Steppin' Up

Thanks to Anthony Dray Johnson (who rightfully got a high five from M.I.A.) for the photos!


M.I.A. is definitely one of the most DGAF people alive. She's got the most swagger, the most epic beats, and puts on a show (or more like a party) so energetic that it will melt your face off. You're guaranteed to dance your ass off and shout along to every lyric. She played a fair amount of songs from each of her 3 albums, including the "hits"... one of the things I love about her is that her music evolves with every album but remains unmistakably her.


She's a raw performer, and she was all over the stage; dancing, climbing on stuff, and constantly going up to the audience to mingle. She even gave a bottle alcohol(?) to someone in the crowd, and invited people up to the stage for the finale, "Born Free". (I also noticed that one of her dancers was one of the guys in that video. He's a HELL of a dancer too, you've got to see it to believe it.) I mean, who else can effortlessly rock hot pink and yellow sequin suits? You have to see her live to experience the badass that is Maya Arulpragasam.
















XXXO

I Think UR Stupid 2

We'd like to thank Jamaica for playing at the Echoplex last week. We definitely missed Flo, but Asian Dan totally rocked it. They played a great show but our only complaint was that their set was unfairly cut short due to time constraints (they were the last on the bill and due to play after 1 a.m.). We hope they come back to LA soon and are allowed to play a full set! In the meantime, check out our remix of "I Think I Like U 2"!

JAMAICA "I Think I Like U 2" (Over Cast Days Remix) by cmykdgaf

DGAF in Vegas

So besides going to weird French parties, what else have we been up to since lagging?



Here's a few things we learned in Vegas:

1. We hate Clarence Carter. But we think we hate our friend Brian Lee Jones even more for making that video and introducing us to that song and making it the theme song of the weekend.

2. The TI Hotel and Casino, or the Hotel and Casino Formerly Known as Treasure Island, has a pretty good buffet. I mean, I'd never seen phở at a buffet before, let alone decent phở. Their Sirens of TI show, however, is downright unacceptable. I mean, we were raised here in Southern California on a steady diet of crappy entertainment and cheesy shows at Disneyland, and we thought that show was particularly bad. It was the most awfully written and executed live soft porn we'd ever seen. It is a free show, but come on. Only watch it if you want a good laugh while completely wasting your time.

3. Now Paris Las Vegas is pretty classy. I mean, nowhere with a fake Eiffel Tower can really be that classy, but by Vegas standards, I'd say it is. Well, kind of. It would have been classier if I'd found out that they didn't allow drinks up there after buying a plastic Eiffel Tower full of frozen Piña Colada. Chugging that thing before going up the Tower is either the best or worst idea, depending on your perspective. It kind of explains why they only sell stuff like pistachio flavored soft serve ice cream at the real one in the real Paris.


5. Now last but definitely not least... I've only got 2 words for you: PURPLE REIGN. Yes, it IS a Prince tribute show, and a surprisingly LEGIT one at that. If you love Prince, there is no excuse not to see this. Trust me, it will NOT be a waste of your time or money. Honestly, can any Prince fan turn down a Prince tribute show in Vegas? I don't think I'd pay to see a tribute show anywhere else... and I'm not sure if I'll see a better tribute show anywhere else.

Ok, so the Hooters Casino and its Mad Onion restaurant are mediocre at best. In fact, thanks to the Mad Onion (and my own drunkenness) I gave up eating fried food after ordering a platter with 4 different types of fried onions. But that's another story.

I was already kind of blown away as soon as the show started. Purple Reign was pretty much flawless in its execution from the get go, even down to the little details such as costumes and stage banter. They of course played most of Prince's crowd-pleasing hits. They didn't perform "I Would Die 4 U" or "Cream", but they did make up for it by playing "Pop Life", "Erotic City", and "Gett Off", which were all very pleasant surprises.

I definitely would not have been bored if it was all Prince the whole way through, but the Morris Day segments changed the pace up a bit and certainly didn't make the show any less entertaining. It was high energy all the way. Everyone was a genuine, natural performer and/or musician who knew how to keep the crowd going. I mean to be able to pull off a Prince tribute show that effectively, you HAVE to have talent and skills. Jason Tenner, who somehow bears a pretty striking resemblance to Prince, was nothing short of mind-blowing in his ability to capture his spirit.

This is the closest I'll ever get to seeing Prince live, and definitely in that small of a venue, that close to the stage, and in that price range. I can't complain. I may be a little biased here, but you'll probably enjoy this even if you're not a Prince fan.

We even went to the shady nightclub/bar afterward and managed to meet the bass player, the guy who played Morris Day, the the guy who played Jerome, and Jason Tenner. They were all super nice and down to earth. In fact, when amy told Jason that he was "wonderful", he replied with "I'm not Prince." WOW. Probably one of the most DGAF statements ever, from one of the most DGAF people ever in the most DGAF tribute band ever. HAHAHAHA!!!

Ok, so who wants another DGAF weekend in Vegas???

DGAFrench

We HAD to return to Ooh La La Fest this year to catch Kavinsky. Shit, we at DGAF had been waiting like a year and a half to see him. He was supposed to come last November, and I was CRUSHED that he didn't make it. So I was excited when we found out he'd be at Ooh La La this year.

Of course, we worship the movie Steak so we thought it was hilarious that Sébastien Tellier would be playing that night too. We missed him last year at Ooh La La because we didn't go the night he was playing. We missed Turzi and Acid Washed, but fortunately we did make it to the El Rey in time to catch Tellier.

Obnoxious drunks in the crowd yelling during Sébastien's acoustic set

I was actually cracking up from the very start. Shimosh said he looked like a "sparkly Jesus". She was not kidding. Everything he was wearing was sparkly. In fact I swear he had some glitter in his hair too. The shit-faced audience was shouting stuff like "sexy French" at him. I can't really disagree with the guy who yelled that out, though. The whole experience was totally ridiculous. But totally entertaining.

Sébastien Tellier singing in the crowd of drunks

Sorry Tellier, but as soon as I saw Kavinsky at the side of the stage near the end of your set, I lost my mind. IT WAS ALL ABOUT KAVINSKY FOR ME. I waited anxiously for his set to start, and I was amused before he even started playing. There is just some bizarre paradox about him that I can't explain. He's sexy and goofy at the same time. He's got some major swagger but there's also something comical about him. I'm SO glad I made it to the front row, in the center.



I had as much fun watching him DJ as I did listening to his set. He has a lack of self-consciousness as well as a lack of hiding his emotions or expressions while playing. He played an eclectic, memorable set. I expected no less from him. The set started off with some technical difficulties, but luckily the volume was fixed early on. I feel sorry for all the people who decided to leave during his set. They missed out on such an undisputed badass. It was a damn shame that the place was almost empty when he did his finale with "Baba O'Riley". But someone shouted "Vive la France!" as he was walking off the stage, which was more like it. And hilarious. But I mean, REALLY?

It was a huge downer when I found out that following Monday that Record Makers actually had an exhibit the day before the show. Don't you LOVE finding out about things the week after something happens? Especially when they had ended the day before you found out about it? I was either too excited about Kavinsky playing to read any full descriptions of the Record Makers 10th Anniversary, or details of the exhibit weren't posted when I'd bought the tickets for for the El Rey show. Whatever the reason, it was major fail, and I need to be a more diligent internet stalker. But we're already excited for the next time Kavinsky comes back to LA!



If Sliimy doesn't come to LA anytime soon, he NEEDS to play Ooh La La Fest next year. Jamaica, who we saw there last year are playing this Friday, Oct 15 at the TILT 3 Year Anniversary at the Echoplex.



We'll be there. Be there of be DGAF. Or rather, be there AND be DGAF.