How to Meander Through Lolla

Ladies and gentlemen, Lollapalooza is quickly approaching and if you aren't going to Chicago this weekend, you are at home wishing you were...like me. But the rest of us can dream, can't we? So for those who are going or those who like to salivate on their laptops about the time they could be having, this is for you. I have for you my imaginary daily schedule. If you want to have the best time at Lolla showcasing every kind of music, follow this. I'll try to convince you of each artist in less than ten words. (each artist has a video attached to their name).

Friday
San Cisco: 100-145 Cheeky playful guitar rock for the young at heart
Twenty One Pilots: 215-300 Anthemic mental pop from a piano/drums duo
Houndmouth: 320-350 Represent the local rising folkies
Atlas Genius: 350-415 Think Phoenix but Australian, less club synths, and smoother voice
Band of Horses: 415-445 Look outlaw. Play outlaw. But be sensitive.
Theophilus London: 445-515 Fashionable British rapper is hooking everyone
Imagine Dragons: 515-615 Everyone plays percussion. You know that one song.
Disclosure: 600-645 British brothers came to dance, techno style
The Killers: 825-1000 I think self explanatory. Kind of headlining.

Saturday
Family of the Year: 1200-1230 Faces youth. Does it with different guitar vibes.
The Bright Light Social Hour: 1230-100 From Austin. 9:44 song on album. Shredding. 
Wild Cub: 210-250 Vocal like Bon Iver (low voice). Music = fun and innocent
Lukas Nelson & P.O.T.R.: 320-345 Willie's son is electric, not acoustic. Sounds multinational.
Matt & Kim: 345-445 You will never be entertained like this again. ENERGY.
Ellie Goulding: 445-515 British songstress that handles pop and house
Eric Church: 515-600 He plays country. Yes, this is Lolla. Go see him!
The National: 600-715 America's saddest rockers continue to captivate
The Lumineers: 715-815 They have more songs than Ho Hey. They are good.
Mumford & Sons: 815-1000 London boys. Do you not know this?

Sunday
The Orwells: 100-145 Chicago boys with a lot of punky energy
The Mowgli's: 320-400 Looks like hippies. More credibility. Lots of people in band.
Machines are People Too: 430-450 Standing up for synths, one beat at a time.
Two Door Cinema Club: 450-530 Scottish quirky guitar rock always plays Lolla
Vampire Weekend: 630-745 Wouldn't seem like I need an explanation at this point
Phoenix/The Cure: YOU CHOOSE! DAMN IT I CANT! I DID EVERYTHING ELSE FOR YOU! RELEASE ME FROM THIS BURDEN OF A CHOICE! SCREW TEN WORDS! I FREAKED!

So I did not really leave room for you to walk from stage to stage or eat or piss. But then again I won't be there so that's your choice. I would recommend a swift sprint. This will fill your weekend nicely. (25)

Buffalo Rodeo at Zanzabar

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

Like Us For Who We Are: An Interview with Buffalo Rodeo

Another band has emerged from the gold mine that is Bowling Green, Kentucky and they go by the name Buffalo Rodeo. They started all the way back in the Battle of the Bands circuit but tomorrow they will make their way up to Louisville for what will be a great show at Zanzabar.

When you think of Bowling Green music, you think raw, fun energy. That is what you are going to get with Buffalo Rodeo. They keep drinking the Kool-Aid down there because songs like "Treehouse" and "Holly" on their most recent EP Home Videos are going to keep you rockin'. Singer and keyboardist Jordan Reynolds says she hopes that if someone is at their show and have no idea who they are, they won't be able to keep themselves from dancing. Don't worry, it's impossible to avoid.

You will hear it and you will say it to yourself, but yeah King of Leon has always been an influence on Buffalo Rodeo. Take some other bands like Local Natives, Fleetwood Mac, Manchester Orchestra, and Portugal. The Man, you can put them in the ballpark. But do not try to define them. Because they aren't that band. You cannot pinpoint their sound because all five members of the band come from different interests. Drummer Ryan Gilbert's family actually plays a lot of bluegrass. Reynolds loves her some jazz. Guitarist Nathaniel Davis, at one time, was into Depeche Mode. You will hear a lot of ambient  U2 noise from the Nate, "the gear head" of the band.

Buffalo Rodeo has had  music on bandcamp since 2011 but they have really come into full form with the latest EP that was released in April. Home Videos is six powerful, real, complete tunes. Reynolds and Zach Preston, singer, share vocal duties and are so in sync together, but on songs like "Remington" Preston can hardly be tamed. It's not a yell, but it's so him and so full of emotion, you can feel it as much as he does.

According to Reynolds you must complete the Buffalo Rodeo journey with a trip to their show. She says the EP is "tame compared to the shows." They have no gimmick. You get them for what they are. Rock'n'roll bleeding out of their veins. They aren't going to dress it all up for you. Buffalo Rodeo will make you pay attention to them with their intense instrumentation and their genuine love for the music they created.

See these guys at Zanzabar (2100 South Preston Street) at 9 p.m. tomorrow night. Ancient Warfare and Between the Tide are opening. The show is $6. WHAT??? Yeah! It's ONLY $6.

You guuuuuuys this EP is awesome. Drink of it's goodness.

http://buffalorodeo.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/BuffaloRodeo

https://twitter.com/BuffaloRodeo

Rye's Back Porch Sessions

Study Hard, Play Good Hooks: Interview With The Joy of Painting

Garreth Spinn of the Nashville garage pop band The Joy of Painting calls he and his bandmates "record nerds" and while you might think that is silly, they take it as a way to study the musical landscape and fall right into it.

The members of the band originally met at Middle Tennessee State University in the recording industry program (MTSU is only 35 miles from the music hub Nashville nearby). They did not enter into the music playing courses, but actually the music business ones. Their musical minds were wired.

Spinn, 23, says everyone in the band is always keeping up with what is "most culturally relevant." --for them that means the latest Vampire Weekend, Daft Punk,  and Justin Timberlake records. Spinn and a bandmate saw Jim James when he came to town. In other words, "whatever gets us excited."

Staying relevant also means understanding pop culture. They will hear that most recent hook or tune and try to mimic it the best they can. Spinn elaborates that what he writes is not super ground breaking but to him, the greatest music gets people moving. If that is what he has set out to do, he is doing it and very well I might add. It is hard to keep still while listening to The Joy of Painting. To take a page out of The Band's The Last Waltz, Spinn says this record should be played loud.

The record, Tender Age, released in May, is a seven tracks of bouncy guitar driven hooks. The addition of keys and horns on a couple of tunes really brings everything to life. Think southern The Strokes but with a lot more pep. In the end Spinn says he would rather make a summer jam than anything else.

The Joy of Painting will get you grooving, but they aren't starting any revolutions. As they come of age in their album, Tender Age, Spinn says they just keep "tearing pages out of the pop songbook." Keep going guys. You are entertaining the hell out of us. Most songs are about youth, sometimes about how hard it can be, but Spinn hopes that the band's songs can say "yeah, we know the feeling" then give people a chance to wash their problems away for a while.

The Joy of Painting is playing at Third Street Dive in Louisville Saturday July 20th. Don't miss this show!

I'm Reelin' video

My Explanation

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