NMF 2009: Three Weeks and Counting

Less than three weeks remain until the 2nd Annual Norman Music Festival and I simply cannot wait. I spent a good part of last year's festival roaming around as the music played, stopping to check out vendors and hanging out with friends. I did watch stop and watch Umbrellas, Evangelicals, British Sea Power and the Polyphonic Spree perform but will definitely be more attentive this year's main stage. of Montreal is a musical pleasure and the definition of showmanship, with their elaborate stage setups with masked and/or costumed extras creating a storyline to the music. The Starlight Mints will be this year's Chainsaw Kittens; local rock stars who will provide a perfect compliment to their headlining counterparts. Man Man and the Black Angels will provide more alternative music to the main stage, showcasing very different styles of music ranging from psychedelic to experimental. I'm also looking forward to another homegrown product in Stillwater's the Other Lives; I have recently started listening to this band and have found them quite enjoyable. Part folk, part classical; all Oklahoman. I will also be looking forward to another set by Norman's Gentle Ghost. I really enjoyed their debut show but have since not been able to see them again. The Opolis stage will be their venue for NMF.

To compliment NMF, I have tentatively scheduled these shows:

  4.03 Umbrellas/Student Film @ Opolis, Norman
  4.18 Dan Deacon @ Modern Art Museum, Ft. Worth
  4.25 NMF 2009 @ Main Street, Norman (FREE)
  5.18 TV on the Radio @ Diamond Ballroom, Oklahoma City
  6.14 Animal Collective @ Prospect Park, Brooklyn
  9.24 U2/Muse @ Giants Stadium, East Rutherford
  9.25 U2/???? @ Giants Stadium, East Rutherford
10.19 U2 @ Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman


enjoy.

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Chairlift + YACHT @ Opolis / NORMAN, OK

I had been looking forward to this show for quite some time now and was only disappointed by one thing: the timing. The concert was held on a Wednesday night during Spring Break, therefore, there was a small turnout for two great talents on their way to Austin for this year's SXSW Festival. The handful of people in the Opolis were treated to two good sets, though it was obvious that YACHT had the engery and showmanship to garner the headlining spot. Chairlift held firm to their studio sound, playing many songs from their album Does You Inspire You. Of course, the crowd really took notice to their set when the opening drum machine and bass chords of "Bruises" were played; "Bruises" is mostly known as the track playing during Apple's commercial for their latest iPod Nanos. The trio were not outlandish and were very tame onstage excluding the occasional dancing by singer Caroline Polachek. The songs were played very well and I enjoyed their set and was very happy to have caught them in such an intimate venue.



YACHT quickly followed Chairlift's set with their bass-infused dance sound. They turned the house lights off in order to display images and videos via projector onto a large screen directly behind them. Each song was accompanied by the dancing of Jona and Claire as they sang through ten to twelve songs, most of which were spent within the crowd of the Opolis. I could tell that a lot of spectators were not familiar with YACHT's music but soon learned that their sound is very upbeat and many found themselves dancing to it. Again, I really wished there was a larger crowd, as this show would have proved to have been truly awesome with an energized and engaged audience. I was most pleased with YACHT's performance and would really like to catch them again. I would definitely recommend catching both bands.





enjoy.

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Big Fun In Big D(allas)

What can I say? I was blown away by last night's performances by Matt & Kim and Cut Copy. I went because I had missed Cut Copy's last time through and I really enjoy their music but I was pleasantly surprised to Matt & Kim's upbeat synth/drum sound. Very poppy and uplifting, their music was energetic and a breath of fresh air after what I would call a bland DJ set by Knightlife; wasn't impressed with the music selection. Cut Copy was embraced by roaring cheers from the packed Granada Theater and they in turn opened the show with "Hearts On Fire". Their entire set was packed with dance numbers and were all sorts of fun. I recorded every song of their set but quickly found out that my 4GB memory card from eBay corrupted all but three videos; the videos spared were "Hearts On Fire" (below), "Strangers In the Wind" and "Lights and Music". You can check out these videos from MTC's YouTube account.



Next up is Yacht and Chairlift; next Wednesday (3.18) at the Opolis.

enjoy.

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