Confessions of a Festival Junkie July 2, 2016 04:34
The highlights of the festival season so far...
Music is my passion and as self confessed Festival Junkie I have seen my far share already this year.
From Field Days in Sydney (on the first day of the year) to Laneway, Auckland City Limits, Coachella, Bonnaroo and Firefly (all the way in the US state of Delaware) I have danced, stumbled and hauled myself across acres and acres of festival grounds to listen to the best and the brightest this season
Flight Facilities is an Australian electronic producer duo that also performs as Hugo & Jimmy. In 2009, they began mixing songs by other artists before crafting their own original material. The duo consists of Hugo Gruzman and James Lyell. Their debut album, Down to Earth was released in October 2014 and features prominent names in the industry such as Kylie Minogue, Emma Louise, Reggie Watts, Bishop Nehru, Owl Eyes, and Stee Downes.
Origin Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Genres Disco, house, indie pop, electronic
Website flightfacilities.com
SHAKEY GRAVES
Shakey Graves (born Alejandro Rose-Garcia on June 4, 1987) is an Americana musician from Austin, Texas, United States.
His music is a cross between blues, folk and rock and roll – he performs at many large festivals and concert venues around the United States. Alejandro Rose-Garcia received his iconic stage name at Old Settler's Music Festival in 2007 after he and his friends jokingly gave each other Indian guide names over a campfire.
Birth name Alejandro Rose-Garcia
Born June 4, 1987 (age 29)
Origin Austin, Texas
Genres Americana
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter
Instruments Guitar, vocals
Website http://www.shakeygraves.com/
ST. PAUL AND THE BROKEN BONES
Origin Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Genres Southern soul, soul
Instruments Keyboard, bass guitar, guitar, drums, trombone, trumpet
Website stpaulandthebrokenbones.com
BOB MOSES
Bob Moses is a Canadian electronic live act, originally from Vancouver, British Columbia.
The band experimented with different sounds, since Howie had a background in rock music and Vallance in trance music, they began to experiment and combine the electronic and alternative sounds together.
Origin Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Genres Electronic alternative dance
Website www.bobmosesmusic.com
WHILK & MISKY
Some things are just meant to be. Whilk & Misky, for example. Nima and Charlie, to use their real names, met in November 2012. Within three months, they were living together, making music and tearing up the blogosphere with their first ever production, ‘Wing Clipper’. They’ve pursued an near-vertical upwards trajectory ever since – in short, it’s been a whirlwind.
Whilk & Misky’s music fuses Nima’s brooding electronics with Charlie’s pinwheeling guitar and throaty vocals to make something like you’ve never heard before, something from the previously uncharted interface of Techno, Folk, Electronica and the Blues. Nima explains how they chanced upon this unique sound. “I’m into soulless, really cold sounds and he is into really soulful lyrics, really tortured,” he says. “It’s the meeting of those two things.”
HALSEY
Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, known by her stage name Halsey is an American singer and songwriter. She started songwriting at the age of 17. In 2014, she signed her first recording contract with Astralwerks and released her debut EP, titled Room 93. Her debut studio album, Badlands, was released in 2015.
Birth name Ashley Nicolette Frangipane
Born September 29, 1994 (age 21)
Washington, New Jersey, U.S.
Genres Electropop
Occupation(s) Singer songwriter
Instruments Vocals
Website iamhalsey.com
M83
M83 are a French electronic music band led by Anthony Gonzalez and currently based in Los Angeles. Formed in 2001 in Antibes, France, it was initially a duo featuring Nicolas Fromageau. The band has released seven albums and two soundtracks, including the Grammy Award-nominated Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. Gonzalez and Fromageau parted ways shortly after touring their second album Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts. Gonzalez records primarily on his own, or with other artists only occasionally.
Origin Antibes, Alpes-Maritimes, France
Genres Synth pop, shoegaze, dream pop, post-rock, ambient
Website ilovem83.com
NATHANIEL RATELIFF & THE NIGHT SWEATS
Birth name Nathaniel David Rateliff
Origin Hermann, Missouri; Denver, Colorado, United States
Genres Soul gospel folk rock indie folk blues rock
Website nathanielrateliff.com
ALUNA GEORGE
AlunaGeorge are an English electronic music duo from London, consisting of Aluna Francis (vocals and songwriting) and George Reid (production and instrumentation).
Aluna's vocals have been described as "almost child-like" as well as being called "sugar sweet" and "emotionally soulful and heartwarming too". George's production combines sounds from bass, garage and dubstep.
The band use techniques of R&B and use "futuristic pop". The musical style has been described as "advanced minimalistic polyrhythmic beats" as well as "bashment, experimental hip-hop, '90's R&B and house".
Origin London, England
Genres Synthpop R&B UK garage Trip hop
Website alunageorge.com
ST GERMAIN
St Germain is the stage name of Ludovic Navarre, a French musician. His style has been described as being a combination of house and nu jazz music
His first album, released on 9 October 2015, was recorded with the participation of African musicians, the album features traditional Malian instruments such as kora, balafon and n’goni, that mingle with electric guitars, pianos, saxophones and electronic loops. The first single, “Real Blues”, sets the voice of Lightnin’ Hopkins to the beat of wild, fiery drums and percussion.
Origin France
Genres Acid jazz, nu jazz, downtempo, deep house
RHYE
Rhye is an R&B musical duo based in Los Angeles, California. Its members are Canadian singer Milosh and Danish instrumentalist Robin Hannibal.
Milosh's high and sigh-like contralto androgynous vocals and the band's instrumentation are likened to those of British-Nigerian singer Sade and to those of Michael Franks and The xx
Origin Los Angeles-based Canadian/Danish duo
Genres Alternative R&B, downtempo, soul
CHRIS STAPLETON
Christopher Alvin "Chris" Stapleton is an American country and bluegrass musician and songwriter.[2][3] He is an established songwriter with six number-one songs
After serving as the frontman of The SteelDrivers from 2008 to 2010, Stapleton released his debut studio album Traveller in 2015, which earned him several awards, reached number one on the US Billboard 200 and went on to sell over 1.3 million copies domestically
Birth name Christopher Alvin Stapleton
Born April 15, 1978 (age 38) Lexington, Kentucky US
Origin Nashville, Tennessee, US
Genres Country bluegrass Southern rock outlaw country
Occupation(s) Musician songwriter
Instruments Vocals guitar
Website chrisstapleton.com
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE
Death Cab for Cutie's music has been labeled as indie rock, indie pop, and alternative rock. It is noted for its use of unconventional instrumentation, as well as Gibbard's distinctive voice and unique lyrical style.
Origin Bellingham, Washington, United States
Genres Alternative rock, indie pop, indie rock
Website deathcabforcutie.com
THE FLOOZIES
MARIAN HILL
Marian Hill is an American songwriting duo from Philadelphia, made up of production artist Jeremy Lloyd and vocalist Samantha Gongol, heavily featuring improvisational jazz musician Steve Davit, debuting in 2013 with their first EP 'Play'. Their sound is a mixture of blues, jazz, heavy bass and delicate vocals
ELLIOT ROOT
Elliot Root is an American alternative music group based in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee. After releasing two EP's ("II" & "Thoughts From Yesterday") in early 2015, the band has steadily become one of the most watched new acts in Nashville and the United States.
RUFUS
Rüfüs (also known as Rüfüs du Sol in North America) is an alternative dance group from Sydney, Australia, that consists of Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George and James Hunt. Their debut album Atlas peaked at number 1 in Australia, while their second album Bloom debuted atop the Australian albums chart in early 2016.
Origin Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Genres Indie dance, alternative dance, house
Website www.rufussounds.com
KALEO
Kaleo's music is influenced by folk and blues.
Origin Iceland
Genres Indie pop rock folk blues garage rock
Website www.officialkaleo.com
ELLE KING
Los Angeles, California, United States
Origin New York City, New York, United States
Genres Blues rock,alternative country, rock
Occupation Singer songwriter actress
Instruments Vocals guitar banjo
Website elleking.com
Leon Bridges
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Lord Huron
The band’s name was inspired by Lake Huron, the lake which band founder Ben Schneider grew up visiting, and would spend evenings playing music around the campfire.
Lord Huron is fond of the concept album, creating music, artworks and videos to enhance and inform the whole. Each song tells a story, focusing on fictional characters who seem like heroes and heroines in a Western adventure series.
Of Monsters and Men
Glass Animals
The Avener The Wanderings of the Avener
Click here to listen
The Avener is a multi-faceted, discrete and complex artist and is the most complex multilayered album since Moby Play
Combining his love for Deep House and Electro, but also his vintage influences from Rythm'n'Blues and Soul, The Avener re-works « The Fade Out Lines » by Phoebe Killdeer into a beautiful electronic journey, with a haunting and sexy melody, classy and unifying sounds. As soon as we hear the first note we are immersed into a Bluesy & Soul atmosphere. The Gibson brings the vintage color while the acoustic drum kit gives way to a deep beat that makes us want to dance. With vocals from Kadebostany, John Lee Hooker, Mazzy Star, Rodrigues among others this is the album of the moment
MØ No Mythologies to Follow
Mø's music has been defined as "electro music with guts". Her work has been likened to various artists, including Siouxsie Sioux and Janet Jackson. . MØ stated to Billboard that she doesn’t strive for the mastered vocal “perfection” you hear from most mainstream artists; instead, she aims for a natural sound stressing the importance that they not be “too polished.”