Monolith Festival needs your help

Sad news from the folks at Monolith this week... unless they can scrape together a good chunk of cash over the next two weeks there will not be a Monolith Festival 2010.

Make your pledge now! I am willing to pledge money to maintain a local, small-scale, awesome lineup, indie rock fest at the crazy beautiful Red Rocks... are you?

Monolith Day Two: fun fun with a little sun

Sunday at Red Rocks started with friendly Scotsmen We Were Promised Jetpacks. Despite technical difficulties, the Jetpacks charmed the overflow crowd at the woxy.com stage with witty banter and blew us away with a fantastic set. Probably my favorite of the three talented FatCat bands at the festival.

Next up, the much hyped Neon Indian for their first live performance ever. I'm channeling Simon Cowell here (ugh) but keeping one's eyes open during at least part of the performance would aid in forging a connection with the audience. I'm just sayin'.

I jammed up the stairs to catch part of the Monotonix set during Neon Indian. The always energetic Israelis did not disappoint, playing wildly within the crowd, stealing hats and drinks and sharing glimpses of parts best left covered.

We caught part of the Dandy Warhols on the main stage and while I harbor fond memories of some of their tunes, the attitude of that band brings me down. Seeing them in person did not change my feelings.

Later in the day, back downstairs for the Twilight Sad, another Glasgow band. This involved skipping Health (I'm too old for that action) and Passion Pit (not willing to risk the disappointment after Sasquatch).

Last minute illness from MSTRKRFT put Phoenix on the main stage bill, snuggled nicely between the quite entertaining Redman and Methodman and headliners Mars Volta. The French pop masters took the bump up to the main stage with panache, fully owning Red Rocks and filling the place as full as I saw it all weekend. They sounded fantastic!

After all that fun, we left the photographer to the Mars Volta and headed for the beer and cheese sticks hiding in the parking lot cooler. Au revoir until next year, Monolith!

More Day Two photos follow:

Monolith Festial 2009: Girl Talk & Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Despite constant drizzle and wet socks, Saturday night offered some of the best energy of the entire festival.

The main stage filled with rain-soaked dancers for Girl Talk's set. I may never understand how Gregg Gillis can make me dance to Fergie but I think I love him for it. Also! Is the official Girl Talk Tivo set to record the Disney Channel? How else would he be thinking about Pilot's 70s classic "Magic"? This man blends the musical superego and the id over and over again until you forget you don't really "appreciate" Journey and find yourself singing along at full volume.

After we all caught our breath and swept away the confetti, Karen O and company took the stage, starting their set with one of my favorites from the most recent LP, "Runaway". Mid-way through their 16 songs of awesomeness, the YYYs played "Date with the Night" and I need to be perfectly clear that not 24 hours prior I had demanded of the universe that I hear the lyrics "we're sweatin' in the winter" live. Thank you, universe.

Encore "Y Control" cemented their place in my heart as one of the best live bands working today. The visuals of Karen O in couture striking kabuki poses across the stage while Nick Zinner and his hair represent the stoic side of punk are a spectacle worthy of your ticket dollars.

And while we're talking about the silent Mr. Zinner allow me to postulate a long-simmering theory... a lot of people, a lot of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' most fervent fans especially, and I include myself here, embrace Karen O's lyrics, loudness, broad smile and sexual lyrics. Her guttural groans and moans remind me of Prince, a decidedly womanly barbaric yawp. And yet. Consider this: without Zinner's guitar there is no Yeah Yeah Yeahs. His shrieking strings cut past the vocals, the grunts, the synth to get down to the true bump and grind that makes rock and roll great. Almost a call and response of the loins, her lyrics, his guitar. That is all.

Please enjoy more photos below...

Monolith Day One: the small warm stages and the cold rainy ones

Saturday started off chilly, with me hurrying to don leggings before the sweet strains of Stars of Track and Field. (p.s. is it just me or do these guys sound like they should be on the soundtrack for a CW show?)

Also playing in the cozy warm basement of Red Rocks: Antlers. They sounded ah-mazing. Too bad it was too packed to see them, but I've vowed to spend more time with their album after hearing the live show.

Then we were off to see Frightened Rabbit on the main stage. These Scots delivered the songs we wanted to hear, plaintively and somewhat plainly. I love this band, but they're a bit tentative for a venue like Red Rocks. More shows, more songs, and they'll be ready to bring the crowd to their feet.

Next up, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down. Again, I love this band and I love Thao's energy and her giant guitar and her cowboy boots, but the drizzle and the chill and the giant stage brought her down a bit. This set did not exude the same joie d'vivre as the one I saw from her at Sasquatch in 2008. The folks exuding during these main stage sets were the delightful troupe of Grand Teton National Park workers - shout out to that Wyoming drive!

At this point, my rain-soaked body required food, shelter, and a glass of wine, causing me to miss Pains of Being Pure at Heart, one of my most anticipated acts of the day. Sheesh, how can a librarian/ music fan not love a song like Young Adult Friction? Next time, PoBPaH, next time.

Replenished with string cheese and hooch, we made our way back out into the rain to see The Walkmen. Dang these guys always sound good. The Rat remains a modern classic. Their set, their black and gray outfits, the mist over Red Rocks, all delivered the indie rock goods. They left the Wyoming fans craving digital watches and sexy gloom.

As for the big guns on Saturday night, Girl Talk and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, more to come... and more photos from Day One below.

The Grates @ Monolith pre-party

The Grates brought loads of Australian energy to the Gothic Friday night. Frontwoman Patience is a human tornado who charmed the entire crowd, comparing fans to adorable puppies and taking a ride on shoulders. Absolutely fun and a must-see Sunday at Monolith if you missed them at the pre-party.

Sugar and Gold @ Monolith pre-party

You know I'm a sucker for all things Prince, and Sugar and Gold make a fine tribute to the purple one. Singing original material with a definite debt to Prince, they shimmied up the stage of the Gothic.

My Monolith schedule

You can make your own schedule for the Monolith Festival at Gigbot. What am I missing on this list? Will I see you at any of these bands?

Monolith daily schedule now up!

Check out the 2 day schedule for the Monolith Festival and tell me... any major conflicts breaking your heart? So far none of my favorites overlap that I can tell, but I need to give this schedule a full perusal.

Full Monolith lineup

Here it is, your lineup for Monolith Festival September 12-13th... who are you most excited to see at Red Rocks?

Saturday, September 12
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Girl Talk
Of Montreal
M. Ward
DOOM
The Walkmen
OK Go
Ida Maria
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Frightened Rabbit
Thao with the Get Down Stay Down
Hollywood Holt + Million $ Mano
Starf*cker
Thunderheist
Woodhands
These United States
Cymbals Eat Guitars
The Antlers
Cotton Jones
Gregory Alan Isakov
Lydia
Generationals
Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
The Answering Machine
Roadside Graves
Danielle Ate the Sandwich
Speakeasy Tiger
Autovaughn
Avi Buffalo
Wendy Darling
Boulder Acoustic Society
Caitlin Rose


Sunday, September 13
The Mars Volta
MSTRKRFT
Method Man & Redman
Phoenix
The Dandy Warhols
Chromeo
The Glitch Mob
Passion Pit
WALE
The Thermals
Harlem Shakes
Monotonix
The Grates
HEALTH
Deer Tick
The Twilight Sad
The Features
Spindrift
Savoy
Bad Veins
We Were Promised Jetpacks
Beats Antique
Tigercity
French Horn Rebellion
The Pirate Signal
Neon Indian
The Knew
A Shoreline Dream
The Royal Bangs
Red Wire Black Wire
Jim McTurnan & the Kids That Killed the Man
Rachel Goodrich

Plus! Cool Kids and a Chromeo DJ Set at the VIP parties.

Monolith headliners: Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Mars Volta

We knew about Karen O and company gracing the Red Rocks stage on September 12th, and now it sounds like Mars Volta will close out the Sunday show at Monolith.

Their antics at Sasquatch 2008 kept me entertained (see Cedric in the air in above photo), although I hope not to take a cymbal + stand to the head.

The Mars Volta, live video from Sasquatch 2008 from Dave Allen on Vimeo.

Monolith headliners?

I am beyond delighted to see Saturday headliners Yeah Yeah Yeahs at this year's Monolith Festival. Still waiting to hear about the Sunday headliners, but could it be these guys? A Denver show in the works per pitchfork... my fingers are crossed!

Time to buy tickets for Monolith

The Monolith Festival site is up, the lineup is nearly finalized, and they are offering a screaming hot deal on early bird tickets.

$75 two day pass, no fees.
Or $185 VIP Gold two day pass, again no fees.

Follow Monolith on Facebook for the latest artist additions.

Monolith Festival announces dates

It looks like September 12-13, 2009 at Red Rocks is a GO for Monolith this year. Hooray!

Not too many details yet, but they are soliciting suggestions for bands to include in the lineup on their facebook page...

The Kills Monolith 2008

I should have paid more attention to the music when The Kills played the secondary stage on top of Red Rocks. Instead I was mesmerized by frontwoman VV. I'm pretty sure they sounded awesome, though.

Avett Brothers Monolith 2008

Before arriving at Monolith, it seemed like people were coming out of the woodwork with exhortations to see the Avett Brothers. I went in with not much info, just a couple CDs borrowed from the library and trust in my friends' good taste. Turns out they were right!

The Avett Brothers brand of rocking hillbilly music hit the right spot, and their energetic stage show made the sunny boozy afternoon at Red Rocks come alive. I'll be playing their tunes for sure up in Laramie, where the indie rock fans are scarce but the whole town loves bluegrass and old timey music.

Devotchka at Monolith Festival 9-13-08

Devotchka have been on my life list of bands to see live for a long time now, so I was delighted to see them headline Monolith this year. I was not disappointed one bit in their beautifully stylized stage show and gorgeous sounds. It still startles me to realize that Devotchka is four people, rather than, say, 20. Of course they added a few more people with the Devotchka strings and horns for the home town performance, and the amphitheatre filled with their beautiful music.

And, it must be said, I have a wee girl crush on the sousaphone-ist and her beautiful t-strap shoes.