A look Ahead: Bonnaroo’s Indie Bands 2010

Bonnaroo Music and Arts festival is consistently on the cutting edge of diverse line ups.  For the past several summers the line ups have continued getting more and more eclectic and interesting.  This year is no different.  The headliners this year include Dave Matthews Band, Kings of Leon, Jay-Z and Stevie Wonder.  But, the real gems that Bonnaroo offers aren’t the big acts, rather, the smaller bands that gain exposure through word of mouth rather than marketing.  Here’s a few bands to keep your eyes (and ears) open for this year at The Roo.

The XX

This band is a cool, new age and funky three piece from London, England.  The band’s debut album was met with tons of critical acclaim.  They have an addictive sound that showcases a female vocalist (Jamie Smith).  They jam, groove and move in all the right ways.  Due to copyright issues, I can’t post a video here so, here is their website.  VIDEO 

 

Phoenix

  Phoenix is a French, Grammy Award winning, alternative rock band that is growing in popularity right now.  Although they’ve been on the scene for several years, the band’s latest album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix solidified their indie sound and their place in the festival circuit this year.  Website  Video 

 

Mayer Hawthorne

   Mayer is one of the artists I’m looking forward to seeing the most.  Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Mayer later moved out to California when he was signed to a record label.  He’s brining back old school rhythm and blues.  He draws from Isaac Hayes and Barry White.  He’s also multi-talented, playing many instruments himself.  Website  Video 

 

 

Here We Go Magic

   These guys are newcomers on the scene.  They hail from New York City, a place where fame is harder to come by than one would think.  The band has a trance sound with some unique acoustic pieces thrown in for fun.  Website  Video

Short Attention Span

According to a study, the internet leads to short attention spans.

Conspiracy? Yes Please!

So, I was just surfing the bowels of the internet last night (as I typically do when I’m bored) and I stumbled across something very interesting; The Norway Spiral.

Here’s a bit of info about the whole thing:

Apparently on December 9, 2009 folks living all over Norway reported seeing a strange, spiral-like, object in the sky.  The phenomena lasted around 15 minutes or so and freaked a lot of people out.

Newspapers around the world jumped on this story and soon discovered that the Russians, apparently, admitted to being the cause of the strange lights.

The Russian military said it had fired a missile into the sky at the same time.   The missile failed in it’s 3rd stage and the spiral was created by the missile's fuel reflecting light from the moon. 

The next day the Russian military denied everything.

Strange.

So what do you all think?  Huge conspiracy?  Alien invasion?  Black Hole?  Here’s the video.  Tell me what you think!

 

‘Kick-Ass’ Preview

What do you get when you mix amateurs, costumes, comedy, martial arts and Nicholas Cage? Not the new ‘Ghost Rider’ movie. You get a new and exciting addition to the super hero movie genre, ‘Kick-Ass’. Director, Matthew Vaughn brings to life Mark Miller’s comic book creation in what is likely to become an instant cult classic. When asked about his decision to bring Miller’s comic book to the big screen Vaughn said, “It's a very unique story and it's fun and it had stuff I hadn't seen before, and I just knew I could make a good film.”

‘Kick-Ass’ is about Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), an unnoticed high school student and comic book nerd who decides to become a super hero, minus the super powers and martial arts training. Lizewski inspires other super hero hopefuls to join the fight against crime including; Damon MacReady (Nicholas Cage), his daughter Mindy MacReady (Chloe Moretz) and, Chris D’Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). The unlikely super heroes then team up to defeat Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong), the movie’s, drug dealing, villain.

‘Kick-Ass’ is a great jumping off point for many of the young actors the film pushes into the lime light. This is a big year for Moretz in particular, who is staring in several films in the upcoming months. Nicholas Cage is also benefiting from his off-beat role as the super hero Big Daddy. Expect to see him several times this year, amid his financial breakdown.

This movie looks great in a quirky sort of way. It mixes indie aesthetic with a dose of comic book action and a bit of humor. But, ‘Kick-Ass’ isn’t the movie that will break box office records or create a huge cultural phenomenon like ‘The Dark Knight’. In fact, don’t expect ‘Kick Ass’ to stir much mainstream buzz at all. What ‘Kick-Ass’ does do is add a new dimension to super hero films. Hero films lately have focused on the human aspects of being a super hero, ‘Kick-Ass’ takes the human side to a new level. The heroes lack any kind of extraordinary powers or skills or gadgets. It’s liberating to think that anybody can be a bad guy punishing, cape wearing, super hero. ‘Kick-Ass’s new approach to crime fighting earns it a place in super hero movie lore.

‘Kick-Ass’ promises to be a great alternative to the more conventional super hero movies. If you’re tired of the gadget using, power flaunting heroes of the past, check out ‘Kick-Ass’ In theatres on April 16^th.