Culture Greyhound

Today the kids over at Fun Fun Fun headquarters announced the lineup for their 2010 festivities.  Of course, with FFF being my favorite fest to attend for four years running, I bought my tickets well in advance of today’s news.  But now that the artists have officially been made known to the public, here are a handful of bands, in no particular order,  I intend to be front and center stage for.  Who are you excited to see?

Dominique Young Unique

Her Domination Mixtape is easily going to make my year-end list, so needless to say I’m pumped to see this new protege – I have a feeling it will be ten times better than Kid Sister’s fifteen-dollar Mohawk show, which left me unimpressed.

A-Trak

Dirty South Dance 2 has been on repeat for the past couple of months on my laptop – this guy knows how to bring the party.  One of the best things about FFF is the colorful, musical segregation; the Black stage is punk/metal, the Yellow is mostly comedians and singer/songwriters, the Orange is the main “indie” stage, and I have a feeling that A-Trak will be a headliner for the DJ/hip-hop heavy Blue stage this year.

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti

I was bummed I had to miss this band’s show last night at Mohawk, but it turns out I’ll be able to catch this act after all.  Before Today is making waves amongst the critical circle, and for good reason – it’s a great disc.  And if I play my cards right, I’ll be able to catch last night’s opener as well – San Francisco’s Magic Kids, who killed at Cheer Up Charlie’s during SXSW 2010.

Cold Cave

Above I stated the Yellow stage is mostly comedians and singer/songwriters, but the key word is “mostly;” usually there’s one or two acts that stand out on the bill.  Last year it was supposed to be King Khan, but the stage was unfortunately rained out.  Hopefully that won’t be the case this year when Cold Cave perform their Blue-stage-suited beats and Joy Division-inspired dance tracks.  I saw these guys at CMJ 2009, and the result was ringing ears for a long duration.

Weird Al Yankovic

For the first time, FFF has added a kick-off party the night before the festivities, and the headliner has been announced; I saw Weird Al in Lubbock a few years ago, and needless to say, it’s very entertaining.  Multiple costume changes, hilarious video interludes, and all the parody hits you’ve probably memorized better than the originals.  Can’t wait to see this legend in action once again.

Peelander Z

This band has one of the most memorable live acts of any I’ve ever seen.  I enjoy the Japanese punk rock brand, but the cartoonish level these guys take it to is ridiculously awesome.  If you’ve never seen this spectacle of Power Rangers-ish costumes, props, crowd participation, and loud-ass rock, you absolutely have to.

Wavves

Nathan Williams was the talk of the town when I caught him at SXSW 2009.  An onstage breakdown, a new band, and a game-changing album later, and I can safely say I’m stoked to hear the new and improved Wavves.  It was pretty rocking the first time around, but the material is more mature and more fun now.

Devo

The new-wave elder statesmen will grace us with their presence this year at Waterloo Park; they’ve been on my must-see list for some time now, and I’m hoping to cross them off in November.

The Hold Steady

Another band I’ve been dying to see for some time now – I’m hoping they’ll have a pretty diverse set, showcasing all of their pristine-quality albums.  As far as new material, I’d love to hear a live version of “Hurricane J.”

Man Man

I can’t believe it’s been four years since I saw this band in a packed Jake’s Back Room in Lubbock, but it has.  It’s a show I will never forget – these guys are very tight live, and the vision of all those instruments on that little stage will remain with me forever.  While Six Demon Bag will probably never be topped, I’m still excited to see these guys again regardless.