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I’m a sucker for great music, delicious food and exciting new places. So, one can imagine my immense disappointment in not being able to attend this year’s Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago. After seeing this year’s line-up, an early bird ticket purchase for next year’s festival is happening.

It’s funny after seeing the line-up, I  realized how broad my musical taste really is. Even if it’s not something I would go out of my way to listen to I can still either appreciate it, dance to it or sing to it –so long as it’s not pop-country–, but even so, poke fun at how ridiculous and terrible I think it is. So in a nutshell  when there’s music in the air (good or bad), you know I’m having a good time!

The bands I would go out of my way to listen to at Lolla, however, jumped off the page and my heart got pretty sad knowing that I wouldn’t be there to enjoy them. Among the shows that will be sadly missed- Minus the Bear, The Strokes, Blues Traveler, The Black Keys, AFI, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros and Spoon, which has been my summertime favorite this year.

So for those of you going to Lolla this year, enjoy! I’ll have to settle for ordering in a deep-dish pizza from Mangia’s with a side of Spoon and a box of tissues = ( I’ll see you one day Lolla, but until then I’ll have to party down with my ridiculous fun favorites at home.

By, Kamie Dorris

Can you believe that Lolla has existed on and off since 1991!? I was there….

Fast forward to 2010, and it’s that time again, only now instead of it being a traveling festival complete with Jim Rose Side Show, (and if you miss that part, go say hi to Mr. Lifto while he’s tending bar at Casino El Camino!)  it stays put in Grant Park in Chicago. Because Perry Farrel will have to do without me again this year, I’ll share my list of bands that belong under April’s MUST SEE list with all of you!

Because I’ve been on a HUGE LCD Soundsystem kick lately, my list of bands include stuff that my LCD LastFM station plays.

Hot Chip: Man, most of us have been given burned (yes, illegal) CD’s from friends of music that just wasn’t a turn-on, so you completely ignored it after one half-hearted/uninspired listen and Hot Chip is one of those bands for me. Sheriff Ricketts (nickname of an ex-coworker) burned me some HC a few years back and I thought that it probably wasn’t my thing. What was I thinking!? I love the marriage that exists between traditional rock n’ roll instruments and electronica. A little emotional, (read: NEW WAVE) a little trippy, and pretty freakin’ good. Are you going to check them out for me? Well, grab a can of Sweet Leaf Tea and get your dance on. Mmm k? Thanks.

Hot Chip – Ready for the Floor (Live on Jonathan Ross 2008)
Uploaded by plazzTT. – Explore more music videos.

Cut Copy: This Australian band plays happy dance music with vocals that aren’t annoying. There are a few bands that play on my LCD channel that when I look down to see who it is, I smile and think, “of course it’s —–. That’s why it’s so awesome!” Cut Copy is one of those bands (the other is usually The Juan Maclean-see him throw down if you get the chance, by the way.) and since I can’t go and get DOWN to CC, I think you need to for me. We all understand that one of the biggest challenges facing festival goers of today, besides insanely-long beer lines and disgusting port o’ potties is figuring out how to see all of the bands that are on your list without missing any. Well, I’m here to say that it’s about impossible but if you at least pick a couple of bands that just make you want to dance, you’ll sweat your need to pee out (saves on waiting around for a port o’ potty) AND you’ll discover a really great band. Is there anything better?

Social Distortion: If you’ve been reading my festival music blogs over the last couple of years, then you’ll know that I usually take a moment out to write about one of the old skool bands that always end up on the bill. Well Lolla 2010 is no different and since Rosemary already wrote about seeing Devo, then my pick has got to be sexy Mike Ness and his band, Social Distortion. Social D was my first punk show and my first mosh pit at the young and impressionable age of 15. I had bright green hair for that show and unfortunately, since I had added more green to it that evening, once all of the sweating happened, it bled everywhere. I have a friend that was 2 years older than me that recorded the evening for his communications class, so somewhere out there is video proof of that night, but I’ll digress on that one for now…I remember watching the Screaming Trees rock out as the opening act and slipping on the beer-soaked floor, which caused me to fall down a lot in the pit. I was on the ground a while and starting to freak out a little when I realized that I should just grab someone’s pants and tug on them to let them know I was down there. I tugged and some big, old(er) punk rocker looked down, picked me up and literally threw me back in the frenzy. It was so awesome! I realized that night that as much as I loved the mellowness of my new wave (read: BIG HAIR-lots of hair spray) lifestyle, my soul also yearned for something raw, loud and full of energy. I feel like I found it that night. A $7 ticket changed my life. I just know that you’ll have a good time if you go see them play. Be sure to tell Mike Ness that I said THANKS for helping to redirect my teen angst!

I hear so many cool things about that town and hope that one day I’ll get to ride a bike around Chicago, taking in all of the great stuff to see, do, hear and eat. It’ll be there when I get there!

Have a great time and make sure to come say hi to our SWEET Tea’m while they are working the booths. They will be working hard, slinging tea, trying to keep you guys hydrated and smiling. It’ll be that much easier to get between those giant stages.

This will be my second trip to Lollapalooza with Sweet Leaf Tea and I’m even more excited about it this year than I was last year. The line-up is the best of any of the music festivals taking place this summer and my list of must-see beats, many of which have been covered on this here blog, will keep me moving quickly from stage to stage to catch it all. Without further ado…

Sweet Beats

Honestly, I love The Black Keys. Before Brothers hit the scene, Rubber Factory probably got the most play time in my car and iPod than any other album (well, other than maybe one.) I’m also a huge fan of Dan Auerbach. There’s something about his howling voice, that gets me. It seems so heartfelt, like he truly gives it all on each track. A strong lead voice gets this girl crooning. Whatever he touches turns into notes of gold in my book. I like the playfulness of their new album and I think they really took their sound and writing to the next level without losing a recognizable Black Keys sound. I can’t WAIT to see them at Lolla.

Sweet Eats

While in Chicago for Lollapalooza, I didn’t have much time to eat outside of the festival grounds. Good thing there’s great food on site and word is this year there’s even going to be a Farmer’s market area so that festival go’ers can load up on tasty local fruit to munch on with their Sweet Leaf Tea (#teasnacky). But, I’m heading out a little early this year so I asked a friend where she would go in Chicago for brunch and without hesitation she said Bongo Room. After reading some of the reviews on Yelp, this place is likely to put me into a deep food coma. But, the sound of red velvet pancakes, pretzel pancakes with caramel, chocolate tower french toast, banana bacon flapjacks or BLT eggs benedict might be too good to resist. They also source ingredients locally which is always an added bonus. I’m thinking, it’s a must this year. Maybe I’ll see ya there.

Let me know if you have a suggestion for our trip to Chicago @SweetLeafCharla. And if you’re headed to Lolla, be sure to look for us onsite. We’ve got some sweet surprises… #sweetleafsweetspot #lolla

Before I start this blog, let me make this clear: I love Austin and I love Austin City Limits Music Festival. If I get to live in this city for the rest of my life and go to ACL every year, I will be beyond happy.  Having said that, God help me, I want to be in Chicago right now.

I bought my 3-day pass to ACL way back in November, long before the lineup was announced. When the list was finally posted in May, I got really excited. How could I not? The National? Grace Potter and the Nocturnals? Broken Bells? Awesome, awesome and awesome. Then I made the mistake of checking out Lollapalooza’s lineup. ACL, I love you and can’t wait for you to come, but Lolla puts you to shame. I don’t really have the means or the time to attend Lolla this year; I’m too busy visiting snowball stands and writing blogs here at Sweet Leaf. Therefore I’m going to have to be a little sad this coming August 6^th, 7^th and 8^th.

However there is something you, the reader and Lolla attendee, can do to help. While at Lolla, go to the shows that I’m most sad about missing, and while you’re there, focus really hard. Maybe all the fun and awesomeness you’re experiencing will somehow travel to me all the way in Austin, Texas. Vicarious experiences are better than no experiences at all.

So if you’re nice enough and valiant enough to help me out in this endeavor, here are the bands you need to see:

Deer Tick- I’m not usually a big country fan, but these guys are amazing. Try listening to “Smith Hill” without getting chills down your spine when the chorus starts. Lead singer John McCauley is an incredible songwriter and a really engaging personality. Definitely a must-see.

Erykah Badu-I saw Erykah at ACL two years ago and she blew the roof off. She was really pregnant and opted out of the costume theme that her band had, wearing instead a smiley face t-shirt and sweat pants, but she still had more energy than almost anyone at that entire festival. She is the essence of cool, and if you’re not familiar with her music, go for her hair alone. She can pull of some ‘dos that no one else would even try.

Mumford & Sons- Sigh No More, Mumford & Sons’ debut album is probably my favorite album of the year so far. They take folk rock to the extreme and create gorgeous soaring melodies. I dare you to find someone who can pack as much emotion into a song as Marcus Mumford does in “I Gave You All.” The pain I feel for not being able to see them is almost equal to the pain the band puts in their lyrics (“Weep for yourself, my man, you’ll never be what is in your heart.” Ouch).

Lady Gaga- Why? I think the better question is why not? I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of her songs. “Alejandro” is pretty catchy, but I’m not that big on any of her others. Nonetheless, it’s impossible for that show to be anything but crazy. She’s such a strange person and she comes up with the weirdest stuff (did you see her Kermit the Frog dress?). You will definitely walk away from that concert with some stories to tell.

Arcade Fire- This band is at the top of my list. I wasn’t able to make it to ACL three years ago when they performed, and still regret it. I have never heard from anyone—friend, acquaintance or critic—that did not recognize Arcade Fire’s live performance as amazing. I’ve heard the words “religious experience” more than once. They put so much into every song and their sound is always unique. This is certainly a performance that you can’t miss.

So those are the highlights. When you’re at Lollapalooza early next month, make sure you go to those shows and while you’re there, send those psychic vibes my way. I’ll do the same for you when ACL comes around.

Ahhhh, how I love the month of August so. No, not because I love the sweltering Texas heat, no not because school is back in session and traffic begins to suck again….no, it’s because I get to enjoy some of the best shows of the year at LOLLAPALOOZA and explore the amazing city of Chicago. You will see me fighting to the front of the stage for Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Arcade Fire, Phoenix, The Black Keys, The National, Yeasayer, Metric, and the list goes on and on. In between the shows I will be grubbing down on Chicago dogs from Superdawg, The Uno’s Deep Dish Sundae, and plates of sushi at Friends. But as hard as it was, I needed to single out my one top eat and top beat for all you readers out there. So here you go…

Sweet Eats

Wow Bao. Bow chica bow wowww. I found this little restaurant on my first trip to Chicago. My fellow immature coworkers and I loved the sign outside advertising “hot asian buns”. I absolutely fell in love with these small steamed creations and look forward to them all year long. The teriyaki chicken bao is to die for as well as the bbq pork. However, my favorite is the coconut custard bao. Sooo yummm. As much as I miss this place year round, I don’t even want to know how many pounds I would put on if there were one in Austin.

Sweet Beats

The xx.

I bought this cd at the beginning of the year and I have yet to tire of it. Every single track is amazing. Whether I am cleaning the house, laying out at the pool, or running my dog I can jam out to this cd. The lyrics capture your attention and the sound leaves you begging for more. So do yourself a solid and don’t miss this show!

Oh yeah, follow me on twitter to get the scoop about some cool events and my dog Bently! – @SweetLeafBarber

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