As you surely know, the Outside Lands music festival begins today, running Friday and Saturday from 11am-10pm, and Sunday from 11am – 9:45pm.
If you’re going, there’s no excuse not to be on top of the action — there are guides to the fest galore (we’ve pulled together the best ones below), and as we have every year, we’ll be covering it live from our dedicated Twitter feed at sfappealOL, which we’ll also embed on our site.
Neighbors’ guide to the Outside Lands Festival in Golden Gate Park [Richmond SF blog]
Outside Lands festival parking available at local schools [Richmond SF blog]
Guide To The Outside Lands 2011 [CBS5]
What to Eat at Outside Lands, Starting Tomorrow in Golden Gate Park [Grub St.]
How to survive Outside Lands 2011, a neighborhood guide [OBB]
Our own Hunter Mulich has these tips for you, too:
Do wear layers. Yeah, it sucks carrying your jacket. But it’s worth it.
Do eat the food. It’s pricey, but it’s worth it and part of the experience.
Do stay late. Don’t skimp out early, stay until the end of your favorite artist’s set.
Don’t get lazy. Get to that set on time!
Don’t get there late in the day. A lot of good shows are early in the afternoon.
Don’t wear your nicest clothes. You never know.
Finally — and this is just because I love you guys — as a Richmond and Sunset resident since 2000, I’m at your disposal for West Side tips, tricks, and weather reports. You can @ me anytime on Twitter, I’m @eveb.
So that’s the practical stuff, sorted. But what are are staffers most excited to see? Here are their picks.
Friday
April Siese
Release The Sunbird – Zach Rogue’s latest side project brings effortless ambient music by way of recording on the fly and through simply feeling the spirit of their songs.
Foster The People – Frontman Mark Foster and his band bring their fun-loving music to Golden Gate Park, riding high on their hit single “Pumped Up Kicks”
The Shins – After a brief hiatus that included working on a new album to be released on lead singer James Mercer’s personal label and Mercer’s work with Danger Mouse as Broken Bells, The Shins make their triumphant return to touring.
The Shins – They were you and your girlfriend’s favorite band. She might not be back,
but they’re still good, right?
Big Boi – From Outkast to solo work, this guy doesn’t come around often. And after that arrest last week, he might not for a while.
Phish – The guys are playing a 3 and a half hour set to end the night. What’s to come?
No idea.
K. Flay – She’s got two degree’s from Stanford, has opened for Snoop Dogg, and rides Muni. What more do you want?
Tamaryn – From this gothically-inclined local I expect a proper deluge of distortion – one that even the most hardened shoegazer would approve of.
Best Coast – For an artist whose (pretty much) every song revolves around the same thing – getting high in her apartment and wishing he were her boyfriend – BethanyCorsentino remains amazingly endearing. It’s all in that voice of hers.
MGMT – The duo’s admirably mature sophomore effort was shamelessly underrated by critics. All the same, I’m still planning to chuck my left shoe at them.
Saturday
April’s picks:
The Roots – Combining elegant musicianship with rap, hip-hop, and progressive grooves, Jimmy Fallon’s house band has come to get down.
Muse – Though it’s been almost 3 years since Muse has released an album, the UK band always brings a fresh perspective to their music through remarkable live performances.
Cosmic Suckerpunch – Rockers Cosmic Suckerpunch take the stage Saturday with their blend of 90’s-era rock mixed with progressive jams and biting lyrics.
Hunter’s picks:
Ximena Sarinana – She’s a Grammy nominated musician and actress from Mexico whose self-titled album debuted this month. Next big thing?
The Black Keys – I once saw drummer Patrick Carney play with a bag of ice on his neck. It takes a lot of work to make two guys from Ohio sound this huge.
Muse – Whether you like listening to them or not, they put on a hell of a show.
The Roots – C’mon, it’s the Roots! Who doesn’t like ?uest Love?!
Alex’s picks:
OK GO – After so many consistently quality music videos, I kind of feel I owe it to them.
Arctic Monkeys – While over the years their sound has inched away from punk and toward stoner rock, these gifted lyricists remain unwaveringly British.
Girl Talk – Mr. Gillis possesses the singular capacity to make the crustiest of hipsters and the bubbliest of sorority sisters exchange sweat.
Sunday
April’s picks:
The Decemberists – After boldly releasing the epic Hazards of Love, the Decemberists have gone in a different direction with their latest, The King Is Dead and have recaptured the defining spirit of indie folk as the latest movement in music.
Arcade Fire – Grammy award-winning Arcade Fire are closing Outside Lands with their baroque rock mix of nostalgia and musical intricacies, something not to be missed.
Mavis Staples – Legendary soul singer Mavis Staples is a musical veteran and consistent innovator, collaborating with Jeff Tweedy, Bob Dylan, and Dr. John. More musical mixing is sure to take place as she takes the stage at Outside Lands on Sunday.
Hunter’s picks:
Mavis Staples – Staples has been active in music for over 60 years and helped fuel the
Civil Rights movement with her voice. Get there early.
Major Lazer – Ever been to a Jamaican dance hall party? Get ready to have the time of your life.
Tune-Yards – A beautifully quirky voice that’s sure to make the ear smile, layered with drum loops, ukelele and bass. It’s a recipe for fun.
Little Dragon – This dreamy troupe from Sweden helped out Gorillaz on their last tour and album, but they’re here to plow their own plot.
Alex’s picks:
tUnE YarDs – Merrill Garbus’ distinctive and soulful voice crowns this genre-straddling outfit. Seems like it would be a tough sound to pull off live, but god, how
they make it look easy.
Ty Segall – This local will charm you with his defiantly un-trendy classic rock sensibilities and reserved demeanor, then woo with a killer guitar solo – much too scarce a treasure these days.
Arcade Fire – It goes without saying, at this point, that they put on a
famously good live show. Less widely known is their unexpected fondness for covering Cindy Lauper’s “Girls Just Want To Have Fun.” Please, Arcade Fire, let this happen again.
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