The Monday Mix!

A bit of a new idea to treat our incurable cases of the Mondays: Start off each Monday with a short mix that you can get through in under thirty minutes which will hopefully provide you a band or two to check out further!

The first band, Avid Dancer, is a band I just started listening to. Their album is a hazey journey that feels like I'm drifting through the 1970s (see: first track of their album, "All the Other Girls"). If you like "I Want To See You Dance," you have to check this album out.

I've already spoken about my obsession of Hippo Campus, so I had to include my favorite song from their EP, "Little Grace."

The second I heard "Hard Time" from Seinabo Sey, the Swedish 24 year old, I thought of Adele. Her pipes sound pretty similar to her, but the heavy drum beat plots an original course and leads the way.

After seeing The Weeknd at Coachella last weekend (no, I'm not gonna do it), his talent became even more apparent. He has a number of tracks that I can't stop listening to (it was between this and "Earned It" - the track with an amazing 140 million listens on Spotify!), but the transition from "House of Balloons" to "Glass Table Girls" around 3:25 mark is downright dirty.

If you like the xx, then you'll love Jamie XX's new track, "Loud Places."

Finally, if you haven't read the Haim sisters or Taylor Swift tweeting about Tobias Jesso Jr., the new piano man, and if you're into that kind of thing (which I admit isn't for everybody), I wanted to end the mix with his lovely ballad, "Without You."

Playlist - That's a Rap, Vol. 1

There's been an ever expanding list of rappers over the past few years that have brought rap back to the forefront of music for me. Sometimes I wax poetic and think of the good ol' days when A Tribe Called Quest and Biggie (amongst so many others) were making the best rap music imaginable. But now there are rappers influenced by them, their sounds, the culture, and everything in between, spitting out their own rhymes. This is the best rap has been since those golden days in the 90s - just listen to Kendrick, Drake, A$AP Rocky, and Kanye. 

I finished Volume 3 of this playlist series today, but I thought it might make more sense to start from the beginning!

I made this playlist back in 2012 as I was discovering a number of my favorite rappers today, such as Childish Gambino, Kendrick, A$AP, Schoolboy Q, and Joey Bada$$. These were primarily my favorite songs by these guys at the time, and I'm hoping for those not as well versed in rap (or those who might have given up on rap for a bit) that this playlist will be a primer for the next two volumes I'll put up in the next few weeks or so!

Coachella - Day 3 Recap

Sahara Tent

Started from the bottom now he's here. Headlining Coachella.

I was looking forward to Drake’s set as much as any other act this whole weekend. He has the charisma, the catalog of hits, and the abilities as both a rapper and singer to reach the entire audience. He is at the top of the game right now with only Kanye and Kendrick ahead of him (as much as I love Killer Mike, he's just not there in terms of reach). Putting Drake as THE headliner of Coachella was a huge gamble, but an epic performance could have catapulted Drake up in the discussion as the best rapper instead of the third guy.      

Standing with all my friends on the Coachella grounds with tens and tens of thousands of people around us, surrounded by speakers, clouds of smoke, and giddiness, the energy was palpable. Drake had the crowd in the palm of his hand as it was not only one of the biggest crowds of the whole weekend, but everyone was dancing and singing along to warmup tracks like “Lose Yourself,” and “N****s in Paris,” getting hyped to dance and sing along to so many of Drake's great songs. But then we waited. Drake gets on stage 25 minutes late and comes out so soft. No bangers, nothing to get the crowd into it, just a subdued malaise. If he had started the show off with "Started from the Bottom," the whole crowd would have immediately been invested and going wild. Instead, eight songs in my group of friends sadly asked if they could go see another group because they were so disappointed. 

Not only that, he was barely even singing (certainly not hitting the notes) any of his parts and he had backing vocals (of himself) on a lot of his tracks. The whole crowd looked a bit shell-shocked. THEN he brings out Madonna (which will be laughed and poked at by every rapper), they weirdly make out, and then she performs some of her own stuff. The whole experience was surreal…and terrible. The one and only rule for acts playing at festivals: PLAY THE HITS. We''ll see you on tour if we want to hear "Preach." 

Back on a positive note, the rest of the day was thoroughly enjoyable. I spent the most time of my Coachella career in the Sahara tent, dancing and frolicking with my friends to a number of different EDM acts, including Madeon, RAC, Martin Solveig, and Kaskade. As pictured above, the Sahara tent is like getting showered with lights in a cave. Visually, it’s astounding. I came to a bit of a realization that I had to open myself up a bit musically to hang with my friends from EDM act to act, but I'm glad I did it because I had a great time being with them. 

On the indie side, I got to see a bit of St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Fitz and the Tantrums, but unfortunately missed Florence and the Machine. Annie Clark from St. Vincent is a real performer, one I couldn’t take my eyes off of. She’s a beauty and shreds the guitar! 

I'm going to post my favorite photos from Coachella tomorrow!

Coachella - Day 2 Recap

“Thank you guys for showing up to see a grown ass man singing about kissing his brother,” Father John Misty dryly stated as the crowd failed to know how to respond, possibly not realizing that it was a lyric in the track “When You’re Smiling and Astride Me” that he had just finished. FJM sounded great and he was his hilarious self, bringing a girl out from the crowd, putting her in a throne surrounded by balloons, and serenading her while sitting on her lap. She had no idea how to react, it was awkwardly comical. 

After another full day of 10-12 miles of walking and rocking, more memorable acts materialized. Run the Jewels completely owned their set, and it was the best crowd of the festival. Killer Mike, one half to the rap duo, is a force to be reckoned with. “I’m fat, I’m cute, and I got mooooooves,” Killer Mike screamed to the hollering crowd as he begun to playfully dance across the stage. The craziest reaction was when Zack de la Rocha (from Rage Against the Machine) came out to rap his verse to “Close Your Eyes.” Travis Barker from Blink 182 came out later to play drums on a track. Easily one of the best sets of the day.

The Weeknd came out 15 minutes late, but he made up for it with a great performance which showcased his amazing vocal range. The guy makes love music. And he makes it well.  

Jack White was the highlight of the evening. I had seen him previously on his most recent tour and wasn’t super impressed with that show, but he brought everything to Coachella, including White Stripes and the Raconteurs songs. He was loud, he was country, and I still can’t get over his drummer who had to stand up to slam his drums properly.    

“I sincerely hope,” Jack White proclaimed well into his hour and a half set as the crowd finally had a chance to breathe from his guitar wielding, ear pounding set, “that each day you realize that music is sacred.” 

Music is sacred.

Top 5 Acts: 

1. Jack White
2. Run the Jewels
3. The Weeknd
4.  alt-J
5. Father John Misty

Coachella - Day 1 Recap

85 degrees, bluebird sky, slight breeze. A 300 pound Albanian-American with a beard to his chest is rapping about culinary items, blunts, and women. His name is Action Bronson, and I couldn’t be happier he’s the first act I see. I think all good rap acts follow one main theme: he/she does not have a hype-man, i.e. the other rapper present just to fill in words and lines that a) rappers forget b) can’t rap because it takes too much breath to get through the whole line, or c) they think people like it? It ruins a live rap performance. 

All the great live rappers I saw yesterday, including Action Bronson, Ghostface Killah & Raekwon, and the surprisingly amazing Azealia Banks (whose stage presence was inviting, electric, and engaging while her rapping was ON POINT), did not have a hype-man (or woman), and displayed the vocal dexterity and rhythm that the great rappers can display not only on the record but live. 

But the whole day was made by one act, someone I had just listened to a few days prior because I had heard such great things: Charles Bradley, the 66 year old soul singer who got into singing because he saw James Brown perform at the Apollo when he was 14. Or as he was introduced to the crowd by his bandmate, “Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for the Black Swan, the Black Rose, the Screaming Eagle of Soul, Charles Bradley!” Out Bradley rolls in an all yellow suit, saunters up to the mic, and lets out a heart rattling howl, so loud, hitting such high notes, everyone just starts clapping in appreciation. His vocals were better than anyone I heard yesterday. 

Listening to Bradley and his band, His Extraordinaries, I could hear his influence on the Alabama Shakes’ sound. The Shakes were another great act, Brittany Howard’s pipes came second place to Bradley’s. They played songs from their new album which sounded pretty great and a bit different. 

The War on Drugs deservedly got a set on the main stage and started with the long jam and one of their best, “Under the Pressure.” The set culminated with “Red Eyes” as the crowd hooted and hollered. 

The band I was most excited to see was Tame Impala. They did not disappoint. As I posted earlier, I think “Let It Happen” is the best song they’ve written. It sounded incredible live, and the crowd seemed really awed by the ins and outs of the song and the different directions it took. Kevin Parker told the crowd it was the most nervous he’d been in a while, but it didn’t show as the played most of their hits, including “Elephant,” “It Feels Like We Only Go Backwards,” “Mind Mischief,” “Apocalypse Dreams,” and the new slow jam, “‘Cause I’m a Man.”

Then, finally, there was the headliner: AC/DC. From the first note, the crowd was loving it. I can’t get over how Brian Johnson still manages to scream and squawk and sound like it was still the 1970s. And guitarist Angus Young’s patented flip kick as he motors across the stage is without a doubt the best original guitar move of all time. There’s nothing like seeing it live.

One day down! I'll try to post more pictures tomorrow. 

Top 5 shows today:

1. Charles Bradley
2. AC/DC
3. Tame Impala
4. Alabama Shakes
5. Azealia Banks  

Playlist - Headed to Coachella - My Day by Day Schedule!

I am headed to my second Coachella in as many years. My first year was one of the most overwhelming, enjoyable, and surreal experiences I've encountered. It felt like inhabiting another planet, one in the middle of a desert surrounded by palms trees surrounded by mountain ranges encapsulated in music in a sea of one hundred thousand people. It's an event all music lovers should experience at least once.  

Last year, the highlight was the band pictured above, Arcade Fire, who put on what I think was the best show I've ever seen. There were so many other memories: Pharrell bringing out Snoop, Tyler the Creator, Diplo, Nelly, Busta Rhymes, Diddy, and Gwen Stefani - each performing one of their hits Pharrell's genius helped create. There was the crowd for Kid Cudi, which was so staggering in numbers that I could only shake my head and laugh. Nas bringing out Jay-Z, Outkast beginning their set with the most insane start: B.O.B., Gasoline Dreams, ATLiens, Skew it on the Bar-B, Rosa Parks, and Da Art of Storytellin', Part 1. Are you kidding me??? Coachella is packed with so many memorable moments, I really look forward to what this year has in store.  

As for this year, I'm stoked to see a ton of different acts spanning so many different genres. Coachella finally released the daily schedule, so I wanted to share my schedule of whom I hope to see (in order from earliest in the day to headliners) and the ONE track I pray to hear from each of them!

DISCLAIMER: Time constraints! It's so tough to choose with so many bands. I won't be able to see the whole sets of all of these bands and I'm sure I'll miss some too - but those in BOLD are must-sees for me. 

Day 1

1. Vic Mensa
2. Allah-Las
3. Action Bronson
4. Ab-Soul
5. Charles Bradley
6. Sylvan Esso
7. Angus & Julia Stone
8. Raekwon and Ghostface Killah
9. The War on Drugs
10. Alabama Shakes
11. Interpol
12. Steely Dan
13. Tame Impala (I had to pick them over Todd Terje - SUCKS not to see him)
14. Flying Lotus
15. AC/DC

 

 

Day 2 

1. Parquet Courts
2. Perfume Genius
3. St. Paul and the Broken Bones
4. Royal Blood
5. Gramatik
6. Toro y Moi
7. Chet Faker
8. Jungle
9. Run the Jewels (sorry Belle and Sebastian!)
10. alt-J
11. Father John Misty
12. This slot I have to choose between Jack White, Tyler the Creator, FKA Twigs, and Tycho - Jack White seems like the obvious choice, but I've seen him twice. Tyler might be out...think I could see three?
13. SBTRKT
14. Ratatat
15. The Weeknd 

Day 3

1. MO
2. Panda Bear (playing the same time as Mac Demarco! But seen Demarco!) 
3. Sturgill Simpson
4. St. Lucia
5. Jenny Lewis
6. The Cribs
7. Ryan Adams
8. Kaskade
9. St. Vincent
10. Jamie xx
11. Florence and the Machine
12. Fitz & the Tantrums
13. Odesza
14. Drake

I think Friday might be the day I'm most excited for, but each day is seriously an embarrassment of riches.

I plan to give a recap each day with the amazing moments and acts, post some photos, and generally have a kick ass time with friends.

Stay tuned!