There were no reports of devastating weather, tragic deaths, or even threats on national security at 2009′s Outside Lands Festival. There was just some good old fashioned fun in the sun (with music, of course).

If you couldn’t make it to Outside Lands this year, the festival’s lineup is something that you should be so jealous about missing that it will force you to get off your ass and make a trip to San Francisco next time around. It’s not every day that you get to see such a wide variety of acts. I mean, you’ll probably never have a chance to see the likes of The Black Eyed Peas tearing up the stage on the same day as Dave Matthews, much less in a twelve hour window from where The Dead Weather would later give everyone exactly what they came for.

If there is a possibility of ever having too much fun, you can witness it when Matt & Kim make the stage (and the crowd) their own personal playground. If you look hard enough, you can see genuine contentment on their faces (OK, you really don’t have to look that hard), because they make it abundantly clear that the stage is their home and that they’ll treat any guest in their home with the highest level of hospitality (even if that means crowd surfing).

To regain and maintain everyone’s chi throughout the festival, Os Mutantes were there to make sure everyone was doing OK in between bong hits, and Jason Mraz was there to make sure everyone was doing bong hits. John Vanderslice, Lenka, and Modest Mouse made very memorable appearances as well.

In the midst of everyone being collective, M.I.A. came in to stir up a little rowdiness. In her attempt to cause commotion, she handed out blow horns to the audience. Let’s face it though, what’s a festival without an obscene amount of blow horn in unison? After The Beastie Boys had to cancel, Tenacious D were there to fill in the pieces by covering “Intergalactic” and “Sabotage.”

Outside Lands was a promising place if you enjoy good music, art, and food. All of the acts pulled through to give everyone the most accurate definition of a festival. Sure, you can look it up in a dictionary, but I think the only way to really know what it means is to immerse yourself in it. If you couldn’t make it to Outside Lands this year, there is no need to worry (– a need to feel regret and to sulk is a different story) because you still have about a year to make plans for next year’s festivities.

If you’re more into simply watching a video rather than downloading it:

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For more information on Jason Mraz, visit myspace.com/jasonmraz.

Dead Man’s Bones

Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields are Dead Man’s Bones, a two-piece band based out of Los Angeles.

The video for the song “In the Room Where You Sleep” includes a piano, a drumset, and children in costumes.

“In the Room Where You Sleep” is currently the only song available from the band, and it can be downloaded for free, compliments of Dead Man’s Bones, here.

They are working on their first album now.

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Young Love

Young Love has premiered two new songs on his MySpace page. “Black Boots” and “One To Ten” are two of the songs featured on the upcoming album, One Of Us, set to be released April 7^th.

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Ray LaMontagne

Ray LaMontagne and iTunes joined forces to record an iTunes Live Session EP. The EP features six tracks, one of them is the previously unreleased “Achin’ All the Time.”

Recorded in Seattle, the iTunes exclusive also includes:
Empty
Gossip In The Grain
Hey Me, Hey Mama
Let It Be Me
Roses & Cigarettes

Available only through iTunes, Ray LaMontagne’s Live Session EP can be purchased here for the low, low price of $5.94.

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Peter Bjorn & John

So… Peter Bjorn & John have a new song.
I have no idea what it’s called but Kanye West assumes that it’s called “Nothing To Worry About,” and I can agree with that.

In a move straight outta left field, the band sent their new single from their new album, Living Thing, to Kanye West to premiere on his blog.
… Or something.
The details are hazy, really. But the song can be heard and downloaded here, at the Kanye Universecity website.

It’s worth going, even if only to read the comments.

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Jason Mraz

Jason Mraz has premiered his new video for the song “Lucky”, featuring Colbie Caillat.
That is all I’ll say because this song will be living in your car radio, on every station, before the end of the week.
There’s no fighting it, so do your best to embrace it.

xoxo,
Audioholic Media

Seeing Jason Mraz live is probably the most romantic thing I’ve ever done… by myself.
I got to see him play at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland on Wednesday. With a trumpet player, a dude on sax, and a guy on the “rusty trombone” (thank you, Jason), the show had a jazzy vibe, which was a little unexpected but mostly fantastic.

Regardless of how you feel about his music or how many times you’ve heard that BFF love song on the radio, the kid has personality. And it’s infectious. During “The Dynamo of Volition”, Jason had a series of hi-five-esque hand movements to get the audience through the chorus with him. Per usual, the entire front row and a few drunk women in the back were totally into it while everyone else faked their way through it or simply didn’t do anything at all. Apparently, Jason noticed. To the people with “their hands glued to their pockets”, he said, “Don’t let your mind stop you from having a good time.”
After those eleven words (I counted), there were a lot more hands in the air, slapping phantom hi-fives.
I’m sappy. It was a special moment.

The way he sings is honest in a way that makes you feel like you’re hearing the songs for the first time– even if you’ve heard “I’m Yours” on the radio 842 times since you woke up this morning. His show is interactive and fun for all ages– literally. The 16 year old girl in front of me was screaming “I LOVE YOU, JASON!!” just as loudly as the PTA mom behind me.

Opening for Jason Mraz is Lisa Hannigan, who speaks as if she’s been using her voice since only last Thursday. She is so soft-spoken that her vocal cords sound brand new and, for lack of a less cheesy (or Damien Rice-associated) word, delicate.
Her set was quiet, overall. Until the last song when she brought the motherfucking house down. Lisa Hannigan totally pulled a bait-and-switch on us all and made us believe she was a quiet and sweet little Irish girl– right up until the moment when the music got really loud and the walls began to vibrate while she rocked our worlds. Every spine in the theater straightened and there was an obvious vibe of what the hell just happened?!-edness.
It was awesome.
If anyone has seen her live and knows what song I’m talking about, please email me the name of that song.
I’ll pay you in Jason Mraz-style hi-fives.

[UPDATE: Thank you to everyone who responded! John was the first to get it right, though. The song I was referring to was a cover of Iron & Wine's "Free Until They Cut Me Down". I've attempted to find a suitable YouTube version for all of you, but none seem to capture the magic of seeing it live.
And so it goes...]

xoxo,
Brianne Turner
Audioholic Media.

P.S. My Judas camera betrayed me and died right after Lisa Hannigan’s set, so I have no pictures or video from the show. Lesson of the day: learn the art of proper preparation FUCK MY CAMERA.

Jason Mraz photo courtesy of jasonmraz.com

i don’t know if i should start this out with a disclaimer. i’m not sure if i should let you know that, "i’m not good with capitalization," or not. either way, i may be new to this.

either way, this is not a cd review.

this is a suggestion for the fittest. fuck survival. suggestions are what make the world go round, musically.

until you hear bells and whistles. until you hear "rap tunes" from a "gypsy mc" or someone more popularly known as a "curbside prophet."

i may be new to this.
jason mraz on the other hand is not new to this. he is the pinnacle of musical relationships. he is that star quarter back in the high school that thrives solely on football and we’re the innocent vixen sprawled in the bed of his f-150 awaiting our deflowering.

we sing. we dance. we steal things.

is mraz’s newest creation. there is always a distinct commonality when hearing his music from album to album, even if they differ in style from each one.

this one.
has commonalities.

this one.
differs.

which is the joy behind his lyrical ballads, free styling, and awareness of today’s youth.

just listen. i swear. you might find other artists you like belting out in a few tracks, but don’t take my word for it.

i’m new to this, right?

i will go ahead and plug two songs, though.

i’ll tell you that you’re a snobby prude. i’ll tell you that you’re a tease.
i’ll tell you to get the hell out of the bed of that f-150 if you don’t appreciate

coyotes

and

details in the fabric… feat.
james morrison

i’ll also fill you in on a little tip if you plan on owning this cd.
you should probably (if you’re not "that person" that "needs" to have the actual cd and disc jacket) go ahead and purchase the deluxe (?) edition of we sing. we dance. we steal things.
on itunes.

i’m only suggesting this because if you go to target, you’ll only end up with 14-16 tracks max.

you get 26 with the digital purchase, and trust me, the 5.99 (or so, odd bucks) extra that you’ll pay for is really worth it if you’re the person that loves acoustic and live versions of songs.

pretty much, the majority of his songs are doubled as acoustic sets from his EP’s that came out prior to the full-length album.

face it, it saves you the trouble of illegally downloading shitty versions of your favorite songs in acoustic versions, and you don’t even get side-tracked with internet porn while you’re doing it.


Purchase We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. on iTunes.

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Elsewhere…

Clark & Michael
clarkandmichael.com

A ten episode web series that began airing in May of 2007, “Clark and Michael” preceded the summertime onslaught of McLovin quotes and Michael Cera cheek-pinching. With a barrage of random cameos and awesome one-liners, Clark Duke and Michael Cera offer the most hilarious 100 minutes of untelevised television that the Internet has ever seen.

Butch Walker, Leavin’ the Game On Luckie St.
therecordbusinessisfucked.com

If you like Butch Walker (or don’t), his new live, double-disc CD is available on TheRecordBusinessIsFucked.com for $5.99… or for free. To save you the trouble of leaving your home (or opening Limewire) to get the CD, Butch gives you the option of supporting independent music at a discounted rate, or being a super cheap bastard. Either way, you win. Leavin’ the Game On Luckie St has all of the energy of one of Butch Walker’s live shows and by the third track, you can almost feel him sweating all over you.