Tame Impala, fresh off of their stop at Lollapalooza, headlined the Music Hall of Williamsburg on August 7, 2012. The show sold out instantly and fans lined up well before the 8pm doors. By the time the band hit the stage, MHOW was full of fans ready to have their faces melted.
Tame Impala are the kind of band you listen to on an extended roadtrip, stoner jamming which isolate the listener from the real world. Heady and trippy, the band is a throwback to early era Pink Floyd, where restraint was key. The calm vocals of Kevin Parker make every song feel a tad slower, and the music creates a detached world, one with bright colors and warm summer winds against your face.
Camp Bisco brought thousands of fans for one intimate weekend at upstate New York’s Indian Lookout Country Club. Curated by The Disco Biscuits, Camp Bisco is an opportunity for like-minded artists, as well as The Disco Biscuits themselves, to perform in celebration of the electronic/psychedelic/jam/rock genres (and all those that fit in between). The weekend, which marks Camp Bisco’s ten-year anniversary, represents a freedom and respite from the travails of daily life, attainable by enjoying music together as a group. The flyer for Camp Bisco read “relax, it will all be there waiting for you when you get back.” What a trip it was.
As with Bonnaroo, camping with all your fellow visitors at Camp Bisco fosters a sense of community. Albeit one day shorter, patrons are exposed to a similar “tent city” vibe. Day 1 was a day of settling in, on both sides of the stage. With only one major road leading to the main gates, traffic was inevitable. We went as far as we could by car but there was still five miles between us and the entrance.
Instead of testing the patience of excited festival goers, the wait was turned into an opportunity to pre-game and hang out. People exited their cars and greeted each other. Radios blared and impromptu dance circles began all along the queue, along with sunbathers and people just stretching their legs. The carefree attitudes signaled good things for the rest of the weekend. The rural scenery in conjunction with the many interesting sights on the line turned a five-mile traffic jam into a walk in the park.
After settling in, I was able to catch Beats Antique, who are a perfect example of what makes Camp Bisco a viable and exciting festival. Comprised of three members, a drummer, multi-instrumentalist and belly dancer it’s difficult to find an immediate connection between The Disco Biscuits and Beats Antique. After a few minutes, the energy and freewheeling and throbbing beats made it impossible to stand still. The connection soon became all too obvious. Appropriate for the danceclub or personal listening experience, their sound is part of the ever-growing trend of Middle Eastern inspired music set to a pulsating electro beat. Everyone is having fun on stage and that feeling is infectious.
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of The Mars Volta, whose tour dates below are set to go on sale today, will release a quadruple LP / double CD collection called Telesterion in April. It will offer 37 tracks of his solo and collaborative work, which spans 25 albums. (Stream them all here.)
Expect an array of addictive, eclectic tracks that are never too far of a departure from the Mars Volta work we’ve heard and loved. There are tracks that are psychedelic, funky, melodic; some are extremely mellow, while others are intense guitar-shredders brought to the next level through unusual effects.
You can catch these sounds live this spring. Rodriguez-Lopez’s group is gearing up for a tour, with SXSW and Coachella on the list. Many of the shows go on sale today, including NYC:
Mar 19 – Austin, TX – Emo’s Annex, SXSW
Mar 21 – Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s
Mar 22 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues, Parish Room (tickets)
Mar 24 – Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theatre Center (tickets)
Mar 25 – Atlanta, GA – The Variety Playhouse (tickets)
Mar 26 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel
Mar 28 – Philadelphia, PA – Theater Of The Living Arts (tickets)
Mar 29 – New York, NY – Highline Ballroom (tickets)
Apr 15 – Indio, CA – Coachella
Australia is so far far away, but when The Black Ryder came to the tiny Echo on Friday night, they made us feel like they were from down the street. Performing their solid debut album Buy The Ticket, Take The Ride, the experimental shoegazers with main members Aimee Nash and Scott Von Ryper accompanied by Malia James on bass/vox and Scott Haden on drums took us into their dreamy world. While quickly setting up, Nash said hello to audience members in the front and recognized one fan from Facebook by name. All my Aussie friends are this friendly and Nash is no exception.
Having toured with Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Cult, The Raveonettes, The Charlatans and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, it was due time they had their own show. No surprise that members of BRMC were in attendance supporting their friends. It also was brought to my attention that The Raveonettes were there (thanks Twitter friend juepucta). And rumors of another black band with “Angels” in it. Can you imagine a bill with all of them in one night?
But it was The Black Ryder’s night. Alarmingly dressed in black, stage pretty dark, fog, and strong white backlights was the perfect setting for their sound strongly reminiscent of My Blood Valentine. It’s this type of music where you can pretty much close your eyes, relax and enjoy. No need for dancers, fancy background visuals, special costumes or other distractions – - it’s all about the music here.
The evening was full of heavy grooves and honesty. I immediately bought this album and blast it while driving at night.
Setlist: Grass / To Never Know You / Outside / All That We See / What’s Forsaken / Gone Without Feeling / Sweet Come Down / The Greatest Fall / Burn and Fade / Let It Go
