THE adventure begins

That pretty much says it all.  And though SR30SWYs might seem like a fun idea; THE need for focus is apparent.  This blog is really THE only other blog I should try to maintain.

This is THE year of faith, according to my spiritual beliefs, so I shall be Indiana Jones and take THE leap from the lion's head...maybe buy a satchel.

As I've stated before, maybe what the end of the Mayan calendar signifies is change; maybe, as we've all learned, change is THE only constant.  Maybe it is THE end of THE world as we know it ... how do you feel about that?




Stay tuned, should be an innaresting ride.

-- andres (AC) cantu

Lollapalooza: LOLs on the LOOSE

For those that know me - you KNOW I despise the term LOL, it bothers me more than the ;) and the :) - even though I am guilty of the occasional =) from time to time.

Anywho. This festival has the mass appeal to be QUITE the collection of LOLs based on the guest list of comical characters - among them, myself (@The_AC) and Tamo/Taco (@TamoSein) #FTW. But MUSIC is the main point of this thing, so, WELCOME to DAY TWO:

Sidebar: #GOChicaGO

SATURDAY, AUGUST 4, 2012

BEAR IN HEAVEN

Saw these guys at SXSW 2012 at Mohawk and they put on quite the show. Frontman and band should be commended, as the story goes: perhaps the sound had been an issue, beforehand, or perhaps it was just part of the act...in the middle of a song, Philpot (singer) brings the band to a silence, and politely asks, "Sir, we had this conversation before, and I'd like to restate...if the monitors don't sound the way we need them to sound, we won't continue playing."

Which plunges the Mohawk into silence for moments...during SXSW!  A few tweaks, a couple of tests, and a "thank you," from Jon and the entire band errupts, exactly where the song left off.  QUITE impressive, to me, indeed.

Check out my MOMENTS of the band @ Mohawk via my YouTube channel

Or, check out the eclectic, neon-filled, seizure-friendly video for "Reflection of You"

ALABAMA SHAKES

It's fun for me, when I'm inspired out of left-field. Listed as "...an American Punk Blues band" Alabama Shakes has infected me from the first note of "HOLD ON," just as Fitz & The Tantrums' "Moneygrabber" got me the first time I heard it!  The bluesy influenced stuff is infectious; it's a note of familiar and a note of NEW, and I dig.  Check their site to buy their stuff on iTunes or via LOCAL RECORD STORE NEAR YOU.

ALOE BLACC

You know that man ALOE BLACC from HBO's How to Make it in America (which, recently has become my anthem of choice) - but what else do you know?  The blues brotha can belt it out - it'll be refreshing to seem him against the Chicago skyline...at 2:15pm...let's hope it's refreshing!


Aloe's cover of JAY-Z's "99 Problems"



PLEASE NOTE: There is a GIANORMOUS SHITTON (actual unit of measurement) of things to do, see, drink, eat, and...well, there's a lot, is my point.  These artists are MY choice, and, to be honest, this year I've adopted a more lassiez faire  (thank you TIM DUDA) approach to my daily routine, so; I may see THESE artists...I may see OTHERS, the point is...I'm at the festival to have

(see what I did there?)

FUN

The LAST TIME I spoke about them, I was QUITE pleased with the fact that they were a) on radar....everyone's radar; b) the darling band of the festival; c) playing OUR (101X) showcase.

A few things to remember...if there's not a story of how I was wronged during a festival, said festival did NOT happen. While I will NOT go into detail, said showcase was the beginning of a LONG night. This stung. Even moreso...I wanted to staff pick "We Are Young":



Whilest there is no way to go back, there is always time to look forward...as evidenced by fun.'s 2nd single (featured on this very page while back): SOME NIGHTS:



It'll be good, TACO will be there; things will be brighter - as they usually are - with a little patience.

And with that, I conclude the FORTUNE COOKIE reflections on the day...let's fucking party.

PAPER DIAMOND

Have I mentioned how crunchy (you're welcome) this festival is going to be?!

Straight from Lollapalooza.com: "Forward is not just a direction, it's a way of life for Colorado based producer Alex B who is rolling out big tunes under the new guise of Paper Diamond in 2011. The new project finds the trusted producer moving into previously untravelled musical territory."

Is that Weezy back there on "Throw it in the Bag"?!

WASHED OUT

You've been in the sun (albeit breezy), and partying for....um, 2.5 days now (if you're doing it right), now's the time to relax, get a little stoned, kiss a stranger and/or her cute friend.  "Eyes Be Closed" for Saturday evening...

FRANZ FERDINAND seen't em before, will most likely catch a few songs

CALVIN HARRIS 

Yeeeeeah - must be Saturday, 7pm, by now.  AKA crunch time.  This is when folks are disoriented, maybe a little drunk...okay, maybe 2nd...nah, 3rd or 4th drunk.  But, I digress.  Perry's is gonna be SIIIIIIICK - Calvin (@CalvinHarris) should make them folks sweat til they bleed!

FUN, right?  NOW, for my 3-way Saturday Nite Battle Royale!

AVICII

BIG STAGE (Bud Light) for an EDM artist whose name doesn't rhyme with Toby; and who isn't wearing a big, disco ball Mau5 head.  Plus, there's a possibility that I might ... lesbian-est...I'll prolly just swing through.

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS

Side note...how the FUCK do you choose ONE track from such a historic band like the Red Hot Chili Peppers?


Now remember: Austin City Limits Music Festival 2012 features a headlining performance from RHCP.  I'll get to see them in my backyard, if I'm patient.

This video's got a bunch of psychedelic sex stuff in it.  Also, I saw the Making the Video for this, and...AMAZING!


"Around the World" reppin' contender #2:

(probably in the TOP 3 of music videos that just BLEW MY MIND, made me love music and everything that goes into it)

BUT...not to be missed!  Again.  Contender #3:

FRANK "The ENTIRE Reason I Came to Lolla to Begin With" OCEAN

Frank's (@frank_ocean) been in the news as of late, not just for new material - channel ORANGE dropped on July 17 - but because he seems to be able to like girls AND boys.

The entire ODD FUTURE outfit is alternative and, if that extends from the stage to the lifestyle, who the fuck cares?  They produce great music, isn't that why we're FANS?  Shouldn't that be all that we see?  Off my SOAP BOX...speaking of O.F., Tyler the Creator (@fucktyler) & FRANK team up here:



Frank Ocean wins my Saturday night.  And if I find out he's somewhere else, in town, post-show; I'm there, too.  I missed him at LZR, won't miss him in Chi-town.  Close with that one about porn stars, ice-blue bongs & dentistry...



SIDEBAR: channel ORANGE hits #1 on Billboard - thanks Frank!

-- AC

LOLLAPALOOZA: Badger-Cobra hybrid

This year, I'm presented with a conundrum... one that is still manageable.  Like seeing a wildfire, at first spark.  Nonetheless, Lollapalooza 2012 is here.  Again, I am tasked with creating a schedule for chaos to ensue.  So here are my 2012 picks - my FINAL year at Lollapalooza.  Maybe that's what the Mayan's meant...

PS: This year, one Miss Bree House will be fresh blood for the musical carnival that is Lolla...Taco tells me not to worry, that she can handle herself...but we're thinking of...just in case:

FRIDAY, AUGUST 3

First Aid Kit

First Aid Kit (@FirstAidKitBand) - two piece Swedish sister act (STOP. I know what you're thinking) with QUITE a set of lungs, and sound on them. Johanna and Klara Söderberg - think Fleet Foxes and you have some idear.

The War on Drugs

The War on Drugs (@warondrugsjams) ... from Philly, formed in 2005 by Kurt Vile and fellow-Violator, Adam Granduciel (don't ask me how to pronounce that, plZ & thX).

Sharon Van Etten

Sharon Van Etten (@sharonvanetten) folky, raspy, poetic.  There's a bunch of folk music I want to check out and I'm not entirely sure why.  I might just kick the feet up and let the world happen around me.



BIG...BIG UPS to METRIC, can't miss Em in Chi-town...different EM this go-round...JUST FOR FUN...Metric's "Youth Without Youth":




BASSNECTAR is ALWAYS a good bet!  But, just a passing one...onto the main point of the night.

WALE

Whilest everyone is doing The Black Keys thing (you're welcome)...Taco N Tron remember that ACL 2012 is another chance to see Dan & Patrick...so, Tamo (@TamoSein) & I will be kickin' it, D.C. style - hittin' the Wale (@WALE) show to end out the night.



SO...that's Friday...and there are a TON of other bands that I want to at least HEAR whilest in the windy city...more to come.

THIS YEAR: no walking 16 miles to get back to the hotel  |  no shoes in the river
(more "THIS YEAR"s to come)

(Another) Day...the Music...DIED

So today, a pioneer passed away.  Adam Yauch aka MCA of Beastie Boys lost to cancer...once again, FUCKING cancer.  I hope I don't live to see the day that someone asks, "MCA, who's that?" but I do hope I live to see the total ERADICATION of cancer.

I see VHS tapes when I see MCA - me & the sis, recording videos off MTV...one of the oldest I have features "Fight for Your Right to Party" - that was what was up then:




I think about Travis/Falcon/Afton/Leila/Sharon/Lauren/Miranda, when I think of MCA - I think of Voodoo Fest / New Orleans...2004:

 

That "Sasquatch Video" was/is "Triple Trouble" - and...that was what was up then:




I think of all parts of my life when I think of MCA; mostly the past, with glimpses to the future.  MCA was 47 when he passed away...and look at all he accomplished...how amazing he was.  He didn't burn out, he supernova-ed - that's what the true STARS do.

What will you do?  What will I do?  My focus, far too long, has been on how today isn't working out the way I want it to - but I'm here.  I'm TODAY, and tomorrow...but for how long?

"Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is mystery, TODAY is a gift, that's why we call it the present."


And for a GREAT write-up on a GREAT man's life, look to the New York Times; MCA, Adam, good life, good night.

- AC

Tucker Max, Tamo Sein & Jackson Pollock. Discuss.

First off, never pay $10 for a single, when you can get a double for $14...and never hesitate to tip your bartender nicely, for sharing that info with you.

TWO double Hendrick's & Tonics...yes please...and thanks to Tamo Sein for my healthy addiction to Gin (I feel like a 70yr old when I drink around my Dad).

Get on the plane from LA to Vegas and sit next to a nice older lady; not Crypt Keeper, but not Jennifer Aniston.  Take off, flying, yay; Tucker Max shenanigans, courtesy of Sloppy Seconds...download it now...I'll wait.

-BACK?-
"I'd hit him so hard, he'd have to walk toward the light to ask Jesus what just happened." <-- you're welcome

A few pages in come the obligatory, "Drinks sir?" with the rhetorical, "Jack & Coke," I say…"two, please."  Flight attendant informs me that, due to the short flight, I can only be served one.  So I turn and  ask if I can buy the lovely lady sitting next to me a drink?  Older lady, we'll name her Jackie, agrees and so does the FA, so we're golden.

I get up to go piss, come back, get OUR drinks, and return to the iPad.  What seemed like 2-4 sips in, the all too familiar -DING- comes, and hey, lookie there...we're now beginning our final descent.  I look at to Jackie, who has been babysitting her drink the entire time (she knew her part in this), who says, "I can't chug like I used to," smiles, "welcome to Vegas," and hands the drink back.

So, I chug the two drinks (begrudgingly, mind you), turn to thank Jackie, who tells me that I drink like Jack Palance…?!  I, randomly, say, "Yeah, well I fight like Jackson Pollock!"  She smiles, and says "Probably."

So, today I ask, WHO THE FUCK is JACKSON POLLOCK!?!  I mean, I know the name…he's a painter (Paint like Pollock, you're welcome), but was he a fighter?  So I Wiki him up and find this little tidbit: "He had a volatile personality, and struggled with alcoholism for most of his life."  Mr. Pollock was, most likely, a fighter.  I relay the story to a friend, who emails back with:

"Another tidbit about Jackson:

He is a splatter painter. AND in pop culture if you “Jackson Pollock”, you have effectively blasted a load in some broads face. So, fighting like Jackson Pollock is fucking awesome.  

You’re killing it."

I can't SCRIPT this shit...maybe I can...anyone need a writer (LA, I'm lookin' at you)?

LASTLY...KNOW WHAT THIS IS?

 

Yeah, it's Darth v. Luke - but BEHIND the mural...what do you see?  Anyone recognize Nakatomi Plaza?  Yup...Die Hard & Empire in one shot.














- AC

Ain't NO REST...

PLEASE NOTE: I need FourSquare to stop reminding me how many bars I've been to in the past few days...weeks...etc. However, I would like to petition for them to start following me around, like a 4Sq reality show...literally, some of this business I can't make up! Also...as for Panorama shots...check em out as a FLAT image.

REWIND

Saturday led me to Hotel Vegas on the East side of town. Chill venue, from the makers of The Volstead. A small venue - not small...intimate.

Quiet Company was QUITE the party(first attempt at the Panorama, sorry, bad lighting)

Chatted with Christian (sp?), who was more than up to provide for the audience's experience & intimacy with the bands - renovations will open the space up a bit more, and they're 'building out the backyard.' Had I not had that 2nd 'sipper' of Jameson, I might've been able to tell you what that includes. But, the point is...THAT's what makes Austin LIVE Music landmarks; the ability to offer something different to the audience. The entire scene on that side of town is...well...it's atrociously hipster, but I find myself digging on the Hotel Vegas section. Find 101X's Homegrown Live there in April for Burgess Meredith's EP release.

3:15p Sunday Funday begins for me...innaresting how the entire downtown community has converted brunch into a day-long event. 219 West is just starting theirs, with one Mr. DJ Kurupt in the mix, let's go!

219 West Brunch on the Balcony

219 West's Phantom Server (aka 360 Panorama photo bomb)

First off, this place is STELLAR looking; good use of the space, as it used to be Union Park. Deck view is pretty great, could see that becoming bigger as the "spring" cometh. HOWEVER...Kurupt was downstairs, inside. Gotta get the DJ on the deck to see what the crowd's like and how they react to the music.

IF they keep them inside, they need to open that bar, and maybe put a monitor that feeds the DJ booth and the deck...from DECK TO DECK. Kurupt's "mix booth" needs remixing...Sunday Funday party sponsors, perhaps?

Bar/Clubs/Restaurants need faith in their mixers, need to treat em like their menu items. They make folk salivate - treat 'em good! And for those coming up in the game, just remember...itain't ALWAYS rock star status, you gotta build up to that. It's also about the fam support - the love FROM the community.

PAUSE

I hate when drummers and mixers make their craft look so fucking simple...DJ Kurupt is pretty good at doin that, Quiet Company drummer included in that rant...here's the latter's NEW stuff:

And DJ Kurupt's take on the Plain White T's..."Delilah's Vans"

Delilah’s Vans

Deadmau5 FB shared this, so I had to check it out...DOPE

Considering becoming "talent management" and one of the first peeps that's asked for representation...Sean Leary. His talent: COMEDY. He's good; needs polishing, but the kid's planning on jet-setting his ass to LA to chase the dream. Kid's got the drive...

FAST FORWARD

Drake day is here, Frank Erwin Center TONIGHT (thX Liz/Tara!) and it's a kind-of 'date redemption' for me - as teased in the REWIND - Rachel (Hayley's friend) is my date, and damn...that makes me feel GREAT! Had a good lil date at Tacos and Tequila enjoyed the night, laughed, joked and then...fell flat at the end.

Didn't think I was gonna be able to get into the Quiet Company show, so I ran to Gypsy Lounge to hang with Evan ... then I could get into the show ... then I ran next door ... then Quiet Company was over, and she & Hayley were bolting; and, instead of going with...I stayed behind (cost me a $40 cab ride) -- I'm a flippin' dork ... I play it too cool sometimes.

BUT...she's stoked about tonite; she's a cutie pie I dig it. Will talk about the show and TnT in neXt post. HAWT record from Drake -- The Motto:

Take Control

REWIND

Perhaps this is the time that I'm supposed to take control of this crazy little thing called life.
The thing is, I want to want ALL of them, virtually; but I only have time for me, and how I feel ... at the time.

It doesn't make a load of sense to me, but, what I might need is to explain all of this...maybe take myself out of things for a bit. But truly, this time.

Songs like Gotye's "Heart's a Mess" have been introduced and make sense to the situation of late.

As well as Flo Rida's "Good Feeling"

It just has a good bouncy beat and the incorporation of dubstep kinda, really, sways me.

ABC sent me to Ladyhawke's little ditty "My Delirium"

FAST FORWARD101X & SXSW are taking me back to The Shins, with the aptly titled "Simple Song." What I mean is, The Shins + M. Ward take Auditorium Shores on Thursday night...cut to Simple Song.
Another thing the GREAT Lawless has done is our OFFICIAL SXSW Showcase. Fun times watching fun.:

And of course notables -- KASABIAN:

As well as NEON TREES (who, consequently deserves a REWIND of it's own):

PAUSE

Went to see Chronicle, great Heroes meets Cloverfield flick, with a steadier, more "planned organic" camera magic. Underlying theme - the meek are twice as corruptible on the subject of ultimate power. Interesting take on a superhero film, terribly flat ending. Still worth the fun.