Top Artists to See at Lollapalooza 2015
Alright cool kids it’s that time of the year we all look forward to - when summer actually feels like summer (for two weeks) and you can drink booze outside with a couple hundred thousand of your closest friends while Millennium Park is raging with some of the most epic and fresh artists to date for Chicago’s largest annual summer music festival, Lollapalooza.
20 Artists You Need To Know: Summer Festival Edition
Header by Bryan Allen Lamb.
With spring getting into full swing, summer seems within reach already. For music junkies, spring just means a couple more months until festival season. Whether you're planning on hitting all, one or none of the festivals listed in this week's playlist, all of the artists are definitely ones you should know.
Bonnaroo - Check out Run The Jewels
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A hip-hop duo from New York with just two albums under their belt, but mucho street cred amongst hipster rap enthusiasts and the hip-hop community. A definite must-see.
Brownout Presents Brown Sabbath
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I’ve seen Black Sabbath live, and believe me, it’s sad. Just a bunch of pissed off seniors narrowly escaping the bus ride back to Shady Pines. Do yourself a favor and check out the funky bunch known as Brownout who add groovy bass lines that even Ozzy approves of.
Warped Tour - Check out Riff Raff
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If you don’t know who Riff Raff is by now, then listen up: the walking, talking, real-life version of the “alleged” inspiration for James Franco’s Spring Breakers character is playing all Warped Tour dates. The nonsense rapper of neon-flavored Bart Simpson shaped Cheetos is just a skip-and-a-hop away from your hometown. His bogus rhymes are catchy, fun and worth the money to see up close. Also, his merch table is probably going to be full of light-up do-rags or rhinestone encrusted McDonald’s toys from the 90’s.
Candy Hearts
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If you’re already at Warped Tour, then you’re probably going to be at the Candy Hearts show, but the general public might not have the pop-punk upper hand that you do. For those that don’t know, Candy Hearts are a cutesy pop-punk trio from New York who could be described as: Paramore + Bubbalicious Cotton Candy gum + a wink + a diary. If you’re a fan of New Found Glory, State Champs, or Set It Off, then Candy Hearts are a must-have in your library.
Bunbury - Check out The Front Bottoms
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The acoustic pop-punk band have been a Warped Tour hit for some time, but they're moving up the ladder of notoriety ever since their 2013 release of Talon Of The Hawk.
Lindsey Stirling
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Don't even act like you know someone who plays the violin flawlessly, let alone be able to entertain millions in the age of technology doing so. Plus, she often themes her songs to a certain era or place, so her outfits and performance are sure to be entertaining.
Coachella - Check out FKA Twigs
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Amongst all of the gigantic, jaw-dropping artists featured at Coachella this year, one who has been kept more on the hush is FKA Twigs. FKA (Formerly Known As) Twigs started out in 2013 as a YouTube sensation and then POOF! Her sultry demeanor and daze-y hip-hop style are what make her so intriguing. Not to mention her image/feminine mystique is the IRL version of Tumblr, which is probably what Coachella is looking for.
Marina & The Diamonds
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I. Love. Marina. And. The. Diamonds. And you should too. She’s an indie-pop artist who has more soul and flavor than most of her sugary sweet counterparts. Her deep, Welsh accent pulls through the electro-Madonna-esque beat of her songs. Also, her outfits are described as “retro cartoon-ish,” so expect an exciting visual; I’d describe her sound as that too. She may be popular among the invested music critics and indie-pop enthusiasts of the scene, but she deserves to be more than just an honorable mention.
South By Southwest (SXSW) - Check out All Them Witches
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The Nashville natives of All Them Witches have the classic-rock, heavy riff act down to a T. What sets them apart from that blase "hip radio rock friendly" sound is that they have a groovier, sludge inspired Queens Of The Stone Age tang to them.
B.I.C. (Bitches Is Crazy)
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The Bronx hip-hop/rap group known as B.I.C. produce raw, Latin-influenced rhymes similar to their modern counterparts (IE: A$AP Rocky, Schoolboy Q, etc).
The Fader's 2014 Photo Issue FKA Twigs and Ratking
The FADER Issue 91. Ratking cover by Harry Gould Harvey IV/FKA Twigs cover by Charlie Engman
Last year, it was Juicy J and Earl Sweatshirt that graced the cover of the 85th Fader annual photo issue, and now with the new year upon on us, The Fader has introduced its latest photo issue with Ratking and FKA Twigs as the cover stories. Emilie Friedlander hits the streets of London as she spends time with FKA Twigs, giving us a peak of who the artist is alongside an photo spread by Charlie Engman. The rap trio Ratking is also featured, and they are followed by writer T. Cole Rachel and photographer Harry Gould Harvey IV giving us a look inside the New York group. Not only were these artists featured in the issue, there is a piece by photographer Matthew Monteith and journalist Max Rivlin-Nadler who have decided to photograph four different New York neighborhoods that have either been neglected and left in shambles or have been developed and gentrified. These stories and more are featured in the new issue which is set to drop on newsstands May 13th that you can pre-order here. To get a taste of what the issue will contain, you can check out the three big features now by heading over to The Fader's website.
