SXSW 2016 (Thursday): John Legend, Loretta Lynn, Gallant, DMA’S sparkle

SXSW 2016 (Thursday): John Legend, Loretta Lynn, Gallant, DMA’s sparkle
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
March 18, 2016

Thursday at South by Southwest, we got to take in a diverse range of acts spanning a multitude of genres, including acts ranging from heavyweights like John Legend, Loretta Lynn and The Kills to up-and-comers like Gallant, Vince Staples and DMA’s.

John Legend not only topped a SXSW showcase this year, but he showcased some buzzy artists like Jack Freeman, IAM Action, Korbyn Rachel and Tim Jack Wilkins. I didn’t make it in time to see these acts but what an honor it must have been for them to be featured on the same bill as the hit-making Legend.

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SXSW 2016 (Tuesday): Big Boi, St. Lucia, Kacy Hill, Jack Garratt leave lasting impressions

SXSW 2016 (Tuesday): Big Boi, St. Lucia, Kacy Hill, Jack Garratt leave lasting impressions
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
March 16, 2016

Ah, Austin. It’s good to be back inside your town for South by Southwest (SXSW), and you really knew how to officially kick off the music portion of your epic city-wide festival, didn’t you? We got around quite a bit, and it’s only the beginning. Be sure to check in on our daily coverage if you want to get some insight into what you’re missing, or if you just want to relive some of the key moments.

First, things got started at Spotify House, which is pretty far tucked away from where most of the action is downtown. I checked it out the day before and caught impressive sets from Miguel and Lucius (please check out their new album Good Grief that just dropped March 11), getting a bit sunburnt in the process.

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Fonda Theatre crowd gets ‘physical’ for St. Lucia

Fonda Theatre crowd gets ‘physical’ for St. Lucia
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
March 14, 2016

“I know it’s Thursday but really, this is like Friday night!” St. Lucia leader Jean-Philip Grobler yelled to the crowd at the sold-out Fonda Theatre midway through their energetic set. The crowd needed no prodding from Grobler as they would dance all night to their tropical tunes over the course of more than an hour.

Fresh off the release of their second full-length album Matter, Grobler and his band took the stage to raucous applause and anticipation a little after 10 PM. They kicked things off with “Rescue Me” and “Do You Remember?” — two cuts from the new album — before turning it back with fan-favorite “Closer Than This.” One thing that was clear right away was that St. Lucia’s new album is a hit with their fans, who seemed to know all the words to those songs already.

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Reviewed: St. Lucia’s “Matter” is sure to have you dancing

Reviewed: St. Lucia’s “Matter” is sure to have you dancing
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
January 27, 2016

With Brooklyn-based synthpoppers St. Lucia churning out tunes, Phil Collins – you can stay retired. St. Lucia has perfected the tropical synths and heavy percussion sound that Collins became known for in the ‘90s after defecting from Genesis.

It’s been two-and-a-half years since their debut album When the Night dropped. After seeing them a half-dozen times over the last year-plus, I’ve been itching to hear the studio version of the new tunes they’ve been playing at their shows. Alas, on Friday, January 29, their second album Matter finally drops, via Columbia Records. It was worth the wait.

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Walk the Moon, St. Lucia, Robert DeLong and HOLYCHILD prove merit as Artists to Watch at Avalon

Walk the Moon, St. Lucia, Robert DeLong and HOLYCHILD prove merit as Artists to Watch at Avalon
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
September 2, 2015

Saturday night, the MTV VMAs kicked things off with a pre-party at Avalon in Hollywood, showcasing talent as part of their Artists to Watch. Though none of the performers on this night were up for the actual award the following day, Walk the Moon, St. Lucia, Robert Delong and HOLYCHILD are all talent worth keeping an eye on for the future. Grimy Goods has been covering them for years, but it looks like the folks at MTV are just finally catching on.

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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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Foo Fighters close final day of Life is Beautiful on an ultimate high

Foo Fighters close final day of Life is Beautiful on an ultimate high
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
October 30, 2014


“We haven’t played here in a long f*cking time,” Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl said early on in the final performance of Life is Beautiful’s three-day festival in downtown Las Vegas. “So you know what that means? We are about to play a bunch of songs we normally don’t get to play. And we’re going to play as many songs as we can until they shut us down.”

Grohl made good on those words, as the band played beyond when the posted set times said they’d finish up. He was also right – it had been six years since the Foo Fighters played Las Vegas – at the Hard Rock’s awesome in-door venue The Joint.

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