By Lisa Morgan
Lessons learned from what I am now nicknaming “Footchella”. (1) Wear comfortable shoes (2) Know where the heck you’re going (3) If you don’t know where you’re going, don’t get directions from someone who points the way with his beer (4) Strobe lights make people dumb as ______ (you fill in the blank). Now, a bit about the music:
Coachella, since it’s origins in 1999, has always been a place to see trends, both in music, art and fashion. All I can say is that there seems to be no particular trend so much as a blend. Technology meets raw, acoustic musical talent, folk meets psychedelic, reggae meets rap, and theater meets rock. As I write, I realize this is nothing out of the norm for music. But with the added technology available, it is being done in a new way. The exceptions to this rule would be bands like Shovels and Rope who has an “old school” roots rock purity reflecting what music might have been made had Janis Joplin and Bob Dylan joined forces. The other side of that coin is the synthesized music of EDM groups (electric dance music) C2C, Kill the Noise and Simian Mobile Disco that are all about the lights, sound system and rhythms. There was a mad rush to the Mojave tent when hip-hop artist, 2 Chainz went on stage pulling from neighboring Allen Stone. The artist also known as Tauheed Epps or Tity Boi from Def Jam records came on the stage with commanding energy drawing a crowd that overflowed deep outside and around the tents capacity.
The lineup for Friday at the Outdoor Stage looked good to me, so I bunkered down front and center to see Beardyman. The man is a one man band all by himself; just him and a microphone. The sounds he makes out of his mouth alone are mind blowing and he does it all with a crazy and wonderful sense of humor. But once he stepped behind his newly developed personal, technological masterpiece, he was delivering 195 beats per minute while layering his own sounds into a sonic flood that was truly mesmerizing. At one point, something happened where his computer program had to be rebooted. Not a problem for Beardyman. He just stepped out front while his manger took care of the reboot, and continued to perform and entertain thrillingly (something that, within itself, is a statement toward technology dependent artists). The pure raw talent of this man, who can sing beautifully in any genre and make sounds without any technical help whatsoever, makes him a pure entertainer and in my opinion, an excitingly mad genius of our time.
The Worst of Coachella Thus Far:
I want to first apologize to any Aesop Rock fans. I’ll be the first one to admit, I do not have a beloved history attaching me to them that would pre-empt my attitude. This is written from the viewpoint of someone seeing them for the first time. Hip Hop is not my preferred genre, but I am a huge fan of the Beastie Boys and our own local Thr3 Strykes. That being said, I had heard a bit about Aesop Rock, one of the underground alt hip hop acts of the late 90’s and early 2000’s, but didn’t have them on my playlist back then. I figured I looked forward to watching, learning and therein developing a new appreciation for a somewhat musically historic group. All I can say is… not so much. When they came on stage I found myself perplexed looking for a shadow of what had made them earn this spot at Coachella. The first thought that ran through my mind was, “Are these guys an old boy band?” I looked around. Everyone around me seemed to be singing along and enjoying it. I felt completely out of the loop. Was I truly the only straight and sober one in attendance? Were my expectations too high? Did I just have a bad attitude due to a lack of information? I found myself inwardly begging, “Please someone! Help me understand!” These guys were not the image bearers of street thug life that I have come to know and love. And while I am all about breaking down the barriers set on artists due to their looks, I have come to believe that there are genres that can never be so forgiving as to have three overweight white guys throwing signs and “busting moves” with attitudes that just don’t deliver with genuine authenticity. I longed to just be able to walk away but I knew I would lose my killer front and center position at the very front of the stage to see and experience the next bands in the lineup. Fortunately, I was rewarded for my perseverance but am forever scarred with regret for Aesop Rock, even if they do not feel it for themselves/himself, wishing they/he had left their reputations untarnished and diminished by either growing into music that would suit them more honestly or leaving things in the past.
The Best of Coachella Valley Thus Far:
Having survived the Aesop experience I was immediately comforted by the fantastic rock and roll of Divine Fits. With two outstanding vocalists out front, a unique sound, flare and style reminiscent of early Franz Ferdinand.
They made the time fly as I waited to see Of Monsters and Men, the folk band from Iceland I had already developed a fondness for them via their hit single “Little Talks”. I have to say, I would wait an entire day in the sun to experience this amazing young ensemble. Each individual personality, with their musical contributions, created a magical yet real aura on stage, the brightest of which was the female lead singer Nana. Enchanting is the best description of this songbird and her vocal style. Her song-mate, Ragnar, offers a beautiful blend to harmonies and duets, not to mention, charm. Each member is strong in musicianship and they all sing creating an incredible full sound that has obviously only been beautifully captured, not altered, on their recordings. Nana’s free spirit definitely shined as she worried band mates and security by climbing down off stage to engage with the crowd who was further endeared by the broken boundary between artist and fan. They played an unreleased new song from their new album that is sure to keep them in the musical forefront. Their music and their delivery was an extremely personal experience leaving us all better for it and longing for more.
