Word by: Chris Clark & Kayceman | Images by: Steven Walter

Treasure Island Music Festival :: 10.17 & 10.18 :: Treasure Island :: San Francisco, CA

Treasure Island Fest 2009

Truly a tale of two very different days, the third annual Treasure Island Music Festival was quintessential San Francisco. Served up on a small strip of manmade land sitting between S.F. and Oakland, the two-day weekend event was once again split between dance/hip hop on Saturday and indie rock on Sunday. With only two stages set about 100 yards from each other and all the food, beer, shopping, Ferris Wheel, etc. adjacent, walking is minimal and with no overlapping sets, it was difficult to not hear every note all weekend long.

Saturday was hot, in the 80s, and people were wearing close to nothing. A much younger, shinier (lots of neon spandex and ironic accessories) and hopped-up crowd, got down and dirty on a balmy, beautiful October evening featuring one of the most beautiful sunsets the Bay has seen all year. Sunday was windy and chilly, down to the 50s by the time the city skyline came to life, but patches of sun and the pristine, loud sound system kept the older, hairier, and more subdued rock fans in the game for the duration. Sunny and 82 one day, foggy and cold the next; cuties in skimpy skirts grinding to beats here, bearded dudes in hoodies head-nodding to guitars there – welcome to San Francisco.

Saturday, 10.17

By: Chris Clark

Crown City Rockers :: 12:40-1:15 p.m.

CCR’s well-known, high-octane live performances are always something to witness. The Oakland-based quintet fuses full band arrangements with ferocious hip hop from Raashan Ahmad and crew. What Treasure Island got was 35 minutes full of balls-to-the-wall, rocking hip hop with a sliver of Fender Rhodes funk, earning early day crowd-pleaser status.

Murs :: 1:20-2:05 p.m.

10.17 :: TI 2009

For years Murs has been bringing his positive, sometimes political message to an increasingly diverse crowd. Clearly, the festival wanted to add that extra little touch of flavor by having Murs take the stage to keep the party going. While it wasn’t the most amazing hip hop performance I’ve ever seen, he clearly got the crowd interacting and swaying their arms to the beat, so at the end of the day, Murs was a success. Murs for President tracks abound, and the crazy, dreaded underground icon did a quality job of working up the crowd’s energy and getting them ready for the music ahead.

Federico Aubele :: 2:05-2:45 p.m.

Offering a decidedly more mellow show than most at TI, Federico Aubele did however provide a deliciously sophisticated set of stylish salsa with a dollop of acoustic flare. Playing at the side or Tunnel Stage, I sat back and watched as a growing crowd of onlookers gathered for an act many probably hadn’t heard of before but will surely be downloading soon. What I liked best about Aubele was how at ease he seemed to be onstage. Performing 40 minutes of straight baby making music, he had a substantial amount of young ladies gazing up at him as he sang songs of seductive romance.

Passion Pit :: 2:50-3:35 p.m.

I would venture to say for many this was the best set of the day. Unless you’ve been hiding somewhere or haven’t spent one bit of time in today’s music scene, you’ll surely be familiar and quite possibly be in love with Passion Pit. If there was any doubt of their talent or ability to rock a crowd, that doubt is now evaporated. While young in age, the band takes a unique spin on the indie-electronic combination and turns it into a dance friendly, fiery mix that’s only getting more refined as they go. Everywhere I looked, the crowd at the Bridge Stage was throwing a dance competition for Passion Pit, as hipsters flocked in droves to shake their rabbit tails and pop a button on their skinnies from excessive movement.

Dan Deacon :: 3:35-4:20 p.m.

The Streets :: 10.17 :: TI 2009

This was kind of odd. Electro-pop, freak show, performance art wildness performed by a 15-piece percussion ensemble is an apt description but I’m not sure it really captures the essence of Deacon and his massively colorful band. Performing live is right up his alley and the direction he took his set was something of organized chaos, where just when you think it’s about to fall apart, everything comes together melodiously and life is grand. I’d never caught him live before and was glad to witness such a bombastic musical and visual experience. He was also playing Mezzanine late night, this likely would have been a much better setting to catch Deacon’s brand of multi-layered, elaborate performance.

The Streets :: 4:25-5:15 p.m.

The Streets’ set came off as rather drab and boring. 30 minutes of attempting to sing/rap ala Drake that didn’t do much for me, or most of the crowd either. There was a time a while back where I thought The Streets was kind of cool, but after seeing him live again I’ll gladly go in another direction.

DJ Krush :: 5:15-6:00 p.m.

Brazilian Girls :: 10.17 :: TI 2009

This was clearly one of the best sets of the day. Krush has always killed the break beats and electronic melodies and been able to cross over to crowds of varying degrees. After 11 albums and countless tours, Krush has honed and refined his jazz-heavy textures, creating such a lush soundscape of samples, live touches, and beats that watching him play live is something of a marvel. Not one of the step-on-stage-and-press-a-button DJs (I’ll get to that in a bit), Krush is instead a master live manipulator, performing everything on the fly, and nowhere was that more apparent than his TI set. Never before have I heard him drop so much bass-heavy, chest-pounding dub step. Obviously a nod to San Francisco and our burgeoning dub step culture, he came out flying, dropping some of the heaviest beats I’ve heard in some time. If that’s the direction he’s going now, I’ll be his biggest advocate.

Brazilian Girls :: 6:05-6:55 p.m.

Normally, the trio kills the festival sets, playing an eclectic balance of mellow grooves and deep bangers. Well, at Treasure Island we were treated to much more of the mellow, enough so to bore me straight to the bathrooms. While I always enjoy the lyrics in different languages and the cultural, worldly vibe put forth by Brazilian Girls, this set seemed out of place and contrasting to the overall vibe being built.

LTJ Bukem & MC Conrad 6:55-7:40 p.m.

10.17 :: TI 2009

If you like drum n’ bass, here you go. I think the first time I caught these guys was almost 10 years ago and frankly, their set is still very similar. Looking for a ton of BPMs with some raps layered on top of it? Look no further. To me, it’s not the most memorable set, but on the flip side, I did have a blast and danced to the beats, and most around where I was surely did as well.

MSTRKRFT 7:45-8:35 p.m.

This electro duo knows how to rage a party. The Canadians Al-P and Jesse F. Keeler have taken the Toronto scene to the masses, enjoying a chain-smoking, kick ass & take names kind of reputation in clubs everywhere. Their set at TI was a mix of original material off Fist of God and Justice (“D.A.N.C.E.”) and Daft Punk (“Around the World”) mixes, which blew the crowd up beyond oblivion. It takes many bands a full set, or a good portion of it, to warm up, but that wasn’t the case for MSTRKRFT, who came out swinging and never stopped brining the electro tinged bombardment.

Girl Talk :: 8:35-9:20 p.m.

While Girl Talk, aka Gregg Gillis, claims that he’s not a DJ and says things like, “I want to be a musician and not just a party DJ,” I don’t find a lot of value in that. I’ve been seeing him perform live for the last several years and, to put it bluntly, Girl Talk is all about bringing a party atmosphere with someone else’s beats to whatever venue he’s playing at. Yes, his set was raucous and teenage girls were going crazy as the stage beside him filled up to the brim with scantily clad tennie boppers and guys trying to get with said girls. To me, he presses a button and then just dances onstage like a caveman. Take or leave it.

MGMT :: 9:25-10:40 p.m.

MGMT :: 10.17 :: TI 2009

Without a doubt the most anticipated set of the weekend was that of MGMT. After playing a somewhat-surprise show at The Independent the night before, there was a decent amount of clamoring that the Brooklyn boys should keep their tunes in the studio and not in the live setting. Back in 2008, it was MGMT’s time; “Electric Feel” and “Kids” could be heard just about everywhere you went, and even now their debut album, Oracular Spectacular, is widely rumored to be on Phish’s short list of possible albums to cover this Halloween. The kids are on fire, but can they bring that fire to the live setting?

The simple answer: No. What was cool about their TI set was the performance of Oracular Spectacular in its entirety. “Time to Pretend” was a smooth opener, but I noticed that the crowd of thousands began to dissipate rather quickly. For me, it was nice to hear them play “Electric Feel,” but live, just as I was told from the night before, MGMT was rather sloppy in both their playing and singing. The polished product of a heavily produced album just didn’t compare well when placed in the concert setting.

Continue reading for Day II at Treasure Island…

Sunday, 10.18

By: Kayceman

Spiral Stairs :: 1:55-2:25 p.m.

Vetiver/Tunnel Stage :: 10.18 :: TI 2009

Guitarist Scott Kannberg helped found seminal indie rock band Pavement with Stephen Malkmus back in 1989. But no one knows who the hell Scott Kannberg is; they know Spiral. “Everyone knows me as Spiral. It’s weird when someone calls me Scott,” he says. “I’m not sure anyone knows who Scott Kannberg is.” Scott or Spiral it doesn’t really matter, the music still sounds good with a similar ’90s lo-fi vibe, and it was especially sweet when they covered Spiral’s old band at the end of the set. Fun as it was, with Pavement getting ready to launch a reunion tour it was hard to think of this as much more than a warm-up.

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros :: 2:30-3:15 p.m.

If you buy what Edward Sharpe (real name Alex Ebert) is selling, then this band has the potential to be awesome. If you’re a cynic who refuses to drink the Kool-Aid, it could come off as shtick. Bounding around the stage one minute and sitting the next, stripping off his shirt despite the frigid temp, conjuring a church revival sing-along before an off-key hoarse scream, and looking like a Devendra Banhart knock-off leading the Polyphonic Spree (minus the cool robes), this was the start of a theme that would proliferate Sunday: Drama. Not in a bad way, but an indie rock way that carried through The Decemberists (opera-rock drama), Beirut (European gypsy drama), Grizzly Bear (symphonic drama), The Walkmen (vocal melodrama), and The Flaming Lips (Broadway-rock drama). As tough as it was to get a bead on ole Eddie Sharpe, with the aid of his well-rehearsed nine-piece band (dig the accordion, one of several at the fest) and really strong female vocal counterpoint Jade Castrinos, he sorta won this writer over… for now.

Vetiver :: 3:15-3:55 p.m.

Grizzly Bear :: 10.18 :: TI 2009

Playing a song he “wrote about a bar in the Mission,” bandleader Andy Cabic‘s homage to local S.F. joint El Rio received a huge cheer. With a relaxed vibe and peaceful tone, Vetiver’s earthy indie-folk brought a bit of campfire warmth to the cooling afternoon crowd. “Sister,” with its hypnotic calypso beat, had folks grooving in time, while an electric mid-set jam with jazzy drums had a bit of a Tulsa trance, JJ Cale playing “Spoonful” feel. A strong showing by a true local gem.

Grizzly Bear :: 5:30-6:20 p.m.

If the Beach Boys didn’t just dip their toes into psychedelic waters and instead dove eyes open into the heavy stuff for years, then sobered up in Brooklyn circa 2000-something, this very well may be what they’d sound like. The layers of impeccable vocal harmonies, dynamic songs with multiple parts, and various unique instruments were captivating and inspiring without ever feeling forced or pretentious. Beautiful songs danced from indie-pop sing-along gold to airy flute interludes to dramatic crests of crashing drums, horns, and distorted guitars. Somehow fully inviting yet absolutely boundary-pushing experimental, what perhaps proved most impressive was the rich tone and delicate execution amidst blustering winds on an outdoor stage. A set like this should secure these Bears time in grand theaters built to accentuate such genius.

Bob Mould :: 4:45-5:25 p.m.

It was a big week for Bob Mould. The former singer, guitarist, and songwriter for alt-rock heroes Husker Du and Sugar celebrated his 49th Birthday last Friday (though he joked that he “just turned 39 again”), swapped bass players mid-tour due to a birth, and moved to San Francisco. Clearly happy to be playing what he called his “first true local gig,” Mould sounded remarkably strong, mean, and virile. Playing with stellar Superchunk drummer Jon Wurster, as he has for a while, and Athens, GA legend David Barbe (who was in Sugar) subbing on bass last minute, Mould took fans right back to the relentless alt-punk days of yore he helped create. Full of sludge-rhythms, viscous guitar, and that unmistakable growl, it was like 1992 all over again.

Beirut :: 5:30-6:20 p.m.

Beirut :: 10.18 :: TI 2009

With horns, stand-up bass, and accordion, at times Beirut sound like an Eastern European carnival, at others a funeral procession from another time. It’s all very pretty and Zach Condon (from Brooklyn by way of New Mexico) clearly has a vision; it’s just not a very easy one to relate to. When not looking for a pet monkey or wondering if we slipped into some Old World wormhole, the gypsy jazz showed a folk heart and had folks singing along by the end. Not one thing wrong with it, but like the name, Beirut proves rather uninviting.

The Walkmen :: 6:20-7:05 p.m.

Taking their post-punk rock out of the garage with keyboard flourishes (they prefer piano on record) and a new song featuring a country/Americana waltz feel, The Walkmen continue to evolve with each passing album. Led by the gruff, emotionally-saturated vocals of Hamilton Leithauser, the quintet proved just as comfortable at Muse style stadium bombast as they did mid-tempo lounge rock. Without one proper guitar solo and a locked-in rhythm section, the emphasis is on compositions, but it’s the passionate execution and delivery that make it work. The highlight came at the end with a sticky swamp jam fueled by a swarming horn section that sat-in for a few of the better songs.

The Decemberists :: 7:10-8:10 p.m.

Yo La Tengo :: 10.18 :: TI 2009

The Decemberists have created their own little world. Big movements with lush orchestration and vintage charm support Colin Meloy‘s distinct vocals and vivid tales with a Shakespearean appeal. It’s impressive stuff and proved particularly engaging when the players dug in and turned out a few squalls of distorted rock & roll. But, it can also be a hard world to jump into. There’s a lot of nuance and history with the material, and at a fest for casual fans it’s easy to get lost staring at the lights twinkling in the skyscrapers across the bay. That is until the angelic female harmonies fit for a church wash upon the shores, pulling eyes and minds back to the incredibly tight ensemble onstage. The indie-drama soared at the end with a beautiful lap-steel and organ song propelled by a male-female vocal dynamic that made the cool night feel warm for just a moment.

Yo La Tengo :: 8:10-9:00 p.m.

Yo La Tengo may have turned in the best set of the day. Playing the final slot on the smaller Tunnel Stage, the legendary experimental rock trio could have easily taken the main Bridge Stage at an earlier time, but probably benefited from the darkness of night. It started with an abusive keyboard blast that called John Medeski to mind before a dark, patient, slow building groove emerged over aching guitar. Mixing the heavy, dissonant, way-out-there jams with a Pink Floyd Animals-inspired section, quirky indie-pop, and a jazzy number from the new album, Popular Songs, their ability to shift styles and kick genres in the teeth kept fans hanging on every dangling guitar note. Crawling from the depths of a deep slow burn emerged a massive guitar meltdown. Hunched over his instrument, Ira Kaplan looked to be feeding the music through his body into his guitar as drummer/wife Georgia Hubley knocked out room for her husband to fill with distortion. Kaplan wrestled with his instrument for at least ten minutes, swinging it over his head, harnessing the feedback, and forcing it into submission with expert use of space, tone, and distortion. If you’re into that sorta thing, it was hard to beat and I’m not sure anyone did.

The Flaming Lips :: 9:05-10:35 p.m.

The Flaming Lips :: 10.18 :: TI 2009

The Flaming Lips are forever tied to drugs. They are a psychedelic band with trippy albums and a far out live show – UFOs, fake blood, bunnies, Santas, weird camera angles, naked people, confetti-filled balloons, a giant hamster ball rolling atop the crowd with the lead singer in it, and lots of other really cool shit is common place at their shows/celebrations. They currently have a giant video screen that features a naked woman with a vagina that pulses in time with the music and eventually opens up for the band to walk out before they play “Race for the Prize” to start the set. It’s pretty cool even if you’ve seen it. Along with the psychedelic shock of rare gem “Enthusiasm for Life Defeats Existential Fear,” the Lips played favorites like “Fight Test” and “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1,” which were both slowed down and maybe a little flat. “The W.A.N.D.” and “She Don’t Use Jelly” relit the crowd, but it was the only two songs from the new album, “Silver Trembling Hands” and “Convinced of the Hex,” that seemed to bring the most excitement to the band.

Yup, The Flaming Lips are like drugs. And as drugs go – even really good ones – you’ll never get as high as that first time. The Lips are still cool, genuine, and absolutely giving it their all every time you see them, but knowing all the punchlines and most of the special gags takes its toll, and after that initial rush some of the excitement is simply lost forever. But this doesn’t mean it’s not still great and necessary. The Lips are constantly writing cool, new material (this latest batch in particular), and Wayne Coyne is hard to resist. You don’t always need to get blasted or freak out to have a good time; it can be pretty damn nice to just take a hit and kick back. Turns out The Flaming Lips are a worthy companion no matter what your trip might be.

Continue reading for more pics of Treasure Island 2009…

Saturday, 10.17

The Streets

The Streets

DJ Krush

Brazilian Girls

LTJ Bukem feat. MC Conrad

MSTRKRFT

MSTRKRFT fans

Girl Talk

Girl Talk

MGMT

MGMT

MGMT

Continue reading for more Sunday pics of Treasure Island 2009…

Sunday, 10.18

Vetiver

Grizzly Bear

Grizzly Bear

Grizzly Bear

Grizzly Bear

Bob Mould

David Barbe with Bob Mould

Jon Wurster with Bob Mould

Beirut

Beirut

The Decemberists

The Decemberists

Yo La Tengo

Yo La Tengo

The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips

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