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stormofblue-blog · 5 years

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GIRLS, electric loss, pink + blue + neon colors, unsent text messages + sent ones that blink back as read, vodka, dancing in the street at night, sloppy mouths, the day after, regret, plastic flamingo lights, 4:17 am, ruined cuticles, murmuring both ends of a conversation because I find myself talking to you through every orgasm, bathroom sinks, whole foods green hair, rewriting texts 6 different times bc I can’t bear to mess this up, pink drinks, glow in the dark stars, taking hours to fall asleep because it’s so easy to picture you sprawled out against this warm body, crying over “Someone Great” on Netflix, blaming everything on astrology, or timing, or me over you, sunsets, drinking just for an excuse to spill my guts, when a heart breaks does it echo, Boston accents, smiling into a kiss, New York, the state almost touching it just as much as I’m never touching you, empty spaces that make me choke, bright, half hideous stuffed animals won from claw machines, that moment when someone smiles + they put their hand over the camera lens, wishing I could make out with my phone and somehow transfer it like a Venmo, throwing dumb shit across my room to feel in control, eating Cheetos and nothing else all day, more alcohol, not remembering anything about that dream except knowing you were in it, pining, standing in the pool for hours and not moving, music videos in my head spilling out onto pavement, colored smoke, hazy boundaries, lines that slip like Crayola chalk in the rain, touching myself and wishing it was you instead, screaming sounds instead of words bc what do I even say, begging for a release bc this body can’t hold it all in, every single “I love you” + “I’m sorry” + “do you think we will ever be able to work” + all the in-betweens, a compilation of snapchat messages + insta DMs + texts + Spotify songs played right when you log on just in case you’re still watching me + the day we first met, digitalized 4ever, heartbeats sent through iMessage, voice memos recorded at 3 am & never sent to you but sometimes played back to myself years later to remind these fangs that there was a time I still fucking cared about something [anything], fisticuffs, friends to enemies to lovers to emotional tag as an Olympic sport, concentrated want like orange juice but it hurts more when I swallow, unobtainable vulnerability, balloons after a party when they fall really slowly and it’s like watching you leave all over again but in slow motion [funny bc you’re always running], birthday cake, 6 years of cards, candles which remind me of fire, remind me of your hands, remind me of that Buffy episode where she & Spike fuck & the whole goddamn house falls to the ground, absence, missing flights, missing chances, + missing you

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mrsrcbinscn · 4 years

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Script Excerpts: Franny’s Top Albums of 2019

[playlist]

tl;dr: A selection of script excerpts from a video on Franny’s YouTube channel called “My Favorite Albums of 2019″. Pretend I finished this in December like I wanted to and that January isn’t nearly over okay

Her channel doesn’t have a super regular upload schedule. She doesn’t feel like adding ~~~youtube personality~~~ to her long list of wikipedia page job titles. And she keeps her social medias (YouTube, Twitter, Instagram) firmly in the “this is for fun” part of her mind. She doesn’t make any sponsored videos or posts on social media but when the mood strikes she’ll upload videos about music, music history, current trends in the industry she’s noticing and her thoughts on them, album reviews, and her favorite content to make is videos where she signal boosts several lesser-known artists in one video and fangirls over how much she loves them and why y’all should, too.

INTRO: Susadei*, hello, and welcome to my channel, where I, Franny Sor Robinson, share my pesky lady opinions about music on the internet.”

*susadei is the informal way to say hello in Khmer, Franny’s first language

TOPIC INTRODUCTION: It is almost Christmas, which means! It’s time to talk about my favorite albums of 2019. As always, this list is in no particular order, because I believe that especially when talking about multiple genres of music - which we’re going to today - music isn’t something you rank on a linear bad, worse, worst, good, better, greatest scale.

RULES: Now, the rules!

The album can’t be one I had a part in “And I don’t just mean not a Franny Sor Robinson, Seoul Hanoi’d, or Dara & Danny album. I am an active songwriter and composer even durin’ years I don’t personally release an album. I have co-written substantial amounts of, or entire tracklists, on several albums where I don’t sing or play an instrument on the recorded album, but I’m all over the credits. I think I do enough shameless self-promotion leading up to, and shortly after, the release of anything I work on. So as much as I loved working with Sariya Ibekwe - who is a fabulous Nigerian-American jazz singer - on her debut album this year, I co-wrote a good amount of that album. But, I’ve already talked about Sariya’s album extensively this year, and will link to it in the description box below anyway.

The album can’t be by a close personal friend of mine “I would spend these videos talking only about my friends’ releases if I didn’t have a strict no cronyism rule in these yearly roundups. I hype up, like, Daniel, Vanessa, Yulia, Delia, Lora, Andreas’s, and so on’s stuff whenever anything new drops, so they already got their signal boosts.”

Beyond those two rules, that’s really it. So without further stalling, let’s get into it.

Traveling Mercies by Emily Scott Robinson

The first album I want to talk about is Traveling Mercies, by North Carolina singer-songwriter Emily Scott Robinson - no relation, but oh my god, I wish. I’d love to just meet her, once. She’s so talented, I just - ugh! Anyway.

Emily Scott Robinson is a country singer whose first album, Magnolia Queen, came out in 2016 but I didn’t come across it until after I fell in love with Traveling Mercies. Daniel Maitland - the other half of Dara & Danny - sent the Spotify link of this album to me, and I just ate it up. Her songwriting gets me good, y’all. Her imagery is somethin’ else, her voice has the clarity of Alison Krauss, and her ability to deal with some very heavy themes poetically without sort of...glorifying? or trivializing? them is unreal.

I should trigger warning this upcoming bit for discussion of sexual assault, so if you’d like to avoid that, I’ll put a timestamp right here [points] for you to skip to. I’ll give you oooone more second to skip, and...okay.

I had a hard time listening to The Dress at first, because whenever I consume any media that deals with sexual assault, I have to mentally prepare myself. Even the song I wrote about my own experience with it, I don’t - I don’t perform it. Very rarely, I will. It was a write it, record it, release it for your healin’, and try to be done with it kinda thing. But once I psyched myself up to listen to it, The Dress pretty much immediately became one of my favorite songs on this album. I do sometimes have to skip it if I’m not feelin’ up to it mentally, but it. It is a beautifully written song about a very ugly thing, and I think- I think its a wonderful thing that she wrote that song.

[...] and then there’s my favorite song on this entire album, the one that honestly gave me a moment of “oh. OH, she went there.” Pie Song. It starts out by literally, she’s literally singin’ about how to bake a pie, and it made me so nostalgic for home, because I remember being taught by my friend’s mom to make a pie just like that. Don’t skimp on butter for the crust, add a little moonshine, but then she just, the next line goes right into the chorus and its, “but nothing you can make, can make you good enough, if you’re cooking for a man that doesn’t love you.” When I first heard that shift in the song - honey, when I tell you my chest just [both hands go up to her chest] it was powerful. Even though it isn’t the saddest or heaviest song on the album, it’s my favorite. The clear imagery - I could smell the pie she was singing about, I could feel the flour on my clothes - , the plot twist.

Among the songwriting circles I’m in, this album is pretty popular with them for her songwriting. We go absolutely bananas for it.

Her songwriting is gonna take her places. I really can’t wait to see what she comes out with next. I’m a fan. I love her. SO much.

WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO? by Billie Eilish

This is probably the most quote unquote, mainstream album on this list. Billie’s undeniably a known name, and rightfully so!

This album, y’all? Amazing. Flawless. True art. I’m always hesitant when my son tells me what the Kids TM are listening too, because I usually- mm. Far be it from me to gatekeep music, to say what’s good and what’s bad, so I’ll just say that it. Usually isn’t. My, uh, my thing. It doesn’t appeal to me, and that’s fine!

But I- the first couple seconds of ‘bad guy’ got me payin’ attention, at ‘all the good girls go to hell’ I was just like Wow, capital W, and ‘bury a friend’ had me floored. Billie Eilish’s album is probably one of the most interesting, unique, and complex albums I’ve ever listened to. I really- I love this album.

Walk Through Fire by Yola

We’re back in the underground country music scene because of course we are! Yola is a fantastic singer from Bristol, England. On iTunes this album is classified as rock, but her EP titled Orphan Offering was under country, and her music has a very americana-indie-country feel.

Yola’s voice is the best part of this album but that’s not to knock on the music and the songwriting because they are also amazing. I can’t talk about this album and not talk about Yola’s voice, specifically, though. Her voice is like a warm cup of ginger tea on a cold day. It’s husky, and bluesy, on some songs kinda jazzy, and the musicality she displays on the album is really dynamic. She’s soft and smooth, then she’s belting out some high notes, but she’s not spending the entire album hittin’ you over the head with her belting. She really gives you a sampling of what all she can do on this album.

My favorite song off this album is Shady Grove it’s just - it’s - I love everything about it. The string section. The sitar sound. The gentle percussion, and ohhh my good god, the melody is just beautiful. It makes me wish this album was out when my son was little, because [pouts] its a song that reminds me of the song I used to sing to him when we first adopted him, and I’d just kinda hold him in my arms ‘n sway and sing to him. It’s such a beautiful song, it isn’t even the deepest or most profound song on this album but it is the most beautiful song to me musically. And I was want to hold a baby and sing it to the baby, so bring me your babies. Gimme.

Seneca by Charles Wesley Godwin

I’m going to get into this album in a second, but first. We all know I am a slut for odes to one’s roots. I made a whole video talking about how despite its memeability, John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads is actually a masterpiece. The short film I co-wrote and co-starred in with the director Lydia Viravong, a Lao-American I grew up with, is filmed and set in our hometown and based on our mothers. The Dara and Danny album ‘Progidal Children of Clayton County’ is a loveletter to me and Daniel’s hometown in Clayton Count, Georgiay.

And that’s exactly what the album Seneca is. Seneca is an album about West Virginia. Charles Wesley Godwin grew up in Morgantown, West Virginia, a coal minin’ town. The Seneca Creek ran through his back yard, his daddy was a coal miner, mama’s a schoolteacher - he had a very quintessential coal mining town upbringing. And you know, your upbringing shapes you and this album is all about his love for where he comes from.

The imagery in his songwriting is just [chef’s kiss] perfection. And as someone whose affection for her roots is just as strong, I really - this album made me emotional as all hell. A lot of it is really sad, if I’m being honest, but that’s also because its so honest. For example, the song Coal Country, tells the story of how West Virginia’s coal industry was the lifeblood of the West Virginia mountains, praises the union heroes of the Battle of Blair Mountain, and laments that in place of prospects for West Virginians, there’s now only food stamps and opiod addiction.

Seneca Creek...the full version is beautiful, but the acoustic version gives mechills every single time. He wrote it about his grandparents’ love story from when they met in ‘49 to when his grandmother got sick and died in ‘94. It reminds me of Holly William’s 2013 song Waiting on June. It isn’t the happiest song, but even after the verse where the wife’s passed away, the chorus following it isn’t sorrowful. It just goes

We built a home by Seneca Creek And raised ourselves a family I worked on the farm, you worked the store We had everything we'd ever hoped for

The narrator of the song is just talking about how he lived a simple life with the love of his life. That’s what the song is about, ultimately. And that’s beautiful. It makes me really, really feel lucky to be married to my husband when I listen to it, because for me, that’s what being married to him is like.

Strawberry Queen is ro-man-tic as HELL! It’s about his WIFE, and as someone who is also trash for their spouse and writes way too many cheesy-ass love songs about him....I love it. It’s beautiful. I cried a little but don’t tell anybody I have emotions.

The last sad one I want to mention is Sorry For The Wait. It is a beautiful song where the narrator’s been killed in a mine explosion and he’s telling his wife not to cry for too long, that he’s buried in the clay and so will she someday, and he’s sorry for the wait. The third verse gets me bad.

When you miss talkin' at me, holler t'wards the mine It's amazing how your voice echoes inside When the winter breeze tugs at your hair Jus know that it's me with a grin standing there

I’m not! Okay!

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Before I talk about the final album I want to gush about, I do want to mention four albums that I truly enjoyed but in an effort to not make this video go on forever and ever, I didn’t write a whole explanation about why they’re so great. But I really do think deserve a shoutout!

LOVE + FEAR by Marina

Divinely Uninspired To A Hellish Extent by Lewis Capaldi

Closer Than Together by The Avett Brothers

Wildcard by Miranda Lambert

Farmland by Gabe Lee

I can’t believe I haven’t plugged this guy yet because Gabe Lee’s album is fuh-king amazing. Gabe Lee is a country singer from Nashville whose sound you can tell has been influenced by classic country, modern americana, and like classic singer-songwriter types like Bob Dylan. It’s hard for me to interpret 100% of the time what his lyrics are about because at times his writing is pretty abstruse - oooh, pull out your thesauruses, kids - but the imagery in vivid. Its easier for me to talk about what this album makes me think of and how it makes me feel than to outright tell you what its all about. Farmland makes me think about drivin’ out in the woods in my high school boyfriend’s pickup to makeout and drink beer under the guise of deer hunting; or trying to sneaky-clean my muck boots after cuttin’ school to go fishin’ with my brothers; or pulling into a gas station in the middle of nowhere and handin’ some cash for pump one to a clerk that looks like he’s been there since the invention of petrol. There’s this grit to it that’s plain at the same time. Like there’s nothin’ particularly rebellious about skippin’ school to catch some fish, but it’s gonna get you muddy and sweaty.

The music is very simple and that’s one thing I like about it. It doesn’t feel overproduced, it just feels very classic. Like this album would easily have been made in 1979, 2009, or 2019. The standout song on this album, to me, is Last Country Song. Daniel [the other half of the bluegrass-folk-americana duo Dara & Danny] thinks its Eveline, which is another one of my favorites. The most fun song on this album? Lyra, for sure. I have a lot of feelings about this album, I love this album, and I really hope you give it a listen.

Also, y’all know that as an Asian woman in country music - well, kinda. I got one foot in jazz, and one foot in bluegrass-americana-country-southern-folk, and then I got a hand in indie - [jump cut] LOOK, genre is a social construct, okay? I make whatever music I wanna make and you can like it or hate it. What was I talking ab-- oh! Gabe Lee!

Right, so, y’all know, clearly you can see, I’m very Asian. [*gasp*, puts on a generic American accent] What do you mean you’re not white? [normal voice] Shocking, I know. I like to highlight other artists of color as often as possible, but of course I’ll signal boost whoever I think is fantastic. But whenever I come across another Asian artist in these [air quotes] “white people” genres, I get really excited. And Gabe Lee is Asian-American, which again, we don’t see very often in country music, or like, other genres that we consider “Americana.” So yeah, I think that’s really cool.

#&&...hc

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sylphmarketing · 5 years

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Bunbury Music Festival: 2019 Review

I almost always have music playing. The need for music changes with each location – the car, the studio, the living room, the gym. In an effort to keep things fresh, I am constantly looking for music I haven’t heard. With hopes of discovering new music, I let my son choose the music when riding in the car together. Photographing and covering music festivals also helps.

You can’t see every artist perform at most festivals. If you’re not a die-hard fan who is prepared to camp at one stage for an entire day, then it is recommended to plan ahead and make a schedule of the acts you most want to see. Like most festivals, Bunbury offers help with a customizable schedule through their online app. I listen to a few songs from each performer, and prioritize which stage I want to go to next. Listening to studio recordings doesn’t reflect which stage performance is the best. Most of the profits musicians make is not from album sales. Ideally a band would be judged purely on their music, but that’s not the case. Please keep in mind my reviews below are based primarily off the first few songs I was able to witness before moving on, and a consensus of festival goers. Here’s my breakdown of all the performers I was able to capture:

Bunbury Day 1

The Orphan the Poet

Genre: Rock Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 8 Energy level: 8 Performance: 8 Coolness factor: 7

They have refined their sound since I saw them 3 years ago. More pop flavor than I recall, but with the same great energy. Vocalist, David Eselgroth made it out into the audience within the first few songs.

Radattack

Genre: Rock Music: 8 Presence/fashion: 9 Energy level: 8 Performance: 8 Coolness factor: 8

More grit than pop. More mature than you would expect from a group just a year or so out of high school. Each member has their own style, but it goes along with the other’s looks. This is where I’d like to see rock be in the future. I hope they stick together for a long time to see how they grow as artists together.

Taylor Janzen

Genre: Indie Folk Music: 8 Presence/fashion: 6 Energy level: 6 Performance: 7 Coolness factor: 6

Fascinating to hear a 19-year old write and perform such heartfelt music that I wasn’t interested in until I hit my 30s.

Poppy (Moriah Rose Pereira)

Genre: Electropop Music: 6 Presence/fashion: 8 Energy level: 7 Performance: 7 Coolness factor: 6

Consensus: “Weird, almost creepy”, but possibly the future of the pop music scene.

Witt Lowry

Genre: Hip Hop Music: 8 Presence/fashion: 4 Energy level: 7 Performance: 7 Coolness factor: 7

Witt has a lot of energy for performing the saddest song I’ve ever seen live. Not afraid to bare his emotions on stage. Keep an eye on him.

Bayside

Genre: Pop Punk Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 5 Energy level: 7 Performance: 7 Coolness factor: 6

They formed 19 years ago. Have a wide range of songs for the genre. I’ve heard upbeat, angsty, and sullen.

Machine Gun Kelly (Colson Baker)

Genre: Rap Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 8 Energy level: 9 Performance: 8 Coolness factor: 8

I’ve seen him crowd surf during other artist’s performances. Seems to play well with others unless you’re Eminem.

NF (Nathan John Feuerstein)

Genre: Rap Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 6 Energy level: 6 Performance: 7 Coolness factor:7

There were a considerable amount of performers wearing hoodies during their performance this years despite the heat. NF’s looked custom-made to hide most his face and fit over his hat. With a cage that he would retreat to, and a shopping cart with black helium balloons, his performance was lo-fi, but effective.

Stone Temple Pilots

Genre: Alt Rock Music: 8 Presence/fashion: 7 Energy level: 8 Performance: 8 Coolness factor: 7

Age can be a damper for these performances. Replacing the original vocalists can be too. They have already put together a studio release together and Jeff Gutt fits in fine. He was lively on stage as if it were his band from the beginning. If you didn’t know who Scott Weiland was, you might think this was the original lineup. Note: Their latest eponymous release does not sound like the same band from the late 90s.

Fallout Boy

Genre: Pop Rock Music: 6 Presence/fashion: 4 Energy level: 4 Performance: 4 Coolness factor: 5

Consensus: “They seemed like they were going through the motions.” I saw this band on this same stage 5 years ago. They hardly looked like the same people. With the exception on the pyrotechnics, this group offered little excitement on stage.

Bunbury Day 2

Shaed

Genre: Electropop Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 6 Energy level: 7 Overall performance: 7 Coolness factor: 7

I was immediately impressed by Chelsea Lee’s soft speaking voice change to the low, bold, and soothing lyricist. Trampoline is a good single, but they do have more to offer. Looking for a full length from them soon.

Great Good Fine OK

Genre: Synthpop Music: 2 Presence/fashion: 2 Energy level: 6 Overall performance: 3 Coolness factor: 4

Great Good Fine OK was none of these things. This was a challenge for the senses. John Sandler was wearing a black and gold homemade outfit, while the rest of the touring band was in street clothes. The lyrics may have been touching, but I couldn’t get over the sound. This duo was delayed in starting, but continued their set as if time was not an issue. Promising two or three more songs, the fans at the nearby stage were booing while they had to wait for them to finish before the next band could start. There is a very real possibility that synthpop will be the end of rock music.

The Blue Stones

Genre: Blues Rock Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 5 Energy level: 7 Performance: 7 Coolness factor: 6

One of those bands when you first see live, you’re amazed it’s all done with just two people. With only two members, everything has to be precise. They need to set themselves apart from some of the bigger names out there doing similar work, but they have started in the right direction. Long live the rock duo.

Flora Cash

Genre: Indie Pop Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 6 Energy level: 5 Performance: 6 Coolness factor: 7

This married couple met on Soundcloud. Now they reside in Sweden. They have some feeling in the studio, that got lost on stage.

Tropidelic

Genre: Uncategorized Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 5 Energy level: 8 Performance: 7 Coolness factor: 7

Tropidelic is always a high-energy and fun performance. I was only there for 3 songs, but I’m sure more than one of them climbed off the stage to play in the audience.

Jukebox the Ghost

Genre Indie Pop Music: 8 Presence/fashion: 5 Energy level: 7 Performance: 8 Coolness factor: 9

Ben Thornewill took the time to sign autographs and allow photos with him for a mob of people just behind the stage when they were finished on stage. I’ve seen their performance several times. Every time I think I know what to expect from them, they change it up. With seven studio albums, they have a large catalog of music to choose from.

Dashboard Confessional

Genre: Emo Music: 8 Presence/fashion: 7 Energy level: 6 Overall performance: 7 Coolness factor: 6

Surprised to find out they’re really big in the Philippines. Most people did not recognize Chris Carrabba on stage, but they recognized his music. Their most recent release, Crooked Shadows, has a lot more synth and anthem rock qualities than their debut, The Swiss Army Romance from almost 20 years ago.

Jeremy Zucker

Genre Pop Music 8 Presence/fashion 7 Energy level 7 Overall performance 7 Coolness factor 8

He has more monthly listeners on Spotify than any of the four remaining artists on Saturday. But he appeals to a very young crowd. If this guy keeps it up, he’s going to be gigantic.

Blue October

Genre: Rock Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 6 Energy level: 7 Overall performance: 7 Coolness factor: 8

Last year Bishop Briggs was at this stage and it was overflowing with fans. This year, the same stage (different placement), and the band that had the most overflowing audience was clearly Blue October.

Awolnation

Genre: Rock Music: 8 Presence/fashion: 6 Energy level: 7 Performance: 7 Coolness factor: 7

For years, there was a stigma I had to overcome to enjoy Awolnation. Admittedly it was all me. That’s all I know. I was wrong. Fortunately, I was able to get over it. They have a lot of music that I recognize and enjoy.

Sublime with Rome

Genre: Ska Punk Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 4 Energy level: 5 Performance: 5 Coolness factor: 5

The music was fine. Rome’s vocals are solid. The band was happy to be performing. They even put out new music since the line up changes and loss of Bradley Nowell. Ultimately though, they’re a bunch of old dudes too out of shape to do much on stage. I prefer their studio releases. If you want to follow a band around the country, but Phish is too hardcore for you, then this is your new old favorite band.

Greta Van Fleet

Genre: Rock Music: 9 Presence/fashion: 5 Energy level: 7 Performance: 8 Coolness factor: 8

There’s no denying that they remind people of another band from a different era. That band isn’t making new music together. Great Van Fleet is, and I’m thrilled to finally be able to witness their live performance, especially after hearing about their poor performance on SNL. The state of rock looks a lot like the state of the republic right now. If we want it to get better, we can’t be divided and hate on what’s right. Aside from Josh dressing like Abu from Aladdin (1992), they were terrific.

Bunbury Day 2

Bülow (Megan Bülow)

Genre: Pop Music: 8 Presence/fashion: N/A Energy level: 6 Performance: 6 Coolness factor: 7

The songs I’ve posted for each band reflects my favorite of their music. I had to change out Bülow’s song four times. I landed on You & Jennifer, and it’s going to be near impossible to dethrone. If Rebecca Sugar decided to tap into some forgotten pain, she would write and perform something very similar. With only 7 songs on Bülow’s full-length release, it’s hard to judge how good the music is (going to be). At this point, I can’t tell if her look is ironic or not, so I’m uncomfortable judging it. She may just be an iconoclast.

Lauren Sanderson

Genre: Hip Hop Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 5 Energy level: 7 Performance: 6 Coolness factor: 9

The greatest thing about Lauren Sanderson is that her album Don’t Panic has two versions — a regular hip hop version, and an acoustic version. This says a lot because there is a lot of cool about her. At the end of her set, she organized a meet and greet for anyone who wanted to wait in line.

The Aces

Genre: Indie Pop Music: 6 Presence/fashion: 6 Energy level: 6 Performance: 7 Coolness factor: 7

At the end of a tour, a performance can suffer burnout while every day becomes laundry day. That may have been the case the last time I saw the Aces. It was a pleasant surprise, despite some tech difficulties on stage with Katie Henderson’s guitar, to see the performance I hoped for this time.

Reignwolf

Genre: Blues Rock Music: 9 Presence/fashion: 9 Energy level: 9 Performance: 9 Coolness factor: 9

So good, you’re cursing aloud in wonder. Reignwolf provided the best performance of the weekend. The energy; the music; the performance blew my mind. Jordan and Stacey-James become the music. Their presence was undeniable. Overlook that Jordan Cook was dressed for a Seattle February in the mid-1990s, and they were near perfect. Below is a link to when Jordan first started out. Seven years for a full album was worth the wait. I already have plans to photograph them again because it’s better live.

Streetlight Manifesto

Genre: Ska Punk Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 6 Energy level: 7 Performance: 7 Coolness factor: 6

Ska has been getting a lot of grief lately for being something we used to listen to in the 90s, but to be honest, it's still better than some of the new style of things. Streetlight Manifesto has a lot gong on stage and is fun to watch, albeit, difficult to capture on camera.

Clutch

Genre: Blues Rock Music: 8 Presence/fashion: 6 Energy level: 7 Performance: 7 Coolness factor: 6

Consensus: “I think [Neil Fallon] used to be a reverend. He sounds like he is delivering a sermon.” Somehow, I had never heard of them before and they’ve been around since 1991 with 12 albums! The more I listen to them, the more they are growing on me.

lovelytheband

Genre: Indie Pop Music: 5 Presence/fashion: 4 Energy level: 7 Performance: 7 Coolness factor: 5

I walked around the pit giving others the opportunity to photograph this band that they were more excited to shoot, but Mitchy Collins kept giving me shots to stick around for, drawing me back to the stage. If you already like this music, you should definitely see them live.

Run the Jewels

Genre: Rap Music: 8 Presence/fashion: 7 Energy level: 9 Performance: 9 Coolness factor: 10

One of the best performances of the weekend and vocally advocated for consent norms. Killer Mike wants to want to change the world. If you haven’t seen his documentary Trigger Warning you should.

Girl Talk (Gregg Michael Gillis)

Genre: DJ Music: 6 Presence/fashion: 6 Energy level: 8 Performance: 6 Coolness factor: 7

To compensate for the typical still life that can become a DJ set, Girl Talk arranged for several festival goers to join him on stage for a dance party, which spread into the crowd within seconds. Gregg created what looked like a flattened basketball player out of the stage with the arms and legs extending from the floor. To put a DJ this late in the day was a bold, and satisfying move. It was a party.

The 1975

Genre: Pop rock Music: 7 Presence/fashion: 7 Energy level: 8 Performance: 8 Coolness factor: 9

Consensus: “OMG OMG OMG. I love them so much.” Of everyone I talked to, this was the most anticipated of the weekend. This isn’t music for me, but the crowd loved them. The performance was lively and well lit. I hear it’s a trademark of his performance, but I have a lot of photos of Matty Healy with his tongue out of his mouth that I can’t use.

Bunbury

An excellent option for me to find and enjoy more music. Some artists I had never heard of, or some I wouldn’t be crazy about from their studio release, found an opportunity to make me a fan. Most notably Bülow and Awolnation, while Reignwolf and Run the Jewels heightened my excitement for their next thing to come.

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