It’s already time to start thinking about summer music festivals and one worth adding to your list is Dover’s Firefly Festival. The Delaware 3-day festival revealed its 2013 lineup today.
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Vampire Weekend, Foster the People and Yeah Yeah Yeahs lead the lineup. The festival is set for JUNE 21-23, 2013 and tickets are available this Thursday, February 21, at 12 p.m. EST. You can watch the announcement video and see the full lineup below.
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS
VAMPIRE WEEKEND
FOSTER THE PEOPLE
YEAH YEAH YEAHS
THE AVETT BROTHERS
CALVIN HARRIS
PASSION PIT
MGMT
ELLIE GOULDING
DISPATCH
THE LUMINEERS
KENDRICK LAMAR
ALABAMA SHAKES
GRIZZLY BEAR
EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS
BIG GIGANTIC
AZEALIA BANKS
IMAGINE DRAGONS
ZEDD
MATT & KIM
PUBLIC ENEMY
DR. DOG
THE JOY FORMIDABLE
JAPANDROIDS
KREWELLA
THE WALKMEN
AMANDA PALMER AND THE GRAND THEFT ORCHESTRA
TORO Y MOI
LP
ATLAS GENIUS
DJANGO DJANGO
DAN DEACON
CRYSTAL FIGHTERS
DRAGONETTE
MANUFACTURED SUPERSTARS
ACTION BRONSON
YOUNGBLOOD HAWKE
LORD HURON
WILD BELLE
THE WHITE PANDA
ZZ WARD
ST. LUCIA
HAIM
FOXYGEN
CAPITAL CITIES
A SILENT FILM
KISHI BASHI
KOPECKY FAMILY BAND
THE APACHE RELAY
THE CHEVIN
SELAH SUE
TWENTY ONE PILOTS
BLONDFIRE
THE ROYAL CONCEPT
CHVRCHES
THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
IMAGINARY CITIES
ROBERT DELONG
CONNER YOUNGBLOOD
JC BROOKS AND THE UPTOWN SOUND
DELTA RAE
HEY MARSEILLES
YOUNG EMPIRES
THE LAST BISON
THE WHEELER BROTHERS
SISTER SPARROW AND THE DIRTY BIRDS
THE SPINTO BAND
LEAGUES
TRAILS AND WAYS
THE LAST ROYALS
I have to hand it to 96.5 the Buzz this year – they picked out a diverse and killer lineup for this year’s Buzz Beach Ball and with the surprises during Foster the People’s and Sublime with Rome’s performances, Beach Ball really felt like a festival this year and not just a really long concert.
Ten bands came together to entertain Kansas City at Livestrong Sporting Park. Musically, the day had everything: indie pop, stoner rock, Irish punk rock, British accents, adorable outfits, bands with personality, guest performers, remixes and even a marching band. The gorgeous soccer stadium isn’t really the best for concerts. Unless you’re looking dead on at the stage, the sound is terrible; traffic and parking are migraine-inducing; the high cost of water resulted in a busy day for EMT crews; and this year the tiles they placed to protect the stadium’s grass were buckling and creating major walking hazards. Despite these things working against Beach Ball, the bands really made the day worth it.
New York’s The Antlers opened the event with their lovely, almost lullaby-like indie rock. They were the least well known act and many concert goers were still tied up in traffic, but a sizeable crowd had turned out early for this trio. I was among the many tied up in traffic, but I caught a bit of the set and loved the distinct vocals, lovely keys and gentle easing into the long day. From the Antlers, the audience ping ponged over to the main stage for UK group The Kooks. The group has long been favorites of mine since their debut Inside In/Inside Out and it seemed like many in the audience were also very familiar with that record, especially enjoying songs such as “She Moves in Her Own Way” and “Naive.” Their songs are incredibly catchy and endearing. Despite a few pitch problems that were easily missed when buried in their accents, they were a very fun, upbeat set.
Kimbra followed on the small stage and despite being relatively new for the audience who really only knew her as the girl who sings on that ubiquitous Gotye song, Kimbra stole everyone’s hearts. The singer came out wearing a shiny mirror fragment-decorated skirt, gold top and a big smile. At first, all eyes were on the bold, quirky outfit, but once she started singing, the outfit was forgotten and there was simply Kimbra. She’s a blast to watch and her voice is amazing; she can go from deep, throaty “I want to settle down” to a higher-pitched, brighter pop vocal at the turn of a hat. Her songs have an old timey vibe to them, yet are still very modern with her loops and the instrumental additions. Even if her music isn’t your type, I think you would find her show enjoyable – she’s not just a singer, but a really great performer. For such a tiny person, Kimbra’s stage presence is enormous. Following Kimbra was another female-fronted band, Metric. These Canadian indie rockers started big with the hits, performing “Help I’m Alive” and “Gold Guns Girls” early in the set. I’ll admit though that the most fun part of the set was near the middle when singer Emily Haines ventured out from the behind the mic stand and her keyboard to dance and acknowledge the audience. They’re just a band that should be danced to, so when they started dancing themselves, the set just got a lot better.
In a big contrast to the previous artists, The Dirty Heads followed Metric and Kimbra with reggae meets rock tunes. This was a great hold over for the fans at Beach Ball waiting for Sublime with Rome, but for those with the more indie tendencies, you could see a bit of a divide forming in the audience. A Rolling Stones cover was an interesting surprise, though depending on which side of the audience divide you were on, it may or may not have been a pleasant one. Continuing the diverse musical offerings, Flogging Molly followed with their amped up Irish punk rock tunes. With Flogging Molly, every day is St. Patrick’s day. If a band member didn’t have an instrument in hand there was a Guinness in it. They came ready to party. The band played blisteringly fast on fiddle, guitars and accordion; chanted out their pumped up lyrics and jumped all over the stage. This was another one of those bands where even if their music wasn’t your thing, they were fun to watch.
Speaking of fun to watch bands, The Joy Formidable was a blast. Like Kimbra, they are fronted by a spunky lead singer, Ritzy Bryan. Unlike Kimbra though, this Welsh band is all about the rock – you don’t get synth, vocal loops or ‘oompahs.’ Ritzy and her band are in your face, flipping you off but with a genuine, non malicious smile. Big drums, big guitar riffs and Ritzy’s edgy, yet cute energy make them a fun band to watch. I’d even go as far to say that they’re better to listen to live than they are on recording because you get to actually see the energy that goes into their music. That being said, after seven high energy sets bouncing back and forth after 30 minute sets, the extended, mellow set of the Shins was a bit of a shock. Don’t get me wrong, I loooove the Shins and I love the distinct high pitched vocals of James Mercer as he sings those smart lyrics about the challenges of rough life and even rougher romance. I just don’t think this was the best atmosphere for them. Their set was too much of a lull in a day where we couldn’t allow energies to wane. I hope they return to KC for a club show where things are a bit more intimate. Unfortunately, in this large venue where half of the audience was unfamiliar with them, it felt a bit too much like naptime for some than listen to bands time.
After the Shins, the audience kept their eyes on the main stage for another full set, this time from the evening’s unofficial headliners (sorry, Sublime with Rome) Foster the People. Now I don’t know what KC did to win the love of this band, but Foster the People really spoil us whenever they come to town. Last time they were here, they played a free acoustic set before their evening concert. This time, they delivered an incredible set made all that more incredible by the surprise performances and twists to their more popular tunes. Remember how I said this time Buzz Beach Ball actually felt like a festival and not just a looooong concert? Foster the People’s insanely awesome performance is the main reason for that. From the songs, the lights to the adorable dance moves (Mark Foster has moves that would make a boy band envious!), everything about them was entertaining. The band only has one album currently available, so much of their set was simply Torches, but they did play some new songs such as “Love” and the recently released “Warrior.” “Warrior” also features earlier Beach Ball artist, Kimbra. The hypnotizing singer came out in a crazy rainbow hoodie outfit and joined Foster the People for the song, which made the crowd go nuts. As if the one surprise wasn’t enough, when it came time for my personal favorite track, “Houdini,” a brass band joined the band on stage. Seconds later – surprise! It’s not just a brass band but the entire KU Pep Band! The whole band poured out in front of the stage and the crowd just exploded. When Foster the People shouted out a thank you, “Rock Chalk Jayhawk” though, half the audience cheered while the other half booed (Mizzou fans). The border rivalry goes deep, and with a bit of a half smile, Mark Foster then said, “Rough crowd.” “Houdini” would have been a great finale, but the band wasn’t done. They still had their well-known “Pumped Up Kicks” left to play. So for this number, they played it business as usual, but then dropped into a remixed version (The Highweights version) that had crazy strobe lights and Mark Foster jumping into the crowd. They brought new life to their tired tune. I couldn’t have asked for anything more from their set. So fantastic!
Foster the People’s Set List: “Miss You,” “Nickel,” “Helena Beat,” “Broken Jaw,” “I Would,” “Waste,” “Warrior,” “Love,” “What You Want,” “Don’t Stop,” “Warrant,” “Houdini,” “Ruby,” and “Pumped Up Kicks” with remix.
Sublime with Rome had a tough act to follow and honestly, a lot of the audience cleared out after Foster the People’s set. On the one hand, that looked disappointing to lose half the crowd for the last band, but on the other hand it (1) made traffic a lot nicer and (2) meant that those watching Sublime with Rome were true fans that really wanted to be there. These were the people that would really appreciate this set. Sublime with Rome surprised me as a casual listener with how many songs of theirs that I knew (these guys get a lot of radio play). It was a chiller set (as is to be expected with a ‘stoner’ band) and they still had surprises of their own. Matisyahu (who was playing another KC venue this weekend) came out to join for a few numbers. It might not have been a marching band, but it was still a fun treat.
While I would love to never have to attend Livestrong for another concert, I would love to see the Buzz keep on booking lineups like this. It was a long day, but a fun one where I even discovered new bands to love. The Foster the People set with KU’s Pep Band is something that I’m sure no one will be forgetting any time soon. This was definitely the most memorable Buzz Beach Ball.
Remember N*Sync’s ‘No Strings Attached’ dancing puppets video? Well, in Foster the People’s new video for “Houdini” the indie rockers get similar a similar boy band puppet treatment. As more people (studios, fans, managers) come into play controlling the band’s careers, the group becomes increasingly robotic, puppet-like performers with white uniform outfits. You can check out the video for “Houdini” below.
Fortunately, Foster the People isn’t a boy band in real life and their live show has plenty of fun (unforced) energy. So while it is a cool video to watch, we’re glad this is not how they really are at live shows…well, maybe…we wouldn’t mind seeing a few of those dance moves busted out live.
What do you think of Foster the People’s new video?
Watch Kimbra, Mark Foster of Foster the People & DJ A-Trak kick ass in their new collaboration video for “Warrior.” In this video, the three take to the wrestling ring like a boss. The song mostly features Kimbra on vocals and Mark & A-Trak deal with the instrumentals, but Mark does sing on the chorus. You can watch “Warrior below”
The three music stars’ new song is part of the Converse and Journeys ’3 Artists, 1 Song’ series. You can download the track for free here.
“Overplayed songs” and “songs that are crimes against humanity” aren’t necessarily the same thing. When you listen to the radio as much as I do, one thing that’s inevitable every year is your radio taking a few songs that you love, exposing them to room temperature too long, and making them stale.
Take Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” which earned honest consideration for my forthcoming list of Most Overplayed Songs of 2011 before falling just short. It’s a great song. Adele’s a fantastic vocalist. “Rolling in the Deep” was 2011’s deserved flagship song, and Billboard’s #1 single of the year… and thanks to relentless radio saturation, by September, I was done with it. When I heard the opening strums, the radio became your mom at Thanksgiving, trying to shove another delicious slice of pie down your throat when you’ve already had four.
So, the Overplayed list you see below isn’t simply a list of “five songs that sucked in 2011.” There’s even one or two in here I have genuine fondness for. But an arbitrary, uneven combination of two things brought this list together: 1) overexposure, and 2) how little I thought of the song.
Later, we’ll take a look at my Most Underplayed Songs of 2011. But for now, here’s one person’s list of the year’s most overexposed tracks.
5. Lady Gaga, “Born This Way”
For a craftswoman who cranks out well-constructed pop songs better than just about anybody, this was a relative misfire. It didn’t help that Elton John overhyped “Born This Way” before it was released, calling it “the new ‘I Will Survive.’” Instead, Gaga — already accused of imitating Madonna in every possible way– gave the world a song that sounded too much like “Express Yourself” and harped on the shopworn “be yourself/accept the way you are” message that sinks so many songs.
Even with those weaknesses, “Born This Way” really wasn’t a bad song, because Gaga, particularly lyrically, almost always finds a way to make things interesting. But it wasn’t anything earth-shaking – and as the opening single and title cut on her new album, it garnered the airplay of something that was.
4. Hot Chelle Rae, “Tonight Tonight”
Like I said, this list isn’t my five worst songs of 2011. If it had been, this would’ve closer to the top, and quite possibly No. 1.
If it’s possible to get a #7 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and get at least temporarily rich, by penning the lyrics “La la la/whatever/la la la/it doesn’t matter,” then I’m in the wrong business, and you probably are, too. The whole thing is a lyrical nightmare, up to and including the tattoo that “kinda looks just like you/Mixed with Zach Galifianakis.” Throw in the edgeless pop-rock production, singer Ryan Follese’s whiny delivery, and you had a song I’d love to pretend never existed. Instead, its existence was persistent.
3. Foster the People, “Pumped Up Kicks”
Still like the song. A lot, actually. It’s a catchy, clever groove, and Foster the People’s trio of diversely styled hit singles – including “Helena Beat” and “Don’t Stop (Color on the Walls)” – indicate it’s a band with a bright future on both the pop and rock charts.
But there comes a point where enough is enough. “Pumped Up Kicks” started as an indie phenomenon, then it crossed over, and it got more and more attention as more people realized the violent theme of its lyrics. Soon – much like with Cee-Lo’s “F***/Forget/Eff You” in the final third of 2010 – you couldn’t get away from it.
That’s not Mark Foster’s fault. But, as with “Rolling in the Deep,” I need a break. Maybe if I go 7 or 8 months without listening to “Pumped Up Kicks,” I can pick it up again and appreciate its virtues anew.
2. Katy Perry, “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”
I’ll say this for Katy Perry’s ridiculous ode to debauchery: it delivers about three seconds of guilty pleasure for me every time. When it comes on the radio, I can’t flip elsewhere on the dial until I hear the line “Think I need a ginger ale/That was such an epic fail.” It’s so laughable, you can’t turn away.
The rest of it, I could easily turn away from. But all summer and fall, radio made me work constantly to do it. Perry’s unmelodic chanting verses, the cheesy ‘80s-sounding sax solo, “I’m screwed,” “it ruled”… if you wanted to make the argument that pop music is simply dumber now than it’s ever been, this would be a good starting point.
Katy had always had it in her to release a single this bad; witness the similarly themed “Waking Up in Vegas.” But for my money, this was her at her worst. Naturally, it went to No. 1.
1. LMFAO, “Party Rock Anthem”
LMFAO’s breakthrough album containing this massive hit is called Sorry For Party Rocking. You’re not forgiven, guys.
A simple apology from my radio wouldn’t be enough, either. I somehow arrived to the “Party” a little late, but my overdose on this self-proclaimed anthem came about two-thirds of the way through my first listen. I gave its inane lyrics, formulaic dance beats and lame electronics a couple more full listens after that; it was topping the charts, so hell, there had to be something redeeming about it, right?
There wasn’t. And it kept coming back. To a greater degree than any other song, “Party Rock Anthem” was everywhere. TV commercials. Sports broadcasts. “Good Morning America” now has a strange obsession with the song. Escaping it required wearing earplugs around the clock, or keeping your fingers in your ears while chanting “lalala (whatever) lalala (it doesn’t matter).”
There’s a good chance that LMFAO fades away as a 15-minute phenomenon, a joke reference to make at parties years from now when people discuss the ’10s. But thanks to LMFAO, I’m still dealing with PTSD. “Party Rock Anthem” will live on forever as 2011’s most rancid music excess.
Product of Kansas City suburbia who inhales pop culture old and new. Among other things, I'm a fan of fried chicken, college basketball, Crown Royal and rock 'n' roll. Find four things that make life more fulfilling. I dare you.
We already love Foster the People‘s cool jams, but recently we got the chance to hear the California band’s music in a whole new way. Three of the five guys played a unique early morning acoustic set for a packed house of Kansas Citians.
It was part of the 96.5 the Buzz series: Kegs and Eggs, an event that provides beer and breakfast to music lovers gathered for an acoustic set.
The guys played four numbers, including the catchy “Pumped Up Kicks.” You can check out their acoustic performance of the song below:
