My Morning Jacket Announces Hometown Show

Louisville's favorite band will return to their hometown on Friday, October 29th. My Morning Jacket will be among the first bands to christen to new YUM! Center downtown. The Louisville Youth Orchestra and Wax Fang will support the band. Tickets are $45 and one dollar from each ticket will go to support the orchestra. Tickets go on sale to the public Saturday, August 14th at 10 a.m. A limited amount of tickets will be available Thursday, August 12th at 10 a.m. at Ear X-tacy to celebrate the store's 25th anniversary and its new location at the Douglass Loop. A press conference was held at the store yesterday to announce the gig. When asked about a new album, Jim James responded, "We're working on it."

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Forecastle in Review

What a three days! I had a great time out in the blistering sun, soaking in as much of the music coming from the four stages as possible. Although I didn't go to any shows at the Ocean Stage or what I referred to as the BOOM! CHE! BOOM! CHE! Stage, the other three stages had a ton of great music to offer. Here are some of the acts I checked out:

Sandpaper Dolls

The three-piece a capella group from Louisville opened the festivities with a great version of “My Old Kentucky Home”.

23 String Band

I was not familiar with these guys before the show but loved their set. The fiddle player, who also played with Arnett Hollow, was quite impressive. Great bluegrass!

Kinetix

I hadn’t planned on seeing this high-energy band from Colorado, but as I was getting some “concessions” they started into Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and I became drawn to the stage.

Maiden Radio

I love this band! The harmonies are tight and the songwriting is definitely there. We’re looking forward to the new album.

Drive-by Truckers

I was not really impressed with this band. I had seen them open for My Morning Jacket years ago and decided to give them another chance to no avail. How many songs can one band write with the same G-Cadd9-Dsus4 chord progression?

Yard Sale

It’s really too bad these guys are breaking up! I really enjoyed their set. I hope to catch their final show at Vernon Lanes on Saturday.

Arnett Hollow

Unfortunately I was not able to get good shots of the band because there were technical difficulties with the lights and the band played in the dark. Unfortunately Cheyenne was not with the band, but the rest of the guys picked up the slack.

Widespread Panic

Again, another band I just don’t get. They seemed bored on stage and the music didn’t move me, as much as it seemed it should judging by the people around me. I don’t know how they got the following they have. But, hey, that’s just one guy talking.

Lucky Pineapple

The Pineapple put on a great set with eyeballs abounding!

Modern English

I didn’t get to hear the one song I was hoping for, but these guys put on a pretty good early set on Saturday.

Black Diamond Heavies

My biggest surprise of the festival and in my top 5 performances of the entire weekend was the Black Diamond Heavies out of Nashville. It’s too bad they were saddled with a 30-minute early set on Saturday. I’m definitely going to catch these guys again!

Umphrey’s McGee

I was pleasantly surprised with these guys. Since I got three songs in the pit I ended up being there for about a half hour. Not bad for what they are.

Mucca Pazza

This 30-piece marching band was a ton of fun. I don’t own a lot of music by marching bands, but this is not your normal marching band. If you get a chance to see them, do it!

Shelby Park Soul Stew Kitchen

Chef Tim Tucker and the guys from A.M. Sunday are doing something really original. As the chef cooks, the band, led by Ray Rizzo, plays behind the sounds emanating from his cutting board. The band played tunes fittingly called Popcorn, Watermelon and Bourbon, and Catfish.

Wax Fang

What can I say about these guys that hasn’t been said before? They played three songs from their upcoming album, which all sounded good, especially the last song. I got a chance to interview Scott Carney on Sunday. The interview will be posted here soon.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

This lady’s got some pipes and some legs to boot. Any gal who plays a Flying V and can pull off “White Rabbit” has my full attention.

Cake

Cake put on a fun set, but what else would you expect from this band? I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they are very environmentally conscience and that their new album was recorded totally on solar power.

DEVO

I got to sit in on an interview with lead singer Mark Mothersbaugh. I was taken aback by the seriousness this guy spoke with when his band, on the surface, seems like a “silly” band. There are obviously more layers to DEVO than I knew about. I enjoyed the interview and the set.

The Tillers

I was originally bummed that I couldn’t catch these guys’ first set because of schedule conflicts, but was excited when I heard they were offered a late night encore performance on Saturday. They play straightforward Bluegrass straight out of Cincinnati.

Vandaveer

I was really impressed with these guys. They were joined on stage by Cheyenne Marie Mize and pulled out a great version John Prine's "Paradise" as well as a great set of original tunes. These guys are certainly worth checking out.

iAMIs

Although they only played with a two-piece I can’t help but be pulled in by Shauna’s performances of their beautifully crafted songs.

Sarah Watkins

Mrs. Watkins has a beautiful voice. I realized when watching her perform that she always was the best thing about Nickel Creek.

Whistle Peak

This is certainly one of the most interesting bands to come out of this area, possibly since Wax Fang. Whistle Peak put on a great set to a pretty good crowd at the North Stage.

The Pass

Now I see what the hype is about. Although these guys are a little more “dancy” than I’m used to I really enjoyed their set and have now jumped on the bandwagon.

She and Him

I had a great time watching She and Him up close. Yes, Zooey is a knockout and yes, M. can play that guitar.

The Ravenna Colt

It was great to see Johnny Quaid back on stage rocking out, this time as a front man. He hasn’t lost any of the energy that he used to bring to My Morning Jacket shows.

The Flaming Lips

The best was definitely saved for last. What a way to top off a great weekend of music! Part circus, part beautiful psychedelic trip, part rock show, the Flaming Lips brought beauty and positivity to a very thankful audience.

Although it was hot and I didn’t care for the amount of narcs in attendance, the festival was, by most accounts, a complete success. There were whispers that this year may be the last, but I think that rumor has been around since Forecastle began and J.K. always seems to find a way to make the next year the biggest and the best yet. Here’s hoping next year will be no exception.

More photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dylang37

Forecastle: day two in review

Day Two, being hot, sweaty, low on water, and with more velocity than day one. most of the peeps i talked to decided to come just on saturday, and just for DEVO. and i'll admit, being a hard core devo fan since before puberty, i was pretty excited too. I even got to meet DEVO frontman, Mark Mothersbagh, before the show. he was very direct, didn't smile, and sat very stoically with a fake mustache that he never acknowledged. but he was very open to meeting the press, and answering all the questions (even though Devo's tour manager stated that he would not answer any questions that were not submitted ahead of time, and would not answer any stupid or silly questions.
the show hit the ground running with songs from their new "music for the masses" in their new silver and blue suits (the suits and new album were all test audience approved at 82% satisfaction). after a few songs they entered into they're "DEVOlution" phase and starting working backwards, donning their 1980's apparel and playing they're 80's radio hits like "whip it" before again devolving into they're 1970's tyvek suits and their (in this humble writer's opinion) best era of song writing, before tearing their suits to bits and devolving once again into they're early 70's art damaged conceptual stage, complete with Mothersbaugh's alter ego " Booji Boy". the whole band played with vigor (unlike another 'reunion band' that hit the stage soon after) and played like it was the best day of their lives, and the crowd felt the same.. well that was until the very last second of the show when mothersbaugh yelped "good night LEXINGTON!" to an immediate silent mob. it was the worst ending to this, the best show of the festival.
up next on the main stage was the worst show of the fest (of what i saw) a group that had so much hype, BASSNECTAR. as soon as Devo walked off stage the biggest crowd of the whole weekend stormed the stage awaiting a DJ and a borage of 808 beats and distorted synth explosions. of the 4 or 5 songs i could stand to listen to, all were covers, or rather remixes, of songs i used to like. from the Beastie Boys to the pixies, he slaughtered every one as if you gave the dust brothers a disc of your favorite dance party tracks and they sped them up and jizzed all over them. i will never understand the admiration of someone who steals other people's hard work and destroys them.
the last show of the night was the newly reformed SMASHING PUMPKINS, who played every song exactly as if they were just playing the CD, except between most songs Billy Corgan spewed out self indulgent crap to himself, or maybe the crowd. he seemed to be so happy to be in front of his band again after all this time, it was hard to tell if they felt the same way or were just waiting for the check to clear. but Billy had fun, even without playing 1979, the only song i was hoping to hear.
and that, was DAY TWO!
LUCERO'S"fist full of tears" (LAST SONG OF THE NIGHT/THE BEST SET ENDING OF FORECASTLE)
everybody loves (loved) DEVO!

Forecastle: day one in review

Forecastle reminds me of camp. a lot of people crammed into a one space, walking from tent, to tent, sticky, hot, exhausted, and excited. everyone is instantly your buddy, just because you're all willing participants. the first day didn't seem overly packed, but enough to feel like you we experiencing something worthwhile, or about to. i caught ADVENTURE on the east stage, which unfortunately had a small audience for such a BIG stage presence. they played as if there were thousands of us watching. good job boys! those of us who were there greatly appreciate it!
next up was Cirque Bezerk!! a scaled down show from their normal LA gig, but fantastic, and strangely sexual. an old world Tom Waits meets Henry Miller kinda affair with lots of people nearly breaking their necks in barely any clothes. worth a repeat viewing absolutely.
the perfect ending to day one, was a absolute spot on lucero get down. maybe even more so, playing behind the Ohio river and singing "and this big ol' river will kill us in time, till then we'll drink it's weight in cheap beer and wine" to an enthusiastic and sloppy crowd. rumor has it, that they were stuck in traffic on I-65 and subsequently showed up late, so their set wasn't they're normal hours long sing a-long, but they played well, and with excitement, and rocked out louisville crowd favorites such as "Bikeriders" and Jawbreaker's "kiss the bottle". they ended the night with just keyboards with frontman Ben Nichols quietly singing "fist full of tears" to a grateful crowd whom joined in at the corus "if i've done one thing right, now i'm saying goodbye, so darlin don't cry". a perfect ending to a perfect set. bravo boys. (listen to this song from forecastle on "DAY 2 REVIEW" post here).
on now to day 2, with cake, and DEVO, and a reformed Smashing Pumpkins. we'll see you out there!
Adventure:small crowd/big sound

Roo from Cirque Bezerk and John king.

Lucero, white as ghosts, breaking hearts on the shores of the Ohio.

forecastle day 1 after party w/ whistle peak 7/9

WHISTLE PEAK is playing a FREE show at Zanzabar friday night with JONATHAN GLENN WOOD at 10:30 pm as a "warm up" for their forecastle appearance . they play on the north stage sunday 4pm before the pass (5pm ) and after Iamis (3 pm). other locals on the north stage on sunday include: the ferver (6 pm) parlour (7 pm) and the ravenna cult (8 pm).

we'll see you out there...

cut the fat/kill the flavor: more FORECASTLE picks

mister John King has been on vaca in north carolina this week, but is back and with a wicked farmer's tan, and ready to dive into forecastle. in keeping with Dylan's pick post, here is what i am looking forward to. there's a mountain of bands packed into a little weekend, and there's no way to wade through it all. but we are gonna try..
here's my picks: DEVO (if you only see one, see this one), Lucero (if you only see two, see this one drunk), Black diamond heavies(if you only see three, see these two guys)...

once apon a time DEVO was a cutting edge punk band black diamond heavy sexpots

of the local line up, get in there and see it all if you can, but don't you dare miss: the children, the fervor, iamis, adventure, parlor, whistle peak, the deloreans, six white horses...

one fervor's back

and what else? cake could be worth the walk if the beer line is too long, she and him (she's cute, he has a few good records out there) , spoon & flaming lips(for old times sake), and cirque berzerk could be a nice break from sweaty musicians. there's a lot going on, if you've got $150 to spare we'll see you there.


dylan and i are gonna try and cover as much as possible for you, check in for pics and reviews, and please share your own with us as well. let the games begin!



John on vacation in the carolina pines.

Forecastle Preview: What I'm Seeing

The major drawback of a multi-staged festival like Forecastle is inevitably there will be a couple acts you want to see who are unfortunately playing at the same time. Here's the decisions I've made for this weekend's Forecastle Festival at Waterfront Park. If you don't have your tickets yet, take this as my final shot at convincing you to be rocked for three days on the waterfront.

Friday

4:00-4:40 23 String Band

This old-timey bluegrass band bears a striking resemblance to the Old Crow Medicine Show which is anything but a bad thing. They'll be getting things started for us.

5:00-5:40 Maiden Radio

The first really bad schedule conflict, in my opinion. I'd love to check out Scott Miller & the Commonwealth but as detailed on this blog before, I can never pass up a chance to see Cheyenne Mize do her thing. I'm really liking this trio and we at 37Flood are anxiously awaiting their debut CD later this summer.

6:00-6:30 Yard Sale

Self-described as Louisville's second most rootin'-est and tootin'-est band, I'm going to at least catch a bit of their set as this will be one of the last chances to catch them. Their farewell concert is July 17th at Vernon Lanes.

6:30-7:00 Drive-By Truckers

These Southern boys seem to have a good-old time on stage and certainly have quite a following even outside of Muscle Shoals, so how could I pass them up?

7:00-7:40 Dangerbird

This Louisville band is made up of some of the ex-members from one of my favorite gone-but-not-forgotten Louisville bands, the Pine Club. I haven't gotten a chance to see them and unless I get totally sucked in by DBT I'll get my chance on Friday.

7:50-8:20 All the Day Holiday

The Cincinnati band reminds me a little of Cabin and a little of U2. Should be worth checking out for at least a minute especially with the lull in the schedule as they begin their set.

8:20-8:40 The Manchester Orchestra

I don't know much about these guys but they have an interesting sound and ought to be able to hold their own sandwiched between DBT and Widespread Panic on the main stage and going against Dead Confederate on the second stage.

8:40-9:20 Dead Confederate

I'm looking forward to seeing these Athens pychedelic folk-rockers. I don't know how they aren't on the main stage, but I know I'll be there.

9:20-9:45 Arnett Hollow

Again, another chance to see Cheyenne that I cannot completely pass up. I've seen these guys a lot and they never fail to entertain.

9:45- 10:30 Widespread Panic

I'm not a Panichead, but I'm willing to find out what all the hubbub is all about.

10:30-12:00 Lucero

Although I'm not super-familiar with this group I've heard a lot good things about these guys lately and am looking forward to checking them out Friday night.

Saturday

12:30-1:00 Lucky Pineapple

The mostly instrumental Louisville band always has the ability to take you to another place. I think they would be perfectly paired on a bill with the Flaming Lips. This should be a great way to kick off day two, a little morning maniac music.

1:00-1:20 Modern English

I really hope they play "I'll Melt with You" in the small time I have to catch them. I still love that song! However, this means I'll miss the whole set from Scott Mertz's The News Vehicle. I may change my mind at the last minute.

1:20-1:50 Black Diamond Heavies

I've heard great things about these guys and their live set. I've been wanting to pick up their album, hopefully this performance will finally convince me to pop on it.

1:50-2:10 The Giving Tree Band

These guys seem like a lot of fun. I'm not sure why they stuck them on the Sustaining Living Roadshow "stage". I hope to get a chance to check them out.

2:10-2:40 The Tillers

Covered here before, these high-energy Bluegrass boys from Cincinnati are a lot of fun live.

2:40-3:00 & 3:30-3:50 Umphrey's McGee

Jam bands are perfect for these kinds of festivals. I'll check as much of these guys as I can. Though their original work tends to be a little too derivative for me, I love some of their covers and imagine they are great live.

3:00-3:30 Mucca Pazza

You say 30 piece punk-rock marching band and I say, "Okay, I'm there". You gotta at least see what that sounds like, right?

3:50-4:15 Wax Fang

37Flood has been on these guys' bandwagon for a while now. I'll never turn down a chance to see these hometown boys done right!

4:15-5:15 Grace Potter & the Nocturnals

I hate to skip out on Louisville boys Broken Spurs, but I can't miss Mrs. Potter. I've had many friends see her live recently and all have come away from the experience having fallen deeply in love with Grace Potter. I think they liked the music, too. I'm ready to fall in love!

5:45-7:00 Cake

Cake is a fun band and I'm looking forward to a fun show. The horns will be kicking it and so will I.

7:30-8:45 DEVO

Though growing older by the day, DEVO is still pushing the envelope with a new album and new uniforms to boot! I look forward to the new songs as much as the old hits. Should be a great show.

8:30-9:00 Cloud Cult

I wasn't familiar with these guys before they signed with Forecastle, but I really like their sound. I think it'll be a powerful performance, definitely going to check them out.

9:00-9:30 Frontier(s)

This will be my first chance to check out this Louisville group, looking forward to it.

9:30-10:10 we were promised jetpacks

Definitely winners of best name for this year's festival, this band is coming all the way from Scotland to do there thing. This is a good alternative to the main stage's act at this time, Bassnectar, who just don't do it for me.

10:45-12:30 The Smashing Pumpkins

12 years ago I saw Smashing Pumpkins at HORDE Festival (along with Blues Traveler, mentioned in the previous post). Hopefully this show won't be like watching Tron 12 years later where you realize the thing you used to love is actually pretty crappy.

Sunday

2:10-2:40 Vandaveer

Although Sunday may be my favorite day I don't see any reason to show up until 2:00 that day, giving me plenty of time to recover from the first two nights. Vandaveer should be worth getting out of bed for though.

2:40-3:00 Dar Williams

I'm not a big fan...yet.

3:00-3:30 Iamis

I love this band! Unfortunately I'm going to have to skip out a little early to catch a portion of Sarah Watkins.

3:30-4:00 Sarah Watkins of Nickel Creek

Obviously very talented, I'm looking forward to hearing what she's doing minus the rest of Nickel Creek. I'm a sucker for a girl with a fiddle!

4:00-4:40 Whistle Peak

Always on the 37Flood radar, Whistle Peak continues the strong showing for Louisville bands on Sunday. Hopefully we'll get to hear a few tunes from their forthcoming album.

5:00-5:30 The Pass

This Louisville band is getting a lot of hype in hipster circles. Time to see what the talk's about.

5:30-6:00 Minus the Bear

This Seattle band has a great sound that should prove to be fun to see live.

6:00-6:40 The Fervor

One of my favorite Louisville bands, with melodies that rival the Beatles. They don't play out enough and I'm looking forward to seeing them again and also seeing what their current lineup looks like.

6:40-7:00 Jukebox the Ghost

The piano and melody driven Indie-pop band from the DC area should be worth checking out.

7:00-8:00 She & Him

Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward's band was a late addition to the lineup. Personally, as a huge M. fan, I'd rather seeing a M. Ward set. I don't see why we can't get both, but beggars can't be choosers and I'll take what I can get.

8:00-8:40 The Ravenna Colt

Former My Morning Jacket guitarist Johnny Quaid's new band will be rocking out the North Stage prompting me to leave before the end of She & Him.

8:45-10:00 Spoon

I'm looking forward to seeing these indie rockers from Austin. Having been together for a decade now, these guys have shown great lasting power, especially with their last couple albums.

10:00-10:30 Cirque Berzerk

The French circus of the absurd promises to be a great time. This was the only time I could find to fit it into the busy Forecastle schedule. I will have to skip out early to catch the beginning of the Lips.

10:30-12:00 The Flaming Lips

Forecastle saves the best for last, in my opinion. This is by far the show I'm looking forward to the most. I don't know how I haven't seen this band yet, but the drought ends Sunday!

That's 40 acts I'll be checking out! Okay, I'm officially pumped to get this show on the road! If someone wants to try to convince me that I need to see an act I didn't list, let me know with a comment. See you crazy kids out there!

4th Street Live - Rock the Block

Fourth Street Live's Rock the Block series presents some hit makers from my, and possibly, your high school days. Both concerts are free, so it's difficult to turn your nose up too far to this series. Blues Traveler will bring their high-energy jams to the street on Saturday, July 17th. Pop-rockers Sister Hazel will be their Saturday, August 14th. Both acts, especially Blues Traveler, are not simply one-hit wonders and promise to put on a great show. Both shows start @ 8.

WEEKEND EVENTS CALENDAR 7/2-4

7/2 CHEYENNE MIZE, SEREDREN WELLS, J. IRVIN DAILY at zanzabar 9 pm $5

7/3 old fashion 4th of july 5K FUN RUN at Peterson-Dumesnil House
301 S. Peterson Av. 8 am

7/4 Arrested Development & Michael Franti and Spearhead @ Waterfront Park

7/4 SqueezeBot @ the Nachbar (& Every Sunday all summer!)

a little quieter weekend i suppose before the explosion of forecastle next week.
regardless, get out there and go nuts!


and as always, please let us know about other happenings in a comment..