Archive for June, 2011

Interview: Rothbury veterans Lotus taking stage at Electric Forest

Published by Brandon St. James on June 30th, 2011 - in Featured, Interviews, National bands




Electric Forest Festival is being held June 30-July 3 in Rothbury, Mich. CLICK HERE for a complete guide.

NOISE!: After performing at the previous Rothbury events, what’s your outlook on Electric Forest and how it will set with Rothbury fans?

JESSE MILLER of LOTUS: The first time (Rothbury) happened — I think in ’08 — no one really knew what to think about a first-time festival. I think everyone had a blast — great lineup, good production. I thought that was really a breakout performance for Lotus. We played at this thing called the Tripolee Dome, which was kind of the side stage at the time and we played to a huge crowd and it went over really well. We got to come back next year and do one of the main stages and play in front of an even bigger crowd.

…Electric Forest is obviously a little different in the design of the lineup and just how the whole thing is centered around (The) String Cheese (Incident) playing most of the sets and not really going for quite as big of a lineup. I’m sure it will be a great time. That location is great in the summer.

NOISE!: Is the festival atmosphere essentially the ideal environment for your music?

JESSE: I love playing our club shows and this is kind of an opportunity to subtly expand on what we do at the club shows. We can dial in the production a little better in the club shows. I think our type of music works well at festivals, though, and that’s why we play a lot of them. It’s dance-y and we tend to put together upbeat sets for festivals to keep the energy high. It seems to work well and we can be anything from the rock band at an electric festival to a dance group at a more rock-oriented event.

NOISE!: It’s been said that it takes Lotus a full four hours to set up all your gear and lights. What sort of corners do you have to cut logistically to make it work at a festival?

JESSE: You definitely have to compromise. The sound check is either very minimal or nonexistent. Sometimes you can bring in lighting, but you’re always working with a lot of other artists and staging that is already there. You just have to change the show up a little bit to meet the schedule you get. We still try to put on the best show we can given the limited preparation time going in.

NOISE!: I find it crazy that you guys formed in Goshen, Ind (in 1999), an hour or two from here in Kalamazoo. Talk about those earlier years, and did Amish-town U.S.A. have some sort of weird effect on your music?

JESSE: We were in Goshen while some of the band members were in college. We spent most of that time as more of a traditional jam band. We always leaned toward the more dance-y stuff, but back then, there were almost no groups doing this kind of hybrid, electronic, rock, instrumental style. We tried a lot of different things. We were even singing in the very early days.

…I don’t really know if the area had much influence — none of us grew up right around there, but we were just there for school. We were always looking to incorporate new ideas. We were young and learning how to play our instruments and play together as a group.

Lotus has a brand new album dropping in September.

Roll Call: Morfiouz

Published by NOISE! Staff on June 29th, 2011 - in Band Features




MORFIOUZ
Grand Rapids, Mich.

Member: Donald Yenson

Sounds like: Nine Inch Nails, Skinny Puppy, Ministry (early)

Web sites: http://morfiouz.bandcamp.com/; http://www.facebook.com/morfiouz

The skinny: Donald Yenson’s studio project hatched 10 years ago in Detroit, but made its way over to Grand Rapids two-and-a-half years back. With a total of five releases, Yenson provides haunting, eerie and dark soundscapes. His latest album, released in January of 2011, “Remnants and Remixes” features a veritable feast of unsettling numbers.

William Elliott Whitmore — Timeless blues nurtured in a punk world

Published by Josh Spanninga on June 29th, 2011 - in Band Features, Featured



William Elliott Whitmore (Photo // David Black)

Purchase your tickets to Whitmore’s July 15th performance at The Strutt in Kalamazoo HERE.

Some prefer the soothing passion of soul music while others prefer raucous punk — yet others would point to one of a seemingly endless list of genres as their favorite.

Then, there’s people like William Elliott Whitmore.

His recent list of artists in heavy rotation on his stereo includes Lupe Fiasco, Tuneyards, the Dead Milkmen and Ray Charles. And if you were to look at a roster of bands he’s toured with, you’ll find everything from Converge to Chris Cornell and Michigan’s own Frontier Ruckus.

When it comes to the music he plays though, he sticks to raw, soulful bluesy folk music.

For those unfamiliar with Whitmore’s music, here’s what I mean by “raw, soulful bluesy folk music”: his voice sounds as though it has been aged in smoky bourbon barrels, then dipped in honey. It has a rasp like dry leaves rustling in the wind and a sweet smoothness which rivals the songbirds. His stripped-down, bare, three-chord guitar and banjo melodies are a simple and perfect accompaniment to his voice; it helps to create a soothing background twang which supports his voice and lets it shine.

Whether he’s howling about corrupt politicians or softly singing about nature, his song-writing maintains a quality that is timeless. It invokes the spirits of Woody Guthrie and R.L. Burnside, has the feel of old Negro spirituals and rollicking country ditties and touches on the most core human issues which makes its relevance cross cultures and time periods.

Yeah, it’s that good. And it’s the result of years of experience.

“I had a pretty musical household growing up,” Whitmore said. “The instruments were always just kind of around.”

His dad played guitar, his grandfather played guitar and banjo. It also didn’t hurt that the record player was always spinning sRay Charles or other family favorites.

In his late teens Whitmore moved up to Iowa City, an hour-and-a-half north of his country home. Here, Whitmore delved deep into the local punk and hardcore scene, attending basement shows and befriending bands and locals everywhere he went. He immediately fell in love with the DIY attitude of the scene.

“You didn’t have to have a fancy booking agent or a record deal or anything,” he said.

It wasn’t long before Whitmore himself started playing basement shows, showcasing his knack for writing blues and folk music while opening for punk and hardcore bands.

And it worked.

With the shared tradition of simplistic core stylings and an acceptance for society’s rejects and the lower class, punk and blues actually got along quite well.

Later on, when Whitmore started gaining popularity and playing bigger shows, he still preferred touring with friends and acquaintances, including hardcore act Converge.

“I just kind of came up in that world,” he said. “When I had a booking agent for real we just kind of kept up with that.”

This same down-to-earth, sensible approach to touring also manifests itself in his songwriting process.

“It starts with an idea that I want to flesh out,” he said. “It starts with the thought ‘I’m tired of getting arrested and think America is a police state’ and it turns into ‘Johnny Law’.”

He said that most of the time, the words come first as a way to illustrate this idea in his head.

“Usually for me, the melody comes later,” Whitmore said. “I come up with a way to say these words behind a melody that’s halfway pleasing.”

Whitmore will be performing his catalogue of songs on July 15 at the Strutt in Kalamazoo. Anyone interested in the show should be prepared and wear their dancing shoes, as Whitmore said: “They can expect to have a rip-roaring good time. They can also expect a great performance from a humble, real, down-to-earth guy strumming songs on an old guitar.”

Artists and songs announced for MXTP Records’ “Soundtrack to the Summer”, which will be distributed at Warped Tour

Published by NOISE! Staff on June 28th, 2011 - in News


MXTP Records has rounded up local artists to piece together “Soundtrack to the Summer”, a compilation album that will be distributed at MXTP’s booth at the Detroit leg of the Warped Tour. Below are the artists and songs that appear on the disc.

1. West & Run – “So Settle”
2. 12 Track Radio – “Wake Me Up”
3. Midwest Skies – “Easier This Time Around”
4. Number The Stars – “Converse Girl”
5. Key to the Midway – “Farewell”
6. Lights Out – “Try Again”
7. The Better Fight – “Your Body Is A Slip n Slide”
8. Overdrive Orchestra – “Save Me From Myself”
9. Oceans Over Earth – “Chalkboards Make Me Go Yum!
10. Taken In Vain – “Self-destruct”
11. Lakeland – “Team Ashley Greene”

Your complete guide to Electric Forest Festival this week in Rothbury

Published by Meg Alexander on June 28th, 2011 - in Featured, Opinion

 


 


For those of us who haven’t stopped aching to wander the psychedelic wonderland that is Sherwood Forest since Rothbury ’09, Fourth of July Weekend 2011 can’t come soon enough. Resurrecting the Rothbury tradition with a new festival, live music leviathan Madison House Publicity presents a new fest, bringing the two years of silence in the wake of Rothbury to an end. Electric Forest, focusing on electronic and dance music, is about to rock Southwest Michigan, and it’s looking like the woods of Rothbury, Mich. are about to get a whole lot crunchier. And, without further ado, a handy guide to make the most of your Electric Forest experience.

Thursday: Prepping & Basic Survival Essentials
MUST-SEE MUSIC: Toubab Krewe (Ranch Arena), Lotus (Sherwood Court), Emancipator (Wagon Wheel)

Rolling into the festival grounds on Thursday morning, you’ll barely have rubbed the sleep from your eyes by the time you’re putting the finishing touches on your campsite and mixing up your first Bloody Mary. While I’m sure you’re excited, you might be feeling just a little overwhelmed at the experience — the important thing is to pace yourself. Start Thursday morning with a good breakfast. Day one may be the only day you have the motivation to fire up that propane grill you hauled all the way out there — enjoy! For bonus points, offer some of those breakfast burritos to your neighbors in adjacent campsites — more likely than not, their friendship will prove invaluable not only on a social level, but they will be good people to know if you run out of mustard or somehow misplace all the lighters.

This is also the day to get in a good wander. Pack your backpack with sunscreen, a festival booklet, a watch, bug spray, and, most importantly, a big bottle of water, and just go — familiarize yourself with the grounds and check out all the festival has to offer. Peruse the goods on Shakedown Street, make friends, and scope out fun activities. This will be extremely useful when the time comes to try to navigate the grounds at night. Beeline for the Sherwood Forest — a wander unto itself — and stroll through the lush pine forests to stumble on artwork, chill in hammocks, get your sip on at the “secret” bars hidden throughout the trees and check out shows at forest stages. Hide out here until it gets dark, then let loose in a playground of fun and music.

Friday: Gettin’ Your Mode On
MUST-SEE MUSIC: Two sets of The String Cheese Incident (Ranch Arena); Tiesto (Ranch Arena); Van Ghost (Forest Stage); The New Deal (Sherwood Court); Galactic (Sherwood Court); Eliot Lipp (Tripolee); Grand Rapids’ own Superdre (Wagon Wheel); Cirque du Womp’s Ultraviolet Experience (Forest Stage)

You’ll wake up filthy, hot and totally confused. Where am I? What the hell happened last night? Why are my feet so dirty? And why am I covered in glitter? It’s all good; it happens to the best of us. Remember how you were all raring to go yesterday? You’re going to need to slow your roll, or you’ll burn out fast. Today is a great day to chill, take in the sights and replenish those partying juices, ‘cause there’s plenty more to come.

Day two morning tip: walk down to Shakedown Street and buy yourself a cup of iced coffee. In case you remembered your French Press, there’s no way you’ll have your morning cup of joe to get going, and more likely than not, you were up… er… a little late last night. As I said before, this is THE prime day for burnout prevention, and you’ve still got work to do. So throw back a cup of freezing cold, black coffee — it’ll be just the thing you need to bring you back up to speed (and no one likes caffeine-withdrawal headaches). On your way back, stop for water — fill up, rinse off, move on. If you’re feeling ambitious, stop by the Tripolee Stage for yoga.

Now that you’ve caffeinated, meditated and are some semblance of clean, you’re ready to start your day. Replenish those partying juices with a day at the beach. That’s right — this year, you can enjoy the beach at Big Wildcat Lake for a mini vacation within your festival experience. Go for a swim, make some new friends over a game of beach volleyball and geek out over String Cheese (it’s tonight; it’s tonight!) Just don’t forget that water bottle. And make sure there’s actually water in it.

Those of you who came to WOMP can get their dubstep on at the spacey Cirque du Womp Ultraviolet Experience — join them for an “open and safe space where people from all over can come to freely play.” And isn’t that what you came here to do?

Saturday: This Place is Starting to Feel Like Home
MUST-SEE MUSIC: Macpodz (Sherwood Court); The Werks (Tripolee); Keller Williams (Ranch Arena); Mat.McHugh (The Beautiful Girls acoustic) (Tripolee); The Ragbirds (Tripolee); Future Rock (Tripolee); SuperDre (Forest Stage); String Cheese (Ranch Arena); Big Gigantic (Sherwood Court); Bassnectar (Ranch Arena); That 1 Guy (Forest Stage); The Shpongletron Experience (Sherwood Court); Cirque du Womp’s Ultraviolet Experience (Forest Stage)

You’ll wake up this morning a little more in your element — replacing your wide-eyed confusion from yesterday with resounding cries of “Wasn’t last night awesome?! What are we going to do today?!” as Electric Forest life starts to feel a little more normal.

Coffee, hosedown, regroup and decide what you’ll do today: hit up the disc golf course (if you’re busy all day, check it out at nighttime, when it will be illuminated!). Head back to Big Wildcat for a beach party, or, if you’re not out of money yet, $20 for the Gold Rush Water Park will be well-spent: this happy throwback to Rothbury ’08 will NOT be the water park experience of your childhood.

Just don’t get too worn out… there are shows to see. Lots of them. And are you drinking your water?

Sunday: Wait… I have to go home tomorrow?
MUST-SEE MUSIC: That 1 Guy (Forest Stage); Papadosio (Tripolee); String Cheese (Ranch Arena); Pretty Lights (Ranch Arena); EOTO (Tripolee)

Don’t worry! There’s still plenty to do. Just make sure you seize the day!

Use Sunday to revisit your favorite places or do whatever you haven’t done yet. Feeling fancy? Hit up the adjacent Double JJ Ranch for horseback riding, or the Thoroughbred Golf Club for Electric Forest’s first annual “Celebrity” Invitational.

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