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Today is Saturday, September 15 and this is MelodyTrip.com’s 24th podcast. My name is Heather Larson, your host. Catch me on the air at 98-7 The Peak here in Phoenix…for a limited time only…it’s a possibility I may be moving in a new direction soon!
More on that in a later podcast though. (Much later, like a couple weeks or more).
If you’re new to the podcast, welcome!
We’re MelodyTrip.com, a music site that covers music festivals of all genres, all around the world.
Nothing is off limits. We don’t discriminate, we don’t even care if the lyrics are in English. Speaking of, I went to see Mana last Sunday night at U.S. Airways Center here in Phoenix! It was one of the best concerts I have ever seen.
You can check out my full review at Batanga.com.
Definitely my pick for a phenomenal band for the music festival of my dreams that would also include Tori Amos, Common, Arcade Fire, and what’s a music festival without Kings of Leon? Do those guys ever get a day off?
Speaking of Tori Amos, she’s made a few fun little songs lately poking some motherly fun at Britney Spears. The song was all over the Internet and it certainly wasn’t the first time I’ve seen Amos take a shot at a pop starlet…
A YouTube version of the Amos song:
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It’s about how Britney got set up to fail by MTV last week at the VMA’s.
Did you watch the VMA’s? Neither did I. Let’s move on to this week’s music festival news!
Brian McKnight is headlining this year’s Cayman Jazz Fest.
Diane Reeves and Musiq Soulchild will also be there. It’s November 29th- December 1st.
Guess How Many Artists Will Play The Monolith Fest at Red Rocks?
Just 50. No big deal. Yeah kids, move along, nothing to see here. FIFTY! Wow.
That includes Kings of Leon. Of course.
If you’ve never heard the podcast before, I like to poke fun at Kings of Leon –in a good way—for being at any and every music festival in the world. I don’t think any band does more festivals than Kings of Leon. They may be the hardest working band in music today just for that reason alone.
The rest of the Monolith Lineup, which you can catch TODAY (the fest started yesterday)
The Flaming Lips, CAKE, The Decemberists, Spoon, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Ghostland Observatory, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Flosstradamus, Kid Sister, Cloud Cult, Earl Greyhound, Das EFX, The Broken West, Yacht, Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, Bob Log III, Lords of the Underground, Mobius Band, Ra Ra Riot, Minus Story, and Otis Gibbs.
Let’s hear some Monolith podsafe music from music.podshow.com. You know, any excuse to play Clap Your Hands Say Yeah in the podcast!
This song reminds me of Muse…It’s called “Gimme Some Salt.”
Back to the news…
So I spaced this week and forgot to call my buddy Danny Brown up in Canada. He just went to the Toronto Virgin Fest. I was going to try to catch up with him again until I realized he had some work done on his teeth. So Danny’s getting well right now and we’re onto some more music festival news.
The best thing about a music festival is that thing that makes it unique. Country Thunder had a midway where you could practice your roping skills or buy a Florence State Prison t-shirt. McDowell Mountain Music Fest kept with the overall theme of 2007 and had a *** of a rainstorm. Glastonbury had mud. And shitty weather every year anyway.
What made the Waveney Greenpeace Festival unique was a priest you could confess your eco sins to. Forgive me father, for I don’t recycle my ginseng soda cans as I live in an apartment in a city that lacks a recycling program.
The priest says, “I know the Pope has now set up his own airline, but I am told the Vatican will be planting trees every time it flies. I do think the way we treat our environment is important.”
So it’s best to carpool to a music fest these days, no?
A story in The Baltic Times asks if a music festival can really bridge borders. It’s a story about the Be2Gether Festival featuring Belarusian rock on the border of Lithuania and Belarus. I was surprised to learn that rock bands in Lithuania haven’t been able to release new albums for three years. That’s in the article, but it doesn’t exactly explain why. I’m sure it has something to do with the hot and nasty political goings-on of the country, but I’m not sure what.
Read the rest of The Baltic Times’ article here.
Going on right now, this very weekend, is the Austin City Limits Festival in Austin, Texas. Three days, eight stages, 130 bands…and I thought Monolith was big! We all know Austin is where it’s at.
What’s the deal with Amy Winehouse? Is she really there? Was she stoned up and moving slow or was she with it? I’d love to hear from those who attended… hit me up at myspace.com/radioheather.
We found an article with some Austin travel tips on which hotel is cheap and where to find a kick-ass margarita. And something really wild – a snow cone with ice cream on top. Maybe people aren’t just heading to Austin City Limits for the music…
According to the San Jose Mercury News, the best FREE Bay Area music festival is coming up October 5th in Golden Gate Park. It’s the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival with performances by Buddy Miller, T Bone Burnett and Jeff Tweedy. Oh wait, it’s a three-day fest through the 7th!
That same weekend, down south in Orange County (very far south) is the Detour Fest starring Bloc Party.
Kanye, who outsold 50, will headline the Bang! Music Festival with The Smashing Pumpkins.
By the way, do check out Shepard Fairey, who did the art for the cover of the latest SP album, Zeitgiest. I never realized until this week Fairey even existed until one of my Boston University classmates informed me about him. Fairey also did album covers for the Black Eyed Peas and the movie poster for “Walk The Line.” He also created SWINDLE magazine.
But I digress…
Kanye West and Smashing Pumpkins will headline the 2007 Bang! Music Festival, to be held Nov. 10-11 at Miami's Bayfront Park Amphitheatre.
Bean Blossom, Indiana, has a big bluegrass festival next weekend.
Another story about rainy UK music festival #534…
The Lifelight Christian Music Festival in Sioux Falls just celebrated it’s tenth year
But the National Folk Festival has that fest beat – the fest just celebrated its 69th year
The O’Jays are headlining this weekend’s Greenville Blues Festival
NME Readers Have voted The Reading Fest the best of 2007 so far
Even more strange than the earlier story about Lithuanian bands not being able to release albums is a story about Budapest trying to ban a music festival altogether
People are trying to ban Sziget unless soundproof walls are built around it, I kid you not.
Finally, before I finish up this podcast with Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah’s song Heavy Metal, let’s talk BESTIVAL.
That’s right, Bestival.
A festival with burlesque tea parties and a beard/mustache championship.
I think there’s music too… Oh yeah, Chemical Brothers, Primal Scream, and Beastie Boys!
Now onto that podsafe music from music.podshow.com. Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah! It’s “Heavy Metal.”
In the time it has taken me to post just this written portion of the podcast show notes, my crazy cat has finally succeeded in opening the bedroom door. I let him go nuts. It burns calories. At 17lbs, he needs it!