Day Two: Outside Lands Festival -- Portugal. The Man (pics)

Yes, we love this band (see our interview and footage of their Santa Cruz show here). We're fairly certain they will be the most talked-about performance this year... besides, of course, The Mars Volta, which hit the stage in a few hours. Stay tuned for those pics.

Day One: Outside Lands Festival (pics)

For perhaps the first time in history, a sweater was not needed in San Francisco. Maybe it was global warming, maybe it was a heat wave, but most likely it was the scorching music burning up Golden Gate Park on Friday, the first day of the three-day aural orgy.

Highlights for the day included Akron/Family, San Fran's own The Dodos, emo darlings Built to Spill (who heavily influenced Death Cab), Bay Area radio stars Silversun Pickups, The National, and more. Headliners included Incubus and Pearl Jam, whose set was described by one fan as, "It was like church. Everybody was singing along. It was too uncomfortable. We left."

Today (Saturday) is shaping up to be another hot one, both climatically and aurally speaking. Today we'll be checking out Portugal. The Man; Bat For Lashes; TV on the Radio; Conor Oberst & the Mystic Valley Band; Deerhunter; Dave Matthews Band and of course The Mars Volta. Stay tuned...

Bloody Book Event: Thurs. 27 Aug., 7pm at Books Inc., Palo Alto

With Twilight fever having swept the nation over the past few years, and the ongoing popularity of HBO’s True Blood, the mythical creatures that are vampires have never been more mainstream.

For fans of author Richelle Mead, today is a big day as it’s the day they make their Blood Promise. The fourth book in Mead’s New York Times best-selling Vampire Academy series, Blood Promise arrives in bookstores today. And better yet – the writer will be in town later this week to discuss the series with her fans. Catch Mead at Books Inc. Palo Alto (Town & Country Village, corner Embarcadero and El Camino Real www.booksinc.com) this Thursday, 27 Aug. from 7pm.

For more on the series, go to www.vampireacademybooks.com. For more on the author, go to www.richellemead.com.

A bit about Vampire Academy, for those who have been buried too deep in Twilight to investigate other vamp fiction:

Vampire Academy has now over 1.5 million copies in print and has been touted as the series to fill the void for avid Twilight fans. USA Today singled out Vampire Academy as the newest teen series to watch when it asked, “You’ve raced through Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. Now what?” After the thrilling cliffhanger in Shadow Kiss: Vampire Academy Book Three, readers will be clamoring to pick up Blood Promise to determine whether or not love and loyalty run deeper than blood.

Benicio del Toro as Wolfman? Can he pull it off?

Yes or no?

Outside Lands: Pearl Jam, How We Missed You (New Song)

We're getting excited for San Francisco's Outside Lands Festival in a couple of weeks. We're particularly excited to revisit the nostalgia of '90s music when Pearl Jam plays Friday night (Aug. 28). They've got a new album coming out on Sept. 20 called Backspacer, so expect them to play a lot of new stuff, like this track called "The Fixer." Pretty darn good if you ask us. Rock on.

Update: Outside Lands annoucement

We just got word that due to our recent post about a major OSL announcement looming, Another Planet has been inundated with calls. We want to clarify: it will NOT be a major headliner announcement. The line-up for OSL is already set. What we were alluding to is merely a really cool technical addition to the festival this year. So just hold your horses and stay tuned. Thanks!

New this year to Outside Lands Festival 2009 in San Francisco

Yesterday, we had a chat with Outside Lands fest promoter Allen Scott of Another Planet Entertainment. At the moment, we're sitting on a huge announcement that we think will make music fans drool with excitement. Unfortunately, we have to sit on this "off the record" tidbit for a little bit longer. But believe us, it's awesome! So stay tuned.

In the meantime, we do have some info on what's new this year at OSL.

1. Last year, Radiohead was the first band ever to play in Golden Gate Park at night. Tom Petty and Jack Johnson soon followed. Previously, live music at the park was shut off at 7pm. Not sure why. Scott says it was due to some outdated city ordinances.

This year, Scott says an additional stage will offer music after dark. So, he says, an hour into Pearl Jam's set on Friday, Aug. 28, you can walk over and see Thievery Corporation; and an hour into Dave Matthews set on Sat. Aug. 29, you can go see The Mars Volta. Pretty cool stuff.

2. Also, a mind-blowing tent -- wood and glass interior -- called The Barbary was added in the back of the polo fields. This cabaret-themed mecca is a "freak show" of sorts, according to Scott. It will feature local bands, comedians, artists and more.

3. The bicycle valet was expanded this year from 3,000 to 4,000 bikes. And SF-based Bauer's charter buses -- they provide service for Google employees -- will be providing shuttle service throughout the city.

4. Scott said a goal of OSL is to offer 100 percent local vendors at the festival. Last year, 40 percent of the vendors were local. This year, Scott says 70 percent of all vendors will be from San Francisco. It's the only festival that comes close to this local angle.


By the way, do you know why it's called Outside Lands Festival? In the 19th Century, the Sunset District, East of Van Ness, was all sand dunes. It was referred to as the "Outside Lands."

Stay tuned for more!

Upcoming: Outside Lands Festival (Interview with Tenacious D and Dave Matthews)

As many of you probably know, we will be front and center at this year's Outside Lands Festival, a three day music fest featuring the likes of Pearl Jam, Incubus, Black Eyed Peas, The Mars Volta, Modest Mouse, The Dead Weather, Dave Matthews Band and Tenacious D.



We'll be snapping pictures and recording the greatest Flip-ing video footage ever! In preparation of our descent down the music rabbit hole, we had the privilege of chatting with Jack Black and Kyle Glass (a Walnut Creek native) of Tenacious D, as well as none other than Dave Matthews himself.

But let's be clear about our conversation. To those who aren't privy to the inner workings of the press, please allow us to besiege a bit of disappointing and unglamorous knowledge on you fine folks. Our conversation with these gods of rock was part of a collective phone conference with publicists and other journos. What transpires is usually a muddy conversation wherein the subjects get to rant and rave and goof around while we journos can just listen and wait our turn (Example: press star 1 to get in line to ask a question). Full transcript at the end.

Nevertheless, Jack Black is hilarious, even on the phone.


On Modest Mouse:

Jack Black: We burned some mother down that night. And Modest Mouse was all up our butt

wanting to hang with us, and we’re like who are you chumps? We got to go hang with like the Mayor

of Texas. If I could turn back time, I would crawl right up their butts and create a rip in the time butt

continuum.

On plans to rock San Francisco on Aug. 30:

Jack Black: Oh. And yes, we’re going to close it out, and I just want to say one thing. If there’s any dogs barking on the day August 30 before we go on, don’t be alarmed. That’s just them sensing the earthquake of rock that’s coming. Dogs have an innate sense when a gigantic rock storm is coming. That’s all it is.

I’m seriously afraid for California because we haven’t rocked for a while. We haven’t rocked since Redding and London, and there’s so much buildup that when we let loose, it may – it may shake the foundations of the – what’s that fault line ((inaudible))?

Kyle Glass: San Andréa’s?

Jack Black: The San Andreas. And California may be shaking loose from the rest of the country. And the question is when that crack in the earth happens and it comes between your legs, where are you going? Are you going with America, or are you going to jump on California Island? You have to make a (split-cision) decision, or else you’re going down in the lava.

Download the full interview with Jack Black, Kyle Glass and Dave Matthews here.

View a video of DMB's new video Funny the Way It Is here. (Sorry, Youtube has disabled the embeds).

And keep checking back for upcoming OSL coverage!