Beer Pong, Salesmen and British Gangsters: Cinevegas, Day 2
[L-R] Stills from Wellness, The End and Last Cup: The Road to the World Series of Beer Pong... read more
Bonnaroo 2008: Day 3
Apologies: I was unable to blog about Saturday at Bonnaroo because of Saturday at Bonnaroo. It's Sunday afternoon now, and with the festival still buzzing and thumping all around us (am currently at our tent in the Sonic Village, with a band called Harrybu McCage doing their thing on the stage next door) I'm just now getting around to processing everything from the past thirty-something hours.... read more
Rainn Wilson's The Rocker opens Cinevegas
[L-R] Rainn Wilson and Dennis Hopper. Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for CineVegas.The 10th annual Cinevegas Film Festival kicked off on Thursday with a screening of The Rocker starring Rainn Wilson and directed by Oscar-nominee Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty). The director and star, along with costars Jane Lynch, Fred Armisen, Emma Stone, and Lonny Ross (30 Rock), were in attendance, as was Dennis Hopper (who serves as chairman of the festival's creative advisory board).... read more
Bonnaroo 2008: Day 2
Hello again from Manchester’s Country Inn & Suites, where a bunch of us have temporarily retired from Bonnaroo to escape the drizzle—and Metallica. read more
Bonnaroo 2008: Day 1
What’s struck me so far about Bonnaroo is how friendly everybody is. I suppose some would chalk it up to the festival being in Tennessee, but I'm not so sure-- I'm from Chattanooga, and I've experienced no shortage of surly Tennesseans in my life, most of them in large groups. Plus, almost everyone we talked to yesterday was from out of state-- way out of state. And I can see the draw. This place is just unlike anywhere I've ever been. It's like a little city, but also a county fair, but also a giant backyard party, but also a... read more
Triple A Non-Commvention Day 2
Day 2 in Philadelphia near the campus of the University of Pennsylvania saw Music Directors, Program Directors and record label reps, radio promoters (the guys that cajole, plead and otherwise beg the radio stations to play the latest "single" by their clients) checking out new and upcoming artists like Astrid Williamson and Ingrid Michaelson, as well as Ryan Bingham and Hayes Carll (a former Paste 4 To Watch artist). But let's tell the story of the stellar evening showcase featuring Englishman Newton Faulkner and his red dreadlocks, new mommy Ani DiFranco, Paste cover kids The Hold Steady and New Orleans... read more
Triple A "Non-Commvention"
There’s a little corner of the radio world called “triple A” music - it covers a lot of the stuff we at Paste like. On the radio dial, that world is usually on public or non-commercial stations - often NPR-affiliated. So these radio stations gather once a year to hear new music and discuss what's going on in the industry and sometimes we join them to eavesdrop on their annual “Non-Commvention” hosted by our friends at WXPN 88.5 in Philadelphia. It's a great chance to check out the bands showcasing for all these program directors. ... read more
Sasquatch 2008: Day 3
It was the last day of Sasquatch and you bet we made it count. From shout-along choruses to Swedish showmen to bearded guitarvaganzas to British soul men to naked people to much, much more, it was all there. Read on...... read more
Little Rock Film Fest 2008: Day Four
With the sun setting over the Arkansas River the Little Rock Film Fest held its awards show at the Riverfest Amphitheater. As darkness fell they screened 1972's classic The Legend of Boggy Creek in honor of its director Charles B. Pierce, an Arkansan who made the film (his first) on a budget of $160,000. It was like sitting in an old drive-in theater, without the car. The Bigfoot horror film went on to earn $22 million. Pierce spoke earlier in the week and was presented with the festival's Lifetime Achievement Award.... read more
Little Rock Film Fest 2008: Day Three
The famous Peabody Ducks make their way down the Red Carpet.If you come to Little Rock pay a visit to the Peabody Hotel. Each day at 11 a.m. a paddling of ducks come down the elevator, waddle over to the lobby's fountain and hop in for a swim and a meal. They head back up for the night at 5 p.m. Cool, huh?... read more
Sasquatch 2008: Day 2
The early hours of Day 2 were less than stellar, but not for lack of talent. To quote the legendary Milli Vanilli, "Blame it on the rain." Although the drops fell for much of the first part of the day, the music played on, ultimately winning out over the weather.... read more
Sasquatch 2008: Day 1
Welcome to The Gorge, y'all. Sasquatch 2008 is here and it's overwhelming. So, in an effort to trim it down to something semi-manageable, I'm going to be posting photos and blurbs of my experience in Washington this Memorial Day Weekend. Enjoy... Kathleen Edwards rocked with an immaculate band, spitting bile at the sun, particularly on set closer "The Cheapest Key." Edwards sang "B is for bullshit and you fed me some," but I'd argue that "B" is actually for "badass." She is just that.... read more
LIttle Rock Film Fest 2008: Day Two
(l. to r. Shannon Morgan with Lioness directors Daria Sommers and Meg McLagan, and festival organizer Brent Renaud)LIONESSWith much of today's news focusing on the presidential race Little Rock Film Fest organizer Brent Renaud told a crowd before the screening of Lioness that the festival would continue to bring attention to the troops, regardless of how you feel about the war. The documentary Lioness does just that as filmmakers Daria Sommers and Meg McLagan shed light on a woman's role in direct ground combat in Iraq. The film's intentional slow pace worked at times, although it took too long to get to... read more
Little Rock Film Fest 2008: Day One
War Eagle, Arkansas screening(l to r: screenwriter Graham Gordy, publicist Theba Lolley, actor/panelist Judge Reinhold, Amy Miller, producer Vincent Insalaco)... read more
SoCo Music Experience: Atlanta
The Southern Comfort Music Experience (SCMX) is making its way around the country and Paste is on board to provide a firsthand account of the goings on. Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta served as the kick-off venue for this year’s SCMX series. Other cities include: Denver, Colo., San Diego, Calif., Madison, Wis., Saratoga Springs, N.Y. and Tempe, Ariz.First up for the afternoon was an interesting collective introduced as the ‘best rock band out of Boston” called Bang Camaro. Bringing back the glory days of Dokken and Winger, the band featured a chorus of seven singers and had a unique... read more
Coachella 2008: Day 3
The last day of Coachella was easy like Sunday morning should be, especially for the sake of saving enough energy for the weekend’s brilliant finale. The grounds continued to showcase talent all around, starting young and growing older. The Cool Kids kicked off a glorious afternoon teasing rap songs my generation would call old school (Skee-Lo’s “I Wish” anyone?), but with their own fresh Chicago spin, skater punk duds and Super Soakers in tow to relieve the crowd from the sun. Barely legal Texas-bred glam rock cherubs Electric Touch took the stage just next door, turning in their fake ID’s... read more
Coachella 2008: Day 2
If the first day of the Coachella fest was an ease into a slow build, the next one was a rollercoaster all around. From comfortable crowds to considerably packed, from slow and stirring country croons to driving DJs spinning electronica and such, Saturday was far from a day of rest for festivalgoers. It was a day to celebrate the breakout acts of the last year or so, as more seasoned elder statesmen like VHS or Beta and Minus the Bear began the day performing on the main Coachella stage and other more recently hyped acts like Kate Nash and MGMT... read more
Coachella 2008: Day 1
As we grow up, children typically cultivate inspiration from dream lands in space, kingdoms with knights in shining armor, or deserts where dinosaurs roam. When I was a kid, my guiding light for some reason was the glitz and glamour of California. Whether it was because I watched a lot of movies or took my ‘90s-influenced fluorescent fashion tips from Barbie, I have always longed to experience life on the left coast. It was time for me to head to the land of my childhood heroes like My Girl 2’s Anna Sultenfuss to pseudo-rock stars/time travelers Bill & Ted as... read more
Rites of Spring Gets Sprung
by Nikki King Winter crashed the party at Vandy’s Rites of Spring on Saturday. Despite inclement weather, freshmen girls showed up in skirts which we can assume were intended to impress the freshmen boys. Frisbees and footballs were tossed in an effort to keep warm, which gave the back half of the Alumni Lawn all the aesthetic of a popcorn machine, what with all of the recreational objects flying through the air. Speaking of popcorn, the kettle corn stand that occupied the thatch of lawn beside the Paste tent had heavenly fare. Moving on… The early attendance could have been... read more
Sweet Lovers Love the (Rites of) Spring
by Sara Miller There’s a reason Nashville is nicknamed Music City. On every street, there’s a venue hosting a different type of music or a record store, or both. This weekend, a few of us lucky Paste interns got to experience a little taste of what Nashvegas has to offer, thanks to the magazine’s sponsorship of Vanderbilt’s Rites of Spring festival. Vanderbilt University has held the annual concert on its campus in the heart of downtown Nashville for over 30 years now and the maturity of the fest shows in the professionalism and incredible friendliness of the students (and they’re... read more
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