Steve Aoki is a DJ, but he’s also so much more than that. He’s one of the most eccentric performers that we’ve ever seen. It’s not just music, it’s jumping, dancing, throwing cake at fans, jumping into ball pits, running around stage, smoke and confetti, and so much more. We were thrilled to catch his latest tour The Color of Noise when it rolled into Avant Gardner in Brooklyn this month.
I have to say, the show really delivered. It started with Australian DJ Godlands, then Global Dan and Riot Ten, and culminated with a lively performance by Timmy Trumpet and finally ended with Steve Aoki. The sold out show was packed with people having the time of their lives. Check out some of our favorite shots from the exciting show below.
As a pretty big festival fan, I became aware of Mo Pop music festival last year in 2019 when their lineup totally knocked it out of the park (Lizzo, Tame Impala, AND Vampire Weekend?! Okay, I’m in.) Since then, I’ve been anxiously waiting for their 2020 lineup to drop to see if they could deliver for a second year in a row, and luckily for me, today was the lucky day!
I woke up and checked Instagram this morning to see a killer lineup that has me wishing it was summer already. Khalid and The 1975 are headlining, with supporting up-and-coming acts Doja Cat, Orville Peck, Still Woozy, Hippo Campus, and many more.
I’m super excited because I love checking out new festivals, and this one looks like it can live up to the hype. The website boasts an area called The Shipyard that offers a variety of local Detroit dishes, an arcade, a craft beer area, food trucks, dance parties, a pop-up flea market, and a bicycle valet. There’s lots of personality and fun at Mo Pop, and I can’t wait to see it for myself!
Mo Pop is in Detroit, Michigan on July 25 + 26, 2020. It was first held in 2015 and focuses on indy-rock, pop, and hip hop music. You can check out the full lineup poster below, and head over to https://mopopfestival.com/ for ticket information and to learn more.
Godlands opened for Steve Aoki at Avant Gardner in Brooklyn, NY this past weekend, and we went to check it out. Annabel Hartlett, known by her stage name Godlands, is an Australian musician and DJ. Her new single with Samplegod, Smoke Em Up, is out now. See all the shots from her set right here:
A band’s rise to fame is not always a calm process, but that’s exactly the energy they exuded when I sat down to talk with X Lovers backstage at Terminal 5 in NYC, just before their show, opening for Alexander23 and Chelsea Cutler in a two-night sold out performance.
These two are by no means new to the game. Starting a punk rock band together when they were just kids, London Jackson and Jacob Ames (known by their Instagram handles as Saint Daddi and Saint Mommi–a troll joke that seemed to have stuck) have begun their rise, attracting a serious following with their emotional lyrics and a soulful sound. Here’s what they had to say.
X Lovers opening for Chelsea Cutler at Terminal 5 in NYC.
Crowdsurfer: So you guys are definitely an up-and-coming band right now and ones to watch. But I know you didn’t just start last year, this has been a long time coming for you guys. Talk a little bit about that and how you guys went from kids starting a band to where you’ve evolved to now.
London: It’s such a crazy story because it really has been such a journey, and we’re still quite young, but we started like really young, right? So when we started, we were 10 years old and that’s basically half our lives. I was writing songs at the time. We met through little sisters and I was just like, “Yo, you should learn how to play drums to my songs.” I so vividly remember the first time we ever played music together, and after we went through the song, we looked at each other and were like, “We’re going to dominate the fucking planet.” And I think that energy/naivety has never left.
CS: I love that. How you’re saying like it’s like a little bit naive, a little bit like, dude, we have this energy, like we’re going to go for it.
London: Yeah. I think anything worth doing is like almost impossible, but it’s not impossible. Just almost is, you know what I mean? So you have to be a little bit naive. We’ve come this far, so I think we can do it.
X Lovers backstage at Terminal 5 in NYC. Shot by Gaby Deimeke.
CS: So you guys have grown up together and through almost a decade of working together, how has that been? How do you balance being friends but also having the band and having to prioritize getting the work done but then knowing when to chill out and be fun?
London: We’ve just grown together like in every aspect. It’s like we’ve grown up personally and professionally. Having something we both cared about so deeply from the get go brought us very close very quickly. I wouldn’t even say Jake is my best friend. At the risk of sounding really cliche, he is like my brother. And I think what that looks like is like, we can be in the studio and there’s no bullshit. We can just say, “Yo, I hate that.” And I think doing this for so long allows that dynamic to exist. The foundation of our friendship is allowing us to be able to put business first all the time. And we know each other so well. It’s like we’re married.
Jake: Truly, like we lived together, we were touring together and we share all the same clothes, our money, you know, it’s like everything’s shared. So I think the closeness at this point just makes it so fluid. And it’s exciting because we have these moments kind of recently like we’re about to play in front of 3,000 people. And that’s literally what we said we’re going to do eight years ago. It’s special. It’s so special.
CS: Talk a little bit about your writing and recording process and how you guys come up with songs. Do you have a certain way that you go about doing that or does it depend on the song?
London: We definitely have ways that we don’t do it. How we definitely can’t create is just walking into a room and saying, “We’re going to create a great song today. I know some writers in LA use that approach and it’s like a job. That’s just not who we are. As far as the actual processes, some songs I write 100% just by myself in my room in five minutes and then I’ll bring it to him. Other times, Jake will have a beat and I’ll start singing on it. I remember the song, “Sweatshirt.” I was like kind of dealing with some heavy shit and I woke up really early and went to the beach and I was tucked inside of my sweatshirt and I started like seeing this lyric: I found a place inside of my sweatshirt, that beats all reality. Oh, and you could probably try but you would not understand me. I was like, that’s special. So I ran home and wrote the song on our deck and it was done in like two hours. So it’s ever-changing.
CS: Do you feel like that’s why your fan base has latched onto you guys so much? Because like they can really relate to like the stuff you’re talking about and your lyrics?
London: Yeah, I think we like look at our fans as people, and they look at us as people, you know? We’re all humans. And they relate to it. Our fans are so much a part of the creative in a sense. I’ll go on Instagram and see like what they’re posting or what they’re going through and write a song about it. One can’t exist another other. So I think we just have a tight knit fan base and like family cause it’s like there’s just a lot of mutual respect.
CS: Do you think social media has been a good way for you guys to get your music out there to the fans and connect with them?
London: I think it’s really cool that we can be super specific with our vision, like at the touch of a finger. I think that’s really powerful to be able to control over your aesthetic. And I don’t think we’re the kind of music that a label 10 years ago would’ve assumed that girls like. But it’s like they can’t deny it now because they found us, and there’s no barrier to entry. Social media is crazy though. The dopamine hit is crazy. We went from getting a hundred likes, to like 10,000 likes a picture. And that fucks with your head. It’s weird and it’s extremely addicting.
CS: How have you guys maneuvered through that?
London: For two months I actually deleted Instagram on my phone because it was fucking with me. We would release a song and there would be a thousand comments in the first two hours and I’d be like, Oh, they like it. And then when that stopped, I felt like it was coming down from something. So I just needed to take a step back for a second. We had this really beautiful conversation going into the new year, which was like, let’s only focus on what we can control. Let’s focus on like creating dope content and instead of obsessing over how many streams of songs has, let’s focus on making better music. That mentality has extremely shifted. Fuck obsessing with what you can’t control, it’s such a waste of time.
Jake: Yeah, and I totally saw how like it affected you and how you had to work through that and I think we’re in a better place moving forward.
CS: Where are you guys looking to go this year?
London: We’re incredibly competitive, like obsessed with growing, so, as amazing as it is to be here, we’re opening. It just makes us extremely hungry to headline at some point. Meeting so many fans every night and seeing what we’ve built is so much more satisfying in person. Moving forward, we’re going to drop a new EP. We’ve been finishing it on the road.
Jake: I’ve loved being on tour and I wish it was going longer, but we’ll be doing a longer tour this year and headlining eventually when it’s right and that will be amazing.
CS: Okay, last question. Do you guys have any fun facts that you feel that our audience should know about?
Jake: Hmm, I have 10 siblings. And the other half of my family lives on a boat.
CS: Wow.
London: We both grow up in this tiny town in California. And my mom raised me vegan, so I would have cakes that were like made of grass.
CS: That’s crazy, thanks for the fun facts. Appreciate you guys chatting with us and excited for the show!
London: Thanks so much.
X Lovers at Terminal 5 in NYC. Shot by Gaby Deimeke.
If you’re a fan of lyrics that put you in your feels, then you’ve probably heard of Lauv. In celebration of his debut album dropping at midnight, Lauv hosted a #LauvLive with Spotify in New York City at National Sawdust, where he played acoustic or stripped down versions of the new songs on the album and talked about the meanings behind them. We headed to Brooklyn to catch all the action.
Lauv Live Glow Bracelets
Posters outside of National Sawdust
Everyone in line (and by everyone we mean the 200 people that were lucky enough to make it in the door) got a glowey Lauv wristband which lit up in matching colors depending on what song he was singing. The theme of the new album ~how i’m feeling~ is that no one is made up of one specific thing. There are many pieces to being a human, and many different sides and moods and personalities of each of us.
He explained that his identity is comprised of six characters that relate to a color: red is Spicy Lauv, orange is F*ckboy Lauv, yellow is Positive Lauv, green is Goofy Lauv, blue is Hopeless Romantic Lauv, and purple is Existential Lauv.
Before Lauv came onstage a few minutes past 9pm, fans could grab a drink, munch on some complimentary popcorn, and take a photo in the rainbow-themed photo booth.
The show started in orange as he walked onstage with a guitar and sang a gorgeous rendition of Canada, which led into a neon-blue singalong to Fuck I’m Lonely.
Spicy Lauv came out and the room glowed red when he sang the third song of his set, a new song called El Tejano, swaying the crowd with lyrics about getting margaritas and dancing with a lover. The space shifted to green during Billy, as Lauv told the crowd about a song he wrote about his beloved dog.
He made sure to thank not only everyone in the room multiple times, but all the people that were watching the livestream from their respective countries. Lauv said he had been waiting for this moment (of his debut album release) for so long that he had a lot of emotions processing at once, but that he was so excited for everyone to hear the album.
#LauvLive with Spotify
The crowd came together in a chorus as he ended with acoustic versions of his hits I Like Me Better and Modern Loneliness, following up lines like “To be young and in love in New York City” with “Love my friends to death, but I never call and I never text.”
Lauv, also known by his real name Ari, has been very vocal about his own mental health issues and the importance of de-stigmatizing and normalizing it. He started the Blue Boy Foundation, and has a telephone-booth-like blue box at all of his shows, called My Blue Thoughts, where you can type or record a message about how you’re feeling and share it with other Lauv fans around the world.
The room became a shimmery rainbow as he gave a final bow and left the stage, representing all the pieces of him coming together for his debut album.
Rainbow Room at National Sawdust
The Setlist for Lauv Live in NYC
I was already a Lauv fan before this show, but this deepened my love for his music and respect for him as an artist. You can watch the livestream in full right here. The new album is out now, so make sure you stream Lauv’s new album ~how i’m feeling~ and let us know your favorites!
Taylor Swift literally became “The Man” in her new video to highlight scenarios of toxic masculinity and we’re so here for it. Per her typical fashion, there are lots of hidden symbols and scenes to decode, so let’s get to it!
The video starts out with a businessman (Taylor’s male alter ego Tyler Swift) yelling at his employees, who of course all cheer for him, and we get a signature wink to the camera from Taylor-as-the-man. Next we see him in the subway, smoking a cigar and manspreading with no regard for the other people on the train (raise your hand if you’ve experienced this too).
The “omg” moment of the video happens when the man steps out at 13th Street Station (a nod to Taylor’s favorite number, 13) and promptly pees on a wall with graffiti writing of all of Taylor’s albums that Big Machine Records currently holds the rights to.
The two signs really bring home the message, with “Missing: If Found, Return to Taylor Swift on the left and “No scooters” on the right, alluding to her feud with Scooter Braun, who purchased BMR last year–without giving Taylor the option to buy her Masters.
Clip from the music video for The Man by Taylor Swift.
The camera pans down from one word also written in graffiti: Karma.
Next the man is making business calls on his yacht, which of course is littered with a handful of lounging models in matching yellow bikinis. He yells at the waiter, and then parties with the models (hello champagne!) before heading back to work. This matches with the lyrics of the song, “I’d be just like Leo, in Saint-Tropez” nodding to how celebrities like Leo DiCaprio are out on dates and vacationing with models in tow. The difference is they are men, and therefore their conquests are celebrated, whereas in contrast, her relationships have been portrayed in the media in a completely negative context for doing the exact same thing.
Clip from the music video for The Man by Taylor Swift.
But what really stuck out to me was the second part of the video. The man gets dressed in the morning after presumably having a fling with the half-naked girl asleep in his bed. Instead of having a “walk of shame” like a woman would, he gets a “walk of fame” instead. 19 hands high five him as he runs down the hallway, proud of his accomplishments.
Clip from the music video for The Man by Taylor Swift.
In the next scene, he’s in the park with his little girl, and all neighborhood is raving over the fact that he’s a great parent, throwing a “World’s Greatest Dad” party for him–another reference to how the double standards exist between women and men when it comes to parenting. So often women are questioned for being career-focused while being a parent, while on the other hand, men get praised for being a parent.
Clip from the music video for The Man by Taylor Swift.
Then the man is playing in a tennis match (for a women’s charity) and when he isn’t winning, he has a mantrum–a man tantrum–and breaks his tennis racket and throws the tennis ball at the umpire when he doesn’t get his way. Many people think that this might be a nod to the incident in the 2018 US Open, when Serena Williams was fined for having a clash with the umpire. She later stated that it felt like a double standard because men have gotten more upset and said worse things during a game with no repercussion.
Clip from the music video for The Man by Taylor Swift.
Next it’s 58 years later and the man is finally getting married–to a woman half his age. She proudly displays the massive ring on her hand, before shaking her head and walking away after the cake cutting.
Clip from the music video for The Man by Taylor Swift.
In my opinion, the best part of the entire video is the end, when the man walks off of the tennis set to the directors chair. Taylor Swift (the real Taylor Swift) is the director, and she gives the man some instruction:
“Could you try to be sexier? Maybe be more likable this time?”
AKA things that the media have all criticized Taylor for in the past. Burn. For her directorial debut, she’s absolutely killing it.
Clip from the music video for The Man by Taylor Swift.
And then it ends with “Directed by Taylor Swift, Wrtitten by Taylor Swift, Owned by Taylor Swift, and Starring Taylor Swift.” She certainly doesn’t need a man, or anyone’s help for that matter. She’s in charge, and that’s an empowering narrative to share with the world.
Taylor Swift literally turns into “The Man” for her new music video.
Swift is singlehandedly fighting the patriarchy and isn’t afraid to speak up about unfair gender biases in the world today. In the video, a man gets away with so many things that if a woman did, would get a very different–and not to mention more negative–reaction. We think she completely nails it.
She might not be a dude, but as far as we’re concerned, Taylor Swift IS the man. You can check out the full video below.
Elohim kicked off the Group Therapy tour this weekend with a sold out show in Brooklyn at Elsewhere with opening acts Bahari and Mehro. Check out our shots from the show below!
This past weekend was Valentine’s Day, and the perfect time for an acoustic show by three top country artists: Ryan Hurd, Walker Hayes, and Rodney Atkins. I had the pleasure of spending the pre-show with Walker, taking some portraits and goofing off backstage.
The sold-out event was held at Viejas Casino in San Diego. Check out the gallery below for my favorite shots from the show.
crowdsurfermag.com 