Kanrocksas 2011 Preview

<p> <a href="features/features/kanrocksas_2011_preview/"><img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/kanrocksaspreview11.jpg" alt="Kanrocksas 2011 Preview" /></a> </p> <p> Ever since Wakarusa left Lawrence for the Ozarks (<a href="concert_gallery/?g2_itemId=71817" target="_blank"><b>QRO photos last year in Lawrence</b></a><span style="font-weight: normal">), Kansas...
Kanrocksas 2011 Preview

 

   

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5TH

 

MAIN STAGE

Eminem, 11:00 PM – 12:30 AM

When The Beatles reissues came out, it launched the band to #2 on the top-selling artists of this decade/century/millennium.  Who’s #1?  Eminem, a.k.a. Slim Shady, a.k.a. Marshall Bruce Mathers III.  The ultra-famous rap star has had the fastest-selling hip-hop album ever, tons of Grammys, even an Oscar (for his song his semi-autobiographical starring vehicle, 8 Mile).   He took a musical hiatus for a few years, but came back in 2009 with Relapse and last year’s self-admitted comeback, Recovery.  He’s also almost as famous for his celebrity lifestyle, including feuds with just about everyone (including his mother & now ex-wife, as well as Triumph, The Insult Comic Dog…).

 

Bassnectar, 8:20 PM – 9:20 PM

A festival mainstay, Lorin Ashton (a.k.a. Bassnectar) brings the lights live.

Eminem

 

Kid Cudi, 8:10 PM – 7:00 PM

Kicking out the beats at Osheaga Kid Cudi (QRO photos outdoors), who’s work with GOOD Music labelmates like Kanye West, Common, and David Guetta (QRO album review), and earned major plaudits for his live show (QRO live review) and for last year’s Man On the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager (QRO album review).

 

Arctic Monkeys, 4:30 PM – 5:10 PM

If you’re unfamiliar with the Sheffield-native English rockers, you obviously were not paying much attention in 2006 when their much ballyhoo-ed debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I Am Not was being pumped out of every speaker and headphone either side of the Atlantic.  Fast-forward five years.  The Arctic Monkeys (QRO photos at a festival) have put out three more studio albums, most recently Suck It and See (QRO review), and although the media storm that surrounded them may have subsided, they’re still one of the best acts around.

Bassnectar
 

Fitz & The Tantrums, 2:50 PM – 3:30 PM

While acts like Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings (QRO album review) revive the soul sound, Los Angeles’ Fitz & The Tantrums are reinventing it with an indie-pop twist.

 

 

AD ASTRA STAGE

Ween, 8:20 PM – 9:20 PM

Ween (QRO live review) has been one of the more enduring and out there acts out there, with a wide-ranging fanbase more typical of jam bands.  After Gene Ween (one-half of the Ween duo, along with Dean Ween) took early last year to tour solo with his own backing band, the pair are back, working on a new record, which is sure to get some exposure Kanrocksas.

Kid Cudi
 

Ellie Goulding, 6:10 PM – 7:00 PM

One of the hottest recent breakthroughs has been London’s Ellie Goulding (QRO photos), who went from being unknown to playing the likes of Saturday Night Live and even the royal wedding!  She’s already movin’ one up in terms of venue size, so catch her while you can!

 

Jack’s Mannequin, 4:30 PM – 5:10 PM

American alt-rockers Jack’s Mannequin (QRO photos) have dealt with adversity.  The adversity being frontman Andrew McMahon’s 2005 battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. McMahon and the boys made a full recovery and came back with The Glass Passenger (QRO album review).  The new album People and Things is due out later this year.

Arctic Monkeys
 

The Joy Formidable, 2:50 PM – 3:30 PM

London, England powerhouse The Joy Formidable (QRO live review) has already taken Europe, Australia and even The States by storm with expertly played opening slots alongside Passion Pit (QRO album review), Temper Trap (QRO live review) and Editors (QRO album review).  This slot at Osheaga, hot on the heels of 2011’s The Big Roar (QRO album review), marks the beginning of the band’s Canadian invasion – if kind words from Dave Grohl and fellow festival performer Steve Nieve (Elvis Costello & The Imposters) are any indication, no one is safe… from a jolly good time (QRO live review).

 

 

STAGEASAURUS REX

Flaming Lips, 9:30 PM – 10:40 PM

There’s a good reason The Flaming Lips (QRO photos at a festival) have been so popular for so long on the festival circuit (QRO photos at a festival), as there is no live show out there like a Flaming Lips live show (QRO live review).  Confetti cannons, costumes, video screens, balloons from the sky, puppets, singer/guitarist Wayne Coyne surfing the crowd in a giant plastic bubble – The Lips have it all (QRO photos), and expect them to take it even higher (QRO photos at a festival).  Oh, and they’ve got some great music, too, from early nineties hit "She Don’t Use Jelly" to 2006’s Grammy Award-winning At War With the Mystics (even put out a movie, Christmas On MarsQRO review), and 2009’s Embryonic (QRO review).

 

Fitz & The Tantrums

 

Primus, 7:10 PM – 8:10 PM

Mixing alternative and funk in a Frizzle Fry sauce is Les Claypool’s (QRO photos at a festival) Primus.  Fronted by one of the most acclaimed bassists out there today, Primus first came to widespread notice in the early nineties thanks to Sailing the Seas of Cheese and Pork Soda, with songs like "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver", "Tommy the Cat", "My Name Is Mud", and "Mr. Krinkle", delivering a weird funk-driven rock sound akin to an accessible Residents (QRO live review).  Primus went on hiatus at the start of this century/millennium (after composing the theme to South Park), before reforming, first as nostalgia, but now with the new Green Naugahyde coming out in September.

 

Doomtree, 5:20 PM – 6:00 PM

The Minneapolis based hip-hop collective is made up of P.O.S., Sims, Dessa, Mictlan, Cecil Otter, Paper Tiger, and Lazerbeak.  The music is alternative influenced, and sports definite remnants of punk.  As energetic as they are introspective, Doomtree boasts a wide array of talent.

Ween
 

D12, 3:40 PM – 4:20 PM

Eminem’s posse is still going strong.  Often overshadowed by their most famous member (see above), D12 is still making gritty, drugged up hip-hop that is equal parts wit, profanity, and genuine talent.

 

Ume, 2:10 PM – 2:40 PM

Hard hitting Austin trio Ume (pronounced oooo-may), has drawn comparisons with The Yeah Yeah Yeahs (QRO album review), Metric (QRO live review), and Sonic Youth (QRO live review).

 

Ellie Goulding
 

CRITICAL MASS TENT

Major Lazer, 8:15 PM – 9:05 PM 

The collaboration between DJ/producers Diplo and Switch made a serious breakthrough in 2009 as Major Lazer (QRO photos at a festival), with Guns Don’t Kill People…  Lazers Do, and followed it up last year with tour EP Lazers Never Die.

 

12th Planet, 6:15 PM – 7:00 PM

John Dadzie is a Los Angeles dubstep producer and DJ that’s better known as 12th Planet.

Jack's Mannequin

 

  

   

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6TH

 

MAIN STAGE

Muse, 11:00 PM – 12:30 AM

Devon’s Muse (QRO photos at a festival) are now full-fledged mega-stars.  The trio reached for true stadium glory with The Resistance (QRO review), as their electric bombast, which had already conquered Europe, set its sights on the States, touring with U2 (QRO album review) & playing Saturday Night Live (QRO Indie on Late Night TV), and are now comfortable as massive headliner of their own (QRO photos headlining Madison Square Garden).

 

Girl Talk, 8:30 PM – 9:35 PM

Greg Gillis (Girl Talk – QRO photos at a festival) moved from biomedical tissue engineering to DJ mash-up engineering, taking samples from across the spectrum and making something very new (QRO photos at a festival).  While he started out playing clubs, he’s graduated to ballroom & even the great outdoors (QRO photos outdoors) – but that just means he’s got bigger stages (QRO photos outdoors at a festival) to fill with dancing concertgoers… (QRO photos at a festival)

 

The Joy Formidable

 

AD ASTRA STAGE

A Perfect Circle, 8:30 PM – 9:35 PM

Guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan lead alternative rock-metal supergroup A Perfect Circle.  The line-up around them changes, but the sound remains the same, with Howerdel writing the music and Keenan penning the lyrics.

 

Cage the Elephant, 6:30 PM – 7:20 PM

With hardly a full-length album to their name, Kentucky’s Cage the Elephant (QRO photos) were snatched up by EMI Records at a low-key SXSW showcase.  Following some impressive U.K. airplay, the band packed up and moved to London, where they released their first studio album in 2008.  The following two years have been a haze of international touring, late night TV shows, and preparation for this year’s Thank You, Happy Birthday.  As their blues-y rock infused live show will prove, elephants were never meant to be caged.

Flaming Lips
 

OK Go, 4:30 PM – 5:20 PM

In this YouTube era, Chicago’s OK Go (QRO photos outdoors at a festival) reinvented the music video as the viral video, first with "A Million Ways" in 2005 then even more so the following year thanks to the choreographed treadmill dancing of "Here It Goes Again" (QRO live video), which earned singer/guitarist Damian Kulash an appearance on The Colbert Report – and the whole band made it to the Report last year, in promotion of the new Of the Blue Colour of the Sky (QRO review).  Though Colour isn’t nearly as good as their videos or Stephen, OK Go are an incredible group live (QRO live review), with confetti, handbells (QRO video, outdoors at a festival), playing from the crowd, and much more…

 

The Black Angels, 2:50 PM – 3:30 PM

Austin’s own Black Angels (QRO photos) bring the psychedelic rock of last year’s Phosphene Dream (QRO review) to Kanrocksas (QRO photos outdoors at a festival).

Primus
 

Rival Sons, 1:10 PM – 1:50 PM

American blues rockers Rival Sons (QRO photos at a festival) are coming off their full label debut Pressure and Time.  If performing with Alice Cooper and Kid Rock is any clue, Rival Sons bring the bluesy country cooking with a rock edge.

 

 

STAGEASAURUS REX

The Black Keys, 9:45 PM – 10:50 PM

The blues-rock from guitar/drums duo of Dan Auerbach & Patrick Carney (QRO photos) sounds like it comes from the deepest (and blackest…) part of the South, but these two white men (QRO photos at a festival) hail from Akron, Ohio.  However, The Black Keys (QRO photos outdoors) are as gritty as anyone, whether on records like 2008’s Attack & Release (QRO review), or live (QRO photos at a festival), as depicted on the recent Live at Crystal Ballroom DVD (QRO review).  And their latest, Brothers (QRO review), channels all their inspirations into a great sound that’s even better at a festival (QRO photos at a festival).

Doomtree
 

Flogging Molly, 7:30 PM – 8:20 PM

Flogging Molly (QRO photos) is on the leading edge of today’s workingman’s punk rock.  The Celtic tinge to this Los Angeles act (QRO photos) has only grown, with 2008’s produced-in-Eire Float reaching new heights in popularity for the genre, as well as bringing it to the wide open air (QRO photos outdoors).  They have become a strong presence on the festival circuit (QRO photos at a festival), including 2009’s Warped Tour (QRO photos).

 

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, 5:30 PM – 6:20 PM

While many jam bands on the festival circuit seem to have been playing forever, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals (QRO photos outdoors) only recently formed & broke out (QRO photos outdoors at a festival), thanks to 2007’s This Is Somewhere, and opening for the likes of Gov’t Mule & Black Crowes (QRO photos).  The funky blues-soul act (QRO photos at a festival) earned major praise for last year’s self-titled release (QRO review), and have been getting bigger & bigger (QRO photos at a festival).

D12
 

Best Coast, 3:40 PM – 4:20 PM

Los Angeles’ Best Coast (QRO live review) is a practical veteran at the still-new garage-scene, but a goodie, combining surf, garage, indie, and pop for a sound (QRO photos) that’s sure to be sweet coming from frontwoman Bethany Cosentino (QRO live review) outdoors (QRO photos outdoors).

 

Gardens & Villa, 2:00 PM – 2:40 PM

Indie-rockers can be funky, creative, and rock at the same time.  Gardens & Villa seem to be on a constant quest to prove this.

Ume

 

 

For festival website, go here: http://www.kanrocksas.com/

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