Aug 11, 2010
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The third day of a festival is always a bit tough. Sore feet, musical overload, sunburn—it’s a lot to take in. But then, there’s day three of the Off Festival—which proved to be an exception. And not just because I ended up in an orange jumpsuit by the end of the night. More
Aug 09, 2010
Live
I'm always a little bummed to see Lollapalooza come to a close; it marks the end of three brilliant days of music, food and friends. And like we say every year, this year will be hard to top. From Lady Gaga's spectacle on Friday to Arcade Fire's Sunday showdown, the expanded festival brought in loads of performers and concert-goers. More
Aug 08, 2010
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Day two I managed to will away my jet lag. Good thing—Muchy, Tunng, Hey, Mew and The Radio Dept. demanded my full attention. More
Aug 08, 2010
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Pouring the indie rock on thick, day two of Lollapalooza saw a good chunk of the schedule dominated by all things indie. Here's a recap, including sets by Rogue Wave, Stars, The xx, Grizzly Bear, Metric, Spoon, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Phoenix, and Empire of the Sun. More
Aug 07, 2010
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The opening night’s observation that I was about to slip down the rabbit hole turned out to be apt. After a restless night of sleep (Hello jetlag!), I was bundled into a car and taken deep into a rain covered forest. I’m from Los Angeles. This setting? Well…welcome to Wonderland. Today's residents? Potty Umbrella, Tin Pan Alley, Kim Nowak, Something Like Elvis, The Horrors, Art Brut, Lenny Valentino, and Tindersticks. More
Aug 06, 2010
Live
The Midwest's favorite fest, Lollapalooza, kicked off Friday in Chicago's Grant Park and things really couldn't have been better. Bright blue skies paired with an additional 35 acres of grounds, and show-goers found a little more walking room and an overall 'larger' feel to the 3-day music circus. More
Aug 06, 2010
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Quick: name your 5 favorite Polish bands. Name the top non-Polish bands ruling the charts and hearts of the country. Heck, name anything about their current pop culture scene. If you’re like me, you’re drawing a major blank. Poland is a country of over 38 million. That means somewhere out there, there’s a host of kids, becoming obsessed with their piano lessons, plugging their guitars into worn amps, and shaking garages with their ambitions. It’s also country filled with music fans—thrilling over pop, head banging to hardcore, dancing with reckless abandon. A culture that—until now—I knew nothing about. Then along came an invitation to attend Katowice’s Off Festival. More
Aug 04, 2010
Live
Spiritualized performed their seminal 1997 album Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space at New York City's Radio City Music Hall July 30. More
Aug 03, 2010
Live
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I'd fight the first man who'd claim there might be a better band to usher away the final hours of the NYC's hottest July on record than Sonic Youth. Who more appropriate to put a fork in a month where temperatures frequently topped 100 degrees than a band whose seminal album, 1988's Daydream Nation, dripping with sweaty feedback and featuring vocals that sound like they were recorded in a packed sauna, was laid to tape during another of the city's notorious heat waves. More
