Little Dragon is an electronic music band, based in Gothenburg, Sweden. It consists of Swedish-Japanese singer Yukimi Nagano (vocals, percussion) and her close high-school friends Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrik Källgren Wallin (bass), and Håkan Wirenstrand (keyboards). They are currently touring the world at large but we caught up with them in Detroit at Movement.
I first heard of Sonny Moore (better known as Skrillex) back when he was in a little punk rock band called From First to Last on Epitaph Records. His electro house/ dubstep inspired sound doesn’t feel very rock n roll at first blush, however his ability to mix sounds, create moods, and subvert the expected is very punk rock, even in the electro community.
The unclassifiable Sleigh Bells are heading back into the Studio this coming June to start recording their follow up project to the wildly successful Treats. If you have not yet heard of this amazingly talented duo you must. They are fresh and forward. They sound like nothing before them and have a power all of their own. If Trent Reznor and Terri Nunn had a baby (assuming of course that the indelible Nunn could stomach the incorrigible Reznor) their offspring would most likely sound a lot like Sleigh Bells.
If you want a snapshot of America on any given summer just take a sampling of the trends set at its festivals. Bamboozle just occurred in New Jersey this past weekend and I tasked the talents of photographer Joe Gall to capture the people and mayhem of the scene. Check out the awesome that is an ever fashion forward Jersey scene…no seriously.
Lil Wayne may be a lot of things to a lot of people; a rapper, producer, felon, & father. But on Sunday night he was nothing short of spectacular as he closed the three day Bamboozle Festival in New Jersey. He took the stage for a little over an hour as the sun kissed weary crowd stayed transfixed. From an artist who’s playbook includes so many featured acts and guest vocals, one might think the whole Young Money crew travels attached at the hip, but not so. Lil Wayne proved that not only can he carry a show relatively alone, he is in fact a true performer.
The Ready Set, aka Jordan Mark Witzigreuter, served up a delightful set of eletro-pop to the New Jersey crowd at Bamboozle 2011 last weekend. Jordan’s story is interesting, he’s really just a one man band using hired guns to perform and tour. He decided to go by The Ready Set because he thought his last name, Witzigreuter, would inevitably be too hard for people to pronounce. Its a clever way around that whole, band-name-is-my-name dilemma.
LMFAO is a party rock phenomenon. They have not only taken over the airwaves with catchy summer fun tunes you can’t cleanse from your ear hole but they launched a clothing line aptly named, Party Rock. Maybe you can’t get behind DJ/Rappers Redfoo and SkyBlu’s antics and overall jovial love for the ladies, but you have to admit they bring their A game every show. If you don’t love living in the moment, stay inside ya sad sack and watch The Golden Girls reruns on the tv.
This past weekend they took the stage at Bamboozle 2011 and we caught em in the act. Shots Shots Shots for everyone!
Forever the Sickest Kids put the final smack down on their Spring Break Your Heart Tour by playing 2 nights at Bamboozle 2011. After jumping off the road with friends, Breathe Carolina, Before Their Eyes, This Century and We Are The In Crowd they unleashed their particular flavor of rock n roll for wildly excited crowds in New Jersey.
This American Pop Punk Band from Texas signed to Universal Motown Records Group in 2007 and has been gaining momentum ever since. Although a lot of people are only now just hearing about FTSK, they have built a solid following of the young and impressionable. With a respectable web presence and endless touring, these guys aren’t going away anytime soon.
Although I sent a lucky team of contributors out to the desert on their own personal musical journey this weekend, I am #notatcoachella. So I’m promoting all the awesome that is happening not there. If you are on twitter, use the hash tag #notatcoachella and you can contribute to the millions of us finding fun elsewhere.
In the meantime, the Foo Fighters are also #notatcoachella this year. And their new album, Wasting Light, was just released like a wild boar into my consciousness. I think these boys are onto something!
Happy Weekend Everyone!
Words by Barbie Brady
What? Tell me you don’t think of Christmas every time you say their name? In the past year, Sleigh Bells has taken on the music industry and found themselves winning in a big, not Charlie Sheen, way. The duo, Derek Miller on guitar and synths and Alexis Krauss with her rap-esque vocals, brought about a revolution in sound. Just when you thought there was nothing new under the sun, they blast into your ear hole and rearrange your heart beat to better suit their needs.
A few weeks back I was chatting with legendary God Like Genius (thanks for that NME) Dave Grohl, and he said he only just discovered Sleigh Bells and was loving them. Mighty high praise indeed for a band on, literally, Mom+Pop Records.
Tomorrow they will be in Indio at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. I suggest you slide into your hipster jeans and wiggle your way out there to see em. And if you didn’t plan accordingly for the journey to the desert then catch them on tour here: