Siren Festival 2010 Preview

<p> <a href="features/features/siren_festival_2010_preview/"><img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/siren10preview.jpg" alt="Siren 2010 Festival Preview" /></a> </p> <p> We're going to stop being amazed that every year, Siren comes back.<span>  </span>It was all the way back...
Siren 2010 Festival Preview

  

Holy Fuck, 8:00 PM, Stillwell Stage

There might not be a more ‘live’ electronic band out there today than Holy Fuck (QRO live review – whose name did bring a Canadian MP to question the nation’s support of such music acts as F*ck…), whose stated mission is make electronic music without all the studio trickery so prevalent in the genre – and which so often hampers it live (especially outside of the dance club).  Instead, the band managed to record 2007’s LP (QRO review) on the fly (with opener "Super Inuit" in front of an audience), following it up this year with Latin (QRO review), and have since worked the festival circuit (QRO photos at a festival). 

 

Holy Fuck

 

Matt & Kim, 7:30 PM, Main Stage 

Serious, long-time ‘Friends of the Q’ (QRO spotlight on), it’s been great watching Matt & Kim (QRO photos) blow up so seriously – without losing their infectious cheer (QRO photos).  Singer/keyboardist Matt Johnson (QRO interview) and drummer Kim Schifino (QRO interview) bring a self-described "onstage pizza party" with their sugar-filled hyper-pop/rock on stage (QRO live review).  Known for spreading their giant, ever-present grins to every crowd they play for (QRO live review), large, outdoor stages (QRO live review outdoors) don’t faze them, and neither do massive festivals (QRO photos at a festival), nor even foreign crowds (QRO live review overseas).  They also stepped up their musical game on last year’s Grand (QRO review).  So expect them to rock the crowd (QRO photos), from old tracks like "Silver Tiles" (QRO video) and "Yea Yeah" (QRO video) to Grand ones like "Good Old-Fashioned Nightmare" (QRO video) and "Daylight" (QRO video).

Oh, and this is Matt & Kim’s return to Siren (QRO photos at Siren 2007), now as headliners!

Matt & Kim
 

Cymbals Eat Guitars, 6:30 PM, Stillwell Stage 

Staten Island’s Cymbals Eat Guitars (QRO photos) just broke out, thanks to last year’s Why There Are Mountains (QRO review), and an electric live show (QRO live review) that even outshines their Brooklyn brethren – especially outdoors (QRO photos outdoors at a festival).  And the band (QRO photos at a festival) has been steadily improving (QRO photos).

Cymbals Eat Guitars
 

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, 6:00 PM, Main Stage

Slowly but surely, Theodore Francis Leo (QRO photos outdoors) is getting the respect he is due.  A force in the indie-punk scene for twenty years now, he’s never quite gotten the attention to match his influence, which is huge.  But Ted Leo & The Pharmacists (QRO photos outdoors) – which also includes James Canty of the iconic Nation of Ulysses & follow-up The Make-Up – has been finding a whole new generation of fans these last few years (QRO photos outdoors).  Matt & Kim (see above) should really by opening for them

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
 

Harlem, 5:30 PM, Stillwell Stage

Tucson-by-way-of Austin Harlem (QRO photos at an Austin festival) channel Nirvana on their debut Hippies (QRO review) – though they’re no Harlem Shakes (QRO spotlight on)…

Harlem
 

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, 5:00 PM, Main Stage 

One of the many up-and-coming Brooklyn neo-garage acts, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (QRO live review) hewed more towards the brighter, twee side of things on their self-titled debut LP (QRO review).  But the band has become one of those to break out of the Brooklyn garage (QRO photos outside of NYC), as live & outdoors, they really kick it up a notch (QRO live review).

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
 

Earl Greyhound, 4:30 PM, Stillwell Stage 

The recent ‘afro-punk’ (QRO Afro-Punk Festival photos) movement has unfortunately been trending away from the original likes of TV On the Radio (QRO live review) and Dragons of Zynth (QRO album review), and towards the next generation of Hendrix rip-offs, Earl Greyhound (QRO photos).  Why couldn’t Siren have brought back Dragons of Zynth (QRO photos at Siren ’08) instead?

Earl Greyhound
 

The Night Marchers, 4:00 PM, Main Stage 

Singer/guitarist John Reis has had a number of previous acts (Drive Like Jehu, Rocket From the Crypts, etc….), but in 2007 formed his latest with some other refugees, The Night Marchers.  The San Diego alt-punk act debuted with See You In Magic in 2008, a sort of combination of all that had come before.

 

The Night Marchers

 

Ponytail, 3:30 PM, Stillwell Stage 

Siren & The Village Voice have long reach outside the mainstream, but Ponytail (QRO photos)?  There’s a reason this Baltimore act (QRO photos at a festival) is outside, because their noise-rock is just noise, fronted by screamer Molly Siegel – who looks like a petulant twelve-year-old boy (QRO photos outdoors) – yet somehow they keep getting booked (QRO photos at a festival).

Ponytail
 

Surfer Blood, 3:00 PM, Main Stage 

Shooting up very quickly in indie-circles has been West Palm Beach’s Surfer Blood (QRO photos at a festival), who were gaining tons of fans (QRO photos of a packed house) long before acclaimed debut Astro Coast (QRO review) finally hit the shelves (or whatever you say in today’s digital age…).  Are they the first wave of a new ‘South Florida Invasion’ (QRO photos at home)?  They’ll be playing Siren with recent tourmates The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (see above) – watch out for joint cover of Lit’s "My Own Worst Enemy" (QRO photos together)…

Surfer Blood
 

Wye Oak, 2:30 PM, Stillwell Stage

The sweet, alt-country sounds of Joan Wagner & Andy Stark start off Siren as Wye Oak (QRO photos), who’ve impressed critics with their two full-lengths, The Knot (QRO review) and If Children (QRO review).

Wye Oak
 

Screaming Females, 2:00 PM, Main Stage

Fronted by an actual female, singer/guitarist Marissa Paternoster, the punk rock trio got a lot of praise last year for Power Move (QRO review), including opening for the likes of Dinosaur Jr. (QRO live review), The Dead Weather (QRO album review), Arctic Monkeys (QRO album review), and Ted Leo & The Pharmacists (see above).

Screaming Females
 

Apache Beat, 1:30 PM, Stillwell Stage

Brooklyn’s Apache Beat bring their experimental mix of art & punk to open up the Stillwell Stage.

Apache Beat
 

DOM, 1:00 PM, Main Stage

The "pride of Worcester, Mass" made big waves in blog circles with "Jesus", then even bigger by claiming they rely on food stamps & turning down the offer from Passion Pit (QRO album review) to be on their private label.  And now DOM return to Brooklyn, less than a month after visiting to play the Northside Festival (QRO photos at that festival). 

DOM

 

After party:

We Are Scientists 

After the fireworks herald Siren’s end, stay in Brooklyn but head up to Williamsburg for the best Siren after-party in years, headlined by Siren 2007’s We Are Scientists (QRO photos at Siren ’07).  The Brooklyn-by-way-of-Claremont, California act (QRO photos at a festival) has had a habit of appearing & disappearing, like after Siren but returning in 2008 with Brain Thrust Mastery (QRO review), then disappearing again, but are back again, with the recently-released Barbara (QRO review).  Starting with 2006’s "It’s a Hit" (QRO video), the band’s powerful indie-rock has won PhD’s across the country and beyond, and their live show (QRO live review) is known for humorous between-son banter and audience participation, so head to Music Hall in Williamsburg (QRO venue review) after Siren.

 

 

We Are Scientists

 

Lightspeed Champion

After leaving dance-punk act Test Icicles, England’s Devonté Hynes became Lightspeed Champion, mixing a variety of styles & genres to make him the ‘20th coolest person in rock’ by NME in 2008.  He also befriended Keith Murray of We Are Scientists (see above), who served as back up when Hynes played Late Night with Conan O’Brien (QRO Indie on Late Night TV).  Other back-ups have included Spacekamp (QRO photos) and Jackson Pollis of Your Nature/Frankpollis (QRO live review), who served as back up to Tiny Monsters of Today at Siren last year (QRO photos at Siren ‘09).

Lightspeed Champion
 

Bad Girlfriend

Don’t know much about Bad Girlfriend, other than they’re all female (recently posted an ad for a girl drummer…).

Bad Girlfriends

 

Pre-party:

On Thursday, July 15th, Toyota Antics is holding one of their festival pre-parties, at 450 Union Street in Brooklyn (the same day/time as their pre-party for Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival – QRO preview).

Toyota Antics Pre-Party

 

Monotonix

There might not be a wilder act out there than Tel Aviv (that’s in Israel, kids!) natives Monotonix.  The three-man act’s live show (QRO live review) is done amidst the crowd, with ‘singer’ Ami Shalev stealing and trashing his own band’s equipment – he even broke his leg at a show earlier this year (QRO photos), while on tour with Surfer Blood (see above).  It all culminates in the ‘drummer’ surf, where the crowd lifts the drummer & kit up above their heads.

And keeping with the ‘returnee’ theme, Monotonix are coming off rocking from inside the Siren crowd last year (QRO photos at Siren ‘09).

Monotonix
 

BRAHMS

Locals BRAHMS are fresh off a residency at New York’s Pianos (QRO venue review) and opening (QRO photos from that tour) for the Passion Pit (QRO photos from that tour)/Tokyo Police Club (QRO photos from that tour) tour.

 

For RSVP for pre-party, go here: http://www.uptheantics.com/siren/

BRAHMS

  

 

For festival website, go here: http://siren.villagevoice.com/2010/

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