#Santigold

SXSW 2012: MTVu Woodie Awards, Girl Talk Rocks Nike + Tenacious D & more

Ok, so after just a few hours sleep, it was time to get back out there. This is how it goes during SXSW – no sleep, steady diet of booze and BBQ, few showers, lots of walking and impulsive behavior.
First thing on the agenda was taking Matt to work but he had some errands he needed me to take him on first, so I thought we would grab lunch as well. Matt is all about the Thai food and I wanted to show some gratitude for his hospitality.
Over lunch he completely fucked my head up by dropping some personal bombs on me that were nuclear. I left there stunned after dropping him off and headed on take on the day –

Day 2 – March 15th

So after a few meetings and other loose ends I went over to the site where they were holding this year’s MTVu Woodie Awards –
I went last year, and it was a total red-carpet, star-studded affair with big names like the Foo Fighters etc. This year was going to be a little different as it was going to be outdoors and preceded by a little mini-festival called the Woodie Fest that was open to the public.
Not as elite and guarded as last year seemed more like the Grammys, so I was happy that it was going to be a more relaxed fair.
I get over there first for Woodie Fest to see ASAP Rocky –

 

 

It really seems like hip-hop mixtapes are the new indie-rock – Because the only press that picks up on them are the blogosphere and its readership is made up of usually white, 30-something nerdy obsessives – and at the Hip-Hop shows I saw this week that’s what made up mostly its entire audience – those people think that being in on something first is currency and since street lingo seems to change weekly, being on the ground floor of breaking hip-hop artists is tailor-made for this demographic. ASAP Rocky is perfect example of this, and to a lesser extent the act that followed – Machine Gun Kelly

 

Not bad but def more hype than skill –

The entire environment surrounding this event is drenched in douchebaggery – Their are amazing hot girls every where I look, but its those really hot girls that seem to date the worst dudes, with shitty tattoos – The obnoxious hipster set in colorful clothing, the fratty drunken shirtless dudes and their female counterparts, and I – the lone wolf walking alone amongst them in an hopelessly corporate parade of absurd proportions.
Who am I to complain? They really knew how to pander to this crowd – My wristband came with attached drink tickets – far too many for one person, and for THIS one person – Their were endless “lounges” hosted by a global entity –
For example, one could stroll along and visit the Reeses Lounge and help themselves to an endless supply of chocolate –
Go next door for the free BBQ and booze, and then walk down to the Good Humor booth for free dessert –

All of this and now the awards show is beginning that is hosted by one of those Jersey Shore dudes –
Again, who am I to complain? The girls are hot and everything in site is free, but their is a looming feeling that I completely do not belong here.
After some dubious awards are given to people that I have never heard of or have no interest in, my mood does turn cheery (free beer & BBQ does that to a man) with the anticipation of seeing Santigold –

 

She only did two numbers, but I think she is fantastic and I’m really looking forward to her show at the Spin Party tomorrow.
The actor/comedian dude Donald Glover from that show Community has a band called Childish Gambino that I saw at Fun Fun Fun Fest the last time I was in Austin last Fall, that were actually really good and they were supposed to perform next but apparently Glover fractured his foot and they had to cancel.
Instead we got another white-mediocre-over-hyped rapper,Mac Miller, who also won a bunch of these silly awards (if only contrivity and manufactured good were rewarded….wait…they are!)

 

Last but not least was probably the most unnecessary – They saved the biggest clown shoe for last, and is their really anybody with a more punchable face than Steve Aoki? – The lameness of his grand entrance of streaming above the crowd in an inflatable raft was completely lost on everyone here – He might as well of just had his limo parked onstage –

And for the next 20 mins or so he did his Aoki thing with huge gestures and insufferable mixes while Lil Jon and some dude in a colorful jacket he will one day regret wearing on television, pandered to the crowd as if they were selling hot dogs at a ball game.
I at least found some like-minded people as we had a mini-pot going guessing the amount Mr. Aoki was paid for 20 mins of his services for this thing – We dropped it as it was too depressing to think about.

Suddenly, a giant cake is produced for reasons that are unclear, I don’t know if or whose birthday it was or the occasion, but it did also produce perhaps one of the most irritating photos I’ve ever seen that makes my case solid –

 

However, I am so super happy to report that seconds after this little look at what a walking party I am pose – fortune smiled down on us all as Aoki lost his footing and fell off the stage with cake in tow, head-first as he actually pie-to-the-face himself. He was not injured so I can make fun of him. A fitting end to a super cheesy event.

So now I head from there over to this little joint called Haven, to see the mighty Tenacious D – Oddly enough, the only other time I have ever seen them live (and had not a clue who they were at the time like most people) was also here at SXSW, 12 freaking years ago.
I remember we went to see the Delta 72 and Modest Mouse, and after the Mouse had played, suddenly these two fat dudes come out and all 5k people at Austin Music Hall started freaking out and knew who these guys were (except us) – This was a bit before Jack Black’s film career took off.
I’m sorry to say that I missed openers Riverboat Gamblers – One of the best live bands you will ever see – Their singer Mike is an old friend and we used to work at the same record store several lifetimes ago.
But out comes the D and the place explodes –

 

Now, as funny and entertaining I find Jack Black and I do find some of their songs fun, I don’t count myself as a member of the tribe. That over-the-top sorta comedy has never done it for me – I have never found Jim Carrey or Will Ferrel funny in the least, though I’m sure they are both really funny men. They do it in a way that can entertain me for a bit, but its like being at a GWAR show, I can get excited, but after having blood squirted on me the 4th time, I’m usually over it.

I was scheduled to meet up with some suits after this for some drinks and where we were meeting caused me to pass by the Girl Talk party. I honestly also don’t give a fuck about Girl Talk or his annoying fanbase, but that motherfucker does throw one hell of a party, and I figured at SXSW it would probably be worth checking out. I also know that every person under 25 in a 10 mile radius would be trying to get in, and when I walked by the line, that was certainly confirmed.

 

I meet with the corporate folks and as we are about to wrap, I mentioned something about the ridiculous line at Girl Talk, (not realizing that I was talking to the sponsors of the event) cause they mentioned they were heading over there. That’s when they told me they were sponsors and asked me if I wanted to join them. Ok sure –

This is the essence of this conference – one minute I’m having drinks discussing sponsorship opportunities, the next I’m in a hollowed out Spaghetti Warehouse watching an unfathomably popular mash-up DJ, turning the place out like its Mardi Gras/NYE/4th of July combined, with free booze, covered in confetti, with the room all losing their shit.

 

Stay tuned for Day 3!!

Photos –

Roy Turner
Zachary Strain
Nate “Igor” Smith
Adam Sweeney
Karla Esquivel
John Davisson

Lollapalooza 2009

Sat Aug 8th

  Was gonna be hooking up with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs today, as they were asked last minute to replace the Beastie Boys who were forced to cancel because of Adam Yauch’s cancer scare. Then the mini-gig between acts on Perry Farrell’s stage. This city has this whole thing so perfectly organized. I was at this (since its been a destination festival in Chicago) once before when I was touring with Ween in 2006.
Got checked in and wrist-banded and all that and in time to catch the last half of Atmosphere who were awesome as always, and headed to my little between act mini-gig I was doing for Sony Playstation.
Insanely hot, and more crowded than I expected it being so early. Farrell had just done a little something on this stage so people were still around checking it out. Massive amounts of people.

  Thankfully my go-cart driver was savvy but I still had to fight to get to the stage to Santigold. The love for her was off the charts and got some of this biggest reaction all weekend. She was so freaking awesome, and probably the most fun I had of all the bands I saw. I saw her at the Moveon.org Pre-Inaugural Ball in D.C. earlier this year and this was no less fantastic. Did her portion of Jay-Z’s “Brooklyn (Go Hard)” and covered The Cure’s “Killing an Arab”. Astounding.

  I opted out of seeing Lyyke Li again for TV on the Radio, whom I can’t recall ever seeing in spite of the fact that they live down the street from me. I’m sure I have I just couldn’t remember because if they were this good last time I would have remembered, wow. They are one of those bands that I’m so sick and tired of hearing people heap praise upon, but it’s pretty undeniable, they rule. One of the most original bands in recent memory, and I have no one to compare them to.

   Now it was time to get the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s stage. One of the big moments of this band’s shows is the anticipation of what singer Karen O will be wearing this time. It’s literally just as much as part of the package as anything the band will play. It usually an original piece she has pulled together and its always over the top and never fails to steal the spotlight. When I saw her putting it on backstage, the look of glee on her face in a “wait till they get a load of me” smirk, let me know this more than a gimmick to her as she was visibly nervous as the stakes had been raised since they were filling in for the Beastie Boys. Acknowledging this by just doing the first couple bars of “Sabotage” was classy and subtle.

So after they got going I had to eat something as I hadn’t most of the day. Now one thing at these things (and you wonder why artists act like spoiled brats) is that they really take care of you. Golf carts to the stage of your choice, full catered meals and all the booze you can handle. So I had my driver take me to catering to see what was left of dinner. After I ate, I went to the Artists Lounge for a drink, and met these two really fun local girls. One of them, Chasity, I found to be a kindred spirit and this girl made me laugh from the second she said hello. We were behind the stage that Tool was playing at and I haven’t seen or cared about this band since I was in High School. One of the great things about this kind of festival is that it makes it easy to see things you would normally never patronize. If the circus was in your backyard, you might bend your neck to have a look right? Same principal here.  So we decided to walk down and check out the end of their set. I could hear the singer but I couldn’t spot him anywhere, and it wasn’t because of lack of perspective, it was like he was literally hiding. So the jokes of him phoning in his performance were abound.

Here are some tweets from the day:
“Tool are decent players but they are stuck in a really lame image and their fans are the worst.”
“Tv on the Radio are so freaking good. #Lollapalooza2009 ”
“Santigold is doing the Cure’s “Killing an Arab”
“the love for Santigold is off the charts! my goodness”
“just saw Atmosphere tear shit apart. #Lollapalooza09 “
 So I met back up with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs who were headed to the Spin Magazine Party, and it was then I was so thankful that my hotel was right across the street as I had time to change clothes, take a 10 min nap and make it there by midnight. Of course when I got there, there was this whole scene outside trying to get in, but we were ushered right in through a side door. I was excited about the lineup of Santigold with the GZA, followed by Passion Pit. This kind of music really thrives in this late-night kind of environment.

    Free booze and the like were flowing when I met two more locals that made the trip memorable. A really charming girl was chatting me up while holding her boyfriend’s camera equipment while he was shooting in the next room. One of the best conversations on the whole tour, I found out she’s a writer and all around bad ass. Her boyfriend was (obviously a photographer) and equally as cool. Ended up hanging with them for the rest of the evening. They insisted on taking a pic with me despite the fact that due to the events of the day I looked eerily similar to a member of Lynard Skynard.

Said goodbye to the Yeahs and my new friends after Passion Pit finished and made the walk back down Michigan Ave to my hotel before the sun came up. Knew tomorrow was gonna be more of the same. Good times.

Sun Aug 9th

I go have dinner where I met back up with Chasity. She was even more lovely than the day before and such fun that one, as who else could have talked me into going to see Snoop Dogg while in a food coma?

  He was fun like you would expect (as I’ve seen before) and this time he even had a full band with him to round out the sound. However, performance wise, it was as disposable as his image. A series of cookie-cutter call and response routines that made no difference, no impact and will not be remembered.
Chasity and I parted and promised to meet back up for Jane’s Addiction later, as I returned to my comfort seat in the south end to catch a bit of Lou Reed. Now no one can take away this man’s legend, or underestimate his contributions to the tapestry of Rock and Roll, but none of those also offer him a pass for the shit he pulled on this day. Every interview I’ve read with him as far as I can remember paints him to be a prick of the highest order. That bitter curmudgeon, with little regard for anything outside of his sphere. After living in NYC for awhile I’ve encountered these types in an albeit less famous capacity, but as far as I can tell, they walk around with a sense of entitlement that may be afforded to them, but they seem to think it makes them exempt from everything.
I will refer to Lou Reed’s “appearance” as more of a tantrum as compared to an actual performance. He bitched and moaned about technical specs, stopped more songs than he started and didn’t seem to care about momentum. Even more in bad taste was that if he seemed like he was reading instead of actually  singing its because he was. Get a load of the lyric monitors:

 He also went over his time delaying Band of Horses from starting on time by almost a half an hour. Dude just stay home next time.
Now it was time for the big buildup for the final band of the festival. Fittingly the weekend should end with Lollapalooza’s founder and the headliner of its original year: Jane’s Addiction. One thing that does annoy me at these events that the last band always pulls some ego thing where suddenly everyone’s credentials are deemed worthless during their set and you have to have these sudden new ones only distributed by the band. How fucking velvet rope horseshit can you get? And yet I’ve seen ALOT of bands do it. This time Jane’s pulled that shit, but coming from them, it wasn’t like a big shocker. I could really care less anyway, they meant literally NOTHING to me in the 90’s and I saw them earlier this year at the Playboy Party in Austin in a small intimate setting. The only thing is that I was already backstage and it made it difficult to get through the traffic to go out into the field to find Chasity and some other friends. So I ended up watching by myself and really I was so tired at that point they could have been joined by The Police and I couldn’t have cared less. However the show did yield a special guest in the form of Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry (I guess just looking for something to do while Steven Tyler is recuperating) on Jane Says.

  I was also trying to reserve my energy to catch a second wind, because this may have been the festival’s last act but I was ending my weekend in Chicago with one more band. The unthinkable collaboration that had been rumored for months was finally going to be a reality. Under a shroud of mystery, who given the weight of the players was totally justified, the trio of Josh Homme, Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones, collectively known (as we learned just days before) as Them Crooked Vultures, were making an historic live debut at historic venue the Metro tonight.
The band had no album, no single, not so much as a snippet, with given the climate of today is nothing short of a miracle, making it truly a debut, as NO ONE had heard ANYTHING. But again given the people onstage, expectations were extremely high, and were met and exceeded. We didn’t even know what to call the band as we learned later with their “official” name was. When you entered that night, instead of a ticket you just received a wristband that had the date/venue name, and 3 symbols (a la Led Zeppelin IV) with the Foo Fighters logo, the Q from the Queens of the Stone Age logo, and naturally John Paul Jones’s symbol from Zeppelin’s untitled fourth album.

Monday Aug 10th

So to illustrate how awesome Chicago is, I was staying across the street from Millennium Park and since today was my last day in Chicago I wanted to check it out and it being so close why not. I really wanted to do some John Hughes stuff but the weather in the early part of the day didn’t really permit it.
So I grab some food and after eating I cross the street to check out the park when I stumble upon a FREE Shellac show about to start! Holy freaking awesome!
The park is gorgeous and it looks like a place where a symphony would get down as compared to a weird punk band, but it had that same feel of like Fugazi in D.C., when a band is just embedded in the DNA of a city like that.

Right as I sit down in the seats up front, another staple of Chicago sits down with his family right in front of me. I didn’t want to bother him but like a loser I had to try to sneak a photo.  Can you spot Jeff Tweedy in this pic?

My gosh who’s next Barack Obama? Al Capone? This was very Chicago. Shellac bring some uncomfortable and unsettling to the table. Like you know this isn’t gonna be the verse-chorus-verse/fake ending/3 song encore thing. This was gonna be unpredictable and vulnerable, and it totally was. The bassist would answer questions while the band tuned, to much hilarity. The drummer was running all over the place with his drums. Their was definitely an indie/political vibe but the performance certainly didn’t suffer.