Before Saturday’s show at Street Scene, the only thing I knew about The Dead Weather is that it was Jack White’s latest incarnation. I’m a fan of Jack White’s other musical projects, The Raconteurs and The White Stripes, but have never seen him live or heard any of The Dead Weather’s songs.

Earlier in the day, I watched the band tape an interview for Norwegian Television and learned that The Dead Weather formed after touring together as The Kills and The Raconteurs in the fall of 2008. The resulting hybrid consists of Alison Mosshart (The Kills) on lead vocals and guitar, Jack White (The Raconteurs) on drums and vocals, Dean Fertita (Queens of the Stone Age) on guitar and keyboards, and Jack Lawrence (The Raconteurs) on bass.

After seeing their low-key daytime personalities, The Dead Weather’s explosive stage performance was a huge surprise. Their unique energy is led by the bewitching Alison Mosshart, whose hard-hitting moves were so deeply in tune with the music, you could feel it running through her veins. Their bluesy basslines and gritty guitar riffs were amplified by the band’s soulful performance.

The Dead Weather will play at Austin City Limits before embarking on an international tour. Click here for more photos of The Dead Weather’s performance.

Last night at Street Scene, we finally saw Chromeo in all their glory. While we’ve been to several of their DJ sets and seen both Dave 1 and P-Thugg out at different events throughout the year, this was the first time that we actually saw them perform, and to say that they delivered is a vast understatement. Dave 1′s stage personality was the biggest surprise for me – his rockstar persona was reflected not just in his movements, but also in his outfit, which was a rockier version of his usual pants-and-vest combination.

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Matt & Kim performed in front of an energetic crowd on Friday at Street Scene. Their banter between songs was so inclusive, it felt like you were watching a friends’ band in your backyard. I have to admit, I was lukewarm about their recorded music, but they definitely changed my mind with their live performance. Kim’s face while she played the drums was the picture of sheer joy. Obviously not the singer of the band, she gave ample warning to the audience before taking the mic for one song. Matt is also tons of fun on the keyboard and vocals, standing to amp up the audience whenever he had a break.

Holy Fuck definitely wins the creativity award of the day at Street Scene on Friday afternoon. Consisting of a drummer, bassist, and two “keyboardists” (and I use that term VERY loosely), the band’s experimental sound can be best described as psychedelic electro, though they also brought in elements from other styles of music. The keyboardists each had a set-up of a variety of knobs, pedals, and gadgets, not to mention at least 15 keyboards, which they rotated between songs.

“We’re going to sonically impregnate you, baby,” Devendra Banhart greeted the crowd as he and his band started their set at Street Scene on Friday. A perfect fit for the sunset-lit background, their set started out airy and tropical before moving into bluesy rock. Devendra, sporting a homemade Modest Mouse t-shirt, broke his rib at a show the previous night and was forced to play most of the show seated. As a whole, the band was both laid back and charismatic, our only regret was that we couldn’t see the stage antics that landed Devendra in that position to begin with.

San Diego, you are in for one hell of a party. On Sunday evening, Girl Talk performed at Jelly’s penultimate Pool Party in Brooklyn to the largest crowd of the summer. Girl Talk has been known to invite the audience to join him on stage while he DJs, but this time, the stage was no match for the party that ensued. Girl Talk’s set came to an unexpected halt so that the crew could repair the stage, which started to buckle under the pressure of dancing fans. The diminished stage crowd didn’t deter Girl Talk from his usual high-energy antics as he continued his set.

Sunday was Girl Talk’s last show on the east coast, but you can catch him this Friday at Street Scene in San Diego. Click here to see pictures from Girl Talk’s show at Hiro Ballroom last May.

Back in the 1990′s, Lorin Ashton began experimenting with freeform electronic music as a way to fuse youth culture and social action. This exploration grew into the being known as Bassnectar, a reverberation whose structure attacks every genre imaginable. He defines his sound as “omnitempo maximalism” where the dubs stretch across all rhythms, tempos, and time signatures.

Be sure to catch Bassnectar next week as he tears up the Casbah Stage at the San Diego Street Scene, Saturday August 29th. If you can’t make it out west, he is coming to Irving Plaza on November 13th.

Check out his latest EP, Cozza Frenzy, on iTunes here and have a listen to his live mix for KISS FM below.

Bassnectar – KISS FM Live Mix

This fall, Chromeo will join more than two dozen of the world’s best artists, DJs and producers when they release their DJ-Kicks compilation on September 29. Their cover of The Eagles’ “I Can’t Tell You Why” (streamed below), is the only Chromeo track on the compilation.

Chromeo isn’t the only artist on the Street Scene roster to release a DJ-Kicks album. Headliners Thievery Corporation released their own interpretation in 1999. DJ-Kicks was started in 1995 by indie label !K7 records, and was originally created for an in-home audience.

If you can’t get to San Diego to catch Chromeo’s performance on August 28, fear not – they’re coming to NYC on October 16. As for Thievery Corporation, who will hit the Street Scene stage on August 29, they’re playing NYC’s Terminal 5 on Halloween.

Chromeo – “I Can’t Tell You Why”

Check out the full track list of Chromeo’s DJ-Kicks after the jump. Continue Reading

If you’re looking to squeeze in one more massive music event this summer, then we’ve got the party for you. On August 28 and 29, San Diego’s premier music festival is bringing it back to the streets. For the first time since 2003, Street Scene will be held in the heart of San Diego’s East Village, celebrating the festival’s 25th anniversary.

While Outside Lands, happening the same weekend in San Francisco, is also a tempting option, nature festivals are a dime a dozen in the summertime. Street Scene’s urban setting makes it a unique experience you can’t find anywhere else, and the line-up of over 45 artists, including M.I.A., Chromeo, The Dead Weather, Girl Talk, Public Enemy and Modest Mouse, speaks for itself.

At $65 for single-day passes and $122 for a two-day pass, tickets are pretty affordable (I’ve paid more than that to see a single act at Madison Square Garden). On top of that, if you buy your tickets today or tomorrow (August 13th or 14th), the people at Street Scene will waive all service fees, on both single- and two-day passes.

What summer music events are you looking forward to? Sound off in the comments section after the jump…

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