MusicFest NW

The lineup for MusicFest NW was announced today! Some of the bands I'm looking forward to are:

-The Joy Formidable
-Typhoon
-Fred Armisen
-Ra Ra Riot
-Horse Feathers
-Surfer Blood

There are lots more, and you can see the entire lineup here.

Young The Giant will be playing also. I never really got into them, although I've actually seen them before. The Kooks opened for them a few years ago at the Crystal Ballroom for one of the December To Remember shows.

It could have been a better lineup, but it's by no means bad. I'm just still relishing the performance by Silversun Pickups from last September when they played for MFNW at Pioneer Square, and a few years before that when I saw The Decemberists play there as well.

Fred Armisen should be fun to see! My sister won tickets to see Jim Gaffigan at the Keller Auditorium last year, and to our surprise, Fred was the opening act. He put on a great show, and it'll be fun to see him again!

Vampire Weekend

Well, the new Vampire Weekend album came out a little bit ago.You can tell that they've done a lot of growing up in the 5 years since they released their first album.
Modern Vampires Of The City is more reminiscent of their sophomore album, Contra, with more mellow and experimental sounds.
Their quirky sound, references to vague and obscure things in their lyrics, and catchy courses are what make Vampire Weekend who they are. Modern Vampires Of The City a quality album, and you should definitely give it a listen and see for yourself.

I'm really bummed that they're playing the Keller Auditorium in a few days in Portland. It's a venue designed for theatre, musicals, opera, and ballet. NOT for musical performances. My parents saw The Shins when they played there, and said the sound quality was horrible, and that it almost wasn't worth it.


Here's the first single, Diane Young:

First Concert

When I was seven years old, I saw my very first concert. It was N'Sync at the Rose Garden. I remember my dad had put tickets in an empty heart shaped box on Valentine's Day for me and my sister, and we freaked out. I don't remember too much from that night, but there are three specific things I remember really clearly:

1. I was wearing a long sleeve orange tie-dye shirt, with butterflies on it.

2. I saw a girl wearing a homemade shirt that said "I love Lance" and I got really pissed off because I  loved Lance. The nerve of some people...

3. At one point during the show all the guys got onto this horseshoe platform that rose out into the audience, and my dad told me there were probably around forty feet away, and I was amazed at how close I had been to them.

Of course, this was before cell phones with video, so the only way to have recorded it would have been to bring a clunky old video camera, and that definitely wasn't allowed... I miss the times when people didn't always take videos though. People were more connected to the show and being present, rather than passively taking video to show their friends.

Anyway, that was the show that got me started. Then, three years later or so, I saw Green Day at the Memorial Coliseum, and Lifehouse at the Roseland. Those were my first three, and I'm not gonna lie, I sometimes still listen to N'Sync when I'm bored. Justin Timberlake will always be a guilty pleasure of mine.

Best Concert

My favorite concert I've ever been to has changed a lot over the years, but in 2009 that changed when I saw The Decemberists perform the entire Hazards Of Love album at the Edgefield in Troutdale.
I've seen The Decemberists 6 times, and every time I feel like they couldn't get any better, but they blow my mind every time.

Since Hazards Of Love is a concept album with a pretty complex plot line, seeing them play the entire album front to back was amazing. Here's a link to an explanation of the story: http://www.firsttube.com/read/the-decemberists-the-hazards-of-love/

Shara Worden (of My Brightest Diamond) and Becky Stark (of Lavender Diamond) were guest vocalists on the album playing the Forest Queen and Margaret, and were both performing with the band during the tour.

When they played The Rake's Song (a short little gruesome story about a single dad killing his three kids after his wife dies during childbirth), everyone onstage save for Colin Meloy on guitar and Nate Query on bass had their own drum and played along with the song creating an amazing and powerful sound.

Here's a video of them playing it:

It was a magical show, and on top of playing the entire album, they came back for an encore of 7 more songs. If you ever get the chance to see The Decemberists live, JUMP ON IT. They don't disappoint, and every show is incredible.

Here's a video from the concert (The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid):

New Band Alert

Just started listening to a 4-piece Irish band called The Strypes. Very talented kids, and when I say kids, I mean kids... They are all 16 or 17 years old. Incredibly skilled beyond their years though. I believe they'll definitely break through and become something big, so might as well jump on the bandwagon now.

They have a Beatles/Fratellis sound, with a hint of some Black Keys Guitar, and Arctic Monkeys vocals. Very classic rock with heavy blues undertones.

Here's a song of theirs called Blue Collar Jane:

Upcoming shows

Well, it turns out I'm not going to be in Portland this summer. So no Pickathon for me, and no Portugal. The Man at the Crystal Ballroom. But I got a job as a nanny in the Bay Area, so I won't be completely cut off from music. In fact, I might even be able to make it to Outside Lands. Portugal. The Man are playing in Oakland, which I might be able to go to, and Alt-J are playing there too.

It was just announced that Walk The Moon and The Mowgli's are going on tour together in the fall!!! I'm so psyched. I first saw Walk The Moon when they opened for The Kaiser Chiefs at the Wonder Ballroom in Portland, and instantly liked them. Then I saw them for $1 at the Crystal Ballroom as a part of a radio station promotion. Then I saw them again at the Crystal Ballroom when Family Of The Year opened for them. So now I get to see them again with The Mowgli's at the Roseland Theatre in Old Town Portland. That's going to be a great double bill, and it should be a really fun time.

If The Mowgli's come over for dinner that would just be the icing on the cake!

Festivals

Well, I think all the festivals have finally been announced for this summer. The biggest one (in my opinion) this year seems to be Sasquatch. I would probably be going if I didn't have something I was required to be at. Booooo.

Although Bumbershoot was announced recently, and it's a pretty decent line up. Tegan & Sara, Alt-J, Death Cab For Cutie playing the entire Transatlanticism album (!), Matt & Kim, and The Mowgli's to name a few. Since it's such a relatively inexpensive festival ($120 for all three days), it makes me want to spend $500 for a VIP Platinum ticket to access their secret venue that only the VIPs can get into. We'll see I guess.

I was also hoping to go to Pickathon in Happy Valley. I've wanted to go for the past few years but it never worked out. The big acts this year include Divine Fits, Feist, Andrew Bird, and the newcomers Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside. It's a bit more expensive though at around $260 for a three day ticket.

Coachella already happened, and this video basically sums up how I figured the concert goers at that particular festival were like.

Not to say that everyone is a "poser" or anything like that, but from all the pictures and things I've heard from a friend who went, girls who didn't shave their armpits for a day and wore a daisy crown considered themselves self proclaimed hippies. You're not fooling anyone hon...

Portugal. The Man

Portugal. The Man just announced a summer tour in the US for this year, and I'm SO EXCITED. They're playing the Crystal Ballroom on July 18th, and considering the two songs they've released from their upcoming album, it's going to be amazing.

Their latest song, Purple Yellow Red And Blue:

I started getting into Portugal. The Man kind of late in the game considering how long they've been around. They're such a quirky, trippy band that have some damn catchy songs.

The first time I saw them was at the Roseland theatre in Old Town Portland. The sketchy part of town... Anyway, I was psyched because the opening band, Telekenisis!, was a group I had been into for a while but never got the chance to see (by the way, the only band I've ever seen where the drummer was also the lead singer). I was waiting first in line with a friend, when a random hipster came up to us on his bike. I was a little hesitant considering we were in Old Town, but he was nice enough. His name was Francis, and he asked if we would hold him a spot while he went to a bar to meet up with a friend, and in exchange he'd buy both of our tickets. Of course we said yes (I would have done it even if he hadn't offered to pay, but hey..), and when he came back a bit before the doors opened we talked about lots of things, and somehow it came up that he used to be in a band called Halloweentown that was on tour with The Killers at one point. Then he explained how he was now a Realtor and that the bassist, Mark Stoermer, was buying a house in Portland and was actually going to be at the show a bit later. I can't entirely remember how it happened, but I think he was saying I should prank call him, and gave me his number. I've never tried texting or calling him 'cause that'd just be weird.

The second time I saw them was at the Crystal Ballroom, and it was extremely good. Unfortunately after the show, the friend I met up with got into a car crash. It was pretty lucky though, because as I was driving home (with my parents who were also at the show), we drove past her and we were able to help. She rear ended an SUV, and totaled her car. Luckily no one was hurt.

And finally, a very old picture of me and John Gourley from when I saw the band play at a record store in Portland called Music Millennium