The Dodos - "Confidence"

This morning, deep in the "new releases" feed on Rdio, the new single from The Dodos popped up, and frankly, we couldn't be more stoked. "Confidence", which is from the forthcoming LP Carrier, sees the San Francisco duo at possibly the most polished we've ever heard them. And, frankly, that's a good thing: The amazing songwriting remains, and the cleaned up production allows for vocals that truly emphasize Meric Long's killer pipes, as well as an instrumental breakdown that shows off their instrumental chops in a serious way. We're guessing this is the beginning of a killer year for The Dodos, and if you check the track below, we're guessing you'll agree.

Outside Lands 2009: Day 1, Part 1 - Pictures, Review

Well, it appears that the weather is significantly more on Outside Lands' side this year than it was last year. While last year's Friday date was overcast and chilly, this year was quite the opposite. The festival started out yesterday to blue skies and some killer San Francisco weather, and today appears to have the same in store. Can't really argue with that. Luckily, HAD will be on hand to enjoy the weekend in full, so keep checking back with us for updates. Here're some of the highlights from the first half of yesterday to get you going.


We started our day with Autolux, and we have to say, it was definitely the start of the day. The band delivered a totally solid set, but the crowd was a tad thin. The fact of the matter is that midday Friday is just a tough slot to get people packed in for. We were psyched to get to catch the band live, and really we think they deserved a bit more of a central time slot.

Built To Spill delivered their typically bullet proof set to their legions of devotees, and as is to be expected did so in highly stoic form. It's amazing that these guys can rock out, sound amazing, and look like they're about to fall asleep. Granted, it's part of their live persona, but sometimes we just wish we could see a bit of excitement in their live show.


The Dodos built up on their live set from Wednesday night by delivering another completely solid show. The crowd's enthusiasm was just as evident as it was at the Rickshaw, and we have to say that this band is dangerously close to being in "do no wrong" territory. They simply kill live, and there's no ifs ands or buts about it. Case in point: the mass of fans who waited it out to get there early for the set, and definitely got the payoff they were looking for.

We weren't exactly sure what to expect from Silversun Pickups after hearing that they hadn't quite delivered at Coachella. Well, we have to say: they certainly delivered in San Francisco. The band rocked out in the best way possible (including a little tribute to Sabbath's "Iron Man"), and had a definite rapport with the crowd. We don't know how things work in SoCal, but rest assured that at Outside Lands, rock is alive and well.

So, there you have it kids - your first field report from Outside Lands 2009. We'll have more coming down the wire, but meantime get out there and enjoy the day - it's gonna be a killer one!

Many more photos at the HAD Archive
Photos by Rick Audet

The Dodos Played Rickshaw Stop - Pictures, Review

On Wednesday night, things kicked off for this weekend's Outside Lands goodness with a show at The Rickshaw Stop from hometown heroes The Dodos. Despite their critical acclaim and live awesomeness, we here at HAD had never managed to catch the band's show. Admittedly, we're relatively late-to-the-game converts, but we've been hooked on the band's new record Time To Die ever since it leaked a while back, so we figured this show at The Rickshaw would be the perfect chance to play catchup.

We couldn't have been more correct: the band delivered an awesome, charismatic set that was all at once noisy, melodic, and expertly captured their unique sound. Doing so meant more than a few technical curiosities on stage: Singer Meric Long used some fancy pitch shifted vocal pedals for backups, drummer Logan Kroeber (as is apparently typical) decided to forgo a bass drum in favor of a tambourine taped to his shoe, and the band's newest member Keaton Snyder provided an epic vibraphone component of the set.

However, even more than the band's technical wizardry, we were taken with the sheer joy and and excitement that reciprocated between the crowd and the band. The enthusiasm and energy was exactly what a live rock show should be all about, and it was a great way to kick off a huge weekend of music. Or, in the words of one HAD staff member: "I'm pretty sure everyone in the audience, male and female, was charmed to death". Indeed.

More pictures in the HAD Archive
All photos by Sarah Klinger.