Boston Calling 2013 Fall Preview

The northeastern United States has always been short-shifted on big music festivals – perhaps because we’re not used to driving for hours to an event, or all the bands at a festival will play regular shows in big cities, it’s colder up here, or just every farm out there doesn’t want to rent itself out and end up like Woodstock, it’s been slim pickings. And that’s even more the case for festivals in our cities, as there’s less green space and tons of ‘not in my backyard’ types.

Yet 2013 looked to change things around. New York got the huge Governors Ball in June, right in the five boroughs – only for rain to make the whole thing a muddy mess (QRO recap). Faring much better was Boston Calling the prior month – situated as downtown as you could get, right in front of city hall (and on brick, so no mud…), it was a great success (QRO recap). So great, in fact, that they’re doing it again in the same year!

So head down to Government Center Saturday & Sunday, September 7th & 8th:

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7th

Vampire Weekend, 9:00 PM, Blue Stage Overnight successes the world over should take a lesson from Vampire Weekend (QRO photos at a festival). The band went from opening for the likes of White Rabbits (QRO live review, when Vampire Weekend opened) and Tokyo Police Club (QRO live review, when Vampire Weekend opened) in 2007 to massive success after they opened the following year with their self-titled debut. This, of course, earned them (QRO live review) legions of haters, often focusing on their preppy look & history, though others just grew enraged at the music from ‘the whitest band’ (according to stuffwhitepeoplelike blog) being called ‘afro-pop’, and the comparisons with Paul Simon’s iconic Graceland (QRO deluxe edition review). They wisely slipped from view for a while, but returned to Jeff Curtin’s (QRO interview) Tree Fort Studios, faced up to the haters & the sophomore jinx to put out Contra (QRO review) in 2009, and reached #1 in the charts (only the twelfth independently-released record to do so in the last twenty years). They’ve since grown comfortable as headliners and playing the big stage, even played Down Under (QRO live review in New Zealand). Vampire Weekend headline Boston Calling (QRO photos at a festival) behind this year’s new Modern Vampires of the City (QRO review).

The Gaslight Anthem, 7:30 PM, Red Stage The newest band on today’s workingman’s punk wave, New Brunswick, New Jersey’s Gaslight Anthem (QRO photos) borrow from classic punk and more recent predecessors like Flogging Molly (QRO live review) & hometown heroes Bouncing Souls (QRO photos at a festival) – but also from the Garden State’s ultimate shining musical light (no, not Sinatra – not even Bon Jovi…), Bruce Springsteen (QRO live review). Once described as the product of some alternate history of rock, where The Boss embraced his early love of The Clash, Gaslight Anthem (QRO photos in the U.K.) have gone even more Boss-like on their two most recent, American Slang (QRO review) and last year’s Handwritten (QRO review), which have catapulted them up the charts (QRO live review) and into festivals (QRO photos at a festival). Just hopefully frontman Brian Fallon has stopped talking about Axl Rose (QRO live review where did that)…

Local Natives, 6:30 PM, Blue Stage Silver Lake’s Local Natives (QRO photos at a festival) have been riding the alt-country/folk wave, but seem to be doing it better than most, charting in 2010 with debut Gorilla Manor and last year’s Hummingbird (QRO review), moving up to headliner tours (QRO live review), and well-received on the festival circuit (QRO photos at a festival), including old England (QRO photos at an English festival).

Bat For Lashes, 5:30 PM, Red Stage Natasha Khan pretty quickly became an indie dream-girl as Bat For Lashes (QRO live review) thanks to 2006 debut Fur and Gold, following that up in 2009 with Two Suns (QRO review) and last year’s The Haunted Man. She came out of English-Pakistani squash family, but eschewed higher learning (or sport) for her own music (QRO photos), and we’re all benefitting (QRO photos).

The Airborne Toxic Event, 4:30 PM, Blue Stage Mixing rock and orchestral is the über-grand is the ensemble The Airborne Toxic Event (QRO photos), who can hew towards the overwrought, but also know how to perform outdoors (QRO live review outdoors).

Deer Tick, 3:30 PM, Red Stage The dirty side of alt-country garage-rock comes to Boston Calling in the form of Deer Tick (QRO photos outdoors), who’ve been rockin’ bigger & bigger stages (QRO photos) and wilder & wilder shows (QRO live review) since the release last year of their latest, Divine Providence (QRO review).

Okkervil River, 2:45 PM, Blue Stage Okkervil River (QRO live review) is an indie/folk rock band from Austin. The band, fronted by singer/songwriter Will Sheff (QRO photos at a festival) formed in 1998 and took its name from a short story by Russian author Tatyana Tolstaya. Okkervil River (QRO photos at a festival) is noted for its song’s lyrics, multifaceted instrumentation, and thematic albums, including the one-two punch of The Stand-Ins (QRO review) and The Stage Names (QRO review), and songs like “Or Life Is Not a Movie Or Maybe” (QRO video) and “Unless It Kicks” (QRO video). After recording their first album in a garage, they signed with Jagjaguwar. Okkervil River (QRO photos at a festival) released six more albums, including 2011’s, I Am Very Far (QRO review), but come to Boston Calling (QRO live review) right after the release of their new The Silver Gymnasium the week before the festival.

Lucius, 2:00 PM, Red Stage The New York Times described Lucius as “The next Feist” (QRO live review) – even if you don’t believe everything The Grey Lady says, be sure to check them out.

Also: You Won’t, 1:30 PM, Blue Stage – QRO photos Viva Viva, 12:50 PM, Red Stage

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 8th

Passion Pit, 9:00 PM, Blue Stage Blowing up very fast was Cambridge, Mass’ own Passion Pit (QRO photos). Single “Sleepyhead” (QRO video) found its way to MTV nominations, while debut Manners (QRO review) found its way onto the charts – and expectations are seriously high for last year’s follow-up, Gossamer (QRO review), and single “Take a Walk” (QRO review). Catch the big-name indietronica stars (QRO photos outdoors) as they return to the road (QRO photos at a festival), ‘cause they’ve moved up to the big-time (QRO photos) like Madison Square Garden (QRO live review) and headlining festivals (QRO photos headlining a festival), and aren’t playing small places – or even medium-sized (QRO photos) anymore (QRO live review).

Kendrick Lamar, 7:45 PM, Red Stage Boston Calling welcomes a newer hip-hop hit, Kendrick Lamar (QRO photos at a festival), who got notice with his 2010 mixtape, Overly Dedicated, and lived up to the hype last year with debut, good kid, m.A.A.d city – he’s got no “Fuckin’ Problems” (QRO video).

Major Lazer, 6:30 PM, Blue Stage The collaboration between DJ/producers Diplo (QRO photos) and Switch (QRO photos) made a serious breakthrough in 2009 as Major Lazer (QRO photos at a festival), with Guns Don’t Kill People. Lazers Do, but have since signed to indie imprint Secretly Canadian for this year’s full-length follow-up, Free the Universe – and know how to do it at festivals (QRO photos at a festival).

Wolfgang Gartner, 5:30 PM, Red Stage Los Angeles’s Wolfgang Gartner comes to spin the beats at Boston Calling.

Solange, 5:30 PM, Red Stage While still best known as being little sister to Beyoncé, Solange Knowles (QRO photos outdoors at a festival) has pipes (QRO photos headlining a festival) and stage presence all her own (QRO photos at a festival).

Flosstradamus, 3:30 PM, Red Stage Chicago-based DJs J2K and Autobot are Flosstradamus (QRO photos), and while they’re best known for touring with such similar techtronica acts as Chromeo (QRO live review), they’ve also shared the stage with indie groups like Matt & Kim (QRO spotlight on – who played May’s Boston Calling – QRO photos) on more than one occasion (QRO photos, again on the bill with Matt & Kim).

Flume, 2:45 PM, Blue Stage Bringing electronics from the other side of the globe is Sydney’s Harley Streten – a.k.a. Flume.

Big Black Delta, 2:00 PM, Red Stage Mellowdrone frontman Jonathan Bates has collaborated with all sorts as the space-rock Big Black Delta (QRO photos), and comes to Boston Calling behind this year’s eponymous full-length.

Also: Bearstronaut, 1:30 PM, Blue Stage Royal Teeth, 12:50 PM, Red Stage