JayeL Audio

A lot have people have criticized the resurrection of Music Midtown. All I can say is:
A) Its the largest festival in Atlanta and you don’t have to drive 4 hours away
B) The ticket cost is about what Coldplay would cost to see on their own and probably what Black Keys fans will be paying soon
C) Even if you don’t enjoy Coldplay, the Black Keys know what they are doing (and don’t have an ATL stop otherwise)
D) The smaller bands are much better than you think. I guarantee you’ve heard Young the Giant’s “My Body”, The Joy Formidable have been getting rave reviews on the road and The Postelles blew me away earlier this year
E) Support Atlanta artists. Manchester Orchestra and The Constellations have been paying dues for awhile and are sure to put on a good show
F) Band of Skulls might be the sleeper band of the lineup with their bluesy garage rock. They’ll make an excellent appetizer for The Black Keys
G) Turns out Cage the Elephant have more in their arsenal than “Ain’t No Rest For The Weekend”. Check out their latest album Thank You Happy Birthday
H) Music Midtown takes place in the most beautiful park in Atlanta, Piedmont Park
I) Organizers know its not the “old Music Midtown”, but it is a start that could lead to something bigger and better. In the state that the music industry is currently, there is no way that would be possible. Why do you think fests like Bonnaroo and Lolla cost so much.

Bottom line: If you don’t like it, don’t go. Maybe this link will brighten your day instead.
That is all. See you at Piedmont Park in September.

Music Midtown 2K11 – DOWNLOAD (.rar)
1. Coldplay – Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall
2. Coldplay – Lost!
3. Coldplay – God Put A Smile Upon Your Face (live)
4. Coldplay – Strawberry Swing
5. Coldplay – Violet Hill
6. The Black Keys – Chop and Change
7. The Black Keys – I Got Mine
8. The Black Keys – Strange Desire
9. The Black Keys – She’s Long Gone
10. Cage the Elephant – Shake Me Down
11. Cage the Elephant – Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked
12. Cage the Elephant – Around My Head
13. The Joy Formidable – Whirring
14. The Joy Formidable – Austere
15. The Joy Formidable – A Heavy Abacus
16. Young the Giant – St. Walker
17. Young the Giant – My Body
18. Band of Skulls – I Know What I Am
19. Band of Skulls – Friends
20. Band of Skulls – Light of the Morning
21. Manchester Orchestra – April Fool
22. Manchester Orchestra – Pensacola
23. The Constellations – Felicia
24. The Constellations – We’re Here To Save The Day
25. Mona – Listen To Your Love
26. The Postelles – White Night
27. The Postelles – 123 Stop

Pick-up your tickets here and view the schedule here.
Comment aplenty below, por favor.

So this is happening…

WHAT: Music Midtown 2011
WHERE: Piedmont Park, Atlanta, GA
WHEN: Saturday, September 24th, Noon to 11pm
LINEUP: Coldplay, The Black Keys, Cage the Elephant, Manchester Orchestra, Young the Giant, The Joy Formidable, Band of Skulls, The Constellations, The Postelles, Mona
ABOUT: Music Midtown returns in a one-day, two stage format at one of the nicest parks in the Southeast, Piedmont Park. Attendance is expected to be capped at 55,000.
TICKETS: $55 GA, $250 VIP, $1,000 Super VIP (plus fees). On sale here on Sat, July 16th at 10am.
ACCOMMODATIONS: Plenty of hotels in Atlanta
MY TAKE: Of all the things I hear about that I missed in the Atlanta days of old (Buckhead’s party scene, OutKast shows), Music Midtown was the one thing I really wanted to see. Though not in its original form, Live Nation and the city have revived the fest for another round. The new Music Midtown won’t be as large previous years when it peaked at 300,000 (rivaling Bonnaroo) and had six stages over three days, but the current one day format at $55 seems like a steal. A Coldplay arena show could certainly cost more than that.
If you haven’t seen Piedmont Park, it is a massive jewel park for the city and 55,000 should be a manageable sized affair (festival map here). Other than Coldplay and the Black Keys, organizers went with a solid indie/up-and-coming line-up that aligns with their “scaled down” approach. I love the fact that they included two buzzing homegrown ATL acts in Manchester Orchestra and The Constellations. Let’s also not forget that this year’s fest will take place in September, which should be much cooler than sometimes sweltering May. Live Nation is also trying to secure a Friday, single act show as well. I would imagine the smaller size festival is largely due to recent Screen On The Green problems, but it this year goes well, who knows where this could lead.
AM I ATTENDING: Hell yes and so are you. We’ll talk about our plans soon.

Leave your comments and musings below. Michigan friends can also place reservations for a weekend in the “A”.

WHAT: DeLuna Fest 2011
WHERE: Pensacola Beach, FL
WHEN: October 13th-16th
INITIAL LINE-UP: Weezer, Jane’s Addiction, Cake, Big Boi, Stars, Matt and Kim, Cut Copy, Mute Math, Airborne Toxic Event, New Pornographers, Manchester Orchestra, Cold War Kids, Ra Ra Riot, Ghostland Observatory, JJ Grey & Mofro, Wanda Jackson, The Hood Internet, Ladytron, the Constellations and more
ABOUT: The second year for another beach festival not far from, but very different from Hangout. Festival grounds are located near three resorts and have positioned DeLuna as an affordable, but luxurious alternative to fests in mountains, deserts or fields.
TICKETS: Tickets are $149 for a three day pass and VIP is $800 (includes VIP lounges, premium viewing areas, top shelf booze and more)
ACCOMMODATIONS: Since DeLuna takes place on the beach in and around resorts, it only makes sense to stay on site, right? There are various VIP packages that include tickets and can be found here. If VIP isn’t your thing, there are plenty of hotels in the area.
MY TAKE: Thats more like it DeLuna. While I’m inclined to enjoy almost any form of live music on the beach, last year’s line-up for DeLuna Fest was a little too 1990′s rock radio for me. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still get caught humming STP’s “Interstate Love Song” now and again but other than the sunshine/beach factor, Michael Franti, Edward Sharpe and a few others it just wasn’t a good fit for my taste.

Flash forward to 2011 and I believe organizers made a phenomenal improvement from last year. A solid mix of “legacy” bands like Jane’s Addiction and Cake, with historic acts that are still current like Weezer and Big Boi (you know he’ll play some OutKast jams). Throw in some legit indie performers like Cut Copy, Stars, The New Pornographers (with Neko Case? I hope), Matt & Kim, Ladytron, Cold War Kids, The Hood Internet and Ra Ra Riot and rising acts like Airborne Toxic Event, Manchester Orchestra and the Constellations and you are looking a quite a fun beach party. Honestly, what could be better than Cut Copy on THE BEACH?
AM I ATTENDING?: I think I definitely would….but I’ll be relaxing on the beach in Playa Del Carmen that weekend celebrating my honeymoon. You should go for me. Thanks.

One of my new found friends who writes for Paste, Consequence of Sound and other music outlets was able to interview Girl Talk at Hangout Music Festival. Pretty cool interview and just shows how down to Earth Gregg Gillis is. Nice work Scotty.

Also, if you’re need of some quality PR, check out Greenberg Palmer – Boutique Public Relations.

Look for my rundown of the second annual Hangout Music Festival soon…

Tickets and shuttle pass are printed, bags are packed, Jen has arrived, and the route has been mapped out. I think that means its almost May 20th. If I had an away reply for this website, it would probably read: I’ll be out of the office from Friday, May 20th until Monday, May 23rd enjoying the hell out of the 2nd annual Hangout Music Festival. Yes, I will be on the beach in Gulf Shores, AL listening to the likes of Cee-Lo, The Black Keys, My Morning Jacket, Girl Talk and Foo Fighters with my feet in the sand and a cold Coors Light in my hand (with a koozie, of course).

If you aren’t able to attend, but still would like to be part of the festivities, you can download the mixtapes and watch the streaming video provided by iClips.

Talk to you Tuesday,
JayeL

Here it is. 3 playlists featuring bands from all three days of the upcoming festival in Gulf Shores, AL. This obvsiously isn’t all the music you’ll hear, but hopefully it will be a lot of it. I could have made a disc of just Black Keys and Cee-Lo tracks, but tried to go for a few that I haven’t listened to in a minute. Days 2 and 3 seem particularly impressive, but I have to say I’m pretty excited for My Morning Jacket on Friday. Consider MMJ, JJ Grey & Mofro and Big Gigantic the new acts I’m looking forward to most. Of course, The Black Keys, Girl Talk, Foo Fighters and Cee Lo are my most anticipated overall. I’m not sure I can wait an entire month, but I guess I will have to.

Hangout Music Fest 2K11 Mixtape
Day 1 (.rar)
-featuring Widespread Panic, My Morning Jacket, Sts9, Bassnectar, Grace Potter, Umphreys, Soja, Railroad Earth and Beats Antique
Day 2 (.rar)
-featuring Foo Fighters, Flaming Lips, Avett Brothers, Cee Lo, Pretty Lights, Slightly Stoopid, Medeski Martin & Wood, Big Gigantic, Xavier Wood, Minus the Bear, Dead Confederate and Mariachi El Bronx
Day 3 (.rar)
-featuring Paul Simon, The Black Keys, Michael Franti, Girl Talk, Ween, Matisyahu, Drive By Truckers, Old Crow Medicine Show, JJ Grey & Mofro, Galactic and Portugal. The Man

Thanks to Jenny, Josh, Tom, Sara, Phil and newcomer Danny G for providing all the sounds I didn’t know already.

Now that the duplex (with a pool!) has been secured, tickets have been purchased, vacation days approved and most of the artists have been announced, its time to breakdown this year’s Hangout Music Fest. Not only is it the 2nd year for this unique festival, its even bigger than 2010’s inagural event. An air conditioned tent will serve as a 5th stage, Hammock Beach will be even better with a “music lagoon” complete with shade and hammocks and a newly erected tower will showcase 360 views. I like the sounds of all of those things.

The main dish people have been salivating over though is the line-up. Not only are acts like Girl Talk, Michael Franti, Matisyahu and Keller Williams returning, but the organizers went an got heavy hitters like Paul Simon, Foo Fighters, Black Keys with plenty of appeal for everyone. Hangout Fest still definitely leans on the “jam band” side of acts though. Something I’m very interested in, but never got into for some reason. 3rd headliner, Widespread Panic has a banner in Philips Arena for 15 consecutive sell outs, but I haven’t seen them yet. Other names jam aficionados might recognize are Umphrey’s McGee, Warren Hayes Band (also an Allman Brother), Slightly Stoopid (might be similar to Ozomatli), Big Gigantic and eletronic instrumentalists STS9. Other instrumentalist groups like Galactic and Medeski, Martin and Wood should add some jazz/funk to the jam list. Its almost as if Hangout organizers (similar to Wakarusa, Mountain Jam and others) are carrying the Bonnaroo torch as jam festivals. I’m sure there are heavier jam music gatherings, but now that Bonnaroo is essentially a pop/indie fest, the market is open.

Aside from the jam bands, there is plenty of other fun to be had. On the southern rock front, I’m obviously most excited for Black Keys (Lolla ‘08 was ridiculous) and Athens-stalwarts Drive-By Truckers, but JJ Grey & Mofro have been getting lots of play lately (thanks Jenny!). The Avett Brothers have certainly caused a stir since their recent live DVD and performance at the Grammy’s and I’m sure will be worth they hype in person. Flaming Lips are making good on their cancellation from last year, Old Crow Medicine Show have some joints and My Morning Jacket have to be good, right?

Cee-Lo will certainly wow with his soulful and eclectic catalog. Minus the Bear, Ween and Portugal. the Man should hold it down on the alt rock tip and I fully expect Foo Fighters to take me back to middle school nostalgia. I’m truly looking forward to the electronic music artists though. Gregg Gillis (uh duh), but Bassnectar and Pretty Lights wouldn’t have the following they’ve acquired without a ragin’ live show. I’m event at the late night shows this year with Bassnectar on Friday (tickets) and Pretty Lights on Saturday (tickets).

If you can have any reservations about listening to live music on the beach, my only complaints are the lack of hip-hop (again) and indie bands. I give Hangout credit though, they have themselves a pretty unique venue and line-up that should be commended. If I really wanted a mix of hip-hop and indie there are 20 other options I could jet to. Nothing wrong with a weekend of new music to enjoy next to the Gulf.

I’m not going to obsess about the daily line-up yet. F.Y.I. its not a schedule unless you list times and stages, Hangout. The only potential obstacles I see are if Cee-Lo/Avett Brothers or Girl Talk/Black Keys crossover. At least the artist alignment confirmed our group’s decision to stay Sunday (instead of Thursday). COUNTING DOWN TO MAY 20TH!!!!

Head to Hangout Music Fest’s official site for more details on Lodging, Tickets ($175+fees), Shuttles and more. Go here to see my recap of last year’s event.
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P.S. I’m working on mixtape to coincide with the 3 days of sun, sand and music. However, I’m not too proud to say I’m gonna need some help this year. I’m familiar with many of the acts at this year’s Hangout, but I need some song suggestions/mp3s for the following:
-Widespread Panic
-My Morning Jacket
-STS9
-Bassnectar
-Warren Hayes Band
-Ween
-Brandi Carlile
-Xavier Rudd
-Railroad Earth
-Big Gigantic
-Dead Confederate
-Jonathan Tyler & Northern Lights
-Mariachi El Bronx
-Civil Twilight

Thanks for the help and look for a mixtape in the next two weeks!

Let festival season commence. My favorites are “Rapper Hanging With The Indie Kids”, “Bearded Assholes From Ohio” and “Tenacious D” are my favorites. *laughs in Aziz Ansari voice* Thanks for sending along Thomas.

2010 was an unbelievable year for concerts this year. Not only did I attend more shows this year (10 shows, 1 festival), the quality of acts I witnessed were pretty amazing. Regrettably, I missed Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem, but I think I did quite well for myself.
8. Vonnegutt – Smith’s Old Bar -11/24/10
Another typically solid and tight show by Vonnegutt, but Big Boi came out and tore thru “Follow Us”.
7. Chromeo (and Holy Ghost!) – The Masquerade – 8/27/10
A truly great show, but maybe the novelty of their live show has worn off since I saw them at Lolla ’08.
6. Yeasayer – The Masquerade – 4/6/10
Its usually tough to compare a festival appearance to a band’s solo date, but Yeasayer greatly improved from Lolla ’08. Their Atlanta stop featured material mostly from Odd Blood which resulted in much more dancing than I imagined. “I Remember” was the highlight of many sing-alongs.
5. Passion Pit – The Tabernacle – 6/9/10
Fantastic music and a sweltering sweat fest on June 9th. Tabernacle was at capacity and Michael Angelakos had the audience singing nearly every note of every track from Manners and a Cranberries cover. Seeing the crowd’s neck-jerk reaction to “Sleepyhead” is something thats tough to describe but memorable to see.
Also, I know I’m in the minority here, but this was the show that made me realize I’m not a big fan of Tabernacle. It holds a ton of people and is a historic backdrop, but I kind of think the sound sucks. I originally just assumed that it sounded so bad at Kid Cudi in ’09 was due to what I like to call the “rapper effect”. I’m not a sound expert by any means, but if I didn’t know Manners so well, I would have had struggles deciphering one song from the next.
4. Matt & Kim – The Masquerade – 10/16/10
I had expected the constant perma-grin emitting from Matt & Kim, but what I didn’t expect was the infectious energy that didn’t stop until the last note. Matt screamed lyrics while kicking one leg in the air and turned the Masquerade into a synth factory. Kim destroyed every beat on the drums, cover Alice Deejay’s “Better Off Alone” and booty danced on top the crowd to Major Lazer’s “Pon De Floor”. The crowd was sweating and smiling nearly as much as Matt & Kim were.
3. Local Natives – The Masquerade – 5/1/10
If not for the next two massive musical events, Local Natives would have been the best show I saw all year. Let me rephrase that, one of their two shows I attended, would have been the best show I saw all year. I am more partial to the May concert (the first, obviously), but both were amazing. I bought our tickets at the last minute and it was a relevation afterward at how talented these guys are. The harmonies are even more impressive in person and the drum fest at the end of the show for “Sun Hands” is something all should witness.
2. Hangout Music Fest – Gulf Shores, AL – 5/14-5/17/10
Two days at the inaugural Hangout Music Fest was quite a success, so I can’t imagine how great Sunday would have been like. Torrential derailed the 3rd day of the Gulf Shores, AL festival, but I had already saw great performances from the likes of Robert Randolph & the Family Band, The Roots and Rodrigo y Gabriela. John Legend, The Black Crowes and Zac Brown Band were relatively disappointing, but my front row spot for Girl Talk outshined any miscues. It was such a great experience that I already have tickets to 2011….who’s comin’ with me?
1. Jay-Z – Philips Arena – 2/27/10
Definitely one of my favorite shows and probably one of my best birthday gifts ever. Jay-Z defined what a true entertainer is at Philips one February night. Balancing an apt number of tracks from Blueprint 3 and a hit parade from his decade plus career, there was certainly something for everyone. The opening hand claps of “Run This Town” gave me goosebumps, the crowd lost their minds when “On To The Next One” dropped and the plethora of classics like “Can I Live”, “Jigga My N****”, and “Dirt Off Your Shoulders” was spectacular.

What shows did you attend in 2010? List your top concerts in the comments.

I wrote this a few weeks after the actual festival, but wasn’t sure if I should post it. At this point, this is post is for when I’m old and can’t remember what Hangout Fest was. Here goes…
Considering I had been planning and counting down since Feb., I was more than ready to get to Gulf Shores. Our group of 11 found a nice beach house, a block from the white sandy coast and a half mile from The Hangout. Perfect for walking to and from either destination.
The set-up for The Hangout was one of the main draws to the inaugural fest and proved worth of the hype. The check-in area looked similar to all the major festivals I’d seen with a canvas banner above the main entrance. The similarities stopped there. After passing thru security, I was immediately greeted with a giant “hang loose” sculpture and a giant turquoise beach chair, with the Gulf as a backdrop. The Hangout’s set up had 4 stages: Hangout aka main stage, Verizon, Playstation and Jambase stages. Hangout and Verizon all allowed your feet to sink in the white sand, while taking in the music. While Playstaion was located in a small parking lot and Jambase was attached to the Hangout restaurant for indoor seating and some sand.
Friday: After a day at the beach, some of us headed to the fest around 4:30. We were just in time to catch Robert Randolph and the Family Band. Amazingly, we were able to walk straight up to the front on the right side of the Verizon stage. Perfect viewing for the talented band and Robert Randolph’s ridiculous work on the slide guitar. Next up, we crossed from one end of the grounds to the other and took in Black Crowes on the main Hangout stage. I was surprisingly underwhelmed as Chris Robinson danced around like a hippie, but didn’t really do much else. Maybe the band picked up steam later in the set, but we left early to get a prime spot for Girl Talk. I still prefer Girl Talk shows indoors, but I don’ think you could ask for a more intimate festival performance. Mr. Gillis announced to the crowd that he almost didn’t make it due to flight troubles, chugged a beer and quickly got fans dancing. Light crowds again allowed us to move to the front row with ease and made for one of the most enjoyable sets I’ve seen him peform. Girl Talk got rousing reactions from Rihanna, The OJays and closed strong with John Lennon’s “Imagine”. Hopefully, next time he’ll play on one of the beach stages. Friday closed with Zac Brown Band which was great when they kept things upbeat, but the slow country jams made me exit before the fireworks. Good thing I could hear the final songs as I walked towards my temporary home.
Saturday: We caught the early set from Ozomatli, a latin/hip-hop band that was perfect for the sun and sand. One of the coolest moments of The Hangout came when the band played their last song two steps in front of us in the sand. Can’t say I’ve ever seen that at a festival. We took a break at the house until Rodrigo y Gabriela came on near 5pm. I knew they were a must-see, but couldn’t believe how engaged they got the crowd. Seeing their guitar skills up close and personal was unreal. Gabriela sort of stole the show between her percussion work on the base of her guitar and beauty. The duo looked genuinely happy to be playing on the beach and played like it on closer, “Tamacun”. Our group rallied at the Hangout restaurant/Jambase stage to refuel. Nashville-based band Moon Taxi was finishing their set and I immediately noted to check them out more. One of my most anticipated sets of the night came from the legendary Roots. I was pretty much in awe for their entire 90 minutes. Black Thought commands a crowd like few MC’s that I’ve seen, while Questlove quietly directed from the elevated drum kit. The unsung member may have been the tuba player though as he playfully won over the crowd. At one point, Black Thought took a page from Aziz Ansari and proclaimed “Who can top that shit? Who can top that shit?” Headliner John Legend really couldn’t match The Roots energy and pretty much crooned to the older folks in the audience. “Green Light” was a nice way to relax on the beach though.
Sunday: After sleeping thru what sounded like a hurricane, it was time to pack up for the day. A 10:30am check out made for a tiring morning, but we parked close to The Hangout and made our way to the first act of the day. Light sprinkles of rain at the entrance was only a hint of what was to come. ALO put on a surprisingly pleasant set at the PS3 stage as the precipitation intensified. Our group gathered at the main stage as Keller Williams strummed and bounced around behind a tarp of covered instruments. There I’ll always remember standing in a monsoon unlike I’ve ever witnessed. 6 hour drive plus a thunderstorm meant better luck next time. We later found out the fest had to be evacuated for a couple hours, before the music resumed. Sets from Matisyahu, Ben Harper, Michael Franti, Guster were delayed and admission to the fest was opened up to the general public free of charge.

Next time, I would most likely plan to go Friday to Monday, but we couldn’t really foresee rain so much in advance. I still saw most of the artists I wanted to on the first two days of the festival and didn’t even show up at the grounds until 4:30-ish. I don’t know if I’ll ever have a chance to see bands at a fest as close as I did at The Hangout. Attendance was nowhere near the size of Lollapalooza and the other big fests and it was one of the best perks of The Hangout.
Counting down ’til The Hangout Fest 2011…..