fyffest2013 – #DKLPHOTOS

MGMT | FYF Festival | August 25, 2013

To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.

A member of MGMT ran by me during their set back at Coachella 2008.

The last time I saw MGMT was when they played a tent at Coachella back in 2008 supporting their debut album Oracular Spectacular. The buzz around them was huge at the time, and their singles “Kids“, “Time to Pretend” and “Electric Feel” were getting tons of radio play. I remember their set being energetic and raucous, with the band members jumping off stage to run through the packed crowd. One of the guys ran right by me.

My interest in the band tapered off a bit with their follow up album, Congratulations, probably because it wasn’t as youthful and fun as its predecessor, but having looked at the festival schedule, I decided that I would at least catch the first half of their set before heading to the tent that was supposed to host Omar Souleyman’s performance (which in hindsight, was a bad idea as Omar’s set was delayed by about 30 minutes, meaning I could have stayed for the entire MGMT set).

Taking to the main stage, MGMT’s psychedelic video images and lighting was a far cry from what I remembered about them back in 2008. I sensed that they weren’t as carefree as they were 5 years ago, but I guess that’s just something that comes with age.

In a bit of a light moment, they called to the stage Henry Winkler (aka “The Fonz”) to play a huge cowbell for a song. Gimmick or not, it was a fun moment that indicated to me that the band still had it’s youthful playfulness that made them jump off the stage, and run through, the crowd at Coachella.

The Fonz (Henry Winkler) on Cowbell. More Cowbell!!!

Keeping an eye on the time, I was simply hoping that they would play some of the songs that I knew and loved and having played “Time To Pretend” and “Electric Feel”, I left their set with a smile on my face and skip to my step.

The setlist, sourced from setlist.fm was:

Alien Days
Time to Pretend
Introspection (Faine Jade cover)
Weekend Wars
Your Life Is a Lie (Joined by Henry Winkler on cowbell)
Electric Feel
Mystery Disease
Siberian Breaks
Kids

September 12, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: Andrew VanWyngarden, art noise, concert, electric feel, electronic, fyf, fyf fest, fyf festival, fyf festival 2013, fyfest, fyffest, fyffest2013, indie electronic, indie pop, kids, mgmt, music, neo-psychedlia, pop, psychadelic, Review, time to pretend, video Leave a comment

How To Dress Well | FYF Festival | August 25, 2013

To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.

How To Dress Well's double mics. — How To Dress Well’s double mics.

Though he released a highly acclaimed album back in 2010, I didn’t become familiar with Tom Krell’s (p/k/a How To Dress Well) music until earlier this year. While I was reviewing the various acts that were slated to perform at the festival this year, I clicked on the musician’s link from the FYF Festival website and thereafter spent the next hour playing his music. I was hooked, and circled his 5:20pm set time as “must attend”.

I spent the months leading up to the festival buying albums of all of the artists that I was interested in, when I purchased How To Dress Well’s 10” EP “Just Once”. It may be one of the best purchases I’ll have made this year. Limited to 1000 copies, that vinyl is described as a one time-only, orchestral release, part of proceeds from sale of which went to MindFreedom.com to benefit those with mental health issues. It was recorded in the memory of one of Tom Krell’s friends and was simply, amazingly, hauntingly beautiful.

I was able to get up front for his set. While the stage hands were setting up, a DJ was spinning some 90s era music. An Aaliyah song started to play and I noticed Tom offstage singing along. When he took to the stage, he was accompanied by a keyboardist and a violinist. Using the a two-microphone technique, he jumped into his set opening with a new song tentatively titled “For Cyril.” Amazing. And it kept on coming.

His music, with sparse drums and layered, falsetto vocals, set a mellow vibe as haunting as the recordings I had purchased. It may have been a rather dark set for the middle of the day- which Tom acknowledged half way in when he introduced an upbeat song with, “This is a dance song, because it’s too early to be this dark”- but I was loving every minute of it. He further made light of the dark set by also telling the crowd that it was his mom’s birthday. He mixed R. Kelly’s “I Wish” into one of his songs to his audience on their toes. At the end by telling the audience that if there was anything he would want to impart on the audience before he left, it was to be, “Be nice to people.” A simple message amongst complex, stunning music.

His set met my expectations, save but a few technical difficulties, and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for any more intimate club gigs that he may have in Los Angeles in the future.

The setlist was sourced from setlist.fm:

For Cyril (New Song)
Suicide Dream 1
Cold Nites
No More Death
& It Was U
Ready for the World
Set It Right
Repeat Pleasure (New Song)

Tom Krell p/k/a How To Dress Well with his violinist.

Tom Krell p/k/a How To Dress Well with his keyboardist.

September 4, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: Alternative R&B, concert, fyf, FYF 2013, fyf fest 2013, fyffest, fyffest2013, how to dress well, htdw, indie electronic, lo-fi R&B, love, photos, pictures, R and B, R&B, Review, tom krell, video, vocal loops Leave a comment

TV On The Radio | FYF Festival | August 24, 2013

To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.

TV on the Radio is a critically acclaimed, Brooklyn based rock group which formed in 2001. I’ll be honest with you, I wasn’t too familiar with the band’s repertoire. It probably has something to do with the fact that their first album came out while I was in law school. I was pretty much out touch with everything for those three years of my life.

Playing catch up before the festival, I spent time with their 4th studio album “Dear Science” and watched some of the videos (“Wolf Like Me” and “Will Do”) that popped up on the top of the list when I googled them. It was hard rocking, complex music. It’s very hard to describe. Their music is an amalgam of styles that seems to mesh together seamlessly. Having worked with members of Yeah Yeah Yeahs on other projects, it was actually quite fitting to have them in the slot right before YYYs.

Their crowd at the FYF Festival was impressive and they played a confident set of songs, old and new. They’ve released five albums and five Eps. I’m going to have to do some more listening and pick up some of their albums. Any suggestions?

Set list sourced from setlist.fm:

Young Liars
Golden Age
Dancing Choose
Blues From Down Here
Million Miles
Mercy
Repetition
Wolf Like Me
Forgotten
Starting at the Sun

September 2, 2013September 2, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: alternative rock, art rock, concert, experimental rock, fyf fest, fyf fest 2013, fyfest, fyffest, fyffest2013, indie rock, kyp malone, live, Review, set list, setlist, tunde adebimpe, tv on the radio Leave a comment

Deerhunter | FYF Festival | August 24, 2013

To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.

Leaving The Locust, I headed back to the main stage to meet up with some friends and to get a good spot for both TV on the Radio and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Performing on the main stage, as I was walking toward it, was an experimental noise rock band from Atlanta, Georgia: Deerhunter.

Brandford Cox of Deerhunter at FYF Fest 2013

I wasn’t familiar with the band, but from where I was, and what I could hear, it came off pretty good. I’ll have to admit, I was a little thrown off as I thought the lead singer was a woman. After all, he was wearing a dress and a wig, and his voice was kinda Yoko Ono-ish. It was more shocking than anything when he tore off the wig half way into the set, and for a minute there I was lost in my own confusion.

Though I arrived midway through their set, I could tell that the music hit on elements of alternative, punk and shoe gazing. I was starting to get into it by the time their set came to a close, but before I knew it, Bradford Cox (the lead singer) put his wig back on, picked up a purse from the ground, and walked off stage.

The set list from setlist.fm: