popwreckoning updates

Outside Lands, Day 1 @ Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
Ingrid Michaelson “Maybe”
Simian Mobile Disco Announce Fall North American Tour

Outside Lands, Day 1 @ Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

Posted: 02 Sep 2009 12:54 PM PDT

The first day of the second annual Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival held in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park was filled with all of the ingredients you would expect at such a mammoth, eco-conscious festival. Expressions of art in many forms, lots foodie-centric vendors and throngs of music-adoring fans packed the event for three days of music, activism and celebration in a picture-perfect setting.

West Indian Girl
One of the early highlights was the set by West Indian Girl with guest vocalist Miranda Lee Richards. WIG delivered a psychedelic set of dreamy pop to an appreciative SF crowd.

Built To Spill
Often mentioned and praised by other bands throughout the day was the swirling, guitar-driven performance by Built to Spill.

Loop!Station
A San Francisco favorite, Loop!Station played three days in "The Barbary," a magnificent "venue" brought in from Belgium. The effect of Robin Coomer's soaring vocals, set atop layered samples and powerful cello from Sam Bass is absolutely mesmerizing.

The Dodos
Displaying their unconventional techniques for the hometown crowd, San Francsico's The Dodos gained some much-deserved exposure with their opening-day performance.

Silversun Pickups
Often compared to Smashing Pumpkins, Silversun Pickups have built out their own sonic wall of sound. Delivering the most powerful set of the festival, Silversun Pickups brought their familiar "Lazy Eye" and "Swoon" in all of their fuzz-out, screamed-out glory.

The National
The performance by Brooklyn-based The National was filled with well-crafted gems of surprisingly interesting indie pop. A band familiar to San Franciscans from their song "Fake Empire" which was used in the Obama campaign, The National had the crowd won over before they hit the stage.

Incubus
Struggling with some vocal issues, Incubus lead singer Brandon Boyd did his best to power through the hit-laden set. The fans were more than happy to fill in the gaps while Boyd nursed his pipes with a Cotes du Rhone.

Tom Jones
In an odd Vegas-meets-the-Bay moment, Tom Jones brought his endearing sing-along show to Golden Gate Park. I wasn't sure if "It's Not Unusual" or "She's a Lady" would resonate with the hipster, boomer and ubiquitous ironic t-shirt-clad festival crowd. Sure enough, Sir Tom had everyone, young and old, dancing and singing right along.

Thievery Corporation
Even exceeding my expectations as a long-time devotee of Thievery Corporation, Rob Garza and Eric Hilton led fans through an amazing spectacle during their performance on Friday night. The opening minutes of the show featured no less than three lead vocalists, a cross-legged Rob Myers on sitar and were followed by one of the most stunning performances of the entire festival. Pearl who?

Check back for days 2 & 3!

April 24, 2009 — Silversun Pickups – Swoon (1)
March 27, 2009 — Pitchfork Music Festival announces addition of Flaming Lips to Sunday’s line-up (0)
February 17, 2009 — Sasquatch! Music Festival 2009 Line-Up, Ticket Info (1)
December 31, 2008 — Most Anticipated Albums of 2009 (1)
August 27, 2009 — The Lovely Feathers – Fantasy of the Lot (0)
August 19, 2009 — Under Cover – Kanye West’s “Love Lockdown” (2)
August 18, 2009 — Built to Spill, Brandi Carlile, Ingrid Michaelson, Thievery Corporation, Joshua Radin and Sondre Lerche join (RED)Nights concert series (0)
August 18, 2009 — Silversun Pickups secret NYC performance now available! (0)
August 14, 2009 — Lollapalooza: Sunday, Day 3 @ Grant Park, Chicago IL (1)
August 10, 2009 — Built to Spill Fall 2009 Tourdates (0)

Ingrid Michaelson “Maybe”

Posted: 02 Sep 2009 08:37 AM PDT

Check out the new video for Ingrid Michaelson’s first single, “Maybe,” from her new album Everybody, out now.

Ingrid Michaelson: website | myspace | @ the tla | interview with | Be OK review

August 25, 2009 — Ingrid Michaelson – Everybody (0)
August 18, 2009 — Built to Spill, Brandi Carlile, Ingrid Michaelson, Thievery Corporation, Joshua Radin and Sondre Lerche join (RED)Nights concert series (0)
June 30, 2009 — Ingrid Michaelson new album “Everybody” due August 25th (0)
June 26, 2009 — Michael Jackson: A Memorial (12)
March 3, 2009 — R.E.M. Tribute Show @ Carnegie Hall, NYC, March 11, 2009 (1)
February 2, 2009 — Interview with: Amie Miriello (2)
December 15, 2008 — Interview With: Jessie Baylin (0)
November 10, 2008 — Gregory and the Hawk – Moenie and Kitchi (1)
October 14, 2008 — New Music Tuesday! (0)
October 14, 2008 — Ingrid Michaelson – Be OK (2)

Simian Mobile Disco Announce Fall North American Tour

Posted: 02 Sep 2009 07:44 AM PDT

smd1 You like to dance, right? Then I’ve got the tour for you. English remix and electro house princes Simian Mobile Disco have announced dates for a fall North American tour. The duo comprised of James Ford and Jas Shaw will be hitting both American coasts as well as Toronto and Montreal. They will be joined by psychedelic funksters the Phenomenal Handclap Band for several dates. The tour kicks off October 28 at Boston’s Paradise.

To get a feel for their music, check out their trippy video for “Synthesise” directed by Kate Moross and Alex Sushon below.

Simian Mobile Disco’s new album Temporary Pleasure will be released in the States on September 15.

Tour dates
Oct 28 – Paradise / Boston
Oct 30 – Webster Hall / New York City
Oct 31 – Starlight Ballroom / Philadelphia
Nov 01 - 9:30 Club / Washington, DC*
Nov 04 – Metro / Chicago*
Nov 06 – Mod Club / Toronto*
Nov 07 – SAT / Montreal*
Nov 25 – Mayan Theatre / Los Angeles
Nov 27 – Mezzanine / San Francisco
Nov 28 – Wonder Ballroom / Portland