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Skrillex, Pretty Lights, Diplo, Grimes: Train Tour

May 9, 2012 in 11, 12, 2, 25, 3, 50, 9, a, age, all, am, an, and, Arc, Are, as, at, attempt, ban, band, blue, blues, Burn, by, ca, can, center, Cities, Coliseum, Crowd, dance, dead, en, Enjoy, Eve, FEAT, fee, festival, FOR, get, gin, grateful, hampton, hi, in, inspired, is, IT, jam, Jean, Joy, July, light, lights, Like, long, MA, MI, Music, My, name, nc, New, News, NJ, no, of, on, op, out, PA, Park, Phish, photos, pro, producer, Pt, rad, rain, row, rs, run, Sand, So, sound, SPAC, St, stage, string, tab, That, the, to, Too, tour, Train, us, USA, va, van, WA, war, we, Ween, with, york | No comments

EDM GIANTS TO HEADLINE TRANS-CANADIAN TRAIN TOUR

In line with his ongoing attempts to re-imagine the idea of touring and performance, ubiquitous Grammy-winning DJ/producer Skrillex announces a string of Canadian dates featuring some of the most bubbling names in electronic dance music, all of whom will be traveling between cities on a private passenger train. At each stop, a festival event will take place, featuring performances by Skrillex, Pretty Lights, Diplo, Grimes, KOAN Sound and Tokimonsta on multiple stages to crowds in the tens of thousands.

The Full Flex Express concept is inspired by The Festival Express tour that took place along a similar route in 1970 featuring Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, and The Band. An assertion of the camaraderie and like-mindedness of the performers, this tour is less about practicality than it is simply enjoying the ride. When asked about the run of dates, Skrillex said “we were really inspired when Mumford and Sons and Edward Sharp and those guys did a train tour. We wanted to do it as well and share this music with people across Canada. Just to do it and have fun”.

FULL FLEX EXPRESS TOUR DATES:

Fri. July 13 – Toronto – Fort York

Sat. July 14 – Ottawa – Ottawa Blues Fest*

Sun. July 15 – Montreal – Parc Jean Drapeau

Wed. July 18 – Winnipeg – Shaw Park

Frid. July 20 – Edmonton – Kinsmen Park

Sun. July 22 – Vancouver – PNE Coliseum

*no Grimes

Tags: age, ban, dance, dead, hampton, inspired, jean, lights, montreal, Park, spac, stage, tab, tour, train

Portugal. The Man | Brooklyn | Review

May 7, 2012 in 06, 09, 11, 12, 2, 25, 28, 3, 30, 50, 9, a, acoustic, after, Again, age, all, Also, am, American, an, and, another, Arc, Are, around, as, at, ATLANTIC, attempt, Austin, ban, band, bands, Bass, black, Burn, but, by, Byrne, ca, can, cat, cc, center, chicago, color, Colors, conan, Crowd, cute, dance, dancing, Day, does, down, en, Encore, end, Enjoy, eq, Eve, Famous, fee, fi, final, First, FOR, four, Frenzy, Friend, From, front, gag, gain, Genre, get, gin, glow, golden, Good, great, ground, Guitar, hall, hampton, hi, high, home, How, ice, in, interview, into, is, IT, IX, jam, John, Joy, juice, key, Keyboard, Keyboards, King, know, lang, las, Last, late, leave, Led, Lee, let, light, Like, live, live music, lol, long, lot, love, lover, MA, Main, maine, MI, mix, mod, mouth, Much, Music, My, name, Nat, nate, nc, New, new york, News, NH, night, NJ, no, nothing, NV, ny, of, on, one, op, Open, opening, out, PA, Part, party, Phish, play, player, Pop, post, pro, Pt, rage, rare, raz, read, return, rev, roll, room, row, rs, run, Say, SC, scent, set, show, Shows, So, Something, song, sound, SPAC, St, stage, step, storm, Strokes, style, Summer, super, tab, That, the, third, Thunder, times, to, Too, tour, track, Trip, Trippy, tub, Tube, Tv, two, uic, us, va, van, venue, view, vocal, WA, Walk, we, with, woods, words, york, You, Young, Your, youtube | No comments

Words by: Chadbyrne R. Dickens | Images by: Lauren Ensler

Portugal. The Man :: 04.20.12 :: Music Hall of Williamsburg :: Brooklyn, NY

Portugal. The Man by Lauren Ensler

I heard the whispers amongst friends for weeks. No one likes to be the last to hear about the party, so some even like to pretend to know something they know nothing about. With a strong inclination to learn more firsthand, I eagerly strolled into the Music Hall Of Williamsburg to witness the experience that is Portugal. The Man. The sidewalk had filled up quickly with overtly enthusiastic patrons, loyal to a band that not too long ago toured as the opening act for The Black Key but was now fully prepared to engage in another sold out show all of their own.

The lengthy wait was slightly frustrating for the band to finally own center stage at 11:00 pm. The opening act, The Lonely Forest, energized the crowd proper with a pounding cacophony of guitars led by the strong vocals and stage presence of frontman John Van Deusen. When Portugal. The Man surged onto the stage, the crowd greeting them like a familiar lover, ready to reciprocate with energy and applause, knowing in their bones the band was eager to please. John Gourley (vocals), Zachary Carothers (bass), Kyle OQuin (keyboards) and Noah Gersh (guitar) were lost amidst a sea of interconnected large white bulbs reminiscent of a DNA double helix thread across, up and around the entire stage, with multiple, different color schemes flashing about and creating reflections of band members and casting shadows and silhouettes reminiscent of a 1930s German expressionist film. One easily slid into a seemingly private world of sound and thunder only accentuated by this surreal stage design.

Portugal. The Man by Lauren Ensler

When attempting to assimilate into a new bands scene, one can often learn a lot from the veteran or more enthusiastic members of the fan base. A professional living in New York named Melissa possessed such strong affinity for the band she had just the day before travelled four hours down to Baltimore to catch a gig, only to just as eagerly return the following night to do it again near home. A crowd of younger fans stormed me after learning I was writing a review and strongly directed me, You must write a positive review for PTM! They are INSANE! Luckily for me, no ones superlatives or guidance were required to become cognizant that this band is special. I was surprised at the heaviness of their sound an exhausting, throttling, and in your face pounding of heavy guitar riffs on almost every track while melding background harmonies infectiously invaded my auditory senses. The music raged so contagiously hard throughout I was consistently thrown around a bit and constantly pushed while situated in the front row touching the stage, a low-key mosh pit forming near me with one brazen fan diving into the crowd from the stage.

A minimal number of patrons departed the dance floor for a drink or a bathroom run as the band carried on solid for one and half hours. The third song, So American, was the one that initially most involved the crowd, and the catchy, repetitive chorus was the reason why. Another song with instant appeal was apparent when a fan insistently inquired of a dancing stranger, What is this called?!? The dancer responded in matter of fact understanding, Got it All, which is the newly released single. A fan of any genre of music would have trouble not liking this cut. After the sexy single The Woods, the group mixed in a trippy anthem version of Helter Skelter and also shared a solid alternate take of Hey Jude as adulation poured in from the packed house.

Portugal. The Mans Gourley
By Lauren Ensler

This group of talented men from Alaska and Oregon has already released six albums since their self-titled debut in 2006. I would not want to be the one tasked to pigeonhole their unique style or delivery into any genre. Portgual. The Man, if anything, throws everything into the mix, including the proverbial kitchen sink in case you need to wash up post-afterglow. Recently, they have achieved monumental gains in popular success. They polished their skills in front of large crowds at Bonarroo the past two summers and at last years Lollapalooza, where someone infamously stole all their gear from the tour van. An intelligent band with a very specific vision, PTM succeeds in exploring a distinctive sound and a place within the current music scene that is rare and thus refreshing and appealing to a listener. Similar to the fresh air pumped into a stale market place by grunge in the early 90s, PTM manages to keep the audience off guard with heavy licks, contagious choruses, and a surprise mix of genres and styles continuously alternated.

The co-founders of the band, Gourley and Carothers, take their stage persona to the next level. Gourley innately makes an impression the moment a note leaves his mouth. Projecting from a quite high vocal register, his range instantly recalls an edgier Adam Levine, Stephen Jenkins when singing falsetto, Ray LaMontagne if he got kicked in the crotch, or even a bit Sebastian Bach. The flawless, high-pitched delivery is effortless, clear, beautiful and pleasurable like a rage-ier, tripped-out Barry Gibb. Meanwhile, Carothers brings exuberance to his performance that is pleasantly contagious with constant jumping and moving and frenetic playing that mirrors how much he loves what he does. His expressive body language and take charge entertainer persona were a far cry from the laid-back, unassuming man I interviewed prior to the festivities this night.

Portugal. The Mans Carouthers
By Lauren Ensler

Carothers, a skilled bassist influenced by Claypool/Flea/Commerford, is a cordial, low-key man who spent much time speaking in vivid detail about a variety of topics including his love for music. After we separated, I was most impressed with his modesty, how thankful he was for the upswing in his career, and how he remained steadfast in continuing to work hard creating music others can enjoy. He still beamed when recanting the bands first national TV appearance on Conan as if it happened the night before. Generally, men claim they cant discern when other men are good looking, but I soon learned from many females enthusiastically whooping at this show that he is a bit of a heartthrob. A group of young girls explained that he possesses that cute boy-next-door with-an-edge quality that women in the scene are attracted to a la Marco Benevento.

Carothers said he was eager to record their next album, one he said would be different from the all the others. Who wants to make the same album twice? But, due to the extensive touring, it may not get going until the winter. When I suggested that leaving the indie world behind and signing with Atlantic Records often translates into a band losing control and thus hindering the creative juices, Carothers happily claimed, No, not at all. They let us do basically whatever we want. They are great. How many times does one hear that from an artist? In fact, the day before I spoke with another artist who had been on Atlantic in the 90s who claimed to have left because the label was asking him to make more commercially viable records different times, different strokes. There had been some mystery over the sudden exit of the touring drummer a week prior, requiring PTM to carry on acoustically without a percussion section, but Carothers explained how he departed due to exhaustion, and on this night, with a full complement of players, they didnt miss a beat.

Strangely, as I walked out of an intense night, I felt that urge to walk back in and do it all again. Alternatively, I returned home and settled for a night of PTM YouTube frenzy. Satiated and exhausted, I was satisfied that I could now legitimately claim to know what Portugal. The Man was about. The boisterous crowd had wailed in unison just an hour earlier, Theres madness in us all, and for an hour and a half inside a Brooklyn music hall, the madness in us all was fully unleashed and unfettered, leaving us feeling all the better for it.

Setlist

All Your Light, The Woods, So American, Work All Day, Devil>Helter Skelter, M80, Shade, Floating, The Sun, Colors, Chicago, Got It All, Do You, Golden, Head Is a Flame, My Mind, People Say, Bellies, Sleep Forever Encore: And I

Portugal. The Man Tour Dates :: Portugal. The Man News

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Tags: Colors, conan, cute, dance, gin, images, lol, new york, opening, raz, run, strokes, super, trip, veteran

Umphrey’s McGee | UMBowl III | Review | Photos

May 5, 2012 in "jim, 12, 2, 25, 27, 28, 29, 3, 30, 31, 50, 9, a, access, after, Again, Against, age, all, am, amphitheatre, an, and, another, Are, around, Artie, as, at, attempt, August, Ball, ban, band, bands, Bass, beginning, Bill, blossom, blue, book, boot, bowl, Boys, Bridge, brother, Burn, but, by, ca, can, cat, Cavern, cc, center, chicago, chris, City, Clan, classic, college, color, COMPLETE, contact, covers, Crowd, dance, DAW, Day, dead, dirt, dog, down, Drop, Drums, Edit, electric, en, Encore, end, Enjoy, eq, Eve, Famous, FEAT, fee, festival, fi, final, fire, First, Foam, FOR, four, friday, Friend, From, front, Funk, gain, game, Genre, George, get, gin, give, Good, goods, grace, grateful, great, Groove, ground, Guitar, Gus, hampton, hi, high, home, Hood, How, ice, improvisation, in, into, intro, introduction, is, Island, IT, IX, jam, Jams, jazz, Jimmy, Joy, key, Killing, King, Labyrinth, lang, Lange, las, Last, late, League, leave, Led, leo, let, light, lights, Like, Limits, live, live music, log, long, lot, love, lover, lz, MA, Made, Marty, mash, metal, MI, mix, mod, mouth, Music, My, Nat, nate, nc, New, News, night, Nine, NJ, no, North, nothing, NV, ny, of, on, one, op, Open, opener, organ, out, PA, Park, Part, Phish, photos, Piano, pk, play, Pop, post, poster, Pot, pro, production, Pt, Quarter, rad, rage, Raging, rain, rare, read, recording, rev, rock, roll, room, row, rs, run, Sand, SC, scent, sci, second, set, Setlists, Shine, show, Shows, Sky, smooth, So, solo, Something, song, sound, SPAC, Spectrum, St, stage, start, Stern, stick, sticks, stone, story, street, string, studio, style, Summer, super, tab, tease, That, the, theater, theatre, third, Thunder, times, to, todd, tone, Too, tour, Traffic, Train, Tribute, Trip, two, underground, us, va, van, venue, Video, view, WA, WAITING, war, Way, ways, we, Weekend, Ween, Weigh, windy, with, words, years, You, Your | No comments

Words by: Bryan Tobian | Images by: Brian Spady (UMBowl III) and Jake Plimack (Martyr’s Show)

Umphreys McGee UMBowl III :: 04.27.12 :: Park West:: Chicago, IL

Umphreys McGee :: 04.28.12 :: Martyrs :: Chicago, IL

Photo gallery below review!

Umphreys McGee by Brian Spady

Eastbound, the horizon disappears behind the skyline of soaring towers as the Blue Line train charges toward downtown Chicago; like a master chef with a tin can lid slicing gracefully through the heart of Friday afternoon rush hour. A homecoming for some, this sprawling urban-scape is the sweaty underground musical incubator that nurtured a toddling progressive-rock band with jammy tendencies into a fiercely unified musical juggernaut. Chicagoland’s bars, clubs, parks and theaters are the whetstone on which Umphrey’s McGee sharpened their surgically precise chops for years; gaining many fans through word of mouth, open tape sharing, and by consistently living up to the hype in their live performances. It wasn’t all that long ago when, if you couldn’t see them one weekend, you could probably see them the next weekend without having to drive very far. On this cloudy afternoon, however, there are already people lined up outside the entrance of the Park West, excited to enjoy a somewhat rare visit from their hometown heroes.

Umphrey’s still sounds a lot like the band that used to shred up and down the Midwest dive circuit. They still play many of the same songs that they cut their teeth on six nights a week in every shithole bar within a day’s drive of the Windy City. But they have long since graduated from the up-and-comers league, evolved from that unassumingly virtuosic ragtag clan of jokers in a van, then a bus and now, occasionally, jet-setting between festivals. They have germinated a following from their roots in college house parties, dive bars and sweatbox clubs, gaining consistent momentum and blossoming into summer festival headliners, lavish theater stages, majestic amphitheatres and beyond. Everything: the sound, the production, the lights, the venues, the audience has, for better and worse, gradually swelled in respective size, precision and intensity. Above all though, the greatest development from Umphrey’s McGee has been their wizardly ability to cast improvisational sorcery anytime, anywhere, within any song…or while just screwing around during soundcheck.

Umphreys McGee by Brian Spady

In spite of the group’s more than modest success, one of their top priorities has been the accessibility of the band members to the fans. They understand that one of the key factors to their growth has been their keen ability to listen and give the people exactly what they want. The UMBowl series is one of the band’s many attempts to keep in touch with their fans, to listen to what they are requesting, and of course, in classic Umphrey’s fashion, to deliver the goods. And what a grandiose way to deliver: a four-and-a-half hour show that tests the limits of audience participation and on-the-spot musical improvisation taking place at one of Chicago’s most pristine, intimate venues. Now in its third year, UMBowl is a four-set behemoth of a show with audience interaction weaved tightly into its fabric.

Outside, Park West is simultaneously like a spaceship out of both the 80s and the distant future. It is a room that the band has been crushing since their fabled beginnings. The exterior metal shell with red warp-speed letters sticks out like a sore thumb in its quiet near-Northside neighborhood. Hidden within it is the cavernous recital chamber, a musical temple with terraced dance floors, the entire room outfitted to the nines with soundproofing foam walls stretching up into its stratospheric globular dome. Hanging from the dome like Moby Dick’s uvula, a colossal disco ball shines like the North Star. As showtime approached, colorful fans filed in, and the place turned electric.

Umphreys McGee by Brian Spady

Following UMBowl tradition, the evening was christened with a hilarious rockumentary video spoof showcasing the band’s lighthearted, goofy humor with a parody of the movie Almost Famous, UM ribbing themselves as they argue pretentiously over a t-shirt design. Afterwards, the show blasted out from the gates with smooth fury highlighted by covers of Daft Punk’s Voyager, The Grateful Dead’s Help on the Way > Slipknot and bassist Ryan Stasik‘s long awaited attack on Tools 46 and 2, which showcased their range and chameleonic nature. Front Porch featured the most prolific improvisation of the set with an airy jam akin to the Allman Brother’s Blue Sky peaking majestically with dual guitar trills from Brendan Bayliss and Jake Cinninger before launching into overdrive and dropping back onto the Porch.

The second set was an hour of Stew Art, where the band improvised on open-ended themes selected from real-time texts sent in by audience members. Indian Metal gave the band a chance to open up their world music catalogue, giving a refined crunch to a very flow-y Middle Eastern jam. The second installment of the Uplifting Soaring Jam offered an overdriven addition to its majestic predecessor, which caused an uproar at least year’s UMBowl. Drum demigod Kris Myers and his rhythmic counterpart Ryan Stasik used Drum n Bass as a launching point for a jazzy dance assault that had the crowd pumping. Yacht Rock Jam was basically a cruise through George Benson’s Breezin,’ while Hip Hop Tribute began as a half-speed, down and dirty rendition of their original funk instrumental Tribute to the Spinal Shaft which soon morphed into a mash-up of Warren G’s Regulators, Snoop Dog’s G’z and Hustlas and Dr. Dre’s equally smooth Xxxplosive. The set ended on Take Us to the Disco Tech, which starred light designer Jefferson Waful as he used the gargantuan disco ball to pump effervescent galaxies throughout the room.

Umphreys McGee by Brian Spady

In the third set, the band offered a series of choose your destiny multiple choice selections of original songs, which again left it to audience vote to direct the band in real time to the winner, everyone sculpting a truly unique set through the general will. The result was a beast of a hybrid where the first half of All in Time bookended parts of Glory, Linear and August, capped off by the explosive outro of Bridgeless. This was followed by a sandwich of Mantis and Nothing Too Fancy smashed over a molten hot Making Flippy Floppy Sloppy Joe center. However, being so late in the game, many fans in the audience seemed sluggish at the polls. As the drinks flowed and the sweat poured, votes only dribbled in, perhaps suggesting that this will be the next set revamped for future UMBowls.

Finally, the most exciting quarter, the all Jimmy Stewart set, arrived. A Stew, their term for a structured improvisational jam, is meant to sound more like an instrumental song than an open ended solo-fest. These structured progressions become the canvas the band paints its vast array of labyrinthine soundscapes – spanning every genre from rock n’ roll and metal to funk and jazz, techno, country and every mutant in between- upon. Over time, with more than a decade of live recordings, they have collected a catalogue of these jams, many of which have been the basis of actual songs, and many that have just made for some truly inspiring moments when originally played. For this final set, the band pre-released seven hours of recordings containing some of the most acclaimed jams of their career, and of course, allowed everyone with an UMBowl ticket to vote for their favorites for the band to revisit. What resulted was one of the most spectacular hours of live Umphrey’s to date.

The band opened with the grungy prog of Liberty Echo, but soon gave way to a laid back White Pickle. This tune gave Joel Cummins a chance to strut his super smooth West Coast synth contrasted against a straight-ahead, swirling B-section podium for Jake Cinninger’s skin-to-steel, six-string masters seminar. The ending smashed right into Den, a poppy four-to the-floor over Cummins’ breezy piano. Cinninger’s flanged guitar, run through an octave pedal, produced a pingy tone reminiscent of steel drums, which gave the piece a momentary island feel over the happy, majestic, sunshiny groove. As Cinninger locked in a repeating riff, Bayliss latched on in harmony and their guitars drove a hummingbird war to a raging peak before relenting into somber Bayliss ballad The Better End. The rousing 9:30 evoked feelings of a sinister chase scene before the band explored some metal with Lift and Separate.

Umphreys McGee @ Martyr’s by Jake Plimack

As expected, the band nimbly treaded through a full spectrum of musical styles. Moreover, they showed they are no longer just happening onto the spark, the catalyst that starts their improvisational fires. They now clearly understand the science behind making their brand of magic. Still, Team UM is constantly experimenting with the music, the show, their approach to promotions, and fan connections. And, while an emotional Divisions encore seems to wind this story down, it turned out to just be the introduction for a new chapter. The next night, just down the street at Martyr’s, another historic Umphrey’s stomping ground, the boys beta tested their next level of the band-to-fan interaction paradigm through an all request private show, organized completely by one diehard fan for 200 of his diehard fan friends.

This was a relatively under-spoken part of the promotional release of last year’s Death by Stereo album, where fans could purchase days with the band in the studio, hanging out on the bus, buy the old tour van, or remix the album. And, while the ticket on this event was a hefty $250 per head, a limited edition poster, top shelf open bar, and laminated pass were among the perks. However, the intimate club, the handcrafted setlist, the excitement of being able to reach out and touch the band, the small group of zealous Umphreaks who all knew each other through less than a couple degrees of separation, and of course, the extreme level of playing that these circumstances encourage, well, all these factors made the experience truly extraordinary.

Heading westbound towards O’Hare Airport, the traffic was momentarily absent as the Sunday sky hinted at dawn. Chicago is no longer home for a lot of folks who began here, including most of Umphrey’s McGee, and while they may not come back to town again for a while, it’s never been clearer that when they do they will always bring us something to write home about.

Setlists below gallery.

4/27/12 – UM BOWL III @ Park West (Chicago, IL) View Photos

UMBowl III Setlist

First Quarter: Flamethrower > Night Nurse > Voyager > Front Porch, Comma Later*, Help On the Way > Slipknot!, 46 & 2

Second Quarter: Stew Art event

Third Quarter: All In Time > Glory > The Linear > August > Bridgeless, Preamble > Mantis > Making Flippy Floppy > Nothing Too Fancy

Fourth Quarter: Liberty Echo > White Pickle > Den > The Better End, 9:30 > REW > Lift & Separate > Dream Team > In the Kitchen

Overtime ivisons

For detailed notes for this performance pop over here.

04.28.12 Martyrs Setlist

Set One: Wappy Sprayberry > Space Funk Booty, Last Man Swerving* -> Out of Order, Down Under, The Weight Around, Robot World > “Jimmy Stewart”% > 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover > Puppet String**

Set Two: Utopian Fir > “Jimmy Stewart”%% > Utopian Fir, The Trooper$, Baby Honey Sugar Darlin’, Hurt Bird Bath -> The Other Side of Things^ > Hurt Bird Bath, The Good Times Are Killing Me$$, Nopener&, The Triple Wide, Hangover -> La Grange > Hangover

Encore: Two Dips&&, Wizard Burial Ground, Waiting Room

Private show put on by fans billed as “Bill Graham for a Day”

* with Thunderkiss ’65 (White Zombie) jam
% with lyrics
** with In the Kitchen teases
%% with “Zsa Zsa Gabor” theme, followed by lyrics
$ debut, Iron Maiden
^ verses only, no chorus
$$ debut, Modest Mouse
& lounge style
&& debut, Brendan, Wade Wilby, and Clayton Halsey

Umphreys McGee Tour Dates :: Umphreys McGee News

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