Tag: Live Music

Empire of the Sun | Coachella | 4/12/14 (PHOTOS)

IMG_5392

It didn’t surprise me that I didn’t make the cut to shoot Queens of the Stone Age’s set, so at the wise suggestion of a photographer from Canada, I decided to check out Empire Of Sun. Wow.

Empire of the Sun is an electronic music duo from Sydney Australia. Having achieved critical acclaim abroad, I was surprised that I had never heard of them before. Their set took place in the Sahara Tent, and I’ll be honest, I tried desperately to stay from that part of the festival grounds all weekend as it was usually overcrowded with molly-popping, inebriated, frat boys pushing their way to get in to rave. It was no exception this time around. Empire of the Sun absolutely packed the tent. Even after my time in the photo pit had ended, it took a good 5 minutes to get out of the photo pit area as security was trying to push back people trying to push their way in.

In terms of the music, truth be told, I really wasn’t paying too much attention to it at the time. I was more intrigued by the costumes, choreography and videos playing in the background. Total sensory overload. After the festival had ended, I looked up more of their music and as it turns out I actually enjoyed what I heard. One of their most recent singles, “Alive”, is really catchy.

On the photography front, being relatively short (5’8′), I noticed, for the first time, how high the Sahara stage was. I found it difficult to snap pics, which was a bit of a shame since the stage production for the band, costumes, videos and all, was pretty epic. I think I was still able to catch a few decent shots. What do you think?

 

Empire of the Sun Setlist Coachella Festival 2014 2014

 

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT BLOG ENTRIES OF OTHER BANDS I SAW AT COACHELLA!

by Categories: ConcertsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Pixies | Coachella | 4/12/14 (PHOTOS)

IMG_5360

When the Pixies were added last-minute to the Coachella line-up, I had a total flashback moment to my pre-pubescent years. I remembered buying a used copy of “Surfer Rosa” at The Wherehouse (remember those?) and being amazed that I was able to purchase a record with a topless woman on the cover.

I knew that Kim Deal was no longer performing with the band, so I knew that “Gigantic” (my favorite song) probably wouldn’t be performed, but I still wanted to catch some of my other favorite tracks sung by Black Francis like “Where Is My Mind”. When I read an article  that Paz Lenchantin was the bassist who they picked up in late 2013, my heart melted. Ummm, can you say high school crush?

When Pixes opened up with “Bone Machine”, I felt that the vocals could have been boosted a bit. I was standing close to a monitor, but it was hard for me to hear Black Francis singing. It really didn’t matter though. I spent most of that song singing along: “You’re looking like you’ve got some sun. Your blistered lips have got a kiss. They taste a bit like everyone”.

Watching three of the original members, and babe Paz, perform really brought my nostalgia into perspective. Though they recorded relatively few albums whose sales were modest, their legacy on rock music in the 90s is unquestionable. You can really their influence in all of the big time bands of that era. Nirvana. The Strokes. Pavement. Radiohead. The Pixies have their fingerprints and influence over all of their music.

The Pixies. Rock legends. Blessed to have been able to see them perform.

Pixies Setlist Coachella Festival 2014 2014, 2014 World Tour

 

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT BLOG ENTRIES OF OTHER BANDS I SAW AT COACHELLA!

by Categories: ConcertsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Future Islands | Coachella | 4/12/14 (PHOTOS)

IMG_5336

If Woodkid was the surprise set of my Friday, Future Islands was the surprise set of my Saturday.

Between catching White Lies and Banks, I took a pit stop in the media tent of the festival. While there, I noticed Samuel Herring, lead singer of Future Islands, hanging out after an interview. For some reason, perhaps due to the little sleep I had the two nights before, I went up to Samuel and apologized for missing his band’s set on Friday. Problem was, they were performing later that evening. D’oh!!!! He politely corrected me, and encouraged me to go check them out. I was a bit too embarrassed to show him that I had actually circled their set in my festival booklet, and opted to assure him that I would while asking for a selfie, which he graciously obliged.

As an aside, in those few minutes chatting with Sam Herring, I got the impression that he was one of the most humble and easy going dudes on the planet. Total bonus points in the “cool” column.

When the band took the stage and started performing, I was blown away. I had seen videos of them perform live online, but there’s nothing like watching Sam Herring rock the stage in the flesh. He performs with such a passion, you can’t helped but get hypnotized by him. His facial expressions, body language, even hand gestures all served the purpose to help tell the stories he was singing.

To put it bluntly, I fucking loved it. On record store day, I actually looked for their LP to buy. It was apparently sold out, so I ended up buying their album on cassette instead. It was the second cassette I’ve purchased in the past 15 years (the other being a copy of The Pharcyde’s  “Bizarre Ride To Tha Pharcyde”). I’ve played that cassette at least a half a dozen times since, and each time I think about their performance at Coachella.

If you enjoy bands like War On Drugs, Phantogram or St. Vincent, you should check out Future Islands. If you have the opportunity to see them live in a club venue, do it.

Future Islands Setlist Coachella Festival 2014 2014

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT BLOG ENTRIES OF OTHER BANDS I SAW AT COACHELLA!

by Categories: ConcertsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Kid Cudi | Coachella | 4/12/14 (PHOTOS)

IMG_5283

I met Scott Mescudi p/k/a Kid Cudi years ago when he was a guest artist on Snoop’s track “That Tree” (produced by Diplo off of Snoop’s album More Malice … a highly underrated track of a highly underrated album, in my humble opinion*). I remember stopping by the location where they were filming the video for the track, and I vividly remember laughing my ass off during my time there as Cudi and Snoop were acting out scenes for the video a la Cheech and Chong.

I knew that Kid Cudi would be a large draw at Coachella. Even though he no longer partakes the doobie, his music, for I’m sure many in the crowd, still resonates with that scene. No doubt, as soon as his set started, I could smell the scent of cannabis wafting into the photo pit.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable, and lively, set.  Cudi, who is the only man I’ve ever seen successfully pull off a crop top, ran from stage left to stage right, engaging the audience, and getting everybody in the audience to feed off of his positive vibes. It was an all hip-hop set (I don’t think he performed any WZRD tracks).

I heard that the following week, he was able to get the girls of HAIM to perform “Red Eye”, and MGMT to perform “Pursuit of Happiness”, with him. When I heard that, it was the first time I told myself that I wouldn’t have minded going weekend two.

*- Disclaimer. I do work for Doggy Style Records, but my opinions here are truly unbiased.

Kid Cudi Setlist Coachella Festival 2014 2014

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT BLOG ENTRIES OF OTHER BANDS I SAW AT COACHELLA!

by Categories: ConcertsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Julian Casablancas | Coachella | 4/12/14 (PHOTOS)

IMG_5262

 

After leaving the mellow and sublime sounds of City and Colour, I made the trek across the festival grounds to check out one of the two last minute line-up adds to the festival: Julian Casablancas. Though I was more familiar with his earlier work with The Strokes, I figured catching his new music, with his new backing band The Voidz, would be as loud, fun and dirty as one would expect. I wasn’t disappointed. There was even a moment, when I recording a clip for Instagram, when he almost fell off the stage onto me (see the clip below). That was cool.

The only The Strokes song that he covered was “Ize of the World”, and the rest of the set was filled with new music. The music sounded heavier and more punk than his work with The Strokes, and I didn’t mind that at all. Knowing the caliber of musician that he is (having worked with other artists in the past like Queens of the Stone Age, Eddie Vedder, Danger Mouse and Pharrell), I’m excited to check out his forthcoming album (tentatively titled “Can I VHS you”) and was pleased to have caught his last-minute set.

 

Julian Casablancas Setlist Coachella Festival 2014 2014

 

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT BLOG ENTRIES OF OTHER BANDS I SAW AT COACHELLA!

by Categories: ConcertsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

City and Colour | Coachella | 4/12/14 (PHOTOS)

IMG_5246

Though I hated having to leave CHVRCHES‘ set early, there was another band taking the Main Stage that I didn’t want to miss: City and Colour.  City and Colour is the acoustic/folk stage name of Canadian singer-songwriter Dallas Green, who previously was the lead guitarist and vocalist of the post-hardcore band Alexisonfire. As an aside, did you know that the name City and Colour is derived from Dallas (City) Green’s (Colour) name?

Truth be told, I wasn’t all too familiar with City and Colour’s discography, but having done a bit of research before attending the festival, I discovered that he had released 4 studio albums, 3 of which landing in the top 3 (two hitting number 1) of the Canadian Albums Chart, with his latest 2013 effort, “The Hurry and the Harm“, peaking at number 16 on the Billboard 200.

The music’s gentle grace swept over the crowd that had gathered for his set, and was given a much needed reprieve from the craziness of the past 24 Coachella hours. Truthfully, it was a the perfect set, at the perfect time. It reminded me of the time I saw Andrew Bird’s midday Coachella set in 2012; how the music enveloped me really put my mind at ease.

Dallas Green heads back up to Canada for a series of performance, but I recommend checking out City and Colour when he stops by in your town. Well worth it.

 

City and Colour Setlist Coachella Festival 2014 2014

 

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT BLOG ENTRIES OF OTHER BANDS I SAW AT COACHELLA!

by Categories: ConcertsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

CHVRCHES | Coachella | 4/12/14 (PHOTOS)

Chvrches, a trio from Scotland, is band that got a lot of praise from critics in 2013, and its easy to hear why. They debut album, “The Bones of What You Believe”, is an album that is sonically precise, bringing back to life the late 80s, synth pop sounds of Depeche Mode and Erasure, and the lead vocalist, Lauren Mayberry, is … well … cute as a button with an equally cute voice.

As their set was during the middle of the day, I didn’t get to experience the light show that usually accompanies their live performance that I’ve heard so much about, but it really didn’t matter. The music carried their set and I enjoyed the half hour that I was able to watch.

Lauren Mayberry was easy to photograph. Her natural beauty makes it easy for the camera to find a shot, no matter the angle. Ironically enough, my favorite two shots of her are the ones that some, perhaps, may not think are the prettiest. Rather, one is a close up shot of her squinting in the sun, reaching for notes a song (above), and another is a close up candid of her on stage when she stepped  away from the mic and the wind caught her hair as she caught her breath. What do you think?

 

CHVRCHES Setlist Coachella Festival 2014 2014

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT BLOG ENTRIES OF OTHER BANDS I SAW AT COACHELLA!

by Categories: ConcertsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Banks | Coachella | 4/12/14 (PHOTOS)

IMG_5207

 

After catching two post punk bands, I decided to switch gears and slow it down a bit and check out Banks. Jillian Banks grew up in Southern California and I first noticed her when she did a stint opening for The Weeknd‘s international tour in 2013. Her album, “Goddess,” is still on my list of LPs that I still need to pick up.

Though I thought her set would have been better suited for a time slot later in the day given the downtempo nature of her music, perhaps Goldenvoice  knew that she would be a strong draw no matter what time she performed before because she packed the Gobi tent at 3:45pm.

I had a difficult time snapping quality pics of her with the mid-day, natural light beaming into the tent, stage lights, and large hat worn by Banks which cast a sizable shadow over her face, but I did what I could. What do you think?

Unfortunately, there is no setlist available online for Banks performance the first weekend of Coachella. If any of you Banks fans know what songs she performed, please let me know in the comments so that I can add it to the body of this blog entry. Thanks!

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT BLOG ENTRIES OF OTHER BANDS I SAW AT COACHELLA!

by Categories: ConcertsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

White Lies | Coachella | 4/12/14 (PHOTOS)

IMG_5189

When I googled “White Lies” to check out some of the music videos they had out, I was immediately drawn to their sound. “There Goes Our Love Again” and  “Bigger Than Us” were the first two videos I found, and I quickly put a check mark next to their name to remind me that they were a band that I needed to see perform live at Coachella.

I got to the photo pit in the tent they were performing about 15 minutes before their set was to start, but they had fans already waiting at the railing; several wearing White Lies t-shirts. Though some critics may not fully appreciate their music, it was obvious to me that their fans thought otherwise. Personally, I liked their music. Though they may not be breaking any new barriers with their musical style, what they have recorded and released is something darkly lush and rings familiar … at least to me.

I’m glad I had the opportunity to catch them at the festival. Hopefully, they’ll come through Los Angeles in the future for a club gig. I’d pay to see that.

White Lies Setlist Coachella Festival 2014 2014

 

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT BLOG ENTRIES OF OTHER BANDS I SAW AT COACHELLA!

by Categories: ConcertsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Drowners | Coachella | 4/12/14 (PHOTOS)

IMG_5168

 

The Drowners are a post-punk band from New York City whose music, critics write, is heavily influenced by the Smiths, the Strokes and the Arctic Monkeys. Since I like the Smiths, the Strokes and the Arctic Monkeys, I decided to check out their set at Coachella.

I enjoyed the music in their set as it was catchy and upbeat, and I can imagine them doing well picking up fans through steady touring/gigging. They’ve opened for bands like Arctic Monkeys, The Vaccines and Foals, so I have the feeling that they have a good idea of what they are doing.

I had a bit of a battle with the lighting for their stage show, and I didn’t feel like I was able to capture many clean pics to share, but check ’em out and let me know what you think!

I wasn’t able to find their setlist online, so if any of you Drowners fans know what it was, please let me know in the comments so I can add it to the body of the entry!

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT BLOG ENTRIES OF OTHER BANDS I SAW AT COACHELLA!

by Categories: ConcertsTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment