One of the years biggest music festivals is only days away--and we can hardly wait! For the first time ever, ful is providing bags for the artists performing! And we're so excited to be involved with such a passionate music festival. And news broke today that it's officially sold out!
This year's lineup includes some killer artists like Jay-Z, Faith No More, MGMT, She & Him, Imogen Heap, Corinne Bailey Rae, Vampire Weekend, Thom Yorke, and many, MANY others. Here's a link to the full three-day lineup. And following tradition, almost all of the musical acts are non-repeating.
Coachella officially started in 1999 and is held each year in Indio, California, which is part of the Colorado Desert. Though it started as a one-day event and eventually expanded to two days, it's now a full three days of music. After years of not allowing it, Coachella started to offer camp tenting as an option for attendees.
If you're going this year, have fun rocking out! If you're not, stayed tuned for some photos and videos from the festival coming soon...
So the "Hipster Runoff" worshipers and music makers were in full swing at SXSW this year. As the Creative Director for ful, I went down to be a part of our party with Paste Magazine and Vanguard Records. What a ride. What amazing music!
It was my first year at the festival and I heard from devotees that the event was "going back to its roots," despite the fact that the band count and wild parties surpassed last year. All I can say is that SXSW was a feast not only for the ears, but for the eyes. And so let's discuss "Street Style" at SXSW.
Shades Some types weren't surprising, like the Wayfarers and the Aviators dotting the crowds. However the new front-runner was Carrera and I need me a pair. I want the sun to shine into my office windows right now so I can justify putting them on at my desk!
Boots abound! For the women, it was all about the boots--flat, faded, black or rich brown tones. All-out Western style was nowhere to be found, replaced by a pull-on, slightly rounder toe.
The Watson Twins
Love the woven leather toe
The Skinny on Denim The skinnier the better, for gals and guys. Dark wash or black was the staple (dark washes elongate and also don't show when you sit in the mud or some jack spills a Heini on you).
Everything about her ensemble just "worked"
Sweet Prints Sweet prints were everywhere, from spring dresses paired with booties or eye-catching, billowy tunics paired with tight William Rasts.
Bags Lots of backpacks, cross-body Rocker bags, and messengers. Hands-free bags to hold your swag and clothing are essential at any music fest. I'm partial, but ful was everywhere!
Calling all Memphis-lovers! We are so excited to unveil our latest ful Music Insider interview: with Memphis-based indie band Ingram Hill! Justin Moore (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Phil Bogard (lead guitar) joined with Shea Sowell (bass, background vocals) and Matt Chambless (drums) formed the band in the summer of 2000 after attending the University of Memphis and have been recording and touring ever since. ful was fortunate enough to land an interview with lead singer Justin Moore. Here's what he had to say....
ful: What aspect of making music excites you the most right now? Justin Moore: I think it's the excitement/nervousness of people hearing something that was created in my head, and hopefully getting the stamp approval not only from my band, but from fans, too. Playing a song the first time for someone is one of the most nerve-racking things ever, but if that person likes it, it becomes one of the most amazing feelings ever.
ful: What was the last song you wrote? Can you tell us about it? JM: It was a song called "As Long As I'm With You." When we were writing for our new record, we set a deadline for ourselves to have a certain amount of songs, and almost daily, Phil would come over to my house and either he'd play me something, or vice versa. I think this song was the last one I wrote, and Phil said, "That's the one I've been waiting for out of you." It made my day.
ful: What is the most exciting part of recording? The most difficult? JM: The most exciting part of recording is the back half of it, when songs really start to take shape and fill out. It's such a long tedious process, but when all the parts start getting put together, you suddenly want everyone to hear it... immediately. The most difficult thing for me is replicating the natural energy of a live show. Touring has always been our bread and butter, and standing behind a microphone, staring at a studio wall is always tough for me energy-wise as opposed to playing in front of a live audience.
ful: Do you have a favorite city to play in? A favorite venue? JM: I love Chicago. And I love the House of Blues in Chicago. Probably my favorite place we've played.
ful: Which songs do you perform most frequently? Do you ever play any covers? Do you have a set play list? What's your favorite song to play? JM: I think we've played "Will I Ever Make It Home" and "Almost Perfect" 4 million times. For real. It HAS to be that many. And we do play covers. We try to change it up every tour, though. For a few years, we ended our shows with Elvis' "Suspicious Minds," but we've kind of retired that one now. I've always had a good time playing "On My Way" from our first record, though all of our new songs, of course, are really fun… probably because they're all brand new to us.
ful: What bands do you love right now? Who would you love to play with? JM: I just bought The Script's new record, and I think it's pretty good. I've always been a big Pete Yorn fan, and I like his latest record a lot. There's a guy named Cory Chisel that just put out a record recently, and it's pretty great, too. Oh, and K'naan. That guy is hip.
ful: What advice do you have for people who are trying to break into the music industry? JM: Run away! Fast!! Just kidding. I think you need to have thick skin, and not get your feelings hurt too easily. There are a lot more no's than yes's, but the yes's sure are rewarding, and it's a fun business to be in.
ful: We see you guys are blogging and updating your Twitter frequently. Has the Internet/social networking helped your band gain exposure and fans? Do you like Twittering? Are you following anyone you consider a guilty pleasure? JM: I think it's definitely helped us. Everyone's attention span is so short these days, so it's good to keep ours updated, because you never know when someone might just stumble upon us... probably because they had almost just reached the end of the internet. I think I like Twittering. I think. It's fun when you have something to say. But I always feel under pressure to say something witty or interesting, and it's hard to gauge the proper amount to tweet. Sometimes I stop following people because my entire homepage is filled up with their tweets. I don't want to become that guy. But I don't want to disappear for weeks at a time either because I don't have anything funny to say. But it feels weird sometimes to just tell people what I'm doing, just for the sake of telling them. Or maybe I'm just weird for thinking that. Who knows, really?
I suppose my guilty pleasure follow is Justin Timberlake. I guess it shouldn't be, but I'm a grown man, and I don't know him personally, and his fans are far more female based then male, so it seems a little silly sometimes. But only sometimes.
ful: We at ful bags are super excited to be working together. Have you had a chance to use our luggage/bags? What do you think? JM: We're excited to be working with you guys, too! We have used them, and we definitely love them!
For more info on Ingram Hill, check out their website.
Hello beautiful people. This is AO coming to you from my home in LA. My life has been a whirl-wind lately. I'm trying to finish school, but also touring and putting out my second album. I have a lot of big decisions to make in the next year. I thank God everyday that I have such a wonderful family supporting me, especially my mom, Virginia. She's my tour manager and inspiration. I wanted to say a couple of words about ful because they've been a part of my tour in recent months. I DO NOT leave the house without my FUL bag. I am very attached to my pink mini pack. If anyone were to look in it, they would know everything about me. Everything that is important to me is zipped up in my mini pack. I take my FUL mini pack, FUL back pack, and FUL duffle with me on all my local, out of state, and out of country trips. I performed out of the country in the South Pacific and I kid you not, I had a "tagged" photo sent to me from the South Pacific...the photo showed me, the radio DJ and my Ful bag in front of me...pretty funny. It was not on purpose, that's how much I am dependent on these bags. They are so durable and roomy, it's hard not to pack everything in it. I would say it's a part of my skin. If I don't have it with me, I can feel that something is missing. You can hear some of my stuff at http://www.myspace.com/adrianeao.
Hey everyone! It's Michelle Penn here, reporting from my home recording studio in Los Angeles. As an indie musician, sometimes I feel a bit ill-equipped to do as much as I'd like. There's always a better guitar, a better recording technology, a purer sound to pursue. And in terms of audience, I imagine I've entered the great Twitter race as the turtle, slowly and steadily pushing to earn more followers than that rabbit Ashton Kutcher -- only he's on 3g and I'm still on dial-up. But despite the inherent challenges of this business, there's nowhere I'd rather be than in the studio, just me and the music.
And that's exactly where I've been for the past few months. I recently finished a new song dedicated to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, hoping for their safe return home. (Look for it on iTunes soon! It's called "I Need to Know.") I'm in early talks to shoot a music video as well, perhaps with the cooperation of the USO. I'm polishing a couple of other new songs, nearly ready for mixing and mastering. I find those final mix sessions most exciting -- hearing all the pieces finally come together in finished form. As an artist, transforming the song from mere ramblings in my head into something fully-formed and tangible is an amazing experience. I truly believe it's a universal pursuit -- the desire to make something from nothing -- no matter what the context. Whether it's a platinum-selling song or one shared only in the coffeehouse, the process and the intrinsic reward remain the same. To check out some of my latest work, check out www.myspace.com/michellepenn. As summer approaches, I find myself seeking out song placements for the upcoming fall TV season. I'm excited to report that I'm currently hard at work on the theme for a TV pilot -- the details of which are still heavily under wraps. But I look forward to exploding with that good news soon! So stay posted! Finally, since ful has brought me to your attention, I can't let you go without a quick review of the new music line. After enduring years of luggage mishaps while touring nationwide, I'm exited to know my tour manager will have no problem recognizing our bags right out of the chute. And a bag built specifically for my needs? This turtle just got a lot faster -- watch out, Ashton. I'm planning on returning to my hometown of Detroit later this year to reunite with my old band and rock a few of my favorite local haunts -- and ful will be right there with me!
Good day people! This is Kyle from Enjoy The Zoo. Just checking in to fill you in on our SXSW experience. It was our first time ever going to Austin, Texas and our first time at SXSW. We really didn't know what to expect. We'd heard a lot of great things and were totally blown away on the first day. On the way to Texas, we stopped at a gas station and got some drinks. Jim bought a huge coke and set it in the middle console and it got knocked all over Shane's FUL computer bag. Shane freaked because he thought his stuff was going to be ruined. He quickly unzipped everything to check it all out. Dry as Vegas summer! Those FUL bags could be dropped over Niagara Falls and still not get wet! Shane was relieved and Jim was peeved because his whole drink spilled and it was so hot out.
We showed up around 10ish and to our surprise there were people everywhere. They had all of 6th street blocked off and it was a giant party. We unloaded our stuff and hit the streets to check it out. Every single bar had music playing from up-and-coming bands. It was amazing to just walk into a venue for free and hear some great music. There were street jugglers and people passing out free energy drinks and anything else you could think of. We were armed with 500 cds and we just started passing them out to anyone wearing an industry badge telling them about our show at the Chugging Monkey. Later on that day we had an in-store performance at a Hot Topic in a nearby mall for the release of the Twilight DVD. About 100 kids showed up to see us play and get their Twilight merch. It was so great to be able to play so up close and personal to them. We had such a blast. After that, we went back downtown and just walked around and checked out as many bands and talked to as many people as we could. On the day of our show at the Chugging Monkey we set up and rocked that place. People were dancing in the bar and we attracted a pretty good-sized crowd outside the venue just listening in. At one point Jim ran outside and sang to the crowd with the mic in his hand... haha! Overall it was such a crazy experience and we can't wait to go back next year! To hear our latest music, watch videos, and see photos, check out www.myspace.com/enjoythezoo.
One of the years biggest music festivals is only days away--and we can hardly wait! For the first time ever, ful is providing bags for the artists performing! And we're so excited to be involved with such a passionate music festival. And news broke today that it's officially sold out!
This year's lineup includes some killer artists like Jay-Z, Faith No More, MGMT, She & Him, Imogen Heap, Corinne Bailey Rae, Vampire Weekend, Thom Yorke, and many, MANY others. Here's a link to the full three-day lineup. And following tradition, almost all of the musical acts are non-repeating.
Coachella officially started in 1999 and is held each year in Indio, California, which is part of the Colorado Desert. Though it started as a one-day event and eventually expanded to two days, it's now a full three days of music. After years of not allowing it, Coachella started to offer camp tenting as an option for attendees.
