Jenny Lewis brings The Voyager tour to close at Observatory

Jenny Lewis brings The Voyager tour to close at Observatory
Mark E. Ortega
Ellenwood-EP.com
August 27, 2015

Along the way, I managed to see Jenny Lewis play 15 stops on this tour. From festival stops at Coachella (twice) and Hangout and Sasquatch and Life is Beautiful, to a half-dozen shows in LA, to shows in the OC, Oakland, Petaluma and Pomona, I saw Jenny Lewis “more days than I’ve seen my mom this year,” as one friend put it to me.

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Meg Myers to headline El Rey Theatre in November

Meg Myers to headline El Rey Theatre in November
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
August 25, 2015

Los Angeles alternative rock favorite Meg Myers will headline the El Rey Theatre on November 17 in support of her upcoming album Sorry.

Myers has been a favorite of Grimy Goods since she played at Bardot’s It’s a School Night last February. The El Rey gig will be her largest headlining set in Los Angeles, and it’s happening as she’s generating a ton of buzz. She performed at ALT 98.7’s Summer Camp earlier this month and has always drawn nice crowds at her previous LA gigs, whether it’s been opening for BROODS or topping a show at the Echo.

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Solange hindered by late start, technical snafus at FYF Fest set

Solange hindered by late start, technical snafus at FYF Fest set
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
August 24, 2015

Solange Knowles was 20 minutes late to the Lawn stage Sunday night at FYF Fest and it took her an additional amount of time to get into the groove as she dealt with sound problems throughout the set.

At one point during her set, Solange walked off the stage before returning by saying how tough it was up there with the sound problems.

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The Jesus & Mary Chain cushion crowd's FYF Fest comedown

The Jesus & Mary Chain cushion crowd's FYF Fest comedown
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
August 23, 2015

Let’s be real. By the time Kanye West wrapped up his performance on the main stage at FYF Fest on Saturday, a lot of people in attendance were coming down from whatever high they were on. While for some it was the natural high of seeing a day’s worth of epic performances, there were definitely more than a fair share of people who were on something or another.

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Kanye West has FYF Fest crowd thinking, 'Frank who?' - hit-filled set joined by Rihanna and Travis Scott

Kanye West has FYF Fest crowd thinking, 'Frank who?' - hit-filled set joined by Rihanna and Travis Scott
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
August 23, 2015

There were a lot of people disappointed when Frank Ocean unexpectedly pulled out just a day before the first day of this year’s FYF Fest — myself included. Even when it was quickly followed up with the announcement that Kanye West would be the late substitute headliner, it wasn’t enough on its own to calm the disappointment of those who had bought tickets specifically to see the hermit Ocean.

I’d seen Kanye at a couple music festivals in the past year and was disappointed by the amount of time he spent lecturing the crowd or ranting in general. At FYF, Kanye instead delivered a hit-filled set that also saw Rihanna join the stage for a few brief seconds, as well as Travis Scott.

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Bloc Party livens up FYF Fest crowd with spirited mosh

Bloc Party livens up FYF Fest crowd with spirited mosh
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
August 23, 2015

Though not the full original lineup, Bloc Party proved Saturday at FYF Fest that they’ve got the same amount of spunk geared towards their live performances as they did when the epic Silent Alarm album first burst onto the scene in 2005.

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Alvvays cajoles big main stage FYF Fest crowd

Alvvays cajoles big main stage FYF Fest crowd
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
August 23, 2015

Nova Scotian lo-fi indie rockers Alvvays were unable to perform at Outside Lands in San Francisco a few weeks ago due to visa problems. Thankfully, those problems were cleared up before their FYF Fest performance Saturday on the main stage as they played to a massive crowd early on the festival’s first day.

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Savages royally slay FYF Fest performances

Savages royally slay FYF Fest performances
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
August 23, 2015

Fast-rising London post-punk band Savages had a difficult spot to fill at FYF Fest on Saturday night. They were competing with both Chet Faker and Bloc Party for attention, all of which helped setup the night for the evening’s headliner Kanye West.

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Chk Chk Chk (!!!) make FYF Fest set dance-central

Chk Chk Chk (!!!) make FYF Fest set dance-central
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
August 23, 2015

One thing that you’ve got to appreciate about !!! (Chk Chk Chk)’s lead man Nic Offer — the dude has no qualms about getting down, however absurd it might look in his hot pants.

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BADBADNOTGOOD are good-good, not bad

BADBADNOTGOOD are good-good, not bad
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
August 23, 2015

Just a bit before the sun began to set, BADBADNOTGOOD’s hip-hop fused electronica was a great escape from the sun into the air-conditioned confines of the Arena stage at FYF Fest.

At times, the Toronto trio served up a sensory overload of sounds and flashing lights, fired off like sirens from an ambulance. The more mellower the tunes, the more people seemed to enjoy them as there was an easier beat for people to follow. The visuals were pretty intense, sometimes looking like shining stars in the sky and other times shooting lasers all throughout the massive venue.

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The Drums' sunset FYF Fest performance packs lawn stage

The Drums' sunset FYF Fest performance packs lawn stage
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
August 23, 2015

Brooklyn indie poppers The Drums packed The Lawn Stage at FYF Fest on Saturday as the sun started coming down.

The performance was chock full of great #WhitePeopleDancing material and you could tell a lot of people were really starting to feel themselves — whether it be due to the awesome tunes or surroundings or some other outside involvement.

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Tennis turns up the heat at FYF Fest under bright sun

Tennis turns up the heat at FYF Fest under bright sun
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
August 23, 2015

Denver synth-poppers Tennis rocked FYF Fest’s Lawn Stage under the bright sun early during Saturday’s action at Exposition Park.

Wife-and-hubby duo Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley and their band were on point during their set that was so affected by the bright sun that Moore apologized for needing her sunglasses.

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Run the Jewels make second FYF Fest set special -- joined by Zack de la Rocha, Travis Barker and Gangsta Boo

Run the Jewels make second FYF Fest set special -- joined by Zack de la Rocha, Travis Barker and Gangsta Boo
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
August 23, 2015

Per usual, FYF Fest had a lot of returning acts to the fold in 2015, and to some people it was a turnoff to see so many of the same names as in previous years. But if rising hip-hop juggernauts Run the Jewels proved something, it’s that maybe Goldenvoice got something right: why not bring people back that have growing fanbases and have already proven they can ignite a crowd?

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Dinosaur Jr. blends guitar shredding, beautiful melodies in memorably FYF Fest set

Dinosaur Jr. blends guitar shredding, beautiful melodies in memorably FYF Fest set
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
August 23, 2015

I had been hoping to see noise rockers Dinosaur Jr. for quite some time. Saturday’s performance at FYF Fest had me kicking myself for not crossing it off the list sooner, as the wizard-looking J Mascis led the charge in a high-energy set.

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Kevin Morby brings early-afternoon feels to FYF Fest

Kevin Morby brings early-afternoon feels to FYF Fest
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
August 23, 2015

“Is everyone hot? That’s good. Sometimes it’s good to be hot,” Kevin Morby said as he began his early FYF Fest set on Saturday.

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