Coachella and Mumford and Sons
Mumford and Sons’ Saturday set at the three-day Coachella festival that wrapped up yesterday night portrayed why they are considered one of the best new folk/indie groups to hit the scene. Well, new may be pushing it. They have been around since 2007, but have only released one album. An epic album, in every sense of its nature, but only one. I will still consider them a burgeoning talent.
I caught the encore of Mumford and Sons’ 8:30 p.m. set last night on Coachella’s live feed on Youtube. By the way, that is an awesome idea. It’s difficult to get out to festivals (especially if they are across the country), so a live Youtube feed (that doesn’t lag) is much appreciated.
The set was wonderful. Mumford and Sons’ live prowess is clear. They truck through songs with beautiful folk ease. A solid brass section was a welcome addition to the band’s already tight-knit sound. During the set, Mumford and Sons’ revealed a new song, “Lover’s Eyes,” that provides evidence of the direction the band is going in. Good news for those who enjoyed Sigh No More.
“Lover’s Eyes” is led by Marcus Mumford‘s excellent voice. The acoustic riff sounds a little like “War Was in Color” by Carbon Leaf (especially the ending hammer-on). The song follows a trademark Mumford and Sons’ pattern. That is the gradual crescendo. The soft beginning turns into a strong, hard-strummed ending with brass and harmonized “la’s.” I can see it being a mid-level hit off of the eventual new album.
Clearly, though, the best song from their set was “Little Lion Man,” which shatters folk boundaries with its greatness.
Notice at 1:10-1:15 into the song Mumford breaks a string on his acoustic. He strums his guitar incredibly hard so it is not surprising. He doesn’t stop the show or make a fuss. He plays like nothing happened. That is professional and a wonderful live characteristic. This band may be young, but they play like live veterans. Excellent show!
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Ratatat My Coachella Surprise
Let me premise this section. Okocim often talks of Ratatat. He has even shown me their music. They were not my favorite. I sort-of scoffed at his recommendation. Well, absolutely no more. A good live performance can change your opinion of any band. Ratatat’s live set on Sunday night was both musically composed and crazy. The band taps into the rich psychedelic past and pulls out elements that they include in their own music…and it is awesome.
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Dave Matthews Band’s Caravan Tour Heating Up
While we are on the subject of music festivals, I want to highlight the next venue on the Dave Matthews Band Caravan Tour. The first venue announced was Atlantic City, and the heralded list of musicians is tempting me to buy a three-day pass. The second, Chicago, will take place from July 8-10. While I live farther away from Chicago than Atlantic City (it is like an 11 hour difference), the Chicago line-up excites me more. Atlantic City does have Guster, but, as much as they are awesome, I have seen them twice. Let’s peek into the Chicago line-up.
David Gray
Ray LaMontagne
O.A.R.
Kid Cudi.
The Flaming Lips (performing Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon)
Amos Lee
Michael Franti and Spearhead
Alberta Cross
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Emmylou Harris
Ben Folds
G Love and Special Sauce
Gomez
Soulive
The Wailers
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
Also, some artists from Summer Camp 2011 Music Festival will be featured on a special stage on Saturday. That festival (May 27-29 in Illinois) features acts like Widespread Panic, moe, Umphrey’s Mcgee, The Avett Brothers, Girl Talk, Wiz Khalifa, Bela Fleck and The Flecktones, Punch Brothers, and Lubriphonic (who I profiled over a year ago here).
I bolded the two reasons I want to go to the Chicago show more than Atlantic City. The Ben Folds case is interesting. I have promised my girlfriend, Rebecca, that I will take her to see Ben Folds. I want to see him too, so it is a win-win. But she will be on vacation during the Chicago show, and, if I go to see Ben Folds without her, I will be killed. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros is fair game and I just really want to see them. Chicago, though, is 13 hours away and it might be a little impractical to think I will be able to get out to the show.
The Music Court 
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