Sara Scoggs' Blog

Yesterday Coachella was the breeding ground for tons of band reunions – but the biggest highlight for me was seeing The Postal Service live for the first (and possibly only time.) It has been about eight years since Ben Gibbard, Jimmy Tamborello and Jenny Lewis became active again as The Postal Service, and they gave the Coachella valley a very endearing performance. 

After playing about three songs Ben greeted the crowd and said, “We’re an imaginary band, The Postal Service.” Although I was in a huge field with thousands of people I felt a connection to the performance. It’s been 10 years since The Postal Service released their only full-length album Give Up but even with only one LP, TPS managed to cultivate a loyal fan base. There was even a group of fans dressed in US Postal Service uniforms. 

Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Times.. 

Ben and Jenny had some very sweet moments, putting down their instruments and singing to each other during “Nothing Better.” When they went into “Such Great Heights” later in the set everyone went crazy, but hearing that song live brought me right back to when I first heard it. 2004, summer, my buddy Ryan’s house while we were swimming in his above ground pool. I think it was the first time I had heard any electronic influences in music. It was a lunching off point for me to discover a whole new world of music and later and obsession with Death Cab For Cuties’ 2005 release Plans. Ben left us with an ambiguous statement regarding their return beyond this anniversary tour – so fingers crossed they get back to that second LP they were working on back in 2007. 

So yes standing in the valley with the palm trees changing from orange, to red, to pink – and yellow balloons arched in the sky – made for a very special scene from far away. 

You can watch the full-set that was streamed on YouTube below.

Will you try and catch The Postal Service live?

Let’s talk music, let me know your thoughts in the comments below. 

Coachella Day 1:  A Little Bit Closer 

Yesterday we made the trek from Los Angeles to Indio, California for Coachella 2013! The first day at Coachella is always a bit of a blur (hehe) because it’s such a marathon of a day – but once again Goldenvoice put on a spectacular day of music and art.

The biggest draw for Coachella is the environment they’re able to create. Between the desert and all of the incredible art instillations spread throughout the grounds – Coachella becomes much more than an outdoor music festival. There’s of course the iconic ferris wheel and palm trees image you all know so well, but there are also several unique instillations that come to life. Some even had people inside! The “Coachella Power Station” had people wearing hippo masks; I have no idea what they were doing in there, but it totally worked at Coachella.

As far as music the day was jam-packed! I caught Johnny Marr (under Richards’ suggestion), Metric, Alt-J, Passion Pit, Modest Mouse, Beach House (and I stand by what I said earlier about them), Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Blur, Jurassic 5 and lastly Tegan and Sara.

A few things that stuck with me as the day went on were Passion Pit, Modest Mouse, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Jurassic 5 and Tegan and Sara.

- Passion Pit was full of energy and everyone around me was dancing. They are fantastic live.

- Modest Mouse went over their time (I think there was too much chitchat) -- and during their most popular song, “Float On” everything cut out. Ooops.

- Yeah Yeah Yeahs were phenomenal live. Karen O is revered as one of the most icon front women in music and she lives up to the hype.

- Jurassic 5 was just straight up amazing hip-hop. They have not all performed tog their in about 7 years, but man they still had it. I am not a huge hip-hop fan, but when it’s performed like THAT find it infectious and mesmerizing

- Tegan and Sara's set put a huge smile on my face. They have played the festival three times and the sentiment has not worn off on these sisters. They gave a powerful performance and had the crowed in the palm of their hands. I find it interesting to watch how differently they perform. They're twin sisters, singing the same song but have distinguishable signature styles on stage. When they went into “Closer” the crowd just erupted in excitement. Was an excellent way to close night one.

Today is going to bring gifts of The Postal Service, The XX, Phoenix and whatever else I stumble upon. #musicrules.

Photos by Richard Flores. 

Who would you want to see at Coachella?

Let's talk music, let me know your thoughts in the comments below. 

By now we have all seen Paramore’s new music video for the quirky sweet love song, “Still Into You” – heck the thing has over 2 million views on YouTube already! The new video is without a doubt a new look for Paramore and captures the carefree feeling of being in love and wanting to shout if from the rooftops. I dare you to watch this video and not end up with a huge smile on your face dancing around your room. #musicrules. 

So who was the brilliant man behind the camera cooking up the vision for this video? Well his name is Isaac Rentz of More Media and he directed this 3:41 masterpiece! We sent him a few questions to answered for us about working the band and what inspired the video. Check it out!

What was it like working with Paramore on this project?

They're just great human beings. They were one of those bands where, weeks after the shoot, the crew is still talking about how nice they were to work with. When I was a kid, I thought that all of my favorite bands were best friends who hung out all the time. Like, I assumed Wu Tang and Weezer all lived in the same house and went on wacky adventures together- I think Paramore is probably the closest thing to that idea. They're like this fun group of friends out of a cartoon or something.

What inspired the treatment for the video, it's so cute! 

Thanks! I didn't want to make the video a love story. It just felt too obvious. I told the band that instead of showing what love looks like, we should show what love feels like. I tried to come up with metaphors to describe what the high of true love is like- "love feels like waking up in a room full of cakes", "love feels like riding a bmx bike through a room full of fireworks", etc. 

I also wanted to make a video didn't have any complicated story lines or plot twists. There are certain artists that you should just put in front of camera and let them do their thing because that's way more exciting to watch than any story I could write. What would you rather watch, Paramore in a banquet hall full of exploding fireworks, or some director trying to remake their favorite scenes from Breaking Bad? 

How much involvement did the band have with making the video?

They said they didn't want to play instruments, and they didn't want the video to be too literal. Other than that, they gave me complete freedom to just experiment with the idea and have fun, which is an amazing amount of trust to give a director. They were good sports. I asked them to do all kinds of ridiculous stuff and they never said no. They're totally fearless.

What were some of your favorite moments from being on set that day?

Our first set-up of the day was Hayley performing with the ballerinas. I was nervous because we didn't' have a rehearsal day for Hayley to get comfortable with the dancers, and I was afraid that she would look stiff when they danced with her. She talked to the choreographer for 2 minutes, watched the ballerinas run through their routine, and was like, "ok, let me try a take." She went with the feeling of the song and nailed it right away. She did that sort of thing all day long, surprising the whole crew with her ability to improvise.

It was also funny watching Taylor and Jeremy egg each other on during the shoot. I feel like there was an unspoken competition to see who could do the craziest trick on the bmx bikes. It started with them popping wheelies, and escalated from there. At one point I started worrying that they were going to end up taking the bikes down a staircase or go through a wall. 

Hayley mentioned Tim Walker's photography was a reference for the video, can you speak to that as an influence as the videos director?

Tim Walker's photography definitely has a romantic innocence that we referenced. But I drew from a lot of influences- Sofia Coppolla's Marie Antionette, various Italian Vogue fashion spreads, Japanese and Korean music videos. This might sound weird, but I watched the A Tribe Called Quest video for “Buggin Out” a bunch before we shot, because I wanted to keep reminding myself to create simple situations and just let the band be themselves. That video is so awesome- it's just some talented, charismatic performers rapping in front of colorful walls. I kept thinking, this is what I want, but with a band, about a love song.  Our crew also drove around Austin that week listening to a playlist that was half Rossini, half Drake, so I'm sure that influenced the video, but I'm not sure how. 

How did your career as a director start?

It was a complete surprise. I was in college getting a history degree and designing t-shirts for bands on the side. One of the bands asked me to direct their music video and I pretended I knew what I was doing because it sounded like fun. One thing led to another and pretty soon I didn't want to be a history teacher anymore.

I love pop culture but I grew up in a household that didn't have MTV and didn't really go to the movies very often, so I always feel like I'm catching up on stuff all of my director friends have known about since they were kids. I'll be like, "have you ever seen the video for November Rain, it's so crazy!" and they'll look at me like I'm from another planet. I seriously just saw Return of the Jedi for the first time last month. Don't tell anyone. 

Great job Isaac -- the video rules! For more on Isaac's work and the video's producer Stephan Buchanan, check out MoreMedia.tv. They have made A TON of cool videos! 

What do you think of the "Still Into You" music video?

Let's talk music, let me know your thoughts in the comments below. 

The MTV Movie Awards are this weekend and this year's show will feature performances by Selena Gomez, the cast of Pitch Perfect, Mackelmore and Ray Lewis.

Let's look back and see the amzing acts MTV has had in the past. #musicrules. 

Natalie Imbruglia "Torn" from the 1998 MTV Movie Awards. I bet Cassadee Pope remembers watching this when it originally aired. 

NSYNC "It's Gonna Be Me" at the 2000 MTV Movie Awards. And maybe Hayley Williams remembers this one? Best boy band ever! 

Weezer "Hash Pipe" from the 2001 MTV Movie Awards. They're too cool for MTV if you ask me!

Foo Fighters "Best of You" at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards. This song just rules. 

AFI "Miss Murder" at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards. Not so much of a personal favorite as much as an I-know-they-were-huge-on-Buzznet pick. But I do like this song.

Rihanna "Umbrella" at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards. This song was HUGE in 07'.

Coldplay "Viva La Vida" at the 2008 MTV Movie Awards. Coldplay is always good live. 

What's your favorite MTV Movie Award performance?

Tune in to the MTV Movie Awards this Sunday LIVE 9/8c

Let's talk music, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.  

We Are The In Crowd gave us some amazing new information in this hilarious interview! 

When we caught up with the band while they were in LA we asked WATIC a few of YOUR questions, which lead to a very interesting story. We also got to the bottom of who in the band is taken and who is currently single! Oh and we also talk about their new album – sort of. #musicrules. 

Check out our ‘From The Fans’ interview with We Are The In Crowd here -- and catch our 'Who In The Band' video for some laughs. 

What did you learn about We Are The In Crowd?

Let's talk music, let me know your thoughts in the comments below. 

A few weeks ago I shared why I was anxious to have Paramore’s new self-titled album in my hands – and it turns out I was anxious for all the right reasons. Now that I have given the album my full attention I can honestly say I didn’t realize they had this in them.  I don’t mean that I doubted they could make such an amazing album; it’s just Paramore is not what I expected in the best ways possible. So to play off of the 5 reasons why I was anxious for the album – here are 5 reasons why I love it! (And trust me, I could keep the list going.) #musicrules. 

1. Justin Meldal-Johnsen involvement -- and ALL THE SOUNDS he brought along with him. 

From the first few moments of the record you can hear JMJ’s electronic/ambient influence-- and I love it. There are just so many sounds on this record if you sit down and really listen to it. His presence in the process of making this album seems to have inspired the band to break out of their traditional Paramore ways and explore ideas they would have otherwise tossed aside. 

“Fast In My Car” is a great way to wake your ears right up with classic drumming paired with electronic laser effects. JMJ’s influence also seems to have had an impact on Hayley Williams’ vocal styling. On “Fast In My Car” she has Cyndi Lauper/ Karen O moments, and I love it! The song “Grow Up” has the same impact with a ska/pop influence that has given Hayley’s voice a new quality. 

I also enjoyed the opening to “Part II” with its Radiohead-esque moments and layered guitar riffs. JMJ influenced a change for Paramore’s sound, and in the best way.  

2. The album IS Paramore. 

Sure things have changed and with good reason. The sound of the album is different than anything we've ever heard from the band before. There are moments of fun love songs that make you want to smile, there are moment of bitter honest frustration and pain in growing up and loss– and there are inspirational moments that make you want to go out and rule the world. This album is more diverse than anything they have ever released and if you are new to the Paramore family, this new LP is a great way to get to know Hayley Williams, Taylor York and Jeremy Davis. 

They even wrote a sequel to “Let The Flames Begin” with the song “Part II.” The track pays homage to the RIOT! fan favorite and showcases why Ilan Rubin is one of the best drummers ever. Really he is incredible. 

The honesty of this album rings true and it introduces fans to Paramore in 2013. 

"Hi, nice to meet you Paramore." 

3. The Album track-listing.

Yep this album is a 4 side LP, a very ambitious feat for Paramore at such a turning point in their careers.  I had initially been intrigued by the title of the songs, but a after listening a few times, I love how well the album tells a story. In the live MTV interview yesterday Hayley revealed Taylor was in charge of organzing the track-listing and he did a fantastic job. I also really love the touch of the sassy interludes. 

4. Taylor York’s elevated involvement in writing process. 

I knew Taylor was going give this album a new point of view, and it all lies in tracks like “Ain’t It Fun” and the album’s closing song “Future.” These two songs both have very different sounds but have Taylor’s influence all over them. The Paramore member with the most eclectic music diet stretched the length of Paramore’s reach and diversified their sound. Love it. 

5. The song “Last Hope.”

For me, this song is exactly why I have loved Paramore for so many years. 

I may not know Hayley Williams (heck I have only ever shook her hand once and said, “HI!”) but when I heard “Last Hope” it was as if she had read my mind and put all of my anxious and later epiphany moments into a lovely song. I could write an entire essay on this one song in particular, but I will simply say Hayley’s honesty in her lyrics has made me feel normal. This song made me feel like being a 20-something is all about ups and downs – but pulling yourself out of those moments is what tests your strength. The song tells a similar story I have been experiencing for the past three years and the realization I had a few months back. 

The album is filled with these kinds of moments but I really responded to “Last Hope.” So thank you Paramore.

Honestly overall Paramore will please fans who are anxious to see growth in their favorite band and will also attract new fans with songs like “Ain’t It Fun “, “Poof”, “Still Into You” and “Fast In My Car.” I absolutly love everything about it. The album was worth the wait. Paramore is in stores now. 

It's just a spark, but it's enough to keep me going...

What do you think of 'Paramore'?

Let's talk music, let me know your thoughts in the comments below. 

Had a buddy over for a Scoggalong, enjoy! #musicrules.

Go Radio sure do have a silly dynamic! We sat the boys down for a round of ‘Who In The Band’ to get to the bottom or their unique quirks. Find out who in Go Radio flirts the most, who is the messiest and who is the nerd of the crew. 

Take a look at part two of our ‘Who In The Band’ with Go Radio and check out Part 1. And check out our 'Making Faces' video featuing the band! #musicrules. 

What did you learn about Go Radio?

WATCH: Go Radio Amoeba Adventure 

Let's talk music, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

The 1975 have become an obsession of mine ever since SXSW. They have a sound is unique, they have an infectious cool factor and tons of mystic surrounding them. Their set at SXSW was so impressive that I search high and low for as much information on these Manchester natives as possible when I got home. 

Today Last.fm aimed to kill my anxiousness to see them live again and posted his amazing acoustic video of their song, “Sex.” The video is simple, beautiful and just tugs as hard as possible at my heartstrings. #musicrules. 

I could tell Matthew would deliver such a heartbreaking performance given his timid persona. When I approached him after his SXSW set he was painfully bashful, and kind and yeah -- he is a babe. That accent! It was great to see all of that reflected in simple acoustic performance. I honesty think I might have actually fall in love watching this; I bet you will as well. This video is why you should be listening to The 1975 – they have a lot to offer. 

And there is also this rad interview with Matthew sharing his thoughts on music/being in a band. Again, falling in love.

What do you think of The 1975?

Let’s talk music, let me know your thoughts in the comments below. 

Dan Chamberlain has given all of the Taylor Swift/Blink-182 fans the collaboration they have been dying for. The New York mashup extraordinaire has taken the vocals from Taylor Swifts’ current single, “22” and the Blink-182 fan favorite “Dammit” -- to create one holy-moly-this-rules-so-hard song. #musicrules.

The track opens with the iconic “Dammit” guitar riff and then Swift takes us to a night out with the girls. Very cool how it all matches up – but it does give us insight into how much Taylor’s voice is manipulated on her records. Whomp, Whomp. 

Buzzfeed made this accurate comparison.

Take a listen to "1822" and share your thoughts below. 

 What do you think of the mashup?

Let’s talk music, let me know your thoughts in the comments below.