Seattle Shakeup: How Sub Pop Changed Again In 2011

Here's a scenario: You come home for Christmas, call up your old punk rock buddies, and find out they're really into hip-hop and dance music now. Catching up, you pretend to understand words like "chillwave" and "dubstep," taking their word for it that those are, in fact, real things.

That's what's going on right now with Seattle's Sub Pop Records, known for bringing fringe rock music to the masses for over 20 years.

The label kicked off grunge in the '90s, signing Seattle bands Nirvana and Soundgarden before anyone outside the city knew about them and followed that by popularizing indie rock in the aughts, developing the genre from snarky and gnarly in the '90s to soft and smart today, where it sits as one of the dominant sounds on pop radio.

Opposed to genre-reliable labels like Daptone Records or Hyperdub, where you know you're going to get revival-style soul music or electronic underground sounds, Sub Pop has a history of flipping the script. For example, it followed a string of indie rock hits with a flurry of records by comedy acts, including Flight of the Conchords and David Cross.

But Sub Pop's musical releases have always leaned toward rock which made it surprising that they spent 2011 putting out rap and dance music by Shabazz Palaces, Niki & the Dove and Washed Out. The trend will continue in 2012. In March, the label will release outre hip-hop albums from new signees THEESatisfaction (Awe Naturale) and Spoek Mathambo (Father Creeper).

The old Sub Pop was about guitars and amps. The new one is about samplers and software.

What's the deal?

The short answer is the new music is good. Shabazz Palaces lit up critics' best of 2011 lists with its far-out album Black Up. To get the long answer, I spoke with Tony Kiewel, head of the label's A&R department (artists and repertoire, which signs new bands) and vice president Megan Jasper.

Kiewel sits in on the third floor of the downtown Seattle building where Sub Pop is located, his cubicle walls thumb-tacked with a personal photo of Elliott Smith and a sign that says "must be interesting / must not be a dick."

Asked about other A&R prejudices besides those two, he says homophobia is a staff-wide turn-off, as are bands who feel like trend-followers or "are doing it to get paid or get free drinks."

"And we tend to skew toward things with strong lyrics. The Postal Service, the Shins, Fleet Foxes, Iron & Wine all great lyricists, in my opinion."

Around the corner in a glass-walled office, Jasper says Kiewel has a gift for knowing what's "next" in music. He joined Sub Pop in 2000 and his first big success story was the duo Postal Service indie rock singer Ben Gibbard and electronic producer Dntel whose crossover sound is still being copied by major label acts like Owl City.

One imagines A&Rs lurking in nightclubs like baseball scouts at ball fields, but they mainly surf the Internet, discovering music by the 21st century version of word of mouth. Kiewel has a list of music blogs bookmarked in his web browser. One of his favorites is ravensingstheblues.blogspot.com, focusing on psychedelic and garage rock styles which Sub Pop employees generally love, if the staff top ten lists on subpop.com are any indication.

Kiewel learned about his most recent signee South African rapper/DJ/graphic artist Spoek Mathambo last year through a semi-private email list which includes the general manager of Domino Records and several music writers, based out of New York City.

Kiewel leads an eight-person A&R team at Sub Pop, but new acts are chosen by committee. Per the politics of the office, ownership is out. Nobody is allowed to refer to an act as "my artist."

If Kiewel's personal tastes are leaning a little "poppier" these days, so are Sue Busch and Stuart Meyer's A&R team members responsible for bringing in Fleet Foxes (whose neo-folk album "Helplessness Blues" was Sub Pop's biggest record this year, and one of the year's highest-selling vinyl releases in any genre), Niki & the Dove and Washed Out. Kiewel thinks the A&R team might lean a little more pop than it used to because it is operating without Andy Kotowicz, a "deep reservoir of cultural knowledge" and Sub Pop pillar who died last year in a freak car accident. Kotowicz championed Seattle's Shabazz Palaces, whose "Black Up" can be described as "a difficult listen," as well as noisy bands like Wolf Eyes.

Kiewel has a loose definition of "pop," describing Swedish electro-goth act Niki & the Dove like a sommelier: "super poppy, which I love, and I also get a huge Kate Bush hit."

Another thing informing Kiewel's A&R decisions: he wants to see more intelligent political discourse in the world. That's why he brought in the comedy albums by Cross, who raged against the Bush II era, and partly what piques his interest in Shabazz Palaces and fellow Seattle act THEESatisfaction, who address race and identity politics in their music. Kiewel was listening a lot to '60s/'70s protest singer Phil Ochs when he found out about Mathambo, and heard something of Ochs' spirit in Mathambo's raps criticizing Boer culture and the African National Congress in South Africa.

As far as predicting the "now" in pop music, Sub Pop was on the money with Fleet Foxes, whose folk-pop sound is popular in the underground and mainstream. Shabazz Palaces was a win, too and characteristically and weirdly enough, both acts are from Sub Pop's backyard in Seattle.

Sub Pop has long signed local bands, though its focus is worldwide, and over the last decade, the city has changed a lot. Generally, the move has been for the sleeker and more glossy. It's still a woodsy place, but with more skyscrapers and sonic diversity in its underground scene. Grunge rock was spiritually connected to the area's formerly thriving logging industry. Shabazz Palaces and THEESatisfaction sound like technology, like Microsoft. The label's new sound is also influenced by the world in general, in thrall to the mega-raves of popular DJs like Skrillex with everyone appreciating electronic-music values more than they used to (production, engineering, sonic sculpture), a product of the proliferation of earbuds and Apple's model doing a decent job with low-end frequencies. Home recording software is easy to get. Kids want to be DJs more than before. The shape of "singer-songwriter" has changed.

"I know a lot of people who feel like what is happening in the electronic world is far more exciting than what's happening in the rock world," Jasper says. "But for me, I can't say it matters one way or another or that it even means anything. To us it's a roster, and it's music. It's not grunge music, it's not folk music, it's not electronic music."

But Sub Pop's interest in the genre puts it in good company with labels around the world who are looking for the sound of tomorrow in electronic music.

London's 4AD is known for putting out legendary, arty, angry rock like Sub Pop. Their Nirvana would be the Pixies, for example. But this year, 4AD got involved with acts associated with the British dance music dubstep, signing Zomby and Joker, from London and Bristol. By the same token, Domino Recordings, which started out in the '90s, like Sub Pop, with a heavy rock bias, is now known for releasing records by Animal Collective and Four Tet, acts who appeal to an indie audience but construct songs out of repetitive rhythms and overlayed samples.

Sometimes, the branching out can be clumsy. In electronic music, artists develop at light speed, and the producer you love today might make horrible music tomorrow. Many of the trends in electronic music are based on finding new sounds or taking something to "the next level," but those trends can turn to parody quickly. And while rock is an album thing, electronic music has traditionally been about 12" singles. All this was at play in the case of Joker, who stood out in front of the pack with his early recordings, but whose album for 4AD ended up blending in.

There seemed to be a bit of this cultural confusion when Sub Pop signed Washed Out, from Georgia, who helped invent the chillwave genre in the last few years a hip-hop-y take on ambient synth grooves that scans as indie pop to many fans. It's a genre that might have some DNA in the Postal Service record, with its wistful moods and bedroom-produced indie/electronic music. Ten years later, those energies swirl in Toro Y Moi and Washed Out's tunes, which come in digital file format but often seem to be wafting out of a cassette. Washed Out's album for Sub Pop wasn't bad, but the hazy, slacker feel of chillwave doesn't do well with the pressure of a full album Within and Without is a good record caught between trying to be stoned and relaxed but also proper synth pop.

Kiewel says every act is on Sub Pop because employees are feeling that music, not because the label is trying to align itself with any momentum or movement.

On the surface, an artistically-adventurous/black-pride aesthetic ties together Shabazz Palaces, Mathambo and THEESatisfaction. And Jasper says yes, that is what's next for Sub Pop. But whether that's what's next for the world outside Sub Pop, she doesn't know. It's not a movement, to her, but individual acts with unique perspectives.

Kiewel says indie rock is too white, and so is Sub Pop, frankly, but what can you do about it? He insists that Sub Pop is not trying to color correct its roster, and even with Mathambo, a South African musician who makes rap influenced both by traditional sounds as well as dubstep and electronic music, genres get crossed.

"His record was very dubstep and electro, but we had a conversation that blew my mind when he said he was recently getting turned on to Red House Painters, stuff that seemed outside his sphere and in my sphere, and the general Sub Pop sphere. And he was becoming really excited about stuff like the Stooges. He was like, 'It was only a couple years ago I started getting into all this white-people music.'"

"And I was like, 'Cool .... I don't know what that means, exactly, to you. I don't know what that means in South Africa."

Kiewel says, "I think the public has perceived these radical shifts in sound [at Sub Pop] which there have been. But we've always tried to maintain a certain balance. Even in the grunge days there was [acoustic band] the Walkabouts."

Jasper cites the same example, and offers that pioneering indie rock band Sebadoh was not seen as logically following Nirvana in the '90s, when Sub Pop released its music. People get locked into their conception of Sub Pop notice nearly every writer who touched Shabazz Palaces calls it "Sub Pop's first hip-hop album," when in fact there was a rap group in the '90s, The Evil Tambourines, and a distribution deal with Conception Records, a hip-hop label, around the same time. But luckily for music in general, its employees aren't overly attached to a certain perspective. Jasper admits she doesn't have the gift of knowing what's next in music, and is happy to cede control to Kiewel, with his fusion-oriented palette and shrewdness in sourcing information. She started out as an intern and has historically been anti- any and all genre tags, especially "grunge."

She says the face of Sub Pop is always changing, and pet projects of its employees seem to line up with "the economy, or politics or whatever force is currently having an impact."

"I like to think about [Sub Pop] like a history book, where we can document what is beginning to happen in music. And then that is probably also a reflection of what is happening culturally."

Feature: Jam band evolution

You can learn a lot about a music festival by which artists get the large-font treatment. When the Rothbury Festival first hit western Michigan in 2008, most of the biggest, boldest names were what you might expect from a neo-hippie gathering — Phil Lesh of The Grateful Dead, Trey Anastasio of Phish, Widespread Panic, Dave Matthews Band.

A closer look revealed new influences creeping into the jam-band festival circuit. Hip-hop, indie rock and ska — Snoop Dogg, even — peppered the playbill, but perhaps the most surprising development was the inclusion of electronics-infused acts like Galactic, Disco Biscuits and STS9. Even a few DJs made the cut.

By the time Rothbury returned in 2011, it had been rechristened the Electric Forest Festival and DJs Tiesto, Bassnectar and Pretty Lights dominated the marquee. A scene once defined by endless guitar solos was now fully infiltrated by those who unleash throbbing digital bass with the push of a button.

“The DJ/electronic scene and the jam scene … it’s almost like joining forces, and they’re making a super scene now,” said Rob Chafin, drummer for Ohio “psychedelic dance rock” band The Werks.

It’s a brave new world, and on New Year’s Eve many aspects of it will converge in Columbus.

The Werks and Ohio-born “live electronics” jammers Papadosio — both were on the Electric Forest bill this year — will co-headline the LC this Friday and Saturday in a flurry of traditional rock instruments comingling with laptops and synthesizers. On the second night, a lineup of DJs will join the band. Among them is rising Columbus DJ/VJ duo roeVy, who made a splash in September at The Werks’ camping-centric Werk Out festival in Bellefontaine.

While the Grateful Dead logo isn’t that different from roeVy’s demonic robot masks, this is not a development most people anticipated. Skrillex and The String Cheese Incident seem like strange bedfellows.

Yet there they are side by side on many a festival lineup, with bands like Papadosio and The Werks bridging the gap.

Papadosio, now based in Asheville, North Carolina, formed in 2006 from jam sessions at Ohio University hippie haven O’Hooley’s. They began as a straightforward classic-rock jam band, but electronics seeped in quickly.

“The genre is so huge that it kind of envelops every style,” Papadosio guitarist Anthony Thogmartin said. “When Billy [Brouse] showed up, he had an analog synthesizer, and that was what we jammed with. The computer happened on stage maybe three months into playing.”

The Werks, founded in the Dayton jam-band scene around the same time, experienced a similar progression: “We’re definitely more electronic sounding than we used to be,” Chafin said.

Credit the proliferation of music festivals in part for the merging of movements. From Tennessee’s 80,000-strong Bonnaroo down to the Werk Out festival, which drew 1,500 this year, large outdoor events are acting as a Petri dish for new music discovery. Not only are DJs and live electronic bands in the mix; funk and bluegrass are resurgent, too. In such an open-minded (and sometimes drug-fueled) environment, anything goes.

Colin Garchar is a walking manifestation of the new-school festival scene: A white college student in a hemp necklace who attends Umphrey’s McGee concerts, vibes out to Pretty Lights’ psychedelic DJ sets and participates in freestyle cyphers with Columbus rap royalty. When the ball drops this New Year’s Eve, so will “Apocalypse Inc. Vs. Pretty Lights - Future Science,” an online album of Pretty Lights rap remixes by Garchar’s hip-hop group, Apocalypse Inc., featuring contributions from Garchar’s mentor, Copywrite, and Los Angeles underground hip-hop star Element.

Garchar, who hands out demos at Bonnaroo every year and performed there in 2009, sees the project as a chance to continue breaking down walls.

“Basically what I’m trying to do is just bring people together with this album,” Garchar said. “If we’re not being progressive when we’re making music, then what are we doing?”

Jam bands consuming other styles isn’t a new phenomenon.

“The jam band thing has always been an amalgam of a bunch of things,” said Eric Lanese, drummer for Ekoostik Hookah, which has been touring since 1991 and hosting its semi-annual Hookahville festivals since 1994. “After a while, people’s tastes change.”

Hookah, which will play its annual New Year’s Eve show at Newport Music Hall this Saturday, has been around long enough to see lots of permutations of the jam band scene. And Lanese knows his history well enough to know that what’s going on at festivals now has been happening in spurts since the ’60s.

“Bill Graham was putting bands together on the same stage way back when,” Lanese said. “I think Buddy Rich opened for The Grateful Dead.”

The progression isn’t always smooth. Garchar, for one, can’t stand dubstep DJs. And Papadosio’s Thogmartin knows lots of musicians who get upset when DJs double their crowd. But in a genre geared toward blasting through genre walls to discover new experiences, the tide doesn’t seem to be turning away from DJs and jam bands coexisting. Bands like The Werks and Papadosio are happy to keep exploring the gap as long as there are new surprises to be found.

“We’re going to try until we can’t do it anymore,” Thogmartin said, “to continue to be the wild-card band.”

The Best and the Worst of 2011

As the curtain closes on 2011, it's time to look back at the past 12 months on Victoria's entertainment calendar. Times Colonist reviewers Adrian Chamberlain, Mike Devlin and Amy Smart present their favourite moments of 2011 - and a few of the clunkers.

And Slowly Beauty... (Belfry Theatre) - It was a great year for theatre. Few things impressed me more than the Belfry Theatre's excellent staging of And Slowly Beauty - Written by Quebec's Théâtre Niveau Parking troupe, it's a superbly realized portrayal of a middle-aged man's midlife awakening. The Belfry's excellent production was notable for Dennis Fitzgerald's touching leading performances. Sept. 22-Oct. 23.

- Adrian Chamberlain

Chris Cornell - I certainly could have done without some of Cornell's vainglorious attempts at self-importance (a cover of John Lennon's Imagine? Really?), but there is no denying his magnetism. And that voice - Cornell's range was amazing during his solo showcase, which needed not one of his Soundgarden bandmates in order to blow the doors off the Royal. April 29, Royal Theatre.

- Mike Devlin

Jackson Browne - Those in the audience for Browne's charming but low-key concert witnessed something special as the legendary singer-songwriter cherrypicked tunes from one of the best back catalogues in rock 'n' roll. He played for three hours in his Victoria debut, reaching as far back as 1972 for inspiration. March 25, Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.

- MD

Mom's the Word: Remixed - Within minutes of their first musical number, the five childbearers behind the third iteration of Mom's the Word had their audience guffawing and tapping their toes. If you didn't leave the theatre with an urge to call and thank your mother - or at least give those delirious women juggling toddlers at the supermarket a break, you missed something. It has been 18 years since the international hit comedy theatre series took off. These mamas proved they've still got it. Aug. 3, Belfry Theatre.

- Amy Smart

Literary winners -Victoria's writerly reputation was confirmed dramatically when a playwright and novelist from this city each took top literary awards. Esi Edugyan capped an astonishing year by winning the 2011 Scotiabank Giller Prize for her novel, Half Blood Blues. The book was shortlisted for many prestigious honours, including the Man Booker Prize. Victoria playwright Joan McLeod, meanwhile, walked off with the country's richest theatre award, the $100,000 Siminovitch Prize.

- AC

Lucinda Williams - The grand dame of alt-country can be a touch prickly on stage, but she proved to be as warm-hearted and giving as you could hope for during her to return Victoria after a 20-year absence. Her set was the runaway highlight of this year's TD Victoria International JazzFest. June 27, Royal Theatre.

- MD

Mike Daisey - The Babe Ruth of monologuists touched down in May. New York's Mike Daisey performed his solo show, All Stories are Fiction, as part of Intrepid Theatre's superb Uno Fest. The master storyteller waits until an hour before showtime before preparing his extemporaneous show. Daisey skewered tea at the Empress and the wax museum before delivering an astonishing performance - cerebral, poetic, philosophical and ferociously uncompromising. Wow.

- AC

National Ballet of Canada - Wowsers, talk about a show. Canada's top ballet troupe brought a mixed bag of tricks to the Royal Theatre, but two particular pieces left an ever-lasting impressions. James Kudelka's stark and sultry The Man in Black, set to the weathered voice of an aged Johnny Cash, was captivating in its melancholic simplicity. And Victoria's own Crystal Pite choreographed the show-stopping finale, Emergence. Audiences won't soon forget the swarm of 38 dancers writhing, twitching and hatching into insect-like antihumans. Sept. 27, Royal Theatre.

- AS

Pixies - The Boston band's first time through Victoria was a landmark event on the 2004 calendar; one for the history books, if you will. Fans appeared to be somewhat ambivalent prior to the group's 2011 return, but the performance by Black Francis and Co. had twice the firepower, proving that old punks don't die, they just get better at doing their rock 'n' roll duty. May 5, Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre.

- MD

Prince - The arrival of pop superstar Prince sent shockwaves through the city this month, setting the stage for a pair of appearances that has fans buzzing two weeks after the fact. A two-hour set at the arena on Blanshard Street was magnificent, but that was just the beginning: Prince and his eight-piece crew stepped on the Sugar nightclub stage shortly before 2 a.m. the following morning and let loose a 90-minute set that defied any and all expectations. Dec. 17, Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre; Dec. 18, Sugar nightclub.

- MD

Ride the Cyclone (Atomic Vaudeville) - Victoria's funky Atomic Vaudeville company whacked one out of the park with Ride the Cyclone. A hilariously dark satire, created by playwright Jacob Richmond and composer Brooke Maxwell, the revamped musical impressed locals last July before wowing critics and audiences across the country. Truly a nationwide success story (the troupe is now looking at a New York remount). July 8-17.

- AC

Skrillex - Hands-down the most bonkers set of music I saw all year, the debut of dubstep star Skrillex wasn't without its flaws. But to be sure, the wunderkind (Los Angeles native Sonny Moore) threw one heck of a sold-out birthday party for himself, a madcap night that ended with almost the entire club on stage for his final few songs. Skrillex became one of dance music's biggest stars later in the year, earning five Grammy nominations in December. We had him before he broke. Jan. 14, Sugar nightclub.

- MD

Wynton Marsalis - The man who holds 25 honorary degrees, nine Grammy Awards and a Pulitzer Prize for music was a study in modesty at this year's TD Victoria International JazzFest. Performing from the trumpet line at the back of the stage, Marsalis gave each of his virtuosic pals in The Jazz at the Lincoln Centre Orchestra time in the spotlight. Furrowed brows, puckered lips and a few escaped fingersnaps transformed the Royal stage into an intimate jam session. June 25, Royal Theatre.

- AS

They beat L.A.

As a rule, player introductions at Sacramento Kings games generally suck. The lights fizz out, some cheesy video featuring Donte Greene’s only fast-break dunk ever projects on Joe Maloof’s bed sheets, and a Rob Zombie song abusively crunches over the arena’s busted speakers, sounding like Cookie Monster with emphysema.

So, when the house lights darkened on opening night and some 17,000 fans whipped out purple glowsticks, it was pretty damn cool. Something from a Los Angeles rave scene, but without rampant methylenedioxymethamphetamine use. Or Skrillex.

Sure, there was Metallica—this night’s intro song was “Blackened,” the classic opening track from 1988’s And Justice For All …—but, hey, this is Sacramento, not Anaheim. Nickelback rules, remember?

Anyway, kudos to the Maloof Sports and Entertainment organization for nailing opening night. And kudos to the team for its win—scratch that, triumph—over the much-despised Los Angeles Lakers. If the first game of the year, which many fans praised as the best Kings game they’d ever attended, bore indication of things to come in 2012, then perhaps things will be all right for Sacramento NBA fans.

Because if there was any love lost for the Kings, it certainly melted away late in the fourth quarter, when 21-year-old center DeMarcus “Boogie” Cousins withstood a brutish charge from Reviled One Kobe Bryant. It was a stand-up moment for the young squad, one that showed fans that while they’re barely older, they’re finally smart enough not to choke.

They can beat L.A.

Interestingly, this was the first Laker game at “Arco Arena” I’d attended that did not feature occasional chants of “Let’s go Lakers.” And, unlike the final game of last season—what was thought to be the last Kings game ever in Sacramento—local fans far outnumbered Kobe fans.

Maybe it’s true: Los Angeles has gone Clippers?

Regardless, for the first time since 2002, the Kings aren’t boring. The offense gets the ball rolling early in possessions and doesn’t make too many dumb mistakes. Guard Marcus Thornton is cold-blooded. Tyreke Evans appears reborn with a jumper that’d make Pete “Coachie” Carril proud. “Boogie” Cousins is yoked and slimmed-down and never once reverted to 6-year-old potty tantrums during opening night.

And new guys such as J.J. Hickson, Jimmer Fredette, Travis Outlaw and Isaiah Thomas showed hustle the venue formerly known as Arco Arena hasn’t seen since, well, it was actually named Arco Arena.

Really, though, opening night was a tipping point. Mayor Kevin Johnson, who sat courtside with wife Michelle Rhee, accepted a personalized jersey from Joe and Gavin Maloof. No love lost there, either, it seems. And their newfound rapport, whether facade or sincere, and the Kings big win had most in attendance believing.

It was as if we all could see the future: “Yeah, you know, the Kings are here to stay. They’re gonna build that damn arena—even if the city goes broke doing it.”

Skrillex is surprised about his 5 Grammy nods

NEW YORK — Many people were surprised when the name Skrillex was announced in the best new artist category, along with the likes of Nicki Minaj and The Band Perry, during this week's televised Grammy nominations special.

Count Skrillex as one of them.

A day after earning a whopping five nominations in total, the 23-year-old dance and dub-step producer is still taking it all in.

"It just hasn't really hit me yet," he said in a phone interview from Manchester, United Kingdom on Thursday. "I wouldn't have thought I would come this far in so many ways."

Skrillex scored the third-most nominations, matching Lil Wayne. Kanye West leads with seven nods; Adele, the Foo Fighters and Bruno Mars scored six each.

The Los Angeles-based Skrillex, born Sonny Moore, may be best known for "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" (he's also a producer on Korn's new album, "The Path of Totality," out next week).

Skrillex hasn't had much success on the Billboard charts -- he's more of an underground artist. He'll have some tough competition in the best new artist category: Besides facing The Band Perry and Minaj, who were both nominated for Grammys earlier this year and have dominated their respective fields and at other awards shows, he'll compete with Bon Iver, a critical darling, and J. Cole, who had a No.1 album and is the protege of Jay-Z.

Skrillex is nominated for best dance recording for "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites," and also nominated for best dance/electronica album for his EP, which shares the same name. In 2010, Lady Gaga earned those trophies, and Rihanna's "Only Girl (In the World)" was the winner of best dance recording earlier this year.

Skrillex will have to battle Toronto's Deadmau5, Robyn and David Guetta, acts who come from a similar background to his.

"I feel very proud of where I come from," Skrillex said of being in the electronic music scene, a genre that has exploded on Top 40 radio in recent years. "I do feel like I represent something and I'm a part of something and it's an honour to be there."

Skrillex, who is also nominated for best remixed recording (non-classical) and best short form music video, says he hopes his Grammy love will give more attention to the dance music genre.

"I just hope it opens more doors for next year, not only Grammy nominations, but just everything in general," he said.

The Grammys will be held Feb. 12 in Los Angeles.

David Guetta to Headline Ultra Fest, Skrillex Added to Bamboozle Lineup

Festival season seems to be shaping up for 2012! Not only was the lineup for Ultra Fest announced, but Bamboozle festival turns 10 this year, and they’re celebrating with one of the most eclectic lineups you’ll be able to hear for the price of a ticket in 2012. So far, the lineup includes Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters, Blink-182, and the recently added Skrillex.

The festival, which takes place May 18-20 in Asbury Park, N.J., will also host performances from Mac Miller and Incubus, among others.

Skrillex is keeping busy on the festival circuit this year — he’ll also be popping up at the Ultra Fest in Miami, Fla., which is slated to take place March 23-25. He joins an impressive slate of performers that already includes headliners David Guetta, Tiesto, Kraftwerk, and Justice.

If you plan on attending both festivals, you’d better start budgeting now. Purchasing a three-day pass for the Ultra Fest from the official site will run you $299.95, while the Bamboozle is charging $190 for their pass (plus $26 in fees). If you’re finding it difficult to choose between the two, just know that — for better or worse — your chances of hearing ‘You Give Love a Bad Name’ are much, much higher at Bamboozle.

In the meantime, Skrillex fans can enjoy his latest EP, ‘Bangarang,’ released Dece. 23, while Guetta is still promoting his most recent album, the top 5 U.S. hit ‘Nothing but the Beat.’

Skrillex is just killin’ it

Lots of usual suspects popped up on the just-released roster of Grammy nominations — Adele, Bruno Mars, Nicki Minaj, the Foo Fighters.

But who, folks might wonder, was the wild-maned artist who calls himself Skrillex, who logged no less that five coveted nominations?

First, the 23-year-old born Sonny Moore in Los Angeles was a band member (in From First To Last), then a top-flight producer (he just finished working on the upcoming Korn album). Now, he’s a solo artist, as well, with his recent “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” nabbing a Grammy nod for Best Dance/Electronica Album.

Skrillex also got a nom for Best Music Video (“First of the Year (Equinox)”), and he now owns the honor of being the first electronic musician to ever be nominated for Best New Artist.

Chalk it up to his insane work schedule, perhaps — over the past year, Skrillex has also: released two EPs, played over 300 performances, collaborated with Kaskade, made the cover of Spin Magazine, and even launched his own “Watership Down”-inspired label OWSLA, and signed hot new artists like Bristol’s dubstep maestro Koan Sound, singer Alvin Risk, and San Francisco’s own M Machine.

The guy should be throwing one helluva crazy New Year’s party!

Skrillex Copycat

Skrillex Copycat