3GM: Top Musical Moments of ’10

1. New Orleans during Jazz Fest, Weekend 2 (May 1)

Maybe it was the heightened sense of freedom I had after quitting my job and moving West, or the joyous delirium of 1,500 miles on the road followed by more than a couple beers, but as I wandered through the streets of New Orleans on the evening of May 1, I couldn’t have been happier.  There was music everywhere.  The words of Martha and the Vandellas could have been written for this moment: “There’ll be laughin’ and singin’, music swingin’, and dancin’ in the streets.” Cars couldn’t get through, they just honked their horns, but the sounds of their horns were inaudible over the neighborhood brass section on the corner of Frenchman Street.  I could not have imagined a place more enthralled and engulfed by music, and I didn’t have to.  This was beauty, the power of music.  It can take over if we let it.

Conor Kelley’s Top Musical Moments of 2010

4. Gorillaz @ MSG, 10/8/2010

[Photo by: Maria Gallagher]

There are only a handful of bands in history that can announce a world tour and start a ticket feeding frenzy within seconds. Gorillaz might be the only act among them who released their first single less than 10 years ago. The sheer musical scope of a Gorillaz album can only call for the most epic of concerts. On October 8, 2010 the band did not disappoint at Madison Square Garden. Who in their right mind could argue with a live show featuring a string section, a horn section, two original members of The Clash as part of the band, stunning visuals and a guest list that included Lou Reed, Mos Def, Bobby Womack, De La Soul and Little Dragon? Impressively, among all that chaos, Damon Albarn still surfaced as the show’s biggest talent.

3. The Bounce at the Barbary with Emynd and Bo Bliz

One thing Philadelphia ain’t is pretentious. Philly kids don’t wait outside faux-speakeasies and memorize secret knocks to pay $20 for mediocre concoctions made by a bartender insisting you call him a “mixologist.” Take that shit to Manhattan. What Philly does know how to do is get down. The proof can be found at The Bounce on the first Friday of every month in the dark den known as The Barbary, where party heroes Emynd and Bo Bliz throw down like their folks are away for the weekend. These DJs founded The Bounce with one philosophy: come with $20 and some comfortable shoes; leave soaking wet, hammered drunk and smiling from ear to ear. The music is always right, the whole floor is constantly moving, and no one is ever a dickhead. God bless The Bounce.

2. LCD Soundsystem @ Terminal 5, NYC 5/20/2010

There’s something completely unique about listening to a band for years and then finally seeing them live. LCD played three shows in a row at T5 in late May and I caught the first two. That first night they catapulted themselves into my top five live acts ever. Largely digital dance music was re-created in a completely analog way, and the result was a punch in the gut. The heavy rhythms of Us v Them and Yeah were drawn out so long that the beat became part of the room. When some songs finally stopped I almost expected the entire audience to deflate and collapse to the floor. To cap it off, the balloon drop during the New York I Love You… finale was truly a moment to be a part of.

1. Solillaquists of Sound @ SXSW 2010

[Photo by: Conor Kelley]

The entire point of the SXSW music festival is to discover. Everyone attending should think of themselves as some kind of bad ass conquistador with a taste for underground music. Each day at the festival brings something you’ve neither seen nor heard. The absolute highlight of last year’s SXSW, and my personal top musical moment of 2010, was a live set from a hip-hop group called Solillaqists of Sound.

It was probably the spontaneity of stumbling into a party on the upper-floor of a fooseball club at midnight that made the entire night something special. The beers were free, the place was buzzing, and people were eating little chocolates sloppily wrapped in tin foil…hmmmmm. The group took the floor in front of a pile of stacked gaming tables and their raw talent took over. Solillaquists consists of one guy making ridiculous live beats on an MPC, a lead singer with a serious set of pipes, a hypewoman and one of the most talented MC’s I’ve ever heard. The energy at that party was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. This was not a typical night for me, but it is a typical night at SXSW. Makes me wonder what adventures we will get into this year in Austin during our coverage for Hidden Track…

Kevin Smallwood’s top musical moments of 2010

3. Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP

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I once read that fist pumping was invented because the dance floor became so crowded, the only place to dance was up.  Now, we may not cover a lot of techno but this song has been everywhere from the Jersey Shore to upscale weddings to my dark and dingy corner-bar this year.

This unorthodox pick makes the list not for its infectious hook – but its ability to spur an almost infinite number of remixes and mash-ups.  It epitomizes what is going on in the marriage of music and  technology.

2. Phish plays Telluride

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Telluride, Colorado is as beautiful as it is difficult to reach. The old mining town/new ski mecca is enclosed by 14,000 ft peaks of the San Juan Mountains; privy to beautiful sunsets, good whiskey and incredible music festivals all year long. So, when Phish announced they would play Telluride, anyone who cared became instantly overwhelmed with the lust.

You know the lust…it’s the instant and overwhelming compulsion to do whatever it takes to get a ticket – even if that means punching a bear, drowning kittens, or selling organs. For Phish fans, Telluride was a pilgrimage – and for the band, it was an opportunity to revisit their roots.

If you thought these shows weren’t important because the sets didn’t look sexy enough or because they didn’t play Gamehendge, or pay tribute to Jerry – then you were at home picking the ash out of your belly button.  The band made scalping impossible, the town made “fun” an understatement and everyone involved seemed genuinely interested in getting back to the community experience.

1.  Stereomood.com + GrooveShark.com

You may not have noticed, but we are currently living in one of the most exciting times in musical history.  While the industry runs damage control, the rest of us are living on the open seas of musical freedom.  There are pirates, merchants, traders, streamers, mix-tapes, independent artists, major artists, you-tube artists, and so on.

2010 brought a tidal wave of guilt free, streaming music – and while there are many choices out there (e.g. Last.fm, Pandora, et al.) the two sites that have exponentially increased my musical breadth are:

1.  Stereomood.com – Play-lists by mood trumps Pandora’s algorithms by pandering to your current emotional state. Beyond that, this site is a treasure trove of forgotten favorites and international unknowns.

2. Grooveshark.com – If you know what you want, this site lets you listen to entire albums and single songs; create and save play-lists; and interact with the community.

Discover with StereoMood → Explore with GrooveShark.