A Mother's Day Festival Guide

It's Mother's Day, and to honor all of our moms and their concern for our health and safety, the New York Times has published an article all about...this summer's festivals; lovely venues where drugs are more common than potable drinking water and at least one person dies at most events.

To be fair, I find festivals to be a pretty fun time provided you can stand being quite filthy for a whole weekend of "camping" and the smell of patchouli doesn't bother you. I can't say I'm an avid festival goer, though I've been to a few and I'll enjoy a few more.

Out of all the festivals (and tour announcements as well) mentioned in the article, I'd have to say I'm most curious to see how Rothbury goes. It seems that in years past, Bonnaroo and Coachella were the dominant festivals people made a point of traveling to. However, with a more 'eclectic' line-up every year at Bonnaroo, with headliners this year including Pearl Jam, Metallica, Jack Johnson, Panic, Kanye West, and Chris Rock, the more hard-core festival-goers are looking for a less main stream place with bands that will feel more at home with 150,00 'screaming' hippies (I don't remember seeing a lot of Hippies...hell, ANY hippies the last time I saw Metallica).

This leaves room for Rothbury. Though it still has quite a wide range of genres represented by it's headliners (DMG, Panic, John Mayer, 311, Phil Lesh & Friends, Primus, Thievery Corporation, Snoop Dogg, and Modest Mouse), it seems like it is a combination that will go well together and isn't forced, like Bonnaroo's.

And with ticket prices going up each year (I remember when I though $120 was a lot for a ticket), people can't afford to go to every festival or even 2 or 3 like they may have been doing in the past, which makes picking where you spend your inebriated weekend even more important as you'll likely only be going to one festival.

However, there are a great deal more events going on this summer than just the three I mentioned, so go check out the NYTimes article and see where you might like to head this summer. Who knows, maybe your mom will even want to go with you...but probably not.

Animal Collective: Harder Than You Think?

Pitchfork media announced that Public Enemy and Animal Collective will be among some of the acts to play the Pitchfork Festival, which is held in July annually in Union Park in Chicago. Other performers of note (at least the ones I'm excited about) include grime pioneer Dizzee Rascal and singer-songwriter M. Ward. Quite an eclectic and talented line-up; if you need a two-day crash course in indie music-with a side of Flava-Flav- this is the fest this summer to attend. And for just $50 dollars for the whole weekend, let those Bonnaroo-goers this year eat cake!

I'm not one to diss the 'Roo; I was a loyal attendee for three years in a row, but this summer's selection of festivals is pretty impressive even without Bonnaroo. Michigan's Rothbury has somehow managed to book the likes of Snoop Dogg along with the Allman Brothers and John Mayer (Primus was the act that most excited me on that roster); in August the nation's armpit (also known as New Jersey) will host Radiohead, Jack Johnson, Cat Power, Girl Talk and others at All Points West. One of my favorite live acts, The Flaming Lips, will be festival hopping from Summer Camp to Wakarusa. If you've got some time and a hankerin' for good live shows and warm weather, summer 2008 should treat you well even if you can't make it down to Manchester, Tennesee.

Sorry, Lars Ulrich.

Lollapalooza to Book Pretentious Brits, MMJ Releases Track List

Rolling Stone reported this week that the likely headliners of Chicago's Lollapalooza will be Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails. The announcement hasn't officially been made, but apparently the Chicago Tribune, who first reported the news, thinks their "industry sources" are pretty reliable. (Although, if you ask me, anyone who puts quotes around their title is pretty sheisty...and Chicago newspapers have been known to stick their foot in their mouths, ala Led Zeppelin headlining Bonnaroo). It's the closest Radiohead will get to Detroit, my home town and a city they have historically avoided.

My Morning Jacket, one of my favorite bands, released the track list for their upcoming June 10 release "Evil Urges," reports Pitchfork media. If you haven't already heard their 2005 ablum, "Z", I highly recommend it. Hailing out of Louisville, Kentucky, MMJ is heavily influenced by southern rock, which is one of the reasons their live shows are so much fun. On "Z," though, Jim James, the band's singer and rhythm guitarist, showcases his superior song writing skills. "Z" is southern rock minus the cheesiness, plus some experimentation that that yields some innovative results. The only dates the band has confirmed on the festival circuit are Coachella and Bonnnaroo.

Also on the Pitchfork website, Lil' Wayne supports safe sex.