With the pale shots of sunsets and palm trees, “Endless Spring” feels like summer especially with the song’s small tempo shifts that make it feel like it’s gently retreating and pushing forward. The rather complex rhythm keeps “Endless Spring” from total languor. But remove the beats and it would become a soothing ambient track.
Photo by Justin Ward
By 3pm on the second day of High Sierra, I felt like I had already seen a few living legends in the flesh with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band set and Nels Cline’s jazz-fusion set to start the day. But I was not prepared at all to see Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer, another absolute highlight of the festival for me. With a sunny and hot afternoon sun beating down on the main stage crowd, this power trio of jazz/folk musicians brought some of the most beautiful music to this festival that I’ve ever heard performed live. I didn’t listen ahead of time and I knew what sort of music to expect from Bela, but the addition of tablas and upright bass rounded out the sound and seemed fitting for the mountains of Northern California.
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend this festival from a photographer’s perspective, which meant that I was standing just 10 feet from these musicians and watching on with folks like Marc Friedman standing right next to me. The music, the setting, the vibe, the feeling — it was stunning. I had the hugest grin when I went back to meet my friends after I shot the set; truly inspiring.
Here are my photos:
Check out these amazing videos someone else shot from most of the set:
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Jaill are a Milwaukee-based quartet who used to only write and record albums for their friends to hear. That doesn’t seem to jive with “The Stroller.” It sounds too big for a garage band planning on staying at home. Their bio mentions “psych-rock” and “weed smoking,” but I hear more urgency: Black Mountain (in the vocals, and Amber Webber’s, not Stephen McBean’s) and the Gossip, if only because the staccato guitar and drums are unexpectedly danceable.
‘Knowing is greater than doubt,’ the singer says before National Annual HIV Testing Day.
By Mawuse Ziegbe
Ciara
Photo: Rick Diamond/ Getty Images
Sunday marks the 17th year of National Annual HIV Testing Day, and as part of MTV’s GYT: Get Yourself Tested campaign, R&B star Ciara wants everyone to make sure they are informed of their status.
“You gotta do it,” Ciara told MTV News’ Sway about getting tested. “Knowing is greater than doubt.”
The GYT campaign was launched to help combat STDs among young people around the country. Statistics demonstrate that young Americans must remain vigilant when it comes to STDs. One in two people will contract an STD by age 25, and many of those people will get an STD without realizing it. In addition, one out of every five people in the U.S. has HIV and doesn’t know it.
The R&B star also urges young people to get tested because knowing what’s up with your health makes it much easier to deal with: “You’ll feel so much better if you know what’s going on with your body, and you don’t want to be surprised.”
To learn how to find events and free HIV-testing locations, young people can check out MTV’s GYTnow.org. The site also has key facts about HIV/AIDS as well as ways young people can broach the subject of getting tested with their significant others.
Young people who do get tested soon will join another high-profile person who has recently committed to knowing his status. “I’m about to go get tested right now when we get done,” Sway confided in Ciara during their interview. “You convinced me.”
For her part, Ciara seemed excited that her words were having an immediate effect. “Perfect!” said the star, with a triumphant fist-pump. “It worked!”
Will you get tested? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Head to Think.MTV.com to find a community where you, your friends and your favorite celebrities can get informed, get heard and take action on the issues that matter to you most.
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This being an indie rock/Kanye/black metal blog, there hasn’t been much to report about Phil Collins in the eight years since hist last studio album Testify, a critical and commercial dud. I missed its subsequent “First Final Farewell Tour,” which I now regret, because back then he was still physically capable of drumming.
I love Phil Collins, Peter Gabriel, and (all eras of) Genesis. I understand the prog-rock band is perceived as uncool/effete/slick/arty/mersh. I’ve read that Greg Ginn started Panic as a rejection to all his friends listening to Genesis. Apparently Lamb Lies Down On Broadway sold really well in Hermosa Beach?
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals are currently on the road supporting their eponymous release, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals (duh!). I’m not sure I’ve been a huge fan of her work recently myself, but I know she still gets tons of attention on the festival scene which likely has nothing to do with what she […]
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Phish’s latest stop on their summer tour is a two night run in Hartfort, CT at the Comcast Theatre. Our buddy Aaron Fortin will be at the show and probably tweeting some stuff out on his @phortin account, and Scotty from Hidden Track will be tweeting his way over at @yemblog. As per usual, we’ll […]
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Holy Fuck just released some new dates. I just caught the band a week ago and they were locked in. Related posts:Tour Dates: Holy Fuck Spring ’09, New MP3 Tour Dates: Holy Fuck Goes Latin Review: Holy Fuck @ The Independent, San Francisco 8/27/09
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The lineup for the Voodoo Music Experience was just announced. Experience, festival, whatever — it’s a music festival. The annual music experience festival has tapped Muse, Ozzy Osbourne and Weezer to head up the lineup set for New Orleans on Halloween weekend. Read on for the full massive list of artists set to play. There’s […]
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Lady Gaga spends $250,000 on festival stage [The List]
Lady Gaga’s Lollapalooza set cost $250,000.
Organisers of the three-day Chicago music event were so desperate to keep the `Poker Face’ hitmaker happy they shelled out $100,000 on a giant stage and an additional $150,000 on her production requirements.
Event organiser Perry Farrell told MTV: “We spent like $100,000 […]
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