Something I'd like to see in music...

This year has been the first real year I have ever truly paid attentions to music festivals in the United States and across the world. Before 2011, I had never heard of Coachella, Glastonbury or Splendour in the Grass. I had only heard of Woodstock and Lollapalooza but never gave them much thought. And thanks to Pandora and Hype Machine, I've discovered new music like Foster the People, Two Door Cinema Club and Florence and the Machine and rekindled my love for Coldplay and Foo Fighters. As I explored new music, I ran into tour information and was intrigued by these festivals.

I was really excited earlier this year when Youtube ran a live stream of Coachella, Vevo had one for Bonnaroo and Virgin Mobile Australia ran one for Splendour in the Grass. This weekend, Youtube is again streaming from Lollapalooza.

Unfortunately, there is a drawback as either there is no replay option or there is only one replay offered. It was a real struggle to stay up early hours to see Coachella or Splendour and it's a shame that I can't replay a performance whenever I want.

My Roku offers me a lot of services, from Netflix, Hulu, Crackle, Pandora, but it would just be amazing if there was a service that deals with live performances and major musical events. I'd like to have the ability to sit back and watch all of Splendour in its glory, I'd like to see the the grandeur of Glastonbury, the fireworks and light shows and everything else, I would love to have this experience. And I'm sure I'm not the only one here.

And I'd be willing to pay for it.

A Look at Glastonbury 2011

The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts is almost ready to begin. For those of you who don't know, Glastonbury is one of the largest outdoor venues in the world. It is known for the music but it also offers dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and more. It is held the final weekend of June at the Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, UK. Tickets for this year's festival went on sale back in October, 2010 and sold out in 4 hours.

This year's festival have several music acts scheduled to appear, ranging from rock to electronica. Listed below are just some of what Glastonbury has to offer.

Friday:

Cee-Lo Green

Fatboy Slim

Ke$ha

Mike Posner

Grouplove

Two Door Cinema Club

Cage the Elephant

The Naked and Famous

Mumford and Sons

Wu-Tang Klan

B.B. King

Headline Act: U2

Saturday:

Big Boi

The Chemical Brothers

Friendly Fires

Jimmy Eat World

The Gaslight Anthem

Headline Act: Coldplay

Sunday:

Kool and the Gang

Foster the People

The Joy Formidable

OK GO

The Streets

Cold War Kids

TV on the Radio

Queens of the Stone Age

Don McLean

Paul Simon

Headline Act: Beyonce

U2 was scheduled for the 2010 Festival, but due to Bono's back surgery, they had to back out.

Coldplay is on the verge of releasing a yet to be named album and I imagine they will be playing a few new songs on Saturday.

And Beyonce has a new single out as well.

I'm not sure if Youtube will have a stream up like they had with Coachella, but I would think that Vevo would have one going.

It looks like it should be a good line-up. And if there is streaming, be sure to get your fill now because there won't be a Glastonbury 2012 Festival!

Music Spotlight: The Joy Formidable

Coming out of North Wales is the band known as The Joy Formidable. They consist of Ritzy Bryan (lead vocals, guitar), Rhydian Dafydd (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Matt Thomas (drums, percussion).

Long story short: Bryan and Dafydd were once part of Tricky Nixon in 2003, then Nixon reformed into Sidecar Kisses in 2006. When Kisses disbanded in 2007, the childhood friends went back to their hometown of Mold, Wales and formed The Joy Formidable. They experimented with their sounds and released their first singles in 2008 and an EP in 2009. They relocated to London, recruited Thomas and became a trio. From there, they toured small venues in the US, UK and Australia. Their music earned praise from Shirley Manson, Courtney Love, Dave Grohl and Mark Hoppus. In 2010, they signed with Canvasback Records and released their debut album, "The Big Roar".

They recently played their single, "Whirring" on Conan. Speaking of which, "Whirring" is what caught my attention. It was one of those "Stop Talking and Listen!" moments I had, much like when I had first heard The Airborne Toxic Event. Upon first hearing this single, it reminded me of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Naked and Famous and Anthem Facility, mixed a little of the sounds of 1990s Alternative Rock.

Now, I have to note, there are two versions of Whirring. The original version was from the 2008 EP, and that version was shorter with a grunge feel to it. The version that was played on Conan and heard on the radio is much longer, the sound amplified and ends with a nearly 4 minute long guitar riff. I enjoy both versions, but some listeners may tire of the riff.

I skimmed over the rest of Roar, much of it does remind me of The Smashing Pumpkins, Hole and Garbage with a 2011 feel. However, I must say, that I also listened to the EP, A Balloon Called Moaning, and I enjoyed that just as well.

The Joy Formidable are currently on tour in France and are expected to make an appearance at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival this month and in August, at Lollapalooza in Chicago. Be sure to check out their official website and get a free download.

Other than that, I leave you with this music video.