High Voltage Rocks The Festival Scene

Festival Fever

2012-04-17T08:10:00.003-07:00

After a fabulous weekend spent in the California sun, party-hoppin' around Coachella's many infamous offsite desert events such as Neon Carnival, Vestal Village, and Hard Rock's Music Mansion - we didn't think it could get much better. I mean bumper cars with Jared Followill?! Yeah, that happened.

Then the news flew in this morning of the best festival line-up of 2012. Congratulations Outside Lands! We look forward to August 10th-12th in San Francisco with you.

Official Line-Up:

Stevie Wonder
Metallica
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Jack White
Foo Fighters
Beck
Skrillex
Sigur Ros
Justice
Norah Jones
Dispatch
The Kills
Regina Spektor
Passion Pit
Andrew Bird
Grandaddy
Big Boi
Bloc Party
Explosions In The Sky
Franz Ferdinand
Mstrkrft
Rebelution
Die Antwoord
Fitz and The Tantrums
Portugal. The Man
Amadou & Mariam
Wolfgang Gartner
Fun.
Dr. Dog
The Walkmen
Washed Out
City and Colour
Two Gallants
Of Monsters and Men
Mimosa
Alabama Shakes
Reggie Watts
Trampled By Turtles
Tame Impala
Jovanotti
The Be Good Tanyas
Geographer
Sharon Van Etten
Yacht
Sean Hayes
Bomba Estereo
Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Big Gigantic
Thee Oh Sees
Wallpaper
Tennis
Zola Jesus
White Denim
Allen Stone
The M Machine
Michael Kiwanuka
Tanlines
Father John Misty
Electric Guest
Caveman
Yellow Ostrich
Papa
Honey Island Swamp Band
Animal Kingdom
and more to be announced...

SXSW: Don't Tell Me It's Over...

2012-03-18T08:36:00.007-07:00

I refuse to accept that my time in Austin has come to an end. Each day may have felt like a week, but it still wasn’t enough time to do and see all that I desired. I spent my last official day of SXSW attempting to make up for all this seemingly lost time.

You know it’s the last day of SXSW when you find yourself waking up early and heading over to Stubb’s for Rachael Ray’s Feedback party. This year the highlight was not the food so much as the bands…especially Imagine Dragons who I feel won over the majority of the packed venue and made me feel quite gratified in selecting them as our artist On The Rise for our last issue of High Voltage Magazine. The morning continued with stops at the MOG party to see Gary Clark Jr., The Silent Comedy and War on Drugs and then lunch at The Outlaw Roadshow at Rusty’s where I was charmed by several bands including Brooklynites Runaway Dorothy (a new discovery), Seattle standouts Hey Marsielles, and an old favorite from Philly/DC, Jukebox the Ghost. You know it’s a good morning when you get two different cover versions of “This Train is Bound For Glory” (via The Silent Comedy and Runaway Dorothy).

The dancing continued through the afternoon as I caught up with Semi Precious Weapons at The SoHo Lounge. The SPW boys had the entire room with their arms in the air and singing along. Singer, Justin Tranter, mentioned he doesn’t usually come out during the day, but by the energy and enthusiasm he was able to muster, one couldn’t tell he was unaccumsomed to face-melting at 4pm.

The evening began at Perez Hilton’s One Night in Austin event where I designed a screen printed shirt courtesy of Fiji water and indulged in some cotton candy and photo booth antics (the later two occurred simultaneously). Oh, there was also some music. Miguel proved to be a surprisingly dynamic performer and had the audience warmed up for the rest of the acts that evening which included Ed Sheeran, Kimbra, and B.o.B.

I was able to catch a few songs from LA notables Nico Vega before jumping into my car (*gasp*) and heading over to Hotel Cecilia to see brotherly duo, The Kin play outside at a private event under a tree. It was magical.

I was pretty much ready to be done at this point, but the idea of calling it a night at 10pm during SXSW is simply absurd, so it was back to 6^th St. for more adventures. Due to a schedule error (of my own), I ventured to the Presbyterian Church to see an act who wasn’t there. Instead, I caught (and was caught up with) singer-songwriter Joshusa James. Then another schedule error (beyond my control), made me realize with such great sadness, that Maverick Sabre was not in fact in Austin. As a result, I detoured to The Hotel Cafe Showcase where I was able to catch both LP and Harper Blynn (two stellar acts). Harper Blynn, on their cover of Beyonce’s “Halo” had the room on their feet!

Minutes before midnight, I rushed over to see Semi Precious Weapons again ring in my birthday (happy birthday to me!) with a spray of whiskey and a crowd filled with such enthusiasm. I love that when the set was over they clamored for a good 5 to 10 minutes before the band was called back to the stage to give an encore. Now, THAT, is how we close out SXSW. A few celebratory drinks at The Driskill, and that’s a wrap!

~ Kristen

P.S. Can it be SXSW ’13 yet?!?

SXSW: Ladies' Night

2012-03-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

Several things happened today: due to losing my drivers license, I told more people than I can remember how old I am, I watched the varied range of emotional reactions from a band who played their final show at SXSW, the overwhelming crush of bodies swarming around was starting to get to me, and in my head I began advance planning for SXSW 2013.

Apparently good things come in lady-packages because two of my highlights had women front and center:

Living up to ALL of the hype (which you know ain't easy) was Haim and this sister act Este, Alana, and Danielle, and Dash Hutton on drums made enduring a sweaty, moist, and hella packed Karma Lounge worth the extra deodorant. These ladies pull the trigger on 80's pop harmony, Fiona Apple-esque lyricism and girl power prowess to kind of snake charm your ears with their authority. Yes they're a Los Angeles band, but it was a shit ton easier to see them here at SXSW than it's been for me to see them in LA...which never happened. Sometimes it just works out like that.

Sweet is as sweet does, see HoneyHoney for further. With a touch of moonshine, boot stomping, Americana/alt-Country, bruising blues, and the soul of rock, Suzanne Santo (probably the prettiest thing I'd seen all day), and Ben Jaffe make the case for why this musical style never truly goes out of fashion and probably never will. HoneyHoney is a dustbowl hybrid of new vintage goodness.

And then there was the surprise of catching Voxhaul Broadcast who filled in at the Whole Foods Market Rooftop for the absent South African band, the Parlotones who had to take off for a commitment in Argentina. Other than that being my last and failed attempt at catching the Parlotones, I'm not mad because Voxhaul are pretty bad ass.

Over at Stubb's was Londoner, Ed Sheeran, who has a way with acoustic folk that makes it less of a snoozefest than it has a tendency to be. Come on people, let's be real: more often than not acoustic folk is a better sleep aid them Sominex. Sheeran was a warm and charming dose os pleasant.

Up for today:

~Rachel Ray's Feedback @ Stubb's (801 Red River St) : Free food, lots of music! 10:30-4pm
The Heavy, Blitzen Trapper, Of Monsters and Men, The Cringe w/ Billy Gibbons, LP, the Wild Feathers, and more

~The Aussie BBQ @ Maggie Mae's (323 E. 6th St.): Australian bands in the hizouse!
Andy Clockwise, Electric Jellyfish, Jonti, Dead Letter, Sparkadia, Jordie Lane, Bonfire Nights, Voltaire Twins, Grace Woodroofe, and many more!

Later, lovelies.

~Trina

What day is it anyway?

2012-03-16T07:16:00.007-07:00

After a shaky couple of days of technical glitches, late starts, artist cancellations, and overall frustration Thursday shaped up to be quite excellent. With a schedule that included Semi Precious Weapons, Band of Skulls, Morning Parade, Twin Atlantic, another Foxy Shazam set, Eve 6 and much more - how could you really go wrong?

Now before I go any further I do have to give props to Filter Magazine's Cedar Street Showdown party for being the best executed event thus far. SXSW is already chaotic enough trying to sort out which of today's 500+ bands you are actually going to see, so an event keeping to their published schedule is critical to make all your picks. And there wasn't one artist on Filter's line-up yesterday that even started one minute late! Kudos.

Kaiser Chiefs @ Filter Magazine's Cedar St Showdown
Some more well deserved recognition goes to the Hard Rock Hotel's Sound of Your Stay Music Lounge for the overall quality of their event. The line-up, food, beverages and the new ideas their rolling out for their hotels (playlists you can download and keep, free musical gear rentals and lessons, etc).

Semi Precious Weapons @ Hard Rock Hotel's Music Lounge
I was also thoroughly impressed with Morning Parade's set at the British Embassy in the early afternoon. It was my first time to see them live and found it quite delightful. Another highlight was Eve 6's performance later in the evening at Lucky Thirteen where they unveiled some new material (in fact, they are releasing a new album next month - their last album came out nine years ago). The band was tighter than I've ever seen them at and the new songs were simply irresistible; especially "Best Friend's Girlfriend" and "Victoria."

Morning Parade @ The British Embassy

Now for my Friday recommendations:

- Bad Rabbits are playing several times today so if you're in need of a stress release, go get your old school dance on. This band never disappoints.

- Quantum Collective is taking over the Whole Foods rooftop from 3pm to 10:30pm and the shows are all free. Making sure you catch Imagine Dragons, The Silent Comedy and Semi Precious Weapons.

- Fontana Distribution is hosting a day party at Buffalo Billiards with a killer line-up including Dead Sara at 2:45pm. SIDE NOTE: We just announced via Twitter that Dead Sara will be gracing the next High Voltage cover.

Eve 6 @ Lucky Thirteen
See you where the live music is,
Chelsea

SXSW Brings It Close To Home: LA Edition

2012-03-15T06:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, it would seem somewhat ridiculous to take the time, effort, and expense of traveling from Los Angeles, CA all the way to Austin, TX for SXSW only to spend a huge amount of time seeing local Los Angeles bands that play around the way on a regular basis. Well, people, then my name is "ridiculous" and I'm damned proud of it: I'm all about showing physical and emotional support for the good music.

The very particularly and specifically curated showcase "Dear Austin, Love L.A." at Opal's Divine Freehouse by the notoriously notable Kevin Bronson was nothing more than the man's healthy love and respect for the insane amount of quality music coming out of Los Angeles these days and that quality made many SXSWsters find new bands to eagerly dig into like:

NO who brought the shiny post-punk with class

Vanaprasta who brought the psych/soul rock especially made for an arena near you

And the powerhouse who Dead Sara simply ripped peoples' faces off and had them lined up on the sidewalk outside of the venue with their minds blown by what they heard and saw.

See? Not kidding.

Also on Bronson's monster local love showcase were Chasing Kings, PAPA, the Henry Clay People , Harriet, and the painfully delightful Milo Greene. Yes, Los Angeles represented hard and I'm not sure Austin/SXSW will know how to follow up such a badass act. But the fun will be in the next few days of watching them try.

Speaking of fun (or fun.)...I still haven't gotten to see them. #FAIL

Now weather-wise it was a tad humid and muggy in Austin so dancing you butt off isn't really the smartest thing to do, but shit happens when you catch a Free Energy show (not an LA band, BTW). Twice in one day. And even though their 1am set at Jrs. (second show of the day) was pushed back by a dude named Thomas Dolby who simply would NOT get off the stage even after being told to, and being bitten by the technical difficulties bug, the feel-good, dance fever of Free Energy's rocking pop prevailed and those boys made a good time happen for the crowd that decided to stay until things got sorted.

Free Energy

Random acts of SXSW awesome: Stubbs bbq sammich with Evan, repeated run-ins with Alex, Daisy, and Aaron from Foxy Shazam (taxes were discussed), chatty moments with pieces of the UK's Viva City, free sushi from the Convention Center, seeing the many beautiful faces that I never expected bump into just walking down the street, and Austin PD giving a lady's car a jump in the middle of the madness on 6th Street.

Way to show your love, ATX.

*Note* Venues that run an hour behind schedule get on my nerves. The music moon must have been in retrograde, this I assume due to the abundance of tech/equipment/sound issues running rampant at SXSW today (Dead Sara's second show of the day may just go down in sketchy back line/sound history. Damn). Hey dude who recited a wicked mad slice of def jam poetry to me while walking down 6th Street: that was awesome.

As for today, March 15th, here are a few SXSW options for you:

1- Day #2 of SOFAR Sounds: SOFAR has partnered with High Voltage to make your ears happy with delightful acoustic sessions. Friday line up brings you: NO (12:15), Reeps One (12:45), Reynosa (1:30), Shakey Graves (2:00), and We Were Evergreen (2:30). RSVP to get in and receive the secret location address:AustinSofar@gmail.com

2- Manic Fest Destiny at Rusty's (405 E. 7th St.) presented by Sideways Media and Tijuana Gift Shop brings you two stages and some wicked acts to fill them like. Inside Stage: Dearly Beloved (12:30pm), The Shrine (1pm), Wished & Thieves (2pm), Jesse Thomas (3:30pm), Firehorse (4:30pm), The Stone Foxes (5:30pm). Outside Stage: Hey Marseilles (1pm), Jasmine Ash (2pm), backwords (3pm), New Cassettes (4pm), Greylag (5pm), Howlin Rain (6pm). Details HERE and I hope you've RSVP'd for this one already.

3- Filter Magazine's Showdown at Cedar Street at Cedar Street Courtyard (208 W. 4th St.) has Twiliite (11am), Coldaire (11:30am), Paula Karol (12pm), Zulu Winter (1pm), Reptar (2pm), Band of Skulls (3pm), Kaiser Chiefs (4pm), Keane (5pm). Free noms at this one (that means food, kiddies) but do get there early for that. Get all the details and RSVP right HERE.

Also, the Silent Comedy, Jordan Cook, Twin Atlantic, the Chevin, the Stone Foxes, the Features, and Howlin Rain have shows today. You're welcome.

Hit the streets and get your music on.

~Trina

SXSW: I'm on the List!

2012-03-14T01:05:00.010-07:00

Today was my first full day of SXSW. Most of it was spent collecting various passes for the days ahead and getting a general feel for the city. After a rough start picking up our SXSW wristbands, the majority of the afternoon was fairly smooth with a successful collection of passes picked up for The Purevolume House, The Hype Hotel, BandHQ, The Spotify House, and Fader Fort (which actually started wristband pickup 30 min. early - huzzah!).

The swag collection today included a foursquare t-shirt, Dell water “bottle”, MGO backpack, Tito’s vodka fanny pack, and a lovely gift bag from Non Toxic Revolution which included some boxed water and Emergen-C. We also had some success food-wise picking up some free hot dogs courtesy of @girlsHBO and ice cream made with coconut milk outside BandPage HQ.

The line at Hype Hotel pick-up

The evening brought a shift in focus back to the music. Highlights included a couple British bands (Viva City and fiN) as well as a surprise performance by He’s My Brother, She’s My Sister (they played under the name Rainbros). If this playing under a fake name business becomes a trend, I’m going to start investigating oddly named bands... although I fear my efforts would just prove there are a lot of strange band names out there...

Viva City at Quantum Collective's kickoff

Looking at tomorrow's schedule, there's several showcases you should see:

- Dear Austin: Love, LA Showcase presented by Buzzbands featuring some stellar LA-based bands such as Chasing Kings (11:15), Dead Sara (1:30), Vanaprasta (2:15), NO (3:00), and Milo Greene (5:15). Arrive early for some giveaways. Freehouse (700 W 6^th St) http://buzzbands.la/austin-2012/

- Sea Now Event at The Brew Exchange (706 W 6^th St) featuring Free Energy (3:30), Ume (5:00), The Parlotones (6:00), Harper Blynn (7:00), The Stone Foxes (7:30), Bleu (9:00), and Vanaprasta (11:00) http://www.seanow.org/

- SOFAR Sounds has partnered with High Voltage (yes, us!) for some extra special Acoustic Sessions this week. Wednesday brings Radiation City (12:15), Cowboy and Indian (12:45), Tournament of Hearts (1:30), Haun’s Mill (2:00, and Greylag (2:30). You'll need to RSVP to get in (and receive the secret location address): AustinSofar@gmail.com

- An official SXSW Showcase presented by Communion at Maggie Mae’s Rooftop with the following lineup:

o 8pm: Bear’s Den

o 9pm: Marcus Foster

o 10pm: The Apache Relay

o 11pm: Treetop Flyers

o 12am: Nathaniel Rateliff

o 1am: Three Blind Wolves

And if you're looking for that magic food + good music combo? Try Warner Sound’s daytime festival at La Zona Rosa (612 W 4^th St) featuring Royal Teeth, Avalanche City, fun. and more. Doors are at noon. Get there early for some free steak house goods.

~ Kristen
P.S. If you still haven't tracked one down, be sure to find us to get a copy of the High Voltage Pocket Guide to SXSW!

Let the music begin!

2012-03-13T02:14:00.007-07:00

Chelsea here. Just got in from 14 hours of nonstop SXSW shenanigans today. Most of the day was spent picking up party passes and sorting out where various events were going to occur. However, I was able to catch the acts at the iHeartRadio / PureVolume party tonight. Highlights? Dead Sara & Foxy Shazam! Both acts are playing several more during the week so if you missed them tonight you'll have another shot to check them out.

My recommendations for tomorrow, when music really kicks off:

- The Fader Fort begins wristband pick-up at Noon. Get there as early as you can because that pick-up line isn't going to get any shorter at any point throughout the week.

- The Quantum Collective is launching their series of SXSW events at The Chuggin' Monkey at 6pm. Definitely head over for Viva City at 12:15am.

- For those with Interactive Badges, check out Free Energy at the Nokia Lab Dome sometime after 8pm (set time hasn't been officially announced).

- And Spotify users will want to text SPOTIFY to 894546 to receive a text each morning with their secret show line-up that day. As long as you're a Spotify user you'll be able to attend (capacity permitting).

And finally, follow @highvoltagemag to see where we're hanging out, tips for a better SXSW and to grab a High Voltage SXSW Pocket Guide off us. Trust us, you'll want one of these. See you tomorrow, Austin!

SXSW 2012 - Here we go!

2012-03-08T20:07:00.002-08:00

High Voltage is no stranger to South by Southwest Music Festival (aka SXSW), this will be our 9th year. But this year we're doing something extra special - we've made our own SXSW pocket guide and printed thousands of copies to be distributed around Austin starting Monday, March 12th. Find us in Austin to grab a copy for yourself.

Our regular coverage from the event will also start on Monday, March 12th. We'll be posting daily recaps and even more recommendations of what to see for the following day (as new & secret events keep getting announced). So, bookmark this page and come back often. Also make sure to follow us on Twitter for live updates @highvoltagemag.

In the meantime, here's a brand new track by SXSW showcasing artist Free Energy called "Electric Fever" for you to download and enjoy.

FREE ENERGY - Electric Fever

NAMM 2012

2012-01-23T12:05:00.000-08:00

The National Association of Music Merchants (aka NAMM) is the mother-load of music trade shows which calls more than 90,000 exhibitors, buyers and visitors out to play, party, and display at the Anaheim Convention Center. Being High Voltage Magazine's virgin NAMM Show voyage it was a bit overwhelming. Chelsea & Trina represented to the best of their ability within "the city sized Guitar Center" to quote Mike Walker of up-and-coming indie rock band NO. Here's their recap:

NAMM is damned fine prep/training for South By Southwest (SXSW). In terms of sheer leg power alone, the quads, hamstrings, and calves are put through their paces as you attempt (and attempt is what you do) to move through all of the exhibitions halls, levels, and surrounding grounds expediently, dodging wandering moguls-in-training, gear, displays, and the occasional 100-person long line waiting for an autograph and photo op with their rock and roll idol. - Trina N. Green

Once again, the power of all things social media showed itself for the indispensable tool that it is, because otherwise how the hell would we have known that Jackson Browne and Lee Roy Parnell were mini-jamming upstairs in the Gibson Guitars booth? Scheduled? I think not, but someone at Gibson tweeted the happening and that was all she wrote. The two chicks that you saw hauling ass up the escalators to get to the third floor? Yeah, that was us. Many exhibitors have been utilizing social media like Twitter for all that it’s worth during NAMM; contests, giveaways, announcements. You’d do well to follow suit. - Trina N. Green

The business that can be done is only as limited as your imagination: sourcing out gear for your band, laying eyes and ears on the “next big thing” and gaining product knowledge, determining what product would be a good fit for your retail business and your customers, retailers meeting their dealers and manufacturers, staring down the competition, putting faces to names that you’ve done business with for years via email, locking product endorsements. Boom. You’ve been NAMM’d. - Trina N. Green

NAMM isn't just limited to merchant business though, it's truly a music haven for the music geek. As you drool over new amp models, advances in tuning technology, and the unveiling of new signature guitar models like Billy Morrison's (pictured to the left) - you could also meet your musical heroes. Signings at booths included: Duff McKagan, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Orianthi, Lita Ford, Dave Navarro, Vivian Campbell, Grace Potter, Tommy Lee, and even the Playmate of the Year (2011)! Or spot your hero casually testing gear out around NAMM like Stevie Wonder, Dave Rude (Tesla), Anders Bo Jespersen, Tony Beliveau (Crash Kings), John Mayer, Matt Sorum and many more. - Chelsea Schwartz

Then there's the music discovery aspect. Looking for a new drummer to your indie rock band? Well whose that jamming over at Zildjian right now? Or maybe you were looking to brand your product with a band endorsement. Personally I followed the sweet sounds coming out of Fender's amusement park for the guitar lover type booth and discovered Uh Huh Her, a band whose name I was aware of but whose music I had not yet listened to. A new fan was born; they were fantastic! - Chelsea Schwartz

The noise. Cacophony. Harmonic discord while every novice to legitimate guitar hero cops a shred on a Gibson or the next John Bonham shatters the eardrums crashing on Zildjian or Supernatural Cymbals. Hey, wasn't there an earplugs booth around here somewhere? And yes, there was! Ear Filters are leading the way with their sponge-like filter, not plug, so you can hear. This filter takes out 15db instead of 22-30db like most over the counter plugs. Perfect!

So as experiences go, this 2012 NAMM was quality. From the eye candy that was the Kurt Cobain line of Fender guitars to attending the NAMM U sessions such as "The Music Instinct: Science and Song" or "How to Measure Your Social Media Results in 10 Minutes" to the abundance of familiar faces that we ran into with no planning, this was a trade show of enormous - if not overwhelming - proportions that proved its value on the first day. The overall energy felt positive and enthusiastic from new exhibitors and veterans, alike, and attendees seemed just as open to new with this year's theme, "Make It Count,” this NAMM Show focused on innovation in the form of apps and technology products designed to make playing music more accessible and easier than ever for consumers.

Other highlights included Rock N Roll Relics (handmade custom-built guitars), the new DT25 from Line6, and Gibson's Robot Guitar.

CMJ 2011: A Road Trip w/ Manic Monkee

2011-11-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

Hi, Manic Monkee (aka Allie Shaw) hollering at you. My first entry in the Road Trippin series I'll be bringing to High Voltage takes us to New York City for CMJ 2011. Picture SXSW for the East Coast but instead of it all be located in one generalized area it’s in all the boroughs. So many taxi’s and subways are involved and instead of all the BBQs and Lonestar beer, it's all about finger foods and wine at these parties. But if you are coming for the music, it’s well worth the miles you will travel. CMJ is a music festival & conference; I won’t bore you with the details of the conference, I get it, you’re here for the music. However, yours truly did speak on a panel this year about touring for performers in an economic climate. It was packed with line waiting outside to get in, just saying.

Lets get on with the good stuff.

The 31st annual CMJ festival started off with the Conflict Of Interest party on Monday night, The Syndicate’s annual party at Rebel NYC. Bands like Chiddy Bang, Walk The Moon and the Young Evils graced the overly packed venue. It was refreshing to see NYC get out and support the fest. Now, I’m not gonna do the usual day-by-day blah blah blah, I’ve decided to pick out the stuff I liked. Although, to be honest, a lot of the music started sounding the same. So much watery electronic music and those echoey vocals that seem to follow me in every venue. But, there were a few apples ripe for the picking...

Let me just say that my guilty pleasure this year is a band called Wallpaper out of LA. They played at 3am at Tammany Hall and revived this tired Monkee with their contagious music. A Hip Hop/Dance band whose music is just as addicting as their live performance with diddies about being too drunk to drive and having the best song ever, you’ll find yourself pushing repeat.

Over at the Australian BBQ, I came across a lovely singer named Grace Woodruffe, who had a beautiful blend of deep rootsy sounds that transitioned well into the crowd. Somehow I promised myself I was not gonna go to Brooklyn. The whole we are a band from Brooklyn thing is so overplayed... Yea, I get it, Brooklyn’s "cool" like it’s the new 'we are a band from Seattle', but yet, I still ended up there atop a roof to watch an amazing band called Vanaprasta I was freezing my ta-ta’s off, but when they started playing it occurred to me that I may be listening to the new Kings of Leon on the block. They have an amazing psychedelic energy that made me think if Radiohead and Kings Of Leon had a child the result would be Vanaprasta.

Perez Hilton, honestly to me, has no taste in music and has no business even having music centric parties. He throws one at CMJ and one at SXSW every year and usually it's dance crap, sorry. This time the line-up appeared more soul-oriented so I thought, alright, soul, sweet. His party, let me think, bombed. He had Boyz II Men and Mary J Blige, two amazing acts in themselves but singing their music to tracks! It felt like a lip synch contest more then an actual performance. It was a waste of two great talents. Pony up Perez and brings the bands in to back up the singers, cheapo.

So, I could talk about The Dum Dum Girls, Neon Indian, Portugal The Man (whom I do love), The Lonely Forest, Ziggy Marley, En Vogue, The Delta Spirit and so many more who played there, but you can read about them on every blog. I am a champion for the underdog, the one’s that are still undiscovered but that I believe won’t be for long. Here is what's next: Shinobi Ninja, Free Energy, A House For Lions, The Barr Brothers, Chelsea Wolfe, Boy & Bear, People Get Ready, The Parlotones, Zola Jesus, and The Kin (at least from my perspective).

Honestly, I found a great band waiting around in the Subway called Heth and Jed - they called to me as I was waiting for my train - a blend of fusions think Santana meets Gypsy Kings.

So many parties, so much music, it’s a blur. A definitive haze for the indie crowd surfing to discover new music. I’m not gonna say I discovered anything that blew my socks off or anything that left a major lasting impression as I ran from venue to venue. Subway and taxi hopping takes a toll... Although unlike it’s big brother counterpart, it’s easier to see music at this festival as the lines at SXSW are outrageous and CMJ has still hung on mostly to what it was founded on, independent music. You can’t really call yourself an indie fest when you have bands like Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Robert Plant and Muse playing, ahem SXSW.

Go check the bands at http://www.cmj.com discover for yourself. Manic Monkee gone bananas, I’m out.

When Cultures Collide….Saturday Edition

2011-10-09T12:39:00.000-07:00

Since you've been waiting with bated breath for this, here you go:-).

Saturday rolled around which meant a fresh new day of music as well as searching for more buttons, especially the highly elusive one from New Zealand (we’re sensing a conspiracy here). The fest suffered a few cancellations that hurt the heart: UK’s Isobel Campbell and USA’s Pubes. Pubes, folks. I wanted to see them strictly for the name, alone.

You Say France & I Whistle

Anyhoo, like the troupers that we are, we all rolled on and who knew that the Swedes had so much infectious party power? That’s what Sweden’s You Say France & I Whistle were all about during the happy hour at Taix. Silly name? Yes. A Van Morrision song? Uh huh, but it was pure as the sunshine goodness and fun with more stuffed animals on one stage than should be legal.

Little Hurricane

Having been moved from the Co-op to The Echo with a set time one hour earlier that originally scheduled, I caught San Diego’s Little Hurricane, yet another two-piece ala The White Stripes: grimy blues/rock comprised of the ridiculously pretty CC on drums and her cohort Tone on the axe. Good shizz, folks. Later came a very punkish, lively, and inspired set from local yokels, Henry Clay People.

Worship at the church of rock and roll? Yes, and literally as I sat in the pews at Echo Park United Methodist Church to be blown away by what was obviously Iceland’s version of Explosions in the Sky: the quartet For a Minor Reflection. Dramatic, all instrumental, and at times thoroughly mesmerizing with deep stretches of propulsive jam which left me totally hooked. Definitely High Voltage approved.

USA’s Matthew and the Arrogant Sea from Texas didn’t seem terribly arrogant at all (yay for that), and The Elected…perhaps another show from them will leave a better impression. Sitting in a low-lit church watching a bunch of dudes, all of whom are seated, dole out alt indie with a country-ish twang with little energy isn’t a good recipe for staying awake. Amen.

Over at Echoplex, De Staat from The Netherlands was raucously rocking the stage, giving me that fine Electric 6 feel. We caught them yesterday at Taix for the Dutch Impact party, but here at Echoplex they had bigger stage to play with. It’s brash and funky rock, a party in your pants, if you will, and folks got their “\m/” on.

Alright, one more day of festival activities on the horizon. If you’ll be there on the streets of Echo Park, I hope to see your smiling faces. If not, keep up with us here and on Twitter for the some action!

~Trina

When Cultures Collide….Friday Edition

2011-10-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

Good day, music friends. I’m currently doing two things that I really dig: having tea and talking about music. Here’s a mini-recap of this girl’s highlights.

The Friday edition of Filter Magazine’s Culture Collide music festival bore some good musical fruit to the ears despite the venue and time changes, and partner-in-crime Chelsea and I are kicking ass on the festival’s button collection-fest, Pin It To Win It game. Oh yeah, that iPad is mine:-).

Pass the Dutchie aka Dutch Impact @ Taix

Laura Jansen

Laura Jansen: This lovely and pixie looking Los Angeleno apparently has Dutch DNA going on (born in The Netherlands) making her a fine local representative for the Dutch party. A singer/songwriter who took the stage with her stellar band and her keyboard following two highly electric, guitar driven bands, Jansen held her own and never lost the attention of the crowd. Clean and pure vocals, melody-driven tunes, fun and interactive personality, and songs about dating a douchebag. #winning!

Guineafowl

Always a sucker for the down-under since the days of Crocodile Dundee, I made it a point to catch Australia’s Guineafowl at Origami Vinyl. Pop on the indie side, danceable, fun with a little folk underneath, the 5-piece band made all of us happy even if we had to crane our necks the entire set.

*FYI…if you’re still in LA on Monday, feel free (“free” being the operative word) to catch Guineafowl at Bardot’s in Hollywood along with San Diego’s amazeballz The Silent Comedy. Part of Bardot’s It’s a School Night series, RSVP HERE and I’ll see you there. Dancing shoes are not optional.

Black Box Revelation

Ahhh, but the rock and roll kicker came by way of Belgium and Black Box Revelation who I’d been looking forward to all day. Two guys who prove that you just don’t need a lot of hardware, software, tweaks, or technology in order to make a good noise. Jan Paternoster (vocals, guitar) and Dries Van Dijck (drums, percussion) made many heads do that rock-roll/headbang thing (I saw them) because theirs is a brand of bluesy, garage rock with enough snarl to be sexy, yet still a shit ton of fun and I’m sad that their part of the festival is done.

There you go, lovelies, another solid day of musical goodness in the books. Oh, but we're not done yet. Stay tuned for words about Saturday...

~Trina

Culture Collide: Day 1 & 2

2011-10-08T12:26:00.001-07:00

Culture Collide started off to a slow rhythm-less start on Thursday with a happy hour sponsored by Canada & Switzerland where two Swiss bands, Disco Doom & Kassette, performed without a bassist. Both acts were talented, but the music wasn't producing enough excitement to help inspire us for the weekend of worldly music ahead. This pattern would continue until inspiration was awoken at The Echo where Handshakes was about to take the stage. A five-piece power pop rock outfit that was just foot-tapping enough to arouse musical motivation & discovery for the weekend ahead.

After Thursday's misfires, Friday was approached cautiously with arrival at Taix for Don't Panic! We're from Poland's happy hour where Indigo Tree caught my eye. A three-piece mellow indie semi-electronic act full of harmony, but not so full of instruments. A guitar was present onstage accompanied with what looked liked a modern day DJ set-up but probably just a laptop/mixer full of effects - and that was it. The sheer uniqueness of this set-up kept me around longer than usual as the music was quite inviting.

Following Poland's shindig, the Dutch invaded. Let's just say the Dutch know how to rock! Three not-to-miss acts in a row: Death Letters, De Staat and Laura Jensen. Each act different from the last but extremely lively in personality, showmanship and musicianship. More specifically on De Staat later as I'm heading to their full set tonight at Echoplex (8pm). You'll want to be there too.

Guineafowl held things down from Australia during their in-store at Origami Vinyl with some delectable indie pop complete with infectious hand claps and booty-shaking rhythms. If you enjoyed Free Energy's b-side "Something In Common" then Guineafowl is right up your feel-good dance-your-butt-off musical alley. Their music video for "Little Fingers" is worth checking out as well.

And finally, Belgium's The Black Box Revelation brought down the house with their raw Black Keys-esque style rock n roll. However The Black Box Revelation takes their jams to 11 (and then some)! Needless to say, Friday's line-up excelled in all areas. Even The Postelles soundcheck was better than your average's bands actual set. Looking forward to Day 3 kicking off here in a bit... More to come!

Chelsea

Filter Magazine's Culture Collide Fest 2011

2011-10-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

Back for a second year, Filter Magazine's Culture Collide Festival kicks off this evening in Silverlake, CA. High Voltage is on the scene all weekend to bring you the latest in music from around the world. See you where the music is!

The Essential SSMF 2011

2011-08-23T12:43:00.001-07:00

What do you mean Sunset Strip Music Festival 2011 is already over? Whoa, that went by quickly. I suppose time really does fly by when you're having fun and what fun we did have!

Starting Thursday night, August 18th, I arrived at the House of Blues on Sunset to kick things off with the tribute to Motley Crue where Nikki, Tommy, Vince & Mick were being honored with the Elmer Valentine Award. Definitely well deserved! The red carpet looked ravishing but the icing on the cake were the guest speakers: Ray Manzarek of The Doors, comedian/actor Dane Cook, author Neil Strauss (who co-write, The Dirt -- Motley's book), and my personal idol (the man I call my godfather of Rock N Roll) David Johansen of the New York Dolls! Wow, wow, WOW! Then to kick off the musical weekend, High Voltage's Top Pick of the Year in 2010 Crash Kings closed the night out ending their set with a cover of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs".

Friday night was equally as entertaining as the night prior. Bouncing between two solid line-ups at both The Viper Room and The Roxy all evening, I started the night off with Taylor Locke & The Roughs. Their joyous blend of rockin' guitars, delightful harmonies, and foot-tappin' grooves always leaves a smile on my face. Then I raced off to catch the tail end of Dead Sara at The Roxy, a band so wonderful that Grace Slick (of Jefferson Airplane) has become their number one fan. Dead Sara owned that stage, the crowd, and might have been one of my favorite performances of the festival... until Taddy Porter (who followed them at The Roxy) performed their cover of I Want You (She's So Heavy). Well, I should say Taddy Porter's entire set won me over from the first lick as I'm a sucker for that southern rock flavor a la Black Crowes.

Then it was time for Buckcherry (still at The Roxy), a band whose career I have followed since 1999 but had yet to see a full set live. Not to mention one of the few bands keeping rock n roll alive and well these days. They played a wide range of material from "Lit Up" to "All Night Long." It was quite refreshing to watch a band enjoy playing any part of their musical catalogue live and to witness a highly energetic room sing-a-long with every song (and LOUDLY). The Roxy's Friday night line-up was the best part of the festival, hands down, but I didn't stop the night there. No, time to bolt back over to The Viper Room for an after-party featuring eli james - phew, what a night!

Now Saturday wasn't a traditional festival day, as it was spent entirely in the media lounge until 7pm when I ventured onto the street for food and a good spot to watch Motley Crue destroy the Sunset Strip. The media lounge was presented by 98.7FM and Musician's Institute and had a plethora of acoustic performances by bands such as The Dirty Heads, Imagine Dragons, Kozmonaut, Deluka and more plus intimate interviews conducted by 98.7FM with artists such as BUSH, Buckcherry and even Nikki Sixx. It was amazing to be up-close-and-personal with so many iconic personalities. She Wants Revenge especially blew me away with their rant on what makes talent.

Now that's what I call a festival!

Until next year,
Chelsea

SSMF 2011 Artist Profile: Imagine Dragons

2011-08-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

Las Vegas is known and notable for a lot of things from casinos to showgirls to “The Godfather II” to The Killers. You can add Imagine Dragons to that list of reasons to love the city of sin and to attend the Sunset Strip Music Festival.

Appropriately, the very first time that I saw Imagine Dragons was on a random-ass and very spur of the moment trip with friends to Las Vegas for the Rock and Roll Wine concert at Caesar’s Palace in 2010 where they played with Crash Kings and Jet. A healthy line up, for sure, and could little old Imagine Dragons get the rock and roll party started amid a wine tasting in advance of those two rad bands???

Yes. Yes they could and they did. The wandering, wine-drinking crowd took quick notice of what was going on onstage and zeroed in.

There’s good reason why they’ve been called Vegas’ next big thing since The Killers and were voted “Best Local Indie Band 2010” by Las Vegas Weekly, and are music darlings in their hometown; their synth-based dance/pop/rock is damned deliciously electric stuff and impossible NOT to groove to. It feels good and it sounds good; their three EPs, self-titled, Hell and Silence, and It’s Time snap, crack, and pop with way more hooks and harmonies, heady bass and shiny guitar work than should be allowed from a band so young in creation (since 2008). Songs like “All Eyes”, “Cover Up”, and the soar of “Selene” (love, love “Selene”) are electronica dynamic, brim with the confidence of seasoned rockers, and are crafted with an edge and distinction to set them apart from anyone they may compared to. Even a city as musically jaded, seen it, heard it, bought the merch aka Los Angeles repeatedly eats Imagine Dragons alive when they come to town; the baddest of Sunset Strip venues, The Roxy and The Viper Room, are really becoming a home away from home for the band. We love them. A lot. More and more people love them every day. Their crazy good music makes us shout out, sing loud, and dance. Think I’m kidding? Check out their video for “Tokyo” and see for yourself the affect Imagine Dragons has on people:

Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, Ben McKee, Theresa Flaminio, and Daniel Platzman are the players, and when Dan (singer) plants his feet on the stage, he brings with him an exuberance and unrestrained energy that’s ridiculously infectious, and a throaty howl to let loose with. A fantastic live band they are, as they should be especially coming from a city where “entertainment” is as much lifestyle as it is a noun, and they've blown away audiences at club shows to 20,000 people on a festival stage. Yes, the songs translate from the studio to the stage boldly, perfectly, showcasing the band’s tight musicianship and you ain’t seen nothing until Wayne rips the crowd a new one with that crushing guitar solo in “Clouds”.

Where will I be on Saturday, August 20^th at 4:40pm? At The Roxy watching this amazeballz band kick some Sunset Strip ass. Mine, included.

SSMF 2011 Artist Profile: Taylor Locke & the Roughs

2011-08-13T12:51:00.000-07:00

This is a Musical Public Service Announcement:

A variation on power pop/rock, and it doesn’t get much better than Taylor Locke & the Roughs.

As endeavors go, side projects can be hit or miss, if not downright embarrassing, but a ‘miss’ is something that Rooney guitarist Taylor Locke doesn’t have to worry about: he’s got a kick ass side project in Taylor Locke & the Roughs. If your ears lean towards muscular guitar licks running rampant all over well-crafted rock songs that push melodies and wicked harmonies, you’ve just found your new favorite band playing the Sunset Strip Music Festival.

Lyrically the music travels some well-worn roads; Taylor's singing about the ladies and the emotional/physical situations that they put him in. And a fine voice (and great hair) that guy has and uses to sing about those girls; a lofty falsetto for the pretty tunes perfectly anchored by a tenor with enough grit to rock the storytelling. The music’s struts and jives with ambition and reverence to the good stuff; if you think you feel shades of Tom Petty or The Beatles, well good on you. Two full albums under their belt, Grain & Grape and Marathon, and both have the scent of classic pop and rock stylings all over them in the best ways possible and are fantastic albums front to back. No really, they are and you know how rare that is. Taylor Locke and Chris Pierce (who’s got major skills of his own) were the band nucleus, and after some line up changes, now include Joe Seiders (drums) and Brandon Schwartzel (bass).

So many great Taylor Locke & the Roughs tracks to choose from, "My Only Drug”, "Tarred, Feathered, & Scarlet Lettered”, "Don’t Forget", "Start Me Over", etc., but "Jennifer" is a tall glass of juicy grooves to move to. And long legs:

Don’t you just love the cowbell?

Yes, Taylor Locke & the Roughs are a hell of a rock band, but a rock band with finely tuned pop sensibilities and songcraft and are very High Voltage Magazine approved!

And they rock the SSMF show at The Viper Room on Friday night, August 19^th. See you there!

SSMF 2011 Artist Profile: Semi Precious Weapons

2011-08-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

What can we say about Semi Precious Weapons?

-There’s nothing ‘semi’ about them; they go all in, go all out, or go home.

-They’re no strangers to the Sunset Strip; it might as well be their second home.

-They make filth absolutely beautiful.

-Justin Tranter’s legs are f*cking gorgeous.

What else can we say about SPW? Show business can be a dirty business, and it takes a special breed of rock star to warp that business into pure and filthy glamour that speaks to a new generation with nothing but love. These Sunset Strip Music Festival repeat offenders have spent the last two years humping the leg of the world with their gal pal Lady Gaga and her "Monster Ball", blowing minds and shocking them, but that’s what happens when rock, pop, and glam all collide under the watch of Semi Precious Weapons.

Justin Tranter: a 6-foot, blond singer-dude in high-heeled Stuart Weitzman boots and panty hose. Cole Whittle: a bassist who looks straight out of a Mad Max redux. Stevy Pyne: a guitar player who can shred while on a stripper’s pole (I’ve seen with my own eyes, folks). Daniel Crean: a drummer who reeks of calm and classical training. These are the pieces of the Semi Precious puzzle and they are nothing short of electric. Take the front man qualities of Freddie Mercury, the sexuality swagger (laced with sexual ambiguity) of Mick Jagger, and back it up with physical, frenetic, and ridiculously talented musicians and you have a party that no one wants to end. Their second album, You Love You, is a DJ’s best friend with rocking songs like “Put A Diamond In It”, “Magnetic Baby”, and the aptly named “Semi Precious Weapons” where their infamous moniker "I can't pay my rent, but I'm fucking gorgeous." comes from. At one point they really meant it.

SPW are the antidote to things hip and hipster with a singular clarion message: live, love, and party like you’re dying. They’re like a musical church of acceptance that encourages its members to be unashamed and unafraid, to be the biggest drag queen on the block or the biggest rock star in the room. Whoever or whatever you are, it’s the most beautiful thing in the world. To the tune of thumping bass lines and ripping guitar, a SPW show is all things fierce and fabulous, gaudy and dangerous, sexy and sexual and Justin often encourages everyone to “get laid”. He does so because he cares and it's all rock and roll.

We love them and they were born for the Sunset Strip Music Festival so on Saturday, August 20th you’ll find them in all of their fantastically filthy glory on The Roxy stage. Get some. You know you want to.

SSMF 2011 Artist Profile: Deluka

2011-08-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn by way of Birmingham....to the Sunset Strip!

From their days of trolling the English countrysides and yard sales for cheap equipment to create cool sounds with to the Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack to the streets of hip-central aka Brooklyn, NY, Deluka have created a spanking new wave of New Wave with healthy doses of indie electronic spirit.

Deluka is Ellie Innocenti, Kris Kovacs, Stevie J. Palmer, and Robbie G. and they’re all about making punk-dance-pop-rock gems for the room to move to. Their 2009 release You Are The Night is a body of shimmery tunes full of catch, melody, and electronica-infused rock like “OMFG”, “Nevada”, and “Cascade” all backed up by solid production. So solid that the synth beats, samples, etc. in no way overshadow the organics of the real bass, drums, crisp guitars, and the cool spunk of Ellie’s vocals.

Check out Deluka and “Cascade”:

It’s an evolution of a tried and true sound straight out of Birmingham and The Key Club stage is where you’ll find these across the pond-ers on Saturday, August 20^th in the middle of the insanity called the Sunset Strip Music Festival.

Motley Crue to Rock SSMF in 360 Degrees

2011-08-12T11:25:00.000-07:00

Holy *$#!@@!

It almost seemed like too much to ask (beg, plead, grovel) for, but it's officially official: Motley Crue will bring the whole shebang to the Sunset Strip Music Festival stage on Saturday, August 20th. And by the "whole shebang", we mean this....hold on to your leather pants, boys and girls:

Yep, that's Tommy Lee banging out the tunes on a 360˚ looping roller coaster. It's going to be a hell of a sight to see this rocking extravaganza in the middle of Sunset Blvd, but oh my, we can hardly wait! And to make some Sunset Strip rocker's day, one lucky fan will get to ride that coaster with Tommy Lee!

Pick me! Pick me!

SSMF 2011 Artist Profile: Sabrosa Purr

2011-08-11T10:15:00.000-07:00

Local bands get a lot of love from The Sunset Strip, particularly those who throw down with healthy amounts of skill, badass, strut, and a touch of sexy. The venerable stage of The Roxy Theater is where you’ll find this diamond of Los Angeles on August 20^th at the Sunset Strip Music Festival.

Hailing from Los Angeles, we have a band of four, equal parts XX and XY chromosomes. Will Love (vox/guitar), Victoria Mordoch (bass), Jeff Mendel (guitar), and Mahsa Zargaran (drums) are Sabrosa Purr and a band built for taking the listener on a head bang/shake your groove thing journey and they pull that feat off seamlessly with dark electric, psychedelic chic, and glammed rock laced with moments of funk. Yes, that may be a complicated thing for the head to envision, but it’s a deliciously easy thing for the ears and eyes to digest.

Aren’t they pretty?

But along with the winsome good looks come grimy guitar riffs and sweat inducing brooding grooves that are loud like Los Angeles. Sabrosa Purr makes body-rocking noise that channels rock swagger, metallic bombast, odd bits of beauty, and the haunt of melody.

No strangers to The Sunset Strip. Sabrosa Purr may very well be one of LA’s most difficult to bands to label due to their genre blending ways, and they’re the better for it. I’ve written about and recommended them on repeat and will continue to do so to anyone who will humor me by listening because I think them worthy for the long haul. Shades of Smashing Pumpkins to Prince, crunch and distortion, ethereal and sublime, and many other facets color Sabrosa Purr’s oeuvre as they thrash hot only to downshift and slink cool. When singer Will Love laments the price and pain of beauty to the thrust of guitar squall in “Fashion Kills” it’s barely the tip of the trip he’s taking you on as vocal cord shredding takes on new meaning with “…By The Water” and “The Lovely People”. A high quality, expressive, and durable nu-metal shriek is a good thing for the hard rocker, as is the versatility to dial it down into plaintive restraint and velvet-lined darkness.

Loud darkness, that is.

Sunset Strip Music Festival 2011

2011-08-09T14:16:00.000-07:00

Q: What's the next festival High Voltage is covering?
A: Sunset Strip Music Festival
August 18-20th, 2011
West Hollywood, CA
Stay tuned for artist spotlights, live reviews, photos, and more.

Kanrocksas, Day Two Recap

2011-08-07T15:45:00.000-07:00

Dear Kanrocksas,

Congratulations! It takes some balls to go up against Lollapalooza on the same weekend with almost the same line-up. Not to mention you're only 8 hours away from Chicago by car and less than two hours by flight. Just a small town festival with big time dreams and you just may have pulled it off.

Day Two should've started, for me, with Rival Sons but they canceled for unknown reasons so instead The Black Angels kicked off my Kanrocksas experience. It was daytime so the tripped out visuals that usually accompany a Black Angels performance were non-existent. This did not take away from a delicious groove though and I realized I appreciate psychedelic rock more in the afternoon than I do the evening.

Moving on, the energy was picked up by a delightful pop rock set courtesy of Chicago's own OK Go. Playing a variety of material from all three of their albums, including an intimate hand bell rendition of "Return", OK Go helped us almost forget about the heat (you can read more about OK Go's set in our previous post). However, the sun was in it's prime and after 40 minutes of rockin' out to the band High Voltage owes it's existence to it was time for some A/C. Sadly this caused me to miss out on Flogging Molly and what I heard was a highly-energetic Cage The Elephant set.

Next up was Tinie Tempah at the Critical Mass Tent. Arriving early to get a good photo spot I was turned onto the tail end of Krafty Kuts' set. Wish someone had mentioned how remarkable this guy is to me prior, spinning old school soul, r&b, hip hop mixed with house & dubstep (i.e. Aretha Franklin - Think, House Of Pain - Jump Around and more). It was an immediate dance party. Finally things switched over for Tinie Tempah to take the stage. Tinie is amongst my favorites from the UK rap scene alongside The Streets & Plan B and he owned that tent. Each track setting the bar higher than the last, his style is fresh, undeniably entertaining & served as the perfect opener for Girl Talk which is where I was off to next.

Once again only catching the last 15 minutes, Girl Talk has been redeemed in my book. Stigma had me to believe that Girl Talk wouldn't be something for me. However mashing up Guns N Roses, Queen and other classic rock faves with various delicious electronic & hip hop beats was fun. Could it be? Could I be turning into an electronic music fan after all? Or am I just a sucker for a Slash guitar solo in any situation?

And speaking of guitars, time for Black Keys! One of the best rock duo's around. Solid set as usual with that beautifully distorted blues guitar vibe, grungy vocal and precision drumming. I was honestly shocked when 25% of the audience left five songs in. But then again, they may have just wanted to get their spot for headliners MUSE who would be next up...

Now, do I really need to say anything about MUSE that hasn't already been said? A brilliant band on album and live. The orchestration and mixing on their albums is the closest in originality since Queen's heyday. Their live show far surpasses anyone else. Epic doesn't even begin to describe MUSE.

Overall, solid line-up & flow. The stages weren't too far away from each other. The food options were decent for a festival, but I've seen better. The vendor areas were awkwardly empty however the vibe was big. If they make it to another year (and I hope they do), may I suggest a non-Lollapalooza weekend?

Sincerely,
Chelsea Schwartz

P.S. More Photo's from Kanrocksas available on our Facebook page: facebook.com/highvoltagemagazine

OK Go entertains at Kanrocksas

2011-08-06T15:36:00.001-07:00

Having seen OK Go 100+ times since 2002, you always wonder if you'll tire of a band... Well I'm another OK Go set down and still not over it!

Damian's stage banter is always fresh, witty and relevant. The handbells are beautiful to listen to and inspiring to watch played. The tunes withstand the test of time as pleasant dance-inducing feel good music and even sans confetti, sans treadmills, & sans the viral videos live (where was the confetti on this one?) - they still kicked Kanrocksas booty.

Chelsea

Sent via the road from T-Mobile

Kanrocksas, HERE WE COME!

2011-08-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

Last minute announcement: High Voltage will make it out for Day Two of Kanrocksas this year. Day Two features artists like MUSE, OK Go, Cage The Elephant and much more. Stay tuned to this festival section for live photos and other updates or maybe we'll even see YOU there!

Kanrocksas Links: Official Website | Twitter