Concerts

It hasn’t been that long that Trevor Powers has been playing out live with his band Youth Lagoon — or even very long since he started posting his early bedroom recordings and the blogosphere started writing about his music. While that’s a typical story these days, Powers’s music has struck…

The last time they were in town, the little hip-hop hellions known as Odd Future had people jumping from second-floor balconies and raising Cain long before they took the stage. Tyler, the Creator, Hodgy Beats and the rest of the crew still don’t give a fuck, and their gore rhymes…

For every argument that Wes Borland is an innovative guitarist or that Limp Bizkit had some songs that weren’t that awful, there’s the requisite acknowledgement that Fred Durst is terrible at writing lyrics, even worse at rapping them, and is, in general, a monumental douchebag whose emotional repertoire is more…

Wheelchair Sports Camp has begun to fully realize its sound as a band on this EP. Whereas Mixed Tapes felt more like a solo album from MC Kalyn Heffernan, here things are more collaborative, fully incorporating Heffernan’s wit and flow, Isaac McGaha Miller’s eclectic drumming and his sister Abi McGaha…

It’s too bad that the title Headphone Masterpiece has already been claimed, because that’s a perfectly fitting description of what Overcasters have delivered here. Actually, check that: Headphones merely allow you to better absorb and appreciate the nuances. Fact is, this record would sound utterly sensational on a pair of…

While Raincheck pianist Ben Markley says much of the band’s inspiration is taken from classic 1960s Blue Note recordings, the quartet puts a bit of an updated spin on that era with eight original tunes and a reworking of George Gershwin’s “Love Walked In.” Tracks like “Boogalues,” meanwhile, recall the…

There doesn’t seem to be much obvious or interesting use of stereo effects on recordings anymore. But on “Fire,” the opening tune on Sonolumina’s Solar Logos, the hand-drum sound travels back and forth from one speaker to the other so that it feels like you’re in the middle of a…

So you think you’re a Radiohead fan. But have you spent hours considering what the band’s songs would mean if they were all really about sex? If they were sung by Barry White (or, in some cases, Marilyn Manson)? If, instead of doom and gloom, they were just about getting…

These days, nearly every DJ wears the hat of producer, too, but electronic musicians who are as comfortable in the studio as they are controlling the dance floor are few and far between. The legendary Pete Moss is one; his music has been written up in all of the major…

Update 3/6/12: Contest is over. Congratulations to our winner, Aldona, and thanks to everybody else for your entries. Stay tuned to Backbeat for more chances to win upgrades in the months and weeks leading up to Showcase! (Original Post: 6:30 a.m.) Happy Monday! Oh, and what a happy Monday it…

BASSNECTAR @ SNOWBALL MUSIC FESTIVAL | 3.4.12 For the last night of SnowBall Music Festival, organizers brought back one of last year’s headliners to close things out, which ultimately proved to be a wise decision. Looking out from the stage, it was readily apparent that Bassnectar has made his mark…

SNOOP DOGG @ SNOWBALL MUSIC FESTIVAL | 03.03.12 At times it seemed like the entire weekend pointed toward Snoop Dogg’s Saturday-night set. Diplo mentioned Snoop’s imminent arrival during a Friday-night set and showed off an exclusive drop the Doggfather had recorded for Major Lazer. Periodically for the last 36 hours,…

SNOWBALL MUSIC FESTIVAL @ VAIL VALLEY | 3/3/12 (DAY 2) Having survived the frigid first night, the sunshine and above-freezing temps of the second day are a treat. Feeling a little wear and tear from the night before, I was hoping to make it back to the festival grounds in…

TV ON THE RADIO @ SNOWBALL MUSIC FESTIVAL | 3.03.12 The early part of TV on the Radio’s set seemed unbalanced. The band’s signature quiet moments — interludes of whistling or whines of guitar feedback — were often interrupted by sound bleeding over from two nearby stages, the Heat Hut…

SNOWBALL MUSIC FESTIVAL @ VAIL VALLEY | 3/2/12 (DAY 1)It took about four bone-chilling minutes, starting at the opening of gates, to remind me of the frigid misery I signed up for again this year. Did I learn my lesson from last year in regard to snow boots, multiple layers,…

RUSKO @ SNOWBALL MUSIC FESTIVAL | 3/2/12Rusko is a dubstep king. This guy touches a beat and it instantly is a smash-hit. Last night in the snowscape that is the main stage of Snowball Music Festival, Rusko dropped bass heavy enough to allow Ski Patrol to save avalanche ammunition. If…

SNOOP DOGG @ THE FILLMORE | 3/2/12Snoop Dogg is the coolest motherfucker on the planet. As last night’s packed house at the Fillmore was roused by DJ Battlecat’s operatic introduction of the giant, the Doggfather walked onto the stage flanked by three gorgeous dancers in Adidas jumpsuits. “Life of the…

BIG BOI @ SNOWBALL MUSIC FESTIVAL | 3/2/12The purple lights cast Big Boi in a Prince-ly hue. He’s leading the audience through the chorus of “Ms. Jackson” and the entirety of the crowd is bobbing around like crazy. Big Boi is leaning back, with one arm up, casually steering an…