There is a lot to like about March. Not so much for Julius Caesar but definitely for me. My bookend children were born on the 3rd and the 17th (yes, St. Patty's Day), the arrival of spring and the vernal equinox, the NCAA basketball tournament, spring training, longer days and the winter quarter coming to an end. Hello warm weather and longer days!
Additionally, the arrival of the yellow coating of pollen also hints that new music is here via freshly pressed (not really) albums, touring and the beginning of music festival season. This year, I'm working hard to make one of the big 5 US festivals (SXSW, Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits) work but keep running up against commitments and other priorities. Damn, I think I was supposed to be doing this in my 20s, not my 40s. In my defense, I was then, but I was too busy living off the grid, doing my best at keeping two ships passing, not meeting, in the night.
There really are some great shows you should check out. For example, the Lollapalooza lineup is great and looks both ahead and back, Death Grips and New Order, the Cure and Cat Power all deliciously stirred up and presented to a stew of sweaty and severely over-served fans. Unfortunately, Lollapalooza will not work for me again this year and instead, I've now got tickets to Boston Calling, a first year downtown festival on City Hall Plaza with some very cool bands. City Hall Plaza, most notable for its ugly 70s construction and surrounding vast, red-bricked wasteland, is most prominently utilized by the local sporting teams after winning championships. Ahhh, the memories of Larry Bird in his unmistakable "hick from French Lick" twang stating to a delirious audience that "Moses (Malone) really does eat shit" are vivid. It is by no means a great festival site but the allure of great bands in a downtown setting is too good to pass...and the weekend works for me. Looking at the two day lineup, the Sunday show with The National headlining for Andrew Bird, Walkmen, Youth Lagoon, Ra Ra Riot, and Caspian, among others is far preferable to FUN, The Shins, Matt and Kim et al on Saturday. I'd never heard of Caspian (from Beverly, MA) before investigating this festival but recently checked out their site and a video and I'm all in. Bring it on...
Looking back:
LA-style:
DIY Boston-style:
