Merge's Anniversary Fest Goes Onsale Wednesday, Promises To Be Awesome

Last fall we mentioned that Merge Records was ramping up to a seriously cool record release for their twentieth anniversary this year. Well, in addition they've also lined up a five day music festival that's going to feature the best and the brightest of the Merge roster. Given that Merge hosts some of HAD's favorite artists, the fest has us drooling like crazy monkey people.

XX Merge is taking place from July 22nd to the 26th, at Merge's headquarters in Carrboro, NC. Currently the confirmed lineup is as follows:

SUPERCHUNK
SPOON
CONOR OBERST
SPENT
M.WARD
THE ROSEBUDS
DESTROYER
GUV'NER
POLVO
PIPE
THE BROKEN WEST

What's more there's the promise of "Many more expected & unexpected". While there are no guarantees, we'd be willing to make a pretty solid bet that Merge powerhouse Arcade Fire will make an appearance. What's more, much of the label's cred-establishing bands like The Magnetic Fields, Crooked Fingers and Robert Pollard also seem to be likely suspects. The real question, however, is that conspicuous legacy on the Merge roster: Will Neutral Milk Hotel make an appearance?

All of these mysteries will be revealed in July, but in order for that to happen, you need a pass to the fest. If you're so inclined - you're in luck: the passes go on sale this Wednesday at 10 AM Eastern Time via catscradle.com and mergerecords.com.

Festival Lineup Hullabaloo: Coachella, Bonnaroo

It's getting to be that time of year: Summer looms drearily on the horizon, and most bands find themselves opting for outdoor venues or festivals, if for no other reason than to save themselves from being packed in a 90 degree club at 1 in the morning. As such, the festivals have been busy booking bands, trying to cater to a wide group of fans, while at the same time maintaining integrity. It's a fine line, but someone's gotta walk it. This week both Coachella and Bonnaroo disclosed their lineup announcements, and frankly: it looks to be a good year for festivals.

Bonnaroo (as is typically the case) seems to be catering to a wider range of fans, with slightly more mainstream acts, and a notable nod to the jam-band crowd. Headliners include Bruce Springsteen, The Beastie Boys, Phish (two shows), Nine Inch Nails, David Byrne, Wilco, Al Green, and Snoop Dogg. That being said, if one looks a bit further, the list of slightly less mainstream bands is pretty well populated as well. MGMT, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Of Montreal, TV On The Radio, Band Of Horses, and Grizzly Bear (to name a few) are all making appearances. All that, and a solo set by Elvis Costello! We have to say, it seems like the bigger issue at this show will be managing your time well enough to catch all the awesomeness.

Coachella, by contrast, is pretty solidly positioned in the alternative/indie rock scene. Headliners include Paul McCartney debuting his Fireman material (which we're psyched for), The Killers, The Cure, My Bloody Valentine, Yeah Yeah Yeahs (dubs!), Franz Ferdinand, and Morrissey. The rest of the lineup is a virtual who's-who of the present indie rock scene including (but certianly not limited to) Fleet Foxes, Band Of Horses, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Liars, M. Ward, TV On The Radio, Conor Oberst, and many, many more. Frankly, we'd be willing to go just for MBV and Paul McCartney - the rest is icing!

So, all things being equal, the two festivals are a bit different, but both brimming with talent. We have to say that most people's pick will probably depend less on lineup and more on location. Still, it's nice to see that regardless of which (or, both!?!?) you decide on, that the lineup is incredibly diverse and solid. So now here comes the waiting game: Outside Lands? Treasure Island? What's in store for San Francisco's festival circuit this year? Should you be travelling to get your fill of festival goodness? Stay tuned and we'll be sure to keep you up to date. In the meantime...

Click here for the full Coachella lineup.
Click here for the full Bonnaroo lineup.

Here's To Next Year: Treasure Island Festival A Huge Success

The event planners over at Another Planet Entertainment and Noise Pop must be congratulating themselves, and if they're not, they should be. Today's Treasure Island Festival went off without a hitch: the weather was beautiful, the bands were great, the sets were on time, the port a potties were ample, and the transportation was no fuss. It must have been a real hassle to get all of these potentially nightmarish variables in line with each other, but boy were we glad they did! Here at H.A.D., we set up by the front of the Bridge Stage (ie. "big bands" stage) to bring you the best we could offer in concert reporting!

Au Revoir Simone:
The first band of the day was a pleasant surprise. A trio of women from Brooklyn rockin' it out on a bunch of analog synths. This has the potential to be irritating and typical, but they managed to pull it off with originality and flair. There were some hiccups (tuning the synths and general nervousness, mainly), but in the end it wound up being a great opener to a day that would otherwise be filled with guitar driven rock.


Two Gallants:
The last time I saw Two Gallants, they were opening for Bloc Party at the Greek Theater. I don't know if it's the passage of time, a different crowd, or just my perspective, but I enjoyed today a lot more. Obviously, the formula hasn't changed: they're still a two piece guitar and drum band, but today their music seemed more dynamic and spacious. They seem to be exploring new sonic and songwriting avenues, and they result is a much stronger performance.


M. Ward:
I happen to love M. Ward, so it's difficult to evaluate his set without doting on him quite a bit. It was great seeing him with a full band (two drum kits!) after the solo show at Bimbo's this spring. Basically, the man just comes out and owns the stage. He tore it up on electric guitar, he rocked out on the piano, he got sweet and quiet on "Post War".

The set, sadly, did not include "Transfiguration of Vincent", one of my faves. The latest disc Post War was very well represented, along with a track or two from each of the other discs: "Flaming Heart", "Helicopter", "Regeneration #1" were all played.

The first half of the set was completely exemplary, but the second half (while enjoyable) got a little bit loose. I don't know if the band just wasn't in practice, or if there was miscommunication, but it wasn't anything you could point out directly. Nonetheless, M. Ward and band managed to keep it together and deliver a thoroughly pleasing set.


Clap Your Hands Say Yeah:
Almost all of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's set indicated that they are still touring largely on the strength of their awesome first album. All the positive crowd response (which was completely justified) was centered around the older songs, and the band seemed to know it, and frankly, to be a bit annoyed about it. Many of the songs would end semi-abruptly, and lead singer Alec Ounsworth seemed to clip lines of lyrics at the end of a number of songs.

The positive vision I found of the "new" CYHSYA was a completely killer distorted noise fest on "Satan Said Dance". It represented a complex and interesting new direction that I really think could represent the band well. All of the tunes were fun, and the band was tight, but I think they need to take a break from touring and decide where the live show is going in regard to supporting old material, and digging into the new.


Built To Spill:
I know I'll offend a lot of die-hards if I express my ambivalence to the B2S set, so I'll leave it at this: The band is extremely tight instrumentally, and has their live show down pat. It just doesn't reel me in personally, and as such I don't even really think I feel comfortable commenting on the quality of their performance, as I found it falling in my lap with a resounding "eh".


Spoon:
If I'm being completely honest, I will simply say that this is the show I came to the TI Festival for. Every time I've seen Britt Daniel and Co. since I first did so in 2003, I have been consistently impressed. Their live show is a rock and roll tour de force, that kicks the album tracks up to a new level. tonight was no exception.

After Britt Daniel's greeting of the crowd with an event appropriate "Argh", the music began. The set started out slow with "Black Like Me" and "Anything You Want", and gradually gained momentum from there. A few tracks from Gimme Fiction, along with "Don't Make Me A Target", led into a somewhat troublesome version of "The Ghost Of You Lingers". Evidently it was hindered by keyboard technical difficulties. Still, the band kept it together, and delivered a decent version.

A rocking rendition of "The Beast And Dragon Adored" followed, and opened the flood gates for the rest of the show. The band flew through the new songs "The Underdog", "Don't You Evah", and "You've Got Yr Cherry Bomb", and culminated with an absolutely electrifying version of "My Mathematical Mind".

In perhaps what was one of the fan-centric moments of the show, as Spoon's set came to a close, some girls shouted "Please, please, play 'Japanese Cigarette Case'". Britt Daniel turned to the band and said "Guys, let's do Japanese Cigarette Case". After blazing through the new tune, the band shifted gears into the old skool "Quincy Punk Episode", and made a hasty exit. The hour went by in a flash, and we were left wanting more.

Modest Mouse:
For many, the festival's main event was the Modest Mouse closer. For me, I wasn't sure what to expect: I enjoy the band on record, but had never seen them live.

Their 1:15+ set focused mainly on the two most recent albums, and much of it was the less subtle side of the Modest Mouse sound. That is to say, driven less by songwriting, and more by Isaac Brock's aggressive vocals. For some, this might seem like the point of Modest Mouse. After all, it is Brock's brainchild. To me, this is the less exciting side of Modest Mouse. I prefer the subtle emphasis of layering and instrumentation paired with Brock's lyrical gift that is a hallmark on every album.

I was impressed by a lot of the performance, and the strongest tracks seemed to be those that had been co-written by new band guitarist Johnny Marr. "We've Got Everything", "Missed The Boat" and "Fire It Up" all sounded fantastic. Marr's input has taken the band in a direction that I find much more desirable, and the live show demonstrated as much. However, I left feeling like Brock's aggressive vocals and guitar overshadowed what could have been a fantastic closer to the festival.


In Conclusion
Despite any subjective opinions of the performances, I think it's indisputable that the Treasure Island Festival was a resounding success. See you next year!

MANY more photos available over at the H.A.D. flick feed.

H.A.D. Readers Pick Noise Pop As Favorite Festival

In a poll that turned out to be significantly less popular than the "favorite venue" poll (14 votes versus 74 last week), H.A.D readers selected Noise Pop as their favorite San Francisco music festival. Offhand, I'm not surprised: Noise Pop offers cutting edge music at intimate venues over the course of a course of a week. In doing so it manages to avoid the usual hassles of the festival circuit: big crowds, expensive food, a weekend's worth of time commitment, and an overly corporate/sterile selection of bands.

The thing that surprised me more was the three votes in for "you forgot my favorite festival". What am I missing here people? Comments?

In other news, Noise Pop has announced its 2008 dates as being 2/26 - 3/2, so mark your calendars!