Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley
The lo-fi beach pop of Tennis charmed a large contingent of admirers at the High Noon Saloon. Denver couple Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore weave a derivative mix of Brian Wilson meets St. Vincent that transport listeners to a simpler carefree world. Swaying hips and other hypnotic gyrations filled the room. I kept expecting 60's beach babe Annette Funicello or the Ronettes to make a guest appearance.
Who is the real Justin Vernon?
Have you heard the one about Bonnie Bear? The garbled interpretation that became the butt of many post-Grammy jokes about Justin Vernon and Bon Iver’s lack of name recognition from the masses.
Winning two Grammys certainly has strange repercussions. Justin Timberlake’s Saturday Night Live impersonation of a rumpled Justin Vernon falling asleep while singing one of his own songs to Beyonce and Jay-Z’s new baby is hipster satire at its best.
Treefort is the new lo-fi project from Wes Doyle of Slow Loris fame. Known for his DIY bedroom recording expertise, Wes has teamed up with partner Elsa Nekola to create their debut release Très Fort available now for free from their Bandcamp site.
Heartless Bastards hit the High Noon Saloon with Hacienda and Little Legend in tow performing to a sold-out Saturday night crowd. The band’s just released “Arrow” album was the focal point of their late evening set having just done an acoustic in-store appearance, earlier in the day at Strictly Discs in Madison.
The cult of Bon Iver may be crossing over into the mainstream, but Justin Vernon will never forget his humble indie beginnings. The Eau Claire, Wisconsin resident has been increasingly more high profile in the last year. Starting with a guest appearance on Kanye West’s headline Coachella show last Spring, followed by the release of Bon Iver’s sophomore self-titled album in June.
The success of the album fueled a sold-out headlining tour of the U.S. and Europe. If that wasn’t enough, four Grammy nominations and a slot on Saturday Night Live rounded out a stellar list of achievements. And we can’t forget a Justin Vernon-curated record label called Chigliak. Yes, it’s Bon Iver mania! Justin and company kept the whole experience in check, even turning down a chance to play on the Grammys.
Los Campesinos! played to a packed house at The Sett in Madison at Union South on Saturday night. The seven piece band ran through a blistering set that electrified the ravenous crowd. Rock of the Arts braved the masses to bring you the encore "Sweet Dreams, Sweet Cheeks." Watch and enjoy!