Great Things To Come in "Morning Light" for The Dirty Guv'nahs

The Dirty Guv'nahs will be releasing their new album Hearts On Fire on March 11 because of some loyal fans on a Kickstarter drive. They gave the world the first single called "Morning Light" recently. You can download it free from their website. The Dirty Guv'nahs will be in Louisville at Headliner's on April 4.

Like a lot of The Dirty Guv'nahs tunes, "Morning Light" just makes you feel really good. It starts with a King of Leon-esque bass solo and enters right into a squeaky guitar intro with a good time for hand clapping. The chorus is very ready for sing alongs. If you watch the music video (just like all the others) you will find out that they are a bunch of friends having one hell of a time doing what they love. You can tell that in their music and they want you to do the same when you listen. "Morning Light" will be great in concert or hell, in the car or the shower. Lots of energy and lots of reason to  sing at the top of your lungs. 

Jan. 15: When Festivals Flooded the Internet (Part II: The Explosion)

 

So many lineups. So so many lineup. Brain freeze from so many lineups. Let's get started.

Shaky Knees Music Festival
May 9-11, 2014
Atlanta, Georgia
Tickets on sale Jan. 17th: $150, $169

Headliners: The National , Modest Mouse, TBA
Second Tier: Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes, Spoon, Local Natives, Cage the Elephant, Iron & Wine, Trampled by Turtles, Dawes, Foals, Lord Huron
Tiny Letters: The Lone Bellow, Deer Tick, Band of Skulls
Really Tiny Letters: Houndmouth, Kopecky Family Band, Bright Light Social Hour, Sleeper Agent

 

Counterpoint Music Festival
April 25-27, 2014
Kingston Downs, Georgia
Tickets: $180, $199

Headliners: Outkast, Pretty Lights, Foster the People
Second Tier: Big Gigantic, Matt & Kim, Moon Taxi
Tiny Letters: St. Lucia, Wild Cub, Dan Croll



Governor's Ball Music Festival
June 6-8, 2014
Randall Island, New York
Tickets: $250

Headliners: Outkast, Jack White, Vampire Weekend, The Strokes
Second Tier: Phoenix, Disclosure, Foster the People,
Tiny Letters: Spoon, Broken Bells, Washed Out, Kurt Vile, Bastille
Even Tinier Letters: Haerts, Hunter Hunted














Mountain Jam
June 5-8, 2014
Hunter Mountain, New York
Tickets: No Camping-- $179 (3 day), $205 (4 day)
              Camping--$215 (3 day), $239 (4 day)

Headliners: Bob Weir & Ratdog, Gov't Mule, TBA
Second Tier: The Avett Brothers, Tedeshi Trucks Band, Jeff Tweedy, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Umphrey's McGee (2 sets), Chris Robinson Brotherhood
Tiny Letters: Trampled by Turtles
Even Tinier Letters: Moon Taxi


Hangout Festival
May 16-18, 2014
Gulf Shores, Alabama
Tickets: $258

Headliners: The Black Keys, The Killers, Outkast, Jack Johnson
Second Tier: Pretty Lights, The Avett Brothers, STS9, The Flaming Lips, Capital Cities, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Bastille
Tiny Letters: Andrew W.K., Moon Taxi, Wild Cub

Big Guava Music Festival
May 2-4, 2014
Tampa, Florida
Tickets: $165

Headliners: Outkast, Vampire Weekend, Foster the People
The Rest: Girl Talk, Grouplove, Haim, Twenty One Pilots, Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience, Walk the Moon, ZZ Ward, MS MR, St. Lucia, Smallpools, Magic Man
 

Now I'm off to really discover these bands at the bottom of the lineups. The best part of festival season.

Jan 14: When Festivals Flooded the Internet

I don't know what the hell happened but someone got together and decided to throw a bunch of festival lineups on the world today. Today we saw Firefly, Savannah Stopover, and New Orleans Jazz Fest announce their full lineups. Hangout Festival is announcing tomorrow. Shit is getting real.

 

Firstly, we have Firefly Festival which takes place in Dover, Delaware from June 19-22. Tickets go on sale on January 20th and will range from $249-299.

This festival has gotten better and better every year. This year is it jampacked with acts top and bottom. First, the headliners: Foo Fighters, Outkast, Jack Johnson. Foo Fighters will be fantastic. I am starting to get the indication that Outkast's reunion may lose prestige because they will be at every frickin' festival. It's probably just me but Jack Johnson's sound is just not big enough for a headlining slot. But the lineup get much better.

Things of note:
Sleeper Agent, New Politics, and Magic Man are tourmates right now and will all be there. Sleeper Agent's new album comes out on March 25, New Politics is riding the momentum of their hit single "Harlem," and Magic Man will no doubt be playing tunes from the debut album which does not yet have a release date.

Hunter Hunted's "Keep Together" is a great breezy, summer tune that makes them perfect for the festival scene and will give them a great summer

Is it just me or is Neon Gold Records dominating Firefly? Haerts, Magic Man, Smallpools, Sir Sly, MS MR. Five bands from one small label. Congrats to them!

Imagine Dragons finally get the slot they deserve.

The Wild Feathers should be getting a much more prominent slot.

Top half has a lot of can't misses: Imagine Dragons, Arctic Monkeys, Grouplove, Cage the Elephant, Girl Talk, Pretty Lights, Jake Bugg, Local Natives.

Pretty Lights and Girl Talk might as well be brothers. Constantly on the same festival bill. I ain't complaining.






I like this festival because they seem to really have the demographic and size down very well. They do not go out and get the biggest bands out there because that is not their environment. Also they as diverse as others because they are looking for specific acts to fill a specific need.

If I was going to this festival I know I would be seeing Wye Oak, Future Islands, J. Roddy Walston & the Business, Those Darlins, Caitlin Rose, and Magic Man. With more research I know I could enjoy more. 

I have no picture of the New Orleans Jazz Fest because it is way too big. It take place over two weekends and has a huge crop of immensely talents New Orleans musicians but here are the highlights: (separated by day)

Santana, The Avett Brothers, Public Enemy, Jason Isbell
Phish, Robert Plant & the Sensational Space Shifters
The String Cheese Incident, Greensky Bluegrass
Alabama Shakes, Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires 
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Foster the People
Arcade Fire, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, John Fogerty

Grammy Performers Turning Out To Be Adequate

I have actually been impressed with the list of Grammys performers this year. We have some very interesting collaborations spawning from a diverse group of artists and a group that deviates from the pop stars we usually see at award shows. The audience can really anticipate many performances because it's anyone's guess what will happen. No one wants to watch the same thing over and over with the same single at a different awards show. This year the Grammys are (hopefully) taking risks and representing a collection of music--which I think is their goal.

The list of Grammys performers so far are as follows:
John Legend
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Kacey Musgraves
Taylor Swift
Keith Urban
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr
Carole King w/ Sara Bareilles
Daft Punk w/ Pharrell Williams, Niles Rodgers, and Stevie Wonder
Kendrick Lamar w/ Imagine Dragons
Lorde
Metallica
Katy Perry
Pink w/ Nate Ruess (of fun.)
Robin Thicke
Chicago
Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, and Blake Shelton

The Grammys are January 26 airing from 8-11:30 pm
There are still performers, presenters, and special segments to be announced. Stay tuned. 

The Pass Deliver First of Four Singles

The Pass is in for a big year and they started it today with the release off their first single "Sunny Day." As previously written on Parasitic Noise, That Pass will be releasing one single each month for four month culminating in an album release this summer. In between that, they will be touring and having release shows in Louisville for every single.

"Sunny Day" is a continuation of what they keep getting better at constantly. They have a knack for having this identity of being labeled as the synth pop dance band but they don't forget that they can make the guitar just as dance-y. Its especially obvious in "Sunny Day" when Kyle Peters brings out this quick but memorable riff that he loops around the always catchy synths. It's golden.

A lot of people might continue to compare The Pass to, say, Passion Pit. I urge you not to do so. Songs like "Sunny Day" show that they take this dance pop and make it more fun and more sophisticated. I'll take Peters over Michael Angelakos any day.

If "Sunny Day" doesn't sell you, it at least get you energized for what will come from The Pass in 2014.

Here is the link to Sunny Day at Consequence of Sound

Parasitic Noise Top Ten Albums

I recently got the urge to declare to myself what my favorite albums of all time are. I figured here would be a great place to share them because you can see them and then maybe if you are inspired enough you can share your favorites in the comments section and we can see how different/similar the lists can be.

I would like to emphasize that the albums listed here are in no way the most critically acclaimed albums ever. I'll say right now that you will not see anything by The Beatles, Bob Dylan, or The Rolling Stones on this list. I am of a generation where most did not grow up on those bands. My experience is more shaped by late '70s rock music. At the earliest. These albums are just the ones I have connected with the most, but that's how yours should be too. Never allow your favorites to be everyone's favorites just because you feel like you have to.

Needless to say, I do not trust any large publication with an all time list. They are not fact and sometimes people treat them as such. Same goes for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Sure these artists great, but are they all the greatest of all time? Maybe to the critic's ear and eye, but that's not what music is for. We claim no kings and queens of rock. (Even if some silly nickname says so). After all, music is art. Some people forget that. It cannot be judged in terms of right and wrong, good and bad. There are not extremes, just tastes. Do you like it? Be my guest and like that music.

With that being said, here is my list. How about sharing yours?

Disclaimer: There is no order between these albums. There are some oldies on here but also some recent albums that I hope stay on the list for a very long time.


Counting Crows "August and Everything After"
Arctic Monkeys "Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not" 
Pearl Jam "Ten"
Dave Matthews Band "Crash"
John Mellencamp "Scarecrow"
Bruce Springsteen "The Rising" 
Moon Taxi "Cabaret"
The Pass "Melt" 
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers "Damn The Torpedoes"
The Wild Feathers "The Wild Feathers"