Whether it's your first Bonnaroo or you’re a music festival veteran, we welcome you to Inforoo.
Here you'll find info about artists, rumors, camping tips, and the infamous Roo Clues. Have a look around then create an account and join in the fun. See you at Bonnaroo!!
Post by Radius Claus on Mar 22, 2017 9:19:57 GMT -5
Hey I'll trade you guys. Here's a little preview of about a dozen acts that some of you might not be familiar with (though I might be wrong), along with a close look at the M&M. In exchange, I'd like to know what films you fine folks are planning on catching and why. I plan on covering a lot of the film stuff this year since they've expanded that programming. And let me know if anyone would like to link up to catch something. I'll be driving a van and handing out candy.
Big Ears is never really a party for me. I tend to focus too much on the schedule and where I need to be. Not saying I won't be drinking, it just isn't a priority for me there.
Every year I say, "Big Ears is not really going to be a party for me. I want to focus on the schedule and where I need to be."
And then I get it goin and stay hungover the whole time. If you see me, tell me to lay off of it and act like I've been here before.
Post by Dave Maynar on Mar 22, 2017 9:59:53 GMT -5
Oooo another plug I forgot about. If you like fancy things, the Pretentious Glass Co. is open in the Old City. They make all sorts of glassware with a trend toward beer glasses. They also run a small brewery/taproom next door.
Hey I'll trade you guys. Here's a little preview of about a dozen acts that some of you might not be familiar with (though I might be wrong), along with a close look at the M&M. In exchange, I'd like to know what films you fine folks are planning on catching and why. I plan on covering a lot of the film stuff this year since they've expanded that programming. And let me know if anyone would like to link up to catch something. I'll be driving a van and handing out candy.
The only film I'm hitting up for sure is Instrument. I own it, I've seen it a million times, I think (exaggerations sake), and I love it. If you have any passing interest in Fugazi or DIY culture or both then this is for you.
I woke up last night in cold sweats and shaking with a temperature of 101.4. I've self diagnosed myself with strep throat because that has a 24 hour contagion period and should have passed by the time the festival starts. If I don't immediately give you hugs or shake your hand, be forewarned. It's not just my usual social anxiety.
Hey I'll trade you guys. Here's a little preview of about a dozen acts that some of you might not be familiar with (though I might be wrong), along with a close look at the M&M. In exchange, I'd like to know what films you fine folks are planning on catching and why. I plan on covering a lot of the film stuff this year since they've expanded that programming. And let me know if anyone would like to link up to catch something. I'll be driving a van and handing out candy.
The only film I'm hitting up for sure is Instrument. I own it, I've seen it a million times, I think (exaggerations sake), and I love it. If you have any passing interest in Fugazi or DIY culture or both then this is for you.
I woke up last night in cold sweats and shaking with a temperature of 101.4. I've self diagnosed myself with strep throat because that has a 24 hour contagion period and should have passed by the time the festival starts. If I don't immediately give you hugs or shake your hand, be forewarned. It's not just my usual social anxiety.
also,
Instrument is a pretty amazing example of a band documentary regardless of your interest in Fugazi. Most band documentaries follow one show, tour or album creation. Instrument has footage from an entire decade of the band.
As an added bonus, there is footage of one of their Knoxville shows. Don't want to ruin it, but it stands out.
Post by thepeppers on Mar 25, 2017 12:40:56 GMT -5
Fun times were had last night. Both Wilco and Tortoise put on great sets, and it was my first time taking in a show at the Tennessee Theatre. I was impressed, as I took in most of the 2nd half of Wilco from the balcony.
abstract and emotional electronic pop and wave techno, house + more no cover 18+
Haha, I went to high school with Saint Thomas. He was really good friends with my neighbor. We got high in the back of her Volvo at a neighborhood pot luck one time. No idea he did the technos now. He was a great bass player back when I knew him.
Fun times were had last night. Both Wilco and Tortoise put on great sets, and it was my first time taking in a show at the Tennessee Theatre. I was impressed, as I took in most of the 2nd half of Wilco from the balcony.
One of my favorite shows Ive seen was wilco, from the balcony of the Tennessee about 12 years ago (holy shit I didn't realize it's been that long).
Sounds like Y'all are having fun. I had every intention of making it there, but an expanding family kept me home this year. next year I'll make it happen, especially since I can reallocate my Bonnaroo funds
Post by steveternal on Mar 27, 2017 0:25:59 GMT -5
Just got home. Should be in bed, but here I am. Will post more tomorrow, but I'll quickly share this:
I was hoping to run into the Capp Dogg at some point to make a critical recommendation to the man himself. Got my chance Friday night as I was heading out of Wilco and he was heading in. I said, "I've got five words for you...
John Zorn Artist In Residence."
Despite probably being accosted with unsolicited suggestions all weekend, he was gracious. But more importantly, he told me that Zorn was a friend of his, and that they have had, "some heated conversations" about it. So, there it is. Take it for what it's worth.
Post by Mensch Maschine on Mar 27, 2017 7:18:17 GMT -5
I had only seen a couple of "one out/one in" announcements all weekend. I did VIP this year and have no regrets (I had way above $550 worth of music and experiences)... but I'm probably going to reconsider whether or not it makes sense to do it again in 2018. Due to my own schedule conflicts, I wasn't able to attend any of the VIP-special events (which included a private rehearsal and Q&A w/ Gavin Bryars)... I think I went through a VIP entrance once and used the VIP seating a total of two times all weekend (and there were open seats after the 10 min cutoff). I don't know if the festival was more distributed this year, or if it just didn't sell as well... but nothing I attended felt as crowded as it did last year. And that's too bad, because, musically speaking, I found 2017 to be as brilliant as the two previous years I've attended. Great to finally meet garageland and steveternal too!
Here's how my schedule ended panning out:
3/23/2017 Nief-Norf Performs Pauline Oliveros Ahleuchatistas Dave Harrington Group Anna Meredith Blonde Redhead Performs ‘Misery is a Butterfly’ w/ American Contemporary Music Ensemble
Post by Mensch Maschine on Mar 27, 2017 16:05:56 GMT -5
Guess the sales were fine: "Festival founder Ashley Capps told us that the festival sold the most weekend passes yet this year; there were no overwhelming lines like last year, thanks to two added spaces and better balance in the schedule." -Nashville Scene
I don't know if the festival was more distributed this year, or if it just didn't sell as well... but nothing I attended felt as crowded as it did last year.
Post by steveternal on Mar 27, 2017 22:45:53 GMT -5
lt;dr: Big Ears 2017 was good.
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It may be recent memory bias, but I am seriously thinking that this year was the best Big Ears thus far. I find that particularly impressive since, in my opinion, the lineup was wanting in comparison to previous years'. But in the past I remember leaving a fair number of shows feeling either ambivalent or disappointed. There were very few for me this year. And conversely, several shows that exceeded expectations. Beyond the shows, the fest seemed to be run quite well. I didn't have any major issues with crowds, lines, scheduling snafus, or the like. It was smoothly run from start to finish.
Top 5: 1. Julian Lage. I surprise even myself in choosing this deep undercard over all the legends that performed this weekend. But amidst a variety of world-class shows, somehow a guy with just an acoustic guitar floored, moved and delighted me the most. Lage was a child prodigy, and it shows—when he plays, he has a connection to his instrument and his music that is palpable in a way that only the most genius have. It's beyond skill and practice; it's a savant gift. Lage played with Chris Eldridge and Aoife O'Donovan, who were excellent in their own rights, but their presence only enhanced Lage's playing. He moved perfectly through comping to soloing, from bluegrass to jazz to blues in a single solo, subtle and showy, earnest and playful. When you can hold a room with just six strings, you've got an extremely rare talent. 2. Deathprod. I caught the second half of his show, mostly out of curiosity. I was expecting extremely loud, glacial noise, and that's what it was. However, the experience went far beyond that—and beyond any other show. The drones rattling the nearly pitch-black theater beckoned one to sit perfectly still, clear their mind, and be present. It was a show not just to enjoy; it was a show to *feel*. And what I felt, I didn't even realize I had been needing. 3. Nils Økland Band. I felt downright ashamed when, toward the end of Økland's set, he mentioned that he had never played in the U.S. before. Why we Americans are ambivalent to so many kinds of music made elsewhere, I'll never understand. But that God for Big Ears making inroads. Økland's Hardanger fiddle was backed by a terrific band of alto sax, harmonium, upright bass and percussion. For the players themselves, it was like they were a jazz band caught playing folk music—or perhaps the other way around. In any case, they could never stray too much to one end, when, like a rubber band, they would snap back to the other, and it was in that tension that the magic was found. Special shout out to the sax player, who needs to come back next year and do more of the most amazing extended techniques I've ever seen. 4. Colin Stetson. I'm not the first to say it, but Stetson's "reimagining" of Górecki's classic 3rd Symphony is as post-rock as anything Godspeed has ever done. But, at least for a live performance, it was better, because it was music from a world-renowned composer, performed by world-renowned rock musicians (so happy to see Greg Fox inject a bit of Liturgy in his drumming). Stetson anchored the whole performance, but it wasn't his show, which was good. And his sister Megan was surprisingly fluid as mezzo-soprano. When, in the finale as the musicians moved through the achingly beautiful major key motif, Megan Stetson looked up to the rafters, and shed a single tear. That tear said everything I could say. 5. Meredith Monk. For a festival full of artists working in the New, Monk really is on her own plane. And yet her show didn't suffer from being overly cerebral, mainly because of Monk herself. In addition to her impressive vocal chops and her fascinating perspective on the voice as an instrument, she performed her varied pieces with a lightness and playfulness that infected the audience, prompting occasional laughter that didn't feel inappropriate. She presented beautiful music, but moreover she presented the joy of being a creator.
Other highlights: Wilco officially won me over. Loved hearing Cline shred, and Tweedy's voice is better live than on record, which is the reverse of what you usually find. Magnetic Fields had a very clever stage design, and Merritt's (scripted?) patter between songs actually enhanced the whole effort. Rangda grooved and thrashed and sludged like beasts. Their 20-minute closer of "Plain of Jars" was transcendent. David Lang's "Little Match Girl Passion" performed by The Crossing, too. Such little music, such big emotions.
Disappointments: Matthew Shipp & Bobby Kapp were great but a bit monotonous. Shipp has such a formidable musical mind, but his solos are so damn fast I couldn't make sense of them. The biggest drag of this set is the inherent suckiness of The Square Room. How can you enjoy a 60-minute free-form jazz improvisation when idiots keep throwing open the door three feet from the stage? Matmos can do whatever they want and it will be, at the very least, interesting. Their version of "Perfect Lives" was, at the very least, interesting. And that's all. Henry Threadgill's Zooid may have won the Putlizer, but I wasn't feeling it.