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(10/21/15 6:33pm)
Tonight, The Bishop hosts Chicago-based six-piece Whitney. Whitney members include Max Kakacek of the now defunct Smith Westerns and Julien Ehrlich of Unknown Mortal Orchestra. Taking a page from both ex-projects, Whitney is a unique rock band whose songs will leave you longing for those simple summer times. They released their debut single “No Matter Where We Go” this summer, which you can find below. With opening acts Good English and Bloomington’s very own Sunspots, tonight’s show at The Bishop should be a great time!
Also, check out what the band had to say when they stopped by the WIUX studios earlier today to chat with our very own Sarah Thompson!
Tickets are $8, Doors at 9, Show at 9:30
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wlWHvvykgA
(09/21/15 5:47pm)
Last week was Riot Fest, and it was sick. Once bands were done performing, they remained busy, catching other artists' sets amongst other obligations. We were lucky enough to get a chance to sit down with Kyle Fasel of Tinley Park based pop-punk band Real Friends to get up to date with the band's recent activity.
Max Hogg: I'm Max Hogg, and I am currently with Kyle Fasel of Real Friends
Kyle Fasel: How's it going Indiana University? Actually, before we do the interview, I gotta tell you I used to have my own radio show in high school. Fun little fact.
MH: In Tinley Park?
KF: No, but near Tinley park, in a town called Homewood. I went to Homewood-Flossmoor High School. WHFH 88.5 FM.
MH: That's awesome! How important do you think radio is today?
KF: Yeah, I think it's awesome. Like, its kind of transitioning to podcasts more now, too. I listen to a lot of podcasts. I like wrestling a lot, so I listen to wrestling podcasts. I feel like anything you want to listen to, there is a podcast about it. But of course regular radio is always there for anyone who wants to listen to it as well.
MH: So you guys recently were touring and had a small hiatus, but how did it feel to play Chicago again? It has been a while since you last performed here.
KF: Yeah, I mean we still consider Chicago to be our hometown shows even though we are from the suburbs. We do play sometimes in the suburbs but very rarely. So when we play in Chicago, our friends and family are there. So it was really nice. I can't remember the last time we played Chicago, must have been The Maine tour. It was in the spring, but yeah, it was awesome to play in this setting too, outside. The weather as we played was actually nice, so I can't complain.
MH: Yeah it's gotten a little bad since. So you guys have played other festivals before, such as Vans Warped Tour. What about Riot Fest do you like that is unlike the other festivals?
KF: It kinda seemed to me that there was a bigger mixture of bands than a Warped Tour, which is great. I think we did have a lot of people watching us today that have never heard of us, or we had people who had heard of us but never listened to us. So yeah, it was kind of cool to have that crossover, like younger and older fans. I think it's a variety of bands at a festival like this that puts your band in front of a demographic that wouldn't normally go see us with three other pop-punk bands when we tour.
MH: Going back to Warped Tour, there has been a lot of controversy lately with Kevin Lyman, the founder of the tour, requiring all artists and staff be 21 or older. What's your opinion on that?
KF: It's kind of tough for me to say. Like, that's really unfortunate that it has to be that way. If they do decide to do that, I guess I could understand that, but it is really unfortunate that some people in bands and people that work for bands can't keep it all good. We'll see. I know Warped Tour is a while away. I know people in bands and people that work for the tour that are under 21 years old, and it is really unfortunate. But if that is what has to be done, Kevin Lyman, it's his festival. If that's what he thinks is the best option, then I trust his opinion.
MH: Right on. So it has been a busy 2015 for you guys with constant touring, two new music videos, and a documentary. Could we expect another busy year in 2016, perhaps some new music?
KF: Yeah, we're writing an album right now. We have been off the road now for about two weeks or so. We leave in about another month, and we've been writing a lot. It's been going awesome. I think it's safe to say that this time around is just the smoothest writing process with a lot of progression too. I think the newer stuff we're writing is a little different. So yeah, we've been really busy with that. Like next year, we are definitely going to put out a record, gonna tour on it, and that whole thing.
MH: So your next tour coming up is the AP Tour alongside Mayday Parade, This Wild Life, and As It Is. How excited are you for that?
KF: Very excited! I think that's going to be the last tour of the album cycle we are on now for "Maybe This Place Is the Same and We're Just Changing." I'm really excited for it. Mayday Parade is actually a band we met at Riot Fest in Toronto. We played there in 2013. We've been wanting to tour with them for a while. We've played shows together and became good friends with them, but this is the first time we are going to properly tour together. This Wild Life, we're friends with them. As It Is, we met them at The AP Awards and they were really nice. I think it's just going to be a great tour. It's cool to see a band like us with Mayday Parade. Something a little different but just close enough.
MH: Dan Lambton was actually featured on the recent Mayday Parade song "One of Them Will Destroy the Other." Is there any further interest in you guys collaborating?
KF: We haven't really done anything. Actually with that we were on tour, and we all went to the studio. They were recording that and it was really cool! They recorded in an old church that was made into a studio. It was awesome. So Dan just did the vocals on it. Derek from Mayday Parade asked him if he wanted to be on it, and that was really it. Nothing else in the future, but if they play it on the tour, I'm sure you'll see Dan out there doing vocals, and it'll be really cool.
MH: I bet the crowd will love that! You also do spoken word personally and just released new material. Can you tell me about that?
KF: Yeah! I've been doing it since about 2011 or 2012. I think it was right when we got the band started actually. I kind of have all these writings that were too long to be songs, so I remember I took one this one time and just wrote off it, and I had these paragraphs. It was kind of cool. It's like a release for me. Music has always really been my therapy, the thing that kept me going. It was funny, because when I finished the spoken word, the first one, and I put it online, I remember the response. I felt the exact same at that moment that I do about music. I was like, "Wow!" It was like a release, working my skill. I love doing it. I just did one recently. If anyone wants to check it out they can go to my bandcamp page. It's kylefaselspokenword.bandcamp.com. If you search my name on youtube, they all come up as well. But yeah, I love doing it, and I don't want to ever stop doing it.
MH: Do fans or people ever bring up your spoken word to you?
KF:Yeah, it seems like every tour probably once every couple days someone comes up to me and is like, "I love your spoken word!" Like, if you look at the views, not that is matters, it doesn't have nearly as many views as Real Friends' songs or anything like that. I kinda like that it's just a side type thing. I've been offered to do tours and stuff with it, but to me it's not a live thing. It's me. Literally one day I've woken up and wrote an entire poem, went home, messed around on guitar, spoke over it, and I'm like, "Wow! This morning I didn't think I was..." ya know? It's kind of like the spark of having it be real simple. Like I love Real Friends. I love doing it. It's great, but everything is very timelined out, thought out. It's cool for me to have something to just do. It's like, cool, I'm going to do this right now, and I'm going to have everybody listen to it when I'm done, right now. No release date. So it's my more simple thing, my side project.
MH: Now that your set is out of the way, is there anyone you are looking forward to seeing?
KF: Every Time I Die. I think I missed them though. We were just on tour with them, so I saw them millions of times, so it's not a big deal. No Doubt playing tonight! That's pretty cool! Alkaline Trio. Bayside played. That was awesome! So yeah that's pretty much it off the top of my head.
MH: No Ice Cube?
KF: Oh no, I don't think so. I don't think I'm tough enough to watch Ice Cube.
MH: Haha fair enough! Well thank you so much for your time Kyle. It's been a pleasure. Hopefully you guys swing by Bloomington sometime soon.
KF: We played a show in Bloomington at Rachel's Cafe! There was six people there. Six people at the beginning of 2012. So if we can go back, and those six people bring six friends, and we can play in front of twelve people, then we'll come back!
(09/17/15 5:59pm)
All good things must come to and end, and so must Riot Fest. All around me heading into Douglas Park, plenty of exhausted Rioters lamented the end of this year’s fest. However, their sadness quickly turned to excitement as they walked into the park, psyched for what was certain to be another amazing day. Despite not being as star-studded as the previous night, day 3 was still full of plenty of amazing artists for festivalgoers to enjoy.
Riot Fest was educated in the afternoon. The subject was hip-hop and the teacher was De La Soul. From the moment they hit the stage class was in session.
“Who here likes Drake? Meek Mill? Kanye? Yeah, those guys are great, but we was here first,” said Maseo of De La Soul. Despite being from 1987, De La Soul stays relevant as they rocked their generation spanning crowd. From crowd led chants to an entire crowd waving their hands in unison, De La Soul had it all as they showed the crowd why they are one of the best hip-hop trios of all time.
Once my trip to the east coast with De La Soul was over, I made my way to the Rebel Stage to catch classic Ska act, Less Than Jake. This show was for the punks as Less Than Jake rocked the crowd with their brass section. The set was full of fast paced, upbeat songs that moved the crowd to form one of the largest circle pits I’ve ever seen. At least one hundred people ran in the circle while Evolution Kid, the band’s mascot, shot water guns and threw toilet paper into the crowd. It was a nonstop adrenaline rush that got the crowd pumped for the rest of the day.
I soon took a trip down south as I caught Yelawolf’s stage. Getting the award for most creative setup, Yelawolf’s backing artists consisted of a shred guitarist and DJ. The crowd was full of people sporting cowboy boots and hats as they crowded to see the Alabama rapper in person. There weren’t too many words spoken by Yelawolf as he went through his set, spitting lyrics so fast it was hard to follow. The only time he took a break from playing his own music was to lead the crowd in a country sing-a-long, desperate to remind the crowd that he is a white boy from the crowd.
I left during the last song in order to get a closer spot for the party that was coming up. This was no regular party however. This was an Andrew W.K. party. Playing alongside with backing band, Andrew’s hard rock music was what plenty of Rioters looked forward to for the third day.
“You’re doing great…. At living! Keep it up! Let’s Go!” Andrew W.K. assured the crowd throughout his set. Andrew maintains a positive twitter account, always encouraging people to have fun. This was no different in person. Andrew asked that the press only be allowed into the photo area for the last three songs. This only last one and a half songs as the crowd was driven into a frenzy by his biggest song, “Party Hard.” When his time was up, he thanked the crowd one last time for being there before heading off stage, leaving all in high spirits.
As night carried on, the big names were set to hit the stage. While Tenacious D played for a packed crowd across the field, thousands were made to wait for a West Coast OG. Snoop Dogg took 30 minutes to show up to his set, much to the chagrin of those waiting. Once he finally came out, Snoop Dogg treated the crowd to exactly what they expected from the D-O-double-G, coming out to “Gin & Juice” with a blunt in hand. Snoop’s set went on like a haze as the crowd took every opportunity to smoke weed in his presence. Closing out with “Young, Wild, & Free,” Snoop’s set came to an abrupt end in order to make room for the headliners.
In similar fashion, Modest Mouse came out to a smoke filled stage. The lights created ominous silhouettes as they performed “Night on the Sun.” The band filled the stage with their equipment, making good use of the space provided as they put on a show to remember for avid fans. Even though it didn’t have all pushing and shoving System of a Down had a night ago, the field was still packed for the indie rockers. All through the night the band played through their sentimental discography, including songs from both their new and old albums, for all to enjoy. It was a somber ending to what was primarily an energy filled weekend.
(09/17/15 5:50pm)
After a long night’s rest following the first day of Riot Fest, it was an extremely late start for me on day 2 of the festival. Despite early rain showers, the sun was shining bright as I walked into Douglas Park around 3 p.m. People were still running around from stage to stage, laughs were still audible in the air, and most importantly, the music was still blaring. Even hours after last night’s sets, the festival hadn’t slowed down a bit. If anything, the presence of the sun only excited Rioters even more, and they had plenty to be excited about. Saturday’s lineup was so appealing that I even overheard “if you are missing today, you are missing Riot Fest” at the top of some enthusiastic fan’s lungs. And I say I would have to agree. Riot Fest’s second day had so many big names on the bill that it was hard to keep up with it all.
Punk rock veterans Pennywise were first up on my list for the day, and what a way to start. Amongst a sea of pop-punk in today’s music industry, Pennywise stuck to the roots. Furious guitar, rapid-fire drumming, and chanted lyrics, Pennywise had it all. Songs felt like they were no longer than two minutes as the band continued to just assault the audience with nothing but pure, raw punk music.
After Pennywise, it was time for something a little different. Bootsy Collins, the Parliament-Funkadelic legend, was in the Windy City, and he made it clear right away: he was there to funk. Us. Up. With his Rubber Band, all clad in astronaut equipment, Bootsy put on a spectacle that had to been seen. After the band led the crowd in summoning him, Bootsy Collins hit the stage donning a large, blue-sequined robe and massive star shaped bass. Referencing to various P-Funk hits, Bootsy Collins dazzled the crowd with stunning solos, sex-filled lyrics, and jaw dropping showmanship. The crowd went wild as Bootsy finished a memorable set in a Duncan Keith Blackhawks jersey. Even after Bootsy had left the stage, plenty of fans sticked around, chanting “we want the funk” in hopes that he’d return.
Merle Haggard stuck out like a sore thumb on this lineup when I originally saw it. One of the original outlaws was to perform country music at Riot Fest? To me, that is the beauty of the festivals, to be able to see huge acts from all kinds of genre’s in one place. Merle Haggard had one of the largest audiences of the day, with people of all ages coming to see him. The crowd sang along as Merle performed his special brand of country.
“I don’t think you’ll ever see something like this again, so take a good hard look,” a father said to his young son. With stars in his eyes, he could only help but nod as I did as well. “Okie From Muskogee” played as Riot Fest applauded the legend. As Merle left the stage, a younger crowd started pushed their way forward to be close to the next act: System of a Down.
System of a Down is a major band that has been a huge part of many people’s lives, mine included. However, the band had been on hiatus from 2006-2010, never really giving the kids of my generation a chance to see them. Despite being back together since 2010, this was their first gig in Chicago since their reunion. People had flocked from various towns surrounding Chicago to see their childhood heroes. However, this is where Riot Fest turned ugly. Despite being no room left, the crowd continued to surge forward, crushing people and making it hard to breathe, and we were still half an hour from start time. Once System of a Down did come out, the crowd once again surged forward. The only spaces being created were by the various crowd surfers. The show only went on for three songs before security took over.
“They are saying we have to stop. Trust us, we want to play too, but it’s not worth anyone dying over,” front man Serj Tankian said as he urged the crowd to step back. The show only continued for one song until the band was cutoff halfway into hit song “BYOB.” This stop lasted far longer, nearly 15 minutes. Once the band was given the ok, there wasn’t another stoppage as the crowd didn’t want to lose anymore time. Mosh pits opened everywhere once more as the band blitzed through the rest of their set to make up for lost time. Playing songs from all but one of their five albums, their setlist was well refined. System of a Down has had a reputation for destroying festival sets, and this was no different. As the crowd dispersed from the stage, the ground was left destroyed, a small memento from the thousands of moshers. Mud caked nearly everyone walking away as they went home to rest up for the final day of the fest.
(09/13/15 3:32pm)
As classes start to begin all over the country, it seems as if all the time for fun has dried up. However, festival season is still going strong, and Riot Fest Chicago shines bright as the last dying light of summer fun in the Midwest. Even though there was a short rain spell and gloomy skies throughout the entire first day, this didn’t stop Rioters, an interesting mix of punks, hip-hop heads, and parents, from enjoying all that Riot Fest had to offer.
As the gates opened at noon, slowly the masses began to fill Douglas Park to see the opening acts. It was a sluggish start to the day, but that all changed when pop-punk group Real Friends took the stage. Performing in front of a mixed crowd of diehard fans and casual onlookers, the Tinley Park natives blazed through hit songs from their debut album Maybe This Place Is The Same And We’re Just Changing and their earlier EPs. The band transferred their energy to the crowd, and once the show was over, the crowd went off into the festival psyched for the rest of the day.
Shortly after, a large mass of older attendees gathered around the Rock Stage to watch rock fossils Living Colour.
“We’re going to burn this mother**ker down, starting with the various wheel,” exclaimed front man Corey Glover, and they did just that. Sound problems pushed the start time back a couple minutes, so the only option was to play a nonstop performance full of showmanship and amazing solos. Just as the set was reaching the end, the crowd was given what they wanted, a performance of classic “Cult of Personality.”
Even when there is a lull in interest for the currently performing bands, Riot Fest offers plenty of activities to keep all festival-goers happy. In the middle of Douglas Park is a carnival, fully equipped with Ferris wheel, tilt-a-whirl, and plenty of carnival games. If these don’t interest you, then the more curious will enjoy the Hellzapoppin Circus Sideshow, a genuine circus show inside the festival.
The late afternoon was filled with aggressive performances from metalcore and punk rock groups, such as Every Time I Die, Eagles of Death Metal, and Atreyu. However, the show most anticipated by myself was of American-Indian rapper Heems. Known for his role in Das Racist, Heems has evolved into his own entity, fully equipped with songs about his American experience and heartbreak. Having started late, Heems had to cut a couple songs at the end in order to play “Flag Shopping,” a telling story of life for brown people post-9/11, surprisingly the only time 9/11 was mentioned the entire day.
As the afternoon shows wrapped up, crowds of people flocked to go see Celtic punk legends Flogging Molly. The sun came out brief to shine down on all the Rioters losing their mind to the fast paced music. Going through all of their classic tunes, it was hard not to get dragged into the energy emanating from the mosh pits scattered throughout the crowd. In between songs, Dave King assured the crowd that they were beautiful and was loving all the punks in the crowd. He even took a brief break to point out the various mohawks in the crowd. The band just fed off of the excitement of the crowd, and repaid them in what was one of the more electrifying performances of the day.
The night came to a close as Rioters were faced with the tough decision of seeing No Doubt, Ice Cube, and Iggy Pop. In the end, I chose to pay my respects to the OG Ice Cube. Coming out the most grandiose introduction video I have ever seen, featuring shots of Cube holding Earth in the palm of his hand, Ice Cube had arrived at the Roots Stage. Playing through his classics, Ice Cube had the entire crowd moving. The funniest moment of the show was without a doubt Ice Cube shamelessly plugging “Straight Outta Compton,” even playing the trailer on the screen for all to see. The spectacle quick changed from funny to awesome as Cube brought out his son, who portrays his father in the film, MC Ren, and DJ Yella to deliver N.W.A. nostalgia. As “F**k the Police” was played, a video containing clips of recent police brutality incidents were shown, a pertinent reminder of a real issue in our country today. As the night came to an end, Ice Cube closed with crowd favorite “It Was A Good Day,” and he was absolutely right. Today was a good day.
(09/15/14 3:15pm)
As the summer comes to a close, so does music festival season, and what better way to do so than with LouFest! That’s right, Loufest. This two-night music festival based in St. Louis’ Forest Park is only four years old, but is already boasting lineups that can compete with the likes of North Coast and Riot Fest. With great local food vendors, good homemade tents, beer garden and games, LouFest seemingly has it all, but was it actually a time to remember? Come along and join me as I recollect my experience with one of the biggest-small festivals to hit the scene.
As I strolled into Forest Park late, all I could worry about was not being able to get a good spot for Brooklyn based punk band SKATERS. That fear quickly went away as I stepped past security and noticed something strange. There was no one there. Not literally, but for something boasted as the biggest music festival in St. Louis, I found it odd that there was such low attendance. Especially since it was already two hours into the fest, but I shrugged this off and rushed over to the Forest Park Stage to see SKATERS. Their set was filled of energy fueled by songs from their debut album Manhattan. It was a shame that the energy wasn’t reflected in the crowd. It wasn’t until they played hit single “I Wanna Dance (But I Don’t Know How)” that the crowd started to move.
The afternoon continued with a trance filled performance by Washed Out. As the sun raged on, Ernest Greene and his touring band pumped out gorgeous renditions of various songs across his discography, including “Feel It All Around” and “It All Feels Right.” Many a time throughout the set, Greene and company would embark on five-minute jam sessions, in which they incorporated heavy layering of synths and guitar effects, leaving the audience in awe. Overall it was a perfect set for a summer afternoon.
Next stop was at The Shade Stage to catch a soulful set from Those Darlins. Attracting the older population of LouFest, front woman Jessi Zazu impressed the crowd with her many guitar solos and vocal prowess. Having seen Those Darlins before in what was one of the worst opening acts I’ve ever witnessed, it was nothing new to me, as I couldn’t see what everyone was getting excited about. Their live sound just isn’t refined as there were many times they fell off tempo, had sound difficulties, and overall didn’t sound pleasant. It was a shame as I had hoped to see a decent performance from an excellent studio band.
Parked at The Shade Stage, I opted out of seeing Future Islands to be upfront for one of my personal favorite bands, Delta Spirit. The indie rock quintet came out in a haze of fog and entertained with their new single “From Now On” and other songs off of their new album, Into The Wide. Matthew Vasquez interacted with the crowd after every song and created an overall feeling of family amongst the crowd as we all came together in sing-a-long fashion to some of the newer material. With guitar solos and showmanship abounding, Delta Spirit put on one of the best performances of the entire festival.
In between my next priority performance were rising stars, The 1975. Not well versed in their discography, I was able to pick out the only song I know by them, “The City.” Even though I was one of the very few not singing in the crowd, I was still able to enjoy myself as they put on a captivating performance that had the audience dancing and teenage girls swooning for heartthrob Matt Healy.
As the sun slowly set upon the St. Louisans and all of Forest Park, Cake took to the Forest Park Stage as they embarked an amazing set filled with songs from Motorcade of Generosity all the way to Showroom of Compassion. During “Long Time,” we were treated to an inspiring speech John McCrea about freedom, happiness, and reaching one’s potential through love that resulted in a thundering applause. After being led on many sing-a-longs, which had become a common occurrence throughout the day, Cake closed up an impressive set the only way they could, with “Long Skirt/Short Jacket.”
I started making my final pilgrimage to the Bud Light Stage when I suddenly realized that the festival grounds had actually filled up significantly. I came to the conclusion that most of the Saturday tickets were bought with the intention of only seeing Arctic Monkeys, and I can hardly blame them as Arctic Monkeys absolutely rocked LouFest. The album artwork to their newest release, AM, shone through fog the entire set as they played a massive twenty-song set with hits from every single record. We were all charmed as Alex Turner told all of St. Louis that he loved us in his thick Yorkshire dialect. The night closed on a high note with “R U Mine,” leaving all of LouFest thoroughly satisfied and excited for the next day.
Entering the gate Sunday morning made me think that I was at the wrong festival. The difference in early attendance between Saturday and Sunday was as different as night and day. It was clear that OutKast was the more anticipated headliner of the two, and all these people were packed in for the only performer at the moment, Portugal. The Man. The day was still early, but the audience was already full of energy as Portugal. The Man rocked the stage. The festival veterans were action packed, getting the crowd involved and demanding their attention. It was an overall amazing start to the day.
After spending the afternoon briefly listening to act Moon Taxi, Young & Sick, and Marc Scibilia, I prepared for the one act that had piqued my interest all week. It was time for Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. I wasn’t sure what to expect. All I knew is that it was probably going to be a jazz street band. Sure enough a band containing a bassist, guitarist, drummer, and two tenor sax players emerged on stage and started jamming, but one question kept racing through my mind: Where is Trombone Shorty? Soon, from the fog appeared the patron saint of brass instrumentation, Trombone Shorty. Wielding his trombone in his right hand and his trusty trumpet in his left, he led The Orleans Avenue on a jam session filled with improvisation and wonderful R&B vocals. I was left stunned as Shorty soloed for two minutes solid without taking a breath. Easily one of the best performances of the weekend as I left the Bud Light Stage thoroughly satisfied.
There was no better band to hit the stage while the sun went down than Cherub. Energy had been building in festival attendees all day, and their disco influenced music took it to the next level. It was the first spotting of crowd surfing I had seen all day as a young teenager crowd surfed while lifting a 1975 Kentucky Women’s Tennis State Championship trophy, visibly proud of the moment he was living. Soon the whole crowd followed suit, as the crowd became a sea for surfing enthusiasts. The energy of the crowd was rewarded in the end as Cherub closed out with “Doses and Mimoses.”
I shunned the hype for Grouplove to stay at the Forest Park Stage to get close for the best festival performers of all time, Matt & Kim, and my choice paid off. Matt & Kim came out already turned all the way up for a powerful and ridiculously fun set. Notorious for their live antics, they did not disappoint as Kim twerked no less than five times, and rap tracks filled every single gap between their own songs. The only time the show slowed down was for an out of place cover of R. Kelly’s “Ignition (Remix)” that the crowd knew all the words to. Various technical difficulties marred their performance, but in the end there was nothing that could hold them back.
Verbal arguments and small fistfights broke out around me as I slowly pushed closer to the Bud Light Stage to see OutKast. Who could blame them, as this was clearly the act to see all weekend? Having never seen OutKast, I could hardly wait. The curtain dropped to a dramatic display of Big Boi and Andre 3000 in a cage pacing around, only for them to burst out and set the night off right. The entire set felt like a giant block party, and all of St. Louis was there. Playing hits like “Hey Ya!,” “Ms. Jackson,” and “Roses.” The set took a short detour as the lone “Mike Brown” reference of the fest came from Andre 3000’s jumpsuit that said “can one rest in peace & violence?” Mood was instantly brought back up though when Big Boi brought a dozen young girls on stage to dance for the upcoming song. It was by far the best show of the fest and the perfect end to the fest.
As I left St. Louis, I left with fond memories of a small festival with big dreams and endless potential. Even though the lineup was bigger than the festival itself, LouFest showed why it is one of the upcoming festivals you need to go to. With more years under its belt, LouFest could easily challenge Lollapalooza and the other big boys. Keep your eyes out when LouFest 2015. If this year has proven anything, it’ll be a blast.
(05/06/14 4:57am)
On May 6, internet sensation Turquoise Jeep come to town to perform their unique brand of show at The Bishop.
Representing Turquoise Jeep are founders Flynt Flossy and Whatchyamacallit alongside with fellow signees Yung Humma and Pretty Raheem.
Turquoise Jeep is a self-proclaimed EMB group. That stands for Existing Musical Beings. They became an internet super group after hit song “Lemme Smang It” from 2010. They have gone on to release an album titled Keep The Jeep Riding and have even recorded a track with Childish Gambino.
They are highly acclaimed for the witty rhymes and entrancing dance moves displayed in their many music videos.
Come let some stress out this Tuesday, May 6th at The Bishop with Turquoise Jeep and special guest Andy D at 9 p.m. Doors at 8 p.m. Tickets are $13 online, $15 at the door and it 18+.
(02/04/14 3:43pm)
Another year, another Grammy awards. The typically controversy filled event once again didn’t fail to provide. From the nominations to the questionable categorization, all of it paled in comparison to the sweep of the rap awards by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. The Internet was set aflame as various fan bases complained and debated. How could the newcomers beat veterans like Jay Z, Drake and Kanye? How did Kendrick Lamar lose Best New Artist? What turned out to be a great day for the independent sweethearts also turned out to be a truly disturbing night for rap as a whole. Through Macklemore, we have been introduced to new audience: the casual rap fan and their insidious logic.
Let’s set one thing straight before we go on: I think Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are great. However, I never thought in a million years that they would win a Grammy, let alone beat Kanye West or Jay Z. The Heist was an average album with a strong start and a strong finish but a weak middle. By no means was it a Grammy quality album in comparison to Drake's Nothing Was The Same or Kendrick's good kid, m.A.A.d. city. However, the Grammy's are said and gone. History is history. Yet I can’t turn a blind eye to these troubling results. How did two white guys manage to sweep the Grammy’s in a category predominantly ruled by black artists? Macklemore’s die-hard fans have the “answer” for us.
“The difference between Macklemore and the rest of the rap game is that he raps about real life instead of just doing drugs, killing people, and sleeping with women. Also he made it to the top with no label. That deserves respect.”
When asking fans why Macklemore is so good, this is the answer that most people gave me. When I hear this, two words come to mind: ignorant and casual. To say Macklemore is the only one who raps about “real life” is ridiculous. The general opinion of the rap industry is that it is filled with codeine addicts, murderers and sex crazed gangsters. This is why casual rap fans believe only Macklemore is “real.” The rapper who grew up in the ghetto raps about gang violence and drug dealing is rapping about his life. It is all he has ever known due to his living condition, but according to Mack’s fans, this isn’t “real.” Life to them is fighting for gay rights and thrift shopping. To call the lives of anyone fake, let alone the lives of the less fortunate, is appalling to me. Yet it is this life that Macklemore speaks of that appeals so much to the casual rap fan.
The casual rap fan as always existed in shadows of the rap community. It wasn’t until Macklemore’s recent success that they were put into the limelight. These devout fans of Hoodie Allen and G-Eazy were finally represented, but what is it that makes these fans so crazy about these average rappers? One can argue that it is a color affair, but it goes beyond just the color of one’s skin. It goes into their musical content. The majority of casual rap fans are a part of the white middle-class, like Macklemore himself. To these listeners, Macklemore’s music about thrift shopping is a lot more comfortable and familiar than the harsh realities of life in Compton depicted in Kendrick Lamar’s music. It is the life that they are familiar with. They go out and thrift. They don’t sell crack and participate in gang activity. To be blunt, Macklemore makes white hip-hop.
I am all about successful artists. They wouldn’t be making money if they had no talent. I just want this to be a call to criticize artists based on their music and not their ideals. These rappers, bands and singers all are paid based on their music, not their ideals. It is only fair that we uphold them to the same standards. Especially when saying one artist has better ideals is extremely ignorant. Art imitates life, and it is art that gives us a view into another life. Instead of being afraid and bashing it, embrace it and learn. Music is a universal language after all. You just have to make the effort to understand.
(12/03/13 8:11pm)
2/7 Stars
As the year is slowly coming to a close, it was only natural Sacramento’s very own “Kings of Experimental Rap” Death Grips make headlines once again. For the past months, fans of the trio have been outraged at various show cancellations and false concert dates. However, all the hatred and disappointment evaporated like thin air as they dropped their third studio album, Government Plates, for free and unannounced. They have used this tactic before with The Money Store and NOLOVEDEEPWEB, but is Government Plates really worth its praise?
Government Plates takes what Death Grips is known for and evolves it. The hard-hitting, bass filled instrumentals are still there, so is the violent pounding of steel drums and MC Rides aggressive vocals. The biggest change seems to be the channel through which the bands aggression is transmitted. Sanity can be questioned as MC Ride violently yells lyrics like a manic man being tortured in “You Might Think He Loves For Your Money.” Other lyrics are distorted and pitch shifted so dramatically that the anger of a grown man sounds like a midget yelling up to a giant, like in “Two Heavens.” It’s almost as this album as a whole is a view into the psyche of the band and their opinion of the world. To keep it short, it isn’t positive.
Instrumentally speaking, this album offers hardly anything new or groundbreaking, something Death Grips had become known for with past releases. Half the songs sound as if they were meant to be part of other albums, and they just now got around to adding vocals to it. There is nothing wrong with this, but it just doesn’t really bring anything new to the table. The bass line in “You Might Think He Loves You For Your Money” is absolutely brilliant however. The other half are sporadic dance “hits” in bizarre time signature with MC Ride vocals sampled incessantly over the song. This is seen in “This Is Violence Now (Don’t Get Me Wrong),” “Feels Like A Wheel,” and title track “Government Plates.” These are just a few of them too. They all come after each other in the track listing, making the middle of this album extremely dull and repetitive.
The album’s lone single, “Birds,” uses all of the musical techniques of the album to create a truly unique piece. It utilizes the album’s over usage of sampling in a creative way, creating unique and catchy vocal tempos. The bass and drums hit hard and in synchronization with the harsh vocals. “Birds” also delivers a plethora of messages that give insight to MC Ride’s mind. The song’s hook is a slow building anger volcano waiting to blow. Right when it seems MC Ride is about to go off, the instrumental cuts and he delivers the powerful lyrics of the whole album.
“Fuck you.”
Shortly after, the song continues in a calm manner, but you can’t help but be fixated on that one like It is a middle finger to everyone who wouldn’t leave them alone after the show cancellations. It is a middle finger to the media having to be in their business all the time, but most overall, it is a middle finger to all those who get in their way of making art in the form of music. Nothing is higher than creating music to them and they make their point once again here.
While the album overall isn’t horrible, it just seems dull for a Death Grips release. Half the album leaves you wanting something new, and the other half leaves you wishing you never heard it. It’s a lackluster album that surrounds arguably their best song to date, but not even that can save an album from mediocrity. Government Plates will no doubt be a hit amongst die-hard fans of the group who will praise anything they make that sounds “different.” However, if this is your first tango with Death Grips, as soon as you listen to The Money Store or NOLOVEDEEPWEB, you will quickly forget about anything you heard here. That is if you even make it through the whole album.
(11/12/13 4:53pm)
Released: 10/28/2013
6/7 Stars
It’s been three years since Canadian indie favorites released their unlikely album of the year, The Suburbs. Arcade Fire is back once more with their new album, Reflektor, but will the new entry in their discography be overshadowed by their album of the year success?
Reflektor brings the best of Arcade Fire, from excellent song writing by Win Butler to profound themes, and mixed with a unique positive energy akin to 80’s French disco. This is primarily apparent in the title track “Reflektor,” where Win and Régine’s calming harmonies are slowly mixed with driving dance floor rhythms that make you want to get out of your seat. Reflektor emanates these feel good, playful vibes while tackling questions of personal identity and society. A man struggles to understand why the world treats him and his male like they are invisible in “We Exist.” Win delves into what makes a person “normal” and if it is actually good to be “normal” in the playful “Normal Person.” These songs reveal the deepness and intricacy of the themes tackled in Reflektor.
What truly makes Reflektor stand out is it’s beautiful irony. Serious questions of love are weaved together with uplifting melodies and harmonies in “You Already Know.” The most beautiful contradiction comes in the form of the carnival atmosphere of “Here Comes The Night Time” and the melancholy chord progressions of the second half of the album’s “Here Comes The Night Time II.” It’s at this point where one thinks the second half of Reflektor is going to mellow out as the soothingly beautiful instrumentation of “Awful Sound (Oh Eurydice)” rolls in. The energy is instantly brought back though through the unique, upbeat rhythm of “It’s Never Over (Hey Orpheus)” and doesn’t stop until the album’s end. It’s these ironies that paint the beautiful picture that is known as Reflektor. The only contradiction that harms the album is the inclusion of rock heavy “Normal Person” amongst the carefree dance atmosphere.
In just three years time, Arcade Fire has accomplished to evolve their unique sound to a whole new level and perfect their contemplative storytelling. All the hype surrounding Reflektor gave fans a good reason to worry about a comedown. We can all breathe a sigh of release as Arcade Fire has refused to release nothing short of quality music. When award season comes around, don’t be surprised if Arcade Fire comes out on top once again with another album of the year victory.