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Bottlerock Lineup

On the heels of the Coachella lineup release on 1/2, Napa Valley’s own Bottlerock released their lineup. I’d originally bought a 3-day GA pass back in January, but after seeing the reveal on Monday, I decided to spring for a VIP pass. Apparently, I was one of the lucky ones that was able to get a VIP pass (they sold out quickly). As I type this, all tickets have been sold out, within the week. This certainly has to be a record for the quickest time on selling out tickets at this festival. Aside from it being a stacked lineup, from top to bottom, here are some things that interest me specifically:

• Red Hot Chili Peppers are playing the festival for the second time, after first appearing in 2016. This time, however, they’ll have John Frusciante on guitar, making for the classic lineup responsible for most of their songs people know. If I’m not mistaken, their day (Friday) sold out the quickest today. This is notable because Fridays at a music festival are usually the slowest/least attended.
• Dave Matthews Band is finally playing this festival, and as a DMB fan, I’m stoked. I just saw them at KAABOO last September, but this Bottlerock appearance has been longtime coming.
• Stevie Nicks was the surprise, for me anyway. I originally guessed that The Who could possibly be the legacy act, given that they’re in Vegas prior to Bottlerock. However, I’m more than happy to see Stevie grace the Napa fairgrounds for the first time. I’m expecting her to do a mix of her solo hits, along with some obvious choices from Fleetwood Mac. She could even pay tribute to past Bottlerock headliner Tom Petty, with a version of their duet “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around.”
• Miley Cyrus was another surprise get, though Bottlerock has been known to bring in surprise pop acts (see Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars). While I don’t care for her songs, I know she has a great voice, and I’ll be sure to catch part of her set.
• A bunch of these acts were at Coachella last year (Zedd, Janelle Monae, Anderson .Paak, Khalid, and Maggie Rogers). No shame here – I’ll be catching Janelle Monae and Anderson .Paak (both for the 4th time), since they put on phenomenal sets.
• One half of the Highwomen are here in Brandi Carlile and Maren Morris. Coincidentally, they represent the half I’ve already seen, but again, will enjoy watching a second time.
• How are Empire of the Sun and Tegan and Sara so low on this lineup? Don’t care – I’ll be at their sets.
• Speaking of which, the undercard is one of the strongest I’ve seen in a while. In addition to the acts listed above, we also get The Avett Brothers, Blondie, Of Monsters and Men, Foals, Jimmy Eat World, Local Natives, Iration, Milky Chance, and on and on…
• Finneas is on the lineup, who is probably known more for being the brother of Billie Eilish. Does that mean she’ll make an appearance? How about for Khalid’s set, to perform their duet? Finneas performs with Billie Eilish live, so there’s a chance she returns the favor.
• Once again, Bottlerock wows with it’s out of left field hip hop acts, this time bringing in Digable Planets (my 90’s self is beaming), and legends Eric B. & Rakim. Are you kidding me?! Rakim paved the way for so much hip hop. Can’t wait.
• Lastly, there are two acts that will have us dancing: Village People, and Big Freedia. Village People (who recently performed New Year’s Eve on national television in Times Square), will still give us that nostalgia kick, while Big Freedia will have our collective asses shaking.

Over the coming months, I’ll review some of that acts closer, including the ones in smaller print. Until then, I’ve already got the playlist (below) cranking away. If you’re interested in going, you can still buy tix through 3rd party sites, or using Lyte through the Bottlerock site. Personally, I’d wait until we get closer to the festival date, as prices will come down then. Right now it’s a seller’s market.

5 Acts to Watch in 2020

Inspired in large part by a recent Buzzbands.la article (see below), I decided to list some of the acts that I’ll be watching to make noise in 2020. Coincidentally, some of these are acts I have Buzzbands to thank, for introducing them to me.

https://buzzbands.la/2020/01/03/artists-to-watch-2020-ten-artists-and-then-some-to-look-out-for-in-the-new-year/

1. Channel Tres – I’ve been high on this guy most of 2019, and I think this is the year he busts out. I fortunately caught his live set at Intersect in December, but I expect him to bust out at Coachella this April. His mix of a deep voice, hip hop, and house music is intoxicating. Get on the bandwagon NOW. Here’s his Insta: https://www.instagram.com/channeltres/

2. Velvet Starlings – I was late to these guys, but when I finally caught them do a local set last year, I was sold. Immediately conjuring up some of my favorite sixties rock, my first reaction was this a younger Jack White (in the best way possible). This cat handles the guitar the same way, vocally reminding me at times of early Arctic Monkeys. Can’t wait to see what these guys have to offer in 2020. They’ll be at the NAMM show in Anaheim, next weekend. Give them a follow on Insta: https://www.instagram.com/velvetstarlings/

3. Ward – They were one of my favorite live acts at last year’s Echo Park Rising, and I’m expecting great things for them in the new year. They have an album that was just released on January 1 (there’s a link on their Insta account: https://www.instagram.com/ward.band/). They’ll also be at NAMM next weekend, and SXSW in March.

4. Molly Moore – I saw Molly back in 2018, also at Echo Park Rising, in a coffee shop. Drawn to some of her songs, I’ve been following her on social media since. She looks poised to unleash her music world on us in 2020. She has a new single coming out on February 7. Give her a follow: https://www.instagram.com/mollymoore/

5. Talker – Another fantastic act I caught at Echo Park Rising last year, Talker is an act to keep an eye on in 2020. Enjoy the latest (and my favorite) single she released in late 2019, “Learning The Feeling.”

 

New Music Spinning….

“The Man Who Sold The World” (ChangesNowBowieVersion) – David Bowie // This song turns 50, and on the heels of David Bowie’s birthday (and anniversary of his death today, 1/10), this alternate version of his classic comes out. This is one of my favorite Bowie songs, and this version still does it justice.

Lost in Yesterday – Tame Impala // With so many singles coming out before this album’s released (set for 2/14), I’m a little worried that the album release won’t be as big of a deal as I want it to. Having said that, this is one of my favorite singles released so far.

Me in 20 Years – Moses Sumney // The latest glimpse into the mind of Moses Sumney, and what his new album may offer, this doesn’t disappoint. At times, he reminds me of what it would have sounded like if Prince and Bjork got together. His album is one of my most anticipated for 2020.

Lebanese Blonde (Symphonik Version) – Thievery Corporation // David Bowie’s alternate version isn’t the only one featured this week with a sitar; this latest take on the song that broke Thievery into a larger audience (via the Garden State soundtrack) is a symphonik (their spelling, not mine) reimagining of the now legendary track.

Brightest Lights – Lane 8 // The full album release, from what is expected to be one of the more popular electronic acts at Coachella.

Other Music News

• The news that Coldplay was not going to tour this year (for environmental reasons) doesn’t apply to LA. They are performing next weekend at the iHeartRadio show, along with another show at the Hollywood Palladium on Tuesday January 21st. I was one of the lucky few to get a pair of tickets, for what is a relatively intimate set for the band known to sell out large venues. Can’t wait!
• Prior to the full lineup announcement, Consequence of Sound has revealed that Rage Against The Machine will be headlining the Boston Calling music festival, on Memorial Day Weekend. That would bring their headliners to a solid rock trio of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, and RATM. This is making people wonder if Rage is going to do any other festival appearances, while also making their Coachella appearance not so exclusive.
• TIL via Rolling Stone Magazine that…”the first-ever Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, in 1963, went to Bing Crosby, who along with the Andrews Sisters, topped the very first Billboard country songs chart in 1944 with “Pistol Packin’ Mama.” That’s a trivia question I never would have gotten correct.
• Lastly, as I type this, I’ve learned that Rush drumming legend Neil Peart has passed away, after batting brain cancer. While I was never a huge Rush fan, Peart was arguably one of the greatest rock drummers of all time, along with being the lyricist for most of their work. Heaven just gained another legend; RIP, Neil. Here’s the CoS article for more details:
  • https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/01/r-i-p-neil-peart-legendary-rush-drummer-dies-at-67/

 

With the new year, comes a new playlist. Here’s an ongoing playlist of what I’m listening to throughout the year.