Tag: Port O’ Brien

WC PERFORMER – Treasure Island Music Festival 2008

Posted on by Keane Li


www.treasureislandfestival.com
www.performermag.com

Show of the Month
Treasure Island Music Festival
Treasure Island, CA
September 20-21, 2008

The sun broke free and fans flocked to the middle of the San Francisco Bay for the second annual Treasure Island Music Festival this September. With a green bent and a breezy, beach party theme, the two-day celebration of music and art did not cease to amaze with its excellent booking, immaculate views and all-around smooth-sailing execution.

Opening Day One was the winner of imeem’s Mutiny and Mayhem competition, San Francisco’s very own The Frail. Kicking off its early set with “Addicted,” the energetic dance-rock quartet put on a strong performance that included songs off its new Firefly EP. Soon after, the crowd migrated to the Bridge Stage for Loquat, another SF mainstay. With an ethereal performance full of chimes and harmonious vocals, Loquat contrasted the rampant energy of the previous band with songs from its latest, Secrets of the Sea.


Following Chester French, East Coast transplant Aesop Rock energized fans with his mastery of crowd-rousing wordplay, joined onstage by DJ Big Wiz and Rob Sonic. Hands were readily in the air for their performance of “Ready Aim Shoot.” As the end of their set neared, Aesop jokingly commented on being timed, “I keep looking at my watch like I’m waiting for my girl’s pregnancy test,” garnering a mixed reaction of shock and laughter. Nortec Collective followed on the Tunnel Stage with a unique blend of electronica and Norteà±o themes. Hailing from Tijuana, the genre-melding five-piece encouraged inventive dancing among the crowd on songs like “Shake it Up.”

Later that afternoon, local DJ and turntablist extraordinaire Mike Relm unleashed an innovative and almost comedic mashup of popular songs, ranging from Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” to Vince Guaraldi’s “Linus and Lucy” (yes, the piano piece from Peanuts). His was an appropriate set, ushering the eclectic energy of the following acts, TV on the Radio, CSS and Justice, and turning the island into one big dance party before the first day closed.

Or, the Whale, another Mutiny and Mayhem winner, opened Day Two with an organically strong and harmonious performance, establishing the mood for an already sunny day. With the tambourine-laden “Call and Response,” the scene was set for more alt-folk acts to follow. Local music hero John Vanderslice graced the Bridge Stage with a full band, playing a standout sampling of old and new songs, including the marching “Time to Go” off of 2007’s Emerald City. He exhibited enormous gratitude to a crowd more than willing to reciprocate.


Continuing the string of Bay Area bands was Port O’Brien, with a huge seven-piece ensemble in tow to match the impressively large crowd. They concluded with the disbursement of pots and pans, allowing the crowd to participate in a rollicking performance of “I Woke Up Today.”

Later that afternoon, Berkeley’s The Morning Benders performed a set of catchy alt-pop hits, including new song “All Day Day Light” and finishing with a sing-along to “Grain of Salt.” On the Bridge Stage, a faulty cable couldn’t faze Austin’s Okkervil River as lead singer Will Sheff joked, “A lot of these sets here at the festival are very, very professional, and I hope you can appreciate the difference.” Okkervil’s poignantly rambunctious set included songs from new release, The Stand Ins. Fleet Foxes followed with an impressively tight performance full of glorious vocal polyphony. The “baroque pop” band from Seattle started its set a cappella and filled the show with offbeat banter (including a discussion on the Judeo-Christian paradigm), for a captivated audience that included The Raconteurs, stageside. The last performing West Coast band of the weekend, The Dodos featured at most three performers onstage, however their percussive sound easily filled the entire field. The hometown group utilized a variety of instruments, producing a huge wave of echoing melodies over complex rhythms.

As Sunday night came to a close, the final presentation was perhaps not The Raconteurs’ frenetically awesome set, but rather the San Francisco skyline setting off a quiet light show of her own.

-Review by Keane Li; photos by Brian Echon (more…)

Check out some of my quick shots from TIMF Day 1 and Day 2!

WC PERFORMER – Noise Pop 2008

Posted on by Keane Li


www.noisepop.com
www.myspace.com/noisepopsf

The current issue of West Coast Performer includes a fantastic live show review for this year’s Noise Pop festival. (Of course, I say it’s wonderful because I wrote some of it…) Noise Pop, held in San Francisco, brings together fantastic musicians, artists and filmmakers for a week-long celebration of creativity. 2008 marks the festival’s 16th anniversary…


Minipop / West Indian Girl / Two Sheds / the Trophy Fire @ Bottom of the Hill (02.27.08)

“West Indian Girl played to a packed audience at Bottom of the Hill. The band’s vocal harmonies shot out from every direction, filling the venue with epic audio splendor. Minipop appeared next, playing an ambient set ushered by smoke and beams of light. Tricia Kanne’s soothingly soft vocals carried surprisingly well over the rest of the band’s flash flood of sound.”

Unpublished: The show opened with The Trophy Fire and Two Sheds. Vastly contrasting, The Trophy Fire brought rollick and fun, while Two Sheds provided a more subdued, sultry performance despite the lead singer’s professed affliction with the flu.


Port O’ Brien / Delta Spirit / What Made Milwaukee Famous / The May Fire @ Cafe du Nord (03.01.08)

“Co-headlining Café du Nord with Port O’Brien for the first show of their joint U.S. tour, Delta Spirit appeared to a full house of fans with a growling performance drenched in classic, soulful, folk-rock charisma. Light sparkles of piano illuminated their harmonic vocals and rolling rhythms in a set that spanned the breadth of the genre. Finally, Port O’Brien closed with a lineup that periodically grew in size, at one point including M. Ward on guitar. The band offered the biggest finale of the night with “I Woke Up Today,” providing pots and pans to an enthusiastic audience that rhythmically pounded on them long after the set was over.”

Unpublished: The May Fire opened the night with a flurry of brutal drum beats and supersonic guitars as lead singer, Catty Tasso hopped about stage, one shoulder exposed in true rock fashion. The set included current numbers and a look to new songs on their upcoming EP. And Catty’s response when I asked for a quote? “We’re rock whores.”

(more…)

Noise Pop 2008 Expo Education Session @ 12 Galaxies (03.01.08)

Day 1 of the Noise Pop Expo consisted of an afternoon of panels featuring industry luminaries and established musicians discussing the indie music scene. I attended a few of the panels with our lovely WCP Editor, Katherine, and Festizio’s drummer, Nick. Before we left, I found the fortune of meeting with Jennifer Maerz, SF Weekly’s Music Editor, and she was quite friendly as well.

Here are some lovely quotes from the Education Session…

“Being humble and working hard are two important things… Nobody owes you anything. The harder you work, the luckier you get. You just have to be nice to people. But definitely expect to work hard. The image of the rock star getting stoned… I’m sorry, but that’s not a good career model.”
-Cory Brown (Founder, Absolutely Kosher & Misra Records)

“You have plenty of time. Don’t rush. It takes a long time to make your music awesome. It should take a long time. The best thing an artist can do is be awesome.”
-Michael Zapruder (Artist & Music Curator, Pandora.com)

“Really, it’s about being as connected as you can with your audience without seeming corporate. I mean, I don’t make this stuff – the band does… Every band should have a blog. Every band member should have a blog… Tell us your favorite video game…”
-Angela Poe (Marketing & New Media, Eenie Meenie Records)

“Success to me means doing exactly what you want to be doing everyday – making the music you like to be making, working with the people you like to be with… When I see a band I like on a weird commercial, I say, ‘good for them.’ Take whatever you can just to make money. It’s kind of sad, but it’s true.”
-Lisa Light (Vocalist & Bassist, The Lovemakers)

“Make sure to keep your rent low. Wear protection. Kids are expensive.”
-Bryan Garza (Vocalist & Guitarist, Scissors for Lefty)