Last weekend was Live 105’s BFD 2015 festival at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountainview, California. Representing the 21st time that this annual event has been held, it sold out in advance of the concert date on June 6th. Live 105, “The Bay Area’s Alternative”, had a well curated line-up of known and emerging acts, covering a wide range of musical genres that all fall under the “alternative” banner, including 15 local acts. With a vast line-up, they managed to squeeze it all into one day, with two “Festival Stages” that alternated back and forth throughout the day (to mitigate any downtime – it was literally non-stop music) as well as a “Subsonic Tent” and “Soundcheck Local Band Stage”, which ran concurrently. It all lead up to the “Main Stage” acts within the Shoreline Amphitheatre itself, which ran back to back through the night. A fantastic show that seemed to come off without a hitch, playing to over 20,000 fans. This article features my PART ONE coverage, which focuses on the daytime “Festival Stage” artists and performances.
MisterWives at The Independent | San Francisco, California | 6/4/2015 (Concert Review + Photos)
“Holy shit! San! Fran! Cisco! Oh my God. Well, I may be really fucking tired… I danced my ass off! I have sit down so I don’t have a heart attack! … just in case you missed what we were trying to say… San Francisco, you are fucking amazing!” MisterWives’ Mandy Lee, after coming back on stage for their encore, taking a seat behind the drum kit. That encore opened with a “fucking amazing” cover of “Uptown Funk”. This is the moment where they really showed off how each member of the group is an exceptional musician, as they went through an extended jam session that really showcased their music talents and ability to intuitively wander about a song and squeeze every last bit of sonic confection out of it. I first saw the New York pop band performing as part of the KNPB television series, Cargo Live at Whitney Peak Hotel in Reno, and came away feeling that it was a band destined for a very bright future. That feeling was cemented Thursday night, as they have matured even more as a live act. Their debut album, Our Own House, has since been released, and fueled them through an hour and a half show. The theme of the night, for them, seemed to be an earnest love for The City by the Bay, with Mandy becoming choked up at the love being showered onto the band throughout the concert. They are definitely a young act with much larger stages waiting for them in the not too distant future, as long as they keep on doing what they are doing.
MisterWives First Headlining Tour Supporting “Our Own House” Kicks Off in the U.S. This Week
In support of their debut studio album released last week, Our Own House, NY pop band MisterWives kicked off their first headlining tour in Philadelphia on Friday. Their U.S. tour will keep them on the road through mid-April, though they are scheduled to appear at a few festivals thereafter. [Read more…]
MisterWives, Crash Kings, The Soft White Sixties, & Moondog Matinee at Cargo at the Whitney Peak Hotel | Reno, Nevada | 10/24/2014 (Concert Review + Photos)
“Those guys really rocked their faces off, so it was an honor to share the stage with those incredible bands.” Mandy Lee of MisterWives, talking about the three awesome bands that took the stage leading up to their set: Crash Kings, The Soft White Sixties, and Moondog Matinee. A quadruple headliner show, each act served as unique showcases of up and coming artists, with each being featured early next year in their own respective episodes of the PBS member station’s KNPB television series, Cargo Live at Whitney Peak Hotel, due to start airing early next year. This concert, which ran for about five hours Friday night at Cargo in Reno, Nevada, boasted a fantastic collective of artists and the venue provided a great setting for really exciting and electric shows.
MisterWives, Crash Kings, Soft White Sixties, & Moondog Matinee Feature at Final KNPB Presents Cargo Live in Reno, Nevada at the Whitney Peak Hotel
“KNPB Presents Cargo Live” will tape it’s final show on Friday night, with a line-up featuring MisterWives, Crash Kings, Soft White Sixties, and Moondog Matinee. The music showcase will be hosted by Cargo at the Whitney Peak Hotel in Reno, Nevada. [Read more…]