Musings…observations from the fourth line on the festival lineup poster

While posting stubs and festival wristbands on Instagram I’ve often written up a little summary. In writing up this amazing festival I got caught by the 2000 character limit and 10 photo limit of Instagram. “The Director’s Cut” is my write up as I intended with expanded photos.

Desert Trip, weekend 2.  Also known as “oldchella” at the Coachella site, the Empire Polo Grounds.  With Dave Peterson and Dunbar.  I saw Neil Young, Paul McCartney, The Who, and Roger Waters on nights 2 and 3.  The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan played night 1.  I’m very fortunate to have amazing friends.  I wasn’t planning on going however Friday evening while at OHSO Brewery I get a text from Dunbar.  He was there, likely between the Dylan and Stones sets.  They had one unused ticket and it was available if I could get there for days 2 and 3.  After making sure it wasn’t a prank I said “hell yeah”, fortunate that Coachella is only a 3.5 hour drive.  Be really fortunate that my wife’s response was “If you don’t go I will”.  Hitting the road in the morning and getting there in plenty of time for Neil Young.  Oh, yeah, and the seats were amazing up front floor.  Amazing wife and friends I have.

First off, it’s an understatement to say the performances were otherworldly.  Neil Young playing “Harvest Moon” as the moon rose behind the stage and of course ending with “Rockin’ in the Free World”.  Sir Paul was as amazing as I remember from Lolla, if not better.  Of course the “Live and Let Die” fireworks are always a highlight, but Neil Young joined him to sing my favorite Beatles song “A Day In The Life”.  That was pretty dang sweet.  On the following day, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey showed they still have it.  The Who’s catalog is probably my favorite for the bands of the weekend and they were on.  And finishing out the weekend was Roger Waters.  Full disclosure I was not a Pink Floyd fan and thought this was just a throw in performance.  Sometimes you “begrudgingly” see a musician you hadn’t planned on and it changes your mind. Rogers Waters was crazy good and left me a big Pink Floyd fan.  His surround sound (you’d hear a train coming from behind you), his flying pig (which had the face of Trump…this was three weeks before the election), his visual show, and he actually built the Battersea Power Station from “Animals” out of the stage with four smoking chimneys rising behind the stage.  I know Pink Floyd fans probably would say “no duh”, but that was my first experience and now I understand completely.  Crazy good.

And for a pop up six day festival (it ran duplicate on two weekends), the infrastructure of Desert Trip was amazing.  Their temporary “bleachers” had skyboxes and elevators.  It was at the same location of Coachella but much different.  Still had the same amazing weather and well manicured lawn.  The crowd couldn’t have been any different, though I’ve tried to fit in to both.  The stage setup was different than Coachella, with only one stage it was between where the Outdoor Stage and the Gobi Tent usually are.  They even had a “museum” of photography of all of the artists from their careers.  It was cool seeing things like a young Mick Jagger hanging out with Keith Moon.  Anyway, an incredible last minute weekend.  Thanks Peterson and Dunbar!  Keep On Rockin’ In The Free World!

New Midnight Oil?

The Oils have just released a new song from one of their two (two!!!!!!) upcoming albums.  They have recorded two new albums, that’s right.  One a mini-album passion project (as if there isn’t any Oils project without passion…) called “The Makaratta Project” and another Oils album for later in the year.  Produced by Warne Livesay, which helped give us Diesel and Dust and Blue Sky Mining.

I’ll let them explain it better in this link; obviously this was before the pandemic so the timeline will likely be altered.  Just be excited new Oils is on the way!

New Frank Turner!

Not really “new” songs, but fun new covers and interpretations.  Frank and Fat Mike of NOFX teamed up for a split covers album covering five songs from each other.   While it might not be a classic it’s fun to hear each other’s interpretation, many of which feel like they could be in either’s catalogs.  The two videos, one of NOFX dressing like the Sleeping Souls and one of a couple of kids dressing like Frank (including tats) are fun enough.

https://www.kerrang.com/reviews/album-review-nofx-frank-turner-west-coast-vs-wessex/

New Too Much Joy?

They defined early 90s DC and HFS for me.  And I saw them a lot and they were always fun.  After an eternity Too Much Joy have confirmed new music coming out.  Here’s a couple of links:

https://www.brooklynvegan.com/too-much-joy-announce-first-album-in-24-years-listen-to-new-single-pong/

Following Tim Quirk on IG and Twitter it looks like the did some social distancing sessions and have recently wrapped up recording.  They’re looking for some help crowdfunding the production, but if all goes well they say be end of year we’ll have a new album.  Here’s a listen of some of their new stuff:

Here’s where you can pitch in to get the album made:

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/a-new-too-much-joy-lp#/

I love the photos from the recording sessions.  Tim sporting both Clash and Specials t-shirts.

New Psychedelic Furs!!!

I know I am biased.  I’ve been a huge Furs fan since Forever Now in high school.  And I think Richard Butler is one of the best, if not just most unique vocalists in any genre.  So I am super stoked for this new album.  It sounds current without giving up the successful Furs formula from the 80s.  And the track “Come All Ye Faithful” is just dark, eerie, but just invites me back over and over again.

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/the-psychedelic-furs-made-of-rain/

New Hoodoo Gurus

While I haven’t followed them in many years, their first three albums helped define me in the 80s.  And they have a new song which rocks.  But the video alone makes it relevant: