Jacklyn Citero

It all started when a much younger Jackie dove into her parents’ record collection, grabbed that trippy Magical Mystery Tour album, and played “Strawberry Fields” over and over again until it was engrained into her soul. She grew up on the dreams and stories of Simon and Garfunkel, “Bleeker Street” being one of her favorites, the seduction of The Doors, Van Morrison, because “Brown Eyed Girl” is definitely her song, and the likes of Jefferson Airplane, The Who, Jimi Hendrix…you get the picture. It may not show on the outside, but Jackie has a hippie heart, and that reflects in her musical tastes today. While some of her favorites may or may not be jam bands, her taste in music feeds into many genres. From alternative, Brit, and indie rock - OK, maybe all rock - to pop, to rap, to electronic, she loves it all. As a northerner, she thought she would never understand country until she found herself on a Georgia farm in cowboy boots watching Luke Bryan shake it for her- yeah, she got that. She is a chronic wanderluster, she doesn't believe in guilty pleasures, enjoys a great Moscow Mule, and is an absolute music festival fanatic- you’ll find her wherever the music takes her.

Junior Prom x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Jacklyn Citero

After making waves last fall at CMJ, just fresh off of tour supporting Panic at the Disco, an EP released a couple of weeks ago (Feb. 4), working on their full length, and preparing for SXSW, Mark Solomich and Erik Ratensperger are two very busy individuals. Mark and Erik formed the Brooklyn-based music duo Junior Prom after grinding in bands, rehearsal spaces, and venue halls across the city. Their single “Sheila Put the Knife Down” and the 2013-2014 ESPN College Basketball anthem “International” are both included on their debut Junior Prom EP.

With so much going on, we’re grateful these two took time out of their busy schedule to talk about their EP, the Panic at the Disco tour, and their enjoyment of pop music- no guilty pleasures here!

Check out the interview below, right after you check out their newest video for “Sheila Put the Knife Down” here!

Vinyl Mag: I’d love to start off and hear about your creative process for this EP.

Mark Solomich: In essence when we started, it was about a year of writing and playing together before we ever played a show, before we played for anybody really. So it took us a long time, trying different things and experimenting. Over the course of that time we made a whole album and scratched it, and then we made this EP. We made this EP after having written and recorded almost thirty songs. It really was a process of trial and error until we finally came across a sound we liked. We were trying to do something new, but really it was a matter of playing in rehearsal space, taking it home and trying different things on the computer, and really experimenting with the sounds; trying to make the guitars not sound as hard and some vocals not sound like vocals. It was a lot of fun and it was free because at the time we did not have a label yet, and we hadn’t booked a show yet.

Erik Ratensperger: And on top of that it was just us instead of a traditional band. It was just the two of us  working on this and trying to figure it out. We both come from bands, we’ve played in bands all our lives, and we’ve arrived at this point where we decided to take things in this direction and this presented new challenges for us on both the live and the production end.

VM: “Sheila Put The Knife Down” and “International” are getting a lot of recognition, I’m a big fan of “Run Around The Back,” I think it’s a great song- Do you guys have any tracks you are particularly proud of or tracks that are your favorites?

MS: When you play songs live, you feel like “I know this one really brings out people.” So that kind of makes you enjoy that song more, but I think like the song “Big Timer” people really react to that song because it’s neat and just the vibe of it. And that wasn’t my favorite track before we started playing out live, but it might be now, but it really changes day to day.

ER:  I feel the same way, it does change from day to day. Like Mark said, I don’t really think we expected “Big Timer” to be a stand out live song, but we noticed over just playing it live that people are reacting to that one. It’s a song you can just bounce around to. I think “Run Around The Back” is also a really natural jam. I think it’s hard choosing a favorite. I feel like I look at the EP as a whole as representation and a culmination of what we have been up to for the past two years; just laboring over these songs and now we’re to the point where we can kind of see how other people are responding, and that’s exciting.

VM: Do you think the city and Brooklyn have an influence on the music you are producing?

MS: Yeah, it does. Maybe not in an overt way where we’re trying to write songs that appeal to people in New York only. I think [being in the city] it can help with the multiculturalism and just what you hear when you walk into a bodega or hear what someone is pumping on their stereo on the street; you’re going to hear different things. So I think it definitely has influence, subconsciously more than overtly.

ER: I think that holds true for any environment or any city that you are in; it has an effect on what your music is, whether instrumentally or lyrically. As Mark said, I think being in a crazy multicultural city, that would definitely have an influence on sound. You know the stigma that comes with being a Brooklyn based band and I don’t think we ever deliberately set out to be positioned like that type of band.

VM: Who would you say are some of your biggest musical influences, who did you grow up listening to, and what are you listening to now?

MS: I think we have a common thread on what we grew up on. We definitely come from rock and we like punk music and played in punk bands as kids. That’s the bedrock of it. Really, ultimately it is the great songwriters, like The Beatles; we love great songwriting. As far as nowadays, I really don’t even listen to rock anymore, I pretty much listen to reggae, like Bobby Womack and Freddie McGregor, and a lot of funk.

ER: I’m on the same kick. I think that’s one of the reasons why Junior Prom works because of our creative collaboration. I think Mark and I listen to a lot of similar music and that streamlines the flow of our songwriting. And I’m sure we’re both familiar with every song on pop radio and what is very popular right now – and I enjoy it too. I don’t believe in guilty pleasures and I’m enjoying pop music. I think it’s a really interesting time to be an artist when there are people topping the charts who aren’t cookie cutter.

VM: I’d love to hear how touring with Panic at the Disco manifested.

MS: It’s a little bit of a murky thing, but from what I believe their management put us up for it, so it worked out well.

ER: I know their management is in New York and they might have seen us a couple of times. We got emails from our booking agent saying “Do you want to go on tour with Panic at the Disco…” Obviously, yes. We had not idea what to expect and we knew it would be big shows, but we didn’t realize that every night playing in front of 2,500 people would turn into just meeting an overwhelming amount of people who were there just for the music and who genuinely just wanted to enjoy themselves, see live music, and have no judgement or anything. Their crowd and their fan base is incredible and we were very lucky to play for them.

VM: You guys have definitely made a splash playing on tour with Panic at the Disco and you were a hit last fall at CMJ, do you guys have any plans for SXSW this year?

MS: We’ll be there but we just don’t know our schedule yet. We’ll definitely be playing some shows down there. We’re excited and we love Austin. We were just there a week ago and it’s hard to leave every time.

VM: What can we expect from Junior Prom in the next year or so?

MS: Definitely expect more show dates and we’re working on our full length right now. We don’t know exactly when it will come out, but we’re hoping the full length will be out by the end of the year, and of course more touring surrounding that. More online- we’re always trying to get stuff out for people to get into online, but the main focus right now for us is to do more touring and to wrap up this full length that we’ve been working on.

Children of The Stones: ‘Extended Play’ EP

Posted on by Jacklyn Citero




Mark Van Hoen (of Black Hearted Brother, Seefeel, Locust, Scala) and Martin Maeers are set to release two EPs (second is yet to be named) and an LP in the coming months for their new project, Children of The Stones.

Joining them on their upcoming LP, The Stars And The Silence (coming March 25th) are Rachel Davies (Esben & The Witch), Neil Halstead (Slowdive, Black Hearted Brother, Mojave 3, solo) and Al Forrester, plus Angus Finlayson, amongst other friends.

The first EP, Extended Play, is scheduled for release on February 18th and includes four tracks and two remixes of the single “The Stars & The Silence.” This debut release is a transcendental spacey voyage evocative of melodic early 80’s synth. Themed, or perhaps plagued, Extended Play conveys a dysphoric bleakness centered around love’s emotions.

“The Stars & The Silence” is mystic lullaby that hypnotizes the listener into a dreamlike state. This first track and single breathes a lighthearted vibe into the otherwise melancholy EP. As expected, the two remixes found on the EP transform “The Stars & The Silence” into slightly more upbeat renditions without straying too far away from the original edit.

The downtempo soundscape of Extended Play continues with “Your Storm” and its plea to save and be saved by, of course, love. The haunting distress that is “Guiding Light” is underwhelming at best. Although most likely intended, the tempo and vocals seem rather disjointed with low monotonous vocals and overpowering electro beats. “Saudade” follows the same trend as “Guiding Light” with a focus on spacey downtempo sounds taking precedent over dull lyrics that will have listeners straining their ears to understand.

Aside from the first single, “The Stars & The Silence,” for me personally, Extended Play falls short. If it wasn’t for the small number of tracks, it would be hard to tell the other songs apart due to too many droning similarities. Although these other tracks didn’t quite do it for me like “The Stars & The Silence,” I can appreciate the technological approach and the creative use of sounds to make this EP.

Extended Play will be released on February 18th.

Gentlemen of the Road: Day Two

Posted on by Jacklyn Citero

The sweltering heat that arrived with the second day of Mumford & Sons’ Gentlemen of the Road (GOTR) St. Augustine Stopover was the type of weather that made an air-conditioned hotel room seem like paradise. Knowing that the ocean was less than a mile away, it was hard to resist the beckoning surf and white sand while I made the sluggish trek to downtown St. Augustine and Francis Field. If it wasn’t for my love of music and The Hyppo, a local gourmet popsicle shop, and their stand within the festival I’m not sure I would have survived the day.

My arrival came right as Canadian indie rock band Half Moon Run was finishing up their set and just in time for American singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle. Earle is best known for his artistry with folky lyrics with blues and country melodies, his father, alternative country artist, Steve Earle, and, perhaps after his Saturday performance, his semi-snarky and “calling it like he sees it” disposition. Astonishment and a “Who the hell does this guy think he is?” swept the crowd when he addressed the fact that he does not take song requests during any of his shows since he stopped playing for tips. He also added, “ You would know this if you came to any of my shows.” His cynical tone didn’t sit well with the audience after that commentary and many replied, “I won’t be coming to any of your shows with that attitude!” If I was on stage, I’m not sure I would have said that to a 10,000+ audience, but then again I don’t think I can really blame Earle.

The sun was beginning to set behind the single main stage and crowds were still piling into the festival as The Vaccines took the stage. The English indie rock band seemed to bring a new life and energy to the festival as frontman Justin Hayward-Young poured his entire being into his red guitar and vocals. Putting it lightly, he rocked the shit out of that stage. His thrashing stage presence was reminiscent of gritty punk show you would only find in a seedy, black walled and graffitied club. Although The Vaccine’s sound was not as edgy, their set was more of a post-punk revival fuzed with pop rock.

The Vaccine’s solo set would not be the only time they had on the GOTR stage that evening. They would later share the stage with Mumford & Sons, but they also filled in as backing for fun.’s replacement, Mr. John Fogerty, former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman. We can all appreciate fun.’s catchy tunes and bubbly performances, but there is no comparison to such an American legend and I must say this replacement choice was an upgrade. In addition to The Vaccines, Fogerty shared the stage with his son Tyler Fogerty and Mumford’s Winston Marshall. We were immediately served up the CCR classic “Susie Q,” followed by Fogerty’s “Old Man Down the Road.” Next up was a “Fortunate Son” that Fogerty and The Vaccines played with such ease you would have never known the efforts it took for all artists to get to this point. To fill the slot, Fogerty took an overnight flight from L.A. and spent the hours leading up to set rehearsing.

Without any surprise, Mumford & Sons came out for the remainder of this memorable set. Mumford and Fogerty collaborated on fan favorites “Down on the Corner” and a fitting swampy “Born on the Bayou.” As the lightening in the navy blue sky began to flash overhead, “Bad Moon Rising” rang out over Francis Field; Mother Nature could not have planned her light show more perfectly. A 25,000 person sing-a-long to “Proud Mary” concluded the set and as Fogerty left the stage festival goers cheered and pounded the air with their fists begging and screaming for more. At this point any, and I say this as if there even was any to begin with, disappointment with fun.’s cancellation was a very distant memory and Fogerty proved to be an absolute incredible choice because, as Marcus Mumford stated, “ John Fogerty was fucking awesome!”

Something between a captivating theatrical performance with a climaxing finish and a photographer’s nightmare unfolded as Mumford & Sons took the stage and performed “Lovers’ Eyes” to a packed out dusty field of thousands. Musicians and audience were immersed in total darkness as Marcus Mumford’s vocals struck the heartstrings of those in earshot. As the song intensified, particularly when Mumford roared the end of the chorus, the signature stringed lights that hung from stage to soundboard and stage lights would momentarily illuminate the faces of Marcus, Ben Lovett, Winston Marshall, Ted Dwane, and the 25,000+ in attendance. Although frustration could be sensed within the photo pit, under normal circumstances photographers usually only get the first three songs of performances to get their shots so the loss of one song was what I call a pain in the ass, I was nothing but impressed with the showmanship and grasp Mumford held on crowd; it was hard to not be hypnotized.

Thunderous stomping and dancing came with a blazing delivery of “Little Lion Man” and a raw emotional “Whispers in the Dark” filled with torment of uncertain loss followed. From a “I Will Wait” full of fervor to the comforting spiritual of “Timeshel,” Mumford produced a divine awakening within all who were in attendance. Mumford’s performance can only be defined as a revival of the soul.

The set finished out with more fan favorites, but they seemed to save the best for last. Gathered around one microphone and stating that it “Needs to be fucking quiet,” Mumford started the encore with a sweet and delicate acoustic cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire,” followed by an a cappella round, almost too quiet for those in the very back of the field to hear, of “Sister.” After a serious start to the encore, The Vaccines and members of the band Bear’s Den joined Mumford on stage for an uplifting and sing-a-long promoting Beatle’s “Come Together.” For those seeing Mumford for the first time on their 2013 tour, this encore excited and entertained, but for anyone who was able to catch one of their shows, either in Atlanta, Georgia, or Simpsonville, South Carolina, earlier that same week, the encore was beginning to sound familiar and repetitive. The final songs of the evening were, of course, “Babel” and “The Cave.” Up until the encore I was absolutely enthralled in the music, but soon became disappointed in the standard and predictable set it had become.

This is what music that appeals to the masses has become; a regurgitation of songs that sound nearly identical to that being played on our radios, Pandoras, and studio recorded albums. Even down to the order of songs in the encore, practically everything about this show was the same as their performance in Atlanta only four days prior. Maybe this is just my jaded perception from going to countless shows over the years and becoming spoiled from performances that have hardly ever repeated songs in a similar fashion, let alone the same encores in exact song order as previous shows. Don’t get me wrong, Mumford & Sons is and always will be in my top artists I listen to. It is my recognition of them as outstanding artists and masters of their craft that allows me to know they are more than capable of producing cookie cutter sets.

Exhaustion and a need to escape the inebriated crowds started to set in as Mumford left the stage for one last time. As the mass exodus began, Australia’s Yacht Club DJ’s provided a 30 minute set of energetic mashups that seemed to give the extra oomph needed to walk the mile back to the hotel. With the curtain closed on the 2013 GOTR Stopovers, The St. Augustine Stopover proved to be one grand finale. From the beautiful host city to the extraordinary music and once in a lifetime collaborations, this momentous weekend will provide a lifetime of memories for all those who were in attendance.

Gentlemen of the Road: Day One

Posted on by Jacklyn Citero

 

Rarely is it the intent of music festivals to engage and immerse entire communities with event festivities beyond the promotion of the host city as the location for the festival, the invitation of local vendors within festival grounds, possible volunteer opportunities for locals, and promises of a local economy boost. Now, you may be saying to yourself, “Wait a minute… all those listed points do in fact ‘engage’ communities when music festivals come to town.” Of course they do, to an extent. (Bear with me now) From city fests to out in the middle of nowhere in giant fields, music festivals I have seen foster community involvement only to the degree mentioned above. It wasn’t until my arrival in St. Augustine that I finally understood what it truly means for full entire communities to embrace and welcome a music festival to their home.

Welcome signs, Mumford & Sons and Gentlemen of the Road (GOTR) flags, and mustaches seemed to greet visitors everywhere. From the smallest shops in town to the the top of the St. Augustine Lighthouse, warm “gentlemen” welcomes were abundant and every local seemed to be embracing the GOTR spirit. St. Augustine was the final Stopover city for the traveling festival this summer; other cities included Lewes, East Sussex (UK), Simcoe, Ontario (CAN), Troy, Ohio (US), and Guthrie, OK (US). Mumford & Sons began hosting global GOTR Stopovers in 2012 and the essence of this project over the past two summers has remained the same: to produce “a music festival that celebrates local people, food and culture, where everyone pitches in and everybody gets something back.”

The official planning process for the St. Augustine Stopover with city officials began eight months prior. For a city that depends greatly on summer tourism, GOTR was a huge deal for locals and the the festival dates were set for Sept. 13-14, during a time when the local tourism economy is slow. Throughout the weekend the only concerns from locals seemed to be over traffic and price gouging. With downtown parking extremely limited all weekend a partnership between the city and GOTR provided a shuttle service from general parking areas outside of town. The only price gouging, and the highest gouging for an event I have personally ever seen, came in the form of $50 event parking spots throughout the town. The markup seemed to quickly drop to half price as the weekend went on, as there was lack of visitors in need of such parking spots; the city had done such an exceptional job in deterring anyone from driving downtown that most festival goers were using the shuttle, walking, or riding bicycles.

The main festival area was located at Francis Field, but there were also smaller stages planted around the downtown area supplying free music and encouraging visitors to explore St. Augustine beyond the confines of the festival grounds. The Festival kicked off at 6PM on Friday and had a lineup that included Willy Mason, Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, The Walkmen, and Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros.

Willy Mason and Thao & the Get Down Stay Down were both good sets to ease into a weekend of music. Mason’s set was acoustic, as well as nearly the first half of alternative folk rockers T&TGDSD’s set. Thao Nguyen and her band had a performance style was able to capture new listeners off guard and beg them to question themselves with “why haven’t I heard of them before?” There was a familiarity and comfort in Thao’s voice, almost as if watching a friend perform, and watching her switch between banjo, guitar, and mandolin maintained audience intrigue. Cheery, light, and happy is how T&TGDSD left that Friday evening crowd.

Throughout the weekend emcee “Big Mike,” unbeknownst to many in the crowd that “Big Mike” was in fact the talented guitarist Mike Harris of Nashville’s The Apache Relay, had the responsibility of introducing all bands and hyping up the crowd. Between sets Friday night he publicly announced the cancelation of highly anticipated headliner fun., but provided the hint that an artist with a connection to the phrase, “Have you ever seen the rain,” would be the replacement. “Holy Shit! John Fogerty!” remarked one festival attendee. Although Fogerty was the obvious choice, rumors of Old Crow Medicine Show and Kings of Leon were rampant throughout the crowd.

By the time New York’s The Walkmen took the stage, festival attendance and anticipation seemed to have grown immensely. In a crisp white button down, almost too refined for an indie rock band, frontman Hamilton Leithauser took to the stage and positioned himself with microphone in hand under the blue lights. As soon as his mouth opened and The Walkmen began to play, it could be heard that Leithauser and his bandmates are masters of their craft. Genuine raw emotion full of beauty, agony, and power seemed to emanate from Leithauser’s vocals. In backing the captivating frontman, The Walkmen exuded an overall sound of vintage rock with a hint of polished garage band. Through the entire set, soothing singing morphed into fiery powerful vocals and it seemed that at times Leithauser held back as to not overpower the performance, but there was a sense that given the opportunity he was extremely capable of taking his vocal performance to a soaring new level.

The last set of the evening was held by Friday’s headliner Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. Stage preparation took place as frontman Alex Ebert, clad in a red coat over a dingy white and paint splotched t-shirt, unexpectedly took the stage and introduced a video the band had just recently shot during a stint in New York City and had just been finished being edited that morning. The videography of the video for “Life Is Hard” was eloquent and alluring and gave a look into the soul of the band. Alex remained on stage for the entire video, crouched in the corner, and his eyes shifted back and forth from the video to the crowd as he took in any and all receptiveness of his latest creation. Although he maintained a quiet presence in the shadows, and with my position right next to him from inside the pit, it was evident that internally Alex was basking in a personal and momentous moment.

Soon after the video’s conclusion, Alex emerged once again this time with the rest of the band. Screams hailed from the crowd for vocalist Jade Castrinos as she made her way to her microphone. She was dressed in a white floor length vintage gown reminiscent of the Summer of Love in the Haight. With a smile and a soft appreciative wave she acknowledged the shouts of adoration. “Man On Fire” was the first song of a set that only the love child of the Mamas and the Papas and Jefferson Airplane would perform.

Alex and Jade have a charismatic stage presence and unmatched harmonious chemistry that can only be fully understood by attending one of their shows. The duo sang and danced their way through a set that was partially chosen by members of the audience from the front few rows. Against a psychedelic backdrop, Jade transitioned between singing and playfully dancing with Alex, where as Alex’s dancing and flailing was interrupted by jumping off the stage and diving into the sea of worshipers. The audiences was enthralled.

Probably the most recognizable Edward Sharpe songs, “Home,” was the second to last song performed. Within the song, Alex provided commentary on how we would not see us for a while and that they wouldn’t be there to hang out with us tomorrow. This bitter-sweet song choice was appropriate as their GOTR journey and Day One of the St. Augustine Stopover came to end.

REVIEW: Lockn – Day Four

Posted on by Jacklyn Citero

The last day of a four day festival is always that day when you know you are completely exhausted and perhaps just totally burned out, but any fatigue is suppressed by the notion that there are great music and vibes to bask in for just one last day. Although “Sunday Funday” was about to commence at Lockn’, there was nothing fun about what was going on in the car camping fields. Despite the fourth beautiful morning and waking up to blue skies and the sun just touching above the mountain backdrop, a repugnant stench from the deplorable provided porta-johns, which had never been cleaned once over the entire weekend, wafted through the camping field. After twenty-four hours of pleas to staff and to Lockn’ via social media which started on the previous day, alleviation from this overlooked logistic for campers came around 5:00PM Sunday. My gratitude still goes out to the men who had to clean those those plastic stalls of something that can only be described as a defecation hell.

With images and stenches that I hope to never see or smell again behind me, Sunday did in fact prove to be one hell of a finale to what was truly an amazing and momentous weekend. The music started off with yet again another local Charlottesville bluegrass band, this time being the Hackensaw Boys. The set was a perfect start to the day and set the crowd up for the second act of the day, Col. Bruce Hampton & Friends w/ Oteil.

From the fabrications that Neil Young would in fact make an appearance at Lockn to the speculation surrounding why/how Trey Anastasio had been added to the lineup, Lockn’ was somewhat of a rumor mill and Col. Bruce’s set just added to the disillusioned hopes. Although a very plausible assumption considering Jeff Snipe, Oteil Burbridge, Jimmy Herring, and of course Col. Bruce Hampton were all present at Lockn that Sunday, it had been anticipated that a possible Aquarium Rescue Unit reunion would take place. As much as crowd members hoped for the reunion it did not occur, but that doesn’t mean Col. Bruce Hampton & Friends’ set was a flop, quite the opposite actually. In addition to Snipe and Burbridge joining the set later on, Eric Krasno, Soulive and Lettuce guitarist, also found himself on stage that afternoon.

Fresh off an album release, the Tedeschi Trucks Band band took to the stage next and delivered a set chock full of collaborations. Off of their new album they delivered “Made Up Mind,” “Do I Look Worried,” and “Part of Me.” Remarking that this was one of her favorite songs written by band guitarist Mike Mattison, Tedeschi sang a beautiful soulful “Midnight In Harlem.” Krasno accompanied TTB on a version of John Prine’s “Angels from Montgomery” that included a “Sugaree” tease. Just when you thought the set couldn’t get any better, Chris Robinson, Bob Weir, Jackie Greene, Burbridge, and Krasno all sat in on celebratory “Sing A Simple Song > I Want To Take You Higher.”

Robinson greeted the audience to the beautiful Sunday afternoon with “Seeing Things” followed by “My Morning Song > Stare It Cold > My Morning Song.” In addition to Black Crowes’ classics such as “Garden Gate,” Nonfiction,” and “Shine Along,” notable covers included Joe Cocker’s “Space Captain” and The Velvet Underground’s “Oh! Sweet Nuthin’” with Robinson’s brother Rich Robinson on lead vocals. The Tedeschi Trucks Band returned to the stage to collaborate on Ray Charles’ “Let’s Go Get Stoned” and they remained on stage for the last song of the set, Bobby “Blue” Bland’s “Turn On Your Light,” which included an appearance from Bob Weir.

The sets full of guest performances and collaborations continued with Widespread Panic’s second set of Lockn. This sunset set kicked off with “Conrad The Caterpiller” and “Please” into an ode to Neil Young with a fiery “Mr. Soul” that highlighted what Herring does best with his guitar. The always favorite instrumental “Disco” got the crowd dancing up a dusty storm and a re-boost in energy came with Robert Johnson’s “Stop Breakin’ Down” and a cover from one of their favorite bands, as John Bell put it, “Can’t Get High.” Keyboardist John “JoJo” Herman had the opportunity to show off his expertise with J.J. Cale’s “Ride Me High,” another staple and perfected Panic cover. Derek Trucks sat in on “Chilly Water,” Robert Johnson’s “Me and the Devil Blues,” and Jerry Joseph’s “North,” to close out the set. Between Herring and Trucks, this was an on-point collaboration that had festival attendees reminiscing hours and even days after this set had ended.

The last show of the weekend was performed by none other than crowd favorite Furthur. Opening the set was the Grateful Dead’s “Terrapin Station,” followed by “Samson And Delilah” with Susan Tedeschi on guitar and vocals. Herring sat in on classics “Brown-Eyed Women” and “Box of Rain.” Tedeschi returned again for a cover of Traffic’s “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” “Playing in the Band,” and “Standing on the Moon.” Furthur came full circle and closed out their set with “Terrapin Flyer > Terrapin Reprise;” in a sense, finishing what they had started. A melancholy spirit blanketed the crowd as the realization that all was coming to a close as Furthur returned to the stage one last time. Phil Lesh stood on stage, as he has done at the end of shows since his liver transplant in 1998, and delivered his organ donor rap. The encore was a beautiful “Brokedown Palace” that peacefully lullabied the crowd and proved to be an appropriate finish to a weekend that provided not only sweet songs, but rocked our souls.

REVIEW: Lockn Festival – Day Three

Posted on by Jacklyn Citero
It was another beautiful day at Lockn’ and day three opened with a fusion of ‘80s and bluegrass. Yes you read that correctly. The Charlottesville band Love Canon, comprised of Jesse Harper (Guitarist/singer), Adam Larrabee (Banjo), Andy Thacker (Mandolin), and Darrell Muller (Bass/Backing Vocals), got this music going with covers like Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer,” ZZ Top’s “Legs,” and Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical.” Comical, yet genius. The afternoon turned funky and Black Keys-esq with The London Souls followed by The Punch Brothers taking us straight back to traditional bluegrass roots.
By the time the Black Crows took the stage the sun was starting it’s slow decent  into the earth. Their impassioned set was filled with soul and good old rock and roll. Many classics and favorites were played including “Jealous Again” and a “She Talks to Angels” that got the entire audience singing a long. Admist beautiful segues and seamless transitions, The Crows slipped covers of the Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” and their own version of Otis Reddings’ “Hard to Handle” into Billy Joe Royal’s “Hush.” The Black Crows would take the stage the following day for their second set of the weekend.
Days after Neil Young’s cancellation, it seemed that Lockn’ made the right replacement choice with the Trey Anastasio Band. Although it has been speculated that Anastasio was never a replacement choice, that Lockn’ had previously planned to add him to the lineup anyway, either way his set was a highlight for festival attendees alike. You didn’t have to be a Phish fan to enjoy TAB that evening. The set opened with a lively “Cayman Review” and included some Phish staples “Ocelot” and “Sand.” This set was also an opportunity for Anastasio to play some of his solo songs like “Valentine.” The absolute  high point of TAB’s set was the cover of Gorillaz’ “Clint Eastwood,” that got the entire audience singing and dancing. In addition to the songs, the horns, the band, and Anastasio himself, it cannot go unmentioned how songstress and trumpet player Jennifer Hartswick captivated the entire Lockn’ crowd with her incredible vocals, both on “Clint Eastwood” and Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog.” This was TAB’s only set of the weekend and the performance that was put on that evening left the Lockn’ audience wanting more.
As soon as TAB was done ramping up the crowd, Widespread Panic took the stage a few minutes later for their first of two highly anticipated sets of the weekend. For two hours not only did we get a full serving of classic Panic, but for the last thirty minutes of the set legendary American rocker and former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman John Fogerty took the stage with those Georgia boys. There was a “Henry Parsons Died” opener with “Pigeons” following. “Pilgrims” into “Ribs And Whiskey” got the whole crowd stomping up a dusty storm and elevated the excitement for what was yet to be delivered. After an appropriate “Ain’t Life Grand,” Fogerty joined Panic on stage and immediately delivered those time-honored CCR classics the crowd was just waiting to sing-a-long to. Those classics included “Born on the Bayou,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Suzy Q,” “Keep on Chooglin,” and of course “Fortunate Son.” After thanking “The Panics” for having him on stage Fogerty plugged and played his new song “Mystic Highway.”
The entire Widespread Panic set with John Fogerty: Henry Parsons Died, Pigeons, Travelin’ Light, Pilgrims >Ribs And Whiskey, Holden Oversoul, Dyin’ Man, Taildragger, Bust It Big > Surprise Valley > Drum Solo > Surprise Valley > Blue Indian, Ain’ Life Grand, Born On The Bayou (with John Fogerty), Bad Moon Rising (with John Fogerty), Mystic Highway (with John Fogerty), Suzy Q (with John Fogerty), Old Man Down The Road (with John Fogerty), Keep on Chooglin (with John Fogerty), Fortunate Son (with John Fogerty)
Taking the Lockn’ stage for the third time that weekend, Furthur played a complete set featuring the Grateful Dead album Workingman’s Dead. It seemed that the crowd that Saturday night was the largest it had been all weekend and there was an overall sense that the culmination of Lockn’ was about to be heard and seen. You couldn’t help but sing a long to “Uncle John’s Band” and “Dire Wolf.” Anastasio joined on stage for the last song of the album “Casey Jones,” and remained on stage for the remainder of the set. “Bertha,” “Scarlet Begonias,” and “Fire on the Mountain,” among other Grateful Dead staples, closed out the memorable festival day; a day that could never and will never be duplicated.

REVIEW: Lockn Festival – Day Two

Posted on by Jacklyn Citero

Friday was a brand new day in the world of Lockn’ with all the hiccups of yesterday behind us.The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and the beautiful oak tree in the middle of Oak Ridge Estate greeted us as we made our trek to the festival area. This second day of music started off with the local Charlottesville duo Founding Fathers, comprised of Andy Falco and Chris Pandolfi of the Infamous String Dusters. Following this bluegrass set, Pegi Young and The Survivors brought some country rock to that hot Virginia afternoon. With the cancellation of headliner Neil Young only a couple of weeks prior to the festival it was inevitable that Peggy’s performance at Lockn’ would fuel rumors of Neil Young actually showing up at the festival. Although she is married to the music legend, his wife of 31 years, her performance that afternoon was not overshadowed by the fanciful hopes of a special appearance that filled some festival goers that weekend.

Booty shaking, boogie funk. Need I say more? With temperatures rising in that wide open field, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and the Soul Rebels Brass Band turned up the heat a little more with the third set of day two at Lockn’. Both bands brought the party from New Orleans to Arrington, VA with covers like Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky and the Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams.”

Where others may not be fond of story telling by musicians between songs, I do appreciate anecdotes that convey personal and deeper meaning to the musical performance. In his set following those funky bands from NOLA, Jimmy Cliff not only brought his talent but his intimate stories to the stage. Highlights of the set included “Vietnam” where he substituted Vietnam for Afghanistan, the Cat Stevens cover “ Wild World,” and Johnny Nash’s cover “I Can See Clearly Now.”

Immediately following Jimmy Cliff, The String Cheese Incident began their first of two performances that evening as the sun set over Lockn’. “Outside and Inside” was the first song of the set with Billy Nershi on lead vocals and Kyle Hollingsworth rhythmically pounding the keys. In provoking the celtic spirit, they segued into the instrumental “Valley of the Jig” which set the tone nicely for their the rest of their bluegrass and electronic infused performance. “Joyful Sound” incorporated these electronic undertones as experimental improvisations broke from the cease of Keith Moseley’s vocals. Following this frenzied dance party and impassioned jams, Kyle served us a lighthearted and funky “Let’s Go Outside,”  followed by a playful “This Must be the PLace (Naive Melody). SCI’s entire first set of the evening: Outside and Inside > Valley of the Jig, It Is What It Is, Yo Se, Joyful Sound > Let’s Go Outside, This Must be the Place (Naive Melody) > Restless Wind

Furthur took the stage for their first set of the week noodling around for a moment before dropping into a powerful and funky shakedown street. The crowd erupted as Phil Lesh’s opening notes rang out. An excellent choice of opener to set the tone for the weekend. Next up was The Wheel, a personal favorite of mine written by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter followed by Cryptical Envelopment into a very dark Estimated Prophet. Music had been going for almost an hour nonstop by the time the band finished Cold, Rain and Snow. More great renditions of classics followed with Cassidy, Candyman and finishing the set with Jack Straw.

The String Cheese Incident’s last “incident” of the weekend included a collaboration with American country songwriter/singer/guitarist Zac Brown and his fellow band members of the Zac Brown Band. When the “Zac Brown Incident” was first announced a wave of dismissal amongst Cheese fans swept the the Internet forums about this performance. Even in the moments leading up to the start of the set uncertainty emanated from many loyal Cheese fans that surrounded me. In attempts to not make assumptions before experiencing this “incident” I went in with the mind set of expect nothing and be surprised. And sure enough I was pleasantly surprised. Of course I have seen better Cheese sets, but Brown’s talent as an artist cannot be dismissed.

The common perception of Brown as a sold-out pop country artist was shattered, for me anyway, as the set began with “Sometimes a River,” as Keith and Brown switched between lead vocals. Throughout a interlocking set  of Cheese and Zac Brown Band songs, Brown’s stage presence conveyed a sense of desire to prove his worth as an artist to the ever loyal Cheese and jam-band fans. Brown took the reins on many lead vocals and his proficiency with his guitar was highlighted throughout the evening. Brown played guitar and shared lead vocals with Kyle on “Close Your Eyes.” Although sharing the spotlight, nothing could outshine Kyle’s finesse on the keys that added to the fiery jam within the song. A soulful “When I go Away” reminiscent of deep south gospel hymn was an unforgettable and beautiful tribute to the late Levon Helm. Bluegrass merged with rock on a cover of Aerosmith’s “Sweet Emotion,” which was followed by a feet-stomping and hand clapping “Born Free” accompanied with a lively fiddle. The cheesiness of the set was amplified with Zac Brown Band’s song “Jump Right In.” As Cheese fans we expect some level of “cheesiness” with some SCI songs, but this song may have taken that to a whole different level and it was my least favorite song of the set. A funky “Use Me” followed and included a surprise ending taken from Outkast’s “So Fresh, So Clean.” Brown took lead vocals one last time on the SCI classic and fan favorite, “Colorado Bluebird Sky,” but the culmination of the song came when Billy took back lead vocals and everyone on stage finished the set with an energy filled jam. The set encored with an island vibed “Could You Be Loved.”

Furthur’s second set started kicked up as “The Zac Brown Incident” were still saying their goodbyes from the neighboring stage. The set began with a nice jam led by Phil before dropping into “Dark Star.” This song has really enveloped the spacey and abstract sounds that The Grateful Dead were well known for. An unfinished “Dark Star” transitioned into a nice up beat version of “Eyes of the World” that featured some great work from John Kadlecik on guitar and vocals before leading into “St Stephen” and “Unbroken Chain.” This whole segment featured some some of my favorite jamming of the weekend before spacing back into “Dark Star.” Zac Brown returned to the stage once more and played his song “Free” which segued into what can only be described as a magical rendition of Van Morrison’s “Into the Mystic.” Brown remained on stage for the classic “Tennessee Jed” and later returned for an encore of “Touch of Grey.”, Furthur finished their second set with  the classic “Help on the Way>Slipknot!>Franklin’s Tower” trio; an excellent group of songs that often found themselves joined together.

 

With Contributions By: John C. Anderson

REVIEW: Lockn Festival – Day One

Posted on by Jacklyn Citero

With the car in park and the engine turned off we got out of the car, grabbed some chairs, cracked open some beers and found some respite from the beating sun in the shade of a neighboring parked RV. Our collective group of friends was among many who had arrived at Oak Ridge Estate on that Virginia morning for the inaugural Lockn’ Festival. In these early hours, a sea of cars lined up in what was once a vast open field with the overall anticipation that entry into the festival and direction to campsites would take minimal time, perhaps only an hour or so. Assumptions proved wrong as that morning turned into afternoon and not a single car in the surrounding lines moved any closer to entry into the festival. As the hours passed, sunburns, frustrations, and aggravations grew as many were coming to terms with the fact that we were going to miss music we had come to see.

There is no denying that at the start of Lockn’ certain logistics had been over looked. It has been argued that as a first year festival it should have been presumed that there were going to be kinks in the production, but it was apparent after final arrival to our campsite and once inside the festival grounds that some efforts had been concentrated in nonessential areas. This Day One festival review and my other Lockn daily reviews that will follow will concentrate on the positive highlights and the incredible days and nights of music, but the unacceptable insufficiencies of planning in some aspects will not go unmentioned.

Over the four day festival there was no music overlap so that no attendee would miss performances they wished to see. Two main adjacent stages provided the “interlocking” sets and with these side by side stages, performances were able to start immediately one after the other. This set up which is rarely seen at many other big name festivals today allowed for artists to feed off of each other when starting their own sets.   Thursday’s schedule started with Keller & The Keels followed by Warren Haynes Band, The String Cheese Incident, Gov’t Mule with Grace Potter, and closing out the day was a second set by The String Cheese Incident.

The hellish “gridlockn” caused many to miss the first set of the festival. Virginia’s own Keller Williams performed with husband and wife duo Larry and Jenny Keel, and opened with a bluegrass set and Keller on his acoustic guitar. As lines of cars still crept along the festival borders slowly making their way to campsites, the soulful Warren Haynes Band took the stage for their rock and bluesy festival set complete with horns and of course Haynes on his guitar. Accompanying him on stage was keyboardist Nigel Hall, saxophonist Ron Holloway, and vocalist Alecia Chakour. The soulful set comprised of songs off of Warren’s solo release “Man in Motion” and a number of covers including Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Spanish Castle Magic” and Steely Dan’s “Pretzel Logic”

String Cheese kicked off their set in high gear with “Desert Dawn” as many fans were still filing into the venue.  A nice high energy song to get the party started. “Black and White” featured a nice jam that segued into “So Far from Home;” A new tune of Billy Nershi that has almost a country feel to it. Up next was “Mouna Bowa”, an instrumental song that really lets every member of the band shine.  They found themselves in a nice exploratory jam out of “Mouna Bowa” that led to probably the biggest dance party of the set with “Colliding.” This song has really blossomed into a nice electronic jam since its debut appearance almost two years ago. “Song In my Head” followed, another new song from Nershi to be featured on their upcoming album. Keller Williams was then brought out to sing his own “Best Feeling” which was arguably one of their best versions of this song in years. A short and to the point Texas rounded out this set nicely.

Immediately following the first of two String Cheese sets, Warren took the stage again with Gov’t Mule. As expected we heard a set filled with southern rock and blues and a delivery of songs the emulated complete passion from Haynes that seemed to captivate every listener that night. From the reggae influenced “Step Lightly” to the rocking “Broke Down on the Brazos” to the soulful “Banks of the Deep End,” Gov’t Mule was quickly becoming a highlight of Lockn’. The real magic of this set manifested when the always beautiful songstress Grace Potter joined Mule and delivered memorable covers of The Beatles’ “Dear Prudence,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Gold Dust Woman,” Crosby, Stills, & Nash’s “Find the Cost of Freedom,” and Neil Young’s “Southern Man.” With her flowing bohemian garb and powerful mesmerizing vocals, Grace Potter was an essential element in one of the most culminating musical performances of the entire weekend.

“Rosie” opened up Cheese’s second set with a bang; a newer track from Kyle Hollingsworth. The bluegrass staple “Black Clouds” followed and featured the Michael Jackson hit “Shake your Body Down to the Ground” sandwiched in the middle which was definitely a nice treat. A short drum segment built up to “Can’t Wait Another Day”, another Kyle song written for his daughter. “Bollymunster” and “Sirens” followed with an excellent version of John Coltrane’s “Impressions” that found its way in a dubbed out rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.” An excellent version of “Just One Story” brought this set to a close sealing the deal on an excellent first night of music.

 

With contributions by: John C. Anderson

Catching Up with Sirah

Posted on by Jacklyn Citero

So you all remember the interview with our girl Sirah back at SXSW in March?  Yeah, well…lucky us, we got to catch up with her AGAIN for a quick phone chat to see what she’s been up to since then.  Turns out, it’s a lot.  Read below to learn about her new EP, her current tour, and her fashion inspiration (she’s a goddess, as we all know).

Here we are just a couple of months later, and you have your EP release and your currently on tour, Let’s start off by talking about your very recently released EP Inhale… What do you hope listeners of the EP will take away in regards to you as an artist?

I think people shy away from touching on a lot of things [topics], but when it’s [the music] real and to be compelled towards different genres and different subjects, I hope people take away the fact that it is multi faceted. So whether it’s happy music or dark, they aren’t different it all comes from the same place. I think that a lot of the time people limit their selves and artists limit themselves.

I want people to get to know me with Inhale. I have moments where it’s really happy and light and fun, and talking about falling in love and the naivety of being a teenager. There are things like “First Impressions” and you know you want it where there’s true real life situations that are happening there. But basically, the light doesn’t diminish the dark side of a person, it can all come from the same place.

What was the creative process for the EP like, specifically with the writing of songs and recording it?

I think it really depends, I pretty much write everyday and sometimes, “Inhale”, the actual title track to the EP came to me and wrote it in just a few minutes. The same thing with “First Impressions,” there are some pieces where you can just hear what is going on. A lot of those songs come to me. And then there’s songs like “Icarus” that I sat down with this idea that I had and that I wanted to recreate and I try to make it real. If I get stuck somewhere I’ll generally just look at other people’s art or read a book or go out and run into actual human beings.

What are some of your favorite songs off of the EP?

I think it would have to be a toss up between “Inhale” and “Icarus” for me personally. It’s tough, it feels like having kids almost, even though I don’t have kids, I love them all, but you know what I mean. All the songs are pieces of me so it’s kind of hard to be like “This is my favorite and this is why I like it the best”.

Many people, before the release of Inhale, may only know you for your collaborations with Skrillex, can we expect some more collaborations with Sonny in the future or is there anyone else you would love to collaborate with?

I think me and Sonny will definitely work on something in the future. It’s kind of one of those things where when I didn’t expect things to come out it did. When we got into the studio to record things it never comes out the way we want, but when I send it to him from my bedroom or we do it on the USB mic in a hotel that’s something else. I don’t know what will happen with that, but right now we’re working on each others music, so I don’t really know what to expect. There’s definitely things in the works and in terms of collaborations beyond that…

I’m not really sure, I love making music so I get excited about people whether they are big or small, or sometimes I have beats sent my way and after I check them out I’ll end up working with the artist.

You’re currently on tour with Icona Pop & K. Flay- what has life on the road been like with 3 other strong female artists?

It’s awesome, girl power up in here! I love K. Flay and her camp, they are incredible. I think it’s one of those situations where you’re living on a bus together and you can’t really imagine it going that well because it sounds like some Real World type shit, but it’s been awesome and Icona Pop is just so sweet and it’s cool. We’ll all play and then we’ll all end up dancing together through their set, and I crowed surfed the other night in Atlanta- things like that. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a fierce line-up.

We only have a couple minutes left, but your fashion sense is incredible, can you talk about what inspires your outfits and how you go about choosing some of your clothes?

Growing up in poverty will make you mad crafty. I just wear what I like whether it’s high fashion stuff or even, I was getting down in Wal-Mart the other day – they have the whole line-up of Fubu Gear, so it’s real out there. I kind of just pull things I like, and I think that depending on how I’m feeling I wouldn’t wear anything that wouldn’t express what’s going on with me, just like music.

Thank you so much for your time and we all at Vinyl Mag wish nothing but the best and success for you!

REVIEW: Forecastle Festival Day Three

Posted on by Jacklyn Citero

The last day of Forecastle was sweltering, and inclement weather loomed for later in the day. Waking up that morning, we were in for a bit of an unpleasant surprise.  We had been made aware of Animal Collective’s cancellation days prior to the festival, but it seemed that Dan Deacon suddenly just disappeared off of the schedule.  Besides these disappointments, there was much to look forward to including Toro Y Moi, The Forecastle Incident, Purity Ring, and the legend Robert Plant.

 

Toro Y Moi

Toro Y Moi

I first saw Toro Y Moi during his SXSW set this year where I thoroughly enjoyed his set of chill pop, and sounds of R&B, jazz and funk. His Forecastle set was no different. Walking up to the main stage there was a decent crowd gathered who were getting down to his music in the late afternoon. He set the tone and was an appropriate act to be placed before Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.

Greensky Bluegrass

Greensky Bluegrass was the optimum choice as opener for The Forecastle Incident on that afternoon. Fast-paced blue grass with hints of rock and roll amped up the crowed, if you couldn’t tell already by their name for what you would be in for. A cover of Prince’s “When the Doves Cry” was a pleasant surprise.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Leaving Greensky Bluegrass and walking over to the main stage to catch Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, the noise overlap from stages was incredibly evident. All weekend the overlap had been bad, and is one of my biggest complaints about this festival, but for some reason Sunday during the late afternoon it was just the worst. Making my way halfway down the Grace Potter crowd to the soundboard, sound overlap from the Red Bull Ocean Stage was intense. Every word coming from El-P & Killer Mike could be heard crystal clear- annoying is an understatement.

But knowing how Grace Potter brings it to the stage, either way, noise overlap or not, this audience was about to get a real afternoon treat. Her stage presence is always amazing and on point. Her energy is incredible as she dances around on stage in a sparkling ensemble, killing it on her guitar, laying on the ground to flick off her shoes, and her piano skills are addicting. It’s hard to be in the audience at a Grace Potter show and not be drawn into her music and lyrics by her genuine emotion, it’s quite addicting.

 

Forecastle Incident

The Forecastle Incident

After an absolute high was implanted in the audience from Greensky Bluegrass, there was an overall feeling that anyone at the Boom Stage for The Forecastle Incident was about to be treated to something special that afternoon. How could this set not be special when you have The String Cheese Incident, Sam Bush, Ronnie McCoury, Jason Carter, and Andy Thorn all on one stage. The set was a mix of Cheese and bluegrass favorites, completely instrumental. With so much talent packed on the stage, the music that was produced that afternoon was memorable and impeccable. At the end of the set I left feeling absolutely content and fulfilled, but also unsure of when, and if ever, I will be treated to something like that for awhile, or ever again.

Set 1: Blackberry Blossom > Rivertrance > Quicksburg Rendezvous, Blue Moon of Kentucky, MLT, Bollymuster, Stingray, Birdland > Wheel Hoss > Birdland

 

Threatening weather at Robert Plant

Robert Plant presents The Sensational Space Shifters

He’s a legend, what else can I say? Black clouds loomed in the distance and it was only a matter of time before the skies opened up and torrential rain, accompanied by thunder and lightening, would cut Plant’s set short. Songs included, “ Tin Pan Valley,” “Black Dog,” “Going to California,” and “What Is and What Should Never Be.” Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves and there were a lot of wide eyes as this was a first time for seeing Robert Plant for many. When the rain came there was no stopping it, “Upon us all, upon us all a little rain must fall…It’s just a little rain.” (Led Zeppelin)

Overall the festival was jam packed with incredible music, (for the most part) some beautiful weather, and it just was a memorable experience. The pros defiantly outweighed the cons this weekend, and if the 2014 lineup looks promising, I wouldn’t mind making the trek all the way back to Louisville.