I have been thinking a lot about how I haven't written shit in a long time, and I need to get back at it. I know I know, this blog hath become the step child I only sort of ever wanted. But still love.
Anywhoooo, Trae hitting Helsinki and Oslo this weekend. That info is coming in the next post.
So yeah, we are gonna work backwards. This past weekend was the ACL Festival here in Austin, and man, what an event. Not even a monsoon could stop it! But Friday was totally beautiful, as evidenced by this photo.
Got out of work on Friday, after leaving my hotel in Montreal at 4 am (CST), getting on a plane at 6 am, getting on another plane at 9 am and landing in Austin at 12:15 pm, and then went straight to Zilker Park in hopes of catching Daniel Johnston.
And we did, on the Austin Ventures stage. Said stage gets my personal award for best back stage food, drink and acoutrements. OK I can't spell that word, but I know you feel me. The glow in the dark color changing beer cups were the bomb and I was feeling them cranberry raisin oatmeal cookies. Real talk.
This is me. (In same shirt I wore to first day of ACL last year for some reason)
This is my wife.
This is our little Elena.
Again, Elena.
And this is our Eva.
The reason we went straight to ACL as opposed to maybe taking a nap, was because my children love the Yeah Yeah Yeah's. Especially Eva. I done splained that in the post below, with the EXCLUSIVE YEAH YEAH YEAH'S VIDEO FOOTAGE PON DI YOUTUBE!
Anyway man they were off the chain.
Is Karen O human? I am not sure.
Anyway, before ACL, last week and such, I headed out to Montreal for the Pop Montreal Festival, one of my favorite music festivals hands down! Seriously, I wish I could have stayed for the whole thing, but only caught the first couple of days. What makes Pop Montreal so dope, is they get big bands, and they get a lot of newer up and comers, and they play all over the city, at all times of the day, similar to SXSW. But what I like the best is the art that seems to permeate all the parties. The Notman House, their central point, is this classic building from I guess the 1800s if not older where everyone starts their Pop Montreal experience.
This is Quinn's hand holding the Art Pop program. Quinn works with Pop Montreal and deals with people such as myself.
Anyway yeah check it out, I don't know what any of it is or who did it, cuz new daddy (and big daddy of the fest) Dan Seligman had me all fucked up.
That's a joke of course. Come on y'all!
Yeah so, I love this festival, and all these people.
Ran into the bro Cadence Weapon at the opening party and snapped a pic of him playing the theramin!
Also her.
Also them.
Ghislain Poirer was in the house!!!
As was my man Guillaime!
I am honestly not sure why I took this pic of the bathroom. I remember sticking my arm up in the air, hoping to capture something, but I am not sure what. Thanks DAN!
This band was pretty amazing, but I need someone from the organization to hit me up and remind me what their name is. Wow.
Talm bout?
Yeah and then I read the back of my cigarette pack and got scared and then said fuck it, for I really don't care.
Bicodin.
I could have, and have done, way better at documenting all the graf I saw out there, but alas, Dan, yeah, thanks man.
This a real meal right here. Funny story, well not so funny, but my Eva had the flu last week, so I have been trying to stay halfway healthy and do what I can to eat right and battle them lil biggers right out of my life. So when I got to Montreal I ate all this healthy food, lots of veggies, and still felt kinda bad. Then I got me some poutine and a chicken pita and ALL WAS WELL.
So yeah don't believe the hype. A lil gravy and cheese will fix anything. Stay with me here.
So the first night of showcases I went to see some Francophoen rap. See, they speak French and English in Quebec, but French first. So these dudes rapped in French. Not sure what they were saying but it was fun to watch. I am always interested in things like this.
Even though no one else would hang out with me and go to this! I sat stoned and alone and watched people rap things I could not understand, at all.
This is Chub-E Pelletier.
And friend.
This is MC Lasauce and friends.
Didn't know what she was saying but...
She gave out like 20 shots of Jameson tot he audience. I did not drink said Jameson.
There was one more group but I didn't take pics as I was in and out a bit checking out other bands along St. Laurent, namely HOLGER from Brazil.
Who I also did not photograph.
Then I walked home down St. Laurent and shot all these "from the hip."
I dunno man.
This was my workstation while in Montreal. Where I did the podcast you can DL below.
Thursday night I saw one of my favorite bands of all time!
Yeah man, they ripped it.
Rolled wiht the one EMpire Isis to see them and then to see ROXANNE SHANTE and MOTHER GANG.
Empire Isis and one of the MC's from Mother Gang.
Anyway Mother Gang is a collective, or maybe a gathering of some of the top female MC's in Montreal. As put together by Giselle Numba One.
It was really dope to see because to me, it seemed like everyone on stage represented another aspect of hip-hop. Like, they all had their own things going on completely, but when they came together it worked well!
Which is always nice to see. 1. Females representing in hip-hop. 2. People working together to make something new and exciting in hip-hop. Much respect!
Roxanne Shante came out IN AN INVINCIBLE T-SHIRT and rocked it!
The legend of course!
Here's Giselle Numba One and a friend.
Here is Giselle hugging Dan Seligman.
After this, I went back to the hotel, packed my shit, finished off the shit I could not bring back, and went to sleep for 2 hours.
So before leaving for Montreal, I was in Austin, daughter was sick, work was long, heat was gone, rain was coming, I was there.
BUT BEFORE THAT! I went to Brandon, Manitoba, also in Canada, for the Western Canadian Music Awards. My camera was dying out there so I didn't get a lot of photos (that's also why the photos above were done on a much lesser camera than usual), but here's a few.
This was the view from my hotel. Word to Wheat City! Seriously, this small town is really cool. And it was 90 degrees the whole time we were there.
We did some one on one mentoring sessions with some young artists, out in the sunshine.
Ritch Esra interviews Nic Harcourt.
Bands played all over town each night. And I wished my camera was working better.
We went to two events at a nature center!
And at this particular one, Amish, maybe Mennonite, women roasted a pig.
And the rest is a blur. Back to work.
No comments:
Post a Comment