Sia steals show from headliner with once-in-a-lifetime performance to Coachella

Sia steals show from headliner with once-in-a-lifetime performance to Coachella
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
April 18, 2016

Renowned Aussie singer-songwriter Sia hasn’t performed a full show hardly anywhere in years. When she was announced as part of Coachella’s bill this year, she was instantly on most people’s can’t-miss lists for the weekend. On Sunday, she more than justified the hype with the kind of performance that people will be talking about for years.

Moments into the opening song “Alive,” it became clear that this was not going to be like any other set in the desert that weekend. She stood behind what looked like the bottom of her dress, but instead it was a group of people all fluffed up hiding a dancer that donned the same outfit from the music video for the same song. As Sia hit all the high notes, singing “I’m still breathing,” the dancer was just the beginning of what could be considered more performance art than concert.

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Guns N Roses pole-vault over expectations with Coachella headlining set Saturday, bring out AC/DC’s Angus Young

Guns N Roses pole-vault over expectations with Coachella headlining set Saturday, bring out AC/DC’s Angus Young
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
April 17, 2016

The second day of Coachella saw nearly perfect weather, particularly once the sun went down, which made it that much more enjoyable to witness a series of awe-inspiring performances throughout the day.

I found shade in the Gobi tent and caught jazz-tronica trio GoGo Penguin from Manchester. Nick Blacka on the double bass was a damn machine. He ripped things up and had the small crowd that gathered really feeling it. Pianist Chris Illingsworth slowed things down a bit with the beautiful intro on “Hopopono” before the rest of the band picked up the pace as the song progressed. Their set was one of those that as time progressed, the tent got more and more filled and people started vibing to the music more.

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SXSW 2016 (Saturday): HINDS, Diet Cig, Formation make up for line-wasting time

SXSW 2016 (Saturday): HINDS, Diet Cig, Formation make up for line-wasting time
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
March 20, 2016

The one big drawback of SXSW is that you could potentially wait in a line for three or more hours for a really hyped event, think you’re going to get in, and then get royally effed over and left in the cold.

This is what happened to me on my last day of SXSW 2016 as I got to the Bud Light Factory at Brazo’s extremely early in an effort to see The Roots and Big Grams at their famed Jam Sessions. Security told people doors would open at 8 PM. I was in the first 75 people in the wristband line, there wasn’t a long line of badge holders or VIPs but 8 PM came and went. Then 9 PM came and went and the VIP and badge holder lines were massive. I ended up waiting and waiting just to not make it in. It was the one mistake I made all week and it ended up costing me the chance to see some dope bands during that time. Luckily, SXSW always allows you a chance to redeem yourself and I ended up seeing some dope bands anyways.

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SXSW 2016 (Friday): Willie Nelson’s party weathers the storm; CHVRCHES, Deftones rock SPIN showcase

SXSW 2016 (Friday): Willie Nelson’s party weathers the storm; CHVRCHES, Deftones rock SPIN showcase
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
March 19, 2016

Friday was a wild day for SXSW goers everywhere. The afternoon came and went without issue, but when the evening started rolling in, a nasty storm came along with it. All outdoor showcases were postponed and later shut down due to the weather. I myself was nowhere near Austin at the time, instead an hour west at Willie Nelson‘s ranch for their annual Luck Reunion, itself delayed by the inclement weather. Check out the recap of Friday, which features performances from Willie Nelson, Jenny Lewis, CHVRCHES, Deftones, and Lucius.

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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 (Wednesday): Kacey Musgraves, Charles Bradley, Julien Baker bring variety and good feels

SXSW 2016 (Wednesday): Kacey Musgraves, Charles Bradley, Julien Baker bring variety and good feels
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
March 17, 2016

Wednesday at SXSW we covered quite a bit of ground, hitting showcases all over downtown Austin featuring acts like Kacey Musgraves, Charles Bradley, BORNS, HAELOS, Anderson .Paak and a slew of other awesome acts. Check out our full coverage of the day!

Things got started over at the Waterloo Records’ first showcase. There were some issues, as in the fire marshall was late in showing up and letting people in, so sets got pushed back an hour from their scheduled start times. By the time LA-based indie pop group PHASES went on, it was 1 PM, but they were well worth the wait.

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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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Chet Faker misses mark at CRSSD Fest; Gorgon City, Tycho bring the fire

Chet Faker misses mark at CRSSD Fest; Gorgon City, Tycho bring the fire
Mark E. Ortega
Grimygoods.com
March 9, 2016

Sunday night, it was up to Aussie electronic artist Chet Faker to close the second spring edition of San Diego’s CRSSD Fest. ODESZA had set the bar high the night before with a rousing headline performance. Could Chet Faker aka Nicholas Murphy match the Seattle duo’s intensity the following night?

Unfortunately for those who stayed, Chet Faker fell short — though not all at a fault of his own. Sound issues plagued his entire set and there were many moments where you struggled to hear Murphy’s vocals.

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Kendrick Lamar, surprise Killers set, Halsey and Death Cab for Cutie cap off Life is Beautiful

Kendrick Lamar, surprise Killers set, Halsey and Death Cab for Cutie cap off Life is Beautiful
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
October 1, 2015

The third-annual Life is Beautiful Festival in downtown Las Vegas saved some of their best tricks for last.

Kendrick Lamar topped off a weekend that included many memorable performances. Perhaps it was perfectly fitting that Kendrick — perhaps the hottest thing in rap today — would close out a festival that is clearly on the up and up in its third year. Kendrick’s live band was fantastic and the rapper brought his A-game.

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Billy Joel caps Bonnaroo with throwback Sunday set; Florence + The Machine wins fans over

Billy Joel caps Bonnaroo with throwback Sunday set; Florence + The Machine wins fans over
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
June 18, 2015

To be honest, Billy Joel was one of the main drawing points to attending my first ever Bonnaroo. In a time where there are seemingly endless music festivals, it gets harder and harder to land a legitimate festival headliner. Billy Joel fit the mold quite well, a legacy act and Rock n Roll Hall of Famer with a ridiculously deep catalog of tunes that appeal to all demographics.

With pretty much the entire 80,000 Bonnaroovians taking in his set as there was nothing going against it, Billy Joel ripped through a memorable set that put the energy back in people who had spent the previous four days in the humidity with precious few showers.

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BottleRock Napa begins with literal black eye, ends on high note

BottleRock Napa begins with literal black eye, ends on high note
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
June 4, 2015

Of all the festivals I’ve covered in May (Shaky Knees in Atlanta, HangoutFest in Gulf Shores, Sasquatch at The Gorge), BottleRock Napa Valley’s was the one I was most intrigued to discover what the demographic would be. Napa is bougie wine country, and BottleRock was being pitched as a family festival, so I didn’t know what to expect.

It was also the least-likely place I expected to get sucker-punched in the eye, which made it all the more surprising when that happened following Cage the Elephant’s awesome performance mid-day on the main stage. But we’ll get to that in a bit.

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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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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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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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