grave” form his debut album, and the ever popular “Burn One Down”. For stoners of a certain age, that song remains an anthem. The crowd cheered loudly as soon as the djembe began, many taking the opportunity to celebrate Washington’s legalization of the song’s subject matter. Although public marijuana use is not legal in Washington, there seemed to be little enforcement throughout the festival weekend. Early on, Harper’s songs stayed mainly in the folk tinged with a bit of reggae and soul realm. But as the set developed, Harper traded his acoustic for an electric, and then a lap steel guitar, and the rock energy intensified. His banter was warm, funny, and very appreciative of the audience. He talked several times to the crowd as if they were old friends who have come a long way together. And in some sense, he was right. This was a fun, feel good, nostalgia soaked set. And for many, it was a great way to cap off the weekend.

(all photos by Victoria Holt. view set)

Decibel Festival has spent the last 11 years building a movement. This is no run of the mill, mindless EDM party. Instead, Decibel is a unique multi venue music, arts, and lecture series that brings some of the best, brightest, and most interesting to the Emerald City. And night one at Showbox at the Market was no exception, with a full house in attendance for a DJ set by New York based Chilean producer Nicolas Jaar.

The showcase started early, with opening act Stimmhalt playing to a fairly empty room when the proverbial needle dropped at 8:30. As the Georgian-born (that’s the former Soviet Republic, not the southern state) DJ made his way through a deep house and disco set, the dancefloor started to fill in. Sure, the room still felt pretty wide open, but those who were dancing did so with abandon and energy. This alone is a fun semi-rarity among sometimes stodgy Seattle crowds. Stimmhalt wove in dreamy synths, R&B vocals, and a steady, throbbing beat. The set had a lush, dubbed out, downtempo quality at times, but it was also quite dance-able. Stimmhalt helped keep up the energy by dancing along throughout most of his songs. He was a little rough on some of his transitions, but the crowd didn’t seem to overly mind. The set ended promptly at 9:15, and he quickly cleared the stage.

Stimmhalt at The Showbox

Next up was Seattle’s IG88 (the DJ, not Star Ward character), who changed up the sounds of the evening with a more broken beat, hip hop influenced set. It kicked off with a dreamy start, but quickly included lots of faster, clicky high hat hits. Bass notes were even deeper and throbbing-er than the previous set. He appeared to be playing much of his beats live, using a variety of beat pads and touch screens. Darker, purple tones pervaded, as he layered in live vocal samples and perhaps even a bit of beat boxing (though it was hard to make out exactly what he was doing on mic. The set included remixes of some hip hop, including Young Thug’s and Birdman’s “Constantly Hating.” IG88 was the most dynamic performer of the evening, going portable with a beat pad and moving around the stage, kneeling as he pressed buttons and kept a slower, grimy, danceable beat. The Showbox was filling in now as the night progressed. He brought out a series of guest vocalists throughout the set, which along with the live beat creation gave it much more of a concert feel as opposed to a seamless DJ set.

The first singer was a pretty decent crooner, and said his first song was improvised. However, it was hard to catch the lyrics. This brought the music more into an indie electronica realm, and brought sounds away from hip hop/trip hop and more into the world of unbroken beats. Unfortunately, the DJ did not introduce any of the guest vocalists, two of whom sang and then left the stage with little more than a wave. The second singer was a woman who brought a sort of high, ethereal vibe a bit reminiscent of Grimes. Finally, Seattle’s Shaprece took a turn on the mic. She had big, dynamic stage presence, and immediately began working the crowd (and actually bothered to introduce herself!). In many way, Shaprece stole the show with powerful singing, and a confident, engaging performance. She got big, and well deserved cheers. Finally, IG88 announced his final song, and took his pad mobile again, playing live in the center of the crowd.  It was just about a 45 minute set, but was a fun, dynamic, danceable show.

IG88 at The Showbox

80s funk played over the house systems the stage was set up for Nicolas Jaar’s set. This 2-hour show started at 10:30, and began with high pitched, distorted mechanical sounds. Dark, dangerous bass began to fill in the mix, along with click, fidgety sounds. A male British vocal sample seemed to be running a high dollar auction, starting at 77 million dollars and steadily increasing. The set started ethereal and dark (literally, stage lights remained mostly off for the extended auction intro). The venue was full now, appearing to be a sold out show. People crushed forward towards the stage. A big sea of fog enveloped Jaar, who was bathed in red light as 80s synths pierced the mix. Jaar is a Chilean born, New York based producer who has explored many sounds over the years. Decibel’s format seems to allow artists to stretch out, be a little more weird, and not worry about keeping the crowd dancing. So it was about ten full minutes of sound scapes before it finally resolved into a dubby beat. Yet the set was cohesive throughout, and mostly built steadily.

Jaar wove through different tempos and sounds, bringing the mix into the realm of a sort of disco house. Somewhere along the way, almost imperceptibly, the crowd energy got big, and the EDM bro-less crowd got down to funkily dancing in earnest. Jaar did not allow photography during his set, but it hardly mattered, because he was all but invisible behind a wall of fog most of the time. He did more by doing less, carefully controlling the mix, and not beating the audience over the head with over the top bass. He seemed to be in complete control. As a performer, he did little to draw any attention at all, letting the music speak for itself instead. The disco funk included some favorites like People’s Choice “Do It Any Way You Wanna” (covered by Dillinger and later Escort as “Cocaine Blues”), which kept the set fun and light. Jaar brought in thoughtful ebbs and flows, seeming well aware of the energy of the room. Later, he moved on from the disco to huge, modern bass a bit reminiscent of Jamie XX’s latest efforts. The mixed-age crowd kept up throughout, and the excellent, varied set finally resolved back into the auction house sample that kicked it all off. Smiles pervaded the room as the crowd filtered in to the night, seeking Decibel’s late night offerings.

all photos by Morgen Schuler (view complete set)

SMooCH was a smashing success. This year the Nordstrom family, with the help of KEXP, Sub Pop Records, and many generous donors, raised nearly $3 million for Seattle Children’s Hospital uncompensated care fund. The money will directly help to pay for critical care for sick kids, regardless of their family’s ability to pay the bill. All told, around a half million dollars of that staggering amount of goodwill was raised the night of December 8th at the fourth annual SMooCH Benefit.

The Showbox at the Market was full of a happy, celebratory buzz early in the evening,  as VIP ticket holders bid on silent auction items and ate delicious small plates donated by Ethan Stowell and other excellent local restaurants. Area winemakers donated their wares as well, giving the evening a celebratory feel. Morning Show host John Richards thanked the crowd for braving the driving rain and helping to raise money for a great cause. DJ Morgan played upbeat tunes and kept the crowd moving.

Macklemore’s moped and its new owners. DJ Morgan and Pete Nordstrom in the background.

Some big ticket items were on offer, including one of the actual mopeds used in Macklemore’s music video for the song “Downtown”. Music fans raised the bids to $4,000 for this white piece of music history. Also on offer, a pair of cleats used by Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in his career best game (to date) against the Steelers on November 29th. Wilson, who has long been a supporter of Seattle Children’s Hospital, signed and wrote some game stats on the shoes. They brought in a cool $2,500.

SMooCH seems to bring out the best in the community each year, and this year was no exception. Music lovers and philanthropists rallied to the cause, raising their drinks for a live donation drive at various levels. And again, after all was said and done, nearly $3 million dollars for the year was on its way to help kids and families in need. It was a feel good evening all around.

Pete and Brandy Nordstrom with KEXP’s John Richards

Pete Nordstrom, co-president of the luxury retail store of his family namesake and former KEXP board member, introduced the event, explaining that his son had some pretty serious health problems when he was born almost 4 years ago. Nordstrom said he and his wife Brandy felt fortunate to be able to pay for their son’s open heart surgery, but they were deeply impressed by the level of care that every family receives at Seattle Children’s, regardless of their ability to pay. So the Nordstroms started the SMooCH event to help raise money so that all families could continue to receive that high level of care. And they thought they might as well include the Seattle music community and throw a show instead of a traditional fundraiser. SMoocH shows had raised over 1 million dollars to date, but this year brought that number much, much higher.

John Richards promotes the Silent Auction

VIP Silent Auction

One of many delicious small plates on offer, all donated by local restaurants.

But of course, many came out not just to raise money, but to enjoy a great concert. The night kicked off with local soul powerhouse Grace Love & The True Loves, who have been blowing up on the Seattle scene over the last year. With a retro flavored flair and a lot of sassy attitude, Love easily got the crowd up and dancing. She thanked KEXP for being the first to play her debut single, “Fire”, and all but burned the place down with her 8-piece backing band tearing it up behind her. Love is a force to be reckoned with, and has a powerful voice to boot. Bandleader and guitar player Jimmy James kept it in the pocket, and faded into the mix until he busted out blazing guitar solos.

Grace Love & The True Loves

Grace Love & The True Loves

Grace Love & The True Loves

The night was to be full of powerful voices. Next, singer and piano player Mary Lambert, made famous by creating and singing the hook on Macklemore’s hit “Same Love”, took the stage. Always a mix of funny and sincere, Lambert quipped about snoring herself awake, then launched into a heartfelt and moving piece on body image. Among a number of somber poems and belted out songs, Lambert even managed to sneak in a brief cover of Drake’s earworm “Hotline Bling”, and a hilarious story about the Grammys. She then announced to cheers that her debut record Heart On My Sleeve was recently certified gold.

Mary Lambert

Mary Lambert

Mary Lambert

The man who put Seattle hip hop on the map, Sir Mix-A-Lot got the crowd dancing again with his hits “My Hooptie” and “Posse On Broadway”. Slamming bass filled the room with fun 80s and 90s nostalgia. Mix was quite the showman, and shared funny stories like one about living in a rented apartment in Seattle with no furniture, and as soon as the money started rolling in he blew some $286,000 on a Ferrari Testarossa. He seemed out to prove a point, that he was more than a one hit wonder. His high energy set and tight flow did just that. Still, dozens of women excitedly flocked to the stage to dance, albeit a bit tipsily, to his biggest hit “Baby Got Back”, clearly there for this shared moment in the spotlight. Mix worked the crowd like a pro, even jumping down to rap in the front rows at one point.

Sir Mix-A-Lot

Sir Mix-A-Lot

Sir Mix-A-Lot

Headliner The Afghan Whigs closed out the night with their only live show of 2015. Greg Dulli, the lead singer of this Sub Pop band, was celebrated earlier this year on KEXP’s 6 Degrees Of Separation show, which linked each song to the song before it, starting and ending with Dulli. He and the band were swinging for the fences with this SMooCH show, and brought a high energy set that put a unique, live flavor on songs from throughout their extensive catalogue. This was a sweaty, loud, all out rock show to cap off an incredible night of music and fundraising.

The Afghan Whigs

The Afghan Whigs

The Afghan Whigs

The Afghan Whigs

photo by Morgen Schuler

Cool, cloudy. Evening rain giving way to a damp smell of eucalyptus, wood chips, cigarettes, weed, and fried foods. The crowd at Golden Gate Park’s polo field is sparse in the early afternoon. But this lush green space is going to swell with some 70,000 music fans by days end. The ninth annual Outside Lands Music Festival has begun.

Reviews written by Isaac Kaplan-Woolner [IKW] and Victoria Holt [VH]

Ra Ra Riot // photo by Morgen Schuler

At 2pm Ra Ra Riot played on the Lands End main stage. The Syracuse, New York band’s sunny, jangly indie-pop was an excellent aperitivo as one of the best festivals of the season gets underway. Only the main speakers were on at this point, and the lack of sound reinforcement in the massive space meant singer Wes Miles voice was lost at times.

“You like cupcakes! With cigarettes on top for your birthday!” shouted a girl dressed in galaxy print leggings and shimmery silver top, her gleeful banter temporarily drowning out the music. Despite some minor sound issues, Ra Ra Riot’s breezy pop harmonies and backing strings are a light and fun way to kick off the weekend. The set included material from their new album, Need Your Light, on Seattle’s Barsuk Records. These sweet swept in backpacks and flannel shirts and flower crowns as the grounds slowly filled. 

Wet

Wet // photo by Victoria Holt

Up next was Brooklyn synth pop group Wet on the Sutro stage. The trio brought along a fourth touring member on live drums and pads. The sloped natural bowl was surprisingly full for a 2:30pm show. A happy crowd sang along to many of the band’s dreamy, languorous ballads and more sway-inducing numbers buoyed by catchy beats.

Singer Ashley Zutrau seemed surprised by the crowd and the day, remarking several times how much she she enjoyed playing in San Francisco. Wet sings songs of longing and loss, many are steeped in sadness, yet there is still a joy here, a playful melancholy. Guitarist Marty Sulkow added playful arpeggiated riffs over Joe Valle’s synths and electronic percussion. Touring on their January 2016 debut full length Don’t You, Wet have had a big year. They played on Fallon a week before the album’s release, and have been steadily hitting the club and festival circuit this summer. Still, Zutrau seemed taken aback by the warmth of the crowd’s reception.

“It’s so amazing to hear you all singing along to that song that I wrote a really long time ago, and didn’t think anyone else would ever be singing,” Zutrau commented after finishing “Don’t Wanna Be Your Girl”. A particularly fervent fan shrieked loudly between, and sometimes during every song. But she was far from the only one enjoying herself. “Thank you,” said Zutrau at the close of the foreshortened festival set, “This has been so much fun!” [IKW]

Poliça

Poliça // photo by Victoria Holt

Way on the other side of the festival, at the Twin Peaks stage, Minneapolis band Poliça started their set. An other-worldly, warbled voice echoed out across placid faces as the crowd slowly stirred. Singer Channy Leaneagh was lost in her own magic, closing her eyes, swaying, and painting swirls around herself with her arms. Bassist Chris Bierden bobbed his head to his steady womp womp, as double drummers Drew Christopherson and Ben Ivascu kept time. It’s been an exciting time for the band’s founders, Leaneagh and Ryan Olson (production), who got married and had a son in 2015 after recording a new album. The band played a lot of material off the latter, titled United Crushers. [VH]

Foals

Foals // photo by Morgen Schuler

Then British indie rockers Foals took to the Sutro stage. Guitarist and lead vocalist Yannis Philippakis brought an animated energy to the set, jumping down on the subwoofer in front of the stage to vamp for the crowd. This is the most full this particular stage will be all day, and with many popular songs under their belts it was somewhat of a surprise they were not hosted on a larger stage.

No matter. Foals were short on stage banter but long on rock, building energetic songs that verged by turns on classic rock guitar and new wave driving beats. The sun came out for the first, and what would be only time of the day, and the packed crowd grinned and danced along.

“Smashing,” was all Philippakis had to say before launching into another rousing song. Foals is definitely a band to see live, as many songs took on a greater urgency on stage (or even off stage, as Philippakis surfed out onto the crowd at one point, mic in hand). It was another set cut just a bit too short by the confines of a festival’s tight schedule. But no matter, there was so much more to come. [IKW]

Miike Snow

Miike Snow // photo by Victoria Holt

Swedish indie pop band Miike Snow made good use of the Lands End stage, with keyboardist and singer Andrew Wyatt running from behind his piano to perch on the subwoofers and even sit and roll briefly on the edge of the massive stage.

The sound was much bigger and fuller now, with the polo ground’s many speaker arrays now fully in use. Miike Snow’s newer songs are less synth reliant, and verge on straight up piano driven rock, a welcome departure or evolution of their sound.

It’s always nice when a performer brings a local flavor to their stage banter, an awareness of their surroundings and crowd. Golden Gate park in particular has been the site of many a storied musical happening, a fact not lost on Miike Snow. “San Francisco is one of my favorite places to watch The Grateful Dead on a ton of acid,” said Wyatt at one point, “And I’m so glad a newer generation is discovering that music.”

New songs like “Ghengis Khan” and the catchy sample-heavy “Heart Is Full” took on an epic quality in the live setting. This was a fun festival set full of good energy. [IKW]

The Claypool Lennon Delirium

The Claypool Lennon Delirium // photo by Morgen Schuler

Another very San Francisco set followed on the Sutro stage, with newly minted psychedelic supergroup (or super duo, more accurately) The Claypool Lennon Delirium. Les Claypool still sounds very distinctive, and at times like his good old Primus self. His off kilter bass lines were nicely matched with Sean Lennon’s guitar solos and high, sweet voice. Sean in clearly a Lennon.

Many of the Delirium’s songs take on a bizarre story or sound, and with Claypool’s involvement in the project this is small surprise. But Lennon brings a shimmery, and yes, at times Beatles-esque sheen to the mix. Their album Monument of Phobos came out in June, and it is unclear if the project is a one off outing or the beginning of a fruitful partnership.

The crowd was markedly smaller for this set than they had been at the same stage for Foals. Nevertheless, the band seemed to be enjoying themselves. Claypool wore a high bowler hat, Lennon a sort of police or postal cap.

“Well hello there San Francisco, just another day in the park,” bay area native Claypool quipped early in the set in his signature staccato nasal voice, “I’m Steve Claypool, this is Steve Lennon,” he joked. [IKW]

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Victoria Holt

Duran Duran

Duran Duran // photo by Morgen Schuler

Back on the main stage, British new wave stars Duran Duran were putting on a remarkably energetic show. Lead singer Simon Le Bon was in full swagger mode, dressed in a sharp, many-zippered white jacket. A lead singer, without an instrument to play, must command the stage to hold attention. Le Bon did this in spades, working the crowd and looking much younger than his 57 years.

“Come on now, put your hands in the air. Feel the love!” Le Bon shouted, and the crowd roared back in appreciation, “we’ve got a short time on stage, so I’m not going to talk very much, or at least talk very quickly,” he added before launching into the funky and fun “Notorious.” Though the crowd was understandably shading towards the older for this set, younger listeners might have recognized this one as a sample from Notorious B.I.G.’s song of the same name.

The set was full of classics and favorites. “Hungry Like The Wolf”, “Girls on Film”, and a “Rio” closer. A moving tribute to the recently deceased David Bowie came in the form of an excellent “Space Oddity” cover, during which the band displayed a young portrait of the fallen artist on the backdrop. New songs like “Pressure Off” from 2015’s Paper Gods were solid, but did not surpass their classic hits.

While Le Bon stole much of the spotlight with his shimmying, the rest of the band was all smiles and clearly having a lot of fun. A pair of backup singers and dancers added a lot to the energy and infectiously danceable vibe. Somehow these 30 year old songs sounded fresh and fun all over again, and the band seems to have lost nary a step. [IKW]

Grimes

Grimes // photo by Victoria Holt

Canadian singer and producer Grimes, born Claire Boucher, attracted a large crowd at the Twin Peaks stage as the sun started setting. Her latest album, Art Angels, has taken the popularity of Visions (2012) and catapulted her further into the spotlight. When she played the trap-esque “Go” with its heavy drop, the crowd lost its collective cool and grooved out. Fans were shoulder to shoulder, but things loosened up as people left to get spots at LCD Soundsystem. This opened up plenty of space to dance to beloved hits like “Oblivion” and “Circumambient”. After newer track “REALiTi,” Boucher descended into mayhem, rolling around the stage and screaming into the microphone. The added element of three synchronized dancers upped the fun, and Boucher ran back and forth from her synthesizer to the front to alternate between singing, playing, and dancing. This made her set far more engaging than in tours past. Boucher has grown from a waif-like wisp hiding behind a synth to a commanding performer making full use of the stage. [VH]

At this point the sun was descending. As 7:00 rolled around, alcohol and drugs were clearly becoming a crowd factor. Several couples were making out in the VIP bathroom area. A man stumbled in loose circles and grinned maniacally from beneath his hoodie, giggling at everything and nothing. A woman attempted to stretch her sore calfs and ended up sprawling over in the grass, giving in to gravity’s sweet embrace. Outside Lands is a massive festival spread out over many acres. Beer and booze and more illicit substances flow freely. The crowd’s energy shifts with the onset of evening.

Outside Lands dancers // photo by Morgen Schuler

It was getting cold, and back at the Sutro stage a solid crowd waited for Beach House to play. Many were sitting at this point, perhaps victims of long walks across the large festival grounds, perhaps enervated by the dropping temperature. The Baltimore dream pop band came on in all black, singer and keyboardist Victoria Legrand in a hooded cloak dappled with sparkly green accents.

The group launched into a mellower set, looking mostly down instead of out at the crowd. While Beach House released not one but two popular albums last year, this set hit a bit of an odd low energy note at this point in the evening. Perhaps the set built to a bigger crescendo, but many people were drawn back to the main stage for the highly anticipated LCD Soundsystem headlining show.

LCD Soundsystem

LCD Soundsystem // photo by Morgen Schuler

The polo field was full of revelers as James Murphy and band came on to raucous cheers. Elegant uplighting splashed color around the outskirts of the field, throwing vibrant purples and greens into the tall Monterey cypress and pine trees. One of the hottest touring tickets of 2016 launched into their first song, “Us v Them”, and tens of thousands of people immediately started dancing. They wouldn’t stop for a solid 15 songs.

LCD Soundsystem amicably broke up in 2011, staging a series of massive farewell shows before calling it quits. Now, five years later, it is abundantly clear that fans are ready for more. Following the advice of the band’s break-up documentary, Murphy and company largely shut up and played the hits. The set was a surefire festival pleaser, without any great surprises. Yet for many attendees, this would have been the first opportunity to see the dance band live, or certainly the first time in many years. With popular songs like “Daft Punk Is Playing At My House”, “I Can Change”, and “Losing My Edge”, energy was high and happy.

Still, just one new song would have been greatly appreciated. Murphy said in a January open letter to fans that this is not just a reunion tour, and that the band is working on new material to be released some time this year. Yet none of that new material was evident. There is some question of motivation when a band reunites purely to rest on their laurels. Certainly, this set was full of great songs well worth revisiting live. And the crowd sang and danced along enthusiastically. Regardless of a desire for new material, it cannot be denied that this was a celebratory and highly anticipated show. It was a must-see highlight of the day.

There were many fun and at times emotional highlights, especially in the longing of “Someone Great”. Dressed in a white Nehru-collared button down and a sharp sport coat, Murphy also hammed it up an extra degree for his ballad “New York I love You, But You’re Bringing Me Down”. He called the spotlight back onto himself and exaggerating his already entertaining stage presence. His voice, which at times was rough and raucous, now showed its full range and ability.

The whole band appeared to be having fun as they built tight, infectious grooves. The end of a tour often has a special energy, and this show closed out a longer run for the band. Murphy said this was their last show for a few weeks, and they were headed home to New York after the festival. And when he announced that they had only three songs left, he meant it. They closed out with their biggest hit “Dance Yrself Clean”, and left the stage to howls and cheers.

In an era of automatically assumed encores, where a crowd need do nothing more than wait a few moments for the band to re-take the stage, there was actually something a bit refreshing about LCD Soundsystem ending the show when they said they would, though an encore would of course have been a welcome addition. Even more welcome would be a new album. [IKW]

(For more photos of Outside Lands Music Festival Day 1, see Morgen Schuler’s album here, and Victoria Holt’s album here)

photo by Morgen Schuler

Everyone says that Outside Lands is cold. Well, it turns out that everyone is right. Today temperatures peaked at 56 degrees, a difficult temperature to adjust to in early August. But Saturday’s crowd was out earlier and in fuller force than the previous day. The merch booth did a steady business selling festival blankets, which were seen wrapped around ever more underprepared attendees as the day wore on.

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

Early attendees needed something to warm them up and shake off the fog. The perfect antidote came in the form of New Orleans bounce queen Big Freedia, playing a “Beignets and Bounce Brunch” on the Gastro Magic stage at 1:30pm. As the infectiously repetitive, high tempo bounce beats began, Freedia strode on stage, long blonde hair swinging beneath a blue police cap.

Not so much a rapper as her own hype woman, Freedia exhorted the crowd to “release ya wiggle!” as her three very talented dancers twerked and popped alongside with abandon. “I know it’s kind of early. How many of y’all got some kinda fucking liquor in your system?” she asked as the crowd laughed and cheered.

The Gastro stage pairs chefs and music, and Freedia’s set culminated in the crowd being invited on stage for beignets freshly showered in copious powdered sugar. The price? Ass shaking, naturally. Dozens of delighted dancers crossed the stage, fried dough in hand, to attempt the circular gyrations of rump. Of course, Freedia showed up each and every one.

Finally, she closed with Beyonce’s new hit “Formation”, on which she is a guest. It was a welcome turn from the bounce beat, which alters little from track to track. And with that, Freedia left her audience smiling, sweaty, and charged up for a full day ahead. [IKW]

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Victoria Holt

Ibeyi

photo by Victoria Holt

A very different set followed on the Sutro stage, with French-Cuban twins Ibeyi commanding a solid afternoon crowd. These sisters are fearless, opening up completely a capella with a Yoruban chant. Many songs are stripped down affairs, using just piano, cajón or body percussion, and their sweet, close harmonies. Other songs made use of looped vocals and pre-recorded beats. But the pure beauty and simplicity of their more organic songs brought a vulnerable immediacy to the set. And hand drums brought a surprisingly bassy punch to the mix.

Lisa-Kaindé Diaz and Naomi Diaz paid tribute to both their mother and father during the set. Ibeyi means “twins” in the Yoruban language, spoken in the West African countries Nigeria and Benin. Clearly, family ties run deep with this pair. So too does a deep sense of ancestral history, as filtered through a multicultural lens of diaspora.

On their self-titled debut, Ibeyi blends R&B with jazz, hip hop, and even touches of electronic music, all with hauntingly beautiful singing. Rendered live, these songs made for a stellar set, and an early highlight of the day. [IKW]

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Morgen Schuler

Vince Staples

photo by Morgen Schuler

At the other end of the massive festival grounds, Vince Staples faced an early struggle on the Twin Peaks stage. The set fumbled with sound from the outset, with the Long Beach rapper’s microphone almost inaudible through the entire first song. The crowd took up a frustrated chant of, “turn it up! Turn it up!”

Even when his volume was finally increased, it was hard to make out Staples words (he is a bit of a mumbler), and the bass wasn’t hitting as hard as it should have. With five dedicated music stages, and many other diversions, it was difficult to justify spending unnecessary time on Staples’ somewhat lackluster start to his show.

Still, close to his home turf, and having appeared on mixtapes with Mac Miller and the Odd Future collective before releasing his critically lauded debut, Summer ‘06, Staples has a loyal following. Clouds of sweet smelling smoke rose in the cool afternoon breeze, many waiting for their favorite songs to drop. If his December, 2015 CNN interview is to be believed, Staples might not have approved. There, he said that he opposed rampant drug use in hip hop, and said he never drank or used drugs himself. Regardless, when the bass did finally hit harder and the set hit its stride, fists pumped in unison and blankets were cast off shoulders as many jumped enthusiastically along to the beats. [IKW]

Lord Huron

photo by Victoria Holt

Back on the Sutro stage, a very different set got underway. Lord Huron have come a long way in their relatively short time together, but their second album Strange Trails charted well upon its April, 2015 release. The bowl was packed with a sprawling crowd as the Los Angeles indie folk rockers sent swelling, earnest songs out over the crowd.

“Six years ago today we played our first show ever, so it feels like sort of an auspicious day,” said singer Ben Schneider. The large audience suggested that perhaps Lord Huron could have commanded one of the bigger stages at Outside Lands. But this medium-sized stage afforded some of the best viewing angles and sounds of the whole festival, as well as somewhat more attentive crowds. It was an excellent, tree lined setting to be swept away in sound. [IKW]

Big Grams

photo by Victoria Holt

Big Grams are the pairing of upstate New York indie electronica outfit Phantogram and Atlanta rapper Big Boi (of Outkast fame). They apparently met at Outside Lands “a few years ago,” according to Phantogram singer Sarah Barthel (likely in 2011 when both were on the bill). This encounter would lead to the fun synth and hip hop pairing known as Big Grams. And this show was an unexpectedly special one, a possible unofficial farewell show.

“This is our last show until we make more music together,” said Phantogram singer Sarah Barthel. It remains to be seen if that will happen, as Big Grams have not publicly discussed what the future holds.

The set was upbeat and full of fun, with Big Boi and Barthel grinning at each other and trading dance moves on the massive stage. Twice during the show Barthel called for women to show their breasts, and apparently from her reaction, a few did comply. This low brow shtick hit a bit of an odd note in 2016, when attempted strides for equality and safe spaces for women in music are being made. But likely Barthel meant it all in the spirit of raucous, slightly dirty fun that is the music of Big Grams. Regardless of the antics, the beats hit hard, and lyrics came through loud and clear. A few mashups like Outkast’s “Mrs. Jackson” with Phantogram’s “Mouth Full Of Diamonds” garnered huge crowd reactions and spurred joyous singalongs. It seems likely that if the project does move forward with more music, they will have an eager audience waiting. [IKW]

The Last Shadow Puppets

photo by Morgen Schuler

The Sutro stage proved to be the easiest going and best booked stage of the weekend. Perhaps it was a way to split up the crowds a little so a massive crush of bodies, such as what was experienced at the main stage, didn’t keep fest-goers from having a good time. The Last Shadow Puppets was no exception with a great set complete with a good mix of their first album, The Age of Understatement and the recently released Everything You’ve Come to Expect, with a Bowie cover thrown in (perhaps this was a secret checklist item for most bands at Outside Lands, sure seemed like it).

Lead singer and Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner stole the show clad in his familiar black leather jacket and tight black jeans. His garb wasn’t what got everyone’s attention; sauntering onto the stage with an over-the-top wave to the audience and an over-exaggerated expression of delight everyone immediately started giggling at his not-so-coy charms. Sure enough the entire set was filled with hip shakes, sassy stances, silly jokes and great music. [MS]

AIR

photo by Victoria Holt

French electronic duo Air were up next on the Lands End stage, joined by two touring members on drums and keyboards. To a generation of viewers used to music played on laptops, Air were distinctly live. Jean-Benoît Dunckel manned a few keyboards (including a Rhodes and a Korg MS-20) and sang. Nicolas Godin played keys, guitar, and bass, and modified his voice with a vocoder to achieve that signature robot/alien vibe.

The combination of Dunckel and Godin’s creative finesse was incredible. “Alpha Beta Gaga” from Talkie Walkie (2004) saw Dunckel on the Korg and Godin on banjo, the latter whistling the track’s infectious melody. The use of live banjo on an electronic track was unexpected, and created a plucky, almost sitar-like sound in the melody. Dunckel’s undulating synth bassline grounded listeners in the groove. They bordered on psychedelic, but the duo never quite lost their minds; there was an air of control and sophistication that kept the whole thing very cool.

The real highlight was “How Does It Make You Feel” from 10,000 Hz Legend (2001). A computer-generated voice in the style of old text-to-speech programs recited declarations of love as a wandering, melancholy synth trundled along. The words sounded sweet and romantic, but when spoken at a deadpan by a robot, they took on a sadness and an uncanny-valley detachment. “I would be happy with just one minute in your arms . . . You’re telling me that we live too far to love each other, but our love can stretch farther than the eye can see. So, how does this make you feel?”

After each time the voice spoke these words, Godin and Dunckel would sing them, lending a human element to an otherwise bleak list of sentiments. This further emphasized the emotional and physical distance between the speaker and the object of his or her affection. It was the epitome of unrequited love, and gut wrenching in the most exquisite way. [VH]

AIR set list at Outside Lands 8-6-16:

“Venus” from Talkie Walkie (2004)
“Don’t Be Light” from 10 000 Hz Legend (2001)
“Cherry Blossom Girl” from Talkie Walkie (2004)
“Remember” from Moon Safari (1998)
“Highschool Lover”, the theme song from The Virgin Suicides (2000)
“People in the City” from 10 000 Hz Legend (2001)
“Alpha Beta Gaga” from Talkie Walkie (2004)
“How Does It Make You Feel” from 10 000 Hz Legend (2001)
“Kelly Watch the Stars”  from Moon Safari (1998)
“Sexy Boy” from Moon Safari (1998)
“La Femme D’Argent” from Moon Safari (1998)

Peaches

photo by Morgen Schuler

Merrill Beth Nisker, or Peaches as her fans lovingly know her, can be a shock to the system. Clad in over-the-top costumes, every set feels the same and different all at once. If you’ve never seen her or listened to her music, and don’t know what to expect, you may have a deer in the headlights moment as she launches into a song about her vagina or fucking the pain away. Peaches is a force of nature, and if you allow her live show to wash over you and that grin to spread across your lips it can be one of your favorite moments of the festival. The crowd was eating up her set and for good reason. It started the moment she swaggered on stage, turning her back to the audience and standing stock still as her lengthy entrance music ended in a single repeating phrase: “My name is Peaches”. Launching immediately into “Rub”, the crowd went nuts and never came down. Who knew singing about Vaginoplasty could bring on such a massive (positive) response? [MS]

Sufjan Stevens

photo by Morgen Schuler

Sufjan Stevens is known to put on amazing shows, and his Outside Lands set was no exception. He opened with the gorgeous “Seven Swans”, both he and his two singers/dancers clad in massive white wings (though Stevens left wing appeared to be giving him some trouble). As the song built to a towering crescendo, he raised a banjo high into the air before leaping up and smashing it down onto the stage. It took a few more whacks, but soon the poor instrument was made into yet another sacrifice to the gods of music. Stevens has apparently been employing this bit of showmanship all along his summer tour, and  it is an effective if perhaps a bit tongue-in-cheek moment of excitement to open the set.

Stevens manages to be both a consummate showman, dressing the band in similarly patterned bright neon attire, running all over the stage, and hamming it up, while somehow simultaneously projecting an air of earnest vulnerability. So many of his songs are soaked in melancholy and sadness, yet brought to life with backing horns and a large live sound, they also sound like a celebration. “Death is imminent for us all,” Stevens said at one point, “but for now we’re alive. So let’s live in fullness.”

Next he launched into “Fourth Of July” off his 2015 album Carrie and Lowell, with the refrain “we’re all gonna die,” as the crowd sang and danced along enthusiastically. This duality of light and dark, of joy and sadness, of hope and despair is at the heart of much of Stevens music. He brought one of the strongest sets of the day to a packed crowd at the Sutro stage. [IKW]

Radiohead

photo by Victoria Holt

Radiohead is in no uncertain terms one of the very biggest drawing touring bands of 2016. The British band is at the top of their game, touring on the popularity of their surprise 2016 release, A Moon Shaped Pool. Their world tour sold out quickly, and fans are flocking to any chance they have to see the band live. Radiohead, along with LCD Soundsystem, are two of the hottest tickets of the summer. Outside Lands is one of the few North American festivals that managed to land both acts, and tickets sold out as quickly as they were announced. Excitement was palpable as the lads from Abingdon took the stage. Tens of thousands of people had been waiting all day, all weekend, heck, since Radiohead’s last tour in 2012, for this moment.

Outside Lands is an excellent festival, with great production values and many quality offerings. But one of the challenges of the event was evident at this headlining show. Namely, there are so many goddamned people trying to get closer to the stage for massive draws like this, pressing and stumbling forward all at the same time. There are only so many people who could hope to physically enjoy the show, and for this major draw, there were simply too many. Still, after a few songs, the crowd finally settled in and mostly turned their attention to the stage. Thankfully, Radiohead reinforced their stage presence with several cameras aimed on individual members–Thom Yorke’s frenetic dancing, Jonny Greenwood taking a cello bow to his guitar–and these shots were displayed on large screens above and on either side of the stage. For a show this big, these efforts to make sure everyone can see a bit of the action were much appreciated.

The set started with an extended intro for “Burn The Witch”, the lead single off their new album, A Moon Shaped Pool. A slow burn of ominous anxiety rippled out of tall speaker arrays, and much of the crowd finally quieted down to listen intently. They stuck to new material for the next two songs as well, then dove deep and fairly equally into their extensive catalog (well as deep as OK Computer, they didn’t touch anything off the first two records). Still, this was at times a challenging show for a festival crowd, many now intoxicated and ready to party. The band refused to rush, refused to stick to only louder and more raucous hits. They played deeper cuts and several quieter numbers, forcing people to strain their ears forward and listen intently. It was a show for true fans, and for those who paid attention, it delivered in spades.

The two-hour set included highlights such as a rare “Let Down” to kick off a five song encore, and closed out with perennial crowd singalong favorites “Paranoid Android” and “Karma Police”. As the band left the stage, Yorke continued strumming a few bars of the song on an acoustic guitar, and tens of thousands of people sang the song together. Other shows on this tour have included a second encore, but Outside Lands strict 10pm cutoff would not allow for it, so the crowd would have to be content with the incredible 22 song set they had witnessed. [IKW]

Radiohead setlist at Outside Lands 8-6-2016:

1) “Burn the Witch” (A Moon Shaped Pool)
2) “Daydreaming” (Moon shaped pool
3) “Ful Stop” (A Moon Shaped Pool)
4) “2+2=5 (The Lukewarm)” (Hail To The Thief)
5) “Bodysnatchers” (In Rainbows)
6) “Climbing Up The Walls” (OK Computer)
7) “Exit Music For a Film” (OK Computer)
8) “Bloom” (King Of Limbs)
9) “Lotus Flower” (King Of Limbs)
10) “Pyramid Song” (Amnesiac)
11) “Identikit” (A Moon Shaped Pool)
12) “The Numbers” (A Moon Shaped Pool)
13) “The Gloaming (Softly Open Our Mouths in the Cold)” (Hail to the Thief)
14) “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” (In Rainbows)
15) “Everything In Its Right Place” (Kid A)
16) “Idioteque” (Kid A)
17) “There, There (The Bony King Of Nowhere)” (Hail To The Thief)
ENCORE:
18) “Let Down” (OK Computer)
19) “Present Tense” (A Moon Shaped Pool)
20) “Nude” (In Rainbows)
21) “Paranoid Android” (OK Computer)
22) “Karma Police” (OK Computer)

See more of Morgen and Victoria’s photos of Day 2 here and here.

Outside Lands fest-goers taking selfies // photo by Morgen Schuler

Outside Lands offers more than just music // photo by Victoria Holt

Reviews written by Isaac Kaplan-Woolner [IKW], Victoria Holt [VH], and Morgen Schuler [MS]. Find Morgen Schuler’s complete photo coverage of day 3 here, and Victoria Holt’s complete photo coverage of day 3 here.

Kamasi Washington

Kamasi Washington // photo by Morgen Schuler

Everyone says that Outside Lands in cold. Everyone was proven wrong on Sunday. Sure, it’s San Francisco in the summer, so of course it started off overcast and agnostic. But as jazz saxophonist and composer Kamasi Washington took the main stage at noon, peeks of blue sky appeared on the horizon. It would continue to clear into a gloriously sunny day with perfect temperatures in the 70s. The final day of this epic festival in the heart of San Francisco was off to an auspicious start.

Washington represents the possibility of a resurgence of jazz in the 21st century. His popularity and interest among younger listeners is certainly aided by the fact that he did arrangements of Kendrick Lamar’s massively popular To Pimp A Butterfly. But considering that Washington drew a modest but respectable crowd to the main stage at noon on a Sunday shows that he is earning fans in his own right.

And indeed he should. Washington had solid chops on his saxophone, and had assembled a very tight group for this show. His recent triple album studio debut, appropriately titled The Epic, garnered much acclaim since its release in May, 2015. And Washington has been on a festival tour in support of that album (he comes to Seattle for Bumbershoot this Labor Day weekend).

A highlight of the show came when Washington welcomed the the stage, “the man who taught me everything I know,” his father, Rickey Washington. The elder Washington joined the band on alto sax, and it was a pleasure to watch father and son tradeoff and enjoy each other’s solos, as vocalist Patrice Quinn sang “The Rhythm Changes”. Keyboard player Brandon Coleman, aka Doctor Boogie, brought a funky joy to the set, as bassist Miles Mosley kept the groove locked in atop a beat provided by not one but two drummers.

The first set of the day was a shorter one, but Washington and band built accessible, groovy, and danceable tunes that drew in one of the more diverse aged audiences of the weekend. With soaring solos and fun interplay, this is a band to catch live. [IKW]

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

The Muppets’ Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem

The Muppets’ Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem // photo by Morgen Schuler

One of the oddball offerings of Outside Lands also turned out to be a surprise highlight of the entire festival. Next up was Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, yes, from Jim Henson’s The Muppets. Perhaps because it was unclear how a fictional puppet band would command the main stage, or perhaps it was because this was the first “live” show of the band’s 41 year history, but this set had a lot of buzz going into it. The main stage had a fairly solid crowd for their 2:30pm start time.<

The crowd cheered gleefully as Dr. Teeth, Animal, Zoot, Janice, Floyd Pepper, and Lips took to the stage. The stage, in this case, was actually a higher spot built atop the main stage that effectively hid most of the puppeteers movements. But even though some of the pupeteers’ heads and upper bodies were clearly visible at times, clad in all black with black mesh covering their faces, they quickly melded into the background. And the puppeteering was so top notch, the actions so lifelike, that is was easy to suspend disbelief and get swept up in the show. Floyd rested his thumb on his bass pick up as he bantered on stage. Janice leaned against his back and kicked a leg up high for a guitar solo. Animal raised his eyebrows high in exaggerated surprise. Muppets are magic.

The set was full of heart, humor, incredible puppeteering, and great music. They kicked off with their signature song “Can You Picture That” from 1979’s The Muppet Movie. Then they moved on to cover “San Francisco” by The Mowglies, “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, “Ophelia” by The Band. The puppets were joined by the full Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir for a soaring version of “With A Little help From My Friends”.

Between songs there was hilarious banter and humorous video skits that gave the puppeteers a few moments to reset. And the show pandered to its (mostly adult) audience. “San Francisco is never far from our minds,” said Floyd Pepper in his burned-out voice, “mostly because of persistent and unexpected flashbacks!” The backing music sounded live, but no band besides The Electric Mayhem was present. It seems likely that voices were performed live, over previously recorded tracks. In any case, this show was an absolute delight, and left the crowd smiling, laughing, and singing along.

Fans hoping for their own chance to see this show in person may be out of luck. When Floyd announced, “this is the first stop on our world tour,”  Dr. Teeth quickly jumped in with his smoky rasp, “Uh, correction, only stop.” It’s a shame, really, as the world deserves to share in this live Muppet joy. [IKW]

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

Hælos  

Hælos // photo by Victoria Holt

After brief technical difficulties – “Hey Outside Lands! We got there eventually!” – Hælos dominated the Panhandle stage Sunday afternoon. The day was sunny but windy, making a dramatic setting for singers Lotti Bernardout and Arthur Delaney to wail. Third founding member Dom Goldsmith commanded the keys behind them, and the London band was joined by two drummers and a guitarist. They played the songs “Dust,” “Earth Not Above,” and “Pray,” and Bernardout added an echo and distortion to her voice, keeping things interesting. [VH]

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Victoria Holt

Third Eye Blind

Third Eye Blind // photo by Morgen Schuler

One of the biggest crowds of the festival, by far, was the one that gathered before Third Eye Blind and stayed through Chance the Rapper and Major Lazer. Needless to say, if you wanted to get across or even move farther than your arm span on the polo field that flanks the main stage, you were pretty much out of luck. San Francisco’s native sons, Third Eye Blind, started up their set with “Faster”. It was surprising to see singer Stephen Jenkins stick to the back of the massive stage and rarely even look in the direction of the crowd. Perhaps he needed a warm-up, or maybe just wanted to connect with the band before launching into the set outright… either way it felt a little disconnected at first. Thankfully for the massive crowd anticipating this set, that all ended after the first couple songs; he ran to the edge and started singing right to the super fans that had pushed their way to the front. With awe in their faces and huge smiles on their faces they soaked it in like so much sunshine.

The songs performed Saturday were more of a loose interpretation of their produced counterparts giving the set a more unique and personal feel. I always respect a band that doesn’t simply go on stage, play songs as recorded and walk off, it happens all too often; that extra effort and love for the audience can completely change a live show. The band seemed completely at ease playing in their hometown and it was fun to see them loosen up even as they tried out a newly released song from their upcoming EP We Are Drugs, “Cop Vs Phone Girl”. Of course everyone sang along to hits like “Graduate”, “Jumper” and “Semi-Charmed Life”, but an unexpected addition to the set included a mashup of Bowie songs: “Young Americans/Heroes/Modern Love/Ziggy Stardust”, a theme that permeated the festival started with Duran Duran the day before. Their hometown embraced them wholeheartedly and reveled in the feel-good music on that chilly overcast afternoon. [MS]

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

Brandi Carlile

Brandi Carlile // photo by Victoria Holt

Seattle native (well, Ravensdale, WA to be specific) Brandi Carlile played the Sutro stage. At first the crowd was a little sparse, but Carlile’s powerful voice soon pulled in a solidly packed audience. It turns out it was twin bandmates Tim and Phil Hanseroth’s 41st birthday, and the crowd sang them “Happy Birthday” after the gorgeous harmonies of “The Eye”, off her 2015 album The Firewatcher’s Daughter. While Carlile is a lead singer, she made it clear that the group is a band, and it is apparent in their tight interplay that these musicians and singers have been playing together for many years.

An emotional peak of Carlile’s set came before her song “The Mother of Evangeline”, about her now 2 year old daughter with wife Catherine Shepherd. “I’m proud to stand here in the post-Prop 8 city of San Francisco and talk about my family and our right to exist,” Carlile said to loud applause.

She closed the set with a beautifully wrought “Going to California”. It takes both guts and chops to cover Led Zeppelin, and Carlile has enough of both to pull it off in spades, plus an astoundingly powerful voice to boot. [IKW]

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Victoria Holt

Chance the Rapper

Chance the Rapper // photo by Victoria Holt

A return to the polo field main stage was a return to a crush of humanity. For whatever reason, the Land’s End stage had by far the largest daytime crowds on Sunday than any other day of the fest. Chance The Rapper is a big draw, clearly, and he put on an excellent show to match crowd anticipation. Not only can he rap, but dude has a mean falsetto and can sing quite well at times.

His mic control is also something to be admired, as many MCs tend to shout or overdo it when live on stage. Coming off the high of his much lauded May, 2016 mixtape Coloring Book, Chance is man at the top of his game, and that was on full display at Outside Lands. A tight live band including collaborator and horns player Donnie Trumpet added oomph and immediacy to the highly musical hip hop set.  [IKW]

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Victoria Holt

Jason Isbell

Jason Isbell, photo by Morgen Schuler

The Sutro stage continued with a solid Americana and twangy rock theme as Alabama singer songwriter Jason Isbell played for a crowd very much enjoying the warm afternoon sunshine. Isbell got his start with southern rockers Drive-By Truckers, and has been carving a name for himself as an excellent songwriter and frontman in his own right since 2007.

He had a sort of modest charm to him on stage. “I have to tell you, it’s a hell of a thing to be sandwiched between singers like Brandi Carlile and and Ryan Adams,” joked Isbell. But his emotional and imaginative lyrics and solid guitar work proved he can more than hold his own.

One highlight among a fairly rocking set was Isbell’s quieter, aching love song written for his wife, “well, before she was my wife, that is,” he said. The song “Cover Me Up” off his 2013 album, Southeastern was recorded after a stint in rehab, and shows Isbell’s raw, emotional reflections on love and struggle.

At one point, Isbell invited “a good friend” on stage, who turned out to be Ryan Adams himself. Adams later returned the favor in his subsequent set. The two are friends and touring companions, and their cover of The Rolling Stones “Sway”, off Sticky Fingers. It was a couple of talented buddies ripping through a great guitar track on a sunny day in San Francisco in front of a fun and attentive crowd. What could be better? [IKW]

Jason Isbell and Ryan Adams, photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

Major Lazer

Major Lazer, photo by Victoria Holt

Woop da woop woop, dibidibidi, wineupyabodygyal, woop da woop woop! Oh, you wanted a review? Sorry, the electro-Caribbean earworms of Major Lazer are still having an effect. While there were other EDM offerings at Outside Lands, this was by far the biggest, with the Lands End main stage packed to the gills with party people. What was once a side project for superstar producer Diplo has grown to eclipse much of his other work, churning out one insistent future-dancehall dance track after another. Major Lazer’s “Lean On” with DJ Snake and MØ was, and is, a massive, undeniable pop hit.

Diplo wasn’t even behind the turntables for most of show, instead he ran and danced his way all over the massive stage, mic in hand to shout encouragement and instructions at the crowd along with co-producer and hype man Walshy Fire, while DJ and producer Jillionaire took care of rapidly mixing in and out of the many frenetic beats and samples. Many songs would be teased or sampled for just a few seconds at a time before being quickly blended into a new track. But unlike traditional dancehall sets, Jillionaire did not rely on frequent “pull ups”, where the record is spun back to the start, which can be disrupting to the flow of a dance party.

A sea of fans pumped fists in the air and jumped wildly as patois hooks, massive bass hits, and high chirps and synth horns rippled out over the polo field. Without a live band, the show relied on volume, energy, and spectacle, and it had a lot of each to offer. Massive pyrotechnic fire and fog cannons? Yup! Booty dancers to “wine up”and dagger? You know it! Surfing out on the crowd in a big inflatable hamster ball? But of course!

After a brief teasing sample of reggae great Johnny Osbourne’s “Mr. Marshall” on the Major Lazer track “Jah No Partial”, Diplo shouted to the crowd, “I wanna see everybody take off their shirts right now!” Many complied, pumping their shirts in the air until the drop, when, as instructed, thousands of sweaty dancers threw their shirts into the air. It was sort of like a drunken graduation ceremony at Bro University, and also a moment of pure exhilaration and fun. [IKW]

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Victoria Holt

photo by Victoria Holt

Ryan Adams & The Shining

Ryan Adams, photo by Morgen Schuler

One of the implicit purposes of seeing live music in person is the chance to see a performer go off script and improvise something totally distinct from their recorded material. Still, in today’s tight run world of major festivals, most sets run short and bands often stick to relatively safe territory.

North Carolina alt country rocker Ryan Adams was a notable exception. Adams was absolutely on fire Sunday evening, both musically and in his sharp, sarcastic wit. He has built himself a bit of a curmudgeonly reputation over the years (to put it mildly), but Adams now seems to play with that persona, goading the audience in a “get off my lawn you kids” kind of way. As the crowd clapped and hollered enthusiastically after “Let It Ride” (off 2005’s Cold Roses), Adams joked, “whatever, you hated that, stop it!”

With the Sutro stage adorned with a vintage soda machine, old arcade games, and comically oversized Fender amp props, the show had an ethos of one part parent’s garage practice space, one part Spinal Tap. And Adams himself seemed to toy with this duality, somewhere between shambling slacker and full on rock star.

As earsplitting bass from the Major Lazer show rolled down the hill into the Sutro bowl, Adams said, “somebody’s got their laptop turned up so loud right now!” He would make jokes about the EDM show next door a couple more times throughout the set, referring to them as “Major Blazer”. While this provided for some funny sardonic relief, Adam’s and his newer band The Shining played layered, satisfying rock and roll that itself stood in complete contrast to the preprogrammed beats they were competing with.

They tore though and uptempo take on his early hit “To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High)”. And Jason Isbell came back on stage to add some killer guitar work to one of Adams’ signature songs “Oh My Sweet Carolina”. Adams seemed loose and tight at the same time, and even riffed  an impromptu update on a song he made up on the spot in 2014 at San Francisco’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass fest about “Three Fucking Balloons”, now updated as “Goodbye to Balloons”, apparently in response to a crowd request. Once again he was able to so convincingly vanp on the improvisation it was hard to believe he was making the whole thing up on the spot.

Adams is fun, funny, and a hell of a performer and songwriter. He brings a fresh energy to his stage presence, and is very much on point, calling out his audience for specific attributes or actions. This set was another highlight in an excellent day of music. [IKW]

Lana Del Rey

selfies before Lana Del Ray, photo by Victoria Holt

The neon light of a sign declaring “Del Rey” bathed the crowd at the Twin Peaks stage as Sunday night came to a close. The band started up as a projection of stars rotated behind them. Once the celestial mood had been set, Lana Del Rey (born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant) emerged and sauntered towards the crowd as a chorus of screams erupted. With a gesture of almost regal proportions, Del Rey waved at her adoring fans. A crowd member in her early twenties remarked, “This is so spiritual right now: Lana Del Rey.” Another said, “It’s so weird that she’s just like, right there.”

Del Rey had fans wrapped around her finger as she floated back and forth across the stage. At one point, she descended a set of stairs to the front row, reaching out to shake hands and sign autographs. She stopped to take a selfie with a man and beamed. All the while, live video of her was projected onto the jumbotrons in black and white, echoing the aesthetic of early Hollywood movie stars on the red carpet. She was at once present and yet untouchable; in the flesh and yet transcendent of such mundane existence. She returned to the stage and plowed on as her dulcet tones filled the meadow, inspiring more than a few spontaneous make-out sessions.

During “Cruel World” from her third album Ultraviolence (2014), viewers got a glimpse behind the curtain. There was a tiny malfunction as the volume of the melody dropped dramatically, leaving Del Rey a cappella. It was a split second before it returned, and her face cracked into a relieved smile, momentarily breaking the illusion of apathy.

Other seductive favorites were “Cola” from the Paradise EP (2012), “Blue Jeans” from Born to Die (2012), and the title track from Honeymoon (2015). On popular song “Born to Die,” Del Rey kicked the tension up a notch. She switched out the word “kiss” to croon the phrase, “Let me fuck you hard in the pouring rain.” Del Rey cinematically flirted the line between glamour and danger, delivering a captivating closing set for the second largest stage of the weekend. [VS]

Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie, photo by Morgen Schuler

The main stage of Outside Lands 2016 was closed out by smooth soul and R&B star Lionel Richie. With much of the festival trending towards younger concert goers, it remained to be seen who would stick around, and what sort of an audience Richie would command when competing with pop sensations Lana Del Ray, who played at the same time across the park).

While the field was very noticeably less crowded than it had been earlier in the day, there were still tens of thousands of people standing in the polo field as the sun set. Many younger people have clearly adopted Richie’s music, perhaps by wading in to their parents record collection, and many of these younger fans were ready to sing along. People were literally wading through the trash, empty beer cups and detritus, left behind by Major Lazer’s rowdy audience. But attendees were all smiles as Richie took the stage and teased people with a sung greeting of, “hello!”

Richie was all smiles as well, and showed himself to be a fun, engaging, humorous and consummate showman. He goaded the crowd several times to sing along, and complimented them warmly when they complied. He joked with the crowd about the terrible wine he was served onstage, and that he would need to call security on the audience because they were so crazy. In fact, the crowd was happy go lucky, and ready to sing and dance one more time. Of course, Richie is known for many slow burning romantic numbers as well, and the cameras zoomed in on couples to display on the big screen in an almost kiss-cam like way.

While several of Richie’s hits are undeniably dated and cheesy, he also has retained a commanding and powerful voice. The band played hard, and he seemed to carefully plan the setlist to keep energy and attention as high as possible, while still working in his signature ballads.

“Tonight I have one job to do,” he said after the first few songs, “I am here tonight to play all the hits!” To which the crowd roared its appreciation. And indeed he did play one crowd pleaser after another. Those hits included several from his Commodores days, including “Easy” (which got a reggae reworking), and “Brick House”. Other uptempo Richie hits like “Dancing On The Ceiling” and several others got an almost group karaoke treatment, with many of the lyrics displayed on screen to aid the audience in a singalong.

He closed the set with the undeniably fun “All Night Long” at the somewhat ironic stroke of 9:30. And with one more dance number, Outside Lands 2016 came to a close. People wandered off into the cool night, many humming one catchy earworm or another. [IKW]

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler

photo by Morgen Schuler