Kinky: Mexican electro-rockeros

For the 6th year in a row, Pepsi Music brings tons of Latin and “Rock en Español” artists together along with a handful of diverse, English-speaking rock acts. This festival is as eclectic as it gets! Where else will you find new acts like the Ting Tings, old favorites like The Prodigy and Faith No More juxtaposed with Latin favorites Kinky, Calle 13 and Catupecu Machu? In past years as well, the festival has played host to some huge names. Dave Matthews Band has graced the Pepsi Music stage, and so have The Cult and Stone Temple Pilots.

La bella ciudad de Buenos Aires

The festival length also stands out; it’s five days long, running from the end of October to the beginning of November. That’s a bit longer than the average two or three day summer fest. Then again, most people up here in the states would probably enjoy spending almost a week in Argentina, where springtime is dawning soon. (Remember, the seasons are backwards between the northern and southern hemispheres.)

Pepsi Music ‘09 will be held at Club Ciudad in Buenos Aires. Don’t wait to get your tickets! (Oh yeah and if you happen to know a way to get a cheap flight to Argentina… let me know?)

While you’re in the area, maybe you’ll catch one of these great Argentinean bands…

From the MMF Web site: “The Miami Music Festival is the nation’s newest showcase and conference for emerging musical acts. Independent artists, and those invited by record labels and showcase sponsors will perform on more than 25 stages in clubs, restaurants, tents and hotels in the Brickell area of downtown Miami on December 10 – 12, 2009. Although The Miami Music Festival will present artists performing all genres of music including Alternative and Pop, the festival will feature Latin, Urban, Caribbean and Jazz.”

The festival will take place all over the Brickell area of Miami

Through October 15th, emerging bands and musicians have the opportunity to apply for a performance spot at the festival by visiting this page.

Applicants who are not chosen to perform still luck out: they’ll receive a credit toward the purchase of wristbands to attend the festival. Wristbands can be purchased for one day or all three.

The festival is sponsored by plenty of big names including ASCAP, BMI and YAMAHA. Don’t miss your chance to be heard! Miami is a major hub for the styles of music being showcased, and a particularly attractive destination during the winter months to visitors trying to avoid the snow up north.

This is the first installment of this exciting new festival. We hope that many more are to come!

Everyone knows that summertime is festival season, and whenever people think of music festivals, they think of events like SXSW and Bonnaroo. Unless they are metalheads. For hardcore rockers, popular summer festivals include Wacken and Hellfest. But, most of the time when music journalists or bloggers write about the summer touring and festival season, metal does not get its due. Sure, metal bands are in on some of these festivals, like Bonnaroo, but they certainly are not the focal point of the events. So, here is a nice summer festival overview for all you metal junkies out there:

Wacken Open Air – Wacken, Germany

Arguably the most famous and premier event in the history of metal festivals, this past Wacken Open Air celebrated its 20th birthday. Mötorhead reportedly put on one of the best shows in recent memory, and all the other old school metal rockers followed suit. Among these great performances were the band formerly known as Black Sabbath (Heaven & Hell) as well as Saxon. Beyond the seasoned veteran bands, word is that doom metal troop Cathedral really won the crowd over (unsurprising, since the band is led by ex-Napalm Death vocalist Lee Dorrian).

Hellfest Open Air – Clisson, France

The second-most famous metal festival on the globe, Hellfest shared only a couple acts with Wacken this year—notably Heaven & Hell who again “wowed” the crowd. The fest’s the buzz bands seemed to be Brutal Truth and “the loudest band on Earth” Manowar, with Manowar having a slight edge (despite reports that Brutal Truth could be heard over Manowar’s set at times). Strangely, little was said about hometown giants Gojira, though there were sparse mentions of a solid set.

Bloodstock Open Air – Catton, UK

Rounding out the big three for metal festivals, this year’s Bloodstock was fodder for great stories. None more awesome than the hilarious/horrible bottling of Cradle of Filth in which the band stopped their set and left the stage without finishing the set. Blind Guardian, Carcass, Amon Amarth and the thrash bands garnered the most props for absolutely bringing it on stage.

MetalCamp – Tolmin, Slovenia

As usual, the bands who headlined this festival are the same bands that headlined the other big festivals. That’s just the way these things work. After scouring the ‘net for any opinions or reports of the festival, I only came to the conclusion that there was no real standout performances, though people were largely unenthusiastic about the lineup as a whole (Mind-boggling, really, since Amon Amarth, Blind Guardian, Dimmu Borgir, Satyricon and more were on the bill). The disappointment might have been due to the lack of great underground bands (beyond the huge names), as well as the completely unknown acts from the second stage—except Warbringer, who played before a band with only 1,000 MySpace friends. For shame.

Download Festival – Donington Park, UK

Download Festival, the “least metal” of all the summer metal festivals, was filled with the “nu metal” acts of yesteryear and all the things the kids dig today. So there was a huge variety of musical styles on this bill. No band got as much credit as Faith No More, who put on a performance referred to as “brilliant” by most attendees. Mötley Crüe, Slipknot and Steel Panther also received favorable reviews. On the opposite side of things, a lot of festival goers hated Marilyn Manson, Limp Bizkit, Attack! Attack!, Pendulum and Parkway Drive. Unsurprisingly there was little said about the more “extreme” bands there like Suicide Silence, Meshuggah and God Forbid—the bill did not exactly cater to those fans. What is surprising is that I have found nothing about Opeth and Dream Theater’s sets.

In case you did not make it out to any festivals this summer, or just want to know what is coming up for metal festivals in the near future, here are two of the bigger events on the list:

New England Deathfest – Providence, RI

While not the biggest metal festival, New England Deathfest is having some of the most legendary Death Metal bands headline this year: Neuraxis, Cephalic Carnage and Quo Vadis. Also on the bill is Revocation, touted by many as “the next big thing” in metal and recently signed to Relapse Records. If you’re in the New England area, $50 for this weekend filled with death is well worth it.

Ilha Do Ermal Festival – Viera do Hinho, Portugal

Because I don’t speak Portuguese, it is hard to say much about this festival other than the fact that Blind Guardian is headlining it, which is almost enough reason to go regardless of who else is playing. The fact that Sepultura, Obituary, Firewind, Textures and Hatesphere are also on the bill certainly does not hurt. At 60€ ($85.35), that is a great price for three days of pure metal goodness.

Last Saturday, August 15th, was one for the record books. It was the hottest day of summer in Massachusetts so far, but over at Gillette Stadium the blacktop wasn’t the only thing on fire. This year, Kenny Chesney—along with Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Montgomery Gentry and Sugarland—rocked every single seat in the home of the New England Patriots.

Lady A

Lady Antebellum, on their first major tour, performed like seasoned pros as the initial opening act. With their fast paced singles like “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” and “Love’s Looking Good on You,” they really started the show off right. Usually, only a handful of fans leave the tailgating festivities to watch the first opening act. But, once word came that Lady A was taking the stage, nearly double the usual amount of seats were filled at four o’clock sharp.

Seats continued to fill by the time 2009 Female Vocalist of the Year nominee Miranda Lambert took the stage. Lambert kept her cool while singing her scorching hits like “Kerosene,” “Gunpowder and Lead” and “More Like Her.” She even debuted some new singles from her upcoming album Revolution.

Hot off Lambert’s heels, Montgomery Gentry hit the stage with a bang. Throughout the set, Eddie Montgomery made use of the entire stage, singing his heart out and running from corner to corner, despite the 95-degree heat. Troy Gentry stayed stationary through the songs, but gave his all in the vocals and good looks department. MG is a duo that surprises audiences whenever they perform, shocking everyone by how many radio hits are sung by them. I, as well as my entire section of seats, knew the words to every single song they performed.

Sugarland rocking out!

Sugarland, a staple performer on Kenny’s tour, laid it all on the line with their upbeat performances. By this time, the sun was going down, the seats were practically filled and the audience’s anticipation for Kenny continued to grow. I’ve seen Sugarland perform 3 times already, both in and out of the Kenny tours, and I’m usually a little freaked out by Nettle’s psychedelic dance moves. This time, everything from their vocals to movements to special effects fit together. Not a trace of the voice issues plaguing Jennifer Nettles earlier in the tour were heard; nothing was holding this duo back. One concertgoer next to me even remarked, “The last time I saw them in concert I was less than impressed. But from this performance, I’m shocked they are even the same band!”

Finally, after 5 hours of opening acts and set changes, we heard the opening chords of  “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.”  Shocked that he would open with his usual encore selection, everyone frantically searched the stage for our leading man, Kenny Chesney. Out of nowhere, Kenny appeared in the air, riding onto the stage in a chair suspended above the floor seats. This is certainly the most elaborate opening Kenny has ever done, but the crowd went wild as he began to sing “Livin’ Those Songs,” putting us all at ease knowing “She Thinks…” would be saved for the end of the show. This wasn’t the only fast one Kenny pulled on us fans in Foxborough. Starting with that intricate entrance, he went on to sing some of his

Photo: BostonHerald.com

older classics like “You and Me,” and “There Goes My Life,” which haven’t been played at Gillette since his first show in 2004. Usually, Kenny talks to the crowd between songs,  connecting each to the audience. This year, it seems Kenny got a bit shy but as tradeoff he added about 4 more songs into his set. Only when “She Comes From Boston” started playing did Kenny tell us that he and his band “wait all year to play this one,” which really made us feel like Gillette is a special stop along his tour . Kenny’s performance lasted about 2 hours, and ended with New England Patriots players Tedy Bruschi and Wes Welker joining Chesney on stage.   All 60,000 people in Gillette were on their feet for nearly 120-plus minutes of Chesney’s performance, so it’s a safe to say that Entertainer of the Year award will be back in Kenny’s buff, island-tanned arms at next year’s American Country Music Awards. And if not, we’re sure he won’t mind as long as his record sales and sold out arena shows continue to prove otherwise in the hearts of real country fans.

If you’ve ever experienced the disappointment of not being able to afford a prominent festival or your favorite artist’s headlining tour dates,  you definitely aren’t alone. Looking for a high profile, entertaining show that is still affordable is difficult as it is, but finding one  suitable for anyone from children to adults is nearly impossible. That is, unless you went to the Naukabout Music Festival on Cape Cod, MA this past Saturday.

Founded in Massachusetts, Naukabout is a clothing company with goals for providing apparel with an outdoorsy feel. It is no surprise then, that for the past couple years, they have invited earthy, folk bands like Rusted Root to play at a traditionally-oriented fairgrounds on Cape Cod. In addition to Rusted Root, the festival draws acts like Pete Francis, The Barefoot Trut and Ryan Montbleau Band.

At the Naukabout Festival this past Saturday, I was not surprised—nor was I disappointed— to find a wide array of people listening to the music, enjoying the fresh air and making new friends. Several lucky OurStage fans received free tickets for participating in the Naukabout fan contest this past month. The paying public, however, could rest assured in the knowledge that a portion of their ticket sales benefited the Fresh Air Fund—a charity partnered with Naukabout to help send underprivileged children to summer camps. The bottom line is that Naukabout tries to create an experience more than a show, which is one of the best reasons to attend an affordable festival instead of a headlining concert at a music venue.

OurStage artist Emily Elbert played the smaller stage which wasn’t much more than a glorified soap box. After playing everything from her soulful, universally-themed originals to a fresh acoustic jazz cover of “Thriller,” she was overwhelmed by the intimate setting of this smaller stage partnered with the enthusiasm from the crowd. The vibe from the fans was such a personal one that it just felt natural for the artists to interact with the crowd after the set.

After grabbing some free food from one of the tents, festival goers could head over to the main stage and check out OurStage act Ryan Montbleau Band. Similar to Emily Elbert, this folk/bluegrass ensemble performed deep, catchy hooks interchangeably with their hospitable “between-songs” banter. Their impressive bluegrass chops, driving instrumentation and poppy, melodic vocals were more than enough to get the crowd moving and singing along, no matter if they were 5 or 50 years old (and yes, both groups were in attendance). Catching up with Montbleau backstage was a clear indicator of the accessibility of this festival, because I had to fight through the line of people he was eager to thank for coming out to the show.

Be sure to check out the Naukabout Music Festival in the coming years if you want to enjoy a satisfying, affordable festival with good music, relentless dancing and impeccable atmosphere.

Photography by Keith Nelson

"That's meee, after my gig!" ~Ben Kweller, when he saw this photo of himself.

The Fort Stage, the center of the festival, featured some of the most well-known acts including the bands I was most excited to see— Fleet Foxes and The Decemberists. Gillian Welch also played a wonderful set here, despite having a five-hour delay at LAX airport that nearly thwarted her showing up at all if the Newport police hadn’t escorted her in through traffic. It was also here that Pete Seeger, one of the original founding members of the festival back in 1959, finished up the day with a huge all-star sing-along. Not only did a diverse group of musicians fill the entire stage to participate in this memorable moment, but the audience was into it as well. Listening to thousands of people sing “This Land is Your Land,” after hearing Seeger retell the story of the song’s origin made everyone feel like this was a simpler time. The sun went down within 30 minutes of the end of Seeger’s set. What a perfect way to end a day!

Don’t let this fool you into thinking all the excitement happened on the Fort Stage. Some class acts joined Kweller on the Harbor stage, notably solo act Iron & Wine. The turnout for his set was so big that it was nearly impossible for anyone who didn’t find a spot early to get through the dense crowd. What the Waterfront Stage, the smallest at the festival, lacked in numbers (only 4 acts) it made up for in quality. If you haven’t already, check out Waterfront band The Low Anthem.

All in all the day really couldn’t have been better. Want more proof? Check out our Folk Festival 50 photo set. Coming soon we’ll be posting a video of Editor-at-Large Jay Sweet’s interview with Ben Kweller!

(L to R) Allen Aucoin, Alissa, Brownie, Kyle

Meeting The Disco Biscuits was amazing and Camp was one of the most fun times of my life!

-Alissa Miller

Last weekend I loaded up my ‘97 Outback, now affectionately known as the “Biscomobile,” and boogied across I-90 to attend Camp Bisco— The Disco Biscuits‘ annual music festival in Mariaville, NY. I was on a mission: to make sure the band met their biggest fan. Mission accomplished, despite the ankle deep mud that destroyed my Pumas and the monsoon that totaled our camp site.

I had the chance to sit down and chat with The Disco Bisuits’ biggest fan Alissa Miller, and her boyfriend Kyle while waiting backstage for the meet and greet. If it wasn’t for entering the contest Alissa wouldn’t have been able to attend camp with her friends at all, let alone rub elbows with her favorite band. Once Alissa and Kyle saw the band it was nonstop, ear-to-ear smiles for both them and the band—bassist Marc “Brownie” Brownstein  appeared especially elated to meet the fan they chose as their biggest. Everyone was joking about the craziness of Camp and there were more than a few laughs describing the antics of fellow festival goers.

Helping The Disco Biscuits and their biggest fan meet one another was just one of the many highlights of this year’s Camp. The three days of non-stop musical fun left a lot of people wondering how next year’s line up could possibly top this year’s.

Marc Brownstein of The Disco Biscuits

When I arrived on Thursday night, two nights prior to the meet and greet, The Disco Biscuits were ripping it up on the main stage. Biscuits fans in the crowd explained to me that the band started Camp Bisco in order to play longer sets in a festival atmosphere, and that with each passing year the festival gets bigger and better.  In fact, this was only the first of six Disco Biscuits sets over the course of the festival since the band was scheduled to headline every night—including multiple sets on Friday and Saturday. Talk about endurance!

After the Biscuits wrapped up their first performance, the crowd migrated over to the top of the hill for the Twisted All-Stars tent featuring the psychedelic synthesized sounds of Prometheus, Ott and Shpongle. Ott’s smooth dub tunes may have helped all the wearied road warriors in the crowd “chillax” after a long day of driving. However, they did little to quell the excitement that comes with seeing a rare US performance by Shpongle, especially one including the very groovy “Star Shpongled Banner.”

Toby Leaman (L) and Juston Stens (R) of Dr. Dog

On Friday, the main stage kicked off at noon with one of my favorite Philly bands, Dr. Dog. With Beach Boy-like harmonies and energy to spare, it was the perfect wake-up call for festival goers camped out near the main stage. Set highlights included, “Worst Trip,” “The Rabbit, The Bat And The Reindeer” and “The Old Days”. After Dr. Dog, K’Naan serenaded the crowd with his unique brand of Somalian inspired hip hop. I knew that Camp Bisco was indeed a very special place for everyone to come together for a good time as I listened to the whole crowd singing his hit “Soobax.”

K'Naan

On Saturday after the meet and greet, I made my way through the mud to catch the rest of Sound Tribe Sector 9’s (STS9) brilliant set on the main stage. Next was a double set by The Disco Biscuits with James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem sandwiched in between to give The Biscuits time to prepare for the most epic live show ever witnessed. I can only describe it as an eternity of mind-blowing jams plus inflatable walruses. The band was so into the groove that by the time their set was over, I wasn’t sure if anyone had enough energy for the festival-ending DFA Disco Tent.

All in all, I had an incredible time and I’m glad that Alissa did too. I’d like to thank The Disco Biscuits and the folks over at Meatcamp Productions for putting on one heck of a fest. I can’t wait to go again next year!

CMJ Music Marathon and Film Festival is set to take New York City by storm on October 20 – 24 2009, but you need to act fast if you want to see your name on the bill. Applications to play the festival will be considered only through July 15th, so apply now if you think you have what it takes.

Those selected will join the ranks of over 20 other OurStage artists who have been able to add CMJ to their resumes. Check out our past coverage of CMJ to get a feel for what the CMJ programmers are looking for. Here’s a little sampling to keep your ears happy:

Fans and artists who aren’t quite ready for the spotlight still need to hop to it because the price of festival badges goes up as time goes on. Register for your tickets now and you can save 15%! Get your CMJ badges here!

Pete Seeger and His Banjo

A lot has changed since then but as the Festival celebrates its 50th year this summer, much remains the same. Renowned folk artist Pete Seeger, one of the original founding members of the Festival, will take the stage once again. (Seeger recently hit another milestone himself: his 90th birthday!) Joining him will be fellow folk classics like Judy Collins, Joan Baez, and Arlo Guthrie.

This year the full lineup says “In with the old, but in with the new too.” Folk fans of all ages are sure to find something they’ll love with the addition of popular current artists to the classic event. Neko Case will be there, along with Ben Kweller, The Decemberists, and Iron & Wine. You can see the full lineup at folkfestival50.com.

The Newport Folk Festival has a rich history filled with hugely famous names. It helped get Bob Dylan off the ground; his 1963 Newport appearance is widely regarded as his first major national performance. Dylan returned the next year with singer/songwriter Joan Baez, who had performed back at the very first Festival in 1959. So many huge names have performed in Newport over the years, the list would make any summer concert event tremble. Try Johnny Cash, Howlin’ Wolf, Emmylou Harris… if you’re looking for classics, this New England staple has got your number.

Ben Kweller and His Guitar

This year it all takes place July 31st through August 2nd at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island. Tickets go on sale TODAY at 10 AM! You can go just one day or multiple days. Don’t miss your chance; more information about purchasing tickets is available here. There will be arts and craft vendors selling their products at the Festival, plenty of open air space to enjoy and surely some good food and drink. 

We hope to see you there for a weekend of great music and memories to last a lifetime. Fifty years from now when the 100th anniversary rolls around, you’ll want to be able to say you were there.

SXSW:

First on the itinerary is the week-long party of southern hospitality that is the SXSW music festival in Texas. The unique thing about this festival is its location: it doesn’t really have one. Rather, this celebration of music scatters mainstream and up-and-coming acts all across the Lone Star State to select bars, clubs, and outdoor spaces. Unfortunately, here comes the bad news, this festival happened a few weeks ago. If you went this year you probably enjoyed such names as Third Eye Blind and Ben Harper and Relentless7. If you’ve been following our coverage you know that over 80 OurStage artists played SXSW. Make sure to check out this festival next year if you missed it; it’s a great way to start off your own tour of summer music fests.

Bonnaroo:

The next stop on my virtual road trip is one of the long-standing giants of the summer music scene: Bonnaroo. Located in Manchester, TN, this dynamic festival draws thousands of people cross-country every year to camp, jam, hang out, and listen to countless artists that, before Bonnaroo, you’ve probably only seen from far away or through TV screens. This year the festival boasts mainstreamers Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Phish, Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, Wilco, Snoop Dog, The Mars Volta and many more. If the impressive roster of artists isn’t enough, you might also be interested in the extensive comedy lineup that includes Jimmy Fallon and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.

Three days straight may sound like a long time to be listening to performances, but Bonnaroo has a lot more to offer. From a comedy suite for stand-up routines to the “Fuse barn” offering games and promotions, there’s plenty to do at the festival. Bonnaroo even offers a popular indoor cinema with films and screenings (and air conditioning!) to get away from the heat and the crowds.

Rothbury:

Proclaimed as the jam band concert of the year, Rothbury, to me, lacks a little in its lineup this time around. While it isn’t on my personal wish list, I felt it deserved mention because of the few big names it will be offering. Industry vets Bob Dylan and The Dead will be headlining. Also, this will be the Dead’s only concert this summer!

Located deep in the heart of Michigan, the festival offers some interesting “extra-curricular” activities. Hoping to make a mark on the greater world, Rothbury is pleased to bring you the “Think Tank.” Here attendees can participate in discussions about the state of the economy and the environment with leading scientists, scholars, writers, progessive political leaders, and Rothbury artists. The festival also boasts interactive events outside of the live concerts including theatrical shows and interactive, open-field circus demonstrations. Although they haven’t announced the full lineup of guests yet, I anticipate it being as enjoyable as it is outlandish (based on last year’s performers). Finally, Rothbury’s location allows for some environmental exploration that is pretty rare at festivals like this. Overall, what the festival lacks in lineup size, it makes up for in big names and extra events. If you have the means, check it out.

Lollapalooza:

At the top of my personal wish list is the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago, IL. I am so intrigued by what this year’s lineup has to offer that I am actually considering making the investment and hoofing my way from Boston to Chicago myself. The festival is August 7-9 and has booked an impressive number of bands that are recognizable and capable of drawing crowds all by themselves. Imagine what happens when you put them all in one show! The list includes Depeche Mode, Tool, Jane’s Addiction, Rise Against, Andrew Bird, Vampire Weekend, The Decemberists, Coheed and Cambria, The Gaslight Anthem, and Neko Case …to name a few.

The park also offers a club-style venue called Perry’s dedicated to providing an extensive DJ roster including Bassnectar, MSTRKRFT, and Boys Noize. The festival will also contain “Lederhosen’s Biergarten” this year for some cold draft beers and an escape from the crowds. Lollapalooza even has special accommodations for children, offering activities and a stage of their own to view live acts.

The Lollapalooza experience won’t have the same earthy feel as, say, Bonnaroo. But if you want that summer festival experience in a city atmosphere, be sure to check it out. You may see me there.

Warped Tour:

A different kind of show from the festivals just discussed, the Warped Tour has always had a special spot in my list of summer events. Having attended the tour in 3 times in previous years, I can vouch for its entertainment value. The Vans Warped tour brings the finest in accessible punk, alternative, hardcore, and ska bands right to a town near you for the same price as any standard club show. The real kicker is that you won’t need to deal with expensive travel or lodging; the Warped Tour comes to you. With almost 50 dates and over 140 bands, the tour kicks off this year on June 26th in Pomona, CA and ends on August 23rd in Los Angeles. Big name bands include Anti-Flag, Bad Religion, Bouncing Souls, Flogging Molly, Less Than Jake, NOFX, and The Ataris. In addition there are a few acts on OurStage that are also playing on the tour this year such as The White Tie Affair and 3OH!3.

I find the extra events and scope of this tour to be impressive as they pull it off at every stop. The Warped Tour typically offers at least 4 music stages, countless activity and promotional booths, air conditioned hangout tents, and often even X-games extreme sport demonstrations. If you can’t make it to Bonnaroo or Lollapalooza because of your location, don’t worry: just catch a Warped Tour show. You won’t be disappointed.