I have been to a few Here We Go Magic shows, I have listened to their albums and I even consider myself a well-versed fan, but I was not ready for the Wednesday night show that Here We Go Magic brought to Emo’s in Austin Texas. I was fortunate enough to have the chance to interview Luke Temple and Peter Hale before their set (interview can be found below), but little did I know that what they told me would ring so true on stage that night.

Simply said, it was a hot night last Saturday in Texas. To make matters worse, Emo’s, an Austin outdoor music venue, comes equipped with a roof that also doubles as the State’s largest easy bake oven. Even with it only being 85 degrees outside, it would seem that the hottest an open air space could get would be slightly above standard body temperature. Not the case, it must have been 120 and humid as hell, but that didn’t stop the Delta Dedicated from coming out in full force.

SUNDAY, JULY 18TH

I opened Sunday with CAVE’s fantastic set. CAVE was one of the Chicago-openers and a great choice on the part of Pitchfork; their set was flawless and had some serious organ shredding. Opposite CAVE was an equally fantastic Alla whose latin-infused ambient sound was perfectly quaint but not quite what I was looking for. After I finished surveying the opening bands, I headed over to the Balance Stage to scope out Best Coast.

This is part one of a two part series; my coverage of day3 will be posted tomorrow.

FRIDAY, JULY 16th

Kicking off this year’s coverage of Pitchfork Music Festival is what I have deemed the “Pitchfork Quicklist.” Looking at the list of bands playing Pitchfork this year is probably one of the most overwhelming things I’ve done in years. For many, difficult choices are everywhere, while, for others, it’s just a jumble of undiscovered bands laden with old classics. Whatever the case is for you, I have compiled a list of suggestions based on broad music categories.  A complete schedule will follow all suggestions, alongside a very crude “bubble-style” outline that you can’t find on Pitchfork’s website.

Last year I had the opportunity to watch Nodzzz perform in Cardiff South Glamorgan UK.   Before the guys took stage,  they sat timidly sipping beers under the giant red FUCK YOU (or is it ‘FUCK THIS’?) neon sign that hangs upstairs in the achingly hip Buffalo Bar.  When Nodzzz got up on stage, they were just as humble and honest – two guitarists and a drummer, with what looked like half a drumkit knocking out short sweet pop tunes.

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If you are looking for a great lo-fi punk feel with underlying pop riffs and an unbeatable made-in-your-basement feel then Eat Skull is most likely your “holy grail”. Front man Rob Enbom (from Hospitals and Hole Class) admittedly prefers to record on a four track rather than a computer, which just adds an entirely different feel to their records. They debuted in 2008 with the release of Sick to Death, which was heavily dominated with skuzzy noise, feedback with very light underlying tones of pop.  In 2009 they dropped Wild and Inside which was much cleaner but still had catchy pop riffs buried deep within lo-fi skuzzy garage punk. They are currently on tour on the West coast.

May 12th 2010, just another spring day? I think not, and the evidence is all around me as snow and rain fill the air here in Denver, Colorado. While dancing around outside the  Hi-dive catching some snowflakes on my tongue, I found something else to be rather unusual as well. My ears caught a hold of this unconventional sound that literally pulled me straight into the venue, up to the bar and before I knew it the music grabbed a hold and had me reaching for a beer and a closer spot. The melodic riffs and short intertwined loops coming from his Fender Rhodes keyboard and assorted pedals had me hooked, while his live percussion set up next to the keyboard just blew my mind and kept me groovin’ to the beat.  His name is Martin Dosh and he is not your typical musical composer, but no worries, your ears are sure to thank you for the vacation. Dosh was playing with long time collaborator Mike Lewis and together their songs take you on a journey you were never even aware you wanted to embark upon, until now. The music is applied to your eardrums in so many layers, flittering synthes, short bits looped over and over, on top of which the saxophone, which may seem like it should be out of place, perfectly melts it all together. Read on as he explains his inspirations, influences, and even methods. He even divulges a little about a possible upcoming tour this fall and with the way the show went, I definitely will be getting tickets next time around!

SICK OF THE RADIO: Who do you consider to be some of your musical influences?

On Monday, May 10, 2010 Los Campesinos! came to Pomona, California’s Glasshouse and did not disappoint the ravaging fans. For those of you not familiar with Los Campesinos! they are a Indie Pop band with a punk influence. They are an extremely fun band to listen to and even better to experience live.