Results tagged “coachella”

Beautiful weather, lots of good music and an Austinite on the ground with her camera: how much better could it get? Pooneh Ghana documented her trip to Coachella, and here's what she brought home.

The crowd waited eagerly even if impatiently, a mother requested us to move so her child could get a better look at the royalty, and finally after having made the audience wait for nearly half hour past the scheduled time, Prince took the stage at Coachella on Saturday evening. Backed up by an extensive band featuring the horns section of Austin’s own Grupo Fantasma as well as long time associates such as Sheila E. and Morris Day, Prince readied the masses with a touch of caution -- “I will come to party..but I get to choose the music. Is that alright?” We didn’t care, even if it meant that our optimistic dreams of hearing something off the Batman soundtrack were quashed instantly. Early set highlights included “Jungle Love” (with Day taking over lead vocals) and Sheila E.’s Prince penned, Grammy nominated (in 1985 that is) “Glamorous Life.” Prince, meanwhile was clearly up for it, prancing around stage all evening long and his genius on guitar was evident throughout. Drummer CC Dunham was impeccable and caught our eye very early on, and the ensemble’s exhilarating combination of funk and soul invigorated the hordes for a good hour and a half.

As you know by now we have a passing interest in karaoke and when Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. was kind enough to invite Austinist to the launch events for the latest edition of PlayStation 3's SingStar, we had to take them up on the offer to get a sneak peak at the karaoke video game series before its U.S. (and Canadian) release on May 20th. As you can imagine, SingStar is not your average sit-at-home-on-the-couch-all-day type video game: players, preferably in a vivacious state, possibly in social settings, compete with each other to score the highest rating (out of 10,000) based on their talent and ability to sing on pitch. Pretty simple, eh? Well, SingStar for PS3 incorporates a community element, My SingStar Online, while also allowing users to download songs off an ever increasing database known as SingStore (with the matching music video to boot).

Attending the launch events for Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.’s SingStar (for PlayStation 3) was our primary focus this past weekend but the added bonus of a wristband to that little festival going on in Indio, California was a welcome perk we could not pass up. Our two day experience at Coachella 2008 kicked off with SebastiAn’s remix of the Justice anthem “D.A.N.C.E.” Non-stop beats invigorated an extremely hot Sahara tent as flashing lasers and lights made the 3 p.m. set seem more like a 3 a.m. one! Battles were next for us. The band’s shifting rhythms and changing tempos were well received by the swaying crowd, bottled up in the Gobi tent which was bursting at the seams. Another quality set during the afternoon was over at the Mojave tent where Black Kids furnished the festival with dance-pop accentuated by a variety of synth output. Tracks like “Hurricane Jane” and “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You” were instant hits with the crowd, some just getting to know this talented Florida outfit, others apparently already big fans.

Today's Mega News Bits by Patrick Dentler and Rebecca Onion
• Asian markets fall; the Fed is really, really worried.
• Not convinced Giuliani's a dangerous, power-mad nutcase? Read this.

The first big non-SXSW show announcement of 2008 is here, and guess what: it's a massive dance party. Straight out of Paris, the electronic duo known as Justice will kick off their US tour at Stubb's on Monday, March 3rd. This is actually a small venue for the band - just a week after the Austin date, they'll headline Madison Square Garden. If you've not already heard Justice, start with Daft Punk or MSTRKRFT as sonic reference points, then add some scruffy beards and leather jackets. Justice also revel in the rock 'n' roll imagery, so their live show features a huge backlit cross (pictured at right) and stacks upon stacks of Marshall guitar amps to blow everyone right out of the venue. The band are touring in support of 2007 album †, which spawned the hit single "D.A.N.C.E." and was quite the critical darling as well. Their set at Coachella '07 was widely praised as a festival highlight, so this March gig should be something special.

Formed from the ashes of Split Enz, Crowded House may well have been the best pure pop-rock group of their era. Twenty-two years after their beginnings in Melbourne, Australia, Neil Finn and Nick Seymour have brought back Crowded House's classic songwriting and effortless melodies via a new album and tour. The group disbanded in 1996 and has weathered the shocking suicide of founding member Paul Hester, the disconnect of distance (Finn lives in Auckland,...

Believe It or Not: My Bloody Valentine reuniting for Coachella 2008? Last weekend, the American Psychological Association rejected a moratorium that would have prevented its member psychologists from participating in interrogations at U.S. detention centers in Guantanamo Bay and secret CIA "black sites" around the world. Venetian Macao Aims to Transform Chinese Gambling Enclave Into Full-Fledged Resort City. Leslie Feist, joined onstage by members of Broken Social Scene, The New Pornographers, Grizzly Bear, The...

Since their inception in 2001, Portland's The Decemberists have channeled a unique and wide-ranging set of influences (be it R.E.M., Irish folkfore, or Russian literature) into classic indie-pop that has found a large and fervent fanbase. The group's 2006 major label debut The Crane Wife both amazed and shocked music critics, who loved the material but could hardly believe the band's audacity, as two 11-plus minute epics were featured on the disc. The bold...

We know you've heard the name, and we know you know they're not Japanese. Or police. They're actually just some kids from Canada who met in fourth grade and are living the dream: playing in an awesome, fun, and increasingly popular band. Elementary friends David Monks (vocals, bass), Graham Wright (keyboard), and Josh Hook (guitar) met Greg Alsop (drummer) in high school and formed Tokyo Police Club. Shortly thereafter, and totally out of the...

If you've seen You're Gonna Miss Me, Kevin MacAlester's unflinchingly intimate documentary about the bewildering life and times of Austin's own psychedelic-rock icon Roky Erikson, you were probably left wondering, with good reason, what direction Roky's life took when the cameras stopped rolling. Years of untreated schizophrenia, shock therapy and acid trips had taken such a toll on the erstwhile rock star that he seemed unable--or unwilling--to contemplate life beyond a spacey Grey Gardens-like...

Earlier today, FactoryPeople made the stunning announcement that it will be closing its doors for good on July 15th. The website will continue to operate, along with several temporary "pop-up" stores placed in key cities around the country. The South Congress shop, which launched three and a half years ago, quickly established itself as world-class lifestyle store, garnering national recognition through various "Top Boutique" lists published by Daily News Record, GQ, Seventeen, and Lucky....

Saturday evenings at SXSW are usually a disappointment. Everyone is tired, bands are weary, and lines seem to be at a peak. Last year, our Saturday was completely transformed when we attended Hot Chip's showcase at The Parish. Despite some equipment troubles, the band's mix of electronics, enthusiasm, and tough-guy lyrics had the crowd dancing and roaring approval to the point that the floor quaked. Since then, the group have won NME's single of...

Crowded House released six studio albums during the course of their underrated career. Songwriter and vocalist Neil Finn regularly combined lyrical insight with pop-folk melodies to conjure up many almost classics throughout the band’s hey-day. Although we’re still smarting that “Fall At Your Feet” never broke into the Top 50 on US charts, we can now take comfort in Crowded House’s latest release, a double disc (and DVD) from their last show in Sydney...

Another week has passed, and somehow there's a full Coachella lineup available but still no official word from SXSW. The Austin Chronicle did report that the powers that be intend to issue an official list sometime next week, so in the interim, we bring you round three of our unofficial but quite accurate SXSW 2007 band list. Interesting additions this week include Sloan, The Pipettes, Apples In Stereo, The Rosebuds, Beach House, Robyn Hitchcock,...

For those of us who have tasted the good life--spending some part of our residency in the '04--the idea of living anywhere else in the city can induce sweaty palms and a sincere doubt about the viability of social life beyond Polvo's and bud-induced trips to Homeslice. In recent years however, the popularity of this neighborhood has driven up prices to the point that buying is significantly more expensive than renting, creating a financial...

The first-ever Fun Fun Fun Fest is this Friday, December 1st, at Waterloo Park. Over two dozen great acts are on the bill, including Spoon, Peaches, The Black Angels, Prefuse 73, and DJ Mel. Tickets are $20, and can be purchased online. Octopus Project perform on the Indie stage at 3:30pm. -- The Editors What's your favorite thing about playing festivals? (Or do you prefer not to play them?) Festivals are rad! We very...

Having played an outrageously amazing show at Coachella after winning a MySpace contest they didn't even know about, Austin's The Octopus Project are coming back to their hometown this Saturday to headline at Emo's outside, with Loxsly, Gil Mantera's Party Dream and Featherweight Burden. The trio's been busy these past few months: they played a bunch of well-received shows back at SXSW (prompting Rolling Stone's David Fricke to name them one of his standout bands...

The whole world is at your fingertips. Check it out... Shanghaiist probably knows a little more about China than the Chicago Sun-Times. Giving them the benefit of the doubt on that one. The city does too have a music scene. Don't even front like they don't. They also have Dorito bananas and white guys shopping for wives. What they don't have is any more tolerance for jaywalkers. Bostonist sees Boston and Somerville each whip out...

After 18 bands in a weekend, Austinist is exhausted. Coachella 2006 was everything we thought it would be, only hotter, and with less alcohol (due to the scorching heat) and more drugs (since nobody could drink near the stages). We went in with no set agenda in terms of seeing particular bands - it seemed smarter to just hit whatever struck us right at the time. This strategy worked pretty well, and here's how...

The SWAT standoff off of Riverside yesterday ended in the arrest of a 19-year old who allegedly shot two people overnight-injuries were minor. George W. Bush's visit to India-in hopes of congealing some kind of partnership with the country-is laughable. His next stop is Pakistan where, ironically, he has been deemed as The Most Hated Man. If only we had his confidence, after a 5 year search, Bush insists that Osama Bin Laden will...

After SXSW trashes our fair town, Coachella layers the California desert with dusty beer cans, and Wall of Sound leaves Fort Worth a city ... well, much the same, we're probably heading over to Sasquatch, the annual Pacific Northwest festival at Washingon State's scenic Gorge Amphitheatre. Scheduled to perform during the three-day Memorial Weekend blitz are Austinites Trail of Dead and Iron & Wine, plus a salivatory stew of sweet, sweet bands: FRIDAY, MAY 26...

Our comprehensive theatre guide can be found here M O N D A Y [13][film] Ralph Nelson's "Tick…Tick…Tick" at Drafthouse Downtown (7pm) (link) [film] Alamo Music Mondays presents "Fela Kuti: Music is the Weapon" at Drafthouse Downtown (9:45pm) (link) [comedy] "Richard Pryor Live in Concert" at Drafthouse South Lamar (10:15pm) (link) [film] "Coachella" at Drafthouse Village (9:45pm) (link) T U E S D A Y [14] [party/music] The White Ghost Shivers Valentine's Day Ball at...

Nestled snugly between SXSW and Coachella is Wall Of Sound, a two-day festival at the Ridglea Theatre in Fort Worth. Its goal (stolen from their Myspace profile) is to "shed new light and exposure for emerging local and regional unsigned bands by giving them the opportunity to be showcased along with higher profile national artists on the same stage," and in the process bringing a "respected independent music and arts culture to the city...

Austin is Taradise! And Lance and Sheryl split Congrats to Adlai McMahon, winner of our giveaway contest for Bloc Party's documentary/concert DVD, God Bless Bloc Party! The SXSW Music Festival roster expanded to over 1,100 this week, including such esteemed acts as Morrissey and The Flaming Lips Austinist photographer Matt Wright captures yet another amazing night shot in Austin, as well as some sexy shots of last week's Box Magazine issue release party. The...

Austin City Limits is pretty nifty, we'll admit. But let's face it: the lineup for Coachella, ACL's glammed-up West Coast sibling in the desiccated wastelands near Joshua Tree, has all but reigned supreme these last few years. And this year, they're at it again; earlier this week they announced the full roster for the two-day festival, to be headlined this year by Depeche Mode (huzzah!) and ... Tool (huh?). The entire lineup: Saturday, April...

Waterloo Records, one of our finest independently-owned, nationally-renowned music stores, has been nominated for a prestigious PLUG Independent Music Award, along with Austin festivals SXSW and ACL. Sponsored by URB, Spin, Insound and Evolvs Media, the annual nominees are selected by a group of "writers, DJs, webmasters, bloggers, artists, filmmakers, managers, indie retailers, and most importantly, fans." Now that the lists have been narrowed down to a lucky few in categories such as the...

While we’re on the topic of running, we came across this rather astounding – and uplifting – fundraising event happening at Town Lake this Sunday (courtesy Freescale Marathon's site):Beginning at 5am, Austinites Dr. Alan Brock and Jay Hilscher will be running for sixteen straight hours around Town Lake in order to raise funds for Hurricane Katrina victims. 5am? 16 hours of running?? Both are figures that our vice-addled brains simply cannot comprehend. We salute...

Latin rock band Cafe Tacvba will be performing at two venues in our fair city. Their first show will be at Austin City Limits on Monday, July 11. Don't think you can get tickets to that show? Wipe those tears away because they will also be performing on Tuesday at Stubb's BBQ. Are you weary about going to see a band whose lyrics are entirely in Spanish? Fear not, because we know that music...

Two great shows coming to town this weekend: Check out Bright Eyes, The Faint, and openers Airborn Audio on Saturday night at Stubb's. We were there for the start of Bright Eyes' Digital Ash in a Digital Urn tour at Coachella last month, which featured a pretty nifty multimedia setup synchronized to the synthesized beats. Our friend was mildly dismayed by Conor Oberst's attempt to assemble a massive ensemble - from the far end...