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These Are a Little Too Similar 19 Aug 2010, 7:01 pm

Don'cha think?

--Alan Wiley

Brazilian Baby Samba School 23 Jun 2010, 3:14 pm

OK, so maybe it's old news, but what can I say, I've already established my partiality for tots with musical moves. This one's a Brazilian dance prodigy with a taste for samba music.

Know of more hilarious (real) dancing babies? Drop a comment!

--Jason Kirk

Sasquatch! 2010 9 Jun 2010, 8:57 pm

Local writer Travis Hay and photographer Dave Lichterman covered Sasquatch! on behalf of ChordStrike this year. Wish you were there... (Heck, we wish we were there!)

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FRIDAY
The Sasquatch! Music Festival proved to be a monstrous beast of music during its three-day run. Throughout Memorial Day weekend, Sasquatch! featured more than 80 bands spread across three stages and a dance and comedy tent. Kicking off the summer concert season in the Pacific Northwest, the festival’s first day contained a grouping of buzz bands and established acts, making for a day of musical ecstasy. It was a theme that carried throughout the weekend. Set at the picturesque and remote Gorge Amphitheatre (about 150 miles east of Seattle), Sasquatch! boasted not only one of the most eclectic and indie-friendly lineups you'll find, it also took place in the most beautiful spot in the country to take in a show. The sundresses, sandals, and ponchos (the festival is known for having unpredictable weather) were in full effect.

America's perfect bar band, the Hold Steady, showed that they are also the perfect festival act. Craig Finn's story-songs helped create a rousing performance in the summer sun, filled with shout-along choruses and plenty of fists pumping in the air. As a performer Finn is like a rock n' roll Muppet, wildly gesturing, smiling, and laughing when not singing. His enthusiasm is infectious, which is what makes the Hold Steady such a fun band to watch live. Three songs--"Rock Problems," "Hurricane J," and "Barely Breathing"--from the recently released Heaven is Whenever, were peppered into the set and fit perfectly alongside Finn's other narrative tales about partying, religion, and rock n' roll lifestyle.

In the early evening, the action really picked up on the main stage, with the National (left) delivering an emotionally stirring set just before the sun went down. Songs from the critically acclaimed Boxer and this year's High Violet dictated the performance. Some of the material was sparse, while other songs carried a full sound punched up by horns that filled the Gorge. As a performer, singer Matt Berninger is so compelling that you practically feel the emotion. It made for an entertaining and highly engaging show.

Anyone who doubted the hype surrounding Vampire Weekend (below) should have seen how the nearly 20,000 people reacted to group's sunset performance. Thousands of people on top of the Gorge's hill jumped up and down while dancing to the likes of "Cousins," "A-Punk," and "Horchata." It was the biggest set and biggest response of the day.

While the National were stirring up emotions on the main stage, Nada Surf was closing down the activities on the solar-powered Bigfoot stage. The set was heavy on covers, several from their new album, the palindromic If I Had A Hi Fi. The Go-Betweens' “Love Goes On” and Kate Bush’s “Love and Anger” stood out, but the best selection came when Nada Surf turned Depeche Mode's “Enjoy the Silence” into a poppy love ballad.

The night was capped by My Morning Jacket's two-hour headlining set. Jim James and the rest of his band came blazing out of the gates with a hard-rock instrumental unlike anything in the MMJ canon, which led right into "One Big Holiday." From there "Dondante," "Off the Record," the short but extremely funky "Highly Suspicious," and about 15 others songs followed in a career-spanning set list. These touring warhorses are one of the best live rock bands in America, and their set was a fitting way to cap a day filled with a wide variety of music.

Brad, fronted by the soulful Shawn Smith (far left) and featuring Pearl Jam's Stone Gossard, morphed into the darker and heavier Satchel for two songs after Gossard left the stage. OK Go played a high-energy and hit-laden set. Power poppers Posies played a blissful set of unreleased songs, and Portugal. The Man’s psychedelic rock (left) and the excellent Afro-pop of Fool's Gold were two distinct styles of music that stood out.

Check out all of Dave's Friday photos.

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SATURDAY
Sasquatch!’s second day kicked off with a dance party on the main stage, led by the dual drumming assault of Caribou. The high noon set woke up the sleepy-headed campers that showed up early, its upbeat rhythms and tempos providing a great precursor to what would come later in the evening (hint: LCD Soundsystem).

Local Natives (right) filled the day’s quota in the soon-to-be-breakout-bands category. The quintet encompassed the entire musical vibe of the festival with a sound that is melodic, poppy, jangly, and jammy. In a festival forged around musical discoveries, Local Natives was the cream of the crop of the blog-friendly buzz bands.

Speaking of buzz bands, London’s XX (left) played dreamy, synthesized bedroom music and was one of the bright spots of the afternoon. The set could’ve been a disaster, given the music’s slow-burning leanings in such a large and expansive environment, but the material translated well, and the crowd was enamored by the music, singing and swaying along to every song.

The swaying turned to full-blown dancing when James Murphy and his band (a.k.a. LCD Soundsystem) managed to stir up the crowd with driving beats and plenty of cowbell. Highlights included the one-two punch of “Daft Punk is Playing at my House” and “Drunk Girls” from This is Happening, which was the most unstoppable dance force of the weekend.

While dancing was a dominant part of the day, the most anticipated set of the festival came from reunited influential indie rockers Pavement (right). The set was a bit sloppy and surprisingly started with “Cut Your Hair,” the band’s most well-known song. Later it got a bit messy, with a few botched intros to “Rattled by the Rush” (due to instrument troubles), but once Pavement got over the rough patches, they sounded great. Frontman Stephen Malkmus, who was celebrating a birthday, appeared to be annoyed by the minor hiccups, but the crowd didn’t seem to care much as the band played more than 20 songs from its catalog, including “In the Mouth of the Desert,” “Unfair,” “Two States,” and others.

Public Enemy (left) headlined the Bigfoot stage while UK electro icons Massive Attack (below right) headlined the main stage. The latter set was chill, moody, and relaxed, complete with a terrific light show that worked well under the Gorge’s canopy of stars. Public Enemy, on the other hand, brought the noise. Flavor Flav showed he is still hip hop’s reigning jester, while Chuck D held court with a nonstop assault of golden age hip-hop hits, heavy on material from It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back.

Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band played a fantastic set of math rock with progressive leaning while filling in for City & Colour, which had to cancel due to singer Dallas Green's pneumonia. Tegan & Sara almost humorously introduced “Alligator” by beat-boxing. The Long Winters (right) played unreleased material and ended their set with a cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Touch of Grey.” And the humor of They Might Be Giants had thousands of people getting their geek on while singing and dancing along to “Istanbul (Not Constantinople).”

Check out all of Dave's Saturday photos.

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SUNDAY
Mother Nature made her presence known as the Sasquatch! Music Festival wound to a close Day with warm temperatures, a constant threat of showers, and--at the end of the day--a rainbow.

Throughout the day patches of light rain combined with spots of bright sunshine to create an interesting combination on what was the festival’s strongest day. The rainbow appeared during the summery sounds of the Zooey Deschanel / M. Ward combo, known as She & Him. It was the perfect accompaniment to Deschanel’s voice, which were the main attraction, but M. Ward nearly stole the show during a cover of “Rollover Beethoven.”

The Heavy (right) opened the main stage off with a mix of inspired British neo-soul, funk, and rock, engaging the Sasquatch! early risers with hits off of their latest album, The House the Dirt Built, closing off the set with "How You Like Me Now?". Having seen their performance earlier in the year before their explosive set on Late Night with David Letterman sent the quartet's careers into high gear, the addition of live horns added new dimensions to a fantastic set.

If Ben Bridwell’s constant smile was any indication, Band of Horses was the main stage act that had the most fun performing. His toothy grin was almost as enjoyable as the songs performed from Infinite Arms. Another band that was clearly having a blast was the Canadian indie supergroup New Pornographers, which features Neko Case, A.C. Newman, Dan Bejar, and others. It was impossible to not smile and sing along to the group’s catchy, upbeat songs.

MGMT (left) was the main course of the day, even though cult rockers Ween handled headlining duties. MGMT seemed in awe of the grandeur of the Gorge’s spectacular setting and amazed at the size of the crowd (they drew the most people of the festival), though they appeared strangely bored on stage. Vocalist Andrew VanWyngarden dedicated the Memorial Day set to fallen soldiers, started things off with “Pieces of What.” A few songs later, “Flash Delirium” began to work up the crowd, and when “Time to Pretend,” “Kids,” and “Electric Feel” finally came along, the dance party was in full force. Similar to Vampire Weekend’s Friday night set, MGMT showed they are capable of anchoring a major U.S. festival.

Sasquatch! wouldn’t have been a summer music festival without a good old-fashioned mosh pit, which is exactly what Vancouver, B.C., duo Japandroids (right) spurred on during the most intense set of the weekend. Prior to Japandroids’ set of thrashing, Canadian, post-garage rock, the deep-fried Southern rock of the Drive-By Truckers washed over the main stage crowd with a three-guitar assault. Patterson Hood’s storytelling skills were in fine form during the twisted “The Wig He Made Her Wear,” while guitarist Mike Cooley showed his skills as a frontman on “Get Downtown,” both from The Big To-Do, one of the Truckers' strongest records in years.

There were several more memorable moments from Sasquatch!’s final day, making it difficult to narrow things down to just a few. The Seattle Rock Orchestra crammed more than 30 musicians on stage to play a wonderful set of Arcade Fire covers. Aussies Tame Impala proved to be well worth the buzz they’ve garnered, creating a Wolfmother-meets-Howlin' Rain / wall-of-psychedelic sound that rang throughout the festival grounds. On the other end of the Australian rock spectrum was the Temper Trap (below), a band with modern-rock radio written all over it.

By the time the 2010 incarnation of Sasquatch! was over, it was clear that the taste-making festival is a force to be reckoned with in the destination festival circuit. Excellent music was happening around every corner at one of the most beautiful concert settings in the country. Sasquatch! is well worth the trip, and if this year’s lineup of more than 80 bands was any indication of what’s to come in 2011, you’ll want to be there next year.

Check out all of Dave's Sunday photos.

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Dave Lichterman is a programmer by day and photographer by night. "Concert photography bridges the gap between my love of music and my love of photography," he explains, "whilst making up for my complete and utter lack of musical talent. Nothing compares to the thrill of seeing and capturing musicians performing their art." Check out more of Dave's photos @ http://www.flickr.com/lavid/.

Travis Hay is a Seattle-based writer who has been covering music in the Northwest for the past decade. He was a music critic at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and started the award-winning blog and website Ear Candy. His work has appeared in Sound Magazine, The Seattle Weekly, Crosscut.com, Three Imaginary Girls, and other print and online publications.

Free MP3 Jazz Samplers 12 May 2010, 3:14 pm

For a limited time, we've got four free MP3 jazz samplers available:

1. Trippin N' Rhythm

2. X5 Jazz Legends

3. Mack Avenue: The Road to Great Music

4. Original Jazz Classics Remasters

The samplers are part of our annual jazz event, which also includes a set of four hand-picked jazz playlists:

1. Classic Cuts: A mix of well-loved standards and modern classic jazz

2. The New Standards: Jazzy takes on popular rock and pop songs from the 1980s through today

3. Jazz Dance Classics: Classic dance tracks from the annals of jazz

4. Instrumental Smooth Jazz Favorites: Soothing sounds, sensuous saxes, mellow guitars, tickling ivories

Get your jazz fix today...

--Jason Kirk

R.I.P. Lena Horne, 1917-2010 11 May 2010, 4:27 pm

Another one of the jazz greats, Lena Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010), has passed away aged 92.

Horne was the winner of numerous awards, including eight Grammies – one for the incomparable and underrated An Evening With Lena Horne – and has two stars on Hollywood Boulevard - one for music and one for movies.

Lena Horne began singing in the early 1930s, and continued her career well into the 1990s. During the course of her long career she duetted with such great names as Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Tony Bennett, and Sammy Davis Jr.

In addition to being a performance star, Lena Horne was active in the Civil Rights movement. In the early 1940s she worked with noted trades unionist and peace activist Paul Robeson. During WWII Horne refused to play to segregated audiences and as a result, she ended up performing in front of a mixed audience of black US soldiers and white German POWs. Her association with Robeson, along with her uncompromising stand against segregation, led to Horne being blacklisted in the 1950s, but she refused to let it affect her continuing work for what she strongly believed to be one of her highest callings.

Horne died on May 9, 2010, at the NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. The circumstances of her death were withheld.

--James Petts

Alpine Kat's Large Hadron Collider Rap 9 Apr 2010, 8:24 pm

Few things go as well together as hip-hop and science. The lexicon of bleeding-edge theoretical physics is practically overflowing with rhyme-ready particles (real, virtual, anti-, and otherwise), and from Dr. Octagon to The Sounds of Science, the rap canon abounds with more-or-less learned verses.

So if you're like me and have trouble finding enough to time in your life to nurture your twin loves of hip-hop and quantum cosmology, let Alpine Kat grab the mic for a minute. Science writer by day and science rapper in her spare time, Alpine Kat has recorded a number of "science raps," the most notorious of which serves as a primer on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), an immense subterranean machine on the Franco-Swiss border designed to slam protons together at near-light speeds in order to see what happens.

If you like what you hear, check out more of Alpine Kat's science raps.

Either way, let us know about the best science-based hip-hop we might have missed...

--Jason Kirk

Thurston's Lesson For Sonic Youth 7 Apr 2010, 1:36 pm

If your kids aren’t already noisy enough, why not take them to a lecture explaining the artfulness of white noise? This Sunday, April 11, precocious young music lovers can make their way to Partners & Spade Gallery in New York City for a very special hour-long event featuring Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore. For a mere $30 attendees will be able to listen to Moore presenting “A Dissertation on White Noise,” though quite what the eight-to-twelve year-old target audience will make of the subject matter is anyone’s guess.

The event forms part of the gallery’s Avant Garde Preschool series, which aims to nurture the interests of the upcoming generation in art, though it seems likely that the event might be anticipated rather more eagerly by the parental chaperons. The preschool series of events is the brainchild of Andy Spade, a co-owner of the gallery who is also the father of a – probably achingly art-aware – 4 year-old.

As for Moore, he is due back on the road with Sonic Youth on April 16, when his grown-up fans in Barcelona will surely honor him with a more ecstatic reception than the bewildered eight year-olds of New York.

--Hazel @ SoundUnwound

SoundUnwound's editorial team write about the latest big music news and quirky stories which catch the eye. We also post a selection of these news stories on Chordstrike; for much, much more, visit SoundUnwound.com, the new music site from IMDb and Amazon. Follow us at twitter.com/soundunwound.

Nude Erykah Invites Character Assassination 1 Apr 2010, 1:37 pm

What is the purpose of a music video? Is it just a vehicle for a song, is it to gain the artist attention, or should it be an artistic statement of its own? Erykah Badu achieved all three with her video for new single "Window Seat," which shows the soul star strolling through Dealey Plaza, Dallas, shedding her clothes, and then falling as if shot on the same spot where President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.

Some commentators have criticized the clip as distasteful, and Badu could have faced up to a year in jail if she'd been caught and arrested for public nudity. But most fans and bloggers seem to like the video, which was shot in one take a few weeks ago. "I tied it in a way that compared the assassination to the character assassination one would go through after showing his or her self completely," Badu explained to Dallas Morning News.

"She was already prepared to deal with whatever consequences because she knew she believed in what she was doing," director Chike told MTV, adding that bail money had already been collected in case the police had arrived. And amid all the talk about the rights and wrongs of the video is the news that Badu's fifth studio album, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh), is out this week. She's a shrewd lady.

The video can also be viewed at Erykah Badu's official website here, it is censored but don't watch it if your boss is looking over your shoulder!

What do you think of the video, and of Erykah's new album?

--Ally @ SoundUnwound

'Stylo' Steals, Eddy Alleges 19 Mar 2010, 3:05 pm

It’s that time again: time for another plagiarism claim!

The newest protest comes from 80s reggae star Eddy Grant about the first single from the new Gorillaz album Plastic Beach. Grant has consulted his lawyers alleging that there are “substantive similarities” between the current Gorillaz single “Stylo” and Grant’s 1983 track “Time Warp.”

In an email to the British music magazine NME, he explained “My song sits almost note to note with their release and is a blatant rip off. ‘Time Warp’ is a very popular song and has been a staple of the DJ scene for many years and I feel total disrespect from Gorillaz and their management company, especially as they are an established act.” Neither Gorillaz nor their label E.M.I. have commented on the situation as of yet, but the argument has already spilled into the public domain with fans of each artist taking a side in the debate.

Still, there is something of a silver lining: Coldplay fans across the globe are breathing a sigh of relief that plagiarism lawyers currently have other artists to concern them.

As is now customary, a helpful Youtube user has uploaded both tracks back to back so we can compare:

And while we're here, if you haven't seen the official Bruce Willis-starring video for "Stylo" yet, we suggest you head over to YouTube to see it, cos it's really cool.

Do you think Eddy has a case? Or do you think it's just a coincidence?

--Hazel @ SoundUnwound

LOST: All the Songs*, All in One Place 18 Mar 2010, 8:30 pm

Looking for the perfect soundtrack to your Dharma party? Need something to spin for your final-season soirée? Now you can have all the songs featured in *Seasons 1-5 of Lost with just one click.

The producers of Lost have some pretty diverse tastes, and the 71 songs included here include cuts by Patsy Cline, Perry Como, Petula Clark, the Pixies, and Puccini, just to name a few.

So check it out. Sample tracks 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, and 42, or download the whole MP3 playlist in one click. (We'll update the playlist with the songs from Season 6 after the finale on May 23.)

--Jason Kirk

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