fest

Blottopia XII | South Elgin, IL | July 2011

Most frequently overheard at festivals like Blottopia XII that took place at Vasa Park in South Elgin, Illinois on 7/22-24 2011 is the phrase “I’m with the band.” The Chicagoland superheroes M

Gregory Alan Isakov at Fox Theatre | 10.21.11

97.3 KBCO and Boulder Weekly are proud to present Gregory Alan Isakov at the Fox Theatre on Friday, October 21st, 2011.  Tickets go on sale Friday, August 19th for $15.00 in advance & $17.00 day of show.

Unicorns, Junior Wookies, and Five Tie-Dyed Knights in Shining Armor: Floyd Fest 2011

There are a number of outdoor festival sites in the US that have that extra special 'something' that makes people come back year after year.  Florida has Spirit of the Suwanee Park, for example.  What usually sets a festival location apart, for me at least -- is a mix of breathtaking natural beauty, and of course -- the music.. But for me to come back year after year, it's gotta have a little something on top of that.. Something that's a little different.. Perhaps a bit comically-odd, at times. Something one can't quite verbalize.

EOTO Kicks Off Fall Tour With Free Live Download

2011 marks the fifth anniversary for the nationally touring outfit  EOTO. The project that started as a late night experiment has grown into a full-fledged headlining machine complete with all original HD eye candy. To celebrate their success, the band is releasingtheir highly sought- after performance from the 2011 SONIC BLOOM festival for free download. Coincidently, this will be the bands 400th live release since their 2006 inception. With performances booked around the country and special VIP events planned for fans along the way, there is no doubt that EOTO will be closing out the year with a bang.

After a highly successful summer filled with headlining festival appearances, EOTO will embark on a large national tour with dates booked across the country including stops in Missouri, Oregon, Colorado, Nevada, Washington, Florida and California in just the first 30 days of the tour. This will mark the beginning of another iron-man tour season for the duo that puts their skills to the test each night with 100% live improvised electro, house, glitch hop, and dubstep. What exactly does 100% live and improvised mean? There are no pre made loops, no computer sequences in the background and absolutely no electronic karaoke going on here.  It’s all created and remixed live on stage by this talented duo for a dance party like no other!

Featuring Michael Travis and Jason Hann, EOTO is a musical anomaly. The project combines their shared knowledge of real world instruments with their love for electronic music and the technology it takes to produce many genres of music live on-the-spot. Not just a DJ and not just some band, EOTO takes all of the elements, throws them in a mixer, and creates a style of music that is uniquely all their own. But it’s not just the act of performing and producing cutting edge music without rehearsal or even song names, it’s the intensity and veracity for which they perform. EOTO clearly takes a ‘no holds barred’ approach whenever they take the stage.

EOTO will be performing in select cities scattered across the country this fall with tour dates booked in every corridor of the US. The band will also be arranging VIP parties for their fans along the way including late night and pre-show opportunities. To check out more about the band or for ticketing information check out www.eotomusic.org or to get a copy of the free live at SONIC BLOOM release check it out.

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TOUR DATES:

8/5/2011       Rhinofest Music Festival         Plainfield, VT
8/9/2011         Blu Nightclub  Stateline, NV (Tahoe Area)
8/13/2011       The Crossroads           Kansas City, MO
8/18/2011       Praire Grass Music Festival    Houston, MN 55943
8/19/2011       Green Mountain Eco FestivalMissouri Ozarks, MO
8/20/2011       Sunseekers Ball Music & Arts Fest New Brunswick, Canada
8/21/2011       Mountain Stomp-Prindell Creek Farms          Tidewater, OR
8/27/ - 8/28/2011       State Bridge Riverside AmphitheaterBond, CO
8/31/2011       Burning Man Festival  Black Rock, NV
9/9/2011         Werk Out Festival       Bellefontaine, OH
9/16/2011       Mishawaka      Bellvue, CO
9/17/2011       Wonk Fest-The Quarry            Everson, WA
9/22/2011       Blackwater Music Festival      Live Oak, FL
9/23/2011       Earthdance Music Festival      Vallejo, CA
9/24/2011       Kountz Arena   Bozeman, MT 59718
9/27/2011       Bourbon Theatre         Lincoln, NE
9/28/2011       Majestic Live   Madison, WI
9/29/2011       Eagles Ballroom          Milwaukee, WI
9/30/2011       Roy Wilkins Auditorium          St. Paul, MN
10/1/2011       U.S. Cellular Coliseum            Bloomington, IL
10/2/2011       Bluebird Nightclub      Bloomington, IN
10/3/2011       Bell's BreweryKalamazoo, MI
10/4/2011       Blind Pig          Ann Arbor. MI
10/6/2011       Royale BostonBoston, MA
10/7/2011       Toad's Place    New Haven, CT
10/8/2011       Port City Music Hall    Portland, ME
10/9/2011       Pearl Street     Northampton, MA
10/13/2011     Jillian's of Albany        Albany, NY
10/14/2011     Brooklyn BowlBrooklyn, NY
1/9/2012         JamCruise       Ft. Lauderdale  |  Labadee  |  Haiti |  Jamaica

Middlewest Fest Announces 2011 Lineup

Following last year's wildly successful festival event, the folks at DeKalb, Illinois' Middlewest Fest have announced the lineup for their 2011 edition, taking place on September 9th and 10th at multiple venues throughout the city of DeKalb.

This year's list of performers includes Canadian indie-rock band Tokyo Police Club, Bloomington, Indiana's Murder By Death, Gene Ween (founding member of experimental alternative rock group Ween), American actor, musician and comedian Brian Posehn, Philadelphia pop-punk band The Wonder Years, Chicago bluegrass band Cornmeal, up and coming indie and punk rock bands La Dispute, The Tossers, and Flatfoot 56, and many more.

Middlewest Fest is Northern Illinois' annual celebration of the live music and arts, taking place throughout the weekend of September 9th and 10th in DeKalb, IL. All Middlewest events will be hosted at The Egyptian Theatre, Ottos Nightclub, Ottos Underground, The House Cafe, The Van Buer Plaza, O’Leary’s Irish Pub, Tapa La Luna, SMLTWN Skateshop, Hometown Bar & Grill as well as various art spaces, halls and local business in the lovely and historic downtown DeKalb, just a stone's throw away from Northern Illinois University.

In addition to a weekend full of live-music, Middlewest features a full-fledged independent film festival and an arts and crafts market. The film festival, 'Against The Wall', held this past year at Debutantes School Of Cosmetology, featured 12 Midwestern and NIU Student Film Makers screening comedy, drama, experimental and documentary min-features. Additionally, the folks at the city of DeKalb will be organizing a sidewalk sale, throughout downtown, in conjunction with the fest! In short, there will be no shortage of activity in downtown DeKalb!

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Middlewest Fest 2011 Lineup:

Tokyo Police Club Cornmeal
Murder By Death
Gene Ween
The Wonder Years
Future Rock
Maps & Atlases
mc chris
Brian Posehn
Company Of Thieves
La Dispute
The Tossers
Flatfoot 56
The Giving Tree Band
AM Taxi
This Must Be The Band
Native
Pianos Become The Teeth
The Felix Culpa
Empires
Former Thieves
Xerxes
Kid, You'll Move Mountains
Inspector Owl Loose Lips Sink Ships

Sweet melodies and psych guitar freak outs on Mikal Cronin's debut

Stepping away from the rhythm section of Orange County surf-punk bashers The Moonhearts, Mikal Cronin has emerged with a fully realized, cohesive and beautiful debut self-titled LP, out September 20, 2011 via Chicago's Trouble In Mind.
With long-time friend and collaborator Ty Segall producing, Eric Bauer [Ty Segall, Royal Baths] running the tape machine and guests like Thee Oh Sees' John Dwyer, Mikal blends sweet melodies and chords with chunky, psychedelic guitar freak-outs.
If you've ever wondered what the Beach Boys would sound like if they became pals with the Ramones, Mikal Cronin offers his sonic vision and joins Ty Segall out on the road this summer and fall, including stops at Total Trash Fest and Goner Fest, to share his California fuzz take on gorgeously unexpected psych garage pop.
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Mikal Cronin Tour Dates:
Aug 28 - The Hemlock - San Francisco, CA
Total Trash Fest
Sept 15 - Plush - Tucson, AZ    
Sept 16 - Bash Riprocks - Lubbock, TX    
Sept 17 - Mohawk - Austin, TX    
Sept 18 - Rubbergloves - Denton, TX    
Sept 19 - One Eyed Jack's - New Orleans, LA    
Sept 20 - Bottletree - Birmingham, AL    
Sept 21 - Exit/In - Nashville, TN    
Sept 22 - Hi-Tone - Memphis, TN
Gonerfest
Sept 23 - Earl - Atlanta, GA    
Sept 24 - Duke Coffeehouse - Durham, NC    
Sept 25 - Festival Ballroom @ JMU - Harrisonburg, VA    
Sept 26 - Comet Pizza - Washington, DC    
Sept 27 - Golden West Cafe - Baltimore, MD    
Sept 29 - Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY    
Sept 30 - Beachland Tavern - Cleveland, OH    
Oct 1 - Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL    
Oct 3 - The Cave @ Carleton College - Northfield, MN    
Oct 4 - Blue Moose - Iowa City, IA    
Oct 5 - Slowdown - Omaha, NE    
Oct 6 - Hi-Dive - Denver, CO    
Oct 7 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT

CASS MCCOMBS EMBARKS ON HIS TOUR

Cass McCombs embarks on his biggest U.S. tour since the release of this year’s critically acclaimed WIT’S END today, being joined on most dates by the Jana Hunter-fronted Lower Dens. If that’s not a double bill that interests you, you should get out of the music-listening game. This all culminates with early fall performances at FYF Fest and MusicFest Northwest. To give people a taste of what his live show will be like on this tour, he’s set the twinkling light work that will appear behind his band and him to the ominously gentle album track “Buried Alive.” Check it out, and then step out your door and check Cass and company out live in a town near you.

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CASS MCCOMBS TOUR DATES:

07-11 Birmingham, AL - The Bottletree*

07-12 Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn *

07-13 Nashville, TN - The Basement *

07-14 Asheville, NC - Harvest Records *

07-15 Washington, DC - Black Cat *

07-16 Baltimore, MD - Golden West Cafe *

07-17 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brendas *

07-18 Cambridge, MA - TT the Bears *

07-19 Northampton, MA - Iron Horse *

07-20 Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's

07-21 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg *

07-22 Montreal, QC - II Motore *

07-23 Toronto, ONT - Rivoli *

07-24 Indianapolis, IN - White Rabbit Cabaret

07-25 Chicago, IL - Schuba's *

07-26 Chicago, IL - Hideout*

07-27 Minneapolis, MN - 7th St Entry

07-29 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge

07-31 Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriet's #

09-03 Los Angeles, CA - FYF Fest

09-08 Portland, OR - MusicFest Northwest

* w/ Lower Dens

# w/ Thurston Moore

Delloween featuring Del McCoury Band, Keller Williams, and The Travelin' McCourys


Halloween: A time for costumes, sweet treats, trickery, AND quickly becoming a holiday known for hot music collaborations.  The Del McCoury Band and Keller Williams have a long history together as well as a history of cutting edge Halloween extravaganzas, so the progression to creating a Halloween event together seems only natural.  Delloween will close out the festival season with a 2 day, 2 city indoor festival on wheels with a loopless acoustic set from Keller Williams to start the night, followed by  a set with The Del McCoury Band, and ending with a special late night set featuring both The Travelin’ McCourys and Keller Williams!

The Del McCoury Band, Keller Williams, and The Travelin’ McCourys are festival veterans hitting just about every major festival in the country this summer and Del even has his own festival – DelFest, so that festival spirit will be the backbone of Delloween.  All the Delloween artists are known for pushing the boundaries of music; Williams debuted his Show For Kids this summer at several heavy hitting festivals (with music from his album KIDS) while The Del McCoury Band has been touring and playing in support of the American Legacies album with Preservation Hall Jazz Band and The Travelin’ McCourys have been promoting the wildly successful Bluegrass Balls series. Delloween will follow suit with innovative sets that all but erase the boundaries of a regular theatre gig.

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Del McCoury Band

Led by a living bluegrass legend (whom The Washington Post hails a "national treasure") and featuring four immensely skilled musicians (including sons Ronnie on mandolin and Rob on banjo, with Jason Carter on fiddle and Alan Bartram on bass), The Del McCoury Band has rightfully received numerous accolades including more than three dozen International Bluegrass Music Association Awards, a Grammy, and multiple Grammy nominations.  This world-class ensemble performs original and traditional compositions with eloquent harmonies and "ferocious, purebred musicianship" (USA Today) that has earned them a wide range of fans, from their diverse group of "Del-Heads" to such respected musicians as Steve Earle, David Grisman and members of Phish and The String Cheese Incident.  In 2008, Del started his own music festival, and DelFest has quickly become one of the premiere music festivals on the east coast.  The band also regularly appears at some of the top festivals in the country including Newport Folk Festival, New Orleans Jazz Fest, Bonnaroo, Philadelphia Folk Fest, High Sierra, Grey Fox, and Austin City Limits Fest.

Keller Williams

Since he first appeared on the scene in the early ’90s, Keller Williams has defined the term independent artist. And his 16 recordings tell only half the story. Keller built his reputation initially on his engaging live performances, no two of which are ever alike. Williams’ solo live shows—and his ability to improvise to his determinedly quirky tunes despite the absence of an actual band—quickly became the stuff of legend, and his audience grew exponentially when word spread about this exciting, unpredictable performer. Today, whether performing as a one-man band (a stage show constructed around Keller singing his compositions and choice cover songs while accompanying himself on an acoustic guitar connected to a Gibson Echoplex delay system that allows him to simulate a full band), with a backing band (of which he has many - Keller and The Keels, Williams with Moseley, Droll and Sipe, Grunge Grass among others), or solo acoustic with simply he and his guitar, Keller always reveals himself as an artist of great stylistic breadth and infinite imagination. He is a singer, songwriter and musician, always on a quest for the new. Keller Williams has never followed the prescribed path laid out by the conventional music business but rather one of his own making. It’s a path that has served him well.

The Travelin’ McCourys

The Travelin’ McCourys do not stand still. They are on the road—and online—entertaining audiences with live shows that include some of the best musicians and singers from all genres. It’s always different, always exciting, and always great music.

No other band today has the same credentials for playing traditional and progressive music. As the sons of bluegrass legend Del McCoury, Ronnie McCoury on mandolin and Rob McCoury on banjo continue their father’s work—a lifelong dedication to the power of bluegrass music to bring joy into people’s lives. And with fiddler Jason Carter and bassist Alan Bartram, the ensemble is loved and respected by the bluegrass faithful. But the band is now combining their sound with others to make something fresh and rejuvenating.

Rubblebucket Premiere "Worker" with Spinner, NYC Bike Film Festival

Leading up the release of Omega La La on June 21 via Sin Duda Records, Rubblebucket is happy to premiere their latest track, “Worker” with Spinner this morning. The site had great things to say about the band, writing, “Like a love child of the Rapture and Dirty Projectors, Rubblebucket have been churning out highly polished pop since their inception, and their upcoming record, Omega La La, is sure to have you grooving in your skinny jorts this summer.” Listen to the track HERE, and read Spinner’s piece on the hand HERE. As a part of the band’s upcoming summer tour dates, Rubblebucket is also headlining Bikes Rock!, the opening night of the Bicycle Film Festival in New York City, on 6/22 at Santos Party House. Check out the band’s full summer tour below.

Omega La La marks a milestone for Rubblebucket. Recorded last year at Plantain/DFA Studios with Producer Eric Broucek (LCD Soundsystem, Cut Copy, Hercules and Love Affair) at the helm, the record is the Brooklyn eight piece’s most adventurous record yet, with the band dipping into everything from the dancey indie-pop arrangements to Fela-Kuti inspired afro-beat stomps. The album opens with “Down in the Yards,” a track that builds off the ebb and flow of a droning, two-note guitar riff, only to explode into a triumphant chorus anchored by the band’s horn section. That track is followed up by the buoyant psych-pop gem, “L’homme.” “Silly Fathers” and a reworked version of “Came Out of a Lady” show off the band’s penchant for creating pop songs that stick in your head. “Raining” is an eccentric pop song built around intertwining vocal lines and a cascading synth. And so far the record has earned a wealth of praise, with Stereogum hailing the record’s “Tricky arrangements, whistle solos, and disco guitar leads” and PasteMagazine calling the album “instrumentally rich but catchy enough to ass-kick Katy Perry off the pop charts (in a just world)—mega-melodic without sacrificing an ounce of atmosphere or creativity.”

For Rubblebucket, it’s been a long journey to make Omega La La. Led by the musical couple of bandleader/trumpeter Alex Toth and frontwoman Kalmia Traver, Rubblebucket has spent the last four years building a reputation as a band that blurs the lines between psychedelic indie rock, upbeat dance, and radiant, left-field arrangements. In 2009, Rubblebucket released a self-titled album that turned heads. SPIN hailed the band as a "must-hear artist from the CMJ Festival” in 2009 and the band won that year’s Boston Music Award for Live Act of the Year.  The band then relocated to Brooklyn and released the Triangular Daises EP in 2010. A stylistic precursor to Omega La La, the Triangular Daises EP was hailed by The Wall Street Journal, NYLON, Paste, and a host of others.

Rubblebucket Premieres Latest Track “Worker” with Spinner Today  Download the Mp3 HERE

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Rubblebucket Spring/Summer Tour Dates:

06/16: Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
06/17: Spencer, IN @ Stable Studios Music Festival
06/18: Grand Rapids, MI @ Founders Fest
06/22: New York, NY @ Santos Party House – NYC Bicycle Film Fest
06/28: Pittsburgh, PA @ Rex Theatre
06/30: Madison, WI @ Majestic Live
07/02: Rothbury, MI @ Electric Forrest Festival
07/08: Rochester, NY @ East End Festival
07/09: Schuylkill, PA @ Midsummer Meltdown
07/15: Buffalo, NY @ North Fork Music Park
07/16: Greenfield, MA @ Green River Fest
07/24: Bridgeport, CT @ Gathering of the Vibes
07/29: Floyd, VA @ Floyd Fest
07/30: Floyd, VA @ Floyd Fest
08/13: Burlington, VT @ Grand Point North
08/18: Stephentown, NY @ Bella Terra
08/19: Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl
08/20: Sheldon, VT @ Liberate Festival
09/03: Chicago, IL @ North Coast Festival
09/04: Mohawk, NY @ Moe.Down
09/10: Peru, NY @ Backwoods Pondfest
10/08: Roseland, VA @ The Festy
11/11: Live Oak, FL @ Bear Creek Music & Arts Fest

Vail Soul Music Fest Partners with EBONY & JET

Now in its second year, Vail Soul Music Fest, together with iconic Urban publications EBONY and JET magazines, bring an authentic and stirring celebration of a rich and vibrant international music genre to the majestic natural backdrop of the Rocky Mountains.

As exclusive print media partners with Vail Soul Music Fest, EBONY and JET bring their powerful reach as the essential voice in Black America to more than 20 million consumers. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with iconic publications EBONY and JET, who have been at the center of the urban soul scene for more than 60 years,“ said Vail Soul Music Festival producer Rhonda July.

EBONY and JET Group Publisher Stephen Gregory Barr said, “The Vail Soul Music Fest is a sanctuary for national and international soul music artists and fans. By positioning our legendary publications with this celebration of soul music and lifestyle, we hope that more people have the opportunity to experience it and be part of the movement.”

For the second annual Vail Soul Music Fest - happening August 19-20-21, 2011 at Vail, Colorado’s Ford Amphitheater – four-time Grammy nominee Ledisi, soul royalty Lalah Hathaway, and genre-bending Cuban singer-songwriter Alex Cuba top the bill during three days and two nights of music. Additional artists include British slam-champion poet and Floetry co-founder Natalie “The Floacist” Stewart, soul revival golden boy Ryan Shaw, and - back by popular demand - mighty R&B singer Liv Warfield, among many others. Visit www.vailsoulmusicfest.com for all the details.

Anticipated by those in the know as the only-of-its-kind in the state of Colorado, Vail Soul Music Fest offers a hand-picked mix of emerging and established artists - from the greatest R&B legends to ballad hit-makers to conscious hip-hop to neo soul artists from around the world. Vail Soul Music Fest is the face of the modern, multicultural soul revival. Vail Soul Music Fest is bringing the story of soul music back to the people, and it feels oh so good.

Indeed, Soul music’s stories of heart, truth, and transparency are more universal now than ever before. In this spirit, Vail Soul Music Fest is more than just a music event; it’s the ultimate soul experience. In addition to some of the best performers in the genre, Vail Soul Music Fest features three days and two nights of soulful cultural experiences including:

• Youth Day Music and Mentoring,
• “Soul Studio” featuring artist “Talk Back” sessions hosted by Hip Hop scholar Adam Bradley,
• A Spa and Fashion Sanctuary at Aria Spa at Vail Cascade Resort,
• Fan favorite the “Soul Stroll,” where participating bars and clubs along Vail’s Main Street are transformed to represent each decade of soul music and lifestyle,
• and much more.

Stay tuned for full details on Vail Soul Music Fest’s many unique experiences and offerings and visit www.vailsoulmusicfest.com for more information.

Soul music originates from depth of experience and lives in its ability to connect to others. Vail Soul Music Fest taps into that spirit – with an unparalleled alchemy of mood and grooves and a breathtaking natural backdrop with wide-open skies. A premier international mountain town destination on its own, Vail Soul Music Fest offers an intriguing excuse for Colorado city dwellers and out-of-state visitors alike to descend on Vail Village for an exceptional soul experience getaway. Says Rhonda July, “A lot of people ask – why Vail? It’s an awe-inspiring setting, and really lends to providing a truly unique experience void of distractions.” July continues, “Colorado is rated the 5th most prolific arts scene in the Country, and quite frankly is still lacking events in the soul genre, despite plenty of interest and support.” Vail Soul Music Fest is for Colorado’s many music savvy residents, and for music fans all over the country looking for an ultimate soul music experience. Come for the uplifting music, great company, tasty food choices, world-class spa facilities, a huge variety of outdoor activities, and so much more.

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LINEUP INFO:

The artist line-up for Vail Soul Music Fest is as follows:

Friday, August 19
Lalah Hathaway
Alex Cuba
Natalie Stewart
Lee England Jr.

Saturday, August 20
Ledisi
Ryan Shaw
Liv Warfield
Chaz Shepherd

Sunday, August 21

“Fan Appreciation Day” with artist meet & greets, free activities and experiences, free music events throughout town, and more.

Additional performers to be announced.

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TICKET INFO:
Tickets available at www.vailsoulmusicfest.com or at www.TicketHorse.com / 1-866-461-6556. Local Vail Residents can purchase through the Ford Amphitheater Box Office