Blog: Don't Fear the Mainstream

Everyone's favorite indie pop heroes Matt & Kim made their national TV debut last night with a spirited performance on the Jimmy Kimmel show. They played "Daylight," the song that's rapidly breaking through to the mainstream. Just last week, Ashton Kutcher was furiously tweeting to find out what song was in that Bacardi commercial, so, beware, Matt & Kim, because once Ashton Kutcher starts singing the praises of something, it's hard for the rest of us to like it anymore. Nonetheless, here's their performance. Video : Matt & Kim - "Daylight" on [...]

I finally joined Twitter just so I could cyberstalk celebrities. So hopefully this will become a new weekly feature. My favorite tweet this week was from British drama queen/indie darling Patrick Wolf, who had yet another bitchfit on stage and threw shit at some woman. It was captured on video and people started going nuts, so Patrick responded with this tweet: No one was hurt onstage. drama and music go hand in hand. media world stop freaking out. Watch jubilee by derek jarman or listen to ATR. xpw [...]

Getting a new single from a new Madonna record is always a big deal. The latest is "Celebration," which I'm loving - it reminds me a lot of the dance mix of "What it Feels Like For a Girl." Video : Madonna - Celebration (unofficial)

A clever video from an artist I'd never heard of... Video : Kate Miller-Heidke - "Are You Fucking Kidding Me? (The Facebook Song)"

CONCERT REVIEW: All Points West July 31 - August 2, 2009 Liberty State Park, New Jersey Last year's All Points West festival made some mistakes and earned hefty criticism, but that was mostly excused by the fact that it was the inaugural event. Year two, we were promised, would be much smoother. Nothing could've been further from the truth. This weekend's festival was a total disaster, largely due to torrential downpours on Friday and Sunday that turned the entire park grounds into a giant [...]

MUST-SEE SHOW: 8/6 Fiery Furnaces @ Brillobox I've seen this quirky twosome a few times and never been disappointed. Their last Pittsburgh show was at Mr. Small's and fewer than 100 people showed up. They'll fare much better at the more intimate Brillobox. 2007's Widow City was brilliant, and on July 21 they just released I'm Going Away , so look for plenty of new songs tonight. ALSO WORTH ATTENDING: 8/3 Dan Deacon, Deerhunter & No Age @ Mr. Small's A [...]

Photo credits (top-bottom): Andrew Strasser, Strasser, Bridget Maniaci, Strasser For the past year or so, Pittsburgh mashup artist Girl Talk (Gregg Gillis) has been essentially taking a victory lap, touring the world after the success of Feed the Animals , an album constructed using more than 300 samples of pop and hip hop songs. His concerts are known for their craziness, which may include giant toilet paper cannons, dozens of fans dancing onstage, and Gillis removing most of his clothes. On Friday he returns [...]

On Monday, the Thunderbird Cafe in Lawrenceville will host The Horse's Ha, a Chicago-based folk act led by James Elkington and Janet Beveridge Bean. Touring behind their debut release Of The Cathmawr Yards , the band crafts quiet, moody songs that will fit in perfectly with the intimate, low-key setting at the Thunderbird. MP3 : The Horse's Ha - Asleep in a Waterfall MP3 : The Horse's Ha - The Piss Choir Check out the band's MySpace for more, including the gem "Map of Stars": [...]

• The Horse's Ha - Asleep In A Waterfall

Some of the more interesting videos from the 2009 Pitchfork Music Festival I've found on YouTube... Video: Matt & Kim - "Daylight" Video : Flaming Lips - "She Don't Use Jelly/Do You Realize?" Video: Japandroids - "The Boys are Leaving Town" Video : Final Fantasy - "This Lamb Sells Condos"

The Flaming Lips CONCERT REVIEW: Pitchfork Music Festival July 18-19, 2009 Union Park, Chicago The Flaming Lips' raucous live show highlighted an entertaining 2009 Pitchfork Music Festival this weekend at Chicago's Union Park. The Lips' Sunday evening set ended the event with a bang. There were the requisite giant balloons and confetti cannons, and singer Wayne Coyne walking through the crowd in a giant rubber ball. [...]

I'm in Chicago, ready for my first Pitchfork Music festival experience. I haven't had a lot of time to familiarize myself with all the bands since I've been on the road all summer, so I'll be watching a lot of them without knowing what to expect. Which is cool. The clean slate phenomenon. I've heard they'll be giving out free ice cream. I am totally down with that! The Mae Shi The 5 bands I'm most looking forward to seeing: [...]

CONCERT REVIEW: Basilica Block Party July 11, 2009 Minneapolis, Minnesota Let's face it, seeing the Hold Steady play live anywhere is a treat, but seeing them play in the city where they got their start, the city whose streets are referenced in numerous Hold Steady songs? That's pretty damn special. They rocked day 2 of the Basilica Block Party last night in Minneapolis. I had intended to only catch 30 minutes of the Hold Steady's set [...]

I'm just now catching up on the performances at Michael Jackson's memorial today. One of my favorites was John Mayer's "Human Nature."

CONCERT REVIEW: Blake Shelton, Bucky Covington & Trailer Choir Greeley Stampede Greeley, Colorado July 4, 2009 How the hell did I end up at a hardcore country concert at a rodeo in Greeley, Colorado on July 4? Well, sometimes the road trip takes us to unexpected places. And so it was that we sat among hundreds of country hat-wearing rednecks to take in a show by Blake Shelton and Bucky Covington. [...]

Congratulations to Shannon C. of Pittsburgh, who was the winner in our Camera Obscura ticket giveaway. The show was on Tuesday night at Mr. Small's. These photos from the show are courtesy of Hugh at HughshowsRedux .

MUST-SEE SHOW: 7/8 Ani DiFranco @ Rex Theatre There are a ton of shows I could call must-see in July so it's hard to choose, but my gut feeling tells me it's Ani DiFranco at the Rex. Ani's words have been moving listeners for years and her passionate delivery is inspiring. Hopefully she'll play "Untouchable Face," a beautiful ballad that absolutely rips your soul out. ALSO WORTH ATTENDING: 7/12 Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band @ Mr. Small's Conor is very much the [...]

Michael was my favorite singer growing up. I think Seth Green, of all people, put it best: "It's shocking and so sad. But for the first time in a long time, people are talking about all of the amazing things he was rather than all of the unfortunate attention he'd acquired." That's the way it should be. I'd already been planning a post of some of my favorite Michael Jackson moments; I'll post that in the coming weeks when I have the time.

CONCERT REVIEW: Andrew W.K. & the Evaporators Neptoon Records in-store performance Vancouver, British Columbia June 23, 2009 On Tuesday in Vancouver, Andrew W.K., wearing a t-shirt with his own name and a fake blood stain, rocked an overpacked record store, joined by the Evaporators, whose quirky singer Nardwuar was someone Andrew idolized for years. The Evaporators hit the stage first, playing silly but catchy punk songs with titles like "Addicted to Cheese" [...]

CONCERT REVIEW: Carbon Leaf Easy Street Records in-store performance Seattle, WA June 19, 2009 Our summer road trip took us to Seattle yesterday, where Virginia rockers Carbon Leaf played an in-store concert at Easy Street Records in the funky neighborhood of Queen Anne. The acoustic performance – two guitars, drums, and an upright bass – took place just a few hours before their full-length show at Showbox. The band was [...]

Weird Al Yankovic, hard-working genius that he is, has just released a new Internet-only track. Entitled "Craigslist," the song is an original work done in the style of the Doors, and Doors keyboardist Ray Manzarek even plays on the track. The video features Al doing his best Jim Morrison with trippy backgrounds and scenescapes behind him. It's pretty funny. The track is currently available for download from iTunes and the other usual digital outlets. Video : Weird Al Yankovic - "Craigslist"