This week marks the 199th anniversary of “el grito de Dolores” or, as we norteamericanos like to call it, “the Mexican Independence Day that we thought was Cinco de Mayo”. On September 16, 1810, Mexico threw off the shackles of Spanish rule following a call to arms by one Padre Miguel Hidalgo and what was surely as inspirational a speech as Taylor Swift would have delivered at the MTV VMA’s if given the chance. Since another historic Hidalgo incident, the Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo, gave our fair state to the USA three decades and change later, it seems only fitting that at least one day a year, Los Angelenos get a chance to remember the good old days…

»continue reading Festival Run-Down: The Best and the Worst of Fiestas Patrias de California

One more quality festival to add to the ever-growing September pile:

Continuing a community-wide tradition, FilAm ARTS presents the 18th Annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (FPAC), on September 12-13, 2009 at Point Fermin in San Pedro. Widely known as Southern California’s largest and longest-running Filipino cultural celebration, FPAC will feature performances by a diverse line-up headlined by the premiere Filipino American comedian, Rex Navarrete; Geologic, of the rising hip hop group the Blue Scholars; MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew Season 2 finalist, Supreme Soul; YouTube sensation, AJ Rafael; and pop vocalist Ashley Robles.

This year, FPAC introduces its first-ever Martial Arts Village, featuring IMB Academy, and South Bay Martial Arts Club to name a few. FPAC also includes the return of popular, annually-anticipated events and activities, such as the Balut Eating Contest, the annual vegetable competition, FPAC Tinikling Dance Battle, Pinoyvisions Films, the youth Ati-Atihan parade, arts and crafts by Pilipino Artists Network members, and of course Filipino and Asian cuisine and shopping at the Marketplace by the Sea.

Key takeaway: Balut Eating Contest. See you there.

» 18th Annual Festival of Philippine Arts and Culture (official site)

Fiestas Patrias California
Olvera Street Plaza, Downtown LA
10a-10p Saturday, Sept. 12
10a-9p Sunday, Sept. 13

September 12th is fast approaching. Are you stuck with no plans for Mexican Independence Day? Are you worried that once again all your friends will be celebrating with their cooler compadres and you’ll be crying into your flan alone… again? Fear not, friends, because you can be at the social gathering of the season and celebrate Mexican Independence Day with Los Angeles at the Fiestas Patrias California festival! This September 12-13th, come enjoy musical performances, food, rides, and family-friendly activities. Best of all: it’s free!

» Fiestas Patrias California (official site)

Worth $10?

Cheapskate foodies, garlic paste addicts, festival fans and carnivores alike: Saturday has come and gone. Did you make it out to the Summit this weekend for the inaugural Korean BBQ Festival & Cookoff? Did you suffer 90-minute lines for such booths as “Flip’s Beach BBQ” (one of the only vendors with a clear, discernable sign posted) or, as did my party, did you stumble upon one of the unmarked vendors in the corner catering primarily to staff, and purchase a (mostly passable) plate for $10 or $15? Did you wait patiently for Sprinkles to set up shop, just for the chance to wait in a line that appeared at surface to be less than than a 75-minute commitment? Did you get sunburned? Stuffed? Bored? Cooled by a paper-and-wood fan that inexplicably reminded of you “Yelp”? Did you partake of the Coors Light and Blue Moon suds? What were the highs and lows? The ins and outs? The Bar-B’s, and the Q’s? The Kims? The Chis? Please grade the festival. Lay it on us, won’t you now, please. My festival grade after the jump.
»continue reading 2009 Inaugural Los Angeles Korean BBQ Festival & Cookoff: What’d You Think?

Ice Cream Man, aka Matt Allen, aka Long Beach’s Music Mayor, all-around nice guy and Ice Cream Ambassador to the nation, has just launched a weekly web video series showcasing exactly what it is that he does during the festival season. The first episode, broken into two parts, feature Bonnaroo 2009 backstage glimpses and acoustic, possibly ice-cream-induced performances by White Rabbits, Chairlift with Kuroma (pictured) and MGMT. Future installments will feature the Gories, Dead Confederate, Circulatory System and a host of other bands soaking up the sun in various locales. Have a look for yourself right here and if you see Ice Cream Man on the road this summer, make a point to say hello and nab a treat.

» Road Trippin’ With Ice Cream Man: The Series

As previously announced, Outside Lands will return to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park for year two, August 28-30, 2009. Tickets to the festival will go on sale this Sunday at 10am; headliners include Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band and Beastie Boys. Stay tuned to our calendar for further ticket purchasing info. Full lineup after the jump.

» Outside Lands 2008 photos by Sung

»continue reading Outside Lands 2009 Lineup Announced

Outside Lands shall return to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park for a second year, August 28-30, 2009. Last year’s inaugural headliners included Radiohead, Jack Johnson and Tom Petty. (N/B: Writing those words just reminded me of Sunday’s lunch, dammit: I bet Jack Johnson knows which Surfer Taco to order. Maybe even shows up with his own sauce and escabeche in tow.)

Interestingly enough, if we are to take the below press release at face value Stereogum may be “road-tripping” to the festival this year. Sort of a long drive from New York if you ask me, but I say bring it, guys! See you up there (I’m flying Virgin with a cocktail in hand).

As always, keep your eyes tuned to the site for your ticket on-sale info. Photos from last year’s festival may be found here.

March 3, 2009, San Francisco — Another Planet Entertainment, Superfly Productions and Starr Hill Presents, in a partnership with the San Francisco Recreation & Park Department, are proud to announce the second annual Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival. The second installment of this dynamic entertainment experience will once again take place over three days in San Francisco’s historic Golden Gate Park. The dates for this year’s event are August 28 – 30, 2009.

»continue reading Outside Lands Returns to Golden Gate Park: 2009 Dates Announced

Say it isn’t so. We’ve just finished eating all those grilled oki-dogs in honor of the Knights of Labor, Eugene V. Debs, Gompers, railroads, socialists and that begrudging bill-signer Grover Cleveland, and already it’s time to look ahead to October? The above damning evidence surfaced courtesy our team of analysts this morning, and we have no choice but to share it with you now: October 4 is totally recommended this year. The Eagle Rock Music Festival (a freebie, lest you forget) will once again take on downtown’s Detour, head on; Iron and Wine and the Swell Season are at the Greek, and David Byrne’s still within surfing distance. Sheezus. As more shows are diligently and painstakingly added to October 4 in the days and weeks to come, rest assured we will evaluate them for the coveted “recommended” status and, provided they merit the bump, acquiesce accordingly.

OCTOBER 4: FOR THE “EDITOR’S PICK” LOVER IN YOU
» David Byrne @ Arlington Theater, Santa Barbara
» Detour Festival @ Downtown
» Eagle Rock Music Festival @ Eagle Rock
» The Swell Season w/ Iron & Wine @ Greek Theatre

» Browse our entire show calendar

Did You Know? In a move SXSW would have no choice but to admire, The Pity Party played both Detour and Eagle Rock festivals on the same day last year, earning the title “Hardest Working Band in Los Eageles.”

Full food report will be forthcoming. For now, the photos do the talking.

Stevie Wonder with daughter Aisha

Somewhat inexplicably I’m still alive following back-to-back Coachella & New Orleans weekends. We’ll have some fun coverage of the 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival rolling out this week; stick around.

HEADS UP
Outside Lands Festival: Friday, Aug 22 (RADIOHEAD)
Outside Lands Festival: Saturday, Aug 23
Outside Lands Festival: Sunday, Aug 24

Tickets for the above single days go on sale Thursday May 1 at 10am; Visa presale Wednesday, April 30 (tomorrow). If you missed out on those elusive Radiohead Hollywood Bowl tickets, now’s your chance to see them up north without breaking the bank. Friday’s show begins at 5pm; Saturday and Sunday offer longer lineups with bands beginning at 1pm both days. Full lineup after the jump.

OUTSIDE LANDS SINGLE-DAY TICKETS TO GO ON SALE MAY 1ST AT 10AM PST

DAILY PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

MORE ARTISTS CONFIRMED, INCLUDING LUPE FIASCO,
THE BLACK KEYS, STARS, JACKIE GREENE, KAKI KING, LIARS AND NICOLE ATKINS & THE SEA

Previously Announced
Outside Lands Festival @ Golden Gate Park, San Francisco (3-day pass)
Outside Lands Festival @ Golden Gate Park, San Francisco (VIP)

» Outside Lands: The Festival is announced
» Outside Lands: The VIP is broken down

»continue reading Outside Lands (San Francisco) (Radiohead) Adds Artists; Announces Single Day Tickets (Onsale 5/1)

Anybody make it out to Amoeba last night to catch Flight of the Conchords? Come the 6pm hour I was deep in thought, hunched over the Coachooser in the Sandalwood Conference Room at the Marina Del Rey Courtyard Marriott with a team of analysts determining the precise location and time of their unannounced appearance at the fest this weekend.

We’ve got midnight reports from Metblogs and LA Weekly Style Council. Looks packed. Who else turned out…and how was it?
 
 

ITEM: All Tomorrow’s Parties is promoting the first My Bloody Valentine shows in London this June. (Daily Swarm via BV)

ITEM: MBV will headline the ATP Festival in upstate New York in September. (ibid.)

ITEM: ATP promoters have recently teamed with Pitchfork for “Don’t Look Back” nights at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago. Said nights feature bands such as Public Enemy, Mission of Burma and Sonic Youth performing entire albums. (ibid; P4k)

ITEM: P4k’s Friday, July 18 lineup:

Pitchfork Music Festival and All Tomorrow’s Parties present “Don’t Look Back”
Public Enemy performing It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Mission of Burma performing Vs.
+ one more to be announced (P4k)

Somebody over at Pitchfork either doesn’t seem to think this’ll happen, or is playing coy. I say do the math. Take it away, but responsibly so.

***UPDATE, 4.25: While I am (arguably foolishly) adamant that surprises could still happen, the third Friday lineup has now been revealed: SEBADOH performing Bubble and Scrape

We are presently in full-on Coachella mode here at Losanjealous HQ. Believe it! Each time a courier enters the Sandalwood Conference Room in the Marina Del Rey Courtyard Marriott, we chant loudly, uniformly: “Coachella! Coachella! Coachooser! Coachella!” And so forth. (Did You Know? Cubes and Coachooser are now up and running on the official site.)

Meantime, though, the world turns and the 2008 Pitchfork lineup (Chicago; July) has grown considerably since our first cursory glance on these pages. You’ve now got your King Khan, your Jarvis Cocker, your Apples in Stereo, your Dirty Projectors, your Mission of Burma, with the very latest updates including Spoon, Dodos and Les Savy Fav. Again I say to you, though: Extra Golden is playing, and Extra Golden is the shit. (Why else would Obama help with their visas?) Single day passes run $30 and a three-day pass is only $65. (Flight not included.) Full lineup to date after the jump.

»continue reading Pitchfork Music Festival Slowly, Steadily Building One Hell Of A Lineup

Although taking place in Redmond, Washington, this show will eventually get the “Heads Up” once we get all the official details. For now, enjoy a snippet from Seattle’s The Stranger:

The SP20 Festival is happening July 12 & 13 at Marymoor Park just outside of Seattle in Redmond, WA. In addition to reunited bands, acts currently on the label’s roster, and everything in between, the festival will also host a half-pipe featuring both Nike and Girl + Chocolate sponsored skaters. While the full day-by-day line-up will be announced in the coming months, the festival will include:

Beachwood Sparks / Comets on Fire / Fleet Foxes / Flight of the Conchords / The Fluid / Foals / Grand Archives / Green River / The Helio Sequence / Iron & Wine / Kinski / Low / Mudhoney / No Age / Pissed Jeans / Red Red Meat / The Ruby Suns / Seaweed / Wolf Parade, and more to be announced.

Did You Know?
» LA’s Beachwood Sparks was the first band Losanjealous Ryan saw @ Spaceland

HEADS UP
ACL Festival 2008 Sep 26-28
Zilker Park, Austin, TX

Initial Lineup: Foo Fighters feat. Dave Grohl’s Grohlstache, Plant & Krauss, Beck, Manu Chao, John Fogerty, David Byrne, Raconteurs, Mars Volta, Gnarls Barkley, Conor Oberst, N.E.R.D., Black Keys, Band of Horses, Neko Case, Hot Chip, Vampire Weekend, Sharon Jones, much more. Three-day passes now on sale.

FooStache in Valencia by Renee

» ACL Festival Lineup (official site)

It’s official now.
Discuss.

Via Bumbershoot.org comes an early lineup announcement for the 38th annual Space-Needle- Key-Arena- Experience-Music-Project- inclusive event up in Seattle over Labor Day weekend. For the uninitiated, the festival is not so much an exercise in stagehopping as it is checking out the activities between the stages while thoroughly enjoying the last truly great bit of weather afforded the city before nine months of rain set in. On to the lineup:

Beck, Stone Temple Pilots, Lucinda Williams, Neko Case, Ingrid Michaelson, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Jakob Dylan, !!!, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Saul Williams, Joe Bonamassa, M. Ward, The Walkmen, Asylum St. Spankers, Dan Deacon, MIDIval PunditZ, Blitzen Trapper, Bedouin Soundclash, Tim Finn, Dale Watson, John Vanderslice, Final Fantasy, The Fall of Troy, Orgone, Forro in the Dark, Ryan Bingham, Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby, Arthur & Yu, Darondo and Nino Moschella, Pacifika…
»continue reading Bumbershoot 2008 Early Lineup Revealed; Tickets On Sale Now

RADIOHEAD, JACK JOHNSON INEXPLICABLY NOWHERE NEAR INITIAL LINEUP

HEADS UP
Virgin Festival Toronto Sat 9/6
Virgin Festival Toronto Sun 9/7

You may have to travel beyond United States borders to find a good large festival that Jack Johnson is not playing this summer, but take heart: the $87/day ticket cost at Toronto’s Virgin Festival includes both the price of the ferry and $1 towards charity. Saturday’s initial lineup includes Foo Fighters, Bloc Party, Spiritualized, Wintersleep and Constantines; Sunday’s includes Oasis, Paul Weller, Stereophonics, The Weakerthans and The Pigeon Detectives.

FooStache in Valencia by Renee