Coachella 2012 In Photos (Friday Edition)

April 25, 2012 By 3 Comments

One of my favorite things about attending festivals is taking pictures. I do not subscribe to the philosophy that you must lose yourself in the music at all times. No, I want to lose myself in the music and take pictures so that I can remember the event long after the music has faded.

The first day of Coachella provided some sweet picture-taking opportunities. I was close to the stage for shows by GIVERS, GIRLS, and WU LYF. For later shows like Frank Ocean and M83, I was probably a good 200 feet from the stage, not to mention darkness had descended on the polo grounds.

Below are my favorite pictures from Friday of Weekend 2. Also, you can read my Friday recap here.
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Coachella 2012 Recap (Friday Edition)

April 25, 2012 By 4 Comments

Ellery Roberts of WU LYF

The smell of horse shit hung in the air like a nauseating fog as my festival date Kerry and I walked toward the main entrance of the Empire Polo Club grounds for the first day of Coachella’s second weekend. There were only a half-dozen horses in sight, but their collective output plus the day’s triple-digit heat choked the air.

The temperature gauge inside the rental car I drove to Indio read 106. I felt every last degree as I walked to the first porta-potty in sight. I might as well have taken a piss on the sun’s surface.

The week prior to Coachella I vowed to dance my ginger ass off, in spite of the heat. I underestimated its oppressiveness. Fortunately, rivers of bottled water, globs of sunscreen, and an overpriced straw hat saved me from the worst the sun had to offer. And, in no time, I was dancing my ginger ass off, albeit under the festival’s three tents.

NOTE: Click here for photos of Friday’s festivities. Also, check out my Friday playlist by clicking here.

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On Coachella’s 1st Weekend And Spoiling My Dinner

April 16, 2012 By 1 Comment

Dancin' my ginger ass off!

I spoiled my dinner Friday night, according to friends. For the record, I drank a yellow 32-oz Gatorade, a monster bag of pepperoni-flavored Combos, and a slightly more petite bag of Welch’s grape snacks.

How did I spoil this, um, dinner, you ask.

I watched the first night of Coachella 2012 on YouTube via webcast. I am attending the mega festival’s second weekend with my boo, Kerry. That did not stop me from vegging out on the webcast. It was both enjoyable and a learning exercise to better decide who to see on the festival’s first day.

Here’s what I learned from watching Coachella’s Friday webcast. I did not watch either Saturday or Sunday. Kerry convinced me to not spoil my dinner any further.

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Coachella 2012 Playlist (Friday Edition)

April 6, 2012 By 2 Comments

Christopher Owens of Girls

Two weeks from today, I will be in Indio, Calif., for the mega-festival known as Coachella.

Coachella’s organizers have not released the schedule for the weekend yet. It’s driving me nuts. I want to fret over the tough decisions I am sure await.

The bands I listed here are bands I would see if everything were equal. Scratch that last sentence. Nothing is equal at a major festival. I’ll be lucky to see three of these bands.

Of the nine bands/performers I listed the only two I have seen live are up and coming Cali rapper Kendrick Lamar and indie darlings Girls.

I need to see WU LYF. I don’t understand why. It’s like a compulsion. I need gibberish rock’n'roll. I just do. Oh, and I need to see the Black Keys and get wound up and jump up and down like a kangaroo.

Click the link to play tunes!

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Five Songs I (Regrettably) Overlooked in 2011

March 21, 2012 By 2 Comments

Yes, 2012 has been underwhelming in the new music category. And yes, I am realizing that I ignored/missed some great music last year.

So to rectify this, below I have listed five songs I am digging right now that were released in 2011 and rightfully should have been in my Top 40.

Click on the links below to hear songs from the artists. Check! Them! Out!

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Cajun Tomato’s 2012 Coachella Must-See Acts

March 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Look what came in the mail today!

This week, a 1,000 bands and seemingly 10,000 blogs invaded Austin, Texas, for South by Southwest. That’s all well and good, but my focus is square on a little music festival taking place next month in Indio, Calif.

I received my Coachella bracelets today in a stylish box with a poster/calendar, welcome guide, and stickers. When I opened the box, the sun appeared in all its glory and kicked the shit out of Portland’s sadsack winter weather.

Below are 10 bands, in order of interest, I am deeming must-sees at Coachella this year. Nine of the 10 bands I have not yet seen live. Hopefully, schedule permitting, I will get to see as many of these as possible.

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Singing Gibberish: Bands Whose Words Make No Sense

March 4, 2012 By 4 Comments

Bon Iver's Justin Vernon

Morning after morning this winter I sang along to Bon Iver’s eponymous album, inventing my own words as I drove north on Interstate 5. Often, the words I sung one day morphed into something else the next day. I still don’t know what Justin Vernon was singing, in most instances.

More recently, I started listening to Brit rockers WU LYF. A Google search convinced me their songs have lyrics. Otherwise, I would have found this hard to believe. Their lead singer looked like Jared Leto and sounded like he was gargling his blood-soaked words while suffering a stroke.

I enjoy the Adeles of the world too — artists who belt out every word crystal clear — but I find ambiguity inviting and soothing. Bon Iver and WU LYF make music with shimmering chords, but their lyrical content might as well be buried at the bottom of a swamp.

When you search swamp’s bottom for meaning, you return to the surface with anything.

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