Sub Pop, the label behind Nirvana and numerous other Northwest acts will be festivaling it up this year on July 12th and 13th. I can’t find information out on where exactly, but the lineup is full of Sub Pop artists, past and present. The most notable for Sub Pop would be current folk parody band ‘Flight of the Conchords.’ Grammy winning duo of Jemaine Clement and Bret Mckenzie are soon to release a full length CD, and have quite the touring schedule ahead of them during the late spring and summer.

Though unable to find the venue, tickets are 30 bucks for one day, 50 bucks for both. Other current artists that are gonna rock your socks - Fleet Foxes, Foals, Iron & Wine. They also have some past acts coming in that you’re going to enjoy. Green River, Mudhoney, The Fluid, and Red Red Meat will also be appearing.

The Northwest is sure shaping up to be one hell of a place for festivals this year. With Bumbershoot, Sasquatch, and the Capitol Hill Block Party, any music fan is sure to find a festival that suits them.

posted by KEXP

I was in a friends car about 3 months ago, and Lyrics came on. As a fan of indie hip-hop, I was ecstatic. He was way underground, usually drawing large crowds in the Berkley/Oakland area, but nothing very big outside of our backyard. His rap is fast and furious, and appears on trax (is that correct?) with lots of other folk. His music is hip, so your parents won’t wanna a copy, but I guarantee that your roommate will.

His new CD, Everything at Once, drops(?!?) on April 21st. To see him live this summer, grab advanced tickets to San Francisco’s Outside Lands festival in Golden Gate park, and if you really can’t wait until August 24th, your only hope is the west coast. That is unless you happen to be in Europe. Grace his website and you can find dates all over.

I couldn’t find any free downloads for Lyrics, but I did his new single ‘I like it, I love it,’ on KEXP song of the day for 4/7/08. Just go into your Itunes store and search for KEXP, and you’ll get an amazing array of options, the best one of these being the songs of the day. Word.

This week I got an email from Apple, stating the latest data from the NPD Group Watch’s survey has shown that they are now the top retailer for music in the US. Not a surprising email I must say, seeing how I don’t know a single person that buys music from Wal-Mart. Wait, I take that back. My father had to go there to get the newest Eagles CD cause Itunes wasn’t carrying it.

And while I’m happy that there is still a competitive market out there, and no one has yet to monopolize, this is a race that I honestly don’t care about. As long as companies such as Clear Channel controls our airways, and companies like Fox, MTV, NBC, etc. control viewers and listeners minds and ears, the general consumer is missing out on a world of good music.

Thankfully, in this day and age, there are many other means of finding good tunes. Whenever I’m driving, the only thing I’ll listen to in my car is NPR. Yes, it’s public radio, but they often introduce good music that is going on under the radar. I buy about 5 cds a week, and I’d say NPR is responsible for 3 of these, while another radio show, KEXP out of Seattle is responsible for the remainder. Usually on Sunday or Monday before work, I’ll download their latest Podcasts off of Itunes, and check out their ‘Song of the Day’ (KEXP) or NPR’s all things considered.

Lately, a new website has come about called RcrdLbl.com, where users can download over 1,000 tracks from about 1,000 different artists. Regardless of what kind of music you like, you’re bound to find something you like. If you want to visit them, they’re my only link at this time. (4/5/08) It’s time that we support artists that actually make good, thought out music. I’m honestly tired of U2 cds, and everything like it. I like going to shows locally for $15 bucks and seeing some amazing artists that probably never will be famous.

So, indie music is just that. Independent without all these corporate backing dollars. It’s no Bruce Springsteen blue collar music (most of the time), cause it isn’t 1984. It’s 2008, and we have all the information we could ever need at our fingertips. It’s about time we really start using that, and sharing the love.

Out of the ashes of other bands often come great bands. If you actually look at your favorite bands and trends, rarely is your first band gonna make it. Such is the case of Simian Mobile Disco, which is a great project. Lately I’ve really gotten into their music, and look forward to their show here in San Francisco at Mezzanine on April 26th. Typically I haven’t been one much for electronica or techno, and maybe as I get older, I get wiser, and my ears become smarter.

Through a friends recommendation who ‘was sweaty dancing away’ to Cut Copy at SXSW, I took the time to check out their tunes as well, and to paraphrase a former roommate, ‘absolute brilliance’ shines through. I found myself in the car on the way to work spinning imaginary glow sticks, possibly scaring the bejesus out of my fellow commuters.

Once I hit up the show, I’ll give you all an update of how it was. Currently, if you get in before April 7th to Itunes, Cut Copy has the selected single of the week. You can also find a couple of their songs on selected indie podcasts. KEXP song of the day has them featured awhile back, as well as the IndiePOP podcast feed. Check out those two bands and what ya think.