THE DODOS
Now and then, amidst the manufactured pop and the all-too-thought-out songs and music videos in the entertainment industry, you come across a genuinely talented and eager person. When this happens, it's best to write the name down and track the person as much as you can so that you can take pride in investing in something that is real and groundbreaking. Ready for the next name to write down? Renee Yohe.
Some may know her as the reason behind the famous non-profit To Write Love on Her Arms, and some may even know her as the character Kat Dennings is playing in the upcoming bio-pic "Renee," but Yohe is adding another endeavor to her already fulfilled life: songwriter, singer, and mastermind behind BEARCAT.
The Dodos - "Black Night"
Back in 2005, singer-songwriter Meric Long had been regularly gigging the San Francisco area in support of his solo EP, Dodo Bird. It was during this time that Long was introduced to Logan Kroeber by an old college buddy. It was as though lightning bolts crashed down from the heavens and cosmically brought these two musicians together.
In a combination of Long's West African Ewe drumming influences - which utilize cross rhythms, polyrhythms and syncopation similar to jazz drumming - and Kroeber's metal music experience, the Dodos have created a blend of drums and acoustic guitar where the centric force is the near tribal, steely beats laid over airy, yet driving guitar rhythms and equally as thoughtful lyrics. It's folk, it's rock, it's beautiful.
The Sunday Snapshot:
The festival set-up, sound and acoustics, as well as operations were extremely professional. It's obvious they have done this before. I loved how they had two stages by each other with back-to-back shows. I parked it at the Budweiser/Playstation stages for most of the weekend due to the line up, but it was incredible to see 10,000 people stacked to see the headliners on the BMI stage. Kudos Lolla.
Sunday Musical Delights & Awards:
Chiddy Bang: Award for Band Best Listened on a CD. I was personally pumped to see Chiddy play. My friends produce their music videos and I have been rocking to their cool remixes/raps for a bit now. Think, Girl Talk meets Drake for their vibe. I was sadly disappointed in the live bit, but I still like them a lot. But the electronic Perry’s stage was a sick addition to the festival. We would be visiting again.
Here is what we loved most about Saturday at Lollapalooza 2010. I wish I was still there!
In addition to the green scene at Grant Park, there were some really cool sponsorship and brand presence situations in the mix. Toyota was giving away cold bandanas and headbands (much needed with the hot temperatures). They always had a line to their tent, which I’m sure got them some good exposure. Another great sponsor was the water filling stations; I know I spent a lot of time here. AOL provided free WiFi, for those of us working during the festival, this was clutch. A fun one was the Q101 Hammock Station, where you could actually take a break and lay in the hammocks for a bit. It’s always enjoyable to see brands and companies giving out products and services that are super beneficial to the festival goer. Giving a consumer something they can really use during the weekend is really going to stand out for marketing purposes.
Completely pumped for this festival, Lollapalooza managed to blow me away. Not only with the talent they had this year, but as an event planner, I was even more impressed with the set-up and operations they had in place. If you missed our live Tweets from the festival here are some tasty tidbits from the weekend. Catch us tomorrow for Saturday's recap:
Friday:
We arrived in Chicago around 7am from New York, took a nap, and proceeded to the event around 4pm. Other than grabbing my media pass (which was like a mile away from the entrance) I was immediately impressed.
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