Thought I’d throw this bit of info your way, since I did just see these guys on Saturday. The Star Tribune is reporting that Rage Against the Machine will be playing at the Target Center in Minneapolis during the republican national convention.

I wonder how many white-haired guys in suits we’ll see at the show?

Instead of writing a full-blown post today or Friday, I’m instead hoping to give you quality, fun for everyone music and calling it a week. Today’s song comes from Jack Peñate and is called Spit at Stars. I dare you to not get out of your chair and bounce to this.

I don’t want to hear your political bulls*%&,
Just play your next song.
- “Fan” during Rage Against the Machine

I’m back from lollapalooza and my feet may never be clean again. The above quote is “funny” for two reasons. One, because Rage Against the Machine is a political rock band, and secondly, the “political bulls*%&” that was being proclaimed from the stage was actually lead singer Zach de la Rocha asking the crowd to calm down because people in the front were getting hurt.

I’ve decided to write up a long long post about lollapalooza and let you take your time reading it. This might be my only post for the week because after this last weekend, I’m just exhausted.

What a Crowded Affair

The first and last word to describe lollapalooza 2008 is crowded. For the first time ever, they sold out all three days. That’s 75,000 people walking shoulder to shoulder for ten hours a day in 90-degree heat. I think you’re seeing what I’m getting at. Prior to this year, lollapalooza had never sold more than 170,000 tickets, so to have 225,000 people crammed into Grant Park over three days, it was a little crowded.

Added to the fun was the four-block line inviting us when we showed up. Luckily, somebody had the brains to say, “Hey, maybe we should open up both entrances. That might get people through more quickly.” Ok, I sound bitter, but when I first got in line, I expected to be there for an hour and a half, so when it only took 20 minutes, I guess I was somewhat happy.

In prior years, if you showed up right as a band was playing, you could usually find yourself a spot near the sound tent. This year, if you showed up on time, you were lucky to get a spot 30 yards from the sound tent. Typically, this leads to prioritization - pick one band every two or three time slots and camp out near the stage. I didn’t want to play by those rules, so I spent a lot of time in the back staring at the tv screens.

What About the Music?

Sorry, so far I’ve been being negative. Even though this was my least favorite lolla out of the three that I’ve been to, I still had a good time. Friday’s best performance was from Radiohead, who combined a fun (and difficult to describe) light show with a good combination of old and new songs to put on a fun ending to the day. Because their show leaned more toward their slower songs, it did leave some people disappointed.

My favorite band on Saturday was actually the opening band - Margot & the Nuclear So And So’s. They gave an entertaining set of old and new songs and since it was an early show, you were able to get near the stage without having to smell the guy in front of you. Trust me, you never want to smell the guy in front of you.

Finally, the best show on Sunday (and probably of the weekend) went to The National, who gave a solid performance that left me grateful that they ended my weekend.

So Who Should I be Checking Out Now?

My favorite finds of the weekend were Chromeo and Steel Train. Chromeo is skinny man / fat man electrofunk duo with a good beat and mannequin legs for keyboard stands. Added to the entertainment factor was that P-Thugg (the large side of the equation) was sans shirt, but still wearing a large gold chain.

For Steel Train, I may have enjoyed these guys more because their stage was in the shade, which felt nice after being in the sun all day. That being said, they’re a straight-forward indie rock band with an intensity that reminded me of a lot of bands I liked early in my hipster career.

My Bad?

On Saturday, apparently Lupe Fiasco blew out the front set of speakers on the main stage, leaving Rage Against the Machine with less speaker power with which to play two songs, tell people they need to calm down, and repeat.

Speaking of my bad, Erin had signed up for the lollapalooza text messages. On Saturday, from 3:30-5:00, there was a scheduled section called “Perry & Special Guest.” Perry being lollapalooza founder Perry Ferrell, and special guest (according to the text message) being ex-Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash. Erin and I went to the stage and hung out for the event. Forty-five minutes and multiple sound problems later, Slash had not shown up, so we walked away.

You Want to Get Back to the Music?

Sure.

Highlights: Gogol Bordello, Radiohead, Broken Social Scene, Wilco, Rage Against the Machine, Chromeo, Flogging Molly, Girl Talk, The National

Lowlights: Mates of State (much better in a club), Bloc Party, The Ting Tings, Iron and Wine

Best Cover of the weekend: Blues Traveller: I Want You to Want Me.

Worst Cover of the weekend: Saul Williams: Sunday, Bloody Sunday. He couldn’t come near the high note that is sung about 30 times over the course of the song.

Gregg Gillis and his “band” Girl Talk deserved a main stage. With all the people that he crammed into the side street, effectively plugging a main route across the park, putting him on a side stage wasn’t a great idea. Lets just say Chris got to know the fat guy in front of him a little too closely.

I’ll also throw out there that it wasn’t the best set from Black Kids, either, but I’m willing to give them a pass. They just put out their first album, and just because it was extremely hyped by the blog machine doesn’t mean it’s time to turn your backs on these guys. If you hype a band this much, then it’s your fault that they don’t live up to your expectations.

Overall Thoughts?

While the list of headliners this year was stellar, the medium sized bands is where the festival was lacking, at least compared to previous years. If it weren’t for the final three bands that I saw - Flogging Molly, Girl Talk, and The National - I would probably be considering not going back next summer. As it sits right now, I had a good, but not great time, and hopefully next year will be better.

Today’s song comes from the above discovered band, Chromeo. Check out Tenderoni.

After I check out of the hotel Sunday morning, I won’t have internet access again until I get home on Monday. At that point, it will be up to me to decide whether or not I’m too tired to write up a summary of this weekend. For now, I’ll just say that it’s been beyond crowded and has been interesting.

Isn’t it ironic,
Don’t you think?
- Alanis Morissette

Isn’t it ironic that on day one of lollapalooza, I’m writing about day 3? Nope. Partially because I’m writing this on Thursday, and partially because it wouldn’t be ironic, just like none of the items in Alanis Morissette’s song are ironic, either.

Must See Band of the Day (Famous Band): This one’s easy: The National. It’s worked out well that for the last two lollapaloozas, I haven’t felt the need to stay for the last band of the festival. This year is no different. That’s why for me, the best band of the day will be The National.

Must See Band of the Day (non-headliner):  Just like day two, the band to see conflicts with the runner up for small band to see. I’m going to side with What Made Milwaukee Famous just slightly ahead of The Weakerthans, even though either of them would rock your day.

Who’s My Opener (early show of the day): I’ve heard good things about Ha Ha Tonka, but I’m going to go with Chicago’s own Office as the early show to see. Dance rock is the best way to start your lolla day, in my opinion.

Biggest Conflict of the Day: As I mentioned before, I’d really like to be able to see both The Weakerthans and What Made Milwaukee Famous, but it doesn’t look like it’s in the cards.

Sunday is always an interesting day for me. Like last year, there’s a large gap in the middle of the day were I’m not so enthused about all of the bands. Add to that the absolute exhaustion that I’ll be feeling, and it could make for a long day waiting for The National to play.

Since I’m heading to Chicago this morning, I thought I would play Sufjan Steven’s song, Chicago. I’ve been wondering what Sufjan’s been up to lately, and can’t really find anything out. He better get moving if he expects to write albums about all 50 states in the union.

Sunny day,
Sweeping the clouds away.
- Sesame Street

I’ll explain the quote later. Are you ready to learn the lingo of love at lollapalooza’s day two? I’m sure you are.

Must See Band of the Day (Famous Band): Close call. On one hand, I know that Wilco will put on a great show. One the other hand, I’d like to see what kind of energy that Rage Against the Machine brings. More than likely, it will be a game-time decision. I’m saying 75% chance of Wilco right now.

Must See Band of the Day (non-headliner): I’m going with Broken Social Scene. It will be interesting to see how many of the regular members show up. From what I hear, some members with solo projects are playing near Chicago and don’t have a concert on Saturday. Possibilities? Probably not.

Who’s My Opener (early show of the day): This would be Margot & The Nuclear So And So’s. Typically, large groups make festival shows more fun due to the fact that not everybody needs to be playing on every song. Margot has eight members. I’m expecting good music and a show.

Biggest Conflict of the Day: This is my biggest conflict of lollapalooza - Broken Social Scene vs. Battles. Complicated tempo’ed art rock vs. equally complicated prog rock (isn’t all prog rock complicated?). If only the stages weren’t half a mile away from each other.

Ok, onto explaining the above lyrics. The interesting part about Saturday is that while there are two headliners, there is also a DJ set going on at the same time. DJ Momjeans (aka Danny Masterson) aka Hyde from That 70’s Show. He doesn’t have any music on his myspace page, just the Sesame Street theme song.

I decided to ignore Pitchfork’s review of The Black Kids‘ new album Partie Traumatic and picked it up this week. It’s good, but not great. I’d like to say that it’s a little overproduced and too smoothed out. Check out the opening track, Hit The Heartbrakes.

I know what you’re thinking. “Hey, I’m not going to lollapalooza. Why should I have to read through this stuff?”

Well, you might think that you’re not going to lollapalooza, but then come this Saturday, you’ll be listening to bands from the other side of the gate wondering why you didn’t have tickets so you could follow this guide. Perhaps a purchase of tickets is in order?

Must See Band of the Day (famous band): This one is really easy: Radiohead. Is there currently a band bigger than Radiohead? This is the band of the festival playing uncontested. The main negative about having Radiohead is that there will be a large crowd standing at the AT&T stage all day so that they have front row seats that night.

Must See Band of the Day (non-headliner): I could make a pretty good case for three bands here, but I’m the most excited to see Mates of State. There’s two reasons for this - I really enjoy the guy/girl harmonies, and I’ve had good experiences with two person bands. If you’re two people on stage, you need to have personality to pull the show along, and I’ve heard that these guys have more than enough of that.

Who’s My Opener (early show of the day): You actually have two choices here, depending on your musical tastes. If you want to start off the day with some thumping beats of African hip-hop, then you should start the day with K’Naan. If you prefer 80’s hair metal, then Bang Camaro is your choice.

Biggest Conflict of the Day: This is a big one because the sets kind of overlap, but not completely: Raconteurs vs. The Cool Kids vs. CSS vs. Bloc Party. If you want to see The Raconteurs,  you’re missing out on the other three. If you don’t mind skipping the Raconteurs, it’s possible to see both Bloc Party and one of The Cool Kids or CSS.

Although I like K’Naan, I’m probably more of a hair metal guy, myself. So, today’s song comes from Bang Camaro and is called Pleasure (Pleasure).

h

Mondays gone,
Tuesdays fadin’.
Wednesdays gone,
Thursdays all but wasted now.
- Stone Temple Pilots

Sorry, Kevin. No mid-nineties song for you today. I did give you some Stone Temple Pilots lyrics, though. That should make you happy.

You’ve probably noticed that I haven’t been talking about any concerts this summer. I take a hiatus from concerts in the summer due mainly to going to see lollapalooza, which is only a week away! To top that off, I hope to be in Milwaukee next Thursday to see The Go! Team, CSS, Matt & Kim, and Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head to start the weekend off right.

Deerhoof has released their first single from their upcoming album, Offend Maggie. Wait, you were expecting a song? There’s a song there, it’s just in sheet music form. Get working on your version and upload it. I, unfortunately, will be too busy, and not that musically inclined to create a noeviltwin version.

For those of you who are really wondering who Deerhoof is, I posted a song by them last September. Accompanying it was some musical renditions of the “Don’t tase me, bro” guy.

Today’s song comes from Bodies of Water, whose new album, A Certain Feeling came out on Tuesday. Their previous album had a youth choir / Christian Polyphonic Spree sound. Now, it would appear that they’re getting preachy and using a lot of organ. By preachy, I mean, out of the nine songs on the album, six are over five minutes long with five of those over 5 minutes, 50 seconds. Check out Darling, Be Here.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes,
Turn and face the strange.
Ch-Ch-Changes,
Just gonna have to be a different man.
Time may change me,
But I can’t trace time.
-David Bowie

There were a couple of CD’s released yesterday that I was somewhat interested in hearing. Amongst them was the new album by Black Kids, called Partie Traumatic. These guys have been receiving a lot of buzz lately, especially from Pitchfork, due to their four-song EP. Well, apparently Pitchfork want to apologize for hyping them so much.

Speaking of new albums, the new TV on the Radio album, Dear Science, drops September 23rd. Now there’s an album to be excited about.

Not wanting to be left out, eMusic has dropped a major redesign of their site. Most of the updates have gone to the album pages. Check out the album page for the new Broken Social Scene Presents: Brendan Canning album. The album art is now big and can get even bigger. Click on that art, then click on download hi-res and it will become large and in charge. So large, in fact, that I can’t fit it on my computer screen.

Lousy small monitor with the scratches on your screen from all the times that I’ve moved you.

I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that.

What? Oh right.

Amongst the other nice features now included on the eMusic album page is a Discover section, which appears to include as many articles about the album that you’re looking at, and then fills in with other eMusic content. There’s also a section called “Dig Deeper on the net” which includes YouTube videos, Flickr images, and wikipedia entries, although I’m pretty sure that I read that the Flickr images kind of violate the Flickr terms of services, so they’re not up anymore.

I should also mention that some of the wikipedia results are funny. Check out the results for a band you’ve heard here before, Bodies of Water. Apparently, a body of water is “any significant accumulation of water, usually covering the Earth or another planet.” Interesting.

Even though there are things to be fixed, (I really miss the user list feature) it’s definitely a strong step in the right direction and looks like it’s going to be great to use for the future.

Today’s song comes from the next installment of the Broken Social Scene presents series. It’s from BSS co-founder, Brendan Canning. Gotta say, it was hard to pick a song from this album to properly represent it. BSS is definitely a band that you want to engulf yourself into the entire CD. Check out Hit The Wall.

P.S. I know that I’ve written a lot here, but I really like the website for these BSS presents albums. Click on the album cover to check it out.

Last weekend was a nice weekend with no commitments or responsibilities, so I took about an hour to discover some new music. Searching was a little interesting, and I really only picked up four tracks, but we’ll get to that. While looking for music, I thought it might be a good idea to teach you some of my tricks.

I’m not going to give you them all because that would lead to a very long post. Also, if I gave away all of my secrets, then even more websites like mine would pop up. I only have a small following and I’d prefer it if it didn’t get any smaller.

On to the tips!

1. Find websites where you can listen to full songs. Spinner is a great place where you can listen to entire albums. 30-second clips rarely give you a good idea of how either the song or the entire album sounds. The A.V. Club and stereogum are also two places where you can get your hands on some sweet tune-age.
2. Keep your ears peeled. That’s right, I used an action usually reserved for your eyes and flip-reversed it right back at ya. The indie scene is exploding in front of you every night on prime-time television, whether it be during the show or at the commercial break, indie music is getting very popular to set the mood. Google is great to find out what songs are played during what shows.
3. Don’t always believe what you read. Use websites to find bands and then decide for yourself what ranking you would give them. I’ve loved albums that other websites have hated. That’s why music is great - it’s so subjective. Note that this is not applicable to boy bands or pop country.
4. Similar to #2, use multiple sources. Sometimes you have to cut through the hipster snobbery and find a website that agrees with your point of view. I’ve found that a negative review can change the way that I listen to an album that I previously liked. If I can find somebody else who liked the album, there’s a camaraderie there that helps. This is assuming that you need some kind of validation that the music you’re listening to is actually liked by somebody.

So, as I said before, after all of my searching, I only picked up four tracks this last weekend. Only picking up four tracks usually happens when there’s an album that I could like, but it has too many tracks for me to blindly download them all. The fact that I only downloaded part of one album after an hour of searching means that I didn’t necessarily find anything that was worth my money based on 30-second clips.

The band that I picked up the four tracks from is called Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, and well, they’re hard to describe. Allmusic calls them both country punk revival and psychobilly. I like psychobilly, personally, although I think that Old Testament Country Gospel may suffice. They like the fire and brimstone side of religion, it appears. Check out This Land is our Land Redux.