Photo Gallery: Fuck Yeah Fest (FYF Fest) 2010, LA

Hot, hip, short, and sweet...

It was hot, dusty, and dark. I hardly got to see more than 3 songs of any one band. It felt like a music trade show. Local Natives totally won me over, and Panda Bear (pictured above) made me question the worth of Animal Collective. Washed Out, Cold Cave, Delorean, and Sleep had stand out performances too. This was FYF Fest 2010...

Thee Oh See's

7Seconds

Local Natives

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti

Washed Out

Cold Cave

Sleep

Panda Bear

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Photo Gallery: Delorean, Foster the People, Gardens and Villa @ SoHO, Santa Barbara

I was so glad to see so many friends and fans come out for this one!

As predicted, Delorean absolutely killed it, bringing the best live music dance party Santa Barbara has seen all summer. The real story of the night though was Gardens and Villa, who completely stunned the crowd with the first real taste of the songs from their new (still unreleased) record. If you missed Gardens at this show you can catch them headlining Muddy Waters this Friday, the 10th, along with Matt Simpson and The Soft Hills. In the mean time enjoy the photos!

Gardens and Villa

Foster the People

Delorean

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Photo Gallery: Waiting Around To Die @ Reds, Santa Barbara

I had been waiting patiently to see Waiting Around to Die since a friend first turned me on to them at the beginning of the summer. This past Tuesday night I finally had my chance to see them when they performed for the first time ever at Reds, and it was certainly worth the wait!


Originally begun as a two person recording project, Ryan and Alyssa of Santa Barbara's Waiting Around to Die have since enlisted two more members, David and Josh to perform what they created on their debut LP The Valley of the New Year, which you can download here for free. The sound is dark, moody, and atmospheric, troubled at times, and beautifully serene at others. The sound conjures the likes of My Bloody Valentine, Echo and the Bunny Men, and Joy Division, and is a welcome addition to the Santa Barbara music scene. Keep your eyes peeled for more show dates from WATD this month, I'm pretty convinced these guys are only going to get better with time.

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Delorean/ Foster the People/ Gardens and Villa Tonight @ SoHO

I know I talk a lot on here about shows and bands you should check out, but I'm predicting this one to be the show of the summer, tonight, September 1st!

I have no doubt that headliners Delorean (unofficial video posted above) will bring the dance party and get SoHO sweatier than it's been all summer, but there are also two incredible openers that will make this one worth making a night of.

Foster the People, who I believe are from LA, have been getting some attention lately for their super catchy summertime jam, "Pumped up Kicks." I have no doubt that these guys will do a great job warming up the crowd and preparing everyone to get down to Delorean. Check out the track below to hear what I'm talking about...



As excited as I am to see Delorean and Foster the People, I think the real story tomorrow night will be local boys Gardens and Villa making their first appearance since going into the studio with Richard Swift. The band was great before, and I absolutely can't wait to hear them perform their new songs live for the first time. Over the last few months they have grown from a three piece to a five piece, and after spending some time under Richard's wing, I have a feeling they are going to blow some minds tonight.

So, do your self a favor and get some tickets to this one at Club Mercy, show up early because you don't want to miss any of the bands, and get ready for awesomeness!

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Photo Gallery: The Hold Steady @ Velvet Jones, Santa Barbara

Rather than describe how epic the Hold Steady's set at Velvet Jones, or what an amazing frontman Craig Finn is, I'm just gonna let the photos do the talking...












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The Hold Steady @ Velvet Jones, Tonight!

Brooklyn's The Hold Steady will be gracing Santa Barbara with their presence tonight, Friday the 27th, at Velvet Jones. This is going to be a good one!

Hot on the tail of the release of their newest record, Heaven is Whenever, Craig Finn and company will be bringing their modern take on arena rock to our little beach town. Heaven is really standing up against repeated listens and earning a spot in my favorite releases of the year.

There appears to be some tickets still available at Club Mercy but I'll be really surprised if this one doesn't sell out. This is probably one of the smallest venues their playing on their entire tour, totally not to be missed.

If you're not stoked on this one enough yet check out the video for "Stay Positive," below. Dig the 7Seconds and Youth of Today references!

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New Music: The Genuine Reserve, "Miss Henry"

I'm really excited to post some new music coming out of Santa Barbara in the form of the Genuine Reserve. Listen to the first track after the jump.

It's still a little unclear what exactly the Genuine Reserve is but it seems to be a collection of recordings as a result of like minded Santa Barbara musicians collaborating on various musical projects. The first release is a fantastic original track featuring Travers Adler, Donnie Hedden, and Dylan Perkins. Recorded live as a jam it's a little raw, but certainly doesn't hinder the enjoyment of the song. Folky and melodic, Travers, on vocals, certainly seems to be paying some homage to Bob Dylan on this one. Check out "Miss Henry" below, and keep an eye out for more Genuine Reserve releases.

Miss Henry by The Genuine Reserve
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