2010 McDowell Mountain Music Festival: Lineup Announced (and some changes)
Feb 16th
Since 2004, the McDowell Mountain Music Festival in Scottsdale has been a yearly spring highlight in my desert home, treating music lovers to the likes of Ratdog, the Wailers, Gov’t Mule, the Neville Brothers, Los Lobos, Blues Traveler, and last year – none other than the Flaming Lips. The setting spectacular: north Scottsdale’s WestWorld - a large complex offering camping, RV parking, and an immense field of green grass. Plenty of room to take in the music, or break away for a walk around the grounds to check out the vendors, drum circle, kids area, and most importantly, the beer tents.
Well – the festival is back this year, their 2010 lineup announced today. In fact, they’ve even expanded to 3 days. The venue, however, has changed. Instead of Westworld this year, attendees will need to make their way to the northeast corner of 68th St. and Mayo Blvd. This year, an outdoor stage will be erected in the parking lot next to the Compound Grill – a new restaurant and live music venue owned and operated by the same folks who run the festival.
The decision to change venues was based on financial constraints. From the MMMF’s Facebook page:
Our mission has always been to give 100% of the profit back to charity. That mission combined with the current economic situation and a reduction in sponsor contributions has prompted us to change the venue….The founders have prided themselves in donating over $500,000 to family-based charities, never taking a dime for this effort. When last year’s donation came to only $12,000, it was necessary to change strategies.
No one can knock the organizers for working within their means. The economy sucks, and I’m grateful that the festival is even surviving (another local festival – the more mainstream Tempe Music Festival – called it quits this year). But I can’t sugarcoat it – I can’t help but be disappointed at the loss of Westworld as a venue. Westworld offered an ambiance and a loose, laid back charm that a north Scottsdale parking lot will not come close to matching. Last year, for my third year at the festival, I rented a RV and brought the family. We had a great time, and the kids were looking forward to another RV adventure this year.
But – venue disappointment aside – local music festivals need to be supported through good times and bad, and I’ll be there again to support the charities and see some live music. Hopefully enough dough is raised this year to bring the festival back to Westworld in 2011.
So let’s take a look at the lineup…
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals - photo by Adrien Broom
There aren’t any acts this year that make me jump up and do the happy dance – but it’s good to see that Grace Potter & the Nocturnals will be returning for a third time, closing the festival on Sunday evening. She never disappoints live. And Trombone Shorty? Good call. Any genuine New Orleans flavor is always welcome – especially in snooty north Snottsdale (I kid my Scottsdalian neighbors). Robert Randolph & the Family Band of course are great live. And I’ve heard good things about Toubab Krewe and Ryan Shaw.
I know nothing of Super Chikan, Ruthie Foster or John Brown’s Body – but it’s fun to explore new stuff. Super Chikan looks cool at a glance.
This year also introduces MMMF’s first “After Hours” shows on Friday and Saturday night – which require a separate ticket for each night. Assembly of Dust is Friday night. I was pretty lukewarm on them when I saw them at last year’s MMMF. But Saturday night, it’s Steve Kimock & Crazy Engine – playing from 11pm to 2am. I’ll be tired – but I’m gonna catch Steve for sure. Steve’s guitar playing is supposed to be pretty bad-ass live. Looking forward to it.
So while the initial emotion for a lot of live music lovers who have attended MMMF in the past is one of disappointment, it’s as important as ever to support the festival and its mission: “to support the community, the arts and the underprivileged.” For what it’s worth, Ickmusic stands behind the McDowell Mountain Music Festival, and hopes it continues on – and thrives – for years to come.
Lord knows we need a good festival out here in the desert.
McDowell Mountain Music Festival
2010 Lineup
Tickets
Friday, April 23
5 PM – 6 PM — Ruthie Foster
6:30 PM – 8 PM — Toubab Krewe
8:30 PM – 10:30 PM — John Brown’s Body
**AFTER HOURS SHOW (Separate Ticket)
11 PM – 2:00 AM — Assembly of Dust
Saturday, April 24
12:30 PM – 1 PM — Local Band TBA
2 PM – 3 PM — Local Band TBA
3:30 PM – 4 PM — Local Band TBA
5 PM – 6 PM… — Ryan Shaw
6:30 PM – 8 PM — Super Chikan
8:30 PM – 10:30– Robert Randolph & The Family Band
**AFTER HOURS SHOW (Separate Ticket)
11 PM – 2:00 AM — Steve Kimmock & Crazy Engine
Sunday, April 25
Noon – 1:30 PM — Local Band TBA
2 PM – 3:30 PM — Local Band TBA
4 PM – 5:30 PM — Trombone Shorty & Orleans Ave.
6 PM – 7:30 PM Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
I Must Be In A Good Place Now
Feb 15th
Vetiver - photo by Alissa Anderson
I heard this song on The Loft yesterday in quite the perfect setting – driving with my wife and two girls down a road outside of Flagstaff, AZ. It was a picture perfect day – snow on the ground, green pine trees, blue sky, and the snowy San Francisco Peaks in the near distance – and this song by Vetiver came on.
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Nice, right? Turns out the song was originally written and performed by Louisiana music legend Bobby Charles (who passed just last month). It was on his self-titled 1972 album produced by The Band’s Rick Danko. Tonight, I listened to Bobby’s version, and was just as moved as Vetiver’s take on it.
So much music, so little time…
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→ Go to the Amazon MP3 Store and buy the Vetiver Version
Visit: Vetiver’s Official Site / NOLA.com’s tribute to Bobby Charles
The Friday Five: February 12, 2010
Feb 12th
Friday Five : \’frī-(,)dā,-dē ‘fīv\ : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.
The Five:
Editor’s Note: Is anyone else feeling like maybe February is going by too quickly? This week’s Friday Five comes courtesy of the iPod, see you back here next week!
“Sebrina, Paste and Plato” by Jellyfish (from Spilt Milk, 1993)
“Time Bomb” by Rancid (from …and Out Comes the Wolves, 1995)
“America’s Suitehearts” by Fall Out Boy (from Folie à Deux, 2009)
“Le Freak” by Chic (from C’est Chic, 1978)
“Girl” by The Beatles (from Rubber Soul, 1965)
What’s on your shuffle today?
The Soul Train Documentary on VH-1
Feb 11th
For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, be sure to set your DVR for the next airing of VH-1’s Soul Train: The Hippest Trip In America. Yes, buried amongst VH-1’s vapid, putrid pile of reality shows is actually a quality 90 minute documentary about the late great Soul Train – a show that lasted 36 years (the longest running syndicated show in TV history). It was interesting to learn the full story behind the show, and the groundbreaking genius of Don Cornelius – who owned and produced the show from its inception in 1970 – when it was broadcast locally in Chicago – all the way to its finale in 2006.
It goes without saying how influential and groundbreaking the show was – providing an outlet for Black American performers, dancers, and their viewers at home. Even the first TV commercials ever targeted to an African American audience appeared on Soul Train. It only took a couple of years for the show to become a smash, even spawning a Dick Clark-produced “Soul Unlimited”, which Cornelius quickly snuffed out. Its crossover appeal touched me personally too. In the early-mid 80’s when Prince’s music took me by storm, and I immersed myself in popular black music, I spent hours watching Soul Train – and forming adolescent fantasies around some of those dancers. Yow!
My only complaint about the special was its short running time (90 minutes – 60 if you’re DVR’ing thru the commercials). It didn’t leave a lot of time to focus on the legendary performances (James Brown, Aretha, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and on and on …). The clips were abbreviated, and left you wanting more. My favorite clip of the doc was this Al Green performance of “Here I Am (Come and Take Me)”. The first thing I did afterward was march to the Mac and find the full performance…
Next broadcasts of the documentary are:
- Saturday, Feb. 13th – 12:30am ET/PT
- Friday, March 5th – 12am ET/PT
Ick’s Radio Daze: SiriusXM’s The Loft
Feb 9th
Station: The Loft (Sirius Ch. 29)
Format: Contemporary Eclectic
Type: Satellite (SiriusXM)
Slogan: Singers, Songwriters, and Beyond
Date / Time: Feb. 9th, 2010 / 8:30-9:30pm MST
Commercials: 0
Hot Chick on Home Page of Web Site? Nope. ‘Tis all about the music. When the closest thing to a hot chick is Rosanne Cash, you know it’s all about the music.
DJ: Franny Thomas
Favorite Song: “You Took My Breath Away” – Traveling Wilburys
Least Favorite Song: Ain’t pickin’ one – warn’t a bad song in the bunch.
Song List:
The Swell Season – “Two Tongues”
Radiohead – “Fake Plastic Trees” (acoustic)
King Crimson – “Cadence and Cascade”
Tom Waits – “Way Down In The Hole” (live)
The Duhks – “It’s Alright Ma, I’m Only Bleeding”
Jay Farrar & Ben Gibbard – “California Zephyr”
Led Zeppelin – “Going to California” (live)
David Vandervelde – “California Breezes”
Traveling Wilburys – “You Took My Breath Away”
John Hiatt – “Feels Like Rain”
Lyle Lovett – “Natural Forces”
Allison Moorer – “The Broken Girl”
Ryan Adams & the Cardinals – “Fix It”
The Devlins – “Don’t Let It Break Your Heart”
The Waterboys – “I Will Not Follow”
Comments: We’re a few weeks into this column, and it’s high time I treated myself. So this week, I chose my very favorite radio station at the moment: Sirius-XM’s The Loft. It’s channel 29 on my Sirius dial, and it constantly and consistently delivers amazing music to these ears.
It’s one place I can rely on hearing some of my favorite artists and tunes, while introducing me to fresh, new music. And “new” can mean a tune that’s been out for years and years.
Case in point this hour: King Crimson’s “Cadence and Cascade”, a great song that’s as old as I am (1970), from King Crimson’s second album, In The Wake Of Poseidon – and a song that I don’t recall ever hearing. I’ll quote “roflcopter100ify”, the most recent commenter on the YouTube page: “It’s beautiful. I have no idea what it means.” It may sound like an early Spinal Tap outtake (along with “Listen to the Flower People”), but hey, it relaxes me. The flute reminds me of 70’s Bruce Cockburn too, another thing I find relaxing.
The hour had a handful of other tunes I’d never heard: most notably “Two Tongues” by the Swell Season, and “California Breezes” by David Vandervelde. I’ll be tracking these down.
And what a playlist this hour… The Wilburys’ “You Took My Breath Away”, one of my favorite Tom Petty-sung tunes ever; Hiatt’s version of “Feels Like Rain” (bliss); killer live versions of “Going to California” and “Way Down In The Hole”; an acoustic “Fake Plastic Trees”; brand new ones from Allison Moorer and Lyle Lovett, Jay Farrar & Ben Gibbard. And to wrap up the hour? The friggin’ Waterboys!!
There wasn’t a single moment in the hour that I ever felt let down or even slightly disappointed in the music selection. Clearly they’ve tapped into their demographic with me. I mean, this is a radio station that makes me excited about music, past & present. Is there a single terrestrial radio station in the land that can geek me out as much as The Loft? Nope.
Adding to the appeal is the benefit of satellite radio: no commercials on their music stations. Hearing an hour of music interrupted only a couple of times by a pleasant DJ (Franny Thomas) who’s as relaxed and into the music as I am – dang it, it’s just a treat.
I feel good. Refreshed. Thanks Loft.
— See all Radio Daze posts here. —
New Citizen Cope – The Rainwater LP
Feb 9th
The Rainwater LP, the new album from Citizen Cope is out digitally today ($3.99!
Some standouts for me so far: the reggae-soul infused “Off the Ground”, the funky bass line and accompanying synth-groove of “A Father’s Son”; and songs like “Keep Askin’”, “Lifeline” and “Healing Hands”, which showcase Cope’s forte – the laid back, no nonsense urban storyteller.
There’s definitely this type of formula building in Citizen Cope’s albums – but it’s a formula that works for him, and is unmistakably unique. Clarence Greenwood has a lot to say in his lyrics. There’s a lot about the world that bugs him, and he has a way of channeling his frustrations in a peaceful, subdued fusion of soul, R&B, and rock/pop sounds. But even with his laid back demeanor, you can still feel the passion, the power, and often the anger in his music. Citizen Cope has carved out his own niche in pop music, and The Rainwater LP is another solid collection of tunes to add to an already impressive discography.
Be sure to catch Citizen Cope live. As anyone who has seen him will attest, once you do, you’re hooked in.
- AOL Music is currently offering a full stream of the album.
- And even better, you can buy The Rainwater LP MP3 album for only $3.99 here on Amazon
Super Bowl Sunday 2010 – Geaux Saints, Who Are You, hey it’s the theme song from CSI!
Feb 7th
Happy Super Bowl Sunday everyone! I’ve donned my Cafe du Monde t-shirt and am ready to cheer on the New Orleans Saints later this afternoon. I’ll be thrilled if they win, but something tells me Peyton and the his Colts are going to come out on top. I hope I’m wrong.
Of course, I’ll be paying close attention to the halftime entertainment, which this year comes in the form of The Who. Original members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey are joined by drummer (and Ringo’s son) Zak Starkey and bass player Pino Palladino. The spectacle and scale of Super Bowl Halftime is always interesting – and having some of my musical heroes involved the past few years – Bruce, Prince, Petty – has made it even more surreal. This year, a generation of younger people will collectively say: “Dude! These guys are doing the song from CSI!!”
You won’t be hearing “Eminence Front” today, but I have to say – it’s my favorite Who song. Enjoy yourselves today, don’t drink too much, yada yada yada…
Go Saints!
The Friday Five: February 5, 2010
Feb 5th
Friday Five : \’frī-(,)dā,-dē ‘fīv\ : On the sixth day of every week, I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes, then share the first five tracks and thought for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, occasionally we’ll have a guest, but most of the time it’s just me. The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments.
The Five:
This week’s shuffle served as a soundtrack to what has turned out to be an insanely busy morning; here are the first five tracks to hit my ears. This week’s Five was followed up by Episode 6 of The Popdose Podcast, which I highly recommend everyone making time to listen to.
“Scar Tissue” by Red Hot Chili Peppers (from Californication, 1999)
“Skeletons” by Stevie Wonder (from Characters, 1987)
“Out All Night” by The Pietasters (from Willis, 1997)
“Bleeding” by Flickerstick (from Tarantula, 2003)
“Last” by Nine Inch Nails (from Broken, 1992)
What is playing as your soundtrack today?
Ick’s Radio Daze: 99.5 – Denver’s The Mountain
Feb 2nd
Kathy B. is back for her second Radio Daze installment. Here’s her hour (plus) with The Mountain-ain-ain-ain! You can check out all of the Radio Daze pieces here.- Pete
Station: 99.5 FM KQMT
Format: Classic Rock
Type: Terrestrial (Denver, CO)
Slogan: “Ninety-nine five The Mountain, A Mountain of Classics”
Date / Time: Jan. 29th, 2010 / 12:16-1:10pm MST
Commercials: 8.5 minutes
Streaming Online? Yes (www.995themountain.com)
Hot Dude on Home Page of Web Site? Some rotating images in the upper left include Bono and the Police. I’d place all four of them in the 75th percentile of “attractive people.” But no traditional hot-looking guy.
Hot Chick? The closest thing is a Haitian relief video with Michelle Obama. Somehow I don’t think she’s on their home page as a token “hot chick.” (But yes, she is. And I’m straight.)
DJ: Mike Casey, then Robbie Knight
Favorite Song: Talking Heads — “Life During Wartime”
Least Favorite Song: I refuse to answer this on the grounds that I may incriminate myself. 
Song List:
The Rolling Stones — “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”
The Eagles — “Those Shoes”
The Tubes — “She’s a Beauty”
The Ramones — “Rock & Roll High School”
Talking Heads — “Life During Wartime”
Heart — “Even It Up”
Elvis Costello — “Pump It Up”
Led Zeppelin — “The Ocean”
Queen — “Somebody to Love”
Pink Floyd — “Time”
U2 & B.B. King — “When Love Comes to Town”
Comments: I first started listening at 10:45 am, in the middle of their “Commercial-free from 9 to noon” block. As I was compiling the playlist, I realized that not only was it commercial-free, it was DJ-free as well, which made me wonder if it’s a nationally pre-programmed block that goes out to a bunch of different radio stations across the country. Granted, all of the songs were ones that most people older than 15 don’t need to have identified for them (and the more you’re over that age, the less you need them identified)*. But it made me wonder if I could pick a radio station at random from say, Duluth, look at their program list, and find the exact same block of songs in the same sequence.
So I decided to pick a different hour of programming, in the interest of fairness. At 12:16, after a five-minute block of commercials, they started their daily “Barrel of Monkeys” feature, in which listeners call in and request songs — the catch being that each song title needs to start with the last letter of the previous song title. Apparently they had ended with U2’s “New Year’s Day” the day before. The Ramones and Led Zeppelin songs were “Wild Cards” that they threw in because I guess they didn’t want too many songs beginning with the same letters so close together. Five more minutes of commercials and the “normal programming” started with Queen.
The previous hour had been cookie-cutter classic rock, so it was kind of nice to hear a few curves thrown during the request hour (it’s been a while since I heard the Tubes or a deep Eagles track). But it still kind of left me with a “meh” feeling. There wasn’t anything that I found extremely offensive, but neither was there something that made me smile just hearing it come on. It’s all kind of in that middle ground of “I don’t really like any of this all that much, but I don’t really hate it either.” On a scale of 1 to 5, everything comes in between 2.75 and 3.25.
*In case anybody’s interested, this is what was played in the hour and a half leading up to the “Barrel of Monkeys”:
Santana — “She’s Not There”
Foreigner — “Hot Blooded”
Steely Dan — “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”
The Pretenders — “I’ll Stand by You”
Genesis — “That’s All”
Jimi Hendrix — “Fire”
John Mellencamp — “Cherry Bomb”
The Police — “Spirits in the Material World”
Styx — “Fooling Yourself”
Eric Clapton — “Tears in Heaven”
Supertramp — “Bloody Well Right”
The Clash — “Should I Stay or Should I Go”
The Rolling Stones — “Beast of Burden”
The Allman Brothers — “Blue Sky”
Stevie Nicks — “Edge of Seventeen”
Talking Heads — “And She Was”
Billy Joel — “My Life”
Aerosmith — “Dream On”
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers — “Don’t Come Around Here No More”
The Cars — “Moving in Stereo”
Leave The Window Open
Feb 2nd
Add Chuck Prophet to the “I Should Have Listened To By Now” List. I know very little about this man. I just know that I’ve heard his name over the years, and heard his music here and there. Given that the words “singer/songwriter” and “roots” are often associated with his name, you’d think I’d have explored his music by now.
But I haven’t.
Luckily, Sirius-XM’s The Loft – my most frequently listened to station of late (after Howard) – has been pushing some great new music my way. Today, after devouring the #4 Chile Relleno / cheese enchilada combo at Los Favoritos, I was on my way back to work when I heard this cool little nugget of coolness from Prophet.
It’s the closing song of his latest album, Let Freedom Ring!, and it resonated with me in a Tom Petty / Greg Brown sort of way. Cool tune.
Here’s the stream from Lala…
Buy Let Freedom Ring!
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