For those who follow this site closely, I recently posted a podcast where I said, “I work all day on a laptop. I don’t want to dance to one at night, too.” It may seem a little odd to you, my loyal reader, that I am attending the Portola Music Festival this year. Not only am I attending, but I am deeply excited about this. Indeed, there is plenty of laptop action happening on this bill, and numerous websites are highlighting it. Tickets are available here. Full schedule here. See you September 20th-21st!
This is who I’m excited about:
Noga Erez
I *love* Noga Erez. I had the opportunity to interview her just over a year ago, and it was one of the craziest and most intense interviews I’ve ever had. Her music? Well, she’s of the same school as Missy Elliott and Nelly Furtado —blending hip-hop with space funk and world beats with a delicious, snarky bite.
Magdelana Bay
Funky, disco-infused, bright pop rock with a super charismatic frontperson and a reputation as an absolutely bonkers live act? Sign me up!
Kreayshawn
Kreayshaw absolutely killed it at her comeback performance at Mosswood Meltdown back in July. She was armed only with a DJ and a dancing Hello Kitty, proving to us that she may be one of the most underrated MCs to come out of the Bay Area.
Rico Nasty
I will admit that I’m furious that Rico Nasty is playing at the same time as The Rapture. And Rico Nasty *might* be the most left-field booking from this thing. She is simply the best thing to come out of the Nu-Metal resurgence. Do you want some heavy, loud guitars with brutal vocals? Rico Nasty is your girl. Simply Brutal.
The Rapture
Speaking of The Rapture… I’ve been wanting to see this band for DECADES. The last time The Rapture played a full band show in the Bay Area was, as far as I know, when they opened for Daft Punk at The Greek nearly 20 years ago. Now they are back and ready to bless us with their disco punk glory.
Christina Aguilera
It’s strange to me that Christina Aguilera isn’t headlining. Like, she’s an arena pop veteran, and puts on a show that’s equally a visual spectacle and her voice is, hands down, one of the best in the business.
Blood Orange
Blood Orange, aka Dev Hynes, rarely tours. His hypnotic psych soul may be the mellowest thing to happen all weekend, but this is special. Take a break and let yourself take a sonic journey of bliss.
Moby
Ever see Moby play with a full band? It’s such an intense live show. The best post-punk live act this side of the Gang of 4. And we rarely get to experience it. The last time he brought the band to SF was in 2009. Anyways, the guy is a monster guitarist and the show is a “Never Miss” for me.
