Photo by Tobias Gruber via Melt! Booking
Dayna’s Pick
My life will come full circle on the first night of Bottlerock when I see Mike D perform his DJ set. The first time I saw the Beastie Boys live, I was 8 years old. It was Madonna’s Like a Virgin tour and my dad got me and a friend 2nd-row seats with backstage passes (I was an excellent beggar). While I couldn’t understand what exactly The B Boys were trying to do up there, I knew one thing: it was funny and I liked it. My dad, not so much.
After the show, we waited backstage for Madonna to come out of her trailer, which never happened. But Mike D, MCA, and Ad-Rock spent the whole night talking to me and my friend. They chewed up food and showed it to us in their mouths, talked about butts, farting, and everything that was hilarious to my 8-year-old self. The next day, much to my dad’s chagrin, I made him take me to Tower Records to buy License to Ill. And I never looked back. I also never liked Madonna again.
The Beastie Boys did more than just make rad music. They introduced us to amazing artists that they found at swap meets in Brooklyn. Artists I’d never heard of like Alphonse Mouzon, Louis Bellson, Ronnie Laws, Funk Factory, and Idris Muhammad. They made those artists cool to me just because THE B BOYS sampled them. Artists like The Eagles, Donovan, Alice Cooper, The Band, and Pink Floyd. They were every cool-punk-rock-babysitter I’ve ever had combined into one. I still have friends I knew in high school tell me how much my mix tapes changed their lives, and it’s all thanks to The Beastie Boys.
So while we’ll never be able to see another B Boys show again, on Friday we’ll have something just as good (if not better): a peek into Mike D’s record collection. I’m psyched!
Arthur’s Picks
I first heard about Bomba Estéreo when I was in Panama a few years ago visiting some family. My nephew put on “El Alma y El Cuerpo” and it immediately caught my attention. “Yo, what is this?!” I exclaimed. My nephew replied in a way that said “What, you don’t know about Bomba Estéreo?!” I most certainly did not, but I have been hooked ever since. The sultry, tropical vibes from the Columbian band can probably be best described as psychedelic cumbia, a modern, electronic-acoustic hybrid of traditional Columbian folk music. I swear I can feel the humidity and smell the plantains whenever I am listening to them, and if I close my eyes I can be transported to a tropical beach, or a sweaty, dimly lit underground dance hall. Don’t let their all Spanish lyrics hold you back from catching their set; the music is truly incredible. I was really bummed when I missed their set at Outside Lands this past year, but nothing will stop me from grabbing a spot at the front of the stage this time!
I first stumbled upon NoMBe (pronounced No-M-Be) back in 2015 on Soundcloud when he was still unsigned. I was intrigued by his indie rock-soul hybrid sound, but it was evident that he was still not completely done developing it. But it didn’t take long for him to up his production. By 2017, NoMBe was hitting his stride with the release of debut album They Might’ve Even Loved Me, which included standouts like “Wait”, “Freak Like Me”, and “Can’t Catch Me”. The latter was handpicked by Pharrell as the theme song for his HBO show Outpost. As much as I have been loving the releases NoMBE has put out over the past year I have never seen him live, so I can’t vouch for his stage performance, but I am certainly excited to check it out!Honorable mentions to Phantogram and Trombone Shorty.
Danica’s Pick
Formed in 2012 in Alabama, St. Paul and the Broken Bones is an incredible ensemble full of soul and passion. When I first heard Paul Janeway’s voice for the first time, I couldn’t believe how moving and powerful it was. It instantly got me grooving and I got goosebumps. I’m also a huge sucker for horns and this band is abundant with trombones, trumpet, and sax. Perfection! Can’t wait to see them Friday at Bottlerock and dance the night away!
Alicia’s Pick
We were so lucky to have St. Paul & The Broken Bones for a KFOG Private Concert an acoustic set while back. To see them totally plugged in will be next level and I cannot wait to see them at Bottlerock on Friday. What makes St. Paul so dope is that you don’t need to know their songs to love them: they’re just a great party band and I can guarantee they will kill it!