Big Country pictures with tag: festivals

The Decemberists Premiere Perfectly Over-the-Top “The Hazards of Love” at SXSW

Three weeks before the Decemberists premiered their new album, The Hazards of Love, at SXSW, the band’s singer-songwriter Colin Meloy told me that they had not rehearsed the record in its entirety yet. In that interview, Meloy also marveled on how the Who used to perform all of their rock opera, Tommy, with just guitar, bass, vocals and drums. At Stubb’s last night, the Decemberists came armed to the teeth for their album’s live premiere, broadcast nationwide by NPR. Guitarist Chris Funk had a full armory of strings, including pedal steel guitar and bouzouki. There were helpmates: singer-instrumentalists Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond and Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond. And there were five drum kits ready for banging in the percussion-and-chant orgy “The Bake Song” — a number which sounded especially big and right in the open-air venue. (See live shots of the Decemberists and more in our SXSW gallery.) Originally conceived by Meloy as a Broadway musical, The Hazards of Love is the consummation of his recent obsession with the antique melodies, arcane language and rock energy of the British folk revival of the 1960s and ’70s. Stark channeled Steeleye Span’s Maddy Prior in the Yorkshire-country waltz “Isn’t It a Lovely Night,” a duet with Meloy. But Meloy has also discovered and let loose his inner progressive-metal head. The medley of “The Waiting Comes in Waves” and “Repaid” was an extended bomb of Jenny Conlee’s foreboding Renaissance harpsichord, the fourth Led Zeppelin album and, in Worden’s lusty vocal, psychedelic-R&B vengeance. Actually, in playing the whole album like a flesh-and-blood jukebox — with none of the charming budget theatricals of their Picaresque shows — the Decemberists sold the commercial savvy in Meloy’s songs like a classic rock band. In the ’70s, the Deep Purple-style muscle of “The Queen’s Rebuke/The Crossing” and the arena-climax vocal chorus in “The Waiting Comes in Waves” would have been FM-radio gold. Instead, 30 years later, th

Published: 2009-03-19 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Festivals, Videos, SXSW

Coachella 2008 Preview, Plus the 2008 Festival Guide

Tomorrow marks the launch of the 2008 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the annual three-day sojourn into the desert for some of the biggest names in rock. This year’s eclectic lineup features highly-anticipated performances from the Raconteurs, Prince, Roger Waters, Jack Johnson, Portishead, My Morning Jacket and dozens of others. Hit the jump for each day’s can’t-miss sets, and check out Rolling Stone’s ongiong coverage of Coachella 2008, featuring reviews, interviews and guest bloggers live from the desert, and for the rest of the info on all of this summer’s biggest and best festivals from around the country, check out the 2008 RollingStone.com Festival Guide. • The 2008 RollingStone.com Festival Guide • 2008 Coachella Festival Coverage Friday • Jack Johnson: The laid-back surf rocker has a knack for creating collective euphoria at festivals. • The Breeders: Songs from Mountain Battles should sound stunning in the open air. • Santogold: The buzzworthy MC’s eclectic mix of sounds will keep crowds moving. • The Raconteurs: Jack White’s big, groovy side project is just hitting its live stride. Saturday • Prince: It’s a rare chance to see the Purple One in a festival setting. • Portishead: It’ll be a while before the group tours properly, and their low-key tunes will add some melancholy to the desert evening. • Stephen Malkmus: Malkmus has become something of a guitar hero as of late. • M.I.A.: Every day needs a little dancing and danger to shake things up. Sunday • My Morning Jacket: The best live band in the business will unleash Evil Urges in the desert heat. • Roger Waters: The Pink Floyd legend will aid anybody interested in chemical alteration at the festival. • Duffy: This could be the singer’s great coming out party, a la Amy Winehouse in ‘06. • Justice: Finish off the festival by sweating out the

Published: 2008-04-24 Provider: Rolling Stone Keywords: Rock News, Festivals, Coachella