The Mansion

One of my favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers albums is Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Between this and Mother's Milk, the Chili Peppers were riding a wave of mainstream success as the 80s began to seep into the 90s. I remember reading Anthony Kiedis's autobiography, Scar Tissue, and loving the story behind recording BSSM. It marked their first time having Rick Rubin produce for them and after struggling initially to record anything substantial in a typical studio setting, Rubin rented out a large mansion in Los Angeles in the hopes that it would elevate the band's creativity. It worked.

Rick Rubin now owns this mansion and has used it to record some great albums. Recently I was looking through a list of the albums he's recorded there and I was amazed to find so many of my favorite artists listed. Here are some of those albums:

De-Loused in the Comatorium by The Mars Volta
The album that opened my ears to the world of progressive rock. I remember my first time listening to this album and thinking it sounded like nothing I had ever heard before. It's very theatrical and I love how multi-layered each song is.
My favorite song off this album: Roulette Dates (The Haunt Of)

Mezmerize & Hypnotize by System of a Down
My entire teenage existence can be narrowed down to just a couple of bands that I was obsessed with. System of a Down was one of them. While technically this is two albums, they were both recorded at the same time in the house. I seem to remember the albums not being received as favorably as Toxicity but I thought they were excellent. The band really stretched their legs and managed to experiment with their sound a bit while not abandoning their hard sound and kinda twisted composition.
My favorite songs off this album: Radio/Video and Holy Mountains

Out of Exile by Audioslave
I remember playing this album pretty much every morning on my way to school back when I was in college. Commuting sucked but Audioslave made it way better. While not as hard hitting as their debut album, I really liked the lyrical content of this album. It felt more personal and refined.
My favorite song off this album: Heaven's Dead

Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers
If ever an album exceeded my expectations, Stadium Arcadium takes the cake. This album blew me away when I first listened to it. While I'd maybe pick Californication as my favorite album, I think this is their magnum opus.  A true showcase of the band's amazing talent.
My favorite songs off this album: Wet Sand and Turn it Again

Minutes to Midnight by Linkin Park
One of the other bands I was obsessed with when I was a teenager. A perfect musical outlet for all my teenage angst. This actually came out in my early 20s, but I still enjoyed it. Not as much as their two older albums as it's definitely a more commercialized version of their sound, but there is still some gold in these hills and I think the production value is great.
My favorite song off this album: The Little Things Give You Away

This Is Happening by LCD Soundsystem
One of my favorite albums of all time. It's funky and rocks and makes you want to dance beginning to end. Just incredible live as well. Some of my most fond concert memories are of dancing to songs off this album with my wife and friends.
My favorite song off this album: Dance Yrself Clean

These are just my albums from artists I regularly listen to. Other great albums recorded at The Mansion include:
Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) by Marilyn Manson
99 Problems by Jay Z
Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) by Slipknot
Dancing for the Death of an Imaginary Enemy by Ours 

If you're on Spotify, I've created a playlist that includes music from all the albums recorded at The Mansion (except for Maroon5 because I can't stand that band). Click here for the playlist.

Ranking my 15 favorite albums of 2016 and looking forward to 2017.

2016 took a lot of great musicians from us, but it also gave us a lot of great music in return. I went through Wikipedia's List of 2016 albums to reflect on all the new music I experienced this year. Let's take a look:

15. M83 - Junk

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Hurry Up, We're Dreaming is in my top 5 albums of all time, so I was very excited for this album to drop in April. Lollapalooza had released their absolutely stacked lineup just a month before, and among the incredible list of artists was M83. When Junk hit, I honestly was a bit disappointed at first. It was a poppy detour from the style of the previous, a style which I absolutely love. However, after seeing them perform some of the hits live at Lollapalooza, I really started to dig the feel of the album. Now that I've listened to it a few more times I think the front half is very solid, but then it loses steam for the second half and I find it a bit boring. Still, some great songs on the album to check out. My favorite is "Go!" 

M83 - Go!

14. Massive Attack - Ritual Spirit

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Technically an EP, but it's their newest material in over 5 years. Not too much to say. It's just 4 solid Massive Attack jams thrown together for your enjoyment. Check out "Dead Editors" for a funky jam.

Massive Attack - Ritual Spirit

13. Iggy Pop - Post Pop Depression

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Iggy Pop teaming up with Josh Homme is such an exciting collaboration. Before hearing a single note you can already picture how their two styles would complement each other. I really enjoyed my first listen of Post Pop Depression and could hear where Homme's touch came in. It's a good album, but nothing really sticks out to me as particularly memorable. I'm not a huge Iggy Pop fan, so while I doubt I'll sit down and listen to this album all that often, I think songs are more than welcome to join the rotation in my playlists. Favorite song off the album is "Gardenia."

Iggy Pop - Gardenia

12. Deftones - Gore

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Gore snuck up on me. I didn't even know Deftones were in the studio making new music, so it was a pleasant surprise when the album was released. I probably played it every day for the first week. They seem to pick up right where they left off, and I like how spacey the album is at times. My favorite song is probably "Hearts/Wires."

Deftones - Hearts/Wires

11. St. Lucia - Matter

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I was so excited for a second album from St. Lucia. I became a serious St. Lucia fan after seeing him live at Headliner's a couple years ago. Just great feel good music performed so well live. Matter is just such a fun album to listen to. It's the kind of music you want to grab someone special and dance to. "Rescue Me" is a good one.

St. Lucia - Rescue Me

10. Schoolboy Q - Blank Face LP

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This album is loaded with guests spots and great beats. I love Q's rapping style. I just wish it translated better to his live shows. Regardless, a lot of songs off this album got added to my rap playlist after I listened to it a few times. Favorite track is probably "Ride Out."

Schoolboy Q - Ride Out

9. Kendrick Lamar - untitled unmastered.

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Speaking of TDE family, how about this cool collection of songs that Kendrick released to his fans? Some outtake songs from To Pimp A Butterfly that for whatever reason didn't make the cut. There's no real flow to the album, but a Kendrick Lamar playlist curated by Kendrick Lamar is cool with me.

My favorite is "untitled 02 | 06.23.2014."

Kendrick Lamar - untitled 02 | 06.23.2014

8. Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool

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Honestly I was never a really big fan of Radiohead. I guess I never really gave their music a chance, but after seeing them live at Lollapalooza, I finally understood why all my friends suggested them. Radiohead was my second most played artist on Spotify this year. I've listened to their entire discography 3 different times this year and while A Moon Shaped Pool isn't their best album, it's still a solid album experience beginning to end. They played a few songs live and they all blew me away. My favorite off the album is "The Numbers."

Radiohead - The Numbers

7. Childish Gambino - "Awaken, My Love!"

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What a surprising album. While I really enjoy the style on his previous albums, I love the more mature direction of this one. In fact, it's downright funky at times. It took me until my second listen to truly appreciate what he was doing with this album. It's the kind of music that is approrpaite for so many different settings. This will be an album I listen to often in 2017. My favorite groove is "Redbone."

Childish Gambino - Redbone

6. Kanye West - The Life of Pablo

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This was a very polarizing album in 2016. Who knows what kind of mental state Kanye was in when he started on this album, but it's weird and I love it. I was excited to maybe see his show live here when they announced his tour was rolling through. But then, you know, Kanye went full Kanye so that didn't happen. Still, this album was great. I don't know what genre I would even throw it in, but my favorite track off the album is "Wolves."

Kanye West - Wolves

5. Nine Inch Nails - Not the Actual Events

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Okay, again, technically an EP, but the last time we saw anything new by NIN was back in 2013. Reznor spent a lot of the NIN hiatus working with Atticus Ross and brought him along to help with the EP. This collection of tracks is fantastic and sound like they'd have a place on any album of the past. It has me hopeful that we'll get a tour in 2017 sometime. Check out "The Idea of You."

Nine Inch Nails - The Idea of You

4. The Naked and Famous - Simple Forms

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This was one of my most anticipated albums of 2016. The Naked and Famous is one of my favorite bands and I love the progression of their sound from even before Passive Me, Aggressive You. This album met all my expectations. The entire album is so colorful and full to the brim of good feelings. Guaranteed to cheer you up even on the gloomiest of days. My awesome wife got us tickets to see them on my 30th birthday, so that was extra special to me this year. My favorite song they performed off the new album was "The Runners."

The Naked and Famous - The Runners

3. Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 3

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It was a Christmas Fucking Miracle when RTJ decided to drop this album a month early on Christmas Day. I listened to this song back-to-back-to-back Christmas night. I couldn't get enough.  I swear each RTJ album gets better and better. What I love about RTJ is that they always release their music for free. They aren't in it for the money but still put out dope music. RTJ3 is fucking awesome. It's impossible to pick a favorite off RTJ3, but I love the beat on "Talk to Me."

Run The Jewels - Talk to Me

2. Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Getaway

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Haters will say that the Chili Peppers just aren't nearly as good without Frusciante. That comments holds some merit, but they still rock in my opinion. They let Josh stretch his legs a bit more on this album and I think it made the experience so much better than I'm With You. Seeing them perform a few of the songs live at Lollapalooza was incredible. The band has a renewed energy and this album might be the beginning of a new great era of Red Hot Chili peppers. Bests song on the album is "Dreams of a Samurai."

Dreams of a Samurai

1. The Avalanches - Wildflower

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My absolute favorite album of 2016. This album is an incredibly fun trip beginning to end. It's weird and funky and upbeat and psychedelic and truly an experience front to back. In a lot of ways it reminds me of Plastic Beach by Gorillaz, which is in my top 3 favorite albums of all time. For Wildflower, The Avalanches seem to take that concept of an album and mold it into something uniquely theirs. This is also the first new music we've heard from The Avalanches in 16 years! I'm excited The Avalanches are back. Hard to pick a favorite, but "Because I'm Me" is a great way to kick off the album.

The Avalanches - Because I'm Me

Looking forward to 2017

2017 is shaping up to be a great year for music. It's got a great head start with Moon Taxi coming to Covington later in January. This will be the 18th or 19th time I've seen them live. Then in February is what's turned out to be a Moulton Men tradition. The Dark Side of the Wall performs their annual Pink Floyd Experience recreation at the Brown Theater. I got in early on some great seats one row from the front, so I'm very excite for that. It's always fun rocking out with my dad. Then I've got Forecastle to look forward to. After a couple disappointing years for headliners, they've really got me excited this year for LCD Soundsystem, Weezer, RTJ, and so many others. Then shortly after that will be Lollapalooza, which is 4 days again this year after the success of last year. I don't know who will be performing, but I've got a few hopefuls. 

Which brings me to new music for 2017. There's a lot of artists in the studio right now working on new music. Off the top of my head theres: Moon Taxi, Gorillaz, Tool, and Queens of the Stone Age. I could see Gorillaz or Tool (or both?!) headlining Lollapalooza this year. And I'm always down for new Moon Taxi or QotSA. Plus tons more new music coming. Can't wait. 

Why you should or shouldn't be excited for Forecastle

Forecastle Festival just released their second wave of artists and the announcement has been met with a mixture of positive and negative reactions. If you're like me, then you were immediately off-put by the use of emojis as hints building up to the second wave release. Not that I mind emojis when used in the right context, but it just felt like a half-hearted attempt to pander to Forecastle's younger fan base, and seemed like it was done by someone's dad that just got a smart phone for the first time and thinks he's clever now that he has "the emojis." With the polarizing nature of the lineup, I want to address why you should and why you shouldn't be excited for this year's Forecastle Festival.

Why you shouldn't be excited for Forecastle

The headliners get progressively less exciting with each passing year. We were spoiled when we had bands like The Black Keys, Beck, Jack White, Outkast, or Bassnectar fill a headlining spot. These artists have all earned headlining spots at major music festivals like Coachella, Bonnaroo, and Lollapalooza in the past. I wonder if Forecastle got spooked that they suddenly were growing into a larger festival, and decided to dial everything back a bit so as to stay true to their humble beginnings. But I liked the progression forward. Louisville hosting a major music festival is a big deal for the city, bringing in all kinds of tourism money and helping solidify Louisville's musical presence. It's far too often that bands on major North American tours will opt to skip Louisville in favor of playing Indianapolis, Cincinnati, or Nashville. Forecastle is proof that Louisville can most certainly host any size act. Not to mention that the city is already well prepared to host large crowds over a week. That's why we're the Derby City baby. 

There are a lot of good bands to see this year, but the headliners are what drum up the most excitement, and I feel this year is a bit of a let down. Two of the headliners, The Avett Brothers and Alabama Shakes, already shared main-stage performances back in 2013. A little variety would be nice. Plus, I miss having a large hip-hop or electronic headliner to spice the headliners up a bit.

Why you should be excited for Forecastle

What Forecastle lacks in headliners, it more than makes up for in the undercard acts. This year there is quite the eclectic mix of artists. From bluegrass and folk to psychedelic rock to hip-hop and DJs, we've got it all. Forecastle alumns Gary Clark Jr and Moon Taxi are back this year, and both are guaranteed to put on a killer set. Dan Auerbach (of The Black Keys) brings his side project The Arcs this year. Their debut album Yours, Dreamily was released in the later part of 2015 and has some phenomenal rock songs on it. This is a can't-miss performance. Other great artists to consider are psychedelic rockers Unknown Mortal Orchestra and White Denim, electro-funk duo Ghostland Observatory, Americana musicians Shakey Graves and the group Pokey LaFarge, singer-songwriter Sarah Jarosz, gospel/jazz singer Liz Vice, and indie-pop duo Sylvan Esso.

Also returning to Forecastle are Mr Harlem Shake himself Baauer and the dynamic drum-n-saxophone electronic duo Big Gigantic, both of whom I imagine will both throw down giant dance parties under the bridge. While I'm not the biggest fan of Hudson Mowhawke, he's recently signed to Kanye's GOOD music label and is sure to throw down some dope beats. The set I'm most excited for under the bridge is Danny Brown. This guy is energy personified and is sure to get everyone in the crowd going hyphy.

I also think we're in for a special treat this year with Teddy Abrams and Friends. If that name sounds familiar to you, it's because Abrams is the music director for the Louisville Orchestra, and according to Forecastle's website, is "curating a special Louisville-centric showcase with artist collaborations, orchestral arrangements, and more." This sounds like a unique set that I hope to catch.

All-in-all, Forecastle is worth going to every year if you're a denizen of Louisville. At the very worst you'll find some artists you like that you have never heard of before. In that respect I will always appreciate Forecastle Festival. But I also feel like they could easily take this festival to the next level and book some major headlining acts and put Louisville on the map. Until such time, Louder Than Life will take the crown as Louisville's major music festival.

Album Review: Compton

Dr. Dre's new album Compton is a self-described soundtrack that had a lot of people, me included, thinking it was mean to accompany the soon-to-be released Straight Outta Compton movie. Turns out it's intended to act as a soundtrack for the Compton way of life. And in this respect, I think Dr. Dre absolutely nails it.

The album is fully immersive and commands your attention from the opening skit, introducing you to a cinematic-like entrance. You're then given a quick history of Compton before getting into the first song of the album. Normally I'm not a fan of skits on albums, but I feel like they really added to the experience in this instance. Some of the skits had my heart racing. They aren't pleasant, but I get the feeling that neither is life on the streets of Compton.

From there on, it's just banger after banger until the album's conclusion. Fans expecting Dr. Dre's signature old school west coast style will be disappointed in the style of this album. From a hip hop perspective, it's pretty progressive. The production is top notch and the lyrics dive deeper into Compton life than just gang-banging, getting money, and hoes. It's clear Dr. Dre has been keeping his ear to the streets when composing the beats for this album. There's a good blend of actual instruments and electronic enhancements that give the album a pretty unique sound. I'd compare the beats more to something from Flying Lotus than some of the stuff Kendrick Lamar has come out with. If you know me, you know I don't consider an album complete until it is graced with either a horn or saxophone. He held out to the end, but the final track of the album finally features a horn on the beat.

Dr. Dre also did a good job of bringing out the celebrities for this album. Kendrick Lamar joins Dre on quite a few tracks, and to me this combo is absolutely killer. Definitely one of the hip hop duos to come out of the west coast. But The Doctor also brings in some well-knowns like Ice Cube, Xzibit, Eminem, and Snoop Dog. Eminem lays down an absolutely killer set on "Medicine Man." Kendrick takes the time to subtly rip on Drake for a line or two during his searing feature on "Deep Water." I always appreciate Xzibit and Ice Cubes rap style, and no Dre album would complete with out Snoop entering the studio for at least one track.

I think the west coast sound is evolving, and Compton serves as yet another harbinger of the change. I enjoy the direction the west coast style is headed and hope Wikipedia is wrong when it says this is Dr. Dre's last album. And if it is, I hope to see continued collaboration with Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and relatively new comer Anderson .Paak, who is featured on a lot of tracks as well. I'll be keeping my ear out for him.

And seriously though, what happened to Detox?

Lollapalooza 2015

Another Lollapalooza has come and went and, as with every year, I'm spending the week following basking in the afterglow of an incredibly fun three days. I've been going to Lollapalooza every year since 2011, when my cousin hit me up the Tuesday before asking if I wanted his extra ticket. I had never been to a large music festival like Lolla before but had been itching to go for a while. It was impossible to pass up the $200 ticket and a free place to stay, so I enthusiastically accepted his offer and immediately began the process of requesting time off work and looking up directions to Chicago.

What I didn't know back then was that every minute I traveled closer to Chicago, I was closer to falling in love and participating in something special. I'll never forget my first Lollapalooza and the way I felt when I finally came back home to reality. I loved it so much that I vowed to return every year for as long as I could. Four years later and I'm still keeping my vow. And while every Lollapalooza has been a blast and special in its own way, 2015 was my favorite experience yet.

So let's break down the weekend...

FRIDAY

The drive up was electric. Five people stuffed into a big comfy Cadillac growing more and more excited as we neared the Windy City. Our first glimpse of the Chicago skyline had us bouncing like a bunch of school children on a bus during a field trip. We took Lakeshore to our Airbnb spot and could already see Grant Park buzzing with thousands of beautiful people. Once we parked the car and got the keys for our condo we made our way to the park.

The trek in was amazing. The Airbnb condo we rented was on the 52nd floor of a luxury apartment complex in the Streeterville area of Chicago, which is squeezed in between Magnificent Mile, the famous Navy Pier, and the Chicago River. So we had to traverse the beautiful streets of downtown Chicago to make our way to Grant Park. Beautiful works of architecture sprouted from the pavement like titanic sized city guides who seemed to be pointing us towards our destination. It's impossible to cross the river on foot and not take a brief moment of pause halfway across the bridge to take in the city's busy sights and sounds. Onward we travel, passing impressive skyscrapers, beautiful condos, and a gorgeous park with an odd looking silver bean dropped in the middle.

Finally we made it into the park, and you can't help but to stop again just to appreciate the scale of what you're about to partake in. Tens of thousands of people from all different kinds of backgrounds all over the world gathered to feel the love that Lolla dishes out. Once you fully appreciate that fact, then it's time to get down to business. First thing: water.

Gary Richards, aka Destructo

After we filled our Camelbaks (I can't recommend these enough for music festivals), we made our way to the infamous Perry's stage to catch Destructo, a self-described "gnarly disco" experience that blasted out some great electronic beats for an hour. Check out his song "Dare You 2 Move" to get a feel for his style of music. Needless to say, the dance party got started early on Friday.

Once Destructo's set wrapped up, I got myself the classic Lollapalooza sustenance Lobster Corndog. If you've never had one then I don't even know what you're doing with your life. Unless you have a shell fish allergy, in which case I'm so sorry you'll never experience the taste of one. Once I devoured one of those, I walked the park a bit and stopped in to see a bit of Cold War Kids. I enjoy the few songs I've heard on WFPK, but I wasn't a big fan of their live set. I watched from near the back of the crowd, so I'm sure that had something to do with it, but even still, I feel like they lacked energy and stage presence.

Feeling the beat coming from Perry's, I decided to head over there to see what kind of shenanigans were going on post-Destructo. Caught the end of DJ Mustard and decided to stick around for DJ Snake, who is famous for the incredibly fun "Turn Down For What." I had thought about branching off at some points to catch Gary Clark, Jr or Alabama Shakes. In hindsight, I should've seen Alabama Shakes, but I always regret missing some acts after every Lollapalooza so I try not to dwell on it.

Dillon Francis

After dancing our booties off to DJ Snake, we decided to keep the party going and moved in even closer for Dillon Francis. I'm a big fan of his music, especially the song  "Get Low" that he did with DJ Snake. His set was good, but like DJ Mustard & DJ Snake, nothing stood out as exceptionally mind blowing. I feel like all three DJs used the same recipe and just slightly switched up the

ingredients. Plus there didn't seem to be any flow to their set list. It was good for dancing, but that's about it. Even still, the good vibes were strong and I had a good time.

Then came the biggest dilemma of my life: who do I see? The unequivocally legendary Sir Paul McCartney, or the incredibly talented and unique Flying Lotus? Damn you Lollapalooza! This was a decision I played in my head every day since the schedule was released, and up until this moment I hadn't even made a decision. Still vibing off the electronic beats, I decided on Flying Lotus and made my way to the Pepsi (formerly Grove) stage to stake out a spot for Flying Lotus. Our group got back together for Flying Lotus and as soon as he started playing his music I knew I made the right decision.

It's hard to even describe FlyLo's set. Above all else, I would describe it as absolutely mind blowing. The best show I've ever seen. Period. Flying Lotus had a great way of commanding the audience's attention. His show was equal parts musical journey and visual trip. The combination picked deep into my brain, grabbed hold, and took over my body for the entire hour long set. It was a humbling experience. Every time I thought I knew what was about to happen next, FlyLo would throw a wrench in my plan and completely switch things up. And yet somehow it all seemed to flow together. It was very much a production with an end goal in mind. It was also a very emotional experience. The combination of visuals and music really heightened my emotional response. I felt extreme joy for the entire hour, and I can't thank Flying Lotus enough for the spiritual experience. Unfortunately they cut his set off right as he was about to address the audience and play one more song, but he had already done enough and it was great to see him express genuine gratitude for the amount of love the small crowd showed him.

Flying Lotus

It took a few minutes once he finished to process what had just happened. Eventually we shuffled out of Grant Park and made our way back to the Airbnb condo to finally unpack our stuff and relax. The whole walk back was filled with praise for Flying Lotus and reflection on the artists we saw that day. We all agreed that Flying Lotus was the best part about Friday.

It was extra special to come back to a really nice condo with exceptional views of the city. Since our condo was occupied with international travelers when we first arrived, this was the first time we had stepped foot inside. 52 floors up, a corner unit, and awe inspiring views of downtown, including spectacular views of famous Chicago buildings like Willis Tower, Trump Tower, and the Hancock Building. We grabbed our stuff from the car, settled in, and spent the night relaxing and enjoying the view of Chicago at night. Look below at the photo Sam took from one of the windows of the condo. 

Photo courtesy of Sam Hunter. Sam Hunter on Flickr.

And with a full day under our belts, we went to sleep in preparation for day 2 of Lollapalooza...

SATURDAY

Took my time getting ready in the morning and spent a lot of it on the sundeck of the building we stayed in. Fantastic views up there, and the cool breeze off the lake had me excited to eventually

View from the sundeck.

make my way down to Lollapalooza for day 2. After getting some food in our bellies and doing a little pregame drinking, we made our way to the park.  Made it in time to catch the start of Charlie XCX's set. Honestly, I was only familiar with her part on Iggy Azalea's "Fancy" so I didn't really hold too high of an opinion of Charlie. But damn, she put on an impressive show. I really dig that she travels with a full band that consists of all women musicians. And, damn, those ladies can rock out! Unfortunately the sound quality of the stage she was on wasn't so great back where we watched her from, so about halfway through the set we decided to walk around the park and scope out some other bands. At least we stuck around long enough to hear some of her hits, including a new favorite of mine "Break The Rules." 

While heading back to the north end of the park, we passed Lolla's BMI stage which will always hold

Pell

a special place in my heart since that's where Moon Taxi played their first Lollapalooza set. It's Lolla's smallest stage, excluding their Kidaplozza area. The setting is intimate and nested in a small grove, so there's plenty of shade to go around and you get a sweet cool breeze off the lake there. Anyways, we couldn't help but stop when the awesome beats of Pell graced our ears. Pell is a New Olreans rapper with a very cool rapping style and ended up being my favorite hip hop act of the weekend. He seemed like a very genuine dude and was using the energy the crowd gave him to deliver a spectacular set. Intending to only listen to a couple of songs, we ended up staying through the end of his set. It's artists like Pell that keep me coming back to Lollapalooza. I love discovering new music, and Lolla never fails to deliver these extremely talented up-and-coming artists.

After Pell's set we decided to take a break and chill in some shade near the north end of the park. We were able to listen to music from Toro Y Moi, The Tallest Man on Earth, and Hermitude. All three sounded like they would've been a great show to watch up close, but they were still enjoyable from a distance. Once we felt good and rested we staked out an incredible spot up close for Tyler, the Creator. I've been a big fan of Tyler for a while now, so I was excited to catch his set. He certainly didn't disappoint. His stage props were great, and he brought out OF alums Jasper and Taco to help him out. The highlight of the set was Tyler performing my personal favorite song "Goblin" right in front of us! Tyler has great stage presence and I really dig his overall demeanor. I was glad to catch him live again, and if it wasn't for Pell's surprise performance, his set would've been my favorite hip hop act of the weekend.

Tyler, the Creator performing "Goblin" off Odd Future's debut album

After Tyler we made our way back to Perry's to set up for Alesso. But first he had Carnage opening for him. Carnage was great and broke away from the typical Perry's DJ mold a bit by infusing more hip hop elements into his music, and avoiding the typical recipe of 4 bars of buildup and then dropping the beat. His set turned into a giant dusty dance party. It was impossible to not at least bounce your head, and he was a great warm up for Alesso.

Alesso's amazing laser show

I honestly didn't know a single thing about Alesso before his set. But since I wasn't interested in Sam Smith at all, and Metallica seemed like they were way passed their prime, I settled on Alesso. It ended up being a great choice. Hailing from Sweden, you could hear the European influence in his music. It was all very happy and upbeat and was accompanied by a spectacular laser show that entranced the entire crowd. At one point he brought up fellow Swede Tove Lo for a song. She was wearing this really cool gold angel costume and sang a very beautiful song. It was just an all around great set and a fantastic way to wrap up day 2 at Lolla.

A cool moment to share was when we were on our way out of the park. Because Alesso ended his set 15 minutes earlier than the other headliners, we got to catch a bit of Sam Smith, who was performing at the north end of the park. He saved his hit song "Stay With Me" until the end, and even though I'm sure none of us exiting the park cared about Sam Smith, damn if we all weren't belting out his lyrics along with him. Complete strangers walking out and smiling at each other and singing an incredibly catchy tune. I also have to give mad props to Sam Smith, as his voice as magical and I take back anything negative I said about him. He is incredibly talented and deserved a headlining spot at Lollapalooza.

The night was capped off with more beautiful views of downtown Chicago and a short journey to grab some fucking delicious deep dish pizza. I like you're style Chicago. After stuffing myself full of beer and pizza it was time to lay my head down to rest and prepare to go all out for the third and final day of Lollapalooza...

SUNDAY

Yes! Finally, the day has arrived. If you know me, you know I'm obsessed with Moon Taxi. And Sunday was my chance to see them live, again, only this time on the main stage of Lollapalooza. How far they've come! From playing the small BMI stage to the main stage in only three years, what an incredible journey for an amazing band. But first I needed energy for the day, so Jay and Cecelia made us all a bomb ass breakfast consisting of bacon, eggs, french toast (a Jay specialty), sausage, and some mimosas to wash it all down. It's the perfect recipe for a long day out in the sun.

Wanting to get a full day in, we wasted no time getting ready and making our way down to the park, arriving through the gates very shortly after they opened. Not really knowing who to see before Moon Taxi, we made our way to Perry's to see what was going on there. May as well get a bit of dancing in, right? Opening up Perry's that day was jackLNDN, a young and aspiring DJ from London that has only been making music for a year. But he threw down some great electro-beats and took the time after his set to come down and greet his new fans. A very humble dude and I wish him all kinds of success in his career.

Black Tiger Sex Machine

After jackLNDN left the stage, Black Tiger Sex Machine took over the audio controls and proceeded to blow my mind. It's a travesty they were playing so early, and it's my opinion that they could've easily been a headlining act on Perry's stage. Their stage presence was great. They liked to engage the crowd and wore these very cool black tiger masks. And their music was this fantastic mix of dirty, grungy electronic beats and hard hitting bass. They reminded me a lot of Nero or Daft Punk. I had to be careful, since I was dancing my ass off and didn't want to wear myself out so early in the day. But fuck it, the music was too good NOT to shake my booty too. You're welcome to everyone behind me that go to behold the magnificence of my ass swaying left, right, up, and down.

Moon Taxi was set to go on in about an hour, so I quickly made my way to the complete opposite end of the park to where they were playing in order to stake out a nice close spot. And a nice spot is what I got. Very close to the stage, just barely right of center. Yes! The sun was beating down but the strong breeze was keeping me nice and cool. The blessing of the breeze quickly turned into a curse though, as about 15 minutes before they were supposed to go on I see them breaking stuff down; lowering the screens and speakers and what not. Then the most devastating news came over the louder speaker. "Due to nearby storms, we are evacuating the park." No. No, please no. Not now. Not like this. They didn't even get to play one song! But alas, we must all accept the things we cannot change, so I reluctantly began to shuffle towards the exit.

It was hard to remain positive about the rest of Lollapalooza after the evac. I knew that, no matter what, I would not be seeing Moon Taxi. It was nearing an hour after being evacuated and we still hadn't heard anything about them reopening the gates. I figured they would cut some acts short, but leave most of the headlining acts alone. Which meant sorry to Moon Taxi, but you were on too early to come back and play your set. Finally after just over an hour they let us back in. So after fighting through the massive crowd to get in, we head back to the main stage in the off chance that maybe Moon Taxi would get an abbreviated set.

You ever have one of those moment where it's like the universe has delivered you a present? For example, while watching Cold War Kids a Yosemite themed Bic lighter randomly appeared at Sam's feet. We both swore it wasn't there two minutes ago, but somehow this lighter just appeared at Sam's feet. The universe was dishing out all kinds of gifts during the weekend, and my gift was Moon Taxi. When we got back to the spot we staked out, there was Moon Taxi on stage tuning up their guitars and setting up to play. Ho-ly shit. I'm going to see Moon Taxi perform afterall! Even if it's just one
song I'll be happy. But Lollapalooza's generosity knows no bounds, and Moon Taxi ended up throwing down an incredible hour-long set which included a fantastic cover of Tears for Fear's "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" featuring the lead singer from Walk The Moon (of "Shut Up And Dance" fame) accompanying Trevor on vocals. My favorite song, though, was "Beaches." An already lengthy song, they played an even more extended version that just continued to build with each repetition of the breakdown. The drums got more and more insane and the song concluded on an incredible keyboard solo. It was one of the best concerts of theirs I've ever seen, and I was so happy to see that the large crowd was really into it. I like to think Moon Taxi earned a few more fans that day.

Needless to say, I was cheesin' hard and living on cloud 9 after their set. After dancing so early on in the day and the emotional exhaustion of the events that just transpired, we decided to chill for a while in preparation for A$AP Rocky's set. So we found some food, some shade, and listened to ODESZA and Gogol Bordello from a distance. Once we were good and rested we made our way close to the stage and waited for A$AP Rocky to come out.

In the minutes leading up to A$AP Rocky, you could feel the electricity in the crowd building. We were very close to the rail, so everyone was already shoved in there. Anticipation kept building, and finally A$AP came out with some of his friends. From beginning to end it was one giant cluster of moshing and dancing. There were a few times I contemplated bowing out and heading towards the back, but instead I stayed in the shit and joined the massive blob of sweaty people jumping and

A$AP Rocky

shoving all over each other. It certainly wasn't for the faint of heart. My advice for if you ever find yourself in the middle of a rowdy A$AP crowd is to just go with the flow and resolve yourself to no longer being in control of where your body is going. If I'm honest though, while the party aspect of his show was fun, A$AP isn't the best live performer. He mostly just shouted the lyrics over his songs and seemed more interested in getting people to mosh than getting people to hear his music. I did enjoy when he slowed it down a bit for the song "L$D" off his new album. Even still, I had a blast moshing and would definitely see him live again.

Since we were already in close, we stuck around for Bassnectar's set. I had been debating on seeing him or Nero, but since Nero was on the other side of the park I stuck with the Nectar. It was an excellent decision. He played an abbreviated set due to the evacuation, but was still able to throw down a spectacular combination of insane electronic beats and hypnotizing visuals. The highlight of the set was the city being backlit by the lightning of an approaching storm. Bassnectar appropriately closed out his set with a quick remix of "Riders on the Storm" by The Doors.

And with that, it was all over. It's such a surreal feeling when the last headliner finishes their set. You know in your mind that it's all over, but your heart can't accept it. I just had to stand there for a few minutes to take it all in. We hung around the park for a bit to say "thanks" to Lolla one last time, and finally we made the trek back to the condo. We barely made it before a huge storm hit, which brought with it hail, huge gusts of wind, and lightning striking all over the city. It was awesome to shut off all the lights in the condo and just relax, unwind, and watch the storm do it's thing.

THANK YOU

Thank you Lollapalooza for such a memorable weekend that will stick with me forever. Thank you Flying Lotus for blowing my mind multiple times in one standing. Thank you Pell for giving me something new to listen to and look forward to. Thank you Moon Taxi for always making me feel good with your music. Thank you to all the wonderful people who went to Lollapalooza. I don't know what the attendance numbers were, but the weekend vibe for everyone was all about love and happiness. Having the capacity to love is one of the best things about existing, and I loved seeing love spread all around. 

Until next year Lollapalooza!

The entire 2015 Lollapalooza crew.

Or an extension of the soul?

There's a difference between being a guitar player and someone whose guitar has become an extension of their body. Two examples immediately come to mind.

John Frusciante
This dude makes his guitar SCREAM. It's incredible. I think one of the best examples of a typical Frusciante solo is the one at the end of "Wet Sand."
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Wet Sand
HO-LY FUCK. I'm convinced it's impossible not to air guitar to this part. The way John makes those guitar strings vibrate is incredible. It's intense, it's powerful, it's emotional, and honestly, it's a bit sexual.

Jimi Hendrix
I feel like this is obvious and doesn't need any explanation. Plus, I feel like this live recording of Hey Joe says it all.

I'm debating whether or not I'd include Dan Auerbach from The Black Keys on this list. Has he already stood the test of time? I mean, the first Black Keys album came out 14 years ago and they are still going strong. Some excellent blues inspired songs in that time span. And I think with Turn Blue, he may have finally put himself on this list. I'd link a YouTube video, but it seems the record companies have made sure to take those down. So instead, just go out and buy this album. Trust me, it's worth it.

So, who would you also include on this list? What song(s) make you realize that this person is more than just a guitar player?

Dave Grohl is PRIME.

I really don't know how Dave Grohl does it. Has there ever been a musician quite like him? Maybe it could've been Jimi. Maybe it could've been Morrison. But nearly a quarter of a century later, after picking up the drum sticks with the genre-defining Nirvana, Dave Grohl has hit his prime and doesn't seem to show any signs of stopping. I love it.

The Foo Fighters are set to release their new album later this year, and Dave Grohl has already stated his sights are set on making another soon after. But why? He's been making albums with Foo for almost 20 years now, so why does he do it? I'll tell you why. Because Dave Grohl is the fucking mayor of rock and roll, and he intends to hold office for as long as he can.

Pictured: Dave Grohl sitting in his office

Sometimes, when I hear 10+ year old bands announce a new album, I get an iffy feeling. I think "it's cool they are coming out with new stuff, but there's no way it'll be as good as their old stuff." And then The Foo Fighters drop "Rope" as a single, and before I know it my brain has shoved my foot into my mouth. Wasting Light was an incredible album, and while their sound has certainly matured, any one of those songs could find a comfy spot on their self-titled debut album Foo Fighters, or the follow up iconic album The Colour and the Shape. This should have us all excited for this fall, when the new album is released. It's unfair to have high expectations out of people, but if anyone can fill those expectations, it's The Foo Fighters.