Tag: music festival

Leslie Stevens | Way Over Yonder | Santa Monica Pier | 9/27/14 [Photos]

To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!

THE ACT: Leslie Stevens | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

SOUNDS LIKE: 

THOUGHTS: Leslie Stevens sings with a sublime, soprano frailty that reminds me of country singers like Tammy Wynette and Dolly Parton. I don’t know much about her, but I think she is a Los Angeles native (her latest album was recorded at Five Star Studio in Echo Park). There was a wave of country that came out of California with the likes of Merle Haggard … perhaps she cane the catalyst for another California, Country renaissance.

PHOTOS: Darn that red spotlight!!!

 

VIDEO CLIPS:

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The Lone Bellow | Way Over Yonder | Santa Monica Pier | 9/27/14 [Photos]

To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!

THE ACT: The Lone Bellow | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

SOUNDS LIKE: 

THOUGHTS: These guys were great to watch live. This Brooklyn-based group of transplanted Southerners have a brand of Americana (a rocking and rolling, country sound) that is a perfect soundtrack for a beautiful summer afternoon by the sea. Having released an album in 2013, the group is planning to release their sophomore album in early 2015, and it was produced by Aaron Dessner, a member of The National who writes the majority of their music (Listen to the track by CLICKING HERE). Look, if The Lone Bellow are good enough for Mr. Dessner, it’s good enough for me.

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VIDEO CLIPS:

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Riff Raff | Sunset Strip Music Festival | 9/20/14 [Photos]

To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At The Sunset Strip Music Festival, CLICK HERE!

THE ACT: Riff Raff | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

SOUNDS LIKE: 

THOUGHTS: Riff Raff. He started from the bottom now he’s here. He first came onto the scene as a contestant on MTV’s reality show “From G’s to Gents”, and he’s still a G. His eccentric style coupled with crazy lyrics are on full display with his latest album, “Neon Icon”, that was released earlier this year, and his performance at the Sunset Music Festival was filled with his catchy hooks and undeniable swagger. Perhaps the most amusing, and out of the box, moment of his performance was when he went “old school” and got his long, flowing locks braided during a song. Definitely a first for me.

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VIDEO CLIPS:

To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At The Sunset Strip Music Festival, CLICK HERE!

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Lenny Goldsmith | Way Over Yonder | Santa Monica Pier | 9/27/14 [Photos]

To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!

THE ACT: Lenny Goldsmith | Facebook | History

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THOUGHTS: Though I typically do my research before attending festivals, I didn’t do so with this year’s Way Over Yonder because I, for the most part, knew a majority of the acts that were scheduled to perform. One of the artist’s that I really had no clue about was Lenny Goldsmith. When I walked into the carousel stage area, I noticed and elderly gentleman seated behind a keyboard, back by a full band and background vocalists. I was at first skeptical of what I was about to hear, that changed as soon as he started singing. Soulful blues music filled the room and I quickly pulled my phone out to see who this man was. It turns out Lenny has had quite the history in the music industry: fronting several bands and performing records that were Billboard #1 singles, mentored by Clive Davis, was, for a time, the lead signer of Tower of Power, it all made sense. I couldn’t stay for his entire performance, but I was glad I was able to hear what I heard.

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VIDEO CLIPS:

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The Barr Brothers | Way Over Yonder | Santa Monica Pier | 9/27/14 [Photos]

To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!

THE ACT: The Barr Brothers | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

SOUNDS LIKE: 

THOUGHTS: The first band that I was able to catch perform on the second day of Way Over Yonder was the Canadian folk quartet The Barr Brothers. Their acoustic sound was a pleasure to listen to during the mid-afternoon, especially with Sarah Page playing the harp on a number of selections. I mean … how often do you get to see a harp played on stage at a non-classical concert? I was particularly impressed with their instrumental arrangements and musicality.

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VIDEO CLIPS:

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Cold War Kids | Sunset Strip Music Festival | 9/20/14 [Photos]

To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At The Sunset Strip Music Festival, CLICK HERE!

THE ACT: Cold War Kids | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

SOUNDS LIKE: 

THOUGHTS: Honestly speaking, I’m not very well versed in Cold War Kids discography. I was a big fan of their singles back in 2007, but for one reason I stopped following their music. Their set at the Sunset Strip Music Festival put them back on my radar. I still need to educate myself and get caught up on their catalog, but watching them perform “Hang Me Up To Dry” was all I needed to bring me back.

PHOTOS: The lighting was really tough do deal with. Because there were so many photographers, we were broken up into groups of two. I was stuck in group two, set to shoot songs 4 – 6. It looked like the lighting was going to be decent as I noticed bright, clear lights flashing throughout the opening of their set. By the time I got into the pit, the lighting design went predominantly purple. Oh well. I guess thems the breaks.

 

VIDEO CLIPS:

To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At The Sunset Strip Music Festival, CLICK HERE!

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Local Natives | Way Over Yonder | Santa Monica Pier | 9/26/14 [Photos]

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THE ACT: Local Natives | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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THOUGHTS: While I was still in Law School, I worked part-time at a law firm that represented a band called Cavil At Rest. I was high on their music, and felt that they had a unique sound that set them apart from other up and coming bands. When they released their first full length album as Local Natives, they performed at Coachella to support it. Since I had one of their Cavil At Rest shirts, I brought it too the music festival in the off chance that I’d bump into them. As fate would have it, they did a autograph signing session and I presented the shirt to them to get signed. They were taken aback with the shirt, and thought it was pretty cool. Flash forward to the present day, and they were closing a festival of their own. It was a killer set of their most popular songs, and it was a pleasure seeing them rock the stage like I knew they would. As an added bonus, they even had Moses Sumney join them on stage to sing a cover of Little Dragon’s “After The Rain”.

SETLIST:

Local Natives | Way Over Yonder | Setlist

PHOTOS: I had a tough time snapping quality pictures of Local Natives set. I just never seemed to hit the right lighting with my shots, but a few of them came out ok. Hope you enjoy them.

 

VIDEO CLIPS:

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Little Hurricane | Way Over Yonder | Santa Monica Pier | 9/26/14 [Photos]

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THE ACT: Little Hurricane | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

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THOUGHTS: This was one of my favorite sets at Way Over Yonder. This duo’s dirty blues rock was pretty damn awesome. They’ve got a little bit of a White Stripes vibe, except the drummer smiles a lot more. I definitely need to catch this band again when they’re up in Los Angeles performing.

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VIDEO CLIPS:

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Crosses ††† | Sunset Strip Music Festival | 9/20/14 [Photos]

To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At The Sunset Strip Music Festival, CLICK HERE!

THE ACT: Crosses †††  | Facebook | Twitter

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THOUGHTS: Chino Moreno, best known as the lead vocalist for The Deftones, is also a member of several other groups. His latest work with Crosses has been something I’ve been dying to hear live since they released their self-titled album earlier this year. Definitely more downbeat than his work with The Deftones, it’s actually a sound/style that I prefer. Brooding and heavy, their performance was exactly what I was hoping for and I certainly hope that I’ll get a chance to catch them in a club gig in the future.

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VIDEO CLIPS:

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Lucinda Williams | Way Over Yonder | Santa Monica Pier | 9/26/14 [Photos]

To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!

THE ACT: Lucinda Williams | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

SOUNDS LIKE: 

THOUGHTS: Lucinda Williams. What can you say about this woman and her incredible music? Honestly … you can’t say much since it’s already been said. Having won multiple Grammy awards and being recognized as one of America’s best songwriters, it goes without saying that when she sings, you have to listen to every word, or your just missing out.

PHOTOS: Wish I had had more time in the pit for Lucinda’s set. Though the pics below aren’t bad, I feel like I should have been able to do a better job shooting around shadows and the microphone.

VIDEO CLIPS:

To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!

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