JayeL Audio

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!

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…..

Sure to piss off hippies, jam banders and psychedelic fans attending Hangout Fest next weekend, The Roots will be replacing Flaming Lips on Saturday night (7:15 at Verizon Stage).

After Flaming Lips member Steven Drozd had an unfortunate medical issue come up, the band was forced to cancel a number of dates. Many fest attendees speculated that a cancellation was coming, but an official announcemnt wasn’t made until yesterday. Sorry to those Wayne Coyne & co fans, but….

…Hangout organizers couldn’t have picked a better replacement. I would like to experience the Flaming Lips show once, but this fest was lacking hip-hop. People rave about The Roots’ ability to bring the party, so can you imagine what it will be like on the beach?

Besides, I can cross another name of my hip-hop concert bucket list:
Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg (together) – Up In Smoke Tour
Ice Cube – Up In Smoke Tour
Eminem – Up In Smoke Tour, Anger Mgmt Tour
DMX – Cash Money/Ruff Ryders Tour
Nas – random concert at DTE
Lupe Fiasco – Lollapalooza ’08
Kanye West – Lollapalooza ’08
Jay-Z – Philips Arena, Feb ’10
The Roots – Hangout Fest soon
OutKast – ??

Whether or not there will be an oil clean-up necessary? I’ll kindly worry about that (and help clean) when it happens. No need to speculate right now.

Now that the daily schedule has been released, the 3-day passes have been purchased and the beach house has been rented, its time for a mixtape. By no means is this a summary of all the great music you’re bound to hear if attending The Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, AL during May 14-16th. Nor am I an expert on the 30+ artists performing, but it should be a brief preview of the great weekend to come. Get excited.

The Hangout Music Fest Mixtape ’10
Day 1 Download Link
1. Zac Brown Band – Different Kind of Fine
2. Zac Brown Band – Mary
3. Zac Brown Band – Where The Boat Leaves From
4. Zac Brown Band – Toes
5. Zac Brown Band – Chicken Fried
6. The Black Crowes – Soul Singin’
7. The Black Crowes – Jealous Again
8. The Black Crowes – Hard To Handle
9. The Black Crowes – She Talks to Angels
10. Robert Randolph & the Family Band – I Need More Love
11. Robert Randolph & the Family Band – Peekaboo
12. Girl Talk – Non-Stop Party Now
13. Girl Talk – Pure Magic
14. Girl Talk – Smash Your Head
15. Girl Talk – Still Here
16. Girl Talk – I’m Ill (live)
17. Brett Dennen – Darlin’ Do Not Fear
18. Brett Dennen – Make You Crazy
19. North Mississippi All Stars – Mississippi Boll Weevil
20. Hightide Blues – Dreamin’ Alone

Day 2 Download Link
1. John Legend – Number One ft Kanye West
2. John Legend – Green Light ft Andre 3000
3. John Legend – Let’s Get Lifted
4. John Legend – Used To Love You
5. The Flaming Lips – The Yeah Yeah Song
6. Gov’t Mule – Frozen Fear
7. Gov’t Mule – Steppin’ Lightly
8. Gov’t Mule – Down On The Brazos
9. Jakob Dylan and the Three Legs – Everybody’s Hurting
10. Rodrigo y Gabriela – Diablo Rojo
11. Rodrigo y Gabriela – Tamacun
12. Rodrigo y Gabriela – Buster Voodoo
13. Grace Potter & the Nocturnals – Stop The Bus
14. Ozomatli – Saturday Night
15. Ozomatli – Its Only Paper
16. The Whigs – Hot Bed
17. The Whigs – I Don’t Even Care About The One I Love
18. The Whigs – Kill Me Carolyne
19. Toubab Krewe – Wake Up And Go
20. AA Bondy – Vice Rag
21. The Rustlanders – Holdin’ Out

Day 3 Download Link
1. Trey Anastasio & Tab – Alive Again
2. Ben Harper and the Relentless7 – Keep It Together (So I Can Fall Apart)
3. Ben Harper and the Relentless7 – Shimmer & Shine
4. Ben Harper and the Relentelss7 – Number With No Name
5. Ray Lamontagne – Three More Days
6. Ray Lamontagne – You Are The Best Thing
7. Michael Franti & Spearhead – Say Hey (I Love You)
8. Michael Franti & Spearhead – One Step Closer To You
9. Keller Williams – Doobie In My Pocket (live)
10. Matisyahu – Smash Lies
11. Matisyahu – One Day ft Akon
12. Matisyahu – King Without A Crown
13. Guster – Amsterdam
14. Guster – Bury Me
15. Guster – The Captain
16. OK Go – This Too Shall Pass
17. Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears – B****, I Love You
18. Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears – Sugarfoot
19. ALO – I Love Music
20. Matt Hires – Honey, Let Me Sing You A Song
Are you attending The Hangout? Who are you most excited to see?

What: The Hangout Music and Arts Festival
When: May 14th-16th
Where: Gulf Shores, AL
Headliners: Trey Anastasio and Classic TAB, Zac Brown Band, John Legend, Alison Krauss and the Union Station, The Black Crowes
Line-Up: A.A. Bondy, ALO, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Brett Dennen, Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam, The Flaming Lips, Funky Meters, Girl Talk, Gov’t Mule, Guster, Jerry Jeff Walker, Keller Williams, Mat Hires, Matisyahu, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Moon Taxi, North Mississippi Allstars, OK Go, Orianthi, Ozomatli, The Pnuma Trio, Rachel Goodrich, Ray LaMontagne, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Toubab Krewe, The Whigs
Tickets: 3 day passes $171 (including fees), VIP starts at $500, 1 day passes $82 (not yet announced)
Accommodations: Camping should be your first option. Gulf State Park is 2 miles from the fest and there are multiple RV parks near. Not the camping type? Might I suggest renting a beach house or condo? Check out this great vacation rental site. Hotels are also available on Hang Out’s site, under “Travel”.

Again, not on Bonnaroo’s massive pop or Wakarusa’s jam band level, but Hang Out Fest isn’t trying to be. Hang Out organizers managed to secure Phish-legend, Trey Anastasio, Ben Harper and his latest band, Ray Lamatagne, and psych-friendly vets The Flaming Lips. I was almost willing to sign up based on the initial line-up and this announcement just about put me into 100% attending territory. I’m a little disappointed by the lack of hip-hop, but I understand its not that kind of party. If there aren’t any hip-hop acts on the roster after the final line-up is in place, I guess I’ll turn to Girl Talk for some hip-hop mash-up fun. Besides, how can you argue with a music festival on the sunny shore’s of the Gulf of Mexico?

A group of us already have a placed a security deposit down on a beach house, so I’m all but signed up. I’m down for a 3-day pass, while some in the crew are holding out for a 1-day pass. At an attendance cap of 35,000, I’m starting to wonder if there will even be any 1 day passes available. Time will tell.

Looks like Bonnaroo will have to wait until 2011.

Hit the following links for more info on Hang Out Music Festival
http://www.hangoutmusicfest.com
http://twitter.com/hangoutfest
http://www.myspace.com/hangoutmusicfest

What: Hang Out Music Fest
When: May 14th-16th
Where: Gulf Shores, AL
Headliners: Zac Brown Band, John Legend, Alison Krauss and the Union Station, The Black Crowes
Line-Up Highlights: Gov’t Mule, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Girl Talk, Guster, The Whigs, Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears, A.A. Bondy
Tickets: 3 day passes $171 (including fees), VIP starts at $500
Accommodations: Nothing listed yet, but looks like hotels. If anyone knows of camping, speak up (supposedly, there is a state park 2 miles away).

So I guess this pales in comparison to Tuesday’s big line-up announcement at Bonnaroo, but still very interesting (and only 6 hours from Atlanta, GA). The inaugural Hang Out Music Fest will be going down this May “on the beach” in Gulf Shores, AL. Only 4 stages, but Hang Out is supposedly offering 60 bands over the weekend (initial only lists 26 so far). The early line-up doesn’t feature many of the blog bands I’m interested in, but it has popular names aplenty. Zac Brown is one of the few country acts that I truly want to see, John Legend is on my limited R&B performers list and The Black Crowes could be nostalgic fun. The real draws would be the south of the border dueling guitarists, Rodrigo y Gabriela, GA-based band The Whigs and some guy named Girl Talk.   You might have heard me mention him before. Jam band Gov’t Mule and Michael Franti and Spearhead could also be worth seeing. Now if we could just get some hip-hop…

So basically, I’m deciding between Hang Out and Bonnaroo this year. Beach vs Farm. Bonnaroo is closer to Atlanta, has more acts, but also costs more and will take 1 more vacation day. Accommodations haven’t been announced for Hang Out yet, but I can bet its cleaner than a tent in a field(if you care about that sort of thing).

To Be Continued…but feel free to discuss below.

The Whigs – Right Hand On My Heart