3 p.m.-Catch Santa at Exile on Main Street. I have been to the record store numerous upon numerous times, but I have never seen a show there (it’s a unique thing, I guess). The setup was cool.

Note: I will not be reviewing Santa’s set because the band’s keyboardist is my editor at Buzz Magazine. This statement is not saying I did or did not enjoy it (please do not take it that way), but it is just a conflict of interest. A big one, at that.

3:35-As I walk over to Jennifer North to check out what is going on there, two men with German-sounding accents approach me.

“Do you like good music?” they ask.

“Yes,” I say.

“Well you should go check out Jennifer North for good music,” they tell me. One o f the men give me a little promo pic for Peter Piek.

3:40-I walk into Jennifer North, and who is playing, but Peter Piek. Piek turns out to be a guy with an acoustic guitar. I leave after three songs, getting annoyed with his histrionic voice. To sing like that, Piek better have the songs to back him up. He didn’t.

4:00-I make my way back over to Exile to catch Snowsera. I wrote a rather unfavorable review to their new EP, and live they did not fare much better. Sure, their rhythm section is beefed up a bit, but that was not enough to save the band. Plus, the lead singer’s voice leaves something to be desired.

Why is it that I am seeing more bands at Pygmalion with affected voices than anywhere else? I don’t understand why it is so hard to sing naturally. Even Eddie Vedder, one of rock music’s most mimicked singers, has a natural timbre (go ahead, watch a clip of him talking and then listen to him sing. They are not that far apart from each other).

Trying to make one’s voice is annoying and, frankly, unnecessary. Sing naturally, it will sound better!

7:40-Make it the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts a bit late for Yo La Tengo. Opener Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter is playing, and I immediately regret being late.

Jesse Sykes is best described as a female Ryan Adams, and that is to her credit. The music can be alternately sweet and rocking, often in the same song. The band, featuring Sykes on vocals and guitar, also features another guitarist (Phil Wandscher, who actually was in Whiskeytown, Ryan Adam’s former band), bassist, drummer and steel guitar player.

And the steel guitarist is the star of the show. It may just be that the Tryon Festival Theatre has beautiful sound, but every sustained note played by him (and the rest of the band, for that matter) sounds fantastic. The band is clearly grateful for such good sound, and they take advantage of it, lending an atmospheric, moody take to their already melancholy sound.

The songs were good too, bringing a feeling that Sykes would have fit in perfectly in the late 60s music scene, duetting with Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris. Again, that is to her credit, because she sounds fantastic. The music rocks when it needs to, sways when it needs to, and the band is putting their all into it. It was an unexpected highlight for me, and I am happy to have been there.

8:40-Yo La Tengo takes the stage and jumps into “Our Way to Fail.” I almost cry because the sound is so perfect.

I am not lying either. I, a 22-year-old man, almost break into tears at a few points during their set. The sound mix sounds so beautiful, so balanced, that I nearly lose it. Yo La Tengo are one of those bands that can do just about any genre well, and heartbreaking ballads are definitely in the mix.

They can also rock out with the best of them. Between songs like “Our Way to Fall” and “I Feel Like Going Home” (another one that almost makes me lose it. Seriously, it is one of the saddest songs I have ever heard, but it is not cheesy. It is honest, and I love it for it), the band proves they can rock out with “Tom Courtenay” and “Watch Out for Me Ronnie”.

They even indulge themselves in two long, feedback-drenched songs from their last release, 2006’s “I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your A**,” and they sound wonderful. Both “Pass the Hatchet, I Think I’m Goodkind” and the set-closing “The Story of Yo La Tengo” feature lead singer/guitarist/keyboard player Ira Kaplan making sounds come out of his guitar that just do not seem natural. He goes especially crazy on the last song, and the room explodes with some beautiful, dissonant noise.

The encore brings a request the band had received via e-mail earlier in the day, their cover of Daniel Johnston’s “Speeding Motorcycle”. Again, I cannot tell you how fantastic the band sounds on this song, in part due to the venue’s acoustics.

Then Kaplan explains the band wanted to cook up a song especially for the festival, and they tried to do something local (at least semi-local. Rockford is in Illinois, but it is 190 miles away). The result was a cover of Cheap Trick’s “Come On, Come On”, which I love but spend the entire song trying to figure out what song it was (I ask Kaplan after the show, and he tells me. My girlfriend and friends thought it was an REO Speedwagon song, but I had to ask anyway).

The band then ends with their cover of Sun Ra’s “Nuclear War,” taking on a goofy tone as the drum-and-chant song continues. Then, as the percussion rolls on, Kaplan and the band leave their instruments, walk to the side of the stage and got into the aisle of the audience. They keep chanting the song (”Nuclear War,” “Yeah,” “Talkin’ about,” “Yeah,” Nuclear War,” “Yeah” ) and lead the audience out of the theatre. Kaplan holds the door for people walking out as the chant continues.

It is one of the most bizarre yet sweet endings to a concert I have ever seen. The show was fantastic, and really a great way for me to end my coverage of the Pygmalion Music Festival. Well done.

1:15 p.m.-I was going to go see Loaded, The Velvet Underground tribute band at Canopy Club at 1:30 p.m., but a scheduled interview with Glenn Kotche of Wilco got pushed back to now. I missed it.

2:30-My former roommate texts me to tell me his T.A.’s band, Post-Historic, is playing to three people at Canopy Club. Sorry guys, and best of luck.

3:30-Made it over to The Canopy Club to catch Zmick’s performance. This is my third time seeing the band, and while they are better than when I saw them at Summer Camp, they are still very hit-or-miss for me.

I think what makes this show interesting is the reduced drum kit they are using. The band say that since they are not playing a full set, the drummer only brought a snare, a high hat and one cymbal. The second song, a loping country one, is the highlight of the set, short and sweet, with just the right amount of jamming.

That cannot be said for their last song, which is about seven minutes too long. Before going into it, they say that “this could take up the rest of the set.” They were right, and it was a shame to waste half their set with this song. The song went nowhere, and it just made me want to listen to Phish’s “Ya Mar” five times in a row.

9:00-Titus Andronicus starts its set in The Void Room of The Canopy Club. While I understand the reasoning for putting the band on such a small stage (they are extremely up-and-coming, with their first record, the excellent “The Airing of Grievances” coming out this year), it seems like the band is constrained. There is so much movement, it looks like the stage is going to collapse (nobody needs a repeat of last night though). It doesn’t though, and the band plays on, as hard as it wants.

The problem is, their music doesn’t translate as well live as it does to record. Lead singer Patrick Stickles’ voice sounds fine, and even revealing on their album, but live, he is tone deaf. It almost seems like he is trying to make his voice sound affected, when it would be so much better to sing naturally.

Then there is the music. On record, there are dynamics, as the band shifts modes from abrasive punk to anthemic folk to anything else they feel like doing. That doesn’t come off live. Instead, their sound is reduced to a two-chord slash for just about every song, with only two dynamics: loud and soft. There is no middle, rarely a build, it was just an explosion and a whisper (let me add though, that is great one or two times. A whole set of it, though, is bad news).

I went into this show with high hopes, because I really love the record. But the band’s live show is so basic, it strips the power away from their songs (which, for a debut album, are fantastic). The first few songs are great, because I am not sick of the formula. Then about 15 minutes in, it gets to be a bit tedious. Thirty minutes in makes it worse. Fifty minutes in was when I said enough.

The band has potential, but they need to follow what ever recorded muse they have in order to make their live show work.

12 a.m.-Black Mountain starts on the main stage.The band’s 50 minute performance can be summed up in one word: drone.

And it is a mighty drone, with a lot going on. The band’s psychedelic hard rock is intricate, booming and melodic all at the same time. The bass and drum groove is powerful but never in the way of the organ and guitar parts. It is remeniscent of the trippiest moments of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.

The band’s drone lasts the whole time, and while energy is as high it could be for a show like this (the band began their set with “Stormy High” from their new album “In the Future”, and it is one of their fastest songs. Still, it is by no means fast), the band seems to lose all but the most hardcore of their fans during the middle of their set. While the show is massive-sounding, the drone continues on, and even this reporter’s girlfriend falls asleep during it (to be fair, she was tired, and the music can be monotonous. That is not a bad thing, but it does help put someone to sleep).

Black Mountain are effective though. They take everything Wolfmother tries to do and they make it into good music. It is heavy, trippy, and loud. I close my eyes during the organ solos, and even without any “enhancement,” the colors swirl in my mind.

The one thing this show is missing was a psychedelic light show. Instead, the band opts to perform on a stage illuminated most by a light in the drummer’s kick drum. It sets the mood well, but that light show would put this show over the top. Oh well, maybe next time.

1 a.m.-Back to The Void Room to catch The Hood Internet. It has been a long week, and an even longer two days, and by this time, I am exhausted. Still, this DJ duo is able to hold my interest for a little while. The group specializes in mash-ups, and some of them work well.

It doesn’t take long for the small crowd to dance, and once they start, they don’t stop. There are even a few crowd surfers (which is peculiar to see in a room that small).

The group is doing interesting enough work, and some mashups work better than others. Still, it is hard for me in my mind to not compare them to Girl Talk, who in my mind, does the mashup (or whatever Gregg Gillis wants to call his work) in a more original fashion. Every song just makes me think how much better Girl Talk would have done it.

I end up leaving around 1:30, hearing a mashup between a song I do not recognize and Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” (I know, I’m really specific). The crowd is still going strong, and good for them. As for me, I will return tomorrow, but I need to recharge.

I am going to be doing these entries as a time line. I hope it works…

Thursday:
8:25 p.m.-I arrive at the Krannert Art Museum about 10 minutes into Oxford Collapse’s set. I have to admire the setup the festival has at the museum. The stage is right in the lobby and only six inches or so off the ground. It is a roomy stage though, and Oxford Collapse dances around the whole thing.

The band’s dance-punk music may not be the most original thing, but it is fun, especially with the energy of bassist Mike Henry anchoring the set. It is also a bit rare to see a bass be a lead instrument, but they pull it off. Now if only they wrote choruses for their songs…

The band has a bit of amplifier trouble in the middle of their set, but they are able to resolve it and continue on. The set ends with the band only playing about 35 minutes, but it was a good start to my Pygmalion experience.

9:15-Evangelicals take the stage. I watch them and immediately think The Cure did it better. I leave after three songs.

9:35-I head over to Canopy Club and walk in during the middle of Robots Counterfeiting Money. I saw this band open for Colour Revolt back in August, but I don’t know if you could have called them a band then. Then, it was just Patrick Mangan playing all the band’s songs acoustic…in the same mode of the band (punk, hardcore, metal, with a bit of glam thrown in). It didn’t work, and if it was ironic, it shouldn’t have been.

This time though, the full band is here and it is a vast improvement. The band’s songs may not be very good, but they are entertaining to watch (two drummers, two guitarists, one in a hot dog suit, and a bassist). It’s everything a joke band should be, and this time, I got the joke. Well done.

10:30-Monotonix starts their show. The band sets up their gear in the audience it goes from there. The drummer starts playing a beat, and the guitarist comes out to dance. The lead singer comes next, and the rest is an insane blur.

Monotonix is a three-piece Israeli garage rock band, known for their crazy antics. They are not in short supply during the show either, as lead singer Ami Shalev prances around the band in a circle.

Very little of their 40 minute set is spent on the actual stage. Instead, they prefer to get up on the Canopy’s divider railings, grabbing audience members and shaking them up. Shalev is everywhere at once, playing pranks on drummer Ran Shimomi the entire time (at one point, Shimomi gets garbage dumped on him. This is real garbage too. It smells).

The antics are such an integral part of the show, that the music almost get overshadowed. It doesn’t though, and their brand of 60s garage rock shines through. Guitarist Yonatan Gat and drummer Shimomi are able to keep a tight groove going, no matter what the next move is.

As the show wears on, the band starts moving closer to the exit doors. The drum kit is moved, and Shalev starts leading people out into the lobby/bar. He is still going crazy (as was the audience), but it doesn’t stop there. Eventually, the crowd ends up outside the venue, yelling and going crazy.

All this while keeping a steady drum beat. Impressive, and safe to say one of the best shows I have ever seen.

11:27-Dark Meat starts three minutes early. I thought the bill could not get any crazier after Monotonix, but I was wrong. While the band’s set may have not be as good, there is no doubt it is just as crazy.

Dark Meat is a band that usually has about 10-17 members onstage at any given time, and the count tonight seems to be about 13 (if I am wrong on that, please tell me). There are guitarists, a bassist, two drummers, a keyboardist, and a lot of tambourines and wind instruments. Even just by looking at them, I can tell it was going to be insane.

And it was. The best way to describe Dark Meat’s live show is a harder rocking version of the Flaming Lips. There may not be as many props, but the band is always in high spirits, and confetti is being shot off everywhere (I will still be finding it in my underwear days later, guaranteed).

The band’s 50 minute set is so loud, it’s hard to discern what instrument was playing what (this reporter’s ears are still ringing, at 2:15 p.m. the next day), but the spirit of the band and the songs themselves are enough to carry the show.

By the end, lead singer Jim McHug is in the audience, acting like Ian MacKaye. He was screaming and body slamming (while other members of the band got into the audience to dance and play a sousaphone), but the high spirits are kept up. The band puts on a show, and so far, this is one of the best bills I have ever been at.

1 a.m.-Dan Deacon finally starts. Originally slated to start at 12:30, he was pushed back a little bit since Dark Meat ran long and he is having sound issues. Once he “fixes the sound issues,” the show begins.

But the sound issues are not gone. Throughout the entire set, the music sounds like one big blur. It’s hard to discern any music in there, and after I had heard how Deacon put on an amazing live show, I leave unimpressed.

I will say, however, that it may have be his fault. Deacon is known to set up his show in the audience, and tonight is no different. He encourages people to dance onstage during the show. However, about three songs in, the stage collapses. That’s right. Canopy Club’s stage collapses. I saw it myself. The wood splinters and when I leave, it truly is broken. Security spends the rest of the night keeping audience members off of it.

Deacon seems to know there were issues, so he kept demanding the house lights be on, just for safety. From there, the show turns into less of a dance party and more of a punk rock show. The dancing gives way to moshing (especially when Dark Meat joins Deacon on his last song), and crowd surfing ensues.

Earlier in the night, I had asked a member of the security team if she was worried about this show. She said no, and that Motion City Soundtrack the night before was awful. I am now wondering if she really meant that, after seeing the response Deacon got. I leave the show being let down, and hopefully I can see him in the future in a better situation.

I know it’s a lame excuse, but I turned 22 on Wednesday, meaning I did not making it to Pygmalion’s opening night. To be honest though, I have seen Elsinore, and was not dying to see Times New Viking, so no big loss in my eyes. I was there Thursday though, and my report is forthcoming. Stay tuned!

It is a shame that 75 percent of Colour Revolt’s audience Thursday night at The Highdive was from other bands on the bill. It was a small turnout for a band that did not deserve it

Nevertheless, Colour Revolt did their business well during their 45 minute set. The band’s three-guitar attack worked even better live than it did on their record, “Plunder, Beg, and Curse,” and to their credit, they came off like a Southern-y, poor man’s version of Built to Spill. They noodled around quite a bit, taking the songs to a better place.

Lead singer and guitarist Jesse Coppenbarger stayed glued to his microphone for the majority of his set, but there was an intensity in his performance that was matched by the rest of the band. Their noodling and strong interplay gave songs space to breathe, and songs like “Naked and Red” and “Moses of the South” sounded fantastic. Meanwhile, the rhythm section of Patrick Addison and Len Clark also kept a steady groove going as well, and they were loose but interlocked the whole time.

Unfortunately, not all of Colour Revolt’s songs are as strong as the aforementioned ones. Their performance was strong, and the record is no doubt good as a whole, with some songs being quite exceptional. Still, not all of them reach the high levels of their highs.

I am convinced, however, that the band is on a good path and will really flourish if given the chance. They come off as a career band, and I wish them the best of luck. I just hope other people wish them luck as well as they continue to tour, because they deserve an audience larger than 10 people.

The same, however, cannot be said for opener Robots Counterfeiting Money. The band consisted of Patrick Mangan and his acoustic guitar, but the music was played in the style of post-hardcore bands such as At the Drive-In and Fugazi. The songs just were not there though, and unfortunately Mangan came off as, well, annoying. He’s a good guitar player, and may be a good singer, but Robots Counterfeiting Money did not cut it.

DeKalb band Light Pollution fared better, with a good mix of smart songs and eclectic instruments (violin, mandolin, trombone and accordion, more than one often used in the same song). Finally, Javelins provided an energetic set full on propulsive drumbeats and yelp-y vocals. The songs weren’t there though, and I didn’t find myself humming any of their tunes after their set was over.

“It always surprises me when people are there. It’s like we are far from home, but these people know who we are.”

Truer words could not be said. Colour Revolt has been away from home for quite a while now, and will get even farther away as they turn up at The Highdive in Champaign Thursday night. The Oxford, Mississippi rock band is currently on tour supporting their debut record “Plunder, Beg, and Curse” (any relation between the city and the Oxford comma in the album title?), released in April on Fat Possum Records.

The record is a dark affair, with many religious and biblical references scattered in the lyrics. The music is at some points bombastic, other points slow and brooding. The band’s interplay on the record suggests that something greater can be achieved live, and Thursday will test that hypothesis.

Bassist Patrick Addison said that with this record, the band tried to sound more organic, after the DIY approach of recording their self-titled EP.

“We just wanted our live sound to translate into the studio,” Addison said. “It helped with the chemistry we have.”

The results have proven successful. While “Plunder, Beg, and Curse” is by no means a sterile recording. The instruments are clear and defined, and there is a level of bombast that can only be produced by playing live in a room with a band. No amount of studio wizardry can fake what this band creates together on songs like “Swamp” and “Naked and Red,” and that is to their credit.

As for the religious undertones, lead singer Jesse Coppenbarger said he did not realize how much they did end up coming through in the lyrics.

“It wasn’t meant to be in every song,” he said. “It came out more than I realized and people picked up on it.”

Despite all of this, Addison said they achieved what they set out to do in the studio.

“We wanted to translate our stage show, and we thought we pulled it off,” he said. “We couldn’t be happier.”

Now, Colour Revolt is doing the opposite, and trying to make a live-sounding record sound good live. Still, Addison said he and the band have grown accustomed to playing in their basement, so it is not that much different. An audience helps though.

“I’m still there listening to the other people’s parts,” he said. “Looking out and seeing people singing along just adds to it.”

Fortunately, touring is still something they can do. While other bands (and industries overall) fall prey to the $4 a gallon gas prices, Colour Revolt is still able to go on. It is something they are aware of though.

“We’ve been coming home for money,” Addison said. “It’s good for us on the road, but it definitely could be better.”

Addison said the band is enjoying it nonetheless, and it is still exciting for them.

“I’m into what everyone else is doing,” he said. “I’d rather be playing live than in my basement.”

Colour Revolt will be playing Thursday night at The Highdive, 51 E. Main St., Champaign, with Robots Counterfeiting Money, Light Pollution and Javelins opening. Show starts at 9 p.m. Ticket Fusion, The Highdive’s online ticketing service, is not currently selling tickets but says “Plenty of Tickets at the Door.” Show is 19+.

Note before the review: I have graciously received a number of promo albums from bands and record labels as of late. This will be the forum in which I post my reviews of them. I will be using the star system, with four stars being the highest amount any one album can receive. And, in the spirit of favoring the hometown bands (but not really), I am going to start this off with Elsinore’s new EP (Note in the note: Lead singer and guitarist Ryan Groff was nice enough to drop this EP off while I was at work. No matter what you think about their music, you cannot deny that they are trying hard, and I couldn’t have appreciated the gesture more. Thanks Ryan.)

Elsinore: “The General EP,” ***1/2

Elsinore has undergone quite a change since their debut album “Nothing for Design.” The Champaign band’s rootsy, acoustic-based sound has morphed into a more powerful, electric style, while still retaining a lot of the Americana sense.

It seems like the transition has not been without its growing pains though. The band’s second full-length, still unreleased at this point, has been promised to be put out a number of times, and I guess it will happen when it happens. In the meantime, Elsinore has put out the three-song “The General EP” to help tide fans over and to make new ones as they head out on tour.

The EP starts out with what may be their best song to date, “The General.” The guitar riff, while a bit simplistic, is powerful, and the rest of the band’s playing creates a rather unique groove that is propulsive as well as agile. From there comes lead singer and guitarist Ryan Groff’s voice (one of Elsinore’s strongest suits) kicks in, and the song just takes off. In the past, the rest of the band has, at times, come off as a simply good backing band for Groff, and while his vocals are fantastic, the band (which includes bassist Chris Eitel, keyboardist Mark Woolwine and drummer Dave Pride) is gelling and becoming more of a unit (complete with a harmony-laden interlude in the middle). It is a gem, and one can only hope the band is chasing whatever they found for it. Kudos.

Elsinore is going to be hard pressed to find songs as good as “The General” though. Both of the other songs, while still very good (”Antonymity” is a very good link between the band of old and the band of new, and a stripped down “Wooden Houses” is held up by a simple piano and Groff’s once-again great vocals), cannot live up to the title track. The 3.5 star rating is a testament to how good the title track is, but the band needs to work hard if they are going to craft a 12-song album as good as this. Best of luck.

Alright, I have been getting some comments and responses for Post #12 about what I referred to as “the real media,” so I figured I may as well explain a little further (in addition, please know I am not, repeat not trying to put myself on a pedestal with what I am writing. Please know that).

First off, I don’t want to ever belittle the importance of bloggers. That was not my intention, and I think blogging is one of the best things to come around in the last five years. Blogs are important, if only to be able to hear the viewpoint of the person writing. There are a lot of fantastic blogs that I frequent to find out new things.

However, what I was referring to in that post was not that the bloggers out there were bad, it was more referring to use of the pit between the audience barrier and the stage. I do, and I stand by this, think that area is/was reserved for the media to use in a professional way. If it is instead used to hang around because you can, it is like a slap in the face to the thousands of other people who would love to be in that pit. That’s what I am referring to as the privilege. Getting the press pass is all well and good, and nothing except for that pit really sets you apart from the audience. I still believe that when you are in that pit, you have to act, for lack of a better term, professional, because otherwise you are just an audience member using the pass in the wrong way.

In addition, I want to say that I was not in that pit for the majority of the festival. I was in the audience, taking in the experience. That is what a good reporter does, take in the experience. I was trying to take in as much as I can, good and bad, and taking in as much as I can does not involve being in the pit for the entire time.

Looking back, I’m not sure if the term “real media” was the right one, so I apologize for trying to marginalize with that.

I know I took a lot of grief for that post, and I’m sure more is coming. But I wanted to at least clarify what I meant. That was not meant as an attack toward any specific person (the “you” in this post was not directed at anybody at all), and I have even talked to a blogger or two about what I meant by it. It was not me trying to start anything, it was merely stating a frustrated opinion.

Take care.

Whew. It was a good weekend, it’s all updated. We took a lot of photos (probably around 2,000, if not more), and I will be writing more. Stay tuned for more, it just may not be in this blog.

After The New Pornographers’ set, Face and I were tired. However, I still wanted to shoot moe.’s last performance and the crazy crowd they continually attract. As with most of the big name acts on the bill, I was only able to shoot the band for 15 minutes, and that was fine. In fact, I didn’t even take that long.

I got a couple good shots of the band and of the audience, which had grown significantly, yet was more subdued. Everyone seemed at the end of their rope, and moe. asked them to go for that final lap with them.

The band sounded good playing a cover of The Police’s “Synchronicity II” as I was walking to the car. It was a good ending to a tiring but rewarding weekend.