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Preview: Lightning In A Bottle Festival 2013 @ Lake Skinner in Temecula, CA July 11th – 15th

Lightening In A Bottle 2013

As June approaches, the heart of festival season slowly creeps closer. Music and art lovers will flock to parks and open fields to experience the massive movement that is the new age music festival. What was once just a rotation of bands on one stage in an open field, has now turned into a multiple day experience of music, art, culture, food, etc. Just think, fans all over the country can literally plan a cross country road trip and incorporate a music festival into almost every major city if they like!

For us here in Southern California, we are blessed with both great land and weather making it practical for an abundance of festivals. One festival that stand outs for us this year has to be Lightning In A Bottle at Lake Skinner in Temecula, CA. The experience begins July 11th and will end July 15th, and with so much going on during this eco-friendly music and arts festival, I have already started mapping out a game plan.

Here are my top 5 acts (in no particular order) to not miss and my top 5 activities (non-music) that make this festival a unique and don’t miss experience.

TOP 5 ACTS:

Tycho – This festival seems almost like what Tycho, Scott Hanson, would throw himself. Meaning Tycho’s heavy reliance in rolling the whole aesthetic of music and art into one beautiful object. Fans swear by Tycho’s live performance and the 2011 release Dive is a go-to album for any new fan of ambient, downtempo, electronic music. Needless to say I am excited.

Giraffage – Charlie Yin will arrive at Lake Skinner after coming off some pretty incredible tours throughout Europe and the US. Don’t fret, no matter how many gigs he plays, he will always throw down. Having seen Giraffage play the B3SCI showcase at SXSW this year and from checking out the videos of his recent shows in Europe, I can attest that he is one not to be missed.

ODESZA – The combination of Catacombkid and BeachesBeaches = pretty incredible music. This well kept secret from the Pacific Northwest will show those who have a thirst for new music that they need to be a topic of discussion before, during, and after Lightning In A Bottle.

Purity Ring – These guys are a well-called last minute addition to the festival line up! The Edmonton duo of Megan James and Corin Roddick will be all over the United States for the festival season this summer, but it’s this stop near San Diego that we’re most excited about. The 2012 head turner Shrines exploded all over the internet and when releasing their cover of Soulja Boy’s “Grammy”, the site with the download link crashed. Another great characteristic fit with the festival, Purity Ring’s use of lights is mainstay of the duo, more specifially with Corin’s drums.

Nicolas Jaar – There is too much talent at Lightning In A Bottle, and these are all my top 5, but Bronx born Nicolas Jaar should be on everyone’s list. The 23 year old producer has an incredible rap sheet of remixes, singles and buzz from all over the globe. I still can’t get “The Ego” out of my head since it was released this past November.

TOP 5 THINGS NON-MUSIC:

Greeniest Festival – Lightning In A Bottle prides itself in a lot of things, but being one of the most green festivals in the world is something to be proud of. Every time I leave a show, I always look around at all the trash everywhere and it reminds me of the end of Wayne’s World 2. While Lightning In A Bottle is not only like Wayne and Garth helping out their naked Native-American friend, it is also an educator on how to help keep the Earth clean.

Free Filtered Water – If I may vent for a moment; Why is this so hard for other festivals to do? Is the $5 bottled water mark-up too sexy to pass up? Lightning In A Bottle doesn’t care, they have feelings for their patrons and understand their need to be taken care. Is this genius or should I just say common sense?

Interactive Art and Installations – Music incorporates art already and Lightning In A Bottle plays an even heavier role in the visual arts (The Do Lab puts on the festival, and should you expect anything less?). These interactive and massive art installations are a big pull for some attendees, and icing on the cake for others.

Lake Skinner – The park itself is awe inspiring. Lake Skinner is a very popular camping stop in Southern California. It is home to the Solar Cup (eco-boating competition) and the Temecula Valley Balloon and Wine Festival. The festival location was recently moved here, and I think for the better.

The Temple – A designated area to do yoga, drink tea, meditate, listen to worldly music and eat incredible organic food in the midst of a music festival. If free water wasn’t a great idea already, this is brilliant.

Event preview by Brian Litwin

Lightning In A Bottle Festival california (Info and Tickets)

reviewed by
05-24-13

B3SCI Session: Avi Avital

avi avital

World renowned and Grammy-nominated Deutsche Grammophon recording artist Avi Avital recently linked up with B3SCI in Austin, TX to chat about his musical relationship with the mandolin and to play us the bulgarian folk dance “Bucimis”. We captured Avi doing what he does best with this unique and special impromptu performance at the Bungalow on Rainy St. during mid-day set up at SXSW 2013. Avi really gets into it about half-way through. Check it out below…

Avi Avital (Facebook)

reviewed by
05-13-13

B3SCI Session: Thomas Dybdahl Performs “This Love Is Here To Stay”

dybdahl

Back in Austin, during SXSW, we caught up with Norwegian singer/songwriter Thomas Dybdahl to chat for a bit about his forthcoming What’s Left is Forever release. Check out this exclusive performance of his new track, “This Love Is Here To Stay” from the album.

Thomas Dybdahl norway (Official)

reviewed by
05-11-13

Rave’s Fave: Vampire Weekend – Step

vampire weekend

VW’s second pre-release offering is slow, soft, and sweet. It’s probably the prettiest song we’ve heard from these guys. Their full-length Modern Vampires of the City will be upon us May 14. From what the band has said, we can expect this album from Vampire Weekend to be darker. Judging from some re-arrangements of older songs featured during the band’s set during SXSW, the album might be slower as well. By Bruce Rave

Vampire Weekend – Step

Vampire Weekend (Official)

* Links and playlists from Rave’s weekly new music show can be found on his blog and be sure follow Bruce on Twitter too!

reviewed by
04-13-13

Danger Village: SPRING BREAK NINETY-NINE!!! (April 2013 Mix)

Spring Frog

B3SCI has teamed up with the good peeps at Danger Village to drop this exclusive mix of their choice Spring 2013 worthy jams. Owner Beth Martinez curates the mix track by track below. Hibernation doesn’t stand a chance.

1) holychild “Best Friends”

This song sets the tone perfectly for what I want to come across in this mix. For spring we’re looking to brighter, organic sounds threaded through with good feelings of friendship and laughter. Shifting away from the electronic-heavy vibes of the last mix, this song feels like all things lovely and light while still twisting in the confrontational vocal edge.

2) Denai Moore “Gone”

In February I put a British songstress, Laura Mvula, on the mix. Denai Moore comes from the same city, and this stripped down rendition of this ballad reveals how stringently gorgeous her vocals are without embellishment. I obviously love high-produced material, but nothing goes straight to your heart like these soulful vocals.

3) Rainy Milo “This Thing of Ours”

We can’t stop listening to Rainy Milo. The tone of her voice is lovely and this song is excellent.

4) Autre Ne Veut “Counting”

One of my favorite bands I saw at SXSW and one of my favorite albums of the year so far.

5) Jagwar Ma “The Throw”

Convoluted textures and excellent progression. Somehow Jagwar Ma is the only Australian band on this mix.

6) Freedom Fry “Friends and Enemies”

A breezy song about Frenemies. I love how Freedom Fry is able to make intelligent songwriting sound simple.

7) Mystery Skulls “Ghost”

If you want to get pumped up for anything, put this song on. Pay attention to this guy.

8) Mikael Cronin “Weight”

It’s a melodic and bombastic cocktail. I wish more rock bands were able to write songs like these.

9) Shelter Point “Braille”

Shelter Point makes delicately ardent music. The alien sounds in this song keep making me think my phone is ringing.

10) Shlomo ft HTDW “Don’t Say No”

I love everything about How to Dress Well and this Shlomo collab is so fab. Tom Krell’s vocals lead well into the next artist…

11) Justin Timberlake “Mirrors”

This is probably the most adult-contempo song I’ve ever truly loved. It feels like such a progression in his career, and lyrically I think it’s a very mature assessment of the evolution of a “grown-up” relationship. It feels like a true love song to me, which is always my favorite thing.

12) Sigur Ros “Brennistein”

I’m loving the weightier sound of this song. Leave it to Sigur Ros to make “heavy” sound “gorgeous.”

13) Phospherescent “Song For Zula”

I love how this song encapsulates the feeling of entrapment that comes with being broken in love. The epic lyrics here feel so out of place in modern pop music, it made me realize we don’t see many oathey songs these days. When did epic songwriting go the way of Homer?

14) Cloud Boat – “Youthern”

Been loving everything out of the Cloud Boat camp lately.

15) Active Child “Evening Ceremony”

Stunning church-wave at its finest.

16) Beach House “Troublemaker”

Like Real Estate, Beach House is a paradigm of a band that has the ability to continue refining their craft while retaining their singular sound. “Troublemaker” is a song I’ve had on repeat- the airier sounds fit well with spring’s breezes.

Danger Village (Official)

reviewed by
04-10-13

Interview: The 1975 – The City

THECITYpromofront

Manchester’s The 1975 have been a topic in many new music conversations this past year. Now the band follow up their much lauded SXSW saga with a new and definitive take on “The City,” the lead track (and demo) from their debut Facedown EP release from summer 2012. We recently caught up with frontman Matt Healy to discuss the new recording from their upcoming (to be named) fourth EP which drops May 20th. We also discussed a bit about their debut album, affinity for vintage gear, their first SXSW experience and more. Sample “The City” and check out our conversation with the band below.

B3SCI: What was the band’s motivation behind creating this new and definitive version of your track, “The City”? How would you best describe this extension to the demo version that initially kicked off the Facedown EP?

The 1975: Well we recorded this version for our album shortly after we did the Sex EP. I supposed we just wanted it to be something we were a bit more proud of sonically – whilst maintaining the elements of the demo that made it special. We weren’t planning on releasing this version of “The City” before the album – but after “Chocolate” came out there was such an acceleration in our popularity and peoples awareness of our name. It kinda made us sit back and want to take our time a bit. We feel that “The City,” as a song, says a lot about who we are both musically, personally and sonically and we didn’t want to miss our opportunity to get that message out to as many people as possible. We want to people to hear it now, as apposed to later, it’s a very important track for us.

B3SCI: There seemed a strategic and thought-out nature to your trilogy of EP releases. If this version of “The City” was always brewing somewhere in the masterplan, what specific role will it play on the forthcoming May 20th EP release?

The 1975: We were always planning on putting out three EPs, but I never really thought of them as a trilogy – nothing is ever really set in stone in our ‘world’, so we kinda just let them evolve naturally. I don’t really know what role the next EP plays other than to give people another set of tracks that will help them understand a little more about who we are. We thought it would be interesting writing another record around “The City” seeing as that’s how we had approached the Facedown EP. A lot has happened in the 8 months since we released that EP, so I suppose it’s just a reflection of where we’re at now. Currently I am feeling calm and humble.

B3SCI: Is there a name for this new EP yet? We must say that the working title, EP 4 has something charming to it…

The 1975: There is no name as of yet. But it’s funny you should say that…

B3SCI: We caught at least 4 of your gigs during SXSW this past March. Like many in Austin… we couldnt get enough. How would you rate this, your initial experience in America, and given all the hype about performing in the States, how do you perceive the reaction/experience?

The 1975: Thank you very much. I think seeing that our music had transcended to somewhere so unfamiliar – that was the highlight for us. We genuinely didn’t expect to see that. Our shows sold out nearly every night – we couldn’t quite get our head around how that actually worked. It really makes you understand the power of the internet. We love America anyway. It was so surreal and rewarding every second. It made us realise how much everything has changed since last year. Our album is very inspired by American cinema and pop culture, so it felt right playing some of our new songs out there.

B3SCI: With all of your running about in Austin, did The 1975 get the chance to catch any artists that either impressed you, or surpassed your expectations?

The 1975: We only got to see Haerts and we totally loved them. SXSW was absolutely mental. We did 11 shows in 5 days. We didn’t even get time to sleep. It’s an interesting place at SXSW, Austin is a kind of liberal utopia in the middle of the desert.

B3SCI: Gotta compliment the band’s obvious appreciation for vintage gear. What year is your black Stratocaster, does it have a name or a story worth sharing? How about that Fender Mustang?

The 1975: Well my Strat is actually a reissue unfortunately and not that old. But my Mustang (my love) is 1965′. I love that guitar to bits. I picked it up in LA like 2 years ago. We all love classic vintage gear. When we recorded the album our snobbery was terrible. If anything looked remotely new or easy to decipher it was tossed aside. We like manipulating the best of both worlds – analogue vs digital. There was a nice, compromised balance of valve replacements and software updates.

B3SCI: The band’s live technique and guitar work alone surpassed anything we’ve seen from a new pop band in years. How vital are the intricate countermelodies and parts that comprise The 1975? Tell us a little about rehearsal, what level of experimentation is involved, and at what point does a part in a song ‘just feel right’?

The 1975: Well I don’t really talk about the writing process very much, not to be perceived as enigmatic or cool, it’s simply one of the only things we have left that’s just for us. But our music is built up of syncopated loops and hooks, both vocally and musically. Rhythm is paramount – and everything is treated the same way. Rhythm and flow precedes all melody; from the vocals, to the guitars, everything. I think that’s because that’s what gets us exited the most. Groove, that’s what it’s all about for us. It doesn’t necessarily have to be clever or ‘bangin’ to get us excited, I think it’s just that our history of consuming music is so embedded in American black music. We take a lot of influence from house music also. It’s playing with the ideas of ‘lifts’ and ‘drops’. Minimal house for example exploits repetition in order to create a rewarding sense of pay-off. You can just as easily create a lift by taking something away or simply repeating it; we like that idea, it’s something we like to play with.

B3SCI: Is there a debut album still on the horizon for The 1975 in 2013?

The 1975: Yes there is, it is coming out at the end of the summer.

The 1975 england (Official)(Facebook)

Rating 8.7

brown8

reviewed by
04-08-13

B3SCI Presents: DWNTWN w/ Watch The Duck, The Mercy Beat, TEMP3ST + DJ sets by Hi Deaf! THIS TUESDAY 4/9/13

DWNTWN

Join us in Santa Monica this Tuesday night as B3SCI Presents team up with the Central S.A.P.C. for a not-to-be-missed night of local music with this month’s artist in residence, L.A. based synth-pop-rockers DWNTWN.

Fresh off their noise making trek through SXSW and new single “Stood Me Up,” the Jamie Leffler fronted collective has topped music radars as of late. To add to the excitement, French label Kitsuné has just announced that their new Kitsuné America 2 compilation, due April 29th, will feature the track “Move Me,” a collaboration between DWNTWN, Jhameel, and Giraffage. And speaking of DWNTWN and Kitsuné, check out an exclusive video (below) of the band, Giraffage, and HEARTSREVOLUTION performing during the debut Kitsuné America compilation release show in Los Angeles last year.

This Tuesday night DWNTWN will be joined by a stellar bill of buzzing talent that includes Watch The Duck, The Mercy Beat, TEMP3ST and DJ sets by Hi Deaf! Entry for the residency night is FREE (21+) and you can get additional details on the show here. We’ll see y’all there!

The Central S.A.P.C. california (Gig Info)
DWNTWN (Facebook)

reviewed by
04-07-13

Review: Bondax & Breakbot @ LURE, Los Angeles 03/29/13

bondax5

The nightclub scene can be a tricky beast. Clubs open and close, what’s trendy now won’t be in a year and the turn over rate is pretty high for a “sustainable business”. However, Lure (where The Cabana Club once stood) in Hollywood seems to have a something good brewing. Being opened in May 2012, Lure is not only one of the hottest nightclubs in LA right now, but seem to be on a consistent track with booking the best of new and old talents of EDM. This was ever so apparent, with the bottle service crowd in full swing, for Breakbot and Bondax on Friday night.

Having already seen Bondax at SXSW, and knowing what Adam Kaye and George Townsend would do to a crowd brimming to kick the weekend off on the right note, I just sat back and watch the madness ensue. Some highlights from the set were Moon Boots’ remix of Gold, Pharrell and Jay Z’s “Frontin'”, Mystikal’s “Shake Ya Ass” and Bondax’s monster single Gold. The young UK producers are a must see if they roll thought your town.

A friend of mine would look at the scene for the next act, Breakbot, and would say that the club was “elbow to asshole” packed. Now take that saying however you want to, but the place was at max capacity and every soul under the tented roof were getting down. French native Thibaut Berland, nonchalantly started the funk/French house explosion and the crowd, already feeling it from Bondax, went nuts. The whole set was down right awesome, but a shining moment for me was Baby I’m Yours. The Ed Banger release track is just immaculate and the video is the ultimate compliment to the track. By Brian Litwin

Bondax (Facebook)
Breakbot (Facebook)

reviewed by
04-01-13

Review: Django Django @ The Fonda in LA 3/23/13

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Django Django successfully ended their American tour at the Fonda on Saturday night, March 23. It’s been a quick rise for this refreshingly unique band, who was a Mercury Prize finalist and who made many year-end lists for 2012. A year ago, they were earnestly playing smaller SXSW venues as relative unknowns the the US. They sold out The Echo last fall, with several hundred onlookers and fans packed in and vibing to a show that was relentlessly electric. Saturday night, the guys expressed several times, their delight in playing on the Fonda stage. The venue holds about 1200, and an estimated 900 were on hand. Django Django attracted a good-natured crowd, as evidenced by the number of smiles on people during the intermission. The set sounded virtually note perfect, with all twelve songs coming from their debut album. The band has quickly moved to expand their show, with compelling lighting and some extended song versions. The tribal “Introduction” appropriately opened the festivities, leading into the popular “Hail Bop” just as on the CD. “Waveforms” has one of the band’s hottest grooves. The guys played an extended version with a nice little acapella section mid-song, followed by a jam that eased them back into the familiar tempo. Virtually every song has a dance feel and when they got to the acoustically based “Hand the Man”, it was a beautiful change of pace. The crowd was with them from the start but it was toward the end of the set when the house really got moving. As Django Django grows, it might behoove them to deliver their set with just a bit more punch to equal the impact they had at The Echo. As the show progressed, their hit “Default” and the garagy “Wor” ended things on an intense note. They returned to play “Silver Rays” for a hotly demanded encore. By Bruce Rave

Django Django (Facebook)

* Links and playlists from Rave’s weekly new music show can be found on his blog and be sure follow Bruce on Twitter too!

reviewed by
03-30-13

Giveaway: The 1975 @ Santos Party House, New York City THIS FRIDAY

1975santos

The 1975, who straight murdered it at our SXSW showcase a couple weeks ago & left Austin levelled in their wake, are playing a free all ages show at Santos Party House in New York this Friday. The first b3sci’er to email us with the subject line “I Want To Party Like It’s 1975” wins a +1 on the V.I.P. guestlist. You can RSVP for the show here.

The 1975 (Facebook)

Rating 10.0

brown10

reviewed by
03-27-13

Review: Lianne La Havas w/ Jamie N Commons @ El Rey in Los Angeles, 3/19/2013

Lianne La Havas El Rey LA

Catching a concert comes with a variety of experiences. For example, sometimes the headliner on a bill outshines the opening act(s) so much that those in attendance wonder, ‘why the hell didn’t I just show up for the last half of this show?’ Other times, the support on the bill is the highlight of the night, noteworthy beyond any of the predictable offerings from the headliner. And on the perfect occasion, the mix of talent at a concert is just right. At the El Rey Theater this past Thursday night we had exactly that experience with standout performances from both Jaime N Commons and Lianne La Havas.

It may come as a surprise to many that London born artist Jamie N Commons was actually raised between both Chicago and the UK. With this transatlantic savviness, the bright singer songwriter opened the evening’s show with his track “Lead Me Home”, which was also recently featured in the incredible AMC series The Walking Dead. Near the end of his solo performance of the gloomy track (which is a perfect pairing for the Georgia based zombie thiller), Commons’ band joined him on stage. Together they rocked through his 2013 release Rumble And Sway EP. With pitch perfect, four-part harmonies, and back woods rock and roll, Jaime and the gang killed it. Song after song, the audience warmed up, culminating to an apex when Jamie closed his set with “Wash Me In The Water”. The raspy, whiskey infused rock that Jaime brings, feels like a bullseye, and with more opening dates to come with folk/soul princess Lianne La Havas, Jaime N Commons fans should expect this to be one of the hotter tickets touring the states this Spring.

With a small set change and an increasingly excited crowd, KCRW DJ Jason Kramer pumped up the crowd right before Lianne La Havas hit the stage. She opened to the loving crowd with “No Room For Doubt”. A side note: while both Lianne and Jaime recently weathered SXSW, you certainly couldn’t tell any grueling signs from their haul in Austin. The young 23 London native, Lianne La Havas looked and sounded stunning as ever. The adoring crowd howled and shouted after different vocal runs. She was without doubt great, but frankly she could have probably done anything on stage and still received such a warm reception. Turning her audience into human percussionist, and in playing select songs from her standout 2012 debut Is Your Love Big Enough?, Lianne La Havas proved her powerful impact on both sides of the Pond.

Review By Brian Litwin
Photography By Martin Santacruz Jr

Lianne La Havas (Official)
Jamie N Commons (Official)

Jamie N Commons El LA

Jamie N Commons Band LA

reviewed by
03-23-13

Rave’s Fave: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Hate The Taste

It’s been awhile since we’ve heard from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Luckily enough, their new Spector At the Feast album drops March 19 and just as our SXSW recoveries are underway. It’s a typical strong album for the BRMC crew, sometimes fast and hard, sometimes more mellow and on the slow side. Fans appreciate both styles from the band. “Hate the Taste” from the album is emerging for me as an early fave, and I know they’ll kill this one live as well. By Bruce Rave

BRMC – Hate The Taste (Official)

* Links and playlists from Rave’s weekly new music show can be found on his blog and be sure follow Bruce on Twitter too!

reviewed by
03-10-13