from pdx to sfo : on a voyage to treasure island 2013

Treasure Island 2011

The West Coast festival season throws a last hurrah each year squirreled away in plain sight in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. Accessed via one of those rare left-hand exits off the Bay Bridge, follow the passageway through the forested hillside of the petite Yerba Buena Island and across the isthmus to a man-made mass dubbed Treasure Island.

Organized by legendary tastemakers Noise Pop, the 2013 lineup for this year's "Festival in the Bay" is stellar, to say the least—kudos. With just 13 acts per day sharing two stages over the course of a weekend, the Treasure Island Music Festival consistently features artistically diverse, in-demand artists, making it the epitome of a well-curated festival.

If you're feeling extra ambitious in the nights leading up to fest, TIMF also hosts night shows including a Friday gig featuring a double dose of PDX talent when the 11-piece orchestral indie rock of Typhoon and Wild Ones' lilting, breezy, electro dream pop share The Independent's stage on October 18th (doors at 8:30pm, show 9pm, 21+, $15 advance, $17 day of show).

Listen to Typhoon's "Young Fathers" from their sophomore full-length White Lighter:

As for the 26 acts playing the island on Saturday, October 19th and Sunday, October 20th, there's something favorable to be said of just about every single act at this year's fest (including the bevy of DJs playing Silent Frisco sets), but in the interest of time, here's the choice performers that OMN is most excited to see and highly recommends that you catch as well.

Saturday, October 19th

The definition of supergroup in the music lexicon is Atoms For Peace. Composed of the iconic, bass-slapping demigod Flea, producer/engineer extraordinaire Nigel Godrich (credits include arguably several of the best albums by Beck, Radiohead and Travis as well as Atoms For Peace's AMOK), south paw drummer Joey Waronker (frequent collaborator of Godrich's as well as Beck, Elliott Smith and R.E.M.), Brazilian percussionist Mauro Refosco (of Forro in the Dark and a touring member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers), and the inimitable Thom Yorke (uh, Radiohead anyone?), the incestuous band headlined Coachella two years before they ever released a record together. Destined for success, that debut did not disappoint. Enjoy the characteristically odd video for "Ingenue":


With the departure of Switch (he never showed up for the live gigs anyway), Diplo's continued his dancehall project with a second full length, 2013's Free The Universe, but this time Major Lazer—the Jamaican commando with a bazooka for an arm—has a female assassin sidekick: Knife Fight. While you can catch an actress playing her in "Scare Me," you best believe booties will be frothin' to "Bubble Butt" in the same fashion as witnessed in this Eric Wareheim-directed cut:


It's been a short while since Little Dragon's released any new tunes but these Swedes will no doubt be in form and put on an intricately emotive set buoyed by the distinctive vox of the Japanese-Swedish-American Yukimi Nagano. Check out their most recent track "Sunshine" (basically an advertisement for homegrown vodka brand Absolut) from June 2012:


Chillwave, "daytime disco"—feel free to spew out whatever buzzy genre names you've got. The fact remains that Poolside's music is best thought about in poolside terms: Sunglasses on, imagine your ideal day lounging on the edge of a cool, azure, aquatic experience as evening descends. That's what the duo of LA-based producers sounds like. And, expect them to be more than welcomed to the TIMF stage as Jeff Paradise is a native for all intents and purposes. Enjoy "Do You Believe" now and download a starter kit of Poolside tracks from their SoundCloud:

Sunday, October 20th

Beck's last musical work came in 2012 but not in the established format—Song Reader was published as a book of sheet music. And although some talented musicians took a stab at interpreting his inaudible release, fans are even more excited about three new tracks in three months, each typically unique. Listen to "I Won't Be Long," which also has an almost quarter-hour long extended mix:



By the time James Blake takes the festival stage he'll have already warmed up Frisco with a late-night DJ set under his 1-800 Dinosaur moniker at the Mezzanine on Saturday. For Sunday's set, expect layered minimalism and the serious (but gracious) side of the downtempo, emotive crooner, like in his video to the title track from Blake's second record, Overgrown:


With a festival-friendly billing of STRFKR, Starfucker will do Portland proud playing a desirable late afternoon slot that'll no doubt highlight tracks from their third full-length, Miracle Mile—a collaborative effort that features new guitarist Patrick Morris (formerly of Strength)—like the lead single "While I'm Alive":

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Get the rest of OMN's picks for Treasure Island 2013 in San Francisco.

best of 2010... now, what's next?

Since many of my most-prized local memories of 2010 (Y La Bamba, Pickathon, Tu Fawning, Billygoat, PCP, and more) are so well documented by a slew of OMN staffers with (dare I say?) impeccable taste, I give you 6 non-local shows that blew my mind in ’10:

1. Sufjan Stevens at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on Friday, October 29th.

2. Jónsi (of Sigur Rós) at the Roseland Theater on Tuesday, April 13th.

3. Major Lazer and Big Freedia at the Roseland Theater during MFNW on Thursday, September 9th followed by Big Freedia live at Sassy’s (the strip club).

4. Janelle Monáe wowing a sold-out (for of Montreal) Roseland Theater on Thursday, October 28th.

5. Peter Hook & Friends at the Doug Fir Lounge playing Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures in its entirety on Thursday, December 9th.

6. The Flaming Lips at Eugene’s McDonald Theatre on Wednesday, September 29th.

Followed by epic festival coverage at PDX Pop Now!, MFNW, and Sasquatch. And since I just can’t resist… here are some locals who deserve love from the last year: Climber, Reporter, Soft Metals, Remix Artist Collective, The Angry Orts, The Ascetic Junkies, Strength, Pegasus Dream, Menomena, and Seattle’s Brent Amaker & The Rodeo and Hey Marseilles. I mourn the end of Explode Into Colors but look forward to more creative and bombastic incarnations. To anyone I’ve forgotten, I apologize but I hope to see plenty more of you in 2011.

But why look back when you should be looking forward? Here are the best, local musics that you’ve likely enjoyed this past year but I am anticipating even brighter futures (and fresh, alphabetically organized, full-length albums) in 2011:

1. AgesandAges’ debut album Alright You Restless due February 15th, 2011 (via Knitting Factory Records).

2. The Blow returns to the NW with new material and eventually a new album.

3. Deelay Ceelay took the last half of the year off to hit the studio and are now mixing things.

4. Red Fang’s Relaspe Records debut due in early 2011.

5. Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside have kept us waiting for a better part of the last year but their debut album is coming.

6. Starfucker’s second album (performed and recorded under the name Starfucker and no other name, abbreviation or derivative) out March-ish (via Polyvinyl).

7. Lastly, Vanimal has only a demo EP thus far but we’re excited to hear what’s next.

mfnw 2010 : rough sexuality explored : major lazer, big freedia, deelay ceelay

People should be outraged when they arrive at a sold-out show to discover that only half of the act will be performing. But in the ubiquitous age of laptop DJ-dancemakers, who needs to watch another white dude stand behind a table of electronics?

So when only one-half of Major Lazer strutted onto the Roseland stage in his slick suit, nobody cared. Even though the ladies surely swoon for Diplo’s boyish sex appeal, it could have been anyone back there tapping away at that table because the real action was thrusting in front of your face in the form of the daggering, diplomat from the Bronx: Skerrit Bwoy.

Major Lazer’s hyper-sexualized electro house, dancehall reggae, hip-hop requires a hyper hype-man. The yellow mohawked commando of dance floor dry sex brought his display of dancehall daggering (where a man and woman dance in a sexually provocative manner, which usually includes simulating various sexual positions, and often times rough sex, to the beat of the music) to the Roseland stage–ladder included.

Practice daggering with caution and let Skerrit Bwoy give you a quick lesson before you attempt what was witnessed on Thursday night.

As the Philly-based beatsmith Diplo kept to the rear of the stage firing beats like blasts from a Tommy gun, Skerrit Bwoy and his bootylicious momma in a lingerie-like tuxedo dickey knocked bones and boots inciting the hot mess below. Shirts were quickly peeled off and knickers were revealed as bodies saucily slipped off one another drenched in salty sweat, looking to imitate the antics on stage. As Skerrit Bwoy bounced and bruised his girl with authoritative thrusts, helicopter spins, and wheelbarrow kicks, the daggering attempts below were in vain because the audience was too tightly jammed–basically sexually assaulting each other from all sides.

Climbing his ladder and dropping trou, Skerrit Bwoy launched himself in between the spread-eagle legs of his partner, but the lady had her revenge after a night of chauvinist pummeling as she showed girls can play just as rough as the boys taking her own leap from the ladder.

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Read the rest on OMN.

lazerproof : major lazer + la roux release free mixtape

You should already be well-informed by now that Major Lazer is more than just a Jamaican commando fighter destroying vampires and monsters, partying hard, and zooming around on a rocket-powered hoverboard. He also lost his arm in a secret zombie war in 1984. Maybe you’re even familiar with his hype man Skerrit Bwoy and his “Guide to Daggering.”

And if you’re really adept, you’ll also know it’s all a ferociously sexual front for the electro-dancehall duo of producer-beatsmith extraordinaires Switch and Diplo–the hottest remixers and party makers of the last year.

This time they’ve hooked up with English electro-pop, new wave outfit La Roux (who blazed through the Wonder back in April leaving behind them a sonic wake of screams) for a mixtape that features 14 cuts: some fresh, some from Major Lazer’s debut Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do mashed and mixed with La Roux’s self-titled debut, and some with guest spots from Gucci Mane, Drake, Gyptian, Rusko, and Amanda Blank. Damn!

And it’s free from their label Mad Decent. Double damn!!

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Get the download link on OMN.

mr. wareheim, i like your style

Today, let's take a gander through a cycle of work by Eric Wareheim.

Exhibit A : Let's get raunchy.



Exhibit B : Let's get lusty.



Exhibit C : Let's get tonguey.



Rewind. Tongue this.



Exhibit D : Let's get sexy.



And his latest masterpiece.

Exhibit E : Let's get grotesque.



See more action with glitter kids (MGMT), drag queens (Ben Fold and Tim Heidecker), and small guitar avatars (Phantom Planet)... more tongue action here. :(

Thank you, Mr. Wareheim for your low budget mess.

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Bonus : Some bottomless Absolut + ice, parts one, two and three.