Osheaga 2012

I've developed this exciting (and incredibly expensive) tradition of going to a music festival each year. Last year it was SXSW and Lollapalooza and the year before that it was... Well, it was just last year. Not much of a tradition yet, I suppose... but it's going to be one, DAMMIT.

Anywho, I decided to mix things up this year and leave the US and head up to our lovely neighbors to the north for Osheaga in Montreal. And it was AWESOME. Osheaga is similar to Lollapalooza in that it's a three day music festival with a whole range of musical artists performing at different stages throughout the day. While this is awesome, it also made it a bit of a challenge to see everyone I wanted to see.

Friday started out with a great set from Hey Ocean, a Canadian band that really needs to be noticed here in America because they're awesome and had the crowd dancing the whole time. "Big Blue Wave" was probably my favorite song they did live and I'm hoping to catch them again soon.

After that I made it to a couple songs by Yukon Blonde, who were just as insane live as I expected them to be, before rushing off to catch Polica, a band from Minneapolis that has been receiving a lot of press lately... and deservingly so!

Minnesota loving.

Polica has managed the seemingly impossible task of using autotune in a way that enhances what's already there instead of making up for something that's missing. This becomes incredibly obvious during their live performances, which are filled with emotion and genuine musicianship.

From there I caught Bombay Bicycle Club (didn't stay for their whole set as I found them crazy boring), Freelance Whales, the Jezabels, Of Monsters and Men, Sigur Ros, and Justice. The highlight of the day, however, was without question Florence and the Machine. Florence has this mystique about her that comes out in her live performances. It's more than just her powerful singing voice (though that certainly adds to it!). The way she dances around the stage with her dress flowing and blowing in the (man made) wind, her interactions with the audience, her constant encouraging people to be loving and accepting of each other... It all felt really surreal.

After a brief sleep, Saturday arrived and with it came the hot, hot sun. I probably put on half a tube of sunscreen that day because I kept sweating it off. The only thing hotter than the sun was the music. The day started off with the very end of a pretty good sounding set by the Do and then Kathleen Edwards, who was phenomenal. She brought the rock and, most impressively, her earrings matched her bra. Clearly, as a gay man, I'm obligated to notice these things.

I caught a bit of Portugal. The Man before I headed over to see Kandle, a Montreal native who people seemed really excited about. She was awesome! Her voice was great, her band did a fantastic job, the crowd was into it and she seemed really appreciative and sincere. After Kandle we stuck around for the Black Lips. I was a bit leery as I had seen them twice before. One time they were AWESOME, the other time they were completely horrible. It could have gone either way but it ended up being a dancingly good time. And oh look, we ran into one of them after.

We meet all the bands.

After them was Young Galaxy. Waiting for them produced one of the most exciting moments of the trip, a wave from Amy Milan (of Stars), who was back stage and looking fab as always. Young Galaxy was only mildly familiar to me (I'd only heard a couple songs) but their sound was infectious and I found myself dancing the whole time. Definitely a highlight!

Next up we booked it to the main stage to secure spots for Feist and Garbage. In the meantime, we caught Brand New. They were fine but I wasn't blown away by them and couldn't imagine myself listening to their music on my own. They weren't bad by any means, but I definitely didn't rush out to buy their album.

Garbage came next and they produced some of my favorite moments of the whole festival. They opened with "Automatic Systematic Habit," and it set the tone for a great set. A few songs in, Shirley introduced her band to the audience. "For those of you who are fans of us," she spoke, "we are Garbage. And for those of you who aren't fans, first of all, fuck you. We're still Garbage." And then she proceeded to keep rocking our faces off.

It was like a 90's explosion but by far the coolest part of the set was not something that happened when the music was going. At one point, a fan was trying to hand Shirley a letter from the band so Shirley, in perfect French, asked one of the security guards to grab the letter for her. She then thanked the fan and promised to read it. A simple gesture, yes, but I guarantee that person's life was made. If only all bands were that cool.

Speaking of cool, up next was the insanely cool Feist. She... is a total badass. Guitars, a trio of singers, members of Broken Social Scene, giving Snoop Dogg a shout out. The coolest part of her set, however, was when a fan sent a palm tree up through the audience as a gift and she stopped the song she was playing, brought the palm tree on stage, and kept going. Why the fan thought a palm tree was the perfect gift we may never know, but I suppose even the most famous musicians don't necessarily have enough tropical foliage.

As I alluded to in the last paragraph (please reread said paragraph if necessary) after Feist came Snoop Dogg (he wasn't Snoop Lion that night) and it was... quite interesting. As the whitest person on the planet, I never thought I'd be able to add "Seen Snoop Dogg Live" to my resume but well, now I can. That'll get me employment for sure! In the grand tradition of bizarre things happening at the festival, we were also treated to a couple very publicly doing the nasty right next to us. I'm not talking heavy petting or dry humping, either. It was pretty clear there was full on penetration going on.

Fast forward to the next morning and the day I had been waiting all weekend for, METRIC SUNDAY. To the surprise of no one who knows me we got there before doors opened, despite the fact that it was humid and rainy, and camped out the front row all day. And we made signs.

Go listen to "Succexy" before you question it.

Luckily, the festival gods were merciful and pretty much everyone I wanted to see that day was on one of the main two stages. First off was Chappo. They were so bizarre and so wonderful I can't even begin to describe what actually happened. I'll sum it up with this list: Sexy bikini models, seagulls, a volcano, confetti wands. And there was a giant dream catcher and something about a Native American elder in the desert.

Up next was Zeus at the other main stage (they were right next to each other so we could see both acts) and they were really, really good. I only wish I could've been closer. Following them was Dan Mangan who is crazy talented and had us all sing a really fun song about robots.

Following Dan was Passion Pit. I'll admit my bias and say that I'm not a huge Passion Pit fan but I was actually surprised by how good they were live. I was expecting a train wreck and instead I was dancing and singing along. And I'll also admit that this may have been because, to my surprise, their lead singer is 100% doable. I'd make a joke about wanting to get into his Passion Pit, but obviously I'm too mature for that.

Common was on the other stage next and he made one fan's life by pulling her on stage, singing to her, and letting her go in for a kiss. I think something about the festival atmosphere made the artists want to do cool things for the fans and one of these cool things happened to my friend Steph during Santigold's set when Santi invited her and some others to come dance on stage with her. Steph's excitement was apparent as she looked like she was in shock the whole time.

I unfortunately couldn't see much of Tame Impala's set over at the second main stage but they sounded really good. At our stage next was the Shins and holy lord were they a lot of fun! They even did my favorite song by them, "Australia," and I caused a mild scene in the front row. This excitement was diminished when City and Colour took the stage and I wanted to fall asleep from how bored I was. They're fine musicians but jeezy creezy. Do something besides get up their and play your songs.

As soon as they left the stage, I quickly perked up because IT WAS METRIC TIME. Metric opened with the lead track on their new album, "Artificial Nocturne," and I was quickly sucked in. Nothing beats starting out a set being able to scream, "I'm just as fucked up as they say" along with the lead singer of one of your favorite bands. From there they went into their most recent single, "Youth Without Youth." Some fans weren't thrilled with the song when it was originally released, but the overall sentiment seemed to be that seeing it live was an entirely new, positive experience.

During YWY was when the palm tree incident happened. Sure enough, palm tree man was back and another palm tree made its way up to the front of the crowd. This time, however, the security people threw it to the side. Obviously, as I assume palm trees are expensive, this pissed off palm tree man and he came up right behind me and started yelling at the guards. This escalated into the guards pulling him out of the audience, him kicking and screaming, and then wrestling palm tree man into submission and carrying off the premise. Who knew someone so into plants could be so full of rage?

Anyway, Metric then went into "Speed the Collapse" and the fan favorite, "Lost Kitten." This resulted in a total freakout of all around me and may have caused me to wet myself just a little. From there they went on, doing mostly new tracks but also a few old favorites including "Help I'm Alive," "Empty," and "Dead Disco" (which is ALWAYS insane live!). Their set was closed out with a beautiful acoustic version of "Gimme Sympathy" that brought a few tears to my eyes and shivers to my spine. And just as quickly as it had started, Metric's set, and the weekend of music, was over.

Overall, I'd say this was my best festival experience to date. I made a lot of wise decisions that I didn't make at the other festivals that I'd gone to, such as bringing my own food, not drinking, and actually wearing a butt load of sunscreen. Montreal was a cool city and I wish I could go on for all the fun adventures that happened outside the festival, but I'm sure most of you have quit reading by this point. Will I go to Osheaga again? Most definitely. It was an A+ weekend and I know I'll be thinking fondly of it for the rest of my life.

The Joeys Halfway Through the Year Edition: The Best of 2012 So Far

It's June and those who follow music blogs or go on iTunes or read the newspaper or basically aren't imprisoned in a turret in a castle surrounded by lava, you're no doubt seeing a bunch of half way through the year lists. Well, guess what? THIS IS ANOTHER ONE!!!! Except mine is better and more accurate because it's written by me. Same categories I usually have but half as long because 1) it's only the midpoint of the year and there's still a ton of new music to come and 2) I need to be studying for biochemistry. Wahoo.

BEST NEW ARTIST

I feel like this year there have been so many new releases by old favorites that I haven't had time to search for new music. One can only listen to so much music at once before it becomes chaotic and you end up trying to kill your neighbors' cat in a psychotic rage.

This showed up when I Googled "psychotic rage."

One artist I did hear about and have become more than a teensy bit obsessed with is Kimbra. I. LOVE. KIMBRA. Not only is she a talented musician, but she seems really down to earth and cool. And she always wears really poofy dresses. And she's from New Zealand so she has an adorable accent. And... Oh God, I could go on forever. If you haven't heard her yet, check her out below.

Honorable mentions: Polica (using autotune CAN be artistic!), MNDR (super catchy, super rad, super... super)

BEST LIVE ACT

So this has been a hella busy year for me concert wise. I went to 10 (yes, 10) shows in April and have two music festivals, SoundTown and Osheaga, coming up. Most of them were really, really good so this was a difficult one for me to pick. I do, however, need to pick someone so...

The Joy Formidable meets the Joey.

The Joy Formidable are just so fucking good live. The energy these three bring is infectious and they're all really, really good musicians. And when they do Whirring? Holy moly, everyone rocks out, things get thrown from the stage, guitars get broken... It's unreal.

Honorable mentions: Ellie Goulding (IT WAS SO HARD NOT PICK HER. Damn, you Britain, and your great music!), The Ting Tings (Oh jeez, these are all British artists), the Head and the Heart (not British, but still great... and sexy. Josiah, I'm looking at you)

BEST SONG SO FAR

"I was looking for a hooker when I found you." How can any song that includes that line not be the best song of the year? It would be a crime. And thus, I must pick...

What does a sad (but still fluffy wuffy!!!) cat have to do with sex workers? Find out more below!

"Lost Kitten" by Metric. Oh come on, don't act surprised that a Metric song was picked. Hell, I'm sure my end of the year blog will just be all me gushing about how great they are. But this song. Let's chat about it for a second. Emily does the whole falsetto thing that she does so well. And there's some sort of chimey bell thing. And it's just really, really catchy. So go. Listen. Think about cats.

Honorable mentions: "Skin Graph" by Silversun Pickups (Freakin' love this band, freakin' love this song),  "Somebody That I Used To Know" by Gotye and Kimbra (Fuck you, don't pretend like you don't love it. And also... KIBMRAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!), "45" by the Gaslight Anthem (So much satisfying rock in this song!)

BEST ALBUM

Guess what it is, guys? Just take a guess!! No seriously, you should all be able to predict this based on knowing me and reading the preceding entry. Ugh, fine I'll just tell you.

Synthetica by Metric. I'll be the first to tell you that it's no Fantasies (then again, Fantasies, their previous record, may be my favorite album of all time) but that by no means makes this a bad album. And hey, what do you know? It features "Lost Kitten"!!! And another favorite, "Speed the Collapse." Go pick it up. You won't regret it.

Honorable mentions: "Neck of the Woods" by Silversun Pickups (RROOOOOOOCCCCKKKK... and Nikki Moninger), "Not Your Kind of People" by Garbage (Goddamn do I miss the 90's... and goddamn do I love chick rock), "Vows" by Kimbra (KIMMMMMMMMMMMBRAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!)

MOST ANTICIPATED ALBUM FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR

So I found out this week that like... 8 bands that I love are coming out with new albums so this one is another really difficult one. But actually, it's not because I've been waiting for TEN FUCKING YEARS for this album

Totally stole this image from Beacon Street Online so you should go check them out.

No Doubt. I mean, no doubt I'd pick No Doubt. They might be the only one to give Metric some competition when it comes to the end of the year. Sorry, everyone else. You can't compete with my favorite bands!

Honorable mentions: Stars (I might pee myself from excitement), The Gaslight Anthem (Please be as good as "45"!!!), Matt and Kim (EEEEE!!!!!!) ... and a few more that are rumored so I won't mention them as not to get my own hopes up.

2012 IS THE BEST YEAR IN MUSIC EVER.

Okay, off to work/homework. Stay classy, readers!

Oh right, I have a blog.

I've been bad.

I've been reallllly bad.

I have been completely neglecting my blog in the name of a little something called school. I mean, who does that, anyway?! Someone who wants to go to PA school.

Well... I guess I owe everyone an update on the last few weeks. Neon Indian and Lights were awesome. Finals were killer but I did pretty damn well in all my classes. Started a new job. Started school back up again already. Did some awesome volunteering. Signed up to get AED/CPR/First Aid certified. Started the process of applying to grad school. WHEW. It's been busy!

Things are definitely busy but way slower than they have been. It's nice to finally have a chance to breathe. I should hopefully be able to keep up with the blog a little better now. I'll have lots of exciting things to report in the next few weeks... My cousin coming to visit, my first 5k (hint: It involves zombies), grad school search updates, etc. So watch out.

For now, however, I'd like to introduce something that you'll be seeing posts about in the near future.

It's called... THE JAR.

And I will be putting people in it along with my friend Carly.

The only requirement that to be in the the Jar is you need to be 99th percentile adorable. And preferably British or Canadian. Who will be the first one to make it into the Jar? And what is the story behind the Jar? Stayed tuned, kiddies...

The Head and the Heart/Howler 4/19

I kind of slacked last week and didn't write a review of the First Aid Kit or Cults shows. I've been kind of busy and let's be honest: 4 reviews in one week would have been too much. To compromise, here's my reviews of both shows in 10 words or less!

First Aid Kit:
Beautiful. Melodic. Swedish. No amplification sing along.

Cults:
Adorable lead singer. Too short. Slighly disappointing.

Okay, now that that's over let's move on to the task at hand.

Yesterday, I did something I had never done before. Actually, I did two things I had never done before. The first and most important one was that I went to two concerts in one day (in a non-festival setting). The second... Well, I'll get to that eventually.

First off yesterday was the Head and the Heart. Now, it's no secret that I'm obsessed with them. Like follow-them-home-hide-in-their-bushes-go-through-their-garbage obsessed.

No, it's not that bad. But I do tweet at them pretty often.

Anyway, considering that I fell in love with them instantly the first time I saw them at SXSW last year, I knew it would be a great show and they didn't disappoint. The concert was outside in front of the student union at my school and, unlike how April usually is, it was colder than a witch's teet. But I stuck it out and it was well worth it.

Unlike a lot of bands I've seen, the Head and the Heart have this way of genuinely seeming like they're having fun on stage. It's like watching a bunch of old friends hang out... Friends who are all insanely musically talented. And incredibly attractive.

My favorite part of the concert was when they did Josh McBride, an unreleased song that's pretty easy to find on YouTube. And I happen to love. My other favorite part was when they did a new song that, no surprise, I loved. And I loved Rivers and Roads. And I loved when Charity mentioned her family's meat shop in northern Minnesota. And... Fuck it, I just loved the whole goddamn show.

I tried sticking around to meet them after so I could tell them HOW FREAKING AWESOME THEY ARE, but they had to go before I had a chance. It was disappointing, but they'll be back in July for the Basilica Block Party so maybe I'll get my chance then. IF YOU'RE READING THIS PLEASE COME SAY HI TO ME AFTER I'LL BAKE YOU COOKIES.



Later that night, I went to concert number two of the day, Howler. They're a local band who's been getting a lot of press lately because they're fucking rad/their lead singer said some things about the Minneapolis music scene that got taken way out of context.

These guys definitely lived up to the hype. The energy was incredibly high the whole show. The audience, including myself, couldn't stop moving. It was awesome. The one criticism I have is that it wasn't long enough. They were on and off in 45 minutes.

Even more awesome was when I ended up selling merch for them after. I'm not really sure how it happened but I found myself behind the table taking cash and handing out CDs and posters. It was kind of cool, especially considering one of my dreams has always been to be "the merch guy."

Awesome. Absolutely awesome. Yesterday was so awesome.

Tonight, it's off to see Dessa for concert #8 this month. I just can't get enough live music!!

Ellie Goulding In-Store 4/5

In one of my psychology classes we talked about the concept of planned happenstance. Basically, it says that you create opportunities for good things to happen to yourself. When people ask me how I get to have so many amazing experiences in my life, I refer them to this concept. I create opportunities and good things happen.

Today, Ellie Goulding, who I adore beyond reason, had an in-store performance at the Mall of America Best Buy. The performance started at 7 so what time did I get there? 1:30. Obviously.

And obviously I was the first one in line.

It may seem like a long time to wait in line but I brought with homework to do to make the time pass. Did I end up getting much done? Of course not! This is me we're talking about. Turns out there were some really cool Ellie fans who came soon after me and we got to talking and telling people who asked what we were waiting for that we were in line for the Playstation 4. I'm an asshole.

While waiting in line, a man came out and asked how long we'd been waiting. He then went on to explain that he was Ellie's handler (basically, the guy who keeps Ellie out of trouble and makes sure that no one asks her to sign their vagina) and that because we were such dedicated fans, he wanted to give us a little something extra. The show already included a meet and greet so I didn't know what that extra could possibly be. Well, he explained that he wanted someone to take pictures and it would be my task to get some good shots for her Facebook page.

After I regained consciousness, I agreed. Obviously.

Skipping ahead to show time, I managed to get front row center. When Ellie came out, I was like 3 feet away from her. I could have probably have tackled her if I wanted to... but I didn't. Because I'm not crazy. Obviously.

Ellie started out the set with "Guns and Horses." She played her acoustic guitar and sweet lord was it amazing. It was like the heavens opened up and sprinkled sweet, sweet love on the eardrums of everyone present. Ellie really has a voice that can't be matched. It's soft and strong. It's heart wrenching and inspiring. It's like nothing else you'll ever experience.

In between songs, Ellie was charming and funny and couldn't stop smiling. She really seemed to be enjoying herself, as did the audience. During her second song, "Your Song," an Elton John cover, one of my friends from the line was even moved to tears. It takes something real special to be able to do that.

I, on the other hand, was swept over with this overwhelming feeling of joy. Everything felt so right. Listening to Ellie's gorgeous voice and seeing her shining face brought out feelings that were so overwhelmingly positive that I haven't experienced in a long time. I have a feeling I looked like an idiot because I couldn't stop smiling.

After, one of the younger audience members had requested that Ellie do "Starry Eyed" so, even though she had only been planning on doing three songs, Ellie decided to do an extra. Normally, the song is an electronic dance type song so I was surprised how well it translated into a stripped down acoustic version. But really, should this have surprised me? No. I mean, this is Ellie Goulding we're talking about. She can do anything. Obviously.

Ellie closed the set with "Lights." And it was rockin'. Everyone was dancing and bopping around. And at the very end, it went into the Bassnectar remix of the song with live vocals from Ellie, to the delight of everyone there.

After the show came the meet and greet where Ellie showed that not only is she a great talent and freaking gorgeous but she's also a genuinely nice person. She said she saw me up front and asked my name and gave me a personalized autograph. I then asked if I could get a hug and she was like, "Of course!" I walked around the table and hugged her and told her that she was wonderful. She was incredibly gracious and super kind. I got a quick picture and then was on my way.

I left the show feeling so overwhelmingly happy. What an amazing experience. Today was a day that I don't think I'll ever forget.

Obviously.



This was my third show of my whirlwind Month of 10 Concerts... These shows keep getting better and better! Next up is First Aid Kit on Saturday. What will that bring? Only time will tell!

Gotye and Kimbra 4/4 @ Epic

My power concert series continues!!! Last night was the sold out Gotye and Kimbra show. I found out a few hours before that I won VIP upgrades so I got to watch the whole show from a side booth. It was an awesome experience and there were some super cool people who were there to watch the show with us.

Kimbra went on first and was absolutely amazing. The woman has some pipes! She was belting it out and dancing around the stage the whole time. "Cameo Lover" was a favorite of mine as I got to dance along with her.

Gotye hit the stage after Kimbra's set and was incredible as well. In addition to singing, he played drums and keys so he was always busy. He brought out Kimbra for "Somebody That I Used To Know" and that was a magical experience.

The big gripe that I had with the show had nothing to do with the performance but with the audience. It seemed like almost no one in the pit was moving the whole time and they weren't responding to the performers' energy. I can only imagine how frustrating that must have been for them as it was pretty frustrating for me. I'll never understand why people go to shows and don't get into it. I mean, how can you not?! Even if you don't know the music that well you can still bop along.

Anyway, that's a quick update. Today is Ellie Goulding's acoustic performance at the Mall of America. I'm legit giddy to see her again. Should be a great show!

The Ting Tings at First Avenue 4/2

I’m going to start out with a pretty bold statement: The Ting Tings are the most underrated band making music right now. A lot of people dismiss them as just noise or as not a serious band and I don’t really understand why. They’ve developed their own distinct sound that not only defies genres but stands out from anything else out there today.

Where they really stick out is in their live show. Last night’s killer set at First Avenue was  a gleaming example of this. The show started out with MNDR, an electronic singer who had never heard of before. While at first I was a bit skeptical of the strange woman wearing a short gold top and red booty shorts, by the second song my friends and I were all dancing along. It was hard to resist her charm and infectious dance beats.

Speaking of dancing, this woman was not afraid to shake her thang. Yes, I just used the word “thang.” I imagine this was pretty awkward because her parents, who apparently are from Minnesota (she mentioned she used to live here), were in the audience. Dirty dancing aside, I imagine they must have been proud of their daughter because she won the audience over and made at least two new fans.

Ballin' with MNDR.

As great as MNDR was, the main attraction of the night was the Ting Tings. They started off their set by coming out in darkness and Katie silenced the audience. This led perfectly into "Silence" and the band quickly brought the rock as Katie grabbed her guitar and Joules hit the drums. At the end of the song, Katie announced, "I have only one request for you tonight and it's that you fucking dance!"

Oh no, what a horrible request!!! Of course, they made it easy to dance with their high energy and rockin' dance beats. The band constantly had the audience clapping along and Katie kept those of us near the front on our toes the whole time as she would regularly come and sing at the very front of the stage to dance or shred on her guitar.

One thing that really impressed me was the number of different instruments the duo plays. Katie had to keep track of keys, guitar, bass, cowbell, various pedals and knobs and things that I had no idea what they were. Joules did all that plus drums plus backing vocals. Seriously, these guys are legitimate musicians.

One highlight of the evening was when they played one of their most well known songs, "Shut Up and Let Me Go." The whole audience erupted and you could hear everyone in the place singing along. Everyone danced harder than usual. Speaking of dancing, the only time during the whole show I stopped dancing was during the short intermission between the main set and the encore. Even then, my dancing was really only replaced with screams for more.

The only real criticism I have of the show, if you can call it that, is that it ended. I could've kept dancing all night long had they continued to play. For now, I'll just have to wait until they come back. I know I'll be one of the first to buy tickets to see these two wonderful Brits again.

What a bunch of badasses.

As many of you know, this was my first concert of what I'm dubbing the Month of 10 Concerts because... Well, I'm going to 10 concerts this month. Here's to hoping that they're all as great as the one last night. Tomorrow is Gotye and Kimbra. Look for my review Thursday!