how’s it goin, y’all? it’s another week, time for more music fun with yours truly. like last week, i’ll be giving you three more bands to think about that will be at coachella in just about a month… this week, we’re focusing on bands with names that pretty much require you to input “band” after the name in your google search, or… well… you’ll see what i mean if you try.
.::grizzly bear::.
FRIDAY this is a pretty mellow folk-rock group that’s been on the indie scene for a while and has toured with some pretty awesome names, including radiohead, tv on the radio, and even paul simon. gotta love that… especially when the guitarist of radiohead called them a favorite. if you have the new moon soundtrack, you’ve heard their song “slow life,” but here is another of their songs you may have heard on commericals if not on your local indie rock station, called “two weeks.”
from youtube
.::sleigh bells::.
FRIDAY this dance pop duo doesn’t even have an album out yet, but their song “ring ring” has been stuck in my head for days. yes, yes, blame it on XMU, they play it a lot. true story: the guy in the band found the girl in the band by telling everyone he waited on in a new york restaurant that he was looking for a female vocalist. i guess if you ask enough people… anyway, one day he mentioned this to alexis krauss and her mother at one of his tables, and turns out she was looking for a gig. all of a sudden derek miller and his awesome samples & tracks had alexis krauss and her smokin’ hot vocals to complement them. works well, if you ask me. here’s a couple good ones for ya.
“ring ring” from youtube
“crown on the ground” from youtube
.::steel train::.
SATURDAY i’d never heard of these guys (said to have gotten their name from a sublime song) until a couple weeks ago, when they opened for tegan + sara (recap still coming!) at the variety playhouse. we caught the last half of their set, and it was so fun & full of energy (& percussion! never forget the percussion) that we wanted to find out more about them. turns out they’re gonna be at coachella! how fantastic. random note: the lead singer used to date scarlett johansson and definitely mentions her in a few songs. he has huge hair. anyway, here’s a taste of steel train for ya.
“i feel weird” from youtube
hope you enjoyed that musical interlude, my little effs… more for you again next week as we near the one-month-to-go mark for this fantastic festival that will be coachella. be on the lookout later this week for recaps of tegan+sara and muse shows… and get ready for lots of show fun coming up in the next few months, starting next wednesday with john mayer! have a great week y’all.
peace,
james
Hometown: Military Brat and I aint claimin nowhere in the states as my hometown
Occupation: Accounting Assistant
Reader Since: Since ya’ll started I’m an occasional reader
Theme Song: “Believe Me Natalie” by The Killers
Top 3 Best Albums: I Am by Chrisette Michele, In My Mind by Pharrell ( I love him lol), and Sam’s Town by The Killers
Top 3 Best Songs : “Mr. Radio” by Chrisette Michele, “Golden Boys” by Res, and “That Girl” by Pharrell
Worst Concert: My only real concert which was Ludacris at the Tabernacle ( I didnt like being smashed lol)
Guilty Pleasure: Hmmm there so many but it has to be RuPaul Drag Race…I love that show and will watch it over and over those men amaze me
Eff&Music Fave: Fashion Fix
Soap Box: Whats wrong with people….society is going to shit( I sound old)
Thanks Nat!
I love how random events can inspire what I write in this column. For instance, I walked into my work lounge today to hear a friend singing, “He’s going the distance… He’s going for speed.” Without missing a beat, a few peeps joined in completely that line from “The Distance”. Most of you could also join in on this “Singing Bee” of popular past Cake songs. I know all the lines.
Fashion Nugget is still the most played of all Cake’s albums, though Prolonging the Magic gave us the number one hit “Never There”. Cake’s cover of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” probably blasted from your stereo whenever you were going through that bad break-up or when your boss relayed how bad a job you were doing when you were struggling just to keep up. Admit it.
Cake’s makeup of John McCrea, Vince DiFiore, Xan McCurdy, Gabe Nelson and Paulo Baldi has gone through quite a few transitions before solidifying that quintet. Guitarist Greg Brown, bassist Shon Meckfessel and drummer Frank French were apart of the founding members in 1991 but later left.
Though mostly thought of as alternative rock, I like that it’s difficult to classify Cake. The jazzy style reminiscent of ska separates them from the rest of the early nineties alternative rock.
Next time you catch a flick, listen for the background music. Cake’s songs have made appearances in close to 40 films and television shows.
Check you on the flip side.
so, it’s on, my fellow effs. music season is in full swing. last week i went to the first two shows of the year (tegan + sara–they were awesome! recap soon!–and muse with silversun pickups–also amazing with a recap to come) and it got me all excited for all the shows we have coming up in the next few months… especially the dirty hippie adventures (i think we might need a whole nother column just for those strange fun times!!) that we will soon call coachella and bonnaroo. exciting! i mean, this girl? camping? mud?? roughin’ it??? whoa boy. i will definitely have a new respect for life in general after that madness. but i’m really looking forward to all of the great music, whether i get to shower or not 
oh.... god....
for the next little while i’ll be showcasing some of the bands i’m most looking forward to seeing at coachella (since that one comes first) so that you can live vicariously through me. first things first though… just heard this today and i’m thrilled. guster is coming back to the ATL in just under two months!! they’re gonna be closing out an amazing weekend of music at the end of april… playing april 25th at verizon ampitheatre with ben harper. how awesome is that! the night before will be phoenix at the tabernacle, and the night before that is my morning jacket at chastain. w00t! gonna be like our own fancy music festival here in the ATL. get ready, peeps. life is coming.
so, coachella! i really think this is gonna be one of the most overwhelming weekends of my life. i thought the john mayer cruises were a bit overwhelming, especially when o.a.r. and guster were involved, and that was only trying to juggle three bands! this is gonna be completely insane, with upwards of 130 bands that are more than likely going to be overlapping in ways that will prevent me from seeing all the people i’d like to see. *sigh* i already mentioned my top 5 (phoenix, passion pit, local natives, mgmt, and vampire weekend) to you a month ago so i’ll start to branch out a little bit more here with my second tier.
.::the avett brothers::.
{{FRIDAY}} these guys are a new favorite… i got their album i and love and you a little over a month ago after seeing them on austin city limits and have easily listened to it a couple times a week ever since. the avett bros are a folk rock-ish americana group out of concord, nc, that’s actually been around for years. i seem to have barely missed their presence for a while now… they opened for dave last spring (when have i actually been inside for a dave opener? tailgating, people!) and i know a lot of people that have been talking about them for a while, but never saw or heard a thing from them til their single “i and love and you.” it’s all good though… they have great stage presence from what i’ve seen and i love what i’ve heard so far and i’m thrilled to be able to catch them at coachella! check out: * i and love and you * january wedding *
from youtube
.::hot chip::.
{{SATURDAY}} this british electropop group will be making coachella into a dance party on saturday, and i hope i’m not distracted by some other big name playing at the same time. i think that’s my worst fear… with three stages that are pretty far apart it’ll be impossible to see every band i want to see. hot chip, like my other dance party friends passion pit, does a lot of remixes of songs you may already know (well, on the indie front anyway), including some by kate nash (favorite!), gorillaz, and queens of the stone age. they do a lot of DJing as well– definitely that euro club atmosphere type stuff, but it’s fun for dancing if you’re into it. super excited to catch these guys on saturday. check out: ready for the floor (one of my all-time favorite fun songs)
from youtube
.::matt & kim::.
{{SUNDAY}} you may have read my post about matt & kim last summer, and if you did, perhaps you got a feel for their fun sound. if not, here’s your chance. their debut album is short– at only 25 min, it beats out the vampire weekend collections, both under 40 minutes (didn’t think that was possible didja?). it’s definitely fun to listen to, there’s a lot of percussion and echo-y scream-a-long vocals that kinda make you wanna grab a pickle tub and some sticks and just go at it, angel-style (RENT reference!! who’s with me??) . i’m sure you’ve heard the song “daylight,” and if you liked it, you’ll pretty much love the rest of the album. it’s just the two of them, matt & kim, some drums, and a keyboard. fun stuff. check out: * daylight * good ol’ fashioned nightmare * lessons learned *
from youtube
so that’s your coachella update for the week… also, before i forget, if you’re in the mood for free music (aren’t we always??) you can download a ‘best of bonnaroo’ compilation here to speak out for climate change. sweet deal. some great songs by some of my favorite artists for one of my favorite causes. also, in case you want something to live up to (or just want to laugh at me for suggesting that my list is that quality), i finally have, in print, the list of shows i’ve been to in my life (even though i keep thinking of more every day)… including the 18 dave shows i have to my name (i’m gonna surpass 20 this year, y’all!). check out my list on my blog… perhaps it’ll inspire you to make your own & add lots to it! the year of music is either gonna kill me, make me never wanna go to a show again, or leave me broke & homeless have a great week my friends, stay tuned for more festival-featured bands next week.
peace,
james
FRIDAY this is a pretty mellow folk-rock group that’s been on the indie scene for a while and has toured with some pretty awesome names, including radiohead, tv on the radio, and even paul simon. gotta love that… especially when the guitarist of radiohead called them a favorite. if you have the new moon soundtrack, you’ve heard their song “slow life,” but here is another of their songs you may have heard on commericals if not on your local indie rock station, called “two weeks.”
FRIDAY this dance pop duo doesn’t even have an album out yet, but their song “ring ring” has been stuck in my head for days. yes, yes, blame it on XMU, they play it a lot. true story: the guy in the band found the girl in the band by telling everyone he waited on in a new york restaurant that he was looking for a female vocalist. i guess if you ask enough people… anyway, one day he mentioned this to alexis krauss and her mother at one of his tables, and turns out she was looking for a gig. all of a sudden derek miller and his awesome samples & tracks had alexis krauss and her smokin’ hot vocals to complement them. works well, if you ask me. here’s a couple good ones for ya.
SATURDAY i’d never heard of these guys (said to have gotten their name from a sublime song) until a couple weeks ago, when they opened for tegan + sara (recap still coming!) at the variety playhouse. we caught the last half of their set, and it was so fun & full of energy (& percussion! never forget the percussion) that we wanted to find out more about them. turns out they’re gonna be at coachella! how fantastic. random note: the lead singer used to date scarlett johansson and definitely mentions her in a few songs. he has huge hair. anyway, here’s a taste of steel train for ya.
