Musicfest NW 2011
by Justin Patterson and Joshua Cooke

Early Saturday evening, Pioneer Courthouse Square played host to Portland’s currently fastest rising band, Typhoon. Beyond the obvious “damn, there are a lot of members,” Typhoon is amazing songwriting, magically melodic, and simply well worth your time to listen to. Playing their biggest show since returning from their first-ever East Coast tour (which included Lollapalooza and the Late Show with David Letterman), they sounded even better than when they left. The band alternated between songs from The Hunger and Thirst LP and the new EP, A New Kind of Home. “Summer Home” was a set stand out and, adding something different, they performed “Kitchen Tiles” as all members lined the front of the stage to end the show.

Late Saturday night, another huge crowd gathered at Dante’s. DJ Beyonda was winding down with some deep electro, and the crowd began to change faces as Big Freedia‘s entrance neared. Suddenly, there was music. A slender brunette in a tight, shiny gold dress was undulating atop a backlit moving dance floor in the front doorway. The contraption, which appeared to be a modified ice cream cart with a glass top and large speakers on the side, was slowly being pushed through the mass of people while pushing out one of Freedia’s songs. Just as it stopped close to the stage and was in the final stages of dispensing its glorious ruckus to the crowd, the big speakers overhead began pumping out the deep bass kick of the very same song. Big Freedia busted onto the stage, and then there were happily shaking booties (“bounce,” the New Orleans dance style) and huge hip hop beats everywhere. It was a crazy mess of bounce that nobody cleaned up all night. And why would you? With her aggressively charismatic style and huge crowd involvement, Big Freedia, “The Queen Diva,” absolutely owned the night. And in her house, big soul and big fun rule.

Musicfest NW 2011
by Joshua Cooke

The merch table must have sold out of clothing articles before Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ever hit The Roseland stage; everyone was wearing their newly-bought attire. There were groups of high schoolers wearing the white jersey on top of the black t-shirt while holding the grey sweatshirt in their hands– it was a wild scene. Personifying a real hip hop show, Mack hit the stage powerful with more energy than his teenage fans combined. Leaving no part of the stage (and some parts of the first couple rows) untouched, Macklemore, Ryan Lewis and trumpet player Owour Arunga had hands waving every direction, fans reciting words and full-participation call and response. Producer Ryan Lewis took an active approach, hyping the crowd from the front of the stage as well as behind the boards. The token jersey-sporting Macklemore played hit songs from his whole catalogue, ranging from The Language of My World, the VS. EP and even some new material. At one point Macklemore said he felt proud to see that so many people had come to see their show, adding that last year around the same time they performed in Portland to about 75 people. This is strictly due to the growing hype around the Seattle rapper who is being set up to be the face of Northwest hip hop.

TxE is Portland’s hip hop group right now, hands down. Tope and Epp are two emcees with complementing styles which help drive up an already energetic show. By playing to a crowd that was there primarily to see Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, TxE definitely gained many new fans. Tope took his energy straight to the crowd, literally, by stage diving. Epp, and his highly impressive and ridiculous Pharaoh Monche-esque flow had the crowd loving the rapid fire. Not to be pushed aside is the third member of TxE, one of the West Coast’s premier producers, Calvin Valentine, who mixes in live keys and often danced more than some of the crowd members. The group finished their set by bringing up Portland hip hop heavy hitter and friend, Illmaculate, for a couple of songs including the animated, “The Basics.” TxE was MFNW’s proof that Portland hip hop is more than just alive.

Purple and Green is a newer Portland group consisting of producer Adam Forkner on and the charismatic Justin Leon Johnson with the microphone. Having seen them a month before, I was very happy to see another one their shows because I knew what I was in for. I think Justin is some sort of super positively charged, happiness-evoking, semi-nudist dancing machine sent here to make us come out of our shells and get down. He told the crowd to “forget about that masculinity” and to “get in touch with that feminine side.” Justin also possesses a great soulful voice, blending well with the production. Adam’s beats are often fast with very danceable long breaks, which is perfect for Justin to either disrobe a layer of clothing or bust a solo dance. Or both. It was clear that a lot of the crowd didn’t know what to expect, but after every song, more and more people were crowding around, loving the show. A couple of things become obvious watching Purple and Green: Their magic just makes you feel great, Justin likes to be topless, and the man can dance. Purple and Green are not to be slept on, they have the makings of something real funky.

With a tiny bit of biased involved, Glass Candy was my favorite show of MFNW. Before stepping on stage, about a hundred really large multicolored balloons were sent toward the crowd to create the beginnings of a dance party that would require recovery time. With a beautiful printed dress and bare feet, the gorgeous Ida No danced all over stage, which seemed too small to contain her energy. Johnny Jewel ran the production from behind the keys while simultaneously dancing a up a storm. The crowd reacted by dancing off every single ass in Branx that night. Large balloons were flying and popping, Ida’s voice was pulsating the crowd, and Johnny looked like he just got done swimming, given the amount of sweat falling onto the keys. There were no other venues I’d have rather been at that night. Everything post-the Shattered Theatre era was played. “Digital Versicolor” started it off, with “Rolling Down the Hill” and “Computer Love” peppered in the set as well; hearing the new songs, “Warm in the Winter” and “Beatuiful Object,” didn’t hurt either. This show proved the Glass Candy, modern Italo disco sound is more than unique, still powerful, and fun as hell.

—–

Continue reading » Saturday: Big Freedia, DJ Beyonda, Kelli Schaefer, Typhoon

Musicfest NW 2011
by Justin Patterson

If Thursday night’s keyword was “devilry,” Friday’s was “soulful.” Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside kicked off the day’s lineup with a late afternoon show at Pioneer Square. The growing crowd was treated to the old school rock and roll that she flavors with lyrics which are sometimes curt, sometimes sad, but always sweet and sultry. “Cage” came with the charisma of a Bing Crosby record but the growl of a woman scorned. “Danger” offered the opposite and registered high on the feel-good scale.

Marketa Irglova followed up Sallie Ford’s bouncy stage presence with a cool flow of sub-epic melodies. She was joined by a stoic bass player and an elegant Iranian woman whom she introduced as “Ida.” Marketa, remarking that she’d “never played a town square before,” lovingly ushered each song onto the wide brick expanse with a stream of lucid nomenclature which was simultaneously history, biography and prayer. Part of the yarn, Ida sang in lilting minor over her liquid daf drum, sometimes in duet with Marketa or gentle piano.

An hour later, at Backspace coffee bar, Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives belted out some heavy-footed folk rock songs. “Friendly Fire,” a compelling march, wilted and soared in Drew’s warm tenor over juicy guitar licks and a deep-pocketed rhythm section. “Do You Feel It” was grandiose and catchy at the same time, a crescendo of epic indie-rock proportions. In fact, the performance was far bigger than the small and crowded stage it unfolded on. Drew Grow’s lead is vastly expressive, with cavernous guitar rhythms and an emotional honesty that is deep, warm and mesmerizing. This is a new kind of gospel, and his band, following him through every bend in his musical journey, are not his only believers.

Across the river, Reptar was inundated with color. The four-man art rock band from Georgia was moving from a vaguely Carribbean synth arpeggio into a happy techno-pop breakdown, and was about to teleport into an icy rock groove inhabited by a New Orleans four-horn band. Early in the high-energy set, it was clear that the only constant in this band’s performance would be spectacle. The music, fantastic and genreless as art rock can be, was foot-stompingly, body-rockingly, smilingly good, and it came with lots and lots of antics– from the bassist and keyboardist tossing a tambourine across the stage in time with song rhythm, to lead singer Graham Ulicny inserting seemingly random throat gurgles into otherwise docile verses, to William Kennedy’s claw-waving parody of namesake Reptar the Dinosaur from behind the keys in the middle of a song. The crowd went wild. How to describe a Reptar show: So. Much. Fun.

When the stage was cleared for MSTRKRFT, almost everything disappeared. When the Toronto-based duo briskly took the stage, they shrugged off the intense roar of their fans and launched straight into a pummeling, two hour club set. For some, this would later be described as disappointing; the band– who did not play some of the softer indie-electro dance pleasantries that the disgruntled minority had come to hear– wasn’t what they expected. This was no Beach House chill-out session. Portland radio doesn’t have a station like this. At the front, engaged in flying hands and elbows and bodies, cameras dropping onto a floor of oblivion, it was, in fact, a bloodbath. But for those enthralled in the heat and the intensity and the physical engagement (a large contingent) it was definitely awesome. Tech trance blended with solid-state Daft Punk-ish club beats and crashed into hoovering dubstep. Unexpectedly, Portland got one of the best and most danceable electronic sets ever, where every song that dropped was perfect in timing, placement, and energy. When MSTRKRFT left the stage (abruptly, just as they entered, with the crowd demanding an encore that was not given) normalcy descended from the ceiling-lights of the Wonder Ballroom, and the street began filling with a dazed and deflated zombie apocolypse.

—–

Continue reading » Friday, pt. 2: Glass Candy, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Purple and Green, TxE

Musicfest NW 2011
by Justin Patterson and Joshua Cooke

Suuns brought a hard-hitting set to Branx Bar Thursday, smoldering their way into the psyche of Rotture’s more capacious alter ego. With songs like “Gaze,” the band lingered on the lulling malcontension of ’90s ambient industrial music (though, in this case, the sound was almost completely produced live and largely absent of samples) and, with the writhing Ben Shemie in command, successfully hammered it into the shape of an imminent and opium-forged doom.

Next up was Portland-based Talkdemonic, a coed violin and drummer/producer band, who are about to release Ruins, an all-new album which will be out on October 4th. The duo, whose recordings have often contained long, droning, and lushly-populated soundscapes, featured their signature sound in their eardrum-exploding set.

Afterward, the Handsome Furs showed up with a more somatic selection of some of their more popular tunes. But where Talkdemonic focused on atmosphere-rupturing sound, the Furs put on a more physical performance. “When I Get Back” was delivered faster, longer and harder than it comes on Spotify — with fully-airborne, leg-pumping synth riffs from Alexei Perry. Guitarist and singer Dan Boeckner crooned on “Damage,” lighting the adoring Portland fans on fire. Ruthlessly amped (shouts of “Portland, we fucking love you!!” between songs), the electro Furs put on a show that was purely rock and roll. Portland was dancing which means I think we love you, too.

Headlining Thursday night at the Doug Fir, Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel of New York’s Phantogram performed to an excited and full venue. The crowd was into it; even as Sarah came out for sound check, the crowd awoke with screams. Phantogram’s sound echoed off the Doug Fir walls as Sarah’s seductive voice took over the show. Her straight, midnight black hair bounced as she commanded the keyboard along side Josh’s rhythmic guitar riffs. The crowd pleasers were, of course, the hits, like “Mouthful of Diamonds,” as everyone sang, the world is not around because of you, you know I’m not around because of you. Phantogram was high on my list of people to see for this festival and I don’t think I was the only one who left a happier person that night.

—–

Continue reading » Friday, pt. 1: Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives, Marketa Irglova, MSTRKRFT, Reptar, Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside

Musicfest NW 2011
by Justin Patterson and Joshua Cooke

The Crystal Ballroom was packed with music lovers ready to kick off 2011’s Musicfest Northwest which, in turn, created a sauna-like atmosphere. By the time headliners, The Kills, took stage, it was hot. Very hot. When Jamie and Alison walked on stage, Alison grabbed the microphone and complimented the temperature, “We’re going to sweat with you guys.” Cheers followed and The Kills transitioned to the beginning of their set with hits “No Wow” and “Future starts Slow.” All heat aside, the show was rock as rock should be. Alison’s demanding voice with Jamie’s effortless and heavy guitar let no one down. The venue’s infamous flexible, bounce-friendly dance hall floor didn’t stop until Alison sat at the front of the stage as they performed the sultry Marilyn Monroe cover, “One Silver Dollar.” The ballad-esque song gave the crowd a chance to mellow out for a minute before returning with “Sour Cherry.” With everyone in the midst of anticipating how much fun they’d have at MFNW this year, this was the right way to kick off the festivities.

The Heligoats‘ Chris Otepka skittishly took Bunk Bar’s dim stage Wednesday, playing with a full band to a crowd which had inundated the venue. Lyrically, he was solid, and a short set of songs including “Movie Guns” were delivered smoothly, slightly uptempo and with some milky sweet guitar solos. It was enough to set the stage aglow for Kelly Blair Bauman, whose bassist had recently lost his instrument in a fire; despite this and a sound malfunction involving the bass amp’s sound jack, Kelly’s dreamy, dense texturing of ethereal slide guitar, melty violin licks, and shuffling rhythm section (look for all this on the new album, Gomorrah) washed through the bar and cast a spell of euphoria.

By the time self-described “melodramatic popular song” writer Sean Flinn took the stage with his Royal We, Bunk Bar had become an overcrowded sauna. Outside, the line to get in had quadrupled in length and the open window next to the stage was full of shadowed faces. The band let loose a stream of mellow, straightforward indie rock with gospel organ undertones and major-key guitar breakdowns and then they started swaying. Based in Portland, the band had in attendance a big group of friends who cheered louder than anyone else between songs.

—–

Continue reading » Thursday: Handsome Furs, Phantogram, Suuns, Talkdemonic

MFNW 2011
by Alan Justin Patterson and Joshua Cooke

Though we left Puddletown this summer in search of drier pastures, our love for Portland, Oregon remains intact. Old hat Alan Justin Patterson and newcomer Joshua Cooke hit the streets to venue hop throughout our former homebase, covering the Musicfest Northwest lineup, featuring bands like The Kills, MSTRKRFT, Suuns, and noteworthy Portlanders Typhoon and Kelli Schaefer.

And for some reason this year, no one wore shoes onstage. Weird.

Navigate MFNW in words and pictures:

Wednesday: Heligoats, Sean Flinn and Royal We, The Kills

Thursday: Handsome Furs, Phantogram, Suuns, Talkdemonic

Friday, pt. 1: Drew Grow and the Pastor’s Wives, Marketa Irglova, MSTRKRFT, Reptar, Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside

Friday, pt. 2: Glass Candy, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Purple and Green, TxE

Saturday: Big Freedia, DJ Beyonda, Kelli Schaefer, Typhoon

You gotta have some soul to start off a Sunday, and church this morning was provided by the Screamin’ Eagle of soul himself, Mr. Charles Bradley & the Menahan Street Band. Charles had a perpetual look on his face like he just couldn’t squeeze enough love out for all of us, but he tried and the band had their groove on lock. Solid enough start, got us warmed up for one of the best performances I think I’ve seen anywhere.

Merrill Garbus is tUnE-yArDs on her own, but she performs with Nate Brenner on bass/drums/coke-bottles (srsly!) and two random guys on sax who also valiantly bang on pot lids at points during the performance. Her main weapon of choice is the looping pedal, which she uses for both voice and beats, quickly constructing sonic stunners just by grabbing the second loop mic and banging a drum or singing a vocal layer, lather rinse repeat, and BOOM it’s an attack, devastating versatility and really mesmerizing to behold. If that weren’t enough, her songs are ferociously frenetic and fantastic, comin’ up with her full and capable voice jumping from serene songbird to savage scream in the space of a drumbeat. Amazing, really great set, she definitely made some fans in that crowd.

Caught the set from buzz band Grouplove next at the Panhandle, with an immense crowd gathering due to their high-profile touring and show schedules. Having Yes guitarist Trevor Rabin’s son on drums has definitely informed these guys as to media positioning for their shows and songs, but they brought the goods in the hooks, each song chock-full of sunshine and each of the four non-drummers taking turns on lead vox. Redheaded chanteuse Hannah Hooper had her sun-goddess mask in tow, and they even brought out the big-balloon trick, showering the crowd with brightly-colored inflatables filled with pineapple juice (which epicly-bearded bassist Sean Gadd discovered firsthand as one exploded right on him!). Fun times.

Priority for the day was Little Dragon, but between sets we shot over to the Endless Summer Sweets vendor tent for the most epic festival food of all: BACON FUNNEL CAKE. Spectators could not believe their eyes, and my taste buds could not believe their good fortune. The peerless goodness of this confectionary delight was enough to help me endure the wonderful but not-my-cup-of-tea latin pop of Julieta Venegas in order to squeeze up to the front of the Sutro stage for one of my favorite artists: Little Dragon.

Little Dragon has been on repeat on my iPod since their Machine Dreams LP woozily danced its way into my ears a few years back with atmospheric lounge-groover “Feather” (which they did NOT play), and their new Ritual Union LP is a smart slice of synth-pop with soulful vox from pixie-ish Yukimi Nagano, who had the groove in her the whole set and was just adorable to watch. Keyboard wizard Hagan had his epic beardage dialed in to 11, drummer Erick was solid like kryptonite, and bassman Fred even brought the cowbells. It was pretty much a late-night trance-pop rave in the daytime, which was a bit odd, but excellent.

Casting a pall on my Little Dragon experience was the small group of fans who had also filled the front of the stage for the next act, avant-garde ingenue Zach Condon’s Beirut, whose ecclectic brand of multi-instrumental oddity I appreciate, but of which I do not consider myself a fan.

Next on the menu was media-obsessed dance machine Deadmau5 at Twin Peaks stage. Stopping through for some sweet tea and cupcakes in the Food Truck Forest and enduring the last 15 or so minutes of meandering electro-jammage from STS9, we found a spot of land dead center in front of the soundbooth and readied ourselves for the lightshow.

You know going in you’re gonna get a rave when you show up for a Deadmau5 show, but the real bonus is his stage set-up. The ‘mau5 didn’t hold back: a dizzying array of geometric shapes adorned the sizable stage, and every available surface was decked out with multi-media lights for some mind-blowing visuals. I think one of the girls next to me had her brain asploded, but I bet she would’ve said “worth it” if she were able to while being carted off to the medical tent. After some serious giant Rubik’s Cube video game/rave action, we bolted to catch the last half of main stage headliner Arcade Fire.

Win Butler had joined Mavis Staples on the Land’s End stage earlier in the day for a take on perennial classic “The Weight”, so he’d already marked his territory, as it were; the stage is always set for the headliner, and you could see their huge marquee in the backdrop of every other act throughout the day. These Canadians were so full of energy, I couldn’t keep up, and just sat jaw agape as they tore through hit after hit, even infusing slower numbers like “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” with enough juice to shame a Red Bull. Those in the crowd with enough energy left to dance were engulfed in joyous glow near the stage, and the encores of “Wake Up” and “Sprawl II” were the perfect way to end a killer set and a so-worth-it festival.

This year’s lineup will be hard to beat, but I look forward to the Outside Lands people trying. Compared to other festivals, the OLF crew really excelled at pulling in amazing local vendors, keeping the park clean, having eco-friendly facilities and options for everything, and generally keeping the vibe peaceful and mellow. And the acts really brought their game; everyone I saw was top-notch and the sound was pretty good throughout, so props to the respective sound crews as well. So ends a great festival season, on a WINning note (<–Arcade Fire frontman pun, for the WIN).

After acquiring gourmet tots from Q Restaurant, started out mellow at the Panhandle stage for smart, synth-infused pop from Ximena Sariñana, who endured almost an hour waiting for soundcheck but still delivered some great tunes. Second on the bill was the Twin Peaks stage for British it-boys The Vaccines, whose immense amounts of vocal reverb rendered most words indiscernible but really got the crowd moving with their “British Strokes” sound. Hook-stacked hit “If You Wanna” fused everyone together– it was electrifying.

From here, a worthy trip to the main stage yielded prime placement for a killer set by OK Go, decked out in bold primary colors. Frontman Damian Kulash spent some time wading through the crowd, sparking every phone within 200ft to rush into “video mode.” Noting that San Francisco is a city full of “dirty sinners,” the boys brought out some “God-made” handbells for a reverent rendition of “Return” before rocking their sizable roster of hits, even striking the chimes for “Skyscrapers” and bringing out original guitarist and SF resident Andy Duncan for “Get Over It” from their first LP.

Our next destination was more fodder and libations, which were procured by way of jaw-dropping mac & cheese from Homeroom. (If you’re in LA or SF and get a chance to enjoy any of their gourmet cheese-topped macaroni masterpieces, take the chance. So worth it.)

On to the Twin Peaks stage for Sia, the lovely, unassuming Aussie with the huge voice, who got people dancing right away and had her band decked out in what appeared to be colourful Afghan rugs. Songs were great, and she even played new song “Hostage” from upcoming release produced by The Strokes‘ Nick Valensi, which was amazing. Less amazing was her peculiar banter with the crowd, but that’s another story. Next chapter: passing by the Panhandle for a bit of electro-chill from Eskmo, which was interesting but not engaging enough to stay away from the main stage for one of the festival’s biggest draws, The Black Keys.

The Polo field was packed for this working-man’s duo from Akron, Ohio, and the crowd was singing along with every song. I knew they had become popular, but wow. Also surprising was how well I knew every song they played, some from commercials I’d prepped and seen and some from film soundtracks (like “Chop and Change” from the latest Twilight OST). They trucked the first half of the set with backup from a bassist and organ, but dropped down to a duo for the later hits. I waded through the surprisingly polite crowd to find the perfect spot, just in front of the soundboard, for the night’s headliner, Muse.

Anyone who’s seen Muse in recent years will tell you their stage show has [ahem] grown a bit, and while I expected the lasers and the smoke and pyrotechnics, what really blew me away was the video effects on-screen. Quick takes and wave fades are one thing, but when they’re lightning-quick in time with the beats and changes mid-song, it’s mind-blowing, and they kept that up all night with their awesomely-futuristic stage design, even featuring a piano with responsive LED lights and their recent bonus of huge inflatable eyeballs bombarding the crowd. Also, for my money, I don’t think there’s a song with more cajones to watch live than Muse’s “Hysteria”; it just crushes, as did every track they played from their still-bulletproof Absolution LP. Frontman Matt Bellamy kept his intensity on 11 all night, feeding off the crowd and feeding it right back, and by the time their encore of “Plug-In Baby” ended with massive pillars of smoke filling the stage, everyone was in alien space-rock heaven.

Outside Lands, day three.

Sadly missed The Joy Formidable, but caught a kick-ass set from Brooklyn electro-dance rockers Phantogram at the Sutro stage. Next up, approximately 60% of the festival attendees showed up to watch Foster the People, who having recently been covered by Weezer, returned the favor with a blissfully stoned-out version of “The Sweater Song.” I decided to let’s be friends, and just walk(ed) away from that just in time to catch MGMT day-psyching it out on the Land’s End (main) stage with some hugely surreal visuals on the jumbotrons, making for perfect dinner music to everyone enjoying the many food vendors surrounding the Polo Field of the park, where the main stage resided.

It should be noted that all vendors at Outside Lands, tasty food or otherwise, were local and very environmentally conscious– recycling and compost containers everywhere, refillable water stations, and more eco literature than a Green Party rally. Welcome to San Francisco!

Back to the action, next up was a brief stint watching Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (or say “enh” IMHO, but there was no one else I wanted to see for an hour) before sauntering over to the Panhandle stage to catch glitch-rockers The Limousines, whose awesome synth- and 8-bit-infused set was fraught with technical difficulties but was still amazing and high-energy, with two masked drummers joining the duo on some tracks for extra insanity. This ended my first day, but I heard reports from friends that the second (Twin Peaks) stage headlining set from The Shins was “amazing” and blissfully uncrowded, thanks to Phish playing an epic three-and-a-half hour set on the main stage.

Outside Lands, day two.
Outside Lands, day three.

Summertime– it’s festival season, and for any Northwestern U.S. residents (or really committed and globetrotting fans) this year’s Outside Lands Festival provided food, festivities, and (most importantly) a wide array of popular music artists to allow the 100,000+ attendees to cram half a year’s worth of shows into a single weekend. Before recapping the three days of aural bliss, a few things I learned while spending time amongst the glorious throngs of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park this weekend:

1. Bacon-covered funnel cake will replace every food on your “favorites” list and you will thank it for doing so.
2. Fuzzy-eared hats are becoming waaay too popular. Among adults.
3. The tiniest women will be the most aggressive people pushing past you to the front of the stage.
4. When Phish headlines the main stage of a festival, every other stage is blissfully less crowded. Phish need to headline more festivals.
5. Whether you’re smoking it or not, at a festival you must be prepared to be high on marijuana, even if it’s just a contact high (see #4).

On to the recap, with limited picture interruption:

Day one: Phantogram, Foster the People, MGMT, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Limousines, The Shins
Day two: Ximena Sariñana, The Vaccines, OK Go, Sia, Eskmo, The Black Keys, Muse
Day three: Charles Bradley & the Menahan Street Band, tUnE-yArDs, Grouplove, Little Dragon, Deadmau5, STS9, Arcade Fire, Mavis Staples