From TTS favorites like Death Cab For Cutie,Ryan AdamsandU2 to new artists like George Ezra, Saint Motel, and X Ambassadors, 2015 was a memorable year in music. Join Laura Duncan at 3pm New Years Eve as she counts down the Top 50 WTTS Songs of 2015. After the countdown, keep it on WTTS for a fun commercial free mix of music. The perfect party soundtrack to ring in 2016, presented byThe District Tap.
The Blogaroo is back! Brad, Laura, and Keefer are spending the weekend in Manchester, Tennessee at the Bonnaroo Music And Arts Festival. Check out their commentary and some of the backstage interviews and performances below!
Laura’s Recap
It’s Day One All Over Again
Another Bonnaroo is underway! On the drive down, I was thinking about how many times I have ventured to the farm in Tennessee for my fix of music and culture. This year is my 9th journey to summer camp.
Day 1 is always filled with hugs from those that have been a voice on the phone over the last year, a quick tour of the grounds (which adjust every year) and a structuring of sleeping quarters. News that Mumford & Sons canceled their Saturday night headlining gig spread around the camp. Soon after, Jack Johnson mysteriously showed up in our camp to talk to our own, Keefer. The rumors became reality as it was announced that Jack would take Saturday night’s headlining slot.
It always seems, to those looking in from the outside, that this is a fun ride filled with perks, meetings with rock stars and front row/side stage access. They think we come down here, stay on air-conditioned buses, enjoy the stocked bar and refrigerators and hop on golf cart shuttles that take us to see live music. Well, that is correct. We enjoy all of those things and I make no apologies. It is the best experience any music lover could dream of. But remember, the reason we are treated with such importance is because we are connecting YOU to the experience. The musicians, managers, record labels and Bonnaroo staff understand this and are very helpful in guiding us towards the ultimate experience. I guess I should thank you. So, thank you.
Thursday included the sights and sounds of Django Django, JD McPherson, Wake Owl, Twenty One Pilots and the sounds of the talented unknown as we walked through Centeroo, past the stages of Bonnaroo. Tonight, we will enjoy Sir Paul McCartney as he makes his first appearance on the farm. I’ll cover this one from the pit and send it all back to you.
9 years as a Bonnaroovian and I wouldn’t trade a second of this experience. My life is “about the music.” It connects the world together, as one.
From TTS favorites like Coldplay, The Black Keys, and Van Morrison to new artists like Alabama Shakes, The Head and The Heart, and Of Monsters And Men, 2012 was a memorable year in music. Here’s our list of the Top 50 WTTS songs of 2012 based on airplay.
Happy New Year from 92.3 WTTS!.
1. The Black Keys – Gold On The Ceiling
2. The Head And The Heart – Down In The Valley
3. Gotye – Somebody That I Used To Know
4. Mayer Hawthorne – The Walk
5. Lumineers – Ho Hey
6. The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow
7. Adele – I’ll Be Waiting
8. Of Monsters And Men – Little Talks
9. Imagine Dragons – It’s Time
10. Florence + The Machine – Shake It Out
11. The Shins – Simple Song
12. Coldplay – Charlie Brown
13. John Mayer – Queen Of California
14. Mumford & Sons – I Will Wait
15. Phillip Phillips – Home
16. Ryan Adams – Chains Of Love
17. Brandi Carlile – That Wasn’t Me
18. Young The Giant – Cough Syrup
19. Adele – Set Fire To The Rain
20. Dave Matthews Band – Mercy
21. The Lumineers – Stubborn Love
22. Jack White – I’m Shakin’
23. Alabama Shakes – Hold On
24. Michael Kiwanuka – I’m Getting Ready
25. Muse – Madness
26. Van Morrison – Open The Door (To Your Heart)
27. Eric Hutchinson – Watching You Watch Him
28. Norah Jones – Happy Pills
29. Graffiti6 – Free
30. John Mayer – Shadow Days
31. The Rolling Stones – Doom And Gloom
32. Matchbox Twenty – She’s So Mean
33. Snow Patrol – This Isn’t Everything You Are
34. The Wallflowers – Reboot The Mission
35. The Avett Brothers – Live And Die
36. Bonnie Raitt – Used To Rule The World
37. Counting Crows – Untitled (Love Song)
38. Mumford & Sons – Lover Of The Light
39. The Head And The Heart – Ghosts
40. Green Day – Oh Love
41. Keane – Silenced By The Night
42. Jack White – Love Interruption
43. The Black Keys – Sister
44. The Fray – Heartbeat
45. Walk The Moon – Anna Sun
46. Of Monsters And Men – Mountain Sound
47. Fun. – We Are Young
48. Grouplove – Tongue Tied
49. Ben Howard – Only Love
50. Alabama Shakes – I Ain’t The Same
Join WTTS bloggers Rob Humphrey and Jim Ritter this weekend at the Forecastle Music Festival in Louisville, Kentucky. They’ll share stories, pics, and more right here in the Forecastle Festival blog, courtesy of Brothers Floor Covering.
SATURDAY – 3:31PM
Here we are. Ready for Day Two at Forecastle 2016.
Day One was eventful and hectic. It all started with the festival being evacuated, due to weather, a little over an hour after it started. Forecastle was evacuated last year on the first day as well. That happened late in the evening during Sam Smith’s headlining set. Both evacuations went smoothly and without incident, this years was a little more confusing because no one was sure when we would be let back in and how the lineup was going to be affected. Turns out they reopened the gates after an hour and a half or so. All of the performers played with a slightly modified schedule.
On the topic of the performances, if the festival is being scored like a competition, Bully won the first day. The relatively new band from Nashville took the Port Stage right around sundown and delivered a blistering set. Other highlights included the headlining set from The Avett Brothers and Dr. Dog’s late night show.
Can’t wait to see what today has in store.
Saturday – 6:26
It’s been an amazing day and a half of music. After being evacuated last night (due to weather) it has been show after show of jaw dropping. Hands down the best show so far was Bully. They played last night at 8:45 and as the sun went down the band kicked it into another gear. The veracity of Alicia Bognanno howl is perfectly complimented by the aggressive playing of the band.
I just got done watching The Arcs and the Dan Auerbach led group knows how to entertain a crowd. Dan had the aura of a Rock star from the moment he took the stage and he even tried to moon walk. It’s been so much fun to see all of these amazing musicians and I’m looking forward to catching Nothing, Local Natives and Alabama Shakes tonight!
Jim
SUNDAY – 1:13PM
The heat arrived in Louisville for Day Two of Forecastle. It wasn’t the punishing heat that was here last year but it was hot enough. Staying cool and hydrated was the order of the day.
Highlights from Day Two included a solid set from Shakey Graves during which he brought Kelsey Wilson of Wild Child on stage to sing “Dearly Departed” with him. The set from Philadelphia band Nothing was without a doubt the loudest that I have ever heard at a festival and Local Natives were great on the Mast Stage.
The best performance of the festival, so far, came in the middle of the day from The Arcs. When Laura Duncan spoke with Dan Auerbach about the band, he was hesitant to call it a new band because they have all been playing together for quite awhile, which showed when they were on-stage. Festivals are full of distractions for the audience. You have four stages of music going at once, food trucks, tons of vendors and booths (this year you can literally do everything from buy a turntable to take a virtual reality adventure), the heat beating down and the beautiful setting of Waterfront Park. If a band can take the stage and make me forget all of that and focus solely on them, they are killing it. I didn’t move an inch while The Arcs were on-stage.
The headliner last night was Alabama Shakes. If you were at WTTS Rock On The River last year, you know how great they are live. Last night was no exception and they would have been a strong contender for the best show of the day but their set was marred by a bit of a sound issue. The band was tight but their set was quiet. The Mast Stage sits at the front of a massive open park area, the interstate runs right behind the back of the park. Even halfway back, I could hear the traffic on the interstate as the band was playing. I’m not sure why they didn’t crank it up a bit louder.
One final thing about yesterday and then it’s off to enjoy the shows. This is the third straight year I have attended this festival and every year I’m surprised by at least one band. I found that band yesterday. I had heard about Nashville’s All Them Witches a couple of times but wasn’t super familiar with the band. I had an open spot on my schedule for the day and saw that they were getting ready to play on the Port Stage. I walked over there and saw the largest crowd that I have seen at that stage. The band came out and I realized why everyone was there. They put on an energetic live set and I can’t wait to dive into their music further. Short notice but I did see on their schedule that they will be playing the Hi-Fi on Tuesday. If you want to see a great show, get on it.
Time to go see what there is to see today.
Rob
Sunday – 4:15
This has been the best three days of my life. The music and atmosphere of Louisville has been so positive. Every time I come to reflect on the performances it gets better and better. Last night, Big Gigantic won my heart. Every time the singer/saxophones told the crowd to throw your hands up, the crowd put their hands up. Every time he told us to jump, the crowd went wild. For being a duo they defiantly knew how to involve the crowd and get a big sound.
Alabama Shakes was a close second. They brought members of the Louisville’s Orchestra up on stage to perform songs from their second album Sound And Color. I could not believe how in sync they were. If you saw them last year at our first Rock On The River you know the spectacular sound they produce. It was the perfect way to end the night.
As for today, The Suffers got it all started for me. I had never heard of them but they brought funk and soul to the festival. Also performing at the same time was Anderson East. I jumped over to catch the second half of his set and I have to say, he sounds exactly like he does on his album. If you haven’t seen him live, check out his performance last year in Sun King Studio 92. The rest of the day has another great lineup of music. White Denim is next followed by Unknown Mortal Orchestra, followed by Death Cab For Cutie and Ryan Adams. My only compliant about the festival is that the musicians can’t play longer.
Pick up The WTTS Indy Eleven New Music Sampler at Tom Wood Automotive Group dealerships during normal business hours:
Tom Wood Porsche and Audi – 3473 East 96th Street Indianapolis IN 46240
Tom Wood Ford – 3130 East 96th St. Indianapolis IN 46240
Tom Wood Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo – 4620 East 96th St. Indianapolis IN 46240
Tom Wood Toyota and Scion – 4202 Lafayette, Rd Indianapolis IN 46254
Tom Wood Subaru – 3230 East 96th St. Indianapolis IN 46240
Tom Wood Volkswagen – 4545 East 96th St. Indianapolis, IN 46240
Tom Wood Lexus – 4610 East 96th St. Indianapolis, IN 46240
Tom Wood Nissan – 4150 East 96th St. Indianapolis, IN 46240
Stop by Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard and make a food or pantry supply donation to receive a free copy of The WTTS Indy Eleven New Music Sampler. Donation hours are Monday – Friday from 11am to 6pm. Find out more about donating to Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard at their Official Website.
1100 W. Allen – Suite A
Bloomington, IN 47403
Drop by The Foolery and grab a copy of The WTTS Indy Eleven New Music Sampler during normal business hours.