Shout out to G. Love, who usually has really great new bands opening for him on the road. Last year he introduced me to The Belle Brigade.

Well, check them out. These guys and gal are pretty awesome:

I’m guilty of being a Christmas music hater. Apart from the sound of Love Actually, I can’t stand any other holiday melodies. Having said that, when a friend of mine shared this video on facebook yesterday I didn’t look at it. But at night, I saw several of my friends had shared it. So I clicked. SWOON. What a fun version of the song! Check it out. Who can hate on Questlove using a wooden clacker with an afro pick or Mark Kelly with a toy xylophone?!

I’m so in love with this video! Get ready for Waka Waka Waka 2013.

May 30th – June 2nd, 2013. Tickets on sale NOW at www.wakarusa.com

See you on the mountain!

The lineup was release today, and it features Toby Keith, Luke Bryan, Big & Rich, Montgomery Gentry, Reckless Kelly, Thompson Square, and Arkansas native, Justin Moore.

In addition to these world class country artists, Thunder on the Mountain will feature camping, amazing food & craft vendors, world-class river floats, fishing, waterfalls, hiking, premiere RV camping and much more.

Tickets for Thunder on the Mountain will go on sale at 10 AM (CST) Tuesday, Dec 11 at www.ThunderOnTheMountain.com

Check out the full line up here.

Read all about the show and check out some more pictures after the jump.

I had seen The Walkmen on numerous occasions and White Arrows once, so going into the show I was most excited about them. Leaving the venue that night was a different story, as I predominantly had opener Milo Greene in my head. A five piece that consisted of four lead singers that shifted instruments more than the replacement refs miss calls and a consistent drummer with a steady pace, Milo Greene had a little bit of everything I wanted to hear that night. Their songs were infectious, and after a choice cover of Sufjan Stevens’ “Chicago,” which found them replacing the usual string parts of Sufjan’s version with drum breaks, I scurried over to the merch table to grab a copy of their album. What was great about this band was how they showcased each individual member vocally and instrumentally during each tune. Each of the members could hold their own leading any indie rock or folk act in the vocal department, and the fact that they were all very talented multi-instrumentalists just proves their case as a great band even more. I really dug them, and can’t wait to hear more. After the show was all said and done, I put their record on the player and listened to it front to back three whole times. That’s how good they were.

Milo Greene

Next up was The Walkmen, and while I was still buzzing from the opening set, I knew that we were about to get treated to a perfectly intimate and spectacular showcase of tunes. I hadn’t seen The Walkmen since their latest album was released, and with it getting regular spins around the household these days, I was pretty damn excited to see what they could do with the new songs in a live format. Not only did they play the new stuff, it taking up a majority of the set, but they played the shit out of the new stuff. It was all great, and mixed in with older live show staples like “In The New Year” and “On The Water,” was the perfect extension to their already magnificent catalog. For an hour and a half no one had anything but that show on their mind which made for quite the attentive audience – a nice departure from the Beach House show two nights prior. I’ve seen them recently in a festival atmosphere, but I think they need to be in a dark sweaty club for their music to really translate to an audience. Fitzgerald’s is that perfect venue for them. Originally the show was scheduled for the much larger, more cavernous Warehouse Live, which I love as a venue for bigger acts, but I’m really glad they moved it over to Fitz.

The Walkmen

After The Walkmen did their dirty work upstairs, I headed down to check out White Arrows, who were already a few songs into their set. I had seen them once prior to this occasion, when they opened up for Grouplove and The Belle Brigade at Fitz nearly a year ago, so I was pretty excited to see them again. I can’t say I watched much of their set, because at that time I was several drinks in, but what I did hear was great again. After snapping a few pictures, I favored conversation over the band, but that had nothing to do with their talent. They are a great band, and I can’t wait to catch them again down the road. Hopefully this time, though, they aren’t bookending two amazing shows and the cocktails that were associated with getting me to the right enjoyment level.

White Arrows

Milo Greene

The Walkmen

White Arrows

I took a bunch of pictures from the show, which you can check out after the jump.

I took a bunch of pictures of both bands that night, which you can find after the jump.

Hello Chief

Akron/Family

BOT is back in business y’all! Keep checking for updates including reviews from both Beach House tomorrow night and The Walkmen on Friday!

With all that said, I’m mostly excited about the stellar line-up from the first bands on Friday afternoon all the way to the final notes of music on Saturday night. With a varied assortment of musical styles being represented, from Afro-beat to indie rock, Latin electro to bluegrass and roots music, jumping from stage to stage should be a great experience all weekend. Dr. Dog is obviously my biggest draw, but by far not the only reason I’ll be in attendance. Check out my picks for most anticipated sets of the weekend after the jump.

Dr. Dog

Friday, Arrowhead Stage, 9:45-11:15
It’ll be my umpteenth time seeing the Philly indie folksters, and I couldn’t be more excited. I will never miss a Dr. Dog show if they’re anywhere around me. Stoked.

Victor Wooten

Saturday, Cypress Stage, 6:45-7:45
One of, if not the premier bassists playing music right now. I’ve seen him play with The Flecktones on numerous occasions, but only once solo, so this should be a great experience.

Toubab Krewe

Friday, Arrowhead Stage, 12:15-1:45
I’m so happy that this is the band they chose for late night. Be prepared to be introduced to the kora. I once saw them at 4:30 in the morning play an all blacklight set at the Howlin’ Wolf in NOLA. Hope they pull some antics like that!

The Wheeler Brothers

Saturday, Arrowhead Stage, 7:45-9:00
Texas boys that are starting to make a name for themselves throughout the rest of the country. Their rollicking bluegrass infused shows have found them opening for bands like The Avett Brothers in recent past, and fitting in quite perfectly. I’m excited to catch these guys again.

Jimmy Herring

Saturday, Arrowhead Stage, 10:15-11:30
What I said about Victor Wooten for bassists applies to Jimmy Herring in the guitar world. This guy can do anything on a guitar, and he’s certainly proved that being chosen to play for esteemed classic rock groups like The Allman Brothers Band, The Dead and Widespread Panic among several others. Should be a pretty rocking show.

Charles Bradley And His Extraordinaires

Friday, Cypress Stage, 8:15-9:30
It’ll be nice to see Charles Bradley for the first time, as I’ve heard his shows are fun as can be. I can never turn down a funk and soul show, so watch out for me in the front row cutting a rug throughout the set.

White Denim

Saturday, Arrowhead Stage, 5:45-6:45
I think I’ve seen these guys in the past couple of years, maybe at SXSW or here in Houston somewhere, and I have a feeling that I really liked them. After listening to a few tracks on YouTube, I realize that I really do like them. Should play out for a great mid-afternoon set.

Mexican Institute Of Sound

Saturday, Cypress Stage, 11:30-12:30
Just like Art Vs Science last year, Mexican Institute of Sound should be the unequivocal late-night dance party of this years event. I know they’ve played at ACL in the past few years, and from what I’ve heard they’re great, but we shall see how much energy I’ll still have. With the lax BYOB policy, I’m guessing I’ll be doing just fine.

I’m also very excited about the bands I’m not so familiar with that are mostly playing earlier in the day. Should be a great weekend!

Tickets are still available, but are going quick. With less than 300 available, I’d recommend picking one up soon. Also, if you’re feeling lucky, you can try your hand at winning VIP passes for you and three of your friends, including accommodation and additional goodies from friends of the festival, Real Ale Brewery. All the details you need to win are located on Real Ale’s Facebook page.

See you all there in less than two weeks!

I’ve had the chance to see Grandfather Child play music a few times over the past month, including their tour kick-off at Warehouse Live at the beginning of August and their latest performance at Fitzgerald’s for their record release. I took a bunch of pictures at both – you can see the latest ones from the Record Release show over at Houston Press’ Rocks Off Blog about the show, and a handful from the tour kick-off after the jump.

Read about the weekend and check out a bunch of photos after the jump

Words and Photos by Jim “Eggs” Bricker

It isn’t everyday you can crawl out of your house and see sets from the likes of Willie Nelson, The Flaming Lips, Snoop Dogg, Primus and The Avett Brothers – if there is a place like this, please give me directions. Until that happens, I’m going to have to suffice with two days out of the year. While a few logistical problems (that damn Jeep thing, and a massive merch tent selling predominately posters from last years event) and a whole lot more people than initially thought would be in attendance on Saturday caused some crowding, almost non-existent port-o-potty’s with longer than usual lines and not well-enough stocked bars, Sunday came back with a vengeance and fixed mostly all of the problems from the day before. There were definitely less people in the park on Sunday than on Saturday, but to be fair, The Avett Brothers are not Snoop Dogg. While FPSF tweaked its layout a bit this year to accommodate its growing size, I’m afraid they are just about to outgrow the land it lays on in Eleanor Tinsley Park. If they are going to continue to bring bigger and bigger acts, it’s definitely going to have to move onward to greener pastures somewhere else in Houston.

On to the music.

Saturday was a solid day of music, but Sunday was by far my favorite. There is something about seeing a bunch of country music on a Sunday that has a great effect on me. It was still a party on Saturday though, as Snoop Dogg went through the hits, Morris Day & The Time somehow made it through the afternoon Houston heat unscathed albeit fully suited, indie kids of Houston got their fix with continuous sets from Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Best Coast, Phantogram and Two Door Cinema Club on the second stage and some of the best sets of the weekend were offered early in the day with booty shaking Big Freedia aka The Queen Diva aka The Dick Eata and the incredibly comedic yet entirely infectious hip hop stylings of Turqouise Jeep. The night closed out with an hour and a half set from Oklahoma freaksters The Flaming Lips. Starting with a mini-set of their hits including “Race For The Prize” and “Do You Realize,” they soon jumped into their psychedelic version of Pink Floyd’s seminal album Dark Side Of The Moon which featured Phantogram throughout the entire performance. Although I think most people were hoping for a bit more energy in their Flaming Lips experience, I thought it was pretty damn cool to see the Lips take on one of my all-time favorite albums. Also, with the financial backing of Snoop Dogg and Free Press Houston, they gave away thousands of dollars blown up into balloons to the kids packed in tightly on the hill below. That’s pretty damn cool.

The Flaming Lips

Sunday began early with a nice run through of some of my favorite Houston acts, all starting at the main stage. Grandfather Child started it off with their soulful antics, soon followed on the second stage by burgeoning indie popsters Wild Moccasins. One of my most anticipated sets of the day was the long-awaited return of Robert Ellis to a Houston stage for his first full blown rock show in quite some time. I’m not going to say anything more than I miss the shit out of your live shows Mr. Ellis. Finally our Houston fix finished with the few last songs of rapper Fat Tony performing new material from the recently released Double Dragons collaboration with producer Tom Cruz. Next up was a brief stop at Fitz and the Tantrums to reaffirm my dislike for them before heading back to the main stage for a great set from the soon to be much bigger than they already are Young The Giant. Portugal. The Man, who performed at the surprise aftershow the night before at Fitzgerald’s played a set that included a mean rendition of The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter.” Next up was legendary Texas country singer Willie Nelson who performed one of the greatest sets of the weekend to his adoring fans. Definitely the biggest crowd of the day, only second to Snoop all festival, Willie wasted no time raining his hits down on the packed bowl of people.

Willie Nelson

After a brief climb up the hill to catch a bit of What Made Milwaukee Famous, we soon returned to the main stage for The Avett Brothers. It’s cool to see one of my favorite bands headlining my city festival just a few blocks from my front door. It gives you something to continually look forward to the entire weekend. It almost made the weekend go by quicker, I think, as I was anticipating their performance more than any. They didn’t disappoint. At all. It was cool to see so many people that hadn’t heard the Avett Brothers taking in this performance. It was instantly infectious, and spread from the front to back just a short way into their set. While it’s a bummer they only had a bit over an hour to play, as I know they can definitely triple that time without a problem, It was still cool to see them in this format in Houston rather than the cavernous Bayou Music Center or opening for someone at the Pavilion. I love this band, and thanks to Summer Fest, many more people in Houston now do as well. The night ended with a stopover at stage 2 for Primus and then back again for a dance party at Pretty Lights’ closing set on the main stage. I’m not sure what it is about Pretty Lights, but his shows are always so much damn fun. After a short but sweet guest spot from Houston’s own Bun B and a nice display of fireworks, the set was over, and with that came the final moments of the festival where the 20-or-so thousand people left filtered their way out of the gates.

The Avett Brothers

It seemed a whole lot shorter than previous years for some reason. I’m not exactly sure what made the time fly by so fast, but it seemed like Sunday night came a lot quicker than previous outings. It might have been the amount of talent spread out over FPSF’s 8 stages, giving us less time to relax and a making us spend a lot more time walking. Who knows. Doesn’t matter. All I know is that this past weekend kicked a whole lot of ass thanks to Omar Afra, Jagi Katial and the rest of the badass motherfuckers that made this event possible. Without you guys, Houston would be a much shittier place to live. A million thanks! Already counting down the days until FPSF5.

And now, the photos…

Saturday, June 2

The Last Place You Look

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Big Freedia

Turquoise Jeep

Morris Day & The Time

Two Door Cinema Club

R3hab

Maps and Atlases

Snoop Dogg

The Flaming Lips

Sunday, June 3

Grandfather Child

Wild Moccasins

Robert Ellis

Fat Tony

Featherface

Young The Giant

Portugal. The Man

Willie Nelson

What Made Milwaukee Famous

The Avett Brothers

Pretty Lights