It’s finally here. No, not the scorching heat or the high concentration of allergy-inducing pollen. Nope. People, it’s festival season! We’re at that miraculous time of year where certain cities in America host the best and largest music festivals. Sasquatch, Bonnaroo, and Coachella: These are some of the heavy hitters. Each line-up showcases a different offering of musical goodness that will no doubt draw thousands upon thousands to each event. Festivals in themselves are magical entities. The entire atmosphere is devoted to trying to enjoy the music and the people that are participating. The heat, the fun, and the great stories made to be recounted later, all work to make a festival a memorable experience. So I thought why not make a mix to commemorate festival season?  A little slice of what’s to come.  Also, an opportunity for those of us who are lacking in the funds department to get a slice of the fun. For those more fortunate, this is simply a warm-up. Either way, enjoy!

First up is The Strokes. They just unearthed a much anticipated release (“Angles”), and are hitting up major festivals worldwide. They just played for thousands at this year’s SXSW in Austin, TX. Moreover the buddies of mine who saw them told me they have lost none of their swagger. My pick is an oldie (I figure everyone has heard Angles by now) but nonetheless a goodie:

Next on my mix is the lovely lady pop singer Robyn. From her wonderfully throaty voice, to her earnest lyrics, she has catchy songs which are the best to dance to. Robyn’s star status is only poised to grow, as she is a contender at all three of the heavy hitters this year. Here’s my booty shaking inducing pick:

I love names that leave nothing for speculation. For example: British Sea Power. The first thought: is this band British? And the delightful answer to that question is yes. Hailing from ye olde Brighton, England, British Sea Powers indie pop persona of energy and catchy riffs make them a delightful international sensation. With their newest release “Valhalla Dancehall” hitting stores this past January, their fresh on everyone’s radar. Definitely a contender with some of the other more well known indie acts today, British Sea Power has stellar sound that brings their own creativity to the mix. Though they’ve been around for several years, their sound shows no signs of getting old anytime soon. This next track is one of my favorites, though it is from their 2008 release “Do You Like Rock Music”:

And then for a newer (and amazingly bouncy) tune off the Valhalla record:

See what I mean? Some great music!

As I strolled into the Rhythm Room at a little after 8 p.m., I was surprised to find that so many had already shown up for the Miniature Tigers/Pepper Rabbit show. The crowd was rapidly forming, and though their last show was a sold-out affair, it was still nice to see that so many had made the journey to Indian School Road and 10th Street this lovely Thursday evening. A crowd of mostly college-age hipsters and music lovers, it was obvious that everyone held an eager anticipation for this evening’s show. First band to open was the local and delightful sound from ROAR.

With their ’60s-like ballads with a little bit of angst thrown in for good measure, their energy was contagious. The crowd respectfully ate it up and it was a fitting way to open the show. The lead singer’s beautiful vocal harmonies made ROAR a decent confection of sound for the twenty minutes they played.

Then, it was time for the Valley’s own Gospel Claws, whose mixture of blues and rock make for an amazing performance. One of their best, “Walk Me Down,” got the crowd riled up and ready for more. Considering that Gospel Claws contains memebers of the ever auspicious Dear and the Headlights, I expected no less. Each band member really put their heart and soul into the performance, and it could be heard through the range of musical instruments being played.

Next up was an act I had seen two times previously: Pepper Rabbit. Hailing from Silverlake, CA, with an array of instruments that even contains a clarinet, these guys always put forth a great live set. Though the last time was in a larger venue (Soma San Diego), their strength lies in smaller venues in cozy/small-spaced scenes like those at the Rhythm Room, and the contrast from the two shows was more than noticeable. The way their music was able to fully take advantage of the stellar acoustics that the Rhythm Room has to offer. Some personal favorites of their set? “Send in the Horns” and “Older Brother” were the two that captured my heart (and I’m sure the audiences’, as well). So you can sample for yourself:

My heart thudded painfully in my chest when I heard those dreaded few words. Those two words had destroyed my dreams for making this the first year I would attend the auspicious event known as the Coachella Music Festival.

Sold out?

My mind could barely comprehend that this infamous concert had sold out as quickly as it had—only a mere week after tickets went on sale. Obviously after the realization hit that this was not going to be “the year,” a slight depression set in at the thought of all the great music I was going to miss out on. However this mood only lasted for a few weeks, as a plethora of acts performing at the festival were suddenly slated to perform in AZ: Arcade Fire, Local Natives, Menomena, The New Pornographers, The Black Keys, and even Robyn.

It’s like Coachella is coming to Arizona, on a slew of different dates and for a cheaper price of course. To say I was filled with joy was an understatement. However, as with any good fortune there is always a darker undertone. Apparently I was not the only Arizonan missing out on the music extravaganza taking place in Indio, CA. With the mad rush for the few precious tickets of the Mesa Amphitheater, the Black Keys promptly sold out. Soon after, decent Arcade Fire tickets were nowhere to be found (it’s taking place at the Comerica theater, and who wants to be in section 304, the row way the hell out in no man’s land?).

Though these acts were coming to Arizona, many would still miss their chance due to the expeditious ticket selling of these shows. I felt frantic/ insanely obsessive trying to procure tickets, which definitely took away my jubilated anticipation I had built for these performances. It was bringing flashbacks of disappointment for Coachella, and the knowledge that some of these bands might not return to AZ for years to come.

You know those days when it feels like you can’t concentrate on one solitary item at a time? Your mind jumps from project to project, event to event, in a fraction of a second?  While this may only happen when the pressure comes to a breaking point, for the mind of Gregg Michael Gillis this is the key to his brilliance. As the brain behind Girl Talk, his wicked mashups of everything from hip-hop to ’90s pop music create a rhythm of their own. When the music first plays through the speakers, the confection of chaos that ensues almost makes you want to turn it off. But don’t! As the music starts to play, your ears start to put those spastic sounds into a unique dance beat that you can’t wait to shake your booty to. With short samples from a multitude of artists, Gillis puts it together for something new entirely.  His newest release “Feed The Animals” shows his style of party music in his usual fashionable chaos.

My picks:

The birds are singing, the sky is blue, and all you can think about are the exciting things you plan to do while on the miraculous hiatus known as spring break. As the weather warms up, the tendency to relax and do nothing wars with the necessity to actually get assignments and homework completed. Fortunately, while either lounging in front of the pool, or in front of a computer screen there’s always sure to be some musical numbers wafting in the background. There are a ton of songs perfect for either activity, but here are some of my picks inspired by the madness of the month of March. Enjoy!

1. “Houdini” by Foster The People
A great upbeat melody from a band that seems to be a mixture of MGMT, a sunnier perspective on things, with a little bit of Chromeo sprinkled on top.

2. “It Will all End in Tears” by The Drums
The Drums’ beautiful confections of dreamy, beach pop goodness never  fail to take me away from the stresses of everyday going on’s.

3. “Home” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero’s
This great track that sounds as if it should have come from the 1960’s-early seventies (and in fact its from 2009) is one of those classic songs that spread a beautiful message. That even if its a staycation on the couch with no money to do much better, the real experience is sharing the time with the people who’s company you keep.

4. “Cameras” by Matt & Kim
As usual Matt & Kim are a necessity for catchy songs that you can dance around like a maniac to. So even if you didn’t make it to a packed dancefloor in South B each or Vegas, you can still have your own personal dance party in the sanctity of your own home.

This week’s live music pick heads in straight from the heart of New York. It’s Hoodie Allen! This New York-based hip-hop artist is definitely not afraid to march to his own beat. With his unique samples (from bands like Marina & The Diamonds and Death Cab For Cutie) and his quirky lyrics, this artist delightfully stands out in a crowd. His music has an old school twinge to it which brings its listener back to the olden days of rapping. Which is nice because auto-tune gets really old after a while… Hoodie is definitely the exception and doesn’t have to rely on clichéd lyrics to create a catchy and interesting song. The best part about Hoodie? He offers most of his music as free downloads, showing that he really wants to spread his love of music to as many as he can. Excellent, right? The albums are mostly mixtapes, including a terrific EP entitled Bagels & Beats, which I just can’t get enough of. My first pick for Hoodie Allen is a smoothly produced track called “Back to the 50′s”, off the Bagels & Beats EP:

And if that didn’t convince you, here is the stellar track “You are Not a Robot” feat Marina & The Diamonds:

His fresh take on hip hop is what draws people to his sound. When I found him on Last.fm thoroughly by accident, I was impressed with how rich his sound was. Definitely a great quality of music for an unsigned artist. So, if you want to prove that you’re not a robot (and want to dance to some great tracks for an evening) check out Hoodie Allen this Wednesday  at The Clubhouse in Tempe. Doors open at 7 p.m.

The Internet was set ablaze with fury and outrage. Expletives were being spewed at an alarming frequency. Was this some new legislation on immigration or marriage? Or some protest for a war? No, not at all. This energy was being tunneled into one almighty question: Who the F*&%K is Arcade Fire?????

A week ago, after a fairly uneventful Grammys broadcast, people were extremely agitated with the fact that Arcade Fire won the award for album of the year. The tumblr site whoisarcadefire, dedicated itself to posting all of the lovely word vomit that was a direct consequence of this apparently earth shattering development. Really eloquent phrases like “I had never even heard of them before tonight so they must suck,” or “Congratulations to all 10 people who have ever heard of arcade fire before”, and my personal favorite “What the f*&K is the arcade fries?” littered this mecca of people so passionate about the fact that the latest pop phenomenon had not won an award.

All  concluding, therefore that Arcade Fire deserved a painful and torturous departure from the music industry, simply because Bieber or Gaga was not declared the victor. The serious hate being circulated was a real surprise to me. Now the fact of the matter is that I am an Arcade Fire fan (they’ve actually been around for quite a while-fyi) but I am also an avid Lady Gaga listener as well. Clearly it’s okay to like both and not be considered a traitor to either party. The funny part was that a lot of the posts talked about hipsters and their crappy music, etc. My definition of a hipster deals with attitude, not clothing or music taste. If you act like a pretentious jerk who can’t have an open mind and who thinks their way of thinking is above others, then guess what? Yup, you’re a hipster. So most of these people bad mouthing Arcade Fire were acting like their own worst self-declared enemy. I guess they didn’t realize that “The Suburbs” has been on sale on Amazon.com almost every week since it came out, and has on multiple occasions been priced at $3.99. For this one site, it has on several occasions been the number one download, thanks in great part to this fact.

So, it is not completely unheard of that they would have a chance to win an award purely based on quantity and sales. The fact that people were making it out to be a talent assessment, well that’s illogical propaganda being circulated. So, I would think that if you are that passionate and connected to the Grammy’s it would be a true mark of a serious love for music. Seems more like a love for whatever’s playing on the radio, regardless of its merit. However, throughout all the hate, I think that Arcade Fire’s image has only grown since that fateful night. More downloads, more goggling, more Youtubing. These were all byproducts of their award. I say good for them. On the other side of the totem pole, some were upset that now the band was in the mainstream eye. Well that is why people start a band, to get their music out to as many people as they can. I do believe that music connects people. But it only works if the audience is willing to give it a chance. And for goodness’ sakes, if the same artists won the same awards every year, where would new ideas and fresh sounds come from?

Here is a relevant, yet entertaining skit from the comedy team of http://funemployedchicago.com: