Day 2 in the park allowed us to build off of mistakes we made yesterday, such as wear athletic shorts (never wear jean shorts to an all day concert event. You will regret it!!), reapply sunscreen regularly (as my brother's severe v-neck burn evidences), and take breaks for meals (I know the shows are incredible, but the food is also really good!)
Going into the park, my cousin, brother, and friend all went to see Walk the Moon. However I was going to the show I'd been talking about pretty much non-stop since I bought my tickets and agreed to go on this wild adventure: An Horse. They did not disappoint.
Artist Spotlight: Julia Easterlin
While waiting front and center for An Horse to come on, I was presented with the opportunity to hear a new artist: Julia Easterlin. I was incredibly skeptical at first, but I'm glad she proved me wrong. Using a track loop system, Easterlin was able to create her own back-up vocals, as well as other sound effects she made using various claps, snaps, and ska-like noises. I feel like she would make a great beat-boxer, but I think that's out of her genre. With her powerful voice, Julia Easterlin is like Sara Bareilles meets Regina Spektor, meets Imogen Heap, meets KT Tunstall. Like woah, a mix like that is bound for success.
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| Julia Easterlin explaining to the crowd how her track loop board works. |
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| Julia Easterlin and company |
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| Julia Easterlin |
Here's a video that shows how Easterlin combines her sounds onto the loop track to create her song, "Straight Away."
If you like what you hear, show Easterlin some love and get free downloads at her website, http://www.juliaeasterlin.com/
An Horse, Walk the Moon, and Local Natives, Oh My!
I was front and center against the media pit fence when Kate Cooper and Damon Cox took the stage. Yes, they may be relatively obscure in the states right now, but I can only see them going up from here. Having toured with Manchester Orchestra and Death Cab for Cutie, among others, these guys know where the cool kids are at.
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| Damon Cox of An Horse rocking Ray Bans during the sound check. |
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| Kate Cooper |
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| Damon |
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| So much love for this picture of Kate, haha. At one point, an inflatable beach ball had bounced onto the stage, and Kate, without breaking stride, or leaving the mic, kicked it in perfect soccer-volley style back into the crowd, which erupted into cheers. |
It started to rain during An Horse's show, and for me, it was nothing short of baptismal. Songs played from their newest album, Walls, included "Trains and Tracks," "Brain on a Table," and "100 Whales." From their previous album, Rearrange Beds, An Horse performed crowd favorites "Camp Out," "Post Cards," "Horizons," "Shoes Watch," "Scared as F**k," and "Company." Their newest single, "Dressed Sharply" from their Walls album had the whole crowd singing. This was An Horse's first appearance at Lollapalooza, and I doubt it will be their last.
While I was at An Horse, the rest of the group went to see Walk the Moon. While moving through the crowd, they ended up next to WtM band member Eli Maiman's parents and brother! Upon telling them how huge of fans they are of their son's band, they received hugs from Momma Maiman, and watched the show with his family. Walk the Moon played a similar set list to that of D.C. , including new songs "Tightrope" and "Shiver, Shiver, Shiver." It sounded like a wicked awesome show, and it's just another paving stone in Walk the Moon's road to glory.
After grabbing lunch and a frozen strawberry yogurt, our merry band of music-loving adventurers set off to explore the park. At one of the park stands, a "go-green" initiative group made a unique proposition: they give you a large green plastic bag, and you go around the park and fill it with recyclables, such as cans and plastic cups, in order to receive an otherwise free Lollapalooza shirt. This shirt is complete with festival lineup printed on the back, and is made of environmentally conscious bamboo. Needless to say, my brother, cousin, and I raced around the streets, trying to out-do each other in can collecting, but in the end, we all filled our bags, and got free shirts. Mission: Go Green in Grant Park, achieved.
To check out environmentally friendly products by the same group that made our awesome Lolla shirts, go to FiveBamboo. com.
The last show of the day that we went to was Local Natives. They put on a great show, and the crowd was intense!
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| Crowd for Local Natives at he Sony stage |
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| Local Natives |
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| Swing batta, batta, suh-wing batta! |
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| So delicious. |
Now I know it's time for me to go to bed so I can get ready for the third and final day of this festival tomorrow.
Peace, Love, & Good Music.
- L.V.
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