I still can't believe how many great concerts I just saw this past weekend in Denver. It was one great show after another. There was no one particular performance I was waiting for, so it felt like the concert that just kept giving.  It would have taken me months to see all of these bands as they made tour stops in NYC. Plus, I would have had to fork over multiple Ticketmaster fees and sit through some not-so-great opening bands.

The Monolith Festival included two outdoor stages, two indoor, and one smaller side stage for acoustic sets. Getting from stage to stage wasn't too difficult, as long as you've been training on your stair-master. I have to say that if this crowd wasn't already physically fit, they certainly were by the end of the weekend. The hike up the steps from the main stage to the 3 other stages took some endurance and good quads. The people who organized the event did a great job, as every band's performance started on time, and the changing of the gear went like clockwork. I was quite impressed. With only thirty minutes between sets, the crew had no problem moving things right along. The one drawback to the Red Rocks venue was that the weather changed dramatically once the sun went down. It went from a 70-degree summer day to a chilly 45 degree evening. On the first day, I wore jeans, t-shirt, and sandals, which was fine until about 7pm. On the second day I was prepared and packed a hat, gloves, fleece jacket, sneakers and a blanket. At least the indoor stages were a nice break from the sun during the day and place to warm up in during the evening. But you cannot beat the scenery at Red Rocks. During the day, you're surrounded by massive rock formations, mountains in the distance, and a view for miles. At night, the city skyline was illuminated in the distance.

Let's get to the music...here's a list of the bands I saw this weekend.

Day 1
Port O'Brien
The Muslims
John Vanderslice
The Hood Internet
Superdrag
The Fratellis
Vampire Weekend
Del The Funky Homosapien
Silversun Pickups
Devotchka

Day 2
Band of Horses
The Avett Brothers
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
TV on the Radio
Tokyo Police Club
CSS
Justice

Why I like Monolith Festival:

1) Band of Horses

2) There are no "opening" bands. By picking and choosing the bands I wanted to see, there was no need to sit and endure a band I didn't want to see as I waited for another band. Also, every band had decent lighting, good sound, and enough time to play. Though, Port O'Brien should have had at least 45 minutes. They made the trip from California just to play their 30 minute set, but it was well worth it, at least that's what I gathered from the big crowd that turned out for their 2 pm show.

3) Unlike a film festival, where each film viewing is at least an hour and a half, at Monolith you can just watch a little bit of a band's set and then leave if you want to go catch another band's performance. And people don't even have to stand to let you out.

4) Cloud Cult. And sightings of its band members throughout the festival.

5) Not only was every band in awe of the scenery, they were in awe of the lineup and really excited to be there. Lots of band members were seen listening to other bands, something they probably don't get to do too often while on the road. It made it a really supportive atmosphere and the artists just blended in with the crowd.

6) DeVotchKa's string section, horn section, and the tuba decked out in red lights.

7) Band of Horses. Yeah, they get two spots on the list.

8 ) A rain-free Vampire Weekend performance!!! We were owed that one.

Some other highlights:

- Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings put on a very entertaining show. Shoes come off, members of the crowd come onstage, and Sharon Jones gets a good aerobic workout. It was nice to hear a female voice, as all of the other bands I saw (except for CSS at the very end) were lead by male vocals.

- Port O'Brien's toe-tapping, pan-banging, "I Woke up Today" got the crowd revved up during a set early on Day 1.

- I overheard an event staffer describe The Avett Brothers as "The Amish Beatles." It wouldn't be my choice of words, but they get my vote for the best dressed band of the weekend.

- After an audio glitch at the kick-off part at the Bluebird Theater, The Dutchess and The Duke decided to ditch their amps and microphones and stand in the middle of the crowd to finish their set in gather-round-the-campfire style.

- Band of Horses singer Ben Bridwell brought toys for the crowd to play with--a light-up frisbee and another frisbee with a ball in the middle. When the toys seemed to disappear in the crowd, Bridwell wondered why nobody wanted to play. Also, his song dedication to his 4-month old daughter was sweet. I swear I saw her wearing teeny tiny pink headphones.

- CSS lead singer Lovefoxxx announced that she felt like Mariah Carey with all the cold mountain wind blowing through her hair. No need for wind machines at Red Rocks.

Here's a pic from the Port O'Brien performance:

And the audience participation section of the show:

Some other pics:

And look how the huge red rocks provide the backdrop of the set:

DeVotchka was my most played band last week and so win the honour of being my first band of the week. They achieved this with only 15 plays but, hey, a win is a win. Just ask the Ever-Swindell twins. Second was fellow gypsy rockers Gogol Bordello, third was Talking Heads, fourth was the idiosyncratic Sparks and in a four way tie for fifth were Flight of the Conchords, Liam Finn, Yann Tiersen and Nick Cave.

Talking Heads took out the most played album award for 77 and Flight of the Conchords had the most played track for Business Time - which is what in the video below.

Lollapalooza 2008 in Chicago, IL has come to an end and while this post is a few weeks late, it's good to reminisce upon what happened. I'm going to review the groups that I saw entire sets of, as well as groups I photographed. A few photos have been placed in this post. You can also view selected photos of my experience at the festival here.

Day 1:

We started out the festival with Manchester Orchestra, whom I'd seen in concert twice before and thoroughly enjoyed their music. Unfortunately, the singer's voice was completely shot. Every high note turned into a blood curdling scream which was nearly the opposite of the band's sound. While it was a poor way to start out the festival, it was good to see that they are still around. 

We wandered around for a while then took a seat waiting for Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco)'s acoustic set to begin. We were more or less 10 feet from him and he played the show looking like hell as usual. He sang from the ground amongst a crowd of small children (the show was on the Kidzapalooza stage) who clearly were there with parents that enjoyed Wilco. He asked the kids for requests who would repeat whatever their parents wanted to hear and played with the same slight tinge of rock 'n roll arrogance that makes him so unique. The show was short but great. I had prime seating so vision wasn't an issue but even the spectators two rows back couldn't see anything at all.

Next up was The Black Keys. I'm not their biggest fan but I do appreciate their music and I felt that they put on a great show. I don't know much about them but they were energetic, funny, and engaging and played the dirty, dirty, rock 'n roll roots-blues like it ought to have been played.

At some point during Day 1 we saw a relatively disappointing performance from Mates of State. For any Wes Anderson fans out there, this was THE show to see of the weekend (next to DeVotchKa) and unfortunately sound technical issues made their set somewhat painful to sit through. 

The second to last act we saw of the day was Bloc Party who put on a great show musically and technically but just looked absolutely exhausted. Others in the audience noticed this too; it just looked like the band needed to eat a few sandwiches and take a long, long nap.

The final show of the evening was Radiohead who put on quite a phenomenal show as usual. For level of Radiohead fan, the setlist was sure to please as they played the majority of their hits, most of the new record In Rainbows, and a few rarities as well. A great way to end the first day.

Day 2:

We woke up especially early to make it down to Grant Park to see the group Does It Offend You, Yeah? While they had a fairly small drawing, they were one of the more fun bands of the weekend. Their crazy mismatched sound mixed with slightly raunchy lyrics made for a very entertaining show.

Next up was Dr. Dog, one of my favorites hailing from my future home in Philadelphia, PA. Their set was quite good and they played the majority of their hits. The show was both entertaining to watch and fun to listen to as the band stomped around stage and screamed out their lo-fi sound. I caught wind of an unfortunate rumor that one of their singers had contracted a throat illness and could not sing many of their songs which is why several big tunes were left out.

Dr. Dog had played at the same time as Mason Jennings, another show I wish I could have seen (I heard, from several people, that his set was quite great) so I went to see Mason play on the Kidzapalooza stage. It was good to see him up close and in a more intimate setting, however it was very apparent that he was tired and didn't want to be playing that show. Other than that, he sounded great.

We sprinted across the park to see the final few songs of the amazing Colorado group, DeVotchKa (who put on an incredible show) then saw the entire set of Explosions in the Sky. I'd seen Explosions before and was absolutely amazed by them and yet again, I was not let down. Their raw energy and focus while on the stage make for one of the best shows you can see today. They seldom speak to the audience but there is no need as their music makes up for the lack of words.

We took a few hour's refuge in the shade and went to see Wilco that night which was another great show. This was my fourth Wilco show and probably my least favorite, however they were under time constraints and pressure to play bigger hits. They entered the stage wearing Sgt. Pepper/Mariachi costumes which were a huge hit with the crowd. Not only were they still entertaining and funny as usual, but they revealed a new song which has yet to have a title. They only referred to it as a "WIP" or work-in-progress.

Day 3:

We started out the day with Kid Sister, an amazing Chicago local rapper who is rumored to be dating Kanye West. Her incredible lyrics and stage presence complemented the great dancers she brought on stage with her. It goes without saying that her DJs were incredible.

Next up was What Made Milwaukee Famous who, while a great band musically, just couldn't keep the crowd engaged in their show. Brazilian Girls was next followed by Chromeo who together put on two of my favorite shows of the weekend. Brazilian Girl's sex appeal was unleashed upon the dancing crowd and Chromeo's raw 80's beats made everyone groove. 

We stuck around for the first 5 songs of Girl Talk and left when people started getting naked and climbing trees. It was a fun show to watch from afar but was overcrowded and way too crazy. In the afternoon we hung out and listened to Flosstradamus spin some records then saw the beginnings of both Kanye West and Nine Inch Nails in the evening. 

Another year at Lollapalooza has come and gone and we had a blast to say the very least. Thanks to Chicago and everyone who helped in any way to help make Lollapalooza such a very special experience. Please remember to look at the rest of my photographs here. Thank you for reading.

-Alex

Devotchka - Transliterator

Wow. Ok, so I already knew that DeVotchKa is a great band. I've heard the few songs that [favorite radio station EVER] The Current frequently plays, but seeing them live was incredible. Again, I regret not making it in time for the whole show, but the back half was awesome.

From what I could recognize, their instruments included a tuba and an accordion. However, a quick wiki search reveals that there's actually quite a bit more. Check out this description:

DeVotchKa is a four piece multi-instrumental and vocal ensemble that fuses Romani, Greek, Slavic, Bolero, Mariachi (and many more styles) music with American punk and folk roots. They take their name from Anthony Burgess' Nadsat word for "young girl," which is itself derived from the Russian word (девочка) of the same meaning. Based in Denver, Colorado, the quartet is made up of Nick Urata, who sings and plays theremin, guitar, bouzouki, piano, and trumpet; Tom Hagerman, who plays violin, accordion, and piano; Jeanie Schroder, who sings and plays sousaphone and double bass; and Shawn King, who plays percussion and trumpet.

You might recognize them from Little Miss Sunshine since they scored most of that soundtrack (again, the things I learn from wikipedia really come in handy...).

And here's a little video I found on their MySpace page:

Anyway, the show was really awesome - the blend and surprise of all those extra instruments and their harmonic vocals were so very cool. A lot of the music has an almost carnival sound to it, not surprising for a band that started by backing burlesque shows.

Will I buy the CD? YES.
Will I see them next time they're here? Yes, and I really hope it's some place small-ish.

Needless to say, the next day was kind of a slow start. Cesar and I woke up starving, so we dragged our rugged selves out of bed and around the block to the outstanding breakfast joint, The Golden Nugget Pancake House where we had much-needed coffee and a delicious breakfast. (Food review: I had the Wild West Omelet, which was an open-faced, 3-egg omelet with tomatoes, bacon, cheese, onions, and hash browns. PERFECT.)

(I'm pretty sure the kicker for this place was the "open 24 hours" part. I'd already crashed, but the boys apparently ventured here sometime between the hours of 2am and 5am the night before.)

A short time into our meal, Sean showed up, but quickly decided it was neither food nor coffee that he needed to kickstart his day, but a margarita. It just so happened there was a little taco house across the street, so he left us for the tequila. Unfortunately, his promised land was not yet open, so he walked the block and a half back to Loren's, only to find it locked and Loren still sleeping. That brought him back to us until Loren finally woke up and called him.

Anyway... showers and more coffee later and we're off!

... and onto day two. We got there in time for DeVotchka (SO sweet), then wandered a little, checking out a couple of DJ sets (Spank Rock and DJ AM) - both of which were pretty cool, but DJ AM was definitely awesome.

This is me and Loren hanging out at the DJ AM show:

(By the way, Loren made about 100 new friends wearing this shirt!)

Then, it was time to chill on the street for a bit to just hang out, people-watch, and rest our tired feet.

Eventually, we headed back to the big park to catch Lupe Fiasco on the AT&T stage, followed by the Toadies on the MySpace stage, and then Saturday night's headliners - Rage Against the Machine
The great part about the set up at Lolla and our little patch of grass was that we were able to sit far enough back from the big stage to have a perfect view of the show and the crazy crowd, while having enough room to sprawl out or jump up and down and dance if we wanted. The BEST part about this location was that, if we turned around about 120 degrees, we'd have the exact same set up for the MySpace stage - close enough to be a part of it, but far enough to have our space.

All three of those aforementioned bands put on excellent shows, Rage Against the Machine probably stirring up one of the most intensely passionate crowds I'd ever seen.

After the shows, we took to the streets with 75,000 of our closest friends. I'm not joking. The great city of Chicago closed down Lake Shore Drive and a few of the intersections alongside Grant Park, because there's no friggin way this crowd would've confined to any sort of crosswalks or traffic rules. However, as the crowd crossed Lake Shore and moved into the city, the density of the people didn't really thin out and droves upon droves of concert-goers took to the downtown streets of Chicago like the mob of a Big 10 college campus that just won the championship hockey game (Ok, I wasn't there for the Univ. of MN riots, but all my friends were and I heard about it). However, these weren't really riots - there were no overturned cars or trucks set on fire. Just a really loud crowd, erupting in spontaneous cheers and waving and screaming at the folks in their apartments above us. Every second felt like things were just about to turn crazy, but eventually the energy dispersed into side streets as these same thousands of people sought to fight for cabs or train space.

That was insane. I wish I had a picture of that - I think Porter might, and if he does, I'll edit this later to include that.

Anyway, we hopped back on the Icebox-Bound brown line, making our stop about 4 blocks from Loren's to hit up this little burrito place. The boys got giganto sized burritos while I opted for the a la carte steak tostada and chicken taco. This had to be some of the BEST fast Mex I've EVER had.

From here we walked home, had another quick beer and a smoke, and then dozed off to dreams of Lolla day three...

All in all I shot 5 bands this weekend (Cat Power, DeVotchKa, Brand New, Jamie Lidell and Rage Against the Machine). Jamie Lidell was nothing special and I wish I'd shot someone else, oh well. I will not be going back today and I think this photographers Lollapalooza days are done. Instead tonight I'll be at the Galaxy shooting a bunch of hardcore bands in an environment I feel much more comfortable in.

Once I've selected the pictures to send to my employer I will post some here. Also, I'll probably writing a more comprehensive review of the festival for IMUR...

Addendum -

For pictures from the festival click here.

Devotchka Crowd Shot, originally uploaded by corey_bayless.

Cause the magic is in the music and the music is in this dude, who joined thousands of enthusiastic revelers for the annual Capital Hill Block Party -- a celebration of the historic Seattle neighborhood with a thriving music and arts scene, and frankly just another reason to come out and let loose on a beautiful summer night.

Capital Hill Block Party
Seattle, WA

Photograph by Corey Bayess

Devotchka, originally uploaded by corey_bayless.

Capital Hill Block Party
Seattle, WA

Photograph by Corey Bayess

Devotchka, originally uploaded by corey_bayless.

Capital Hill Block Party
Seattle, WA

Photograph by Corey Bayess

The Saturday night Headlining band Devotchka. I got a special on stage view of the action, pretty intense guys, check out all the BLock Party pics, they are great...

Cheers

-Corey

Amerikaanse postrock Amerikanen mochten de gelederen openen. Postrock Duystere muziek, iets voor laat op de avond? Misschien wel, maar het helpt ook om op een rustige manier aan de dag te beginnen. Haast geen kat toen Phosphorescent aan de ochtendwandeling begon, maar aardig wat volk toen ze eindigden. Lekker om mee te starten.
Quotering: ***

DeVotchka volgde en overtuigde. Hoogtepunt was zonder meer het moment dat een juffrouw de gordijnen werd ingejaagd en daar op het ritme van de muziek acrobatische toeren uithaalde. De muziek was bovendien van hoogstaand niveau. Voor de regionale televisiekijker, goed kijken want ik mocht ze in vier woorden aankondigen. Genoeg om te weten dat ik daar eigenlijk geen talent voor heb.
Quotering: ****(*)

Of dat nog niet genoeg was, bleef het niveau hoogstaand. Shantel & Bucovina Club Orkestar bouwden zowaar het feestje van het weekend. Volle petrol ambiance! Ze hadden drank mee, dat helpt. Misschien muzikaal niet het rijkste, maar die gedrevenheid, die sfeer. Buitengewoon. Disko disko partizani, zonder het ooit gehoord te hebben, zat het er meteen in. Extra leuk was dat de zanger even het publiek indook en voor onze neus zijn ding kwam doen.
Quotering: ****(*)

We bleven op post vooraan, voor een Belgisch feestje ditmaal. Arsenal heeft intussen een vaste plek verworven in het Vlaamse muziekland. Genoeg keuze om leuke nummers te spelen dus. Leuk was het, zonder dat er een extra dimensie aanwezig was. Buiten die ene knipoog van de zangeres in onze richting.
Quotering: ***(*)

Het podium werd ontruimd en er kwam haast geen volk opdagen. Met twee zijn The Kills en dat bleek genoeg om behoorlijk wat herrie te maken. De man in het gezelschap bleek een meer dan behoorlijk gitarist, maar het probleem was hier veel van hetzelfde. Veel groepen zijn in dat bedje ziek, jammer. Alison (VV) ging zelfs letterlijk onderuit.
Quotering: **(*)

Van less naar more met als eerste in de rij: Sophia. Gekend van hun redelijk grote radiohit Oh My Love. Zalig nummer. Voor de gelegenheid werden er ook strijkers aan de boel toegevoegd. Helaas, slappe hap. Het geluid bleek ook niet altijd helemaal juist te zitten en het extraatje kwam ook niet echt uit de verf. Beetje saai gewoon. Het moment om een andere hap naar binnen te werken en sterk te staan voor de twee afsluiters.
Quotering: **

Bootsy Collins en zijn gevolg vormen niet alleen een veel te lange naam. Ze stonden ook met bosjes op het podium. Het geluid zat lekker. De heupjes gingen ook heen en weer. Niks op aan te merken, lekker chill.
Quotering: ***

Senegal leverde de afsluiter onder de vorm van Youssou N’ Dour. Afrikaans feestje, dus was het ook een Afrikaanse start. Driekwartier te laat begonnen we eraan. De beentjes waren al zo moe, meneer. Af en toe een lekker danspasje (ook op het podium) en een wereldhit (7 Seconds) zorgden dat het toch de moeite was om te blijven hangen.
Quotering: ***

The Shortwave Set – Replica sun machine

Seduced by the alethiometeresque cover, but disappointed by the frequency with which the wan, characterless vocals of Andrew Pettitt displace the considerably more elegant singing of Ulrika Bjornse.  Danger Mouse production?  Check.  Van Dyke Parks string arrangements?  Check.  Tunes?  Mostly.  ‘Glitches ‘n’ bugs’, ‘Distant daze’ and ‘No social’ stand out.

Elbow – The seldom seen kid

In the last couple of years Elbow’s records have been surreptitiously stealing their way to the centre of my listening world.  This confirms their place there with its high musicality and wry humour.  Guy Garvey’s songs are lugubrious and beautiful, even managing to reanimate the corny image of the mirrorball.

DeVotchKa – A mad and faithful telling

Romany Mexican indie with Greek or Klezmer undertones, anyone?  Not forgetting occasional forays into chamber and oompah band territories?  Singer Nick Urata looks like a roughed-up cross between Clooney and Morrissey.  One song – ‘The clockwise witness’ – is truly great, throwing off excessive stylistic colouring for an affecting shade of blue.

Carl Craig – Sessions

How long it’s been since I was lost in niteklub rhythm.  For all that Craig is a master of dancefloor dynamics, Sessions ultimately feels relentless, at home or in car.  It’s a relief when the end is near and the unpredictable rhythms of ‘Bug in the bass bin’ take hold.

Four Tet – Ringer

A river whose flow is as relentless as Sessions, but out of the current more is going on.  I wish I had more time to relax into ‘Swimmer’’s patterns; fretted less about the time Kieran Hebden takes to develop his swirls and eddies.  Moments of life that won’t come again.

Neon Neon – Stainless style

After the Rhys-Boom Bip collaboration on Blue eyed in the red room, and Gruff’s loveable Candylion, a disappointment.  In evoking the worst aspects of the eighties, it’s loud, shiny, and as attractive as the boxy lines of the De Lorean car.  But ‘I lust u’ achieves a  Depeche Mode-esque melancholy.

Colin Meloy – Colin Meloy sings live

Just occasionally in these solo performances, Colin Meloy is one note short of a melody.  Otherwise he conveys the best of the Decemberists – as well as Shirley Collins and the Smiths – with songwriter’s conviction, stand-up comedy and helpings of the ‘campfire singalong’ spirit that he declares he is aiming for.

The Last Shadow Puppets – The age of the understatement

The chief northern monkey and his best mate perform a Dukes of Stratosphearic take on Scott Walker (and indeed Brel through Scott’s distorting mirror); in their turtleneck sweaters they’re photo-fit go-getters.  The result is a noirish existential beat group and the second of many reinventions Alex Turner may yet perform.

Goldfrapp – Seventh tree

I lost interest between Black cherry and the insistently decadent electro of Supernature.  Fortunately the duo are aware of the benefits of reinvention and return; Seventh tree is closest in spirit to Felt mountain but with added folk sensibility and pop nous.  ‘Little bird’ floats and ‘Caravan girl’ drives along.

British Sea Power – Do you like rock music?

Like Open season, this is eight-tenths of the way to greatness; if I were eighteen and at my first Glastonbury, I would wave my flag to it.  But it’s as rock as the substance you’d mine were you to tunnel into Mount Blanc, and for me that remains a problem.

Paul Weller – 22 dreams

Press would have you believe that Weller has suddenly emerged from a lengthy spell in rock purgatory.  Truth is he rediscovered his touch over the two preceding sets; you could not get more pastoral than ‘Pan’ on As is now.  22 dreams expands the lightness in familiar and fresh directions.

Portishead – Third

Top bombing from Barrow, Gibbons and Utley.  The avant-garde attack of the electronics is reminiscent of New Order discovering synthesisers.  Next time Portishead can worry less about making it impossible for anyone to countenance putting them on as dinner party listening; this is music with which to greet the apocalypse.

Robert Forster – The evangelist

The healing power of song – I’m so glad RF rediscovered it.  But how could the tone be anything other than elegiac, with fragments of Grant’s last songs among Robert’s lyrical responses to his death.  As we hear those last tunes, Robert sings ‘it was melody he loved most of all’.