Will Butler of Arcade Fire takes infamous energy to Troubadour for solo gig

Will Butler of Arcade Fire takes infamous energy to Troubadour for solo gig
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
May 28, 2015

Will Butler is well-known for his antics on stage as a member of Arcade Fire. Having released his first solo effort earlier this year, he made his first appearance in Los Angeles from underneath older brother Win Butler’s shadow at the Troubadour last night. That energy was there in spades.

I had just seen Butler perform the previous weekend at Sasquatch! Music Festival, his set kicking things off at 1 PM on the main stage on Saturday. Though it sounded rather good with The Gorge directly behind him and his touring band, it sounded that much better in the more intimate Hollywood venue.

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U2 kicks off five-night Forum stay with a bang

U2 kicks off five-night Forum stay with a bang
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
May 27, 2015

When U2’s latest album Songs of Innocence was released and gifted to all Apple users for free without asking, the band took a bit of a PR hit. On Tuesday, Bono and Co. proved that it didn’t have a negative effect on their drawing power nor their claim as one of the best arena rock bands in the world as they kicked off the first of five nights at The Forum.

Beginning things with their single “The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone),” U2 played a good number of songs from their first album in five years. The response was pretty enthusiastic, with people singing the words to some of the songs that haven’t even hit the radio.

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Sasquatch! 2015 Roundup - the good, the bad and the surprising

Sasquatch! 2015 Roundup - the good, the bad and the surprising
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
May 26, 2015

This past Memorial Day Weekend, I flew from Los Angeles to Seattle for my first ever Sasquatch! Music Festival at The Gorge. I found a ride and camp mates via a ride-sharing site and arrived Thursday mid-afternoon, with the music kicking off Friday and extending all the way through the Monday holiday. It was my first four-day festival experience.

What made Sasquatch stand out from the rest of the festivals I’ve been to? It’s pretty much ONLY camping. It’s loads different from my previous music festival camping experiences at Coachella the past two years.

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5 Early-Afternoon Sasquatch! Acts Worth Checking Out

5 Early-Afternoon Sasquatch! Acts Worth Checking Out
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
May 22, 2015

Grimy Goods contributor Mark E. Ortega is embarking on a six-week music festival tour around the United States. After stops in the south at Shaky Knees and Hangout Fest, Mark’s returning to the west coast for Sasquatch! at The Gorge in Washington for Memorial Day weekend. Here’s a look at some early-afternoon acts you shouldn’t miss if you’ll be there.

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Mark Hoppus of blink-182 crashes Power Violence comedy show at The Satellite

Mark Hoppus of blink-182 crashes Power Violence comedy show at The Satellite
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
May 20, 2015

It’s nights like Tuesday night at The Satellite in Silver Lake that top the list of reasons that I love Los Angeles.

Having just returned from two weeks in the South for Shaky Knees and Hangout Fest – also spending a night in the Charlotte airport when a delay caused me to miss my connecting flight to LAX – I was pretty wore out. I got an e-mail from Sandy, our fearless leader at Grimy Goods that Mark Hoppus of blink-182 would be performing a surprise set with Whitmer Thomas and Jonah Ray of Power Violence – calling themselves Snake Plisskin and the I Thought You Were Deads — and if I would like to go. I decided sleep could wait.

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Beck closes Hangout Fest with a bang -- is the beach-side fest the Coachella of the south?

Beck closes Hangout Fest with a bang -- is the beach-side fest the Coachella of the south?
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
May 19, 2015

The beach-side Hangout Music Festival saved the best for last on an action-packed Sunday night headlined by a greatest hits-type set from the GRAMMY award-winning Beck.

A wonderful weekend at Gulf Shores all came to a close with Beck wasting no time getting to the classics. My media wristband allowed me access to the VIP area, and one of the benefits of that at Hangout was being able to rest my feet in the stageside pool — something that was much appreciated after putting a lot of wear and tear on my dogs the whole weekend.

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Father John Misty, Sylvan Esso upstage headliners Saturday at Hangout Fest

Father John Misty, Sylvan Esso upstage headliners Saturday at Hangout Fest
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
May 18, 2015

The weather forecast in Gulf Shores for day two of Hangout Fest was not looking great as the day approached. Somehow, the skies held up and it turned out to be a beautiful day packed full of awesome music and good times.

The headliners were upstaged by some of the talent on the undercard on a light Saturday.

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Foo Fighters shred day one of Hangout Fest, but the ladies rule the day

Foo Fighters shred day one of Hangout Fest, but the ladies rule the day
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
May 17, 2015

he Foo Fighters took their role as Friday headliners at Hangout Fest seriously, pulling out all the stops in a two-plus hour set on the main stage.

“We’re going to play as many songs as we can until they kick us off the f*cking stage,” rock god Dave Grohl said early in the band’s set — and he delivered on that promise. The Foo Fighters played 19 songs, from their biggest hits to a couple covers including Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure.” They dragged out some intense solos and breakdowns in almost every major song, bringing the crowd to the point of exploding a number of times before dialing it back.

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Hangout Fest soft opens with Joey Bada$$, Mayer Hawthorne and The Word

Hangout Fest soft opens with Joey Bada$$, Mayer Hawthorne and The Word
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
May 15, 2015

Last year, Hangout Fest’s Thursday kickoff party featured acts like Iron & Wine, Bombay Bicycle Club, Girl Talk, and Bonobo. While this year’s kickoff party didn’t pack quite that much of a punch, it still gave VIPs and those willing to shell out $40 an idea of what to expect this weekend on the beaches of Gulf Shore.

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Hangout Fest 2015 brings bands -- and DJs -- to the beach

Hangout Fest 2015 brings bands -- and DJs -- to the beach
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
May 14, 2015

Grimy Goods contributor Mark E. Ortega is embarking on a six-week music festival tour around the United States. After a stop at Shaky Knees in Atlanta, Mark’s next stop is Gulf Shores, Alabama for Hangout Fest. Here’s a preview of the festival below.

There’s that old saying about how you shouldn’t bring sand to the beach — but they never said anything about bands (or DJs). Hangout Fest is a unique festival in that it takes place right on the beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama, with most people (myself included) staying in condos that are located near the festival entrance.

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Shaky Knees wraps up with psychedelic performances from Tame Impala, Spiritualized

Shaky Knees wraps up with psychedelic performances from Tame Impala, Spiritualized
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
May 11, 2015

The final day of Shaky Knees Music Festival in Atlanta was a departure from the punk and angst of the previous two days. The music seemed to fit the mood of people winding down their weekend, mellowing out in the shade of the many trees that occupied the park.

Most of the angst of the day came in the form of SoCal band The Mowgli’s in the Buford Highway tent. They’re a bit GROUPLOVE meets Dashboard Confessional — and they knew how to get the crowd into their show. Singer Colin Dieden found himself in the crowd for the set-closing “San Francisco,” and though the sound was rough at times (as it was all weekend in the tent), they overcame it with unbridled charisma.

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Noel Gallagher and Avett Brothers shine at day two of Shaky Knees

Noel Gallagher and Avett Brothers shine at day two of Shaky Knees
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
May 10, 2015

The second day of Atlanta’s Shaky Knees Music Festival saw a larger turnout than on the previous day. By 3 PM, the park was packed — Saturdays always tend to me the busiest and most ambitious day for most festival-goers.

Before Saturday, I thought North Carolina folk rockers The Avett Brothers weren’t festival-headlining material. It became clear to me pretty quickly that they’ve got quite a large following on that side of the States, the field was filled by the time they started their 9 PM set. Lots of people took to the grass to rest their feet, maybe for the first time all day, while taking in their marathon two-hour set.

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Day one of Shaky Knees rattles with The Strokes, Mastodon, Kaiser Chiefs and more

Day one of Shaky Knees rattles with The Strokes, Mastodon, Kaiser Chiefs and more
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
May 9, 2015

It takes a music festival like Shaky Knees to really put into perspective what makes bigger festivals like Coachella sometimes annoying to deal with.

The much smaller rock-driven Atlanta music festival brought a laid-back vibe from the outset and didn’t lose that momentum when The Strokes took the stage at 9:45 PM to play 70 really strong minutes.

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Shaky Knees Festival out to prove rock 'n' roll isn't dead

Shaky Knees Festival out to prove rock 'n' roll isn't dead
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
May 6, 2015


Grimy Goods contributor Mark E. Ortega is embarking on a six-week music festival tour around the United States. That all begins with Shaky Knees Music Festival this weekend in Atlanta, and Mark has a preview of the festival below.

Let’s face it: there are an insane amount of music festivals these days. After seeing the level of success festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo have obtained, festivals have sprouted up all over the States, attempting to position themselves as one of the top-tier music festivals in the country. So the question is: what makes Shaky Knees special?

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Matt & Kim's upbeat vibes and jams set Fonda on fire

Matt & Kim's upbeat vibes and jams set Fonda on fire
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
May 1, 2015

I went into Wednesday night’s Matt & Kim show at the Fonda Theatre with high expectations despite not being a major fan of their records. I’d been told by many others that their live show is really a sight to behold — and they weren’t lying.

It was the second straight night the Brooklyn electro-pop duo played the Hollywood venue, and they had the crowd in the palm of their hand from the show’s first moments. With Matt Johnson on vocals and keys and Kim Schifino on drums, one wonders how the two are able to produce a sound large enough to fill a good-sized venue. Pair their sound with their unbridled enthusiasm and it’s enough to fill a stadium.

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