Okay, so after a Friday evening warm-up, Saturday is the first real day of the festival. There’s a whole lot more artists scheduled and with no breaks between the sets, intersecting stages and the overall congested feeling that having a festival in downtown Boston presents, its enough to make you feel like a pinball being flicked around a musical pinball machine. Perhaps, there’s too much, and because of that we hope you’ll use our guide to figure out what artists you need to see, some you might want to check out for a bit, and others that might require a mid-afternoon retreat to a local bar or restaurant in the area.
DAY 2: Saturday: Euro Pop and Art Rock
KRILL:
WHAT TIME IS/ARE HE/SHE/THEY ON:
12:55
WHERE:
Jetblue Stage
SIMPLIFIED GENRE:
Indie Rock
THE FIRST THING I THINK OF WHEN I THINK OF THIS ARTIST:
Local boys are getting well deserved attention and are perhaps being rewarded for having their most successful year as a band and releasing their most polished record to date.
MOST INTERESTING ONLINE TIDBIT:
Krill formed when former drummer Luke Pyenson stumbled upon Tufts University classmates Jonah Furman and Aaron Ratoff playing in his basement the day after a basement house show in Chicago. They’ve pretty much been a staple of the local Boston music scene ever since.
THOUGHTS:
It will be exciting to see them on a big stage with a big sound system.
ESSENTIAL TRACK:
“Tiger” is my favorite track from their most recent release A Distant Fist Unclenching.
FESTIVAL PREDICTIONS: Krill’s passionate and loyal fan-base will probably think the rest of the line-up is “pretty weak,” and be reluctant to cough up the money to see them on a big stage. Besides there’s a house show later on. (Editors note: there is no confirmed house show later on.)
DMA’s:
WHAT TIME IS/ARE HE/SHE/THEY ON:
1:25
WHERE:
Jetblue Stage
SIMPLIFIED GENRE:
Brit-pop
THE FIRST THING I THINK OF WHEN I THINK OF THIS ARTIST:
Oasis, I guess I’m not alone
MOST INTERESTING ONLINE TIDBIT:
Noel Gallagher was recently interviewed and asked about DMA’s. He finished by saying “I’ll have to watch them from side of stage and boo them.” when he plays on the same bill as them next month at Governor’s Ball.
THOUGHTS:
Will the hype band live up to the hype?
ESSENTIAL TRACK:
“Delete” is the only song I’ve heard and its good, not great.
Festival Predictions: DMA’s doesnt live up to the hype, but I only know the one song above so I could be proven wrong very easily.
MØ:
WHAT TIME IS/ARE HE/SHE/THEY ON:
1:25
WHERE:
Red Stage
SIMPLIFIED GENRE:
Electro-pop
THE FIRST THING I THINK OF WHEN I THINK OF THIS ARTIST:
Grimes
MOST INTERESTING ONLINE TIDBIT:
Besides being an acronym for her middle and last initials, the word mø means “maiden” or “virgin” in Danish.
THOUGHTS:
She might be one of Kristen Wiig’s odd characters.
ESSENTIAL TRACK:
“Don’t Wanna Dance,” but I do wanna dance.
RUN THE JEWELS:
WHAT TIME IS/ARE HE/SHE/THEY ON:
2:55
WHERE:
Jetblue Stage
SIMPLIFIED GENRE:
Hip-hop
THE FIRST THING I THINK OF WHEN I THINK OF THIS ARTIST:
They better not tell me to “throw my hands in the air.”
MOST INTERESTING ONLINE TIDBIT:
A kickstarter campaign has started to re-release a version of their second L.P. Run the Jewels 2 mixed entirely of cat sounds and entitled Meow the Jewels. “Meow the Jewels which will feature guest production from the likes of Prince Paul, The Alchemist, Just Blaze and others. Proceeds from the latter will go entirely to charity.”
What charity exactly? and overall just Why?
THOUGHTS:
Your token hip hop act, but one you should be excited about.
ESSENTIAL TRACK:
“Close Your Eyes” featuring Zach De La Rocha. This is graphic social commentary I think at a very pressing time. I’m not quite sure what this video is trying to say. At first I thought “woah, what great social commentary” but then they seem to be kind of dance fighting like West Side Story style.
FESTIVAL PREDICTIONS:
Zach De La Rocha does not show up and the reoccurring dream of a Rage Against the Machine reunion that I keep imagining lives on. Everyone is told to throw their “mutha fuckin hands in the air” or “get em up” between two and four times. I refuse and pretend to mildly enjoy hip-hop in the live setting. I don’t.
Killer Mike makes a social conscious peace about progress and equality and some upper middle class white kid yells “fuck the police.”
TOVE LO:
WHAT TIME IS/ARE HE/SHE/THEY ON:
3:55
WHERE:
Red Stage
SIMPLIFIED GENRE:
Euro-dance pop
THE FIRST THING I THINK OF WHEN I THINK OF THIS ARTIST:
She recently “freed the nipple” during her Hangout Fest set.
MOST INTERESTING ONLINE TIDBIT:
You may her know as the girl whose hit “Habits/Stay High” you couldn’t avoid last summer, but did you know she has written all of these other pop hits for other artists as well?
THOUGHTS:
She’s a pop act with a bit of an edge. She represents nineties culture hard and writes her songs without any metaphors. She’s an open book and I respect that.
ESSENTIAL TRACK:
“Talking Body”
FESTIVAL PREDICTIONS:
Younger audiences squeeze close to the stage and Tove hangs over the barrier to encourage them to sing a long the “Oooo oooo” parts of “Habits.” Nobody including Tove herself can actually hit those notes consistently in a live setting. It’s about your breathe people. Sing from your stomach, sing from your heart.
GERARD WAY:
WHAT TIME IS/ARE HE/SHE/THEY ON:
4:30
WHERE:
JetBlue Stage
SIMPLIFIED GENRE:
Alt-rock, pop-punk
THE FIRST THING I THINK OF WHEN I THINK OF THIS ARTIST:
My Chemical Romance, the band Gerard Way fronted for most of his musical career.
MOST INTERESTING ONLINE TIDBIT:
Way also wrote the comic mini-series The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, and wrote the Eisner Award-winning comic book The Umbrella Academy.
THOUGHTS:
My Chemical Romance passed me by in the same way bands like Brand New did. This is ploy to get that audience of (22-25 year old) there but I’m not sure how many of them care enough to buy a ticket just to see Gerard Way’s solo act among a slew of other unrelated acts. Tough sell.
ESSENTIAL TRACK:
“No Shows” is delightful.
FESTIVAL PREDICTIONS:
At this point in the day Boston Calling is becoming its biggest enemy for creating a line-up that seemingly has no common thread between the bands. The acts all seem to be appealing to niche audiences of which they will only care about seeing maybe one of the earlier acts in the day. Also a good time for a late lunch/early dinner.
MARINA AND DIAMONDS:
WHAT TIME IS/ARE HE/SHE/THEY ON:
5:45
WHERE:
Red Stage
SIMPLIFIED GENRE:
Indie-Electro Pop
THE FIRST THING I THINK OF WHEN I THINK OF THIS ARTIST:
Another European pop act? Really?
MOST INTERESTING ONLINE TIDBIT:
Via wikipedia, “Diamandis has been diagnosed with synesthesia, and consequently associates particular colours with musical notes and days of the week.”
So cool, I want that.
THOUGHTS:
Is this Mini Driver’s daughter? And Amy Winehouse called from the grave and wants her style back.
ESSENTIAL TRACK:
“How to be a Heartbreaker”
ST. VINCENT:
WHAT TIME IS/ARE HE/SHE/THEY ON:
6:50
WHERE:
Jetblue Stage
SIMPLIFIED GENRE:
Art Rock, Indie Rock
THE FIRST THING I THINK OF WHEN I THINK OF THIS ARTIST:
She’s talented, she’s beautiful. She’s an unreal guitar player and is hopefully inspiring the next generation of girls to pick up guitars, plug in and rock out.
MOST INTERESTING ONLINE TIDBIT:
She has been rumored to be dating eyebrow maven Cara Delevingne. Do we care? No, but just the fact that Annie Clark is now being gossiped about proves her new level of stardom.
THOUGHTS:
Why isn’t she headlining? Seriously.
ESSENTIAL TRACK:
“Surgeon” from 2011’s Strange Mercy. This song has a killer ear piercing guitar solo I want to hear break some windows.
BEN HARPER AND THE INNOCENT CRIMINALS:
WHAT TIME IS/ARE HE/SHE/THEY ON:
7:55
WHERE:
Red Stage
SIMPLIFIED GENRE:
Folk, Blues, Jam Rock
THE FIRST THING I THINK OF WHEN I THINK OF THIS ARTIST:
The double live CD I owned of Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals in the 7th Grade. I remember a really cool cover of “Whole Lotta Love”
MOST INTERESTING ONLINE TIDBIT:
Harper is married to actress Laura Dern. You know the girl from Jurassic Park that gets her hands right in the dino-poo.
THOUGHTS:
Where you been Ben Harper? I guess he fills Jack Johnson’s shoes and proves that the Boston Calling line up is pretty cookie cutter. Also, this is the first show of a recently reunited Innocent Criminals. They’ve always been a tighter, heavier band that people lumped into reggae and jamband categories, both of which are not necessarily accurate categorizations.
ESSENTIAL TRACK:
“With My Own” A modern day reggae classic
MY MORNING JACKET:
WHAT TIME IS/ARE HE/SHE/THEY ON:
9:20
WHERE:
JetBlue Stage
SIMPLIFIED GENRE:
Folk, Rock, Jam (check out our My Morning Jacket Beginners Guide)
THE FIRST THING I THINK OF WHEN I THINK OF THIS ARTIST:
Their New Years Eve show in Boston 2012. I believe this was the last time they’ve played in Beantown.
MOST INTERESTING ONLINE TIDBIT:
They were once featured on an entire episode of American Dad as “My Morning Straightjacket”
THOUGHTS:
Their new record The Waterfall is possibly their best to date and we’re catching them right at the beginning of a lengthy tour.
ESSENTIAL TRACK:
“Spring, Among the Living” a highlight off The Waterfall featuring Tune-Yards Merrill Garbus on backing vocals.
Tickets are still available for Boston Calling via Ticketmaster $75