Outside Lands Best Bets: Wired’s Guide to Kick-Ass Bands at This Weekend’s Music Fest

By Nick Bowden August 27, 2009












Deciding which bands to see at multiple-stage festivals with more than 60 acts to choose from can be overwhelming to the unprepared. Good thing Wired’s got your back. We’ve done the prep work and selected the 10 must-see up-and-coming artists at this year’s Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in San Francisco.

The three-day event, which takes place in the wooded environs of Golden Gate Park, starts Friday afternoon and runs through Sunday night.

At big festivals, bands often start late and run past their scheduled slots, and all the artists you want to see are rarely on the same stage. So, we’ve included some other killer acts performing before and after each of our picks on the same stage or nearby. As one show winds down, you’ll have enough time and know-how to refresh yourself, grab some food and a frosty brew before charging to the next musical encounter. The Outside Lands online schedule lets you create your own festival itinerary.

Now, to our picks!


Friday
Akron/Family: Friday 1:45-2:30 (Lindley Meadow)
The psychedelic folk of Akron/Family translates well to live performances. Known to invite fans to join them in chanting parades off-stage, so who knows where you’ll end up? (Read our Akron/Family spotlight.)

Before: West Indian Girl (Speeway Meadow 1:00-1:45)
After: Zee Avi (Speedway Meadow 3:20-4:00)

Zee Avi: Friday 3:20-4:00 (Speedway Meadow)
A key strategy in music festivals is finding the perfect mellow act to serve as a buffer between heavy, head-bangin’ bands. Zee Avi provides a great interlude to all the rockin’ with her dulcet guitar and folky, soulful ballads. Standing a skosh over 60 inches, it’s a spectacle just to watch so much soul come from such a tiny being. (Read our Zee Avi spotlight.)

Before: Akron Family (Lindley Meadow 1:45-2:30)
After: Blind Pilot (Lindley Meadow 4:10-4:55)

Blind Pilot: Friday 4:10-4:55 (Lindley Meadow)
Led by the interplay between singer Israel Nebeker and drummer Ryan Dobrowski, this six-piece ensemble takes indie folk past its mellow norm, past folk-rock storytelling, straight to singing and dancing scream-a-longs.

Before: Zee Avi (Lindley Meadow 3:20-4:00)
After: Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears (Lindley Meadow 5:05-5:45)

Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears: Friday 5:05-5:45 (Speedway Meadow)
If you took Little Richard’s finger and stuck it into a light socket, you might reach the intensity of funk that is Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears. With a nine-piece ensemble and their own genre of music — “Garage Soul” — be ready to shake your moneymaker and get down to funky town.

Before: Blind Pilot (Speedway Meadow 4:10-4:55)
After: Q-Tip (Speedway Meadow 5:50-6:50)

Q-Tip: Friday 5:50-6:50 (Speedway Meadow)
He tours with a live jazz band that sets the stage for the emcee’s tomfoolery. As a singer, rapper and music composer, there are few people more full of life on stage than this Queens-bred artist. Also, he’s just a cool guy to spend an hour with.

Before: Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears (Speedway Meadow 5:05-5:45)
After: Thievery Corporation (Speedway Meadow 7:40- 9:00)

Saturday
Groundation: Saturday 2:20-3:05 (Lindley Meadow)
Roots reggae combo Groundation packs a righteous punch with a full band, horn section and plenty of Jah spirit to keep you dancing and singing for the whole set. Plus, they’re Bay Area locals and they have a new record, Here I Am to celebrate.

Before: Zion I (Polo Field 12:30-1:20)
After: Portugal. The Man (Speedway Meadow 3:10- 3:50)

Portugal. The Man: Saturday 3:10-3:50 (Speedway Meadow)
Intense roots-rock jams overlayed with singer John Baldwin Gourley’s epic vocals inspires one kick-ass spectacle. Their last album, The Satanic Satanist is an unabashedly pop-centric album that will have you singing in stride (though probably not in tune — how does he hit those high notes?) with this unique ensemble. (Read our Portugal. The Man spotlight.)

Before: Groundation (Lindley Meadow 2:20-3:05)
After: Trombone Shorty and Orleans Ave (Lindley Meadow 4:00–4:45)

Dengue Fever: Saturday 3:10-4:00 (Lindley Meadow)
A truly novel act, Dengue Fever combines surf-inspired psychedelic rock with traditional Cambodian pop sounds of the 1970s. They pair classic covers with original tunes — mostly sung in vocalist Chhom Nimol’s native Khmer — and they’re guaranteed to provide an experience unlike any of the other bands at Outside Lands.

Before: Groundation (Lindley Meadow 2:20-3:05)
After: TV On The Radio (Speedway Meadow 5:40-6:40)

Deerhunter: Saturday: 6:40-7:25 (Speedway Meadow)
The off-kilter, ear-shredding guitar noise freakout of a typical Deerhunter set is a nuanced indie experience. Led by the mellow drama of lead singer Bradford Cox’s gauzy vocals, the show is all set to inspire and entertain in the most lysergic of modes.

Before: TV on The Radio (Speedway Meadow 5:40-6:40)
After: The Mars Volta (Speedway Meadow 7:30-9:00)

Sunday
The Dead Weather: Sunday 3:50-4:50 (Speedway Meadow)
When rock stars branch out from their own popular acts to form a new ensemble, the result is a must-see. The Dead Weather is composed of successful artists from various acts, such as The White Stripes, The Racontuers, Queens of the Stone Age and The Kills. The centerpiece is Jack White, guitarist for the White Stripes, who also takes turns on drums in The Dead Weather. His guitar skills are currently on full display in the new rockumentary, It Might Get Loud, but just imagine what he’ll do when the cameras aren’t rolling.

Source