2011 Festival Guide Part 1- Glastonbury

The snow has melted, the birds are chirping, and the flowers are blooming.  This can only mean one thing: it’s festival time!  The music festival season is in full swing now that south by southwest (SXSW) and Coachella just wrapped up. There are literally hundreds of festivals that take places around the world, so you are bound to attend one of them this summer. In this series of hubs, I’ll be showcasing a different festival and highlight some of the artists who I think is a must see.  First up is the granddaddy of them, Glastonbury. 

Located between the small villages of Pilton and Pylle, six miles east of the town of Glastonbury in south west England, Glastonbury is the world largest green field open-air music and performing arts festival. First started in the early ‘70s, Glastonbury is the template of all modern music festivals. In the past, headliners included David Bowie, Radiohead, R.E.M, Oasis, Paul McCartney and Jay-Z. This year headliners are sure to not disappoint. If you want to head out to Glastonbury this year and don’t have your ticket yet, you’re out of luck. Tickets went on sale last October and sold out in hours. So you have to wait to 2013, that’s right, 2013. Due to the Summer Olympics in London, the organizers push the tradition “fallow year” (No concert is held every five years, so the farmland it's held on can recover from heavy foot traffic & equipment installation/removal) from 2011 to 2012.

Let’s take a look at the headliners and my must see bands!

U2

The Irish rock band from Dublin is back at Gastonbury after canceling in 2010.  They are among the best-selling groups in popular music. The band has released 12 studio albums to date, sold more than 150 million records worldwide and won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other band. Rolling Stone ranked U2 at number 22 in its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time", and in 2005, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll hall of fame. Now I must admit, I’m not a huge fan of U2, but I can’t deny their greatness.

Coldplay

You either love them or you hate them. The London band came on to the scene with their smash hit “Yellow” in 2000. Chris and the boy is will be headlining at Glastonbury for the third time, a feat only achieved by The Cure, Elvis Costello and Van Morrison. Coldplay has won numerous music awards throughout their history, including six Brit Awards, four MTV Video Music Awards, and seven Grammy Awards. As one of the world's best-selling music artists, Coldplay have sold over 50 million records worldwide. The quartet is due to release their fifth studio album later this fall.

Beyoncé

Her husband rocked the stage last year and I’m sure she’ll do the same.  This young lady is one of the  few artists that have dominate the charts this last decade with having five number one hit singles on the US billboard charts.  Beyoncé first arrived on the scene as the lead singer of the girl group Density’s Child, and in 2003 she released her first solo album, dangerously in love, which spawned the hits singles crazy in love and baby boy.

Janelle Monáe

Finally releasing her much anticipated debut LP, The ArchAndroid, in 2010 to critical acclaim after a lengthy delay, Janelle Monáe is bringing back rock and roll a la James brown with her infectious hit “Tightrope”. The ArchAndroid fuses soul with science fiction. The album features her alter-ego, Cindi Mayweather, a messiah-esque figure to the android community of Metropolis. Monáe noted that she plans to shoot a video for each song on The ArchAndroid and create both a movie and graphic novel based on the album.

Lykke Li

Pronounced Luke-ee Lee, her music often blends elements of pop, electronic, and indie rock. Originally from Sweden, Lykke Li debut album, Youth Novels was released in 2008 and was number thirty-six on in spin magazine’s list of The 40 Best Albums of 2008. In early 2011 Li released her second album, Wounded Rhymes, which peaked at number 7 on the   US Alternative Albums charts and number 36 on the US Billboard 200.

Noisettes

Any band that is named after a chocolate is cool in my book. The band whose name is French for hazelnut, first formed in 1996 when singer and bassist Shingai Shoniwa and guitarist Dan Smith met while attending the BRITSchool for Performing Arts & Technology together. Along with drummer Jamie Morrison, the band quickly he formed a reputation for being one of the rowdiest live acts in London. Nosiettes released their first album, What's the Time Mr. Wolf?  In 2007, however he band first achieved commercial success and nationwide recognition with the second single of their second album (Wild Young Hearts), "Don't Upset the Rhythm (Go Baby Go)" which reached number two on the UK Singles Chart in spring 2009.

B.B. King

B.B. King and Lucile have been singing the blues since 1949. Over a period of 52 years, B.B. King has played in over 15,000 performances. Born in rural Mississippi, king received his first guitar when he was 12 years old. Acclaimed for his expressive singing and fluid, complex guitar playing, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at #3 on its list of the "100 greatest guitarists of all time.

Cold War Kids

Hailing from Long Beach, California, Cold War Kids draw influence from artists such as Jeff Buckley, Bob Dylan, Velvet Underground and Johnny Segment. Bass guitarist, Matt Maust came up with the band’s name while on a trip to Eastern Europe, where he came across a big park where they’d dumped statues that had been removed after Communism fell. Within the park he found a playground and being in that environment the phrase ‘Cold War Kids’ popped into his head. They have toured in support of Two Gallants, Tapes ‘n Tapes, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Sound Team, Muse and The White Stripes. In early 2011, the band had release their 3^rd album, Mine is Yours.

Jamie Woon

Born March 29, 1983, Jamie Woon  is an up and coming  singer, songwriter  and producer who gained widespread acclaim in 2010 for his single Night Air.  Raised in New Malden in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Greater London, Jamie attended The BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology, where he graduated the year before Amy Winehouse, whom he later supported live. Woon’s sound and style- a mix Soul and R&B and draws  inspiration from club culture and the UK's dubstep scene, landed him fourth in the BBC’s Sound of 2011 poll. Woon’s debut album  Mirrorwriting was  released on 18 April 2011 via Polydor Records.

Wu-Tang Clan

The Wu-Tang Clan is probably the most influential hip hop group. Straight out of “Shaolin” aka the New York City borough of Staten Island, the group consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. In 2007, MTV ranked Wu-Tang the fifth greatest hip hop group of all time, and in 2008, About.com ranked them the number one greatest hip hop group of all time.