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Coachella 2009 30/30 Initiative: My Bloody Valentine

Posted by Amoebite, April 7, 2009 11:04pm | Comments (1)

127 Bands, 5 Stages, 3 Days and 1 Mean Sunburn.

"Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival - April 17-19th, 2009 or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Find 30 Reasons To Love a Weekend in the Desert."

- By Scott Butterworth

Day #22 - Artist #22 - My Bloody Valentine:

My Bloody Valentine formed in 1984 in Dublin, Ireland, and spent a few years of metamorphosis working out the kinks with lineup changes and varying musical output before developing their innovative sound. It wasn't until 1988 that the "caterpillar" became a "butterfly," with the band releasing a pair of EPs and their first album Isn't Anything on Creation Records (future home to Oasis). My Bloody Valentine became the torchbearers of the Shoegaze style of music popular in the late '80s/early '90s that sent sparks into the alternative revolution of the 1990s. Unfortunately, by 1993 the band would unravel into a "lost period" of scrapped recording sessions by songwriter Kevin Shields (similar to Brian Wilson/Beach Boys and Axl Rose/Guns N' Roses) that lasted until the band's reunion in 2008.

Coachella 2009 30/30 Initiative: Ghostland Observatory

Posted by Amoebite, April 6, 2009 10:23pm | Post a Comment

Day #21 - Artist #21 - Ghostland Observatory:

At first listen you might think Ghostland Observatory were sharing drinks with The Rapture in dingy downtown NYC bars long before anyone cared about either band. But nope, Ghostland Observatory are not from the scene that gave us the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, LCD Soundsystem, The Strokes, etc. The duo are from the land that most recently brought us Jessica Simpson and George W. Bush. That's right...Texas. While they now make their homebase in Austin (the "Berkeley" of red-state America), these aren't big city hipsters moving to Austin to get a different "vibe." They're country boys at heart, frequently returning to the farms they grew up on in small-town San Saba, Texas.

Coachella 2009 30/30 Initiative: The Courteeners

Posted by Amoebite, April 5, 2009 10:21pm | Comments (1)

Coachella Lineup The Courteeners

Day #20 - Artist #20 - The Courteeners:

Twenty-two year old singer-songwriter Liam Fray grabbed three of his childhood friends from Manchester, England to form The Courteeners in 2006. Their debut album, St. Jude, was released in April 2008.

Listen to the Courteens, if you like -- you get a little bit of each of these: The Walkmen, The Smiths. The Kooks, Arctic Monkeys, Stone Roses, Oasis. Paul McCartney, The Cribs, The Jam. And also listen to The Courteeners...because Morrissey said so!! Apparently now-a-days, New Musical Express (NME), Rolling Stone, Village Voice and pitchfork.com are all out the window -- to be crowned the "new hip band," all you have to do is get David Bowie or Morrissey to sign your permission slip.

Coachella 2009 30/30 Initiative: Paul McCartney

Posted by Amoebite, April 4, 2009 09:34pm | Comments (2)

Day #19 - Artist #19 - Paul McCartney (Motha F%&*#in' Beatle!):

We all know Paul McCartney. Former Beatle, one half of the greatest songwriting partnership of all time, and successfull solo artist. But you know what I want to know? When did it become "cool" (and I use that term very loosly) to hate Paul McCartney!?!? What year was it that the hipster constitutional convention convened and declared, "We, the hipsters of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union...agree that we will try to claim personal validation by systematically hating Paul McCartney?" It was ridiculous then, it's recoculous now, and absolutely asinine to ever contribute to in the future! C'mon, let's just put our hipster pride aside for one second.

Paul McCartney is without a doubt one of the greatest songwriters, musicians and cultural innovators in modern history. There is supposed controversy about whether or not he will "fit in" as a headliner in the Coachella environment. I've yet to hear a legitimate argument to support that. I'm willing to bet my entire next paycheck that more performers from the entire ten years of Coachella have been inspired by the music of Paul McCartney than by any other artist. And I'm willing to make the same bet that attendees at this year's festival own more albums of Paul McCartney's music than the Paul

last two years of headliners' put together!! Yeah...I said it! I just don't get it...where the #%&* is the controversy?

Coachella 2009 30/30 Initiative: White Lies

Posted by Amoebite, April 3, 2009 08:02pm | Post a Comment

Day #18 - Artist #18 - White Lies:

One part Joy Division, one part Muse, one part Interpol, served in a tall glass to a West Londoner sitting in a downtown New York bar. The White Lies released their debut album, To Lose My Life..., less than a year from the date of the trio’s first gig and entered the UK Charts at number one in January, but the album wasn't released in the US until a few weeks ago in March. These lads (sorry...I've just always wanted to use that word) from Ealing, West London, England, have been the talk of the town, playing packed shows throughout the UK since last summer.

Strangely, as they were selling out shows in the UK, they could hardly give away a show here in the US, as was evidenced when their free show at The Roxy here in Los Angeles drew a crowd of maybe 100 back in October of 2008. I know...I was there. My roommate and I had a tough decision that night between attending the White Lies show or the Secret Machines playing just next door at the Key Club. But we went with the free show and it was priceless (literally and figuratively)! It seemed like something special...more than the usual local club gig, but there was not much of an audience to receive it. With the American press just starting to catch on and a standout performance at the South By Southwest festival in Austin a couple weeks ago, I think America is finally ready for the White Lies.

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