As promised, Phish will play two shows over the four-day weekend, first taking the stage in a special late-night performance on Friday (or early Saturday, depending how you look at it). Hopefully, they not suffer the same misfortunes that Kanye West faced at last year’s festival, when he upset the Bonnaroo crowd for delaying the start of his set for nearly two hours. Phish’s second performance, on Sunday, will close proceedings at Bonnaroo.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will make their heavily-anticipated Bonnaroo debut on the Saturday. Though the times for each of these respective three performances have not yet been named, more information should be released soon.
Chances are, you have probably heard some of the British duo The Ting Tings and never even realized it. Whether it was the appearance of their first single “Great DJ” in the trailer for the now Best Picture “Slumdog Millionaire” or their infectiously groovy “Shut Up and Let Me Go” in an April 2008 iPod commercial (now a staple launch point for emerging artists), The Ting Tings have slowly infiltrated the United States pop scene. (Photo courtesy of bunmun on Flickr)
The Ting Tings perform at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas in 2008.
Composed of Julian de Martino and Katie White, The Ting Tings got their start when the pair met each other in Manchester, England and formed a trio called Dear Eskimo. After “creative differences” with their record label at the time, White and Martino were left scratching their heads and wondering how they would get back into the music game.
So, like any struggling band, they began to throw massive house parties. These mini-gigs started off as a way to have a laugh with friends while testing out new material. But they soon became legendary around England, drawing large crowds and interest in their unique music.
In 2007, The Ting Tings started to branch out past their living room, finding their way onto the Glastonbury stage and on the often career-making talk show “Later with Jools Holland.” May 2008 saw the release of their debut album “We Started Nothing,” and shortly after, their single “That’s Not My Name” reach #1 on the UK Singles chart.
“We Started Nothing” is a modern-day dance music gem. White’s sexy, straight-forward vocals (think Lily Allen with a splash of Debbie Harry) and simple guitar riffs combined with Martino’s bass background vocals and drums leave the listener tapping their foot and nodding their head. Add in playful, catchy lyrics and set it to electric synthesizers and you have the perfect cocktail of funk, punk and sugary sweet pop.
The best songs on “We Started Nothing” include the hysterical “That’s Not My Name,” about White’s frustration with being labeled just another pretty, blond pop star. “Shut Up and Let Me Go” pits White against a former lover who has undoubtedly kissed her lips for the last time, while “Fruit Machine” berates a boy (or perhaps an old record company) for shelling out money instead of love.
After The Ting Tings wrap up their first United States tour in May 2009, they will be making their first appearance at Bonnaroo. I hope Tennessee has their dancing shoes on! (Photo courtesy of remake_remodel on Flickr)
Katie White of The Ting Tings performs at the BBC Introducing Night in 2008.
The first time I heard Brooklyn-based Santigold‘s music, my immediate reaction was: “what is this girl saying?” While working at a home goods store over the summer, Santigold’s “You’ll Find a Way” came over the loudspeaker; it was a refreshing burst of energy on a daily soundtrack that consisted mostly of 70s disco and 80s pop. (Photo courtesy of Kent, J on Flickr)
Santigold performs at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon in 2008.
Santigold – born Santi White and originally nicknamed Santogold – began her music career as a record company executive and writer/producer for R&B singer Res‘ debut album “How I Do.” She spent some time fronting the Philadelphia-based punk band, Stiffed, which released a pair of albums in 2003 and 2005.
In late 2007, Santigold began to receive Internet exposure through MySpace for her lead singles “Creator” and “L.E.S. Artistes.” By April 2008, she released her debut album, “Santogold,” to heavy critical praise and modest commercial success.
In their “Best of 2008” issue, Rolling Stonemagazine listed “L.E.S. Artistes” as the number two single of the year, and “Santogold” as the sixth best album. If that was not enough recognition, her songs have appeared in Bud Light advertisements, EA Sports games and Ford commercials.
By February 2009, her public profile was so well-known that the TV-infomercial jewelry company Santo Gold threatened legal action if the singer did not change her name. Thus, Santogold became Santigold.
Santigold is often compared to friend, collaborator and touring companion M.I.A.(who, coincidentally, played Bonnaroo last year) for her fun lyrics, electronic beats and vocal style. Honestly, at first listen to “Creator,” I thought it was M.I.A.; the main distinction between the two is that M.I.A. is a better producer and beat-maker while Santigold is a much better singer and lyricist.
Though Santigold does not have the recent commerical success of M.I.A. (you couldn’t go anywhere in the summer of 2008 without hearing “Paper Planes”), her staying power lies in her ability to blur genre lines and redefine what is considered pop music.
“L.E.S. Artistes” is a modern pop classic that expresses Santigold’s hope that her sacrifices will eventually pay off, while I could see “Say Aha” and “Shove It” playing in clubs across the country. On the other hand, songs like “I’m A Lady” and “Lights Out” show the softer side of Santigold and reveal her vocal range and playful lyrical nature.
The perfect mix of trip-hop, dance, funk and electronica, Santigold will undoubtedly set fire to the Bonnaroo stage come June. Pick up “Santogold” – it’s one of the best, most well-rounded albums I have heard in a long time. (Photo courtesy of Richard aka Dave on Flickr)
Santigold performs at the Roadhouse in Manchester, England in 2008.
One of the bands with the most buzz at this year’s Bonnaroo Festival is the progressive rock powerhouse The Mars Volta. Fresh off their first Grammy award win (in the Best Hard Rock Performance category for “Wax Simulacra”), The Mars Volta will grace the Bonnaroo stage for the first time since 2005. (Photo courtesy lwestcoast on Flickr)
The Mars Volta performs at the Sasquatch Music Festival in Washington in 2008.
Formed from the ashes of the band At the Drive-In, The Mars Volta consists primarily of guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, though the band has been known to tour and record with a myriad of musical talents. Isaiah Ikey Owens has been the band’s keyboardist since their 2001 start, Juan Alderete has played bass since 2003 and Thomas Pridgen took over on drums in 2007. Currently, The Mars Volta tours and records with as many as nine musicians and 15 sound manipulators.
The band released their first full-length LP in 2003, titled “De-Loused in the Comatorium,” in which the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea was featured in nine of the album’s 10 tracks. Fueled by songs like “Roulette Dares (The Haunt of)” and “Drunkship of Lanterns,” the concept album (based on the visions seen in a drug-induced haze) was critically praised for its off-the-wall lyrics and trippy sound production.
The Mars Volta followed up in 2005 with “Frances the Mute,” a five-track LP with a run-time that stretched over an hour. Another concept album (said to be inspired by the characters in a diary found by a producer when he worked as a repossession-man), “Frances” was met with mixed reviews. The album’s first single, “The Widow” received heavy radio and TV airplay in the summer of 2005, making The Mars Volta a household name for the first time.
After touring the world and releasing their third studio album “Amputechture” in 2006 to little recognition other than from devoted fans, The Mars Volta went back into the studio in 2007 and began work on their next LP.
Rumor has it that this fourth album, eventually titled “The Bedlam in Goliath” was haunted by spirits brought forth by an Ouija board bought in a shop in Jerusalem by Rodriguez-Lopez. According to reports, The Mars Volta’s recording studio flooded twice, tracks would go missing without reason and the band eventually had to bury the game board to get the LP finished.
Perhaps the presence of spirits may be the reason for the sometimes scatter-brained, unmelodious and atmospheric music heard on “The Bedlam in Gotham.” Still, I think that while “De-Loused in the Comatorium” is The Mars Volta’s masterpiece, their most recent work is their most personal; Rodriguez-Lopez’ high-pitched, haunting voice is crystal clear and supported perfectly by the intriguing mix of spacy guitar riffs, weightless synthesizers and heavy drums.
The Mars Volta is like a good wine – they only get better with age. After touring for nearly the entirety of 2008, the band is surely working on new material that (fingers crossed) may premiere at Bonnaroo this year.
Here’s hoping they jam for hours in June! (Photo below courtesy of F_de_falso on Flickr)
The Mars Volta performs at the Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile in 2008.
The lineup for the 2009 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival is extremely promising, with a number of big-name musicians from a wide array of genres slated to grace the stages. Despite the roughly 80 musical acts on the bill, festival goers are still hoping that the “more artists to be announced soon” will include some of their favorites. While this may be wishful thinking, I will continuously list prospective artists until Bonnaroo listens up.
Amy Winehouse:
Amy Winehouse performs at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis in 2007.
The Grammy-winning, British jazz-pop phenom Amy Winehouse has been holed up in St. Lucia for the past few months, attempting to break free from drugs and her soon-to-be-ex, Blake Civil-Fielder. Undeniably talented, quick-witted and lyrically-gifted, Winehouse has the kind of name recognition that would draw humongous crowds (if not just to see if she falls over or punches another fan). Plus, a comeback appearance on this year’s Coachella bill leaves me wondering just one thing: why not Bonnaroo, Amy? (Photo courtesy of Stacy Sandstrom on Flickr)
The Dead:
Phil Lesh, of The Dead, performs in California in 2008.
When I told my parents that I was going to Bonnaroo this year, they had two simple questions, “can we come?” and “is The Dead playing?” Needless to say, without the late, great Jerry Garcia, The Dead is just a shadow of the legendary band that my parents brought me up listening to. Still, with a 2009 tour on the agenda, their headline appearances at Bonnaroo in 2003 and 2004 and Phil Lesh’s subsequent performances with his band in 2006 an 2008, I ask: where’s The Dead? (Photo courtesy of Scott Beale/Laughing Squid)
Joanna Newsom:
Joanna Newsom performs at the Latitude Festival in 2008.
The minuscule-voiced harpist hailing from Nevada City, California graced the Bonnaroo stage in 2005 right after her debut album, “The Milk-Eyed Mender,” was first released. Since then, Joanna Newsom has reinvented her sound, released the epic “Y’s” and re-worked EP “Joanna Newsom and the Y’s Street Band,” and has been seen touring with a small, folk band. Her lyrics tell grandiose stories, and her new-found tendency to lead her band in lengthy jam sessions seems to fit the Bonnaroo line-up like a glove. (Photo courtesy of Mario Menti on Flickr)
Bonnaroo or Bust! is a blog dedicated entirely to the 2009 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, written from the point of view of a first-time festival goer. This preview will attempt to look at every possible aspect of Bonnaroo, from the bands that are set to play to artists set to show off their work.
As a city boy who grew up just across the Hudson River from New York City in northern New Jersey, a trip to rural Manchester, Tennessee would undoubtedly place me out of my element. However, after the line-up was released and some persuasion from friends, I bought my ticket without much trepidation.
One of the things that attracted me to Bonnaroo was that it felt like a modern-day Woodstock. As an avid music lover raised by “Deadheads,” I remember being a kid wishing that grew up in my parents’ era. The music was classic, the country was in political transition and people were the epitome of carefree.
There can be some major parallels drawn between Woodstock in 1969 and Bonnaroo, 40 years later. Both occurred during times of protested wars, both attracted music and art lovers from across the country and both featured some of the most recognizable names in the recording industry at the time. Still, Bonnaroo is not Woodstock, nor does it claim to be.
The major difference between the two festivals is that unlike Woodstock, Bonnaroo has been held annually since 2002. What started off as an indie, new-age hippie festival has since attracted the likes of such music mega-stars as Kanye West, The Police and Radiohead.
Bonnaroo promises to be the event of a lifetime, and Bonnaroo or Bust! will attempt to take patrons every step of the way. This blog will spotlight musicians, bands, artists and comedians, as well as give tips for how to survive on a farm in the middle of Tennessee. It will also feature interviews with past and future Bonnaroo attendees, shed light on breaking news and suggest some noticeable absences from the 2009 lineup.
Bonnaroo or Bust! will be updated at least twice a week – more if necessary. Until then, I look forward to exploring the world of Bonnaroo and am always open to suggestions about possible artist spotlights.
Bonnaroo or Bust! 