Sometimes three-day music festivals can be so much fun that they seem to go by quicker than one-night concerts. That said, I had an amazing time at Catskill Chill, which took place earlier this month on an Upstate New York camp grounds.

Upon arriving on Friday afternoon with my friend Allie, I realized that I recognized my surroundings. “Holy —-, this is a summer camp grounds, and I know people that went here!” We then did the standard things to do at a camping fest; set up camp, meet the neighbors, and explore the grounds, all before the real fun starts.

The first act we checked out was JGB with Melvin Seals on the main stage. These guys all have a pretty impressive resume, having played alongside Jerry Garcia, Chuck Berry, and various great names in the jam scene. These guys played a fun set which included an extended cover of “Johnny Too Bad” by the Slickers.

Next up on the “B” Stage was Dr. Fameus, which is Allen Aucoin’s (the drummer from the Disco Biscuits) side project. Allen explores a wide range of musical sounds from drum ‘n’ bass to dubstep to techno and house. My favorite was when he dropped Compton Funk. And of course he uses what he has learned playing in front of massive crowds with the Biscuits to cater to the crowd’s vibes and put on a pretty sick show.

Speaking of the Biscuits, we moved on to catch Conspirator, which includes Aron Magner and Marc Brownstein of the Biscuits as well as Chris Michetti, who we caught DJing at Camp Bisco. This was one of my favorite sets of the weekend. It mixes the bass-heavy sounds of dubstep with live experimental sounds of jam bands. It’s a cool trend that various bands are doing, and I really dig it. Some of the highlights include a sick cover of “Scarlet Begonias,” “Feed the Wolf” and “Gypsy Down.”

The rest of the night was filled with some heavy bass and some great jams, including a set from Lettuce that started with the tune “Blast Off” and ended with “5 Am Huff.”

continue reading "Catskill Chill 2012 Photos and Review"

I’m back, rested and finally fully clean from Camp Bisco 11. A truly awesome experience — probably the most fun I’ve ever had at a festival. So many great people, with excellent music throughout.

We arrived at the Upstate New York grounds mid-day Thursday (July 12) and checked in. Immediately we met some great people camping in the Media/Artist Guest lot. We quickly set up our home for the next three days and decided to check out the festival grounds. I really liked the setup. It was spread out in a way that didn’t create sound bleed, but also allowed you to have ample time to get from set to set. The staff/volunteers were very friendly and helpful. And everyone was just so nice, I’ve never had more people apologize for accidentally bumping into me at a festival.

Day 1 highlights: The M Machine — even though it was only one of the guys, the set was still high energy, especially for an early set time (during which the day’s heat seemed to creep up quickly). Afterward, I checked out Michetti, who I’ve never seen before. He is a dubstep producer and also one of the guitarists in the band Conspirator.

Next up, Star Eyes — a member of the world famous Trouble and Bass crew from Brooklyn. She had an awesome bass-heavy set, even grabbing the mic to show off her vocal chords. Unfortunately most of the festival missed out on her set but the 50 or so people that were in the tent were treated to one of the best sets at Bisco.

continue reading "Camp Bisco 2012 Photos and Review"

Governors Ball, in its second year, was a hit in terms of production value, amenities and overall flow of the festival. Fans were never left wanting and that’s a beautiful thing when running a two-day fest. Musically, Governors Ball was the tale of two different days.

Kid Cudi – Soundtrack To My Life

Day 1, Saturday, trended to the new, of music, culture and trends that are being popularized as we speak. Pretty much every act of Day 1 could be considered new. Even with more established or older acts like James Murphy or Atmosphere, the day was still skewed quite young. While there were some definite highs, the day day ended on a low with Kid Cudi.

As the headliner, Cudi had all eyes on him and while he presented a self-aware and self-assured identity, his persona was nothing if not half-baked. Without conveying enough swagger, skill, bravado or pedigree, Cudi tried to reach too far on pretty much everything with little to show for it. As a singer Cudi was flat, and as a rapper he had little flow. Mostly, Cudi was for the kids and the converts who seemed to like the set.

The other name on the bill that was deemed headliner-worthy was Passion Pit. Having seen them previously, they were musically robust but there was something missing at the time, and it still feels that way for me. Michael Angelakos was constantly reaching out to the crowd with his trademark falsetto. The allure for me during the set was the new material. Passion Pit tried out “Take a Walk” early, fitting in perfectly with older anthems like “Moth’s Wings” and “The Reeling.”

Take a Walk

While the lyrical content of “Take a Walk” was different than typical Passion Pit, the blend of heavy/heady material and jubilant pop that Passion Pit became known for was intact. Other songs like “It’s Not My Fault I’m Happy,” started out more down-tempo before kicking things into high gear. The new songs sounded more confident with Angelakos not relying on his falsetto as much. Fans could have left the fest after the set and, thanks to what came before, not felt slighted.

Read the full review of Governors Ball Day 1 with photos of every set after the jump.
continue reading "Governors Ball Returns for a Second Term: Part 1"

After launching in Southern California 15 years ago and expanding ever since, the Electric Daisy Carnival held its inaugural New York-area event last week. The electronic music festival brought 45,000 to the MetLife Arena in Northern New Jersey, offering 5 stages with 85 DJ acts across a three-day weekend (Friday May 18 – Sunday May 20).

I only made it to Saturday and Sunday after ending up too sick to venture out on Friday. I was bummed that I missed out on some of the fun, but glad I rallied and was able to experience two full days of electronic music bliss.

Overall, EDC NY blew everyone away with unparalleled production for an electronic music festival — the lights, the rides, the performers were all top notch. Yes, this music festival included carnival rides. (The swing was a surprisingly great experience — each time you spun around you heard music from a different stage.) But the essential elements were also executed with perfection: each stage had excellent sound, lights, and dance floors. Event producers Insomniac and their collaborators for this venture, Pacha NYC, deserve credit for such an epic event.

Now on to the music. Here are some highlights from the festival.

continue reading "Electric Daisy Carnival Makes New York Debut (Photos, Review)"

On May 10th, 2012 (this Thursday), Flux Pavilion will be bringing his world famous dubstep sounds to New York’s Roseland Ballroom. He is also bringing heavy hitters Downlink and Cookie Monsta.

Flux Pavilion feat. Example – Daydreamer by Flux Pavilion

Flux Pavilion co-founded Circus records with Dr. P and has given us great tracks such as “I Can’t Stop”, “Bass Cannon” and most recently “Daydreamer”. The song, which you can check out above, has been remixed by Jack Beats, Danny Byrd, and Dillion Francis.

We plan to stay up late and let the bass cannon kick it this Thursday! Check back after the event for photos and coverage.

For more info and to buy tickets go here.