Hot on the heels of Jen’s glowing review of 311’s set and Lango, it’s 3-11 Day!! This year marks the return of the celebratory bi-annual marathon concert to New Orleans (it was held in Memphis in 2006). So, to celebrate, I’m offering you some of my favourite 311 tracks for your auditory enjoyment.

First off, “Life’s Not a Race” from 1999’s SoundSystem. Jen’s got a crush on P-Nut, this song makes me fall in love with guitarist Tim Mahoney. The song isn’t entirely typical of 311 lead guitar playing, in fact it kind of reeks of Santana, but I don’t care. Mahoney puts it down and I like it.

Displaying another distinctly different approach to guitar is “Use of Time” from 1997’s Transistor. This song always struck me as unique for it’s strummed guitar opening, closest I’ve heard 311 get to an acoustic number. It’s super-atmospheric, which is one of the reasons that Transistor is my favourite 311 record. And also, Mahoney hits it hard again with some soaring solo action.

Rounding out MahoneyFest ‘08 is Evolver’s “Beyond the Gray Sky.” It’s got a great dynamic, moving from slinky verse to sweeping chorus. One closer listen, it’s not really lead heavy, but it’s still kickin’ and fairly catchy, and fitting now that the weather here is lightening up a smidge. Excellent.

Happy 311ing!!

311 Official | 3-11 Day Unofficial | 311 MySpasm

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 311 - Life's Not a Race: Play in Popup | Download
 311 - Use of Time: Play in Popup | Download

Here’s a couple of comments on each concert I saw. Good/bad, audience, etc.

THURSDAY 

Les Claypool - Awesome live. Heard so much stuff about Claypool, about him being an awesome bassplayer, etc. We were a bit far in the back, but I think he was wearing a pig mask? Sheesh. Good stuff. I liked the more funky stuff he played, which was a couple of songs. Good introduction to the festival, for real. No pictures, though, because it was rainy and digital cameras + rain = upset Jen.

FRIDAY

Brett Dennen - went to the see these guys because my best friend had a song up on her MS page that I liked. Really the only reason. And I LOVED these guys. So chill, laidback, happy music. Gets you bopping, sing-a-longie, and all fronted by a guy that looks like Chuckie from Rugrats, all growed up. Their guitar player isn’t too shabby. I liked how he brought out the lap guitar and played it unobtrusively with the rest of the band. And the whole band was having a good time playing, which I think is really important. I’ve seen bands before where they all look pissed off that their there. These guys were happy, so the crowd was feeling good and not obnoxious, too. Definitely looking more into these guys.

Sam Bush - I read the artist info in the booklet, and Sam Bush sounded good. So we headed over there and were completely stoked. Good bluegrassy music. All these guys were rocking and rolling, too, total positive vibes from the whole stage. Sam was a talker, too, he talked to the audience a bit, which I like. Also checking these guys out.

The Wailers - I thought I saw these guys at Bonnaroo, and then I realized that I saw Ziggy Marley. Good classic reggae…and Matisyahu got on stage with them to sing ‘No Woman No Cry’, which was pretty awesome. Songs were a bit drawn out, though.

G. Love and Special Sauce - only saw these guys for a few minutes before we got bored and headed elsewhere. I think they are probably good listening electronically, but live…..bleh. Wasn’t digging it. It was so chill I didn’t want to watch shit. I just wanted to lay in a hammock.  I’ve been wanting to see these guy live for some time, because I heard awesome things. And their on JJ’s record label, worth checking out, and I’ve heard their stuff before on some of JJ’s surf soundtracks. But….bleh.

311 - This was the surprise concert of the festival, like the White Stripes at the Roo last year. Never seen either live, and they both fucking rocked my socks off. I like 311, but I’m not a diehard fan who knows all their music. The crowd went nuts for these guys, and about 2 rows in front of me, there was even a mosh pit. I kept cringing every time a guy got thrown towards us. I didn’t know whether to hide behind Wade, or get in front of him.  311 was super energetic. Like, they have serious stamina, and try really hard to put on the best show. I fell in love with their bass player, because not only was he freaking cute and bit his tongue a lot, but he was wearing a black basketball shirt, big white basketball shorts, black socks, and big white sneakers. And he kept like jigging his feet around in a way that I found quite adorable. And his skills aren’t too bad, either.  Had a good time here.

The Roots - came on 30 minutes late. After that, I didn’t really want to see them anymore, and the first song they opened with sucked, so we left. I had seen them at the Roo anyways, they were much better there.

Beastie Boys - I think Wade enjoyed this more than me, because he’s the fan, and I’m one mildly knows the Boys. The crowd at this show was the worst. It was like everyone was hopped up on the same crap that made them belligerent and nasty. I didn’t enjoy this show so much, because of the crowd, and I was super tired. According to Wade, they played a good mix of new and old stuff. They did Intergalactic and Sabotage, but did some of their jazzy stuff from Ill Communication and their new album.

SATURDAY

The Avett Brothers - got canceled. Stuck in a traffic jam.

Citizen Cope - chill music anyhow, so this made for a chill show. Not much energy here, but I had a good time. There were a lot more CC fans there than I expected. He played some new stuff, and some of his more popular songs.  And honestly, I’m not even sure why he plays the guitar.

Ben Folds - we wanted to see but missed to go back to the camp and get changed into something warmer. Heard a bit here and there, but that was it. Damon will kill me.

Thievery Corporation - definitely one of the best shows the whole festival. Equipped with 3 different singers, 3 guys who sung and rapped, and a freaking belly dancer. Nice and loud, good crowd, and great combination of older stuff with new, groovy stuff we could dance to.

Matisyahu - huge crowd for this one, so we ended up chilling in the back. We didn’t stay for the whole show, because what we heard wasn’t what I was expecting, and by that, I thought the show would be more energetic, louder, etc.

REM - totally thought we were going to see REM, and we totally skipped on it. Wade realized that he pretty much didn’t like REM, and I wasn’t too bothered by it. I like REM, but I’m not a fan who has followed their music since the early 90’s or anything, so we headed back to camp and listened to them while eating tomato soup. The first thing we heard was Michael Stipe say “Children of Langerado….come to me!” Weird.

SUNDAY

Keller Williams - word of mouth had us check out Keller Williams. I guess he’s impressive because he does all his music by himself, but that doesn’t necessarily mean his music is that great. I might have better luck listening to his studio stuff.

Minus the Bear - saw these guys by special request of a mutal friend of ours, who really digs these guys. The crowd here was mellow and really young, and the music was decent, but nothing to write home about.

Ani Di Franco - definitely an awesome way to end our Langerado experience. I told Wade beforehand that the crowd here was going to be a horde of women, ecstatic to see Ani in all her super-woman splendor, and he was still surprised. There was tons of women there in skirts, short hair, pink hair, dreads, etc, all dancing around like fairies (I quote Wade) and going wild and singing EVERY single lyric to all the songs she played. Not only did I enjoy the songs I knew, but Ani played some new ones, about Hurricane Katrina, being a mum, and being happy, that were super fun and thoughtful. Makes me want to break out my Ani tracks all over again. Crowd here was great. Happy women, and lots of kids, here, too. I danced around the most at this concert compared to the rest, and had an awesome time. Rode out of Langerado on a feminist high, which is always good times.

Langerado Photos Slideshow (Opens in New Window)

Langerado Website 

 Beastie Boys - Electric Worm [3:16m]: Play in Popup | Download (161)
 Thievery Corporation - Revolution Solution (feat Perry Farrell) [3:42m]: Play in Popup | Download

It is the recovering Monday after Langerado, and I’m still in the process of working out the kinks in my muscles and uploading photos. Also, not killing my cat, who is overjoyed to see me and Wade (more me) and keeps cheerleading her way around my apartment. Noisily. Not to mention her kneading my sunburn. In case you don’t know what that’s like, let me tell you…its fucking horrible.

Langerado, as a whole, was a good experience. There were a few downers and things I didn’t like, but overall, I had an awesome time. Got to see some great bands plays, had some great neighbors camped next to me, did a good deed, and got to hang out with my boyfriend the whole time, and he is always making me laugh.

Let’s get the nasty out of the way first:

• 25,000 people and….ONE podable water drinking station. One that was not a well, it was a tanker that had to be refilled, and on Saturday morning was empty. Which to me, when you’re talking about the essence of life, you should never have it run dry. Also, when the dirty hippies want to shower under it, let them. You’re doing the world a favor.
• Programs and maps were not given out at the station where you drive in and get your wristbands. I found one at the Official Merchandise Tent, and whenever I had mine out, I had about 20 people ask me where I got it.
• The map was wrong. It had ice and water marked on the map in the wrong places. Which is a little ridiculous, I think. Especially the WATER part.
• Definitely not enough trash cans and recycling bins. Don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of them, but considering the amount of people that were there, drinking beer, water, etc, you need more if you don’t want the area in front of your stages to look like a landfill.

Non-Langerado-staff-related bad stuff:

• I got a freaking sunburn, because apparently when Coppertone claims to be SPF 30, what it really means is “you are spraying cold shit on your back, and it won’t do a damn thing. Enjoy skin cancer.”
• I got bit by fire ants. My left foot is still swollen. I’m okay with that, though. I’m from Florida, it happens.
• It torrentially downpoured the first night, and the second. I mean STORMS. People’s tents were flying, because I guess they thought their air mattress would keep the tent down….
• The third night, Saturday, was BALLS COLD. Like, below 50 degrees. And I was in shorts. We went back to camp to change into warmer clothes, saw some of Matisyahu, and skipped REM so we could huddle in the back of my Jeep with the heat on and eat hot tomato soup. And then froze our asses off in our tent. I didn’t go to sleep until my exhausted mind figured out that my face was keeping me awake because it was so cold, so I stuck it under the covers and finally had some semblance of not-as-fucking-cold-as-outside-of-the-covers.
• The “HELL YEAH FUCK YEAH” girl. We called her that, because with a the exception of about 10 other words, that is all she would say. At the top of her lungs. I’m not kidding. At 3am. Across from my tent. “Hell yeah to the fuck yeah to the hot MAMAS!” “I’m LOVING YOOO, family! Fuck yeah, I’m LOVING YOOO!” “FUCK YEAH FREE CIGARETTES!” “OWOWOWOWOOOO FUCK YEAH!” I could go on, but I don’t want to. Unfortunately, I didn’t see her after that night of keeping me up for hours with her incessant yelling. She didn’t ever talk, just scream. And either “fuck yeah” or “hell yeah” was in every sentence. And I am NOT exaggerating. I told Wade if I saw her again, I was going to punch her in the face, and as she hit the floor, scream “FUCK YEAH” in her face. But we didn’t see her. Sigh.

We had some kickass neighbours, they were from Georgia. We shared a tarp for shade and used their grill when ours wasn’t working. They were chill, and not noisy. Stayed pretty clean throughout most of the festival. I always use Bonnaroo as my reference, because that was the dirtiest I’ve ever gotten. The rain at Langerado actually helped, kept the dirt and dust down, but then, it caused some mud. The weather was nice for the most part, with the exception of the rain and the freeze on Saturday. I saw lots of people from up north, because when it was 80 degrees, they were stretched out in bathing suits napping, because they were hot. I also saw (HAHA) people crowded around a fence. Me and Wade went to investigate, and discovered that they were watching some trappers handle alligators in a little pond. And people were ‘wowing’. We just kept walking and laughing at the tourists.

They had a smoker’s lounge, sponsored by American Spirits. Way cool, had couches and free samples of cigarettes. Like, they gave you two packs of cigarettes each day you went in there. Which is cool not only because they’re free smokes, but because I actually got to try more American Spirits, a ciggie brand I really like.

I got a free tube of Raspberry Mint toothpaste from Nature’s Gate, and a free beer cozy, keychain, and bag from Crocs. Apparently Crocs are a big thing, I’d never heard of them until like 2 weeks ago when I asked someone what kind of ugly shoes they were wearing. Free stuff FTW.
I picked up a pretty mousepad with a design by Katzinn on it for only ten bucks. There were two veggie places to eat at, which was way cool (to me, anyway, because I’m vegan). The staff was friendly on all the grounds, so were the cops that I talked to. Apparently the cops were busting a lot more people than expected. Generally at festies its common knowledge that, drugs are everywhere. A couple of busts is expected, but there seemed to be a lot more than a couple at this one. The first night we were there, we were watching Les Claypool and my boyfriend helped drag a guy who had passed out out of the crowd and bring them to the medics.

Also, I’d like to point out that I’m a decent person. Sort of. At a veggie place where we got some food, the food was 7 dollars. I handed the guy a 20, and he handed me 3 ones, and a hundred for change. I gave it back to him, even though I had ample opportunity to walk out with it. I went back, gave him his hundred dollar bill (sigh), and got ten dollars in return. Being nice sucks.

Concert reviews, pictures, mp3s forthcoming…..

A week ago today a bunch of rock legends came to town. Boise-based indie kids Built to Spill and Arizona-native original alt-country/cow-punk drunkards the Meat Puppets. I saw Built to Spill because I was supposed to. I was really there for the Meat Puppets and, even though Cris Kirkwood looks like a zombie muppet, they did not disappoint.

Playing songs from various stages of the band’s career, including all three songs that Nirvana made famous on their Unplugged in New York album (they all come from Meat Puppets II) , the Puppets set was totally worth the price of admission alone. I’m bummed that they didn’t get the chance to play an encore, even though ending the set with “Comin’ Down” and following it up with “Lake of Fire” sure sounded like a closer/encore combo. Beauty, eh?

Built to Spill, well…I only know two songs, and they played one of them, but it was pretty early in the set. It was good music, but I was tired (clubs that make their money on booze do better to let shows run later. I hate it). And though they have a lot of pretty catchy numbers, that’s not really what they’re about these days, and the loyal BtS fans don’t wanna hear that noise anyhow.

So I enjoyed Built to Spill’s jammy bits and went on my way determined to buy the Meat Puppets’ Too High To Die, and album I had taped years back, but wanted on CD. Especially since the song I needed to share with you wasn’t on Dave’s computer or hanging out elsewhere on Internet. So, I present to you “Comin’ Down/Lake of Fire”!! “Lake of Fire,” as I mentioned, was originally released on 1984’s Meat Puppets II, but they re-recorded it in ‘93 as a secret track on Too High to Die. Also, enjoy the Built to Spill song that I know and they played. It’s “Distopian Dream Girl” from ’94’s There’s Nothing Wrong with Love. Good rockin’ times!!

Oh yeah, Built to Spill is gonna be at Langerado, too!

Meat Puppets ‘Space | Meat Puppet Official | O.G. Meat Puppets Official| Built to Spill ‘Space | Built to Spill Official

Buy dat mess, k?

 Built to Spill - Distopian Dream Girl [4:24m]: Play in Popup | Download
 the Meat Puppets - Comin' Down/Lake of Fire: Play in Popup | Download

I might be a bit ballsy, writing a post aimed at being a festival guide when I’m on my way to my second. Ever. But, I learned a lot from the first one and am using that knowledge while preparing for the second one. So, nyah.

Last year I went to Bonnaroo, the year in which The Police and Tool visited, and was awesome in general. All of it. I got to see tons of great bands, and missed some great bands. I also went with a group of 7 people, not including myself. This year I’m headed to Langerado, and just me and the boyfriend are going. Bonnaroo last year was awesome. But I did miss out on somethings because I wasn’t taking as good of care of myself as possible. Camping was slightly awkward, and I was FUCKING hungry the whole time. Unless I had just eaten a veggie corn dog.

ESSENTIALS

Water. No, really, I’m saying water. Someone dies every year at Bonnaroo, and its usually because of heat stroke. The boyfriend and I took water bottles and refilled them at the podable water stations. Two of my friends had Camelpaks. Which was way more convenient, and I’m pretty sure they stayed more hydrated the whole time. Most people wear backpacks to carry their shit around in, so get a Camelpak that is a backpack, equipped with a hydration bladder, also. These run like 30 to 40 bucks, at Walmart. Totally worth it.

Air mattress. I’m a pussy. When you spend the whole day walking around in the sun, at night, when you get back to camp, and have to undress awkwardly in a tent, its all better when you lay down on an air mattress, and your bones won’t feel achy when you wake up. I did this last year and was thankful for it. This year Wade and I bought a double-tall air mattress, a queen size that is 18 inches off the ground, so when Wade makes a 2am run to portajohn to take a piss I don’t wake up because my bony ass hit the cold ground.

Light. Wade and I were woefully unprepared for Bonnaroo, in the camping aspect. Setting up a tent at night before the festival starts with flashlights sucks. Bring a powerful lantern of some kind. Always have flashlights, because making a trip to the portapotty at night can be very nasty if you can’t see what you’re touching. Could be somebody wiped their shit on the walls, you never know. You’re with a bunch of hippies. Also, you can’t have open fires, so you’ve lost that light source, too. This year Wade and I have stocked on flashlights, lanterns, and bought a lantern for the tent that is LED and takes 4 double A’s. It’s bright.

Food. Last year Wade and I brought something like: 2 cans of peas, 1 can of soup, one carton of soymilk, one package of hotdogs….I think that was it. We just didn’t think about food, or how hungry we’d be, trekking around in 95 degree weather from 11:30am to 12pm. The food vendors provide is of course expensive; for a large corndog it was 4 dollars. When you want two of those and theres 2 people, and you’re hungry enough during the day to do that 3 times in the afternoon, thats 25 bucks a day. A hundred bucks in 4 dollar food. This year Wade and I are stocked: hotdogs, cereal, instant oatmeal, granola bars, trailmix, chili, canned vegs, apples, PBJs, applesauce, etc. Enough for us to eat for 4 days without buying anything, but we’re aware we probably will. We just won’t go through all our mad money by buying alligator rice or lemon ices. Maybe we’ll come back with a sitar.

We also forgot a can opener. No one else had one, because everyone else there was an omnivore (we’re vegan) and was eating packaged food. We had to wait for our neighbors to come back before we could eat. That sucked.

Typically, unless you pay, you can’t shower for 4 days. If you’re camping and doing the whole stretch. For 4 days. Bring deodorant, body powder, body spray, something. Bring handiwipes to clean off the dust and caked on sunscreen. It’s disgusting, it sucks, but you suck it up because you’re having a good time. You can still control the dirt and the BO, though. Last year, on Saturday, I ended up forking over 7 dollars and showering in fart-sulfur water for like 15 minutes. It was amazing. Not as amazing as washing the water turn brown at home on Monday though. If you do take a shower, bring a washcloth. Sucks to not have anything but your hands to wash the dirt off.

Also, toilet paper. Yes, the porta potties have TP, but you don’t want to end up in one that has run out. About 65 percent of the people in line in the morning were all armed with TP. Its a good idea. And maybe consider Clorox wipes, or something. To wipe down the seat. You don’t understand. You’re shitting over a hole, and you can see everyone elses ‘crap’. It’ll gross you out, and youll feel better for wiping down SOMETHING while you’re in there.

Multivitamins. Wade and I take multivitamins to ensure we get everything we need. We started doing this when we went vegan. I brought extra, just in case someone wanted one, and whaddya know, every morning when I asked my group if they wanted one, they all rose their hands. They wanted the extra security of their health while they were there. So put ‘em in a ziploc and bring more. Its kinda fun, dealing pills loaded with ginseng and your B vitamins. I shoulda sold them like they were ecstasy.

That’s my take on it. I’m sure I’ll have more wisdom when I get back from this one.

Here’s my total checklist:

TOILETRIES
toothpaste
toothbrushes
deodorant
facewash
tampons/pads (if necc.)

MISC.
birth control
extra pair of contacts
glasses

condoms?

SHOWER
bodywash
washcloth
shampoo
conditioner

CAMPING
tent
air mattress
sheet
blanket
pillows
mallet
lanterns
flashlights
camp stove with extra fuel

GOOD IDEAS
toilet paper
bugspray
sunscreen
first-aid kit
walkie talkies
pen and paper
extra cash
poncho
umbrella for shade
backup batteries
hotpad for handling hot items from stove
stereo for tunes

 Moldy Peaches - Who's Got the Crack: Play in Popup | Download

Alright, alright. So I was planning a series of posts showcasing all the artists playing at Langerado, but that just ain’t happening. I do have a life. A poor, cheap one. That must be lived.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t point out some artists I’m particularly looking forward to checking out!

Definitely seeing:

REM, 311, Beastie Boys, Thievery Corporation, The Roots, Ani DiFranco, Les Claypool, Brett Dennen, Citizen Cope, Blind Melon.

Really gonna try hard to see, if schedules allow it:

Matisyahu, Gov’t Mule, STS9, Minus the Bear, The National, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, G Love, Ben Folds.

I’m pretty sure I’ll be be regretting decisions later. Like, why didn’t I see Rodrigo y Gabriela at the Roo last year? Because I’m an idiot and I was impossibly tired. And I think my liver was shutting down. So I went back to camp. Regrets…

And since all my friends are losers and can’t go to Langerado this year, it looks as though this may be a little vacation for me and the boyfriend. Groups of people are better, but I love just being me with my boyfriend. I’m not sure if swamping it is considered a vacation, but its my idea of fun. I’ve decided that this will be festival this year, because Bonnaroo is looking pretty lame. Pearl Jam is cool and all, but Metallica? If they had their way this website and all the other mp3 blogs wouldn’t exist, so fuck them.

Enjoy the all-encompassingly unrelated mp3.

Langerado

 Worm Is Green - Undercover [3:55m]: Play in Popup | Download