Archive - Dec 2008

As we continue with BOT's year in review, I now offer my thirty favorite songs of 2008. Both new and older bands grace this year's list, though it mostly draws from new discoveries rather than past favorites. Take a look at what I've been listening to over the last year after the jump.

On Saturday, December 13 – the afternoon following their performance at Warehouse Live – the Secret Machines stopped by Houston's Cactus Music & Record Ranch for a special acoustic in-store performance. The night before, we'd caught their normal live show, which featured their moody space rock stylings in all its distorted glory. The next day, frontman Brandon Curtis and guitarist Phil Karnats both donned acoustic guitars (Curtis' still sported tags – a loaner or recent purchase, perhaps?), while drummer Josh Garza kept the beat using maracas, a tambourine and his rhythm-filled hands. The performance was a completely different experience from the Warehouse set – stripped-down, the Machines' music was subtler and almost gentle at times. The short set included a few songs from their new self-titled album, as well as a couple older songs. The acoustic format showed off a new side of the trio, one that we hadn't seen at previous live performances. We weren't the only ones enchanted by the set – Curtis' grandmother beamed from a chair near the stage as he dedicated the last song ("Sad and Lonely," a somewhat curious choice) to her. This makes me wonder if the group's decision to use a quieter, more toned-down approach on this day was related to her attendance. Whatever the reason, their fuzzy psych rock compositions translated surprisingly well into acoustic arrangements and I hope they continue to experiment with their softer side in the future.

View videos and photos from the Secret Machines' in-store performance after the jump

On Friday, December 12, Eggs and I rolled into Houston's Warehouse Live to snag some free hoodies from Camel and check out psych rock Dallasites-turned-New Yorkers The Secret Machines and living rock legend/Lollapalooza creator Perry Farrell. The night didn't exactly turn out the way we'd expected – read about it, plus view photos and videos after the jump

Secret Machines

Perry Farrell

We here at Breakfast On Tour are decidedly fanatical about music, and as a result we've spent a large portion of our adult lives bobbing our heads in front of stages. This past year, though, was hands-down our busiest (so far) in terms of show-going. It's sort of mind-boggling to think back on all the great sets we caught, and when we decided to list our favorites of the year we knew it'd be a daunting task. After much head-scratching and brow-furrowing, though, we persevered – check out Eggs, Cereal and Toast's top 20 shows of the year after the jump!

We BOTheads will readily admit that getting the opportunity to jump into photo pits and shoot our favorite musicians is one of the best perks we've had as a result of this site, but it's often just as fun to snap shots of fellow fans. Sometimes we feel a little creepy approaching strangers, but we've found that most are happy to pose for random people, especially if they have a professional-looking camera. Festivals are an especially great time to rack up interesting crowd shots – people flying their freak flags make for fantastic subjects.

See a selection of our favorite fan shots from 2008 after the jump – perhaps you'll even spot yourself!

Voodoo Experience - New Orleans 10/26

When we dreamed up Breakfast On Tour in late 2007, we didn't really know where the site would take us. We certainly didn't expect to be able to attend so many festivals in our first year – all told, we posted coverage of five summer and fall events, plus had friends report back from two more. We're all deeply enamored with festivals, and we've found that covering them is one of the most satisfying aspects of our little project. We've learned that while it's not exactly easy all the time – we try to be as comprehensive as possible, so we wind up running around a lot – it's rewarding and we always have a great time. Hopefully, 2009 will find us reporting back from even more multi-day events – stay tuned to see where the year takes us!

For now, enjoy our look back at the festies we hit up in '08: Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival in Lawrence, KS; Rothbury Music Festival near Rothbury, MI; Mulberry Mountain Harvest Music Festival near Ozark, AR; Austin City Limits Music Festival in Austin, TX; and Voodoo Experience in New Orleans, LA. See our best-of awards after the jump!

Dave Carroll and Dave Simonett of Trampled By Turtles

Sometimes the weather in Nebraska can change almost instantly. One minute you're wearing shorts, the next you're in thermals, chattering your teeth under a mound of blankets. This was definitely the case this past weekend, as it seems to be every time Duluth, MN natives Trampled By Turtles (TBT) make their way to the Star City. I spent most of Saturday in bed, recuperating from an extended booze-induced festival that had kicked off for no reason other than it was the weekend. Finally, no day job! Pulp Fiction and Friday were my best friends, as I took myself back a few years enjoyed a lazy day. But when I finally got moving at about 6pm, I found out that it had been about 60 degrees all day, and I'd missed it! I In a moment of extreme optimism, I hoped to be greeted by similar weather the following day as TBT made their way into Lincoln to take over the stage at Knickerbockers on December 14, 2008.

Read more after the jump!

Phish (minus Page) at Rothbury
I'm not going to be the guy to tell you if this is true or not, and I'm not really one for spreading rumors, but according to Rolling Stone, Phish are set to headline two nights of 2009's Bonnaroo. Say what you want about this, but I'd be more than glad to have them headline the Tennessee festival. I haven't been back to Bonnaroo since its third year, but this might just be enough for me to return. What do you all think?

The 40th anniversary line-up for the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was announced today, bringing out several favorites and familiar faces. The first weekend of the festival, set to take place April 24-26, will feature headliners Wynton Marsalis, Dave Matthews Band and James Taylor, with the daytime slots being filled by the likes of Wilco, Earth Wind & Fire, Spoon, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, The Avett Brothers, Kinky, Del McCoury Band and a host of others.

The second weekend of the festival, April 30-May 3, has Aretha Franklin, Ben Harper & the Relentless 7, and a slot for a TBA performer on top of the bill, with Kings of Leon, Tony Bennett, Bonnie Raitt, Common, Buddy Guy, Toots & the Maytals, Doc Watson and more holding down the daytime.

As always, the festival leans quite heavily on the music from its host city. New Orleans is well represented with The Neville Brothers, Irma Thomas, Galactic, The Meter Men: Zig, George and Leo, Dr. John and about four hundred more Crescent City artists on the bill.

Check out the full line-up after the jump

Art rockers Deerhunter and shitgazers Times New Viking stopped by Warehouse Live's Studio on December 3, 2008 to deliver a double dose of buzz band goodness. Eggs and I were there to take it all in — check out the review, photos and videos after the jump!

Deerhunter