The biggest, craziest music festival this town has seen in recent memory is finally here. And it is EXPENSIVE.
Well, about as expensive as one might expect three days worth of top-tier acts playing in San Francisco might be I guess. The sheer caliber of talent out there this weekend is kind of mind blowing, that's for sure. It's challenging for yer Uncle Showy though, with time and funds tied up in a trip to the desert that's just a few days away. All this damn fun, gettin' in the way of other fun... For that reason, and that reason alone, I may only be able to join y'all for Friday night at Outside Lands. But what a crazy night that will be.
I'll also do my best to scrape together a minute or 90 to give you some recommendations for Days 2 and 3. The short answer is: see everything.
Simple, right?
That said, the STELLAR Garage a Trois shouldn't be missed at the Independent on Saturday night (Outside Lands after party). You can read about that at the bottom of this here message.
Drop me a note if you're heading to the park tomorrow. It's gonna be absolutely nuts. And with that, let's dive into Friday night, shall we?
Oh yeah, and if I were you I'd PRINT THIS SHIT OUT. I know I'm gonna...
|||||| FRIDAY 8/22 ||||||
OUTSIDE LANDS FESTIVAL, Golden Gate Park (in and around Speedway Meadow)
http://sfoutsidelands.com/
There is a lot of really cool stuff happening that sounds well worth taking a chance on. The ones in ALL CAPS are my opinions of a sure thing, though. In chronological order:
Carney | 5:00–5:25 | Presidio Stage
What? A 25 minute set? Really? I've never seen this LA four piece rock band but listening to 'em makes me want to get there early and see what they're all about. It's some hard-hittin', soulful, gritty rock music that rings with power and authenticity to my ears.
Howlin' Rain | 5:00–5:30 | Panhandle Stage
Another great sounding rock band that I'd like to check out. The sound bite gives me a bit of a funked-up Black Crowes kinda feel. Driving rhythms section, heavy guitars, and enough organ to get a little funk in there too. Good stuff.
Cold War Kids | 5:25–6:10 | Sutro Stage
Wiley and trippy pop rock, something about the sound of these guys kinda gets me. The lead singer tosses his voice around wildly and with heavy drums and some weird-enough-to-keep-me-
The Dynamites w/ Charles Walker | 5:45–6:15 | Avenues Stage
Charles is a funky soul singer who cut his teeth in the late '60s opening up for all the big boys. One listen to this humongous horn funk band tells me that I'll need to get me some of that boogie fo' sho'.
Felice Brothers | 6:10–6:40 | Presidio Stage
Sweet, home brewed, soulful, and often tongue-in-cheek Americana roots music is what the Felice Brothers are cookin'. They have a song called "Whiskey in My Whiskey." Rad.
BENEVENTO/RUSSO DUO | 6:10–6:50 | Panhandle Stage
This is the band I was blathering on about in my last email. Since their North Beach club gigs were so crazy free-form, I have to believe they're gonna pull it back to some more danceable stuff at Outside Lands. But with these two nut-jobs, who knows? All you need to know is that they're a drummer and an organ player with enough power and chops to equal bands 10 times their size. Dig this shit, it's freakin' crazy.
MANU CHAO | 6:15–7:15 | Lands End Stage
This dude (and his band) are just wicked. He somehow manages to be equal parts Latin roots and punk rock, while also bringing one hell of a serious party. His music is driving and infectious and he'll keep you jumpin' up and down from beginning to end. It's a freakin' spectacle, and it's awesome.
BECK | 6:40–7:50 | Sutro Stage
I still can't believe I've never seen Beck, but now is my chance. Eeeexcellent. His maniacal, multi-instrumental blend of psychadelic rock, folk, rap, and lord knows what else is utterly unique. And super fun. I'll bet this'll be a blast.
Lyrics Born | 7:15–7:55 | Avenues Stage
Sometimes more hip-hop (okay, usually more hip-hop), and sometimes more funk, Lyrics Born never takes himself seriously even though his skills are no joke at ALL. This MC knows how to bring the party—by keepin' it funky of course.
RADIOHEAD | 8:00–9:55 | Lands End Stage
This is how you do a finale, kids, and I'm psyched to see what I've been missing all these years. Not only is Radiohead's music utterly creative, dramatic, and powerful, but I haven't ever heard someone say that they WEREN'T blown away by the live show. The lights alone are supposedly about the best you'll ever see out of a rock band. Hopefully they've taken the trouble to drag the whole rig out to the park, 'cause I'm ready for these guys to just destroy the place. I'd wager they won't let us down...
|||||| SATURDAY 8/23 ||||||
OUTSIDE LANDS FESTIVAL, Golden Gate Park (in and around Speedway Meadow)
http://sfoutsidelands.com/
I'll do my best to get some notes out to y'all that are headed down for Day 2 of the action. It sure as hell ain't lettin' up.
Garage a Trois @ the Independent - $25
WOOT! With Stanton Moore (drums, Galactic and others), Skerik (sax, Les Claypool and others), Mike Dillon (vibraphone/percussion, Hairy Apes BMX and others), and special guest Marco Benevento (organ, Benevento/Russo and others), Garage a Trois brings and turbulent and distructive force to any stage they hit. From dance-crazy high-energy funk to smokin' hot jazz-based lunacy, these crew of literally FOUR of my FAVORITE musicians on the planet will wreck the Independent, and likely wreck your soul should you dare to witness them.
http://garageatrois.com/
|||||| SUNDAY 8/24 ||||||
OUTSIDE LANDS FESTIVAL, Golden Gate Park (in and around Speedway Meadow)
http://sfoutsidelands.com/
Yep, predictably, Day 3 kills it too. I'll try to keep you in the know.
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