There is a breeze on the Polo Grounds. Sometimes you have to go in search of it, but yesterday, nothing seemed to be that breezy. The first observation upon entering the grounds was that I forgot to pack my '93 Charles Barkley jersey and game 4 of the Suns-Lakers is on Sunday, and Phoenix already lost game 3 because I wasn't watching but instead, was braving the Coachella traffic on Thursday night. My squad needs me like that. But there's music at Coachella–too hot for basketball–and a left behind jersey just seemed indicative of the way it all went down.
Certainly, the music went down. Opening the mainstage, Flosstradamus whipped everyone into a frenzy mixing dance hits with booty shakers and effecting everyone attention deficit disorder for the worse…but certainly made up for it by getting the adrenaline …
| Mar | 31 |
|
By Jen Boyles
“CHI-TOWN I’MMA MISS YOU!!” KID SISTER YELLS INTO THE MIC, HER CHARISMA WAFTING LIKE CARTOON fumes over a mess of flat-brim baseball hats, natty dreadlocks, indie-rock haircuts and side ponytails mimicking her own. The crowd at the Empty Bottle—a bar hat truly redefines “dive”—jumps up and down in one maniacal mass to her PG-13 Crucial Conflict-meets-Khia party rap. They’re so rowdy, in fact, that my friend gives me a wtf? look as she picks tiny pieces of the ceiling from her hair.
The show is a slightly sentimental one, as it is 27-year-old Chicago native Melisa Young’s last hometown gig before embarking on her two month-long “Catch an Attitude” European tour (also featuring her boyfriend, A-Trak, her brother Josh’s equally hype DJ duo Flosstradamus, and raze). A loveably campy hip-hop caricature in her massive ‘round-the-way-girl earrings, gold chains and …
One story you might not read about in the SXSW wrap-ups flooding the internet this week is the rash of police bust that took down nearly every afterparty this year. Sure, DJs still had a large presence in the daytime events—both official and unofficial—but the number of DJs booked for proper SXSW evening showcases were abysmally few. No matter, because ambitious promoters had late night plans, chocked full of quality party music and free bars. And unlike the indie blasts of years past, it seemed like these DJs were first on the lips of many attendees as 'the act to see.' Only thing was, the police weren't having it.
The bad news started to come down the pipe Thursday night, when the event at Factory People was called off before it even started, leaving Simian Mobile Disco …
After missing my flight and spending an extra day in LA, caught a puddle jumper to San Antonio, where i procured a rental car and made the 90-minute trek to Austin.
Unkempt, unwashed yet unstoppable, i hit the URB/Puma party at Beauty Bar in time to see last minute addition Amanda Blank joined by last last minute addition Naeem of Spank Rock working out their “karaoke set” to a crowd that was just gathering when A-Trak took over. But the real party began when URB cover stars Flosstradamus hit the stage, soon joined by Kid Sister. It was a blur of bumps and beats and I had to cut out before Federation went on in order to go check in with SXSW and get the almighty
press badge (no waiting in line this week).
As i strolled …
Leave A Comment!