Live Review: Nelsonville Music Festival 2011

With all the outpouring of adoration that has hit newsstands and blogs over the past week, it almost feels superfluous to give my spin on this year's Nelsonville Music Festival. For the second year running, I found myself involved in the organization and execution of this weekend of music, just a short drive away from my collegiate hometown of Athens, OH. As was the case last year, my duties throughout the weekend kept me away from a good deal of the music—I manned the festival's first press tent, providing a base of operations for all attending reporters and photographers. It goes without saying that this year's event was a larger beast than in years past—acts like the Flaming Lips, Yo La Tengo and Neko Case bring with them an audience and press presence that previously would not have given the fest a second glance. In spite of that, Nelsonville managed to retain everything that has traditionally made it such a unique festival experience—namely, friendly people, an eclectic lineup and a welcoming, laid-back vibe.

Yo La Tengo and Wanda Jackson added to Neslonville Festival

All the way back in 2009, Yo La Tengo played Stuart's Opera House, turning in one of best performances I'd ever seen in that venue. Today brought the announcement that the indie rock legends will be returning to Nelsonville once again, to play Saturday at the Nelsonville Music Festival. I couldn't be happier.

Also among the latest salvo of performers announced today is the self-proclaimed Queen of Rockabilly, Wanda Jackson who will performing on Sunday. Appearing at various points during all three days of the festival will be folk-singer Michael Hurley and the off-beat country-stylings of Drakkar Sauna. Saturday will also feature performances from Cleveland-based Baroque-pop artist Baby Dee and the Columbus soul outfit Nick Tolford & Company.

As of this morning, single day passes for the Nelsonville Music Festival are on sale via their website. Whether you're planning on attending one day or all three, from the looks of this line-up, (with more bands yet to be announced) we're all in for an excellent weekend of music!

A Milestone & Fall Concerts Galore!

The article your about to read marks my hundredth post here at Tapes on the Floor, a feat that took me just a little over three years to achieve. This entire blog has grown in fits and spurts, taking long hiatuses and then resurfacing without warning. To me, it's a tangible document of the part that music, film, etc. has played in my life over the past three years. I hope you, the reader, has been able to take away something from it as well. Now that we've marked the occasion, let's get to the good stuff...

The past few weeks have come with a deluge of concert announcements in the Central Ohio area that I'm very excited about. First and foremost was the not entirely unexpected revelation that Wilco would be making another stop at the Wexner Center in Columbus, playing the Mershon Auditorium on October 12 as part of their fall tour. The first time I ever saw Wilco was at the Mershon back in 2005 when the group stopped through in support of a ghost is born, so the venue itself holds a special significance to me. Needless to say, I'm very excited to hear some songs from the new album in a live setting. I'm also curious to see who they bring along as their opening act, Wilco has a knack for picking bands that make the ticket price seem like a bargain. As with all things Wilco, you'll certainly be hearing more about this one from me as the day of the show approaches!

Next up was the totally unexpected announcement that Yo La Tengo would be making a stop at Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville, OH on September 24. For the uninformed, Nelsonville is just a 5 minute drive away from Athens where I currently attend school. Stuart's is, in fact, a beautiful old opera house that played host to the free Arcade Fire concerts I attended last year. Still, it's a little bit unbelievable that a band as legendary as Yo La Tengo will be coming within just a few miles of my adopted hometown to play a show. I really loved their performance at Pitchfork Fest last month, and I've really been digging what I've been hearing from their new record Popular Songs, so it stands to reason that I'm very psyched about this show. Should be an excellent night at the opera (house)...

While were on the subject of bands I've recently seen, Built to Spill, another of my Pitchfork Fest favorites, will be playing a show at the Newport on October 1. This sounds like the perfect kickoff to a weekend in Columbus, which is playing host to Mid-Ohio-Con on October 3 and 4. The group will hopefully be playing some tracks from their forthcoming record There Is No Enemy, due in stores sometime this October via Warner Bros.

Finally, rounding out my planned concert itinerary for this fall is an appearance by Dan Auerbach on November 5th at the Newport. Auerbach will be kicking off the next leg of his tour in support of his superb solo record Keep It Hid which was released earlier this year. This is a record that has really grown on me over the past few months, so I'm very excited to hear most of these tracks live. Joining Auerbach will be a pretty solid bill of supporting acts, including Jessica Lee Mayfield, who's latest album Auerbach produced, and Justin Townes Earl.

Don't think there's been this many groups I want to see coming through Columbus/Athens in quite some time. Central Ohio must be building a good reputation for live music, and rightfully so. I'll see some of you at the shows!

Live Review: Friday @ Pitchfork Music Festival

After years of making excuses, this year events conspired to make my first attendance of the Pitchfork Music Festival a reality. I was lucky enough to be there for all three days, and my experience ended up being worth every cent I paid for that privilege. You can read a bunch of very comprehensive recaps of the fest at just about every music blog on the web, so I'll just focus on my favorite bands of each day. The photos are once again provided by my Chicago tour guide/best friend Marilu, who accompanied me on my first foray into Union Park.

To be honest, Friday was the day of the fest I was most excited about from the get-go. I'm a pretty big Tortoise fan, and those guys don't tour a whole lot these days, so the chance to get to see them was hard to pass up. I missed their first song, but I arrived to the opening strains of "Djed" which sounded even better in a live setting, and was packed with tons of cool improvisational bits from everyone in the band. The other highlights of their set for me were spot-on renditions of some of my favorite tracks from TNT, including "Swung From the Gutters", "TNT", and "Suspension Bridge At Iguazú Falls" (complete with marimba and vibes!). I guess no one voted to hear any tracks off of It's All Around You, which is unfortunate because there are some good ones on that record, but it was just great to hear so much of their older stuff played live.

Next up was Yo La Tengo, a group that I've always heard great things about when it comes to their live show. The trio didn't dissapoint, delivering a set that was definitely heavy on the songs people wanted to hear, but not afraid to stray off into the weirder, more experimental tangents that the group is known for. One of the best moments of the set was their performance of "Mr. Tough", which stood in stark contrast to the rest of their set and was at once laughable and impressive. Another highlight was "Periodically Double or Triple", a track of their forthcoming record Popular Songs, which is a blues-rock number with a Yo La Tengo-twist. The songs I didn't know were a reminder of how much I need to aquaint myself with some of their older records, but their (or rather, the audiences') selection of tunes seemed to leave everyone, myself included, very satisfied.

Initially, I thought that scheduling Built to Spill as the headliners for the night was somewhat of an odd choice. After seeing them play, there is no doubt in my mind as to why that spot went to them. The group effortlessly sifted through their entire back-catalog, playing a set that was heavy on the essentials. From the opening chords of "Liar" it was clear that the band was having a good night. Doug Martsch in particular sounded really great, with songs like "Else" and "You Were Right" showcasing his unique voice. Most impressive was the group's three-guitar assault on the sprawling You In Reverse track "Goin Against Your Mind", a true showcase of the volume and technicality of this group. Built to Spill ended up being one of my favorite shows of the weekend and a band that I'd definitely see again if given the chance.

Podcast No. 3 (The Holidaze Edition)

It's that time of year again, time to curl up in front of a crackling fire and plug into the latest in my expanding line of podcasts. Rest assured, there aren't any Christmas carols, Hanukkah ballads, or Kwanzaa tunes in this edition. My new hosting service is still carrying the last podcast, so I'll keep using it for this one as well. I'll also try and migrate the older one over at some point (for the two of you who want to relive that 'classic'). Shoot me an e-mail if it goes down, and enjoy!
Tapes on the Floor Podcast No. 3
(Intro: "The Neon" - David Witham)
1:45 "Hljómalind" - Sigur Rós
8:07 "I Wanna Be Your Lover" - Yo La Tengo
12:46 "A Tender History in Rust" - Do Make Say Think
18:24 "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb" - Spoon
21:53 "Happy Holidays" - Jim O'Rourke

Yo La Tengo on SNL (Kinda)

Holy shit!? Is Saturday Night Live turning into some kind of Austin City Limits clone with sub-par comedy to boot? Not content to merely sit on their asses while the WGA writers' strike plays out, the cast of SNL will be performing a dinner theater version of the show tonight at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in NYC. The musical guest for this soiree will be none other than Yo La Tengo, who join the glut of independent artists featured this season and will doubtlessly counteract the overall mediocrity of the event. The quality of SNL's comedy would stand in a unique position to actually benefit from this strike, if not for the fact that the usual gang of writers are probably doing this gig pro bono. Michael Cera, of Arrested Development and Superbad fame, will be the guest host of the event and all proceeds will be going to the crew members who have basically been put out of a job while this strike continues to escalate. Don't get me started on where I stand on the strike; I thoroughly understand the reasons for it, but they're screwing over a ton of below-the-line people in the process. At least events like these communicate that they're aware of this predicament and willing/obligated to help out. Here's hoping for a kickass live rendition of YLT's cover of Dylan's "I Wanna Be Your Lover"...

I Shall Be Reviewed

I'm Not There Soundtrack - Various Artists
I'm still not sold on the concept of the movie; a little too artsy for my tastes. The soundtrack is a totally different story; Dylan covers from the likes of Calexico, Cat Power, Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, Stephen Malkmus, Jeff Tweedy and the Black Keys just to name a few. While a few artists turn in pretty standard approximations replete with faux-Dylan vocals (Cat Power's Stuck in Mobile is likely the best of this catagory), others provide some pretty unique interpretations that make for a fresh sounding listen. It's almost predictable at times; a blues-stomp take on "The Wicked Messenger" by the Black Keys, a meticulously arranged brass-heavy rendition of "Ring Them Bells" care of Sufjan Stevens, but this approach tends to work. And then there are the perfect moments like Yo La Tengo channeling the Band on Blonde on Blonde outtake "I Wanna Be Your Lover" or Stephen Malkmus ripping through "Maggie's Farm" backed by Lee Ranaldo, Steve Shelly and Nels Cline. It's one of the better artist-centric soundtracks I've ever heard, and a worthy tribute to the timeless quality of Dylan's music.

A Wheel Within A Wheel - Southeast Engine
My new hometown of Athens, Ohio seems to have a big thing for folk rock. The poster-child of the scene is local group Southeast Engine, who were recently signed to the independent Misra records, and have just released their first album for the label. A Wheel Within A Wheel exemplifies everything a homespun group like this should sound like; namely a minimal amount of studio gloss and a focus on capturing the group in an accurate way. The band's sound evokes the alt-country gamut, ranging from Ryan Adams to Being There-era Wilco. Highlights of the record include opener "Taking the Fall" and the Oakley Hall-esque "Quit While You're Ahead". The band also shows an impressive use of a string section on slower numbers like "Reinventing Light" and "Oh God, Let Me Back In". If this album is any indication, Southeast Engineis well on its way to joining the ranks of the aforementioned alt-country heavy hitters.