THE VACCINES-What did you expect from the Vaccines?
What have you done since last June?? Let me tell you what the Vaccines did. Formed a band in June 2010. Demo of their first song played on hot shot British dj Zane Lowes show in August to rave reviews. UK tour starts in September. Sell out a London show in November. Their debut single, which only lasts a minute and 24 seconds long, was released in November and was named 'song of the day' by Q Magazine. Performs on Later with Jools Holland in December. Named as one of the top bands to watch in 2011 by NME, BBC and MTV (yes, MTV Europe because MTV US never plays music). Signed to major label. Quick sold out tour in the USA. Debut album released in May 2011 that coincides with a US tour opening for the Arctic Monkeys then a performance at Glastonbury. Not a bad first twelve months huh?
All this praise is deserved in my eyes & ears. From the first time I heard 'Wreckin Bar (ra ra ra)' & Blow it Up', I was hooked and couldn't wait for this album to come out. The sound is different from what has been coming out of England. It's punky, it's poppy, it's dark and it's deep. They blend speedy sing-a-longs like 'If you wanna' and 'Norgaard' with a poppy 'Wolfpack' to an almost Coldplay sounding 'Wetsuit', a Pixies 'Blow it up', a Jesus & Mary Chain 'Lack of Understanding', as well as the Smiths sounding 'Post Break up Sex'. They cover all the bases here blending it together like a cool fresh drink just in time for summer. A classic debut album only 11 months after forming all while seeming like some pretty grounded lads. Can't wait to see what they come up with as they grow together as a band.
If You Wanna:
Blow It Up:
Wreckin Bar (Ra Ra Ra):
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Mountain Jam Music Festival
Mountain Jam Music Festival
June 5, 2011
Hunter Mountain
Located at Hunter Mountain Ski Resort in the New York Catskills region, Mountain Jam has been growing and evolving since 2005, when it started as a one day festival sponsored by WDST/Radio Woodstock. The common denominator from every year has been the band Gov't Mule and Warren Haynes. Hmmmm, Woodstock and jam bands. Hippies and college kids in tie dye. While this always seemed kind of interesting, especially the setting of it, the line up never intrigued (too 'jammy') me enough to lay out the money for a full weekend. Single day tickets and a pretty cool final day line up (less 'jammy') this year peaked my interest enough to buy tickets. Guess I should have looked at a map because Hunter Mountain is 2 hours from NYC, not 45 minutes as I had thought. My bad!
Bravo for the setting, lay-out, organization and ease of getting around the festival. We parked in a lot on the edge of town just in town for a tour bus pulled up to take us to the main entrance. Mind you, this wasn't any tour bus. This was a tour bus with the best sound system i've ever heard in a tour bus and he was blasting old school Steely Dan. Dropped off at the entrance, no line to get our wrist bands and no line to enter. Pretty sweet. Campgrounds were set up on the slopes on one side of the mountain with 2 stages set up at the base, just below the lodge. The pitch was steep enough so that when you are watching a band, the almost was never anyone in your site lines. Pretty sweet again. The two main stages were set up next to each other so when one band finished the next band started up right away. No down time. Again, pretty sweet. A Jerry Roll to eat (a fried egg roll with cole slaw, veggies and some other goodness) served by a guy that said he "once saw Jesus at a Grateful Dead show" (yawn-wonder how many times he used that line this weekend) then washed it down with a great selection from Ommegang Brewery (Cooperstown NY) and we were ready to go. I could say that the crowd was eclectic, but that would be too simple. After all, it is mostly a jam band festival and we weren't far from Woodstock. I'm sure a lot of these people, including the guy that served us the Jerry Rolls, came here in 1969 and never left. Not that there's anything wrong with it because this just added to the entertainment and everybody was having a great time, including the dude that was running around and dancing with a fly swatter. Really, I can't make this shit up.
So this was all about the music. A threat of weather had us nervous but cloud cover kept the sun away as well as the rain. Here is a breakdown of who we saw in order:
DAWES: I've written about these guys before. Great California 60's sound. They played a bunch of songs from their new release 'Nothing is Wrong' as well as their stellar debut album. The younger folk at this show dug them. The hippies didn't leave their lawn chairs.
EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS: Surprise of the day. I have their debut album which I absolutely love. I had heard some people say they were just ok live. How wrong they were. Lead singer Alex Ebert is a top notch showman and spent half the show performing in the crowd making this massive setting seem small. An eclectic band of over 8 members added to the spectacle and co-lead singer Jade Castrinos lent her beautiful voice. A fantastic performance.
PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND: Straight from New Orleans. Saw them open for My Morning Jacket last year. It is just classic history on stage and a great band for a festival setting. Jim James from MMJ joined them on stage for a couple songs. Always a fun time. Would love to see them on their home turf sometime.
GRACE POTTER & THE NOCTURNALS: I couldn't stand this band.
MY MORNING JACKET: As expected they played a set pretty heavy focused on their recently released album 'Circuital'. I was super happy to hear them open up with Victory Dance then Circuital. Awesome opening. Also as expected, the new stuff sounded fantastic live and has me listening to the album with a different ear. Preservation Hall Jazz Band joined them on stage adding a bigger bolder sound for the final few songs including a great cover of Al Johnsons 'Carnival Time'
After the show, a short bus ride back to our car, again serenaded by Steely Dan, followed by a speedy drive home (nice work MP). Great day.
June 5, 2011
Hunter Mountain
Located at Hunter Mountain Ski Resort in the New York Catskills region, Mountain Jam has been growing and evolving since 2005, when it started as a one day festival sponsored by WDST/Radio Woodstock. The common denominator from every year has been the band Gov't Mule and Warren Haynes. Hmmmm, Woodstock and jam bands. Hippies and college kids in tie dye. While this always seemed kind of interesting, especially the setting of it, the line up never intrigued (too 'jammy') me enough to lay out the money for a full weekend. Single day tickets and a pretty cool final day line up (less 'jammy') this year peaked my interest enough to buy tickets. Guess I should have looked at a map because Hunter Mountain is 2 hours from NYC, not 45 minutes as I had thought. My bad!
Bravo for the setting, lay-out, organization and ease of getting around the festival. We parked in a lot on the edge of town just in town for a tour bus pulled up to take us to the main entrance. Mind you, this wasn't any tour bus. This was a tour bus with the best sound system i've ever heard in a tour bus and he was blasting old school Steely Dan. Dropped off at the entrance, no line to get our wrist bands and no line to enter. Pretty sweet. Campgrounds were set up on the slopes on one side of the mountain with 2 stages set up at the base, just below the lodge. The pitch was steep enough so that when you are watching a band, the almost was never anyone in your site lines. Pretty sweet again. The two main stages were set up next to each other so when one band finished the next band started up right away. No down time. Again, pretty sweet. A Jerry Roll to eat (a fried egg roll with cole slaw, veggies and some other goodness) served by a guy that said he "once saw Jesus at a Grateful Dead show" (yawn-wonder how many times he used that line this weekend) then washed it down with a great selection from Ommegang Brewery (Cooperstown NY) and we were ready to go. I could say that the crowd was eclectic, but that would be too simple. After all, it is mostly a jam band festival and we weren't far from Woodstock. I'm sure a lot of these people, including the guy that served us the Jerry Rolls, came here in 1969 and never left. Not that there's anything wrong with it because this just added to the entertainment and everybody was having a great time, including the dude that was running around and dancing with a fly swatter. Really, I can't make this shit up.
So this was all about the music. A threat of weather had us nervous but cloud cover kept the sun away as well as the rain. Here is a breakdown of who we saw in order:
DAWES: I've written about these guys before. Great California 60's sound. They played a bunch of songs from their new release 'Nothing is Wrong' as well as their stellar debut album. The younger folk at this show dug them. The hippies didn't leave their lawn chairs.
EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS: Surprise of the day. I have their debut album which I absolutely love. I had heard some people say they were just ok live. How wrong they were. Lead singer Alex Ebert is a top notch showman and spent half the show performing in the crowd making this massive setting seem small. An eclectic band of over 8 members added to the spectacle and co-lead singer Jade Castrinos lent her beautiful voice. A fantastic performance.
PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND: Straight from New Orleans. Saw them open for My Morning Jacket last year. It is just classic history on stage and a great band for a festival setting. Jim James from MMJ joined them on stage for a couple songs. Always a fun time. Would love to see them on their home turf sometime.
GRACE POTTER & THE NOCTURNALS: I couldn't stand this band.
MY MORNING JACKET: As expected they played a set pretty heavy focused on their recently released album 'Circuital'. I was super happy to hear them open up with Victory Dance then Circuital. Awesome opening. Also as expected, the new stuff sounded fantastic live and has me listening to the album with a different ear. Preservation Hall Jazz Band joined them on stage adding a bigger bolder sound for the final few songs including a great cover of Al Johnsons 'Carnival Time'
After the show, a short bus ride back to our car, again serenaded by Steely Dan, followed by a speedy drive home (nice work MP). Great day.
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