G. Love & Special Sauce, Matt Costa, Local Natives, Arcy Drive, and Real Estate

G Love & Special Sauce is a very funkadelic mix of blues, rock and hip hop. G Love has a lot of soul in his music. The kind of music that never lets your booty quit shakin. The band plays as a 3 piece or 4 piece band. G plays lead guitar and sings, Houseman is on the drums and has just the right amount through every fill. Jim Prescott plays a stand up bass and will definitely give you great bass lines and a solo while he spins that big bass around. G has huge and great charisma that invites you into his eclectic sound. He will usually give you a great cover or two by the end of the show like The Beatles "Why Don't We Do It In The Road". They are great for big festivals and even better in dark clubs. You can tell they are in it for the music as opposed to fame or fortune. G Love and Special Sauce come highly recommended for a good time always!

It is rare to find an artist these days that makes everyone drop what they are doing and pay immediate attention to their performance. Matt Costa is one of the few artists out there today that can do this and it is not surprising having been influenced by the likes of such folk troubadours as Bob Dylan and Donovan.
Matt Costa is craftsman when it comes to lyric writing, conveying engaging stories through songs like, “Ballad of Miss Kate”. His performances at points also have a cool, breezy California sound to them, which contain washed over vocal harmonies drenched in reverb. Matt Costa, like his music, also has a chill, relaxed personality. Having been a former skateboarder he seems to take things with a carefree attitude. This personality seems to fit appropriately with the label he is on, Brushfire, which is owned by surfer/musician, Jack Johnson.
During his performance Matt Costa is usually accompanied by a backing band consisting of a bass player, guitar player, and drummer to help create a full sound. Matt Costa is also known to play such instruments as the piano in the song “Mr. Pitiful” and harmonica in the high-energy romp, “Behind the Moon”. Matt Costa’s songs and performances have evolved over the years. His early work shows him taking the role of a singer-songwriter using more bare-bones, acoustic instrumentation and focusing on story-telling in his lyrics, while his more recent work has a broader sound, incorporating more electric, psychedelic tones that sound more like a 60’s rock band than a singer-songwriter.
His setlist spans over his whole career, so the audience can expect to hear a wide and diverse range of songs. At one moment in the show you might be attentively engrossed in one of his heart-touching songs like, “Astair” and then at another moment you might be having a psychedelic freak-out to the song “Witchcraft”.

I got really interested in Local Natives after their second album Hummingbird came out on Spotify. Their falsettos and harmonies are out of this world. I was completely blown away when I first heard their song "Ceilings;" I remember stopping what I had been doing in awe of the beautiful noises that were reaching my ears. (If you haven't heard that song, I highly recommend it.) Now imagine hearing their music live... I never thought that I would, but I was fortunate enough to do so twice: the first time at Lollapalooza last year, the next time at my college. Both performances were amazing, but there was something about the second performance that really made me appreciate them even more.
I'm the type of person who likes to go to really upbeat and energetic concerts, but I didn't know what to expect to happen when I saw Local Natives. The first time I saw them was probably the chillest concert I've been to because the crowd was super relaxed. However, the concert at my college ended with me drenched in sweat due to jumping crazily with random people. So, I guess it's a gamble: depending on what type of crowd you end up with, you may experience something amazing that's chill or crazy or both.
For the longest time, I couldn't believe that my school had actually gotten Local Natives to come, but sure enough, I stood front row jamming out to them - from the beginning of "Breakers" to the end of "Sun Hands." Their second album is a lot more laid-back than their debut, however they played a nice mix of songs from both. One of the many things I love about Local Natives is that they switch off lead singers in multiple songs, which I did not pick up initially when I listened to their audio recordings. The band is so passionate and they really know how to get the crowd moving. Taylor, one of the lead singers, commented on how even though this was a sober crowd, this was the most crowd surfing he had even seen at any of their concerts! They were really personable, and they sounded even better live. If they happen to want to come back to my school again, I wouldn't be mad. PS: Try getting your school to invite Local Natives to perform there! There's a higher chance of you getting to meet them after the show.

It doesn't seem like a priority for Real Estate to get caught up in the current trends in music nor to participate in the whirlwind of genre switching and forced innovation embraced by many of their indie contemporaries. They have found a sound that is comfortable for them and it is definitely a sound that feels comfortable to listen to. They have perfected the jangle pop style conceived by their predecessors such as The Smiths and R.E.M. and like these bands they have also refined their lyrics into serious commentaries of their surroundings and themselves. The self-introspective and sincere tone of their lyrics is often at odds with the breezy laid back feel of their music. However this incongruity provides real depth and character to their music. You can enjoy the pretty and calming effect of their sound, but also be challenged by the lyrical contents.
Their music does not often step outside the parameters of indie jangle pop; however there are enough alternations in their sound to keep the audiences' perpetual interest. Most of their tracks are wrapped in an ultra-relaxed quality laden with warped chorus effects and shimmering crescendos. However you can also expect to hear songs that will send a jolt of energy through your body like the hard driving track "It's Real." Things might even get slower as indicated on such songs like "The Bend", which is set to the slow strumming of Courtney's acoustic guitar, Kallman's dream like piano chimes and Modanile's shimmering spurts of guitar.
Real Estate offers an environment where you can simply relax and take in the music. It is a perfect setting to lounge in a plaid shirt, sport Allen Ginsberg style glasses and sip on a Pabst Blue Ribbon. There are no inconspicuous expectations, no stresses just the pure and sweet feeling of letting the music wash over you.