Tag: Treasure Island Music Festival

My Top Published Works with Performer Magazine

Posted on March 11, 2011September 25, 2013 by Keane Li

I’m currently seeking a position in editing and content creation. If your company needs someone to manage their social media presence while creating original (and ridiculously good-looking) written features, please check out my resume and let me know! I’ve compiled a list of some of my publication achievements below for quick reference.

Additionally, I was recently featured as a Found Local in The Bold Italic, a wonderful online publication covering every facet of what makes San Francisco great. This isn’t related to my qualifications as a candidate. I just thought you should know ;)

Interview with Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger (Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl)

In mythology, the concept of duality follows closely with creation. Day and night, good and evil – the balance between two opposite pairs defines the human existence. This is a relevant citation when discussing The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, a two-person band balanced between opposite, yet complementary parts.
The pair in question is Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl. He, the only son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, has both the benefit and curse of being associated with two of the greatest artists of our century. She, a professional model with deep poetic flair, performs vocal harmonies with him. Their first album, Acoustic Sessions, finds its release on their own label, Chimera Music, named after an equally mythical creature.
Sean is in bed and Charlotte, having just woken him, apologizes if he might sound groggy. The two have been dating and living together for the past year, a relationship that explains the intimacy of their debut. The origins of their project are similarly intimate: “I was looking through her stuff,” Sean recounts regarding Charlotte, “and I found this play called â€˜The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger’ from when she was seven. And I called out that I had found it, â€˜Hey, what’s this? It would be really cool if we started a band called The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger.’ It was kind of a fluke idea, and she was like, â€˜Sure, why not?'” (more…)

SF MusicTech Summit (12.06.10)

The SF MusicTech Summit opened for its seventh year on December 6. The conference, focused on the convergence of music and related technologies, featured a total of 19 expert panels and new product demonstrations. The list of speakers included notables from both the music and tech worlds: reps from Universal, Avid, MOG, SoundCloud, RootMusic, Talenthouse, Gracenote and Blip.fm, to name a few; and musicians like Del the Funky Homosapien, Evan Lowenstein and Rana Sobhany, New York City’s iPad DJ. Attendees flew in from all around the world, making SF MusicTech a hot networking spot for both up-and-coming musicians and app developers. (more…)

Interview with Maus Haus

“Serendipitous” would be an appropriate word to describe the formation of Maus Haus. From their initial meetings to their creative process, everything about this San Francisco electro-synth sextet seemingly fell into place. To achieve the eclecticism in their albums, the band of multi-instrumentalists undergo extensive experimentation in the studio. Anything can happen. Their reversal of the traditional songwriting process has yielded the unique (and very catchy) results presented in their debut, Lark Marvels and their new EP, Sea-Sides. Having already gained considerable regional attention, the band is poised for their first East Coast tour this summer. (more…)

Treasure Island Music Festival 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. (more…)

Xu Xu Fang – Seven Days Now (record review)

It requires no less than seven members to produce the broad soundscape exhibited by Xu Xu Fang’s latest EP, Seven Days Now. The Los Angeles psychedelic septet follows their successful previous release, The Mourning Son, with five ambitious and bold tracks that define the phrase, “larger than life.” The record already ranks high on several distribution sites and even includes a song featured in the hit show, Gossip Girl. (more…)

For a complete list of my published works, please click here!

WC PERFORMER – Treasure Island Music Festival 2008

Posted on November 26, 2008December 19, 2011 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!

Treasure Island Music Festival 2008 – Day 2 (In Pictures)

Posted on September 22, 2008February 7, 2017 by Keane Li

www.treasureislandfestival.com
www.myspace.com/treasureislandfestival

Day 2 of the Treasure Island Music Festival offered a line-up of mostly folk and indie rock bands, contrasting the electronica-centric acts from Day 1. Here are more pics from my mobile phone. On the Festival overall, I just have four words:

It.

Was.

Awesome.

Lollipop.

(Update: My Performer Magazine review describes it in a few more words than four.)

Riding over for Day 2.

The smooth sounds of Or, the Whale.

Berkeley’s The Morning Benders prepare for their set.

Monster looking at human.

Monster gnawing at human.

Everyone loves Okkervil River.

Yarn feeling art… or something.

Art by David Best. Reflection by me.

The backsides of The Raconteurs as they watch Fleet Foxes.

Lawn art.

The Dodos playing at the Tunnel Stage

Dance, dance!

Dude in a wing sculpture.

I don’t remember who this is…

Festival grounds.

I don’t remember who this is either…

Ferris wheel.

The Bridge Stage near sunset.

Ferris wheel at night means happy sexy kissy time.

This is what The Raconteurs would look like if you were drunk and far away and a camera phone.

Now check out my full review as published in Performer Magazine!

Treasure Island Music Festival 2008 – Day 1 (In Pictures)

Posted on September 21, 2008December 19, 2011 by Keane Li

www.treasureislandfestival.com
www.myspace.com/treasureislandfestival

Like most things handed down to me from my ex, the only digital camera I owned quickly crapped itself into a fan. Still, I succeeded in capturing a few images with my mobile phone. Hopefully, they convey the energy evident at the TIMF.

I’m also too lazy to write about things multiple times, so you’ll just have to read my TIMF review once it’s published in Performer Magazine… (And check out Day 2!)