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Music News

Krewella's Rainman aka Kris Trindl Is Suing The Yousaf Sisters For Kicking Him Out

The story of Krewella starts out like an American fable: Two sisters and one former boyfriend from a Chicago, Illinois suburb form a music group, and using some social media savvy, rocket to fame as headliners of popular EDM festivals worldwide. Unfortunately, now the trouble happens: Kris Trindl, a founding member, is suing sisters Jahan Yousaf and Yasmine Yousaf for at least $5 million for kicking him out of the group and for allegedly violating an oath that dates back to the time when the three had “6-8-10” tattooed onto their bodies.
The history of music is replete with lessons on how breaking up is hard to do, but Trindl’s lawsuit is a unique one that befits an age where electronic music has exploded in appeal. The plaintiff says he went through pains to deal with alcoholism and after he got sober, the Yousaf sisters didn’t like the fact that he wouldn’t party anymore, mistook his condition for depression and began scheming to deny him membership in the group.
The three met as students at Glenbrook North High School.
Kris and Jahan were dating, according to the lawsuit, and Kris’ career was beginning to take off in the Chicago music scene. “One of Kris’ clients for whom he wrote and produced music gave him the stage name ‘Rain Man’, because he predicted his music would bring much success, and so it did,” says the complaint filed in California state court on Monday.
On June 8, 2010, the three are said to have marked “a vow to put aside any other career plans outside of music and commit to Krewella” with tattoos of the date.
The three then moved into a loft together in Chicago and came up with an idea to mix heavy-metal inspired performances with EDM. The sisters would sing on stage while Trindl would stay behind the sound deck as the DJ.
But the huge success would only come after they hooked up with another Glenbrook North High School graduate named Jake Udell, who had gone into marketing and became adept at using social media. Krewella’s success leveraging Twitter and Facebook has been well documented — even the subject of a Billboard profile that told how the group was making ripples in the industry.
Not long after the group self-released its first record and video entitled “Killin’ It,” Krewella signed a recording agreement with Columbia Records.
“From March of 2012 until March of 2013, it was non-stop music, good times and partying for the members of Krewella, and the money started rolling in,” says the lawsuit. “Kris and the Yousaf sisters were public about their drinking and partying, posting on the Internet video dispatches from the road that only served to stoke their popularity with an ever-growing worldwide fan base.”
They moved to Los Angeles, but were hardly there, playing 140 dates last year all over the world. Even though the group was living a “frugal lifestyle” as opposed to Udell, Trindl says the excessive pace began to take a toll on Krewella.
“Kris used alcohol to try to cope with the pressure,” his lawsuit states. “By late summer of 2013, he knew he had a drinking problem and checked himself into a detox program and then a 30-day rehab program.”
While in rehab, he says he produced at Udell’s request a remix of a song called “Alone Together” by the band Fall Out Boy, and after some more time, says he got sober and went back on the road. He reports attending Alcoholic Anonymous meetings and besides two relapses, stayed on the wagon.
“But the Yousaf sisters didn’t like the new, sober Kris, who took care of business but did not party or drink anymore,” continues the lawsuit. “They thought he was depressed, although he explained it was just part of the recovery process.”
In January, Trindl says he moved into a bedroom at Udell’s residence, which from the sounds of the lawsuit, might not have been the best place for a recovering alcoholic. And so begins the foundations of the legal claims.
“At this time, Udell, the Yousaf sisters and others conspired to remove Kris from the group altogether,” says the lawsuit. “Now that the band was successful, they figured they could always hire outside people to write and produce music for far less money than it would cost to continue splitting their income equally with Kris, as they have done (one-third to each member).”
The complaint poses the band’s contractual situation as “even more disorganized and mismanaged than their touring schedule,” with talk of attorneys who worked despite conflicts, a drafted-but-never-signed limited liability company agreement for the band, and registrations of LLCs without a signed operating agreement.
Trindl says he missed a flight to Mexico City this past March to perform at the Electric Daisy Carnival. Thereafter, Trindl says he was ushered into a living room at Udell’s home for a meeting led by an “interventionist,” where others told him to go into rehab.
“But it was not rehab for drinking, because Kris was staying sober,” says the lawsuit. “They demanded he go into rehab for ‘depression.'”
Trindl didn’t think that was necessary, but a day later, he says Yasmine and Udell told him it was time to take a break from the group and get healthy. The DJ/producer says he acquiesced, through still created new music for the group. It didn’t matter, he adds. According to the complaint, “It was not Kris’ health or sobriety the others were thinking about, it was all about keeping him off the road so Jahan and Yasmine could establish themselves to live audiences as a duo without Kris, so they could eventually erase him completely from Krewella and reap greater financial rewards.”
At that point, attorneys began getting involved. Trindl’s presence began being diminished, and after he saw a billboard of the group without his presence, he retained Dina LaPolt and litigator William Hochberg. The other side retained attorney Richard Busch. The two sides went back and forth about whether Trindl’s share of live performance income should be reduced (LaPolt’s suggestion) or whether Trindl should resign from the band, check himself into rehab for 60 days, and then possibly, rejoin the band if the Yousaf sisters allowed (Busch’s alleged insistence).
“Busch’s outrageous September 25th letter, which purported to be an ultimatum, precipitated the filing of this lawsuit,” says the complaint that demands declaratory and injunctive relief plus damages for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and violations of the Lanham Act.

Trindl v. Yousaf, Et Al


Source: Eqiq Gardner at Hollywood Reporter

Categories
Festivals Music News

Phases of the Moon: It Just Felt Right

Phases of the Moon encompassed everything that is right within the festival community: Beautiful people coming together to celebrate life, art and music.I left the festival feeling grateful, enlightened, and inspired. The sense of community circulating the festival grounds was undeniable and incredibly moving. The crowd was a seamless mix of young and old, each generation bringing something different to the table. Throughout the entire weekend, energy levels were high and minds were in sync. This defined unity became the underlying melody that played throughout the weekend.
Upon entering festival grounds, I was greeted by an array of colorful ribbons and silky fabrics weaved across the sky in an intricate design, creating what was called, The Sanctuary. The Sanctuary was a dream-like oasis, which offered various transformational workshops throughout the weekend. This allowed people to escape from the festival frenzy and focus on relaxation and rejuvenation, through healing practices like yoga, and meditation. Aside from the sanctuary, there were various other art installations scattered among festival grounds, along with a huge field designated for disc golf.
Yes- the waiting situation the first night was a bit irritating, but it was hardly the calamity social media made it out to be. By the time Friday rolled around, yesterday’s line was merely a distant memory; a minor hiccup in the execution of a magical fest. Given the circumstances of the storm the night before, the festival crew did an amazing job turning the weekend around. Their continual effort to keep the ground dry and mud-free far exceeded my expectations. In fact, the bales of hay and scattered mulch only added to the ambiance, bringing back childhood memories of hayrides and corn mazes.
Sitting in the grass watching Gov’t Mule was unlike anything I had ever experienced. I breathed in the crisp September air while the lingering summer sun warmed my bones. I saw two old men digging with twigs in the dirt, giggling with each other the way small children do. A scene so ridiculous, you couldn’t help but join in their laughter. I watched a dozen different people pause to play soccer with a wandering, yellow-haired toddler, spilling their drinks and goofing around just to make the boy smile. Something about the look in his eyes took me back to summer nights playing kick-the-can in the old neighborhood. A shirtless man teetered across a tightrope, wooing the crowd with his meticulous turns and tricks. Meanwhile, a band of gypsies draped in fringe and lace danced through the crowd, turning heads and breaking hearts with dazzling eyes and mischievous smiles. Mesmerized, I gazed on as young lovers embraced one another and aged lovers shared a dance.
Time stood still as I idled somewhere in between nostalgia and unimpeded bliss. It felt like coming home after a long trip, or a glass of wine after a tough day; like playing catch with your dad or hearing your favorite Led Zeppelin song on the radio—it just felt right. In that captivating moment, I felt alive. It was god damn beautiful.
Phases of the Moon held moments like these; timeless moments that remind us to slow down and enjoy the simple things in life. Appreciate all that you have, and seek meaning with each rising sun. Smile as often as possible, and spill your beer if it means making a kid laugh. Be good to yourself and be good to each other. And always take time to cherish those special moments that make life worth living.
IMG_7368_ Article written by Stephanie Bacos 

Categories
Events Media Music Music News

Great live music this week in Chicago!

What a great week of live music we got coming to Chicago this week! Festival season is pretty much done here in Chicago.. sad to say. All that means is more concerts with longer sets of your favorite  artist! With some of the best music venues in the world I would say that Chicago is pretty much one of the best music cities in the world. We host some of the best music festivals in the world during the summer, and when it comes to the off season all of the artist still want to come back to Chicago because they know we have some of the best fans in the world! It doesn’t matter what kind of music you like because we got it all in this city. This week we have some good acts coming to town… from electro, future funk, dance, EDM, downtempo, to funk! Check out this weeks artist coming to town below.

 

PLM KEEPIN’ IT CREW Tour-

The Pretty Lights record label is coming to the Concord Music Hall on Thursday, September 25th. Featuring Michal Menert, Supervision, Paul Basic, and Eliot Lipp.
Tickets and Info-
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Porter Robinson WORLDS – THE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR –

Porter Robinson comes to the Aragon Ballroom on Friday, September 26th with support from LEMAITRE, and GIRAFFAGE.
Tickets and Info-
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EOTO –

Eoto comes to the Concord Music Hall for two nights with the Prism Laser Production this weekend Friday and Saturday, with support from Butch Clancy.
Tickets and Info-
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Tipper – Infrasound Oscillation – In The Loop – Speakerbox Presents –

Tipper coming to the Portage Theater to bring you the most visually epic performance you have ever seen on Saturday, September 26.
Tickets and Info-
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Categories
Festivals Media Music Music News

Kanye West Homecoming at AAHH! FEST 2014 in Chicago!

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The first annual AAHH! Fest took place Sunday in Chicago. Curated by Common, the lineup featured comedian Dave Chappelle, rappers Jay Electroncia, Lupe Fiasco, De La Soul, and, in what was the worst kept secret, Kanye West as the secret surprise guest. (Kanye’s charity Donda House was one of the presenting sponsors.)
Kanye ripped through a 16-song set comprised of “Jesus Walks”, “Power”, “Touch the Sky”, “All of the Lights”, and hometown anthem “Homecoming”, among many of his other greatest hits. For his performance of “Clique”, he brought out Common, Jay Electronica, and Vince Staples. For the final song, he teamed with Common to perform their collaborative track, “Get Em High”.
 
 



 
Sources- http://consequenceofsound.net/

Categories
Music News

Pretty Lights Music KEEPIN' IT CREW TOUR – Thursday, September 25, 2014 at Concord Music Hall

The Pretty Lights record label crew comes to town next week! Featuring sets from four of the artist.. Michal Menert, Supervision, Paul Basic, and Eliot Lipp. Here are some of their latest  tracks!

Michal Menert and Eliot Lipp –

Supervision –

Paul Basic –


 
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Categories
Music News

ODESZA Album "In Return" Album Of The Year?

 
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Using their production talents alone, emerging Seattle-based duo ODESZA have proved themselves a no “flash in the pan” act after a string of chilled out releases including a remix of Pretty Lights “Lost and Found”, their “My Friends Never Die” EP and a remix of Zhu’s “Faded” plus a supporting role on Pretty Lights nationwide “A Color Map of the Sun” tour last year. Since then, the guys have embarked on spreading their music to the masses at various festivals and series of soldout headliner shows while finding time to work on their debut album titled In Return. ODESZA’s truly unique blend of infectious soulful vibes, future bass aesthetics, what you could call chill trap elements, on top of endless supply of organic live instruments are all on display for an album that shines bright and dares to inspire ones creativity. This will guaranteed be a trendsetter amongst the growing future bass genre world.
Gifting listeners with 13 singles on this release, the album transitions through a fascinating array of future sounding elements with even greater influences within the bass spectrum on display. The opening tracks are completely cinematic in design and have a tranquil flow to them that is relaxing yet engaging at the same time. The soulful foundation created on “All We Need” for Shy Girls to lay down a lush set of vocals is a thing of beauty as a series of melodic keyboard sections, wooden blocks, and cleaver bass twists leave a lasting imprint on the audible senses. We are also gifted with one of the strongest tracks on the record “Say My Name” featuring singer Zyra which got brough to life with a very impressive music video paying an ode to the movie Mullholland Drive. This brings me to ODESZA’s use of amazing vocalists on this album; each track boasting an emerging singer / songstress had me consistently wondering how did they collect such a strong cast of vocal talent? The remainder of the release continues to enchant listeners leading all the way up to the albums very first single “Sun Models”, which has become my personal anthem of the summer due to its top notch production that oozes in feel good vibes from start to finish.
ODESZA have perfected the art of creating superior musical compositions, with In Return being everything I had anticipated since we first heard the news of the duo producing an album. We are already seeing the start of what we can expect to be a long string of remixes from the project, and rightfully so. Listen to the full stream of the album below and pick up your copy through iTunes. Enjoy!


Sources-http://thissongissick.com/

Categories
Events Festivals Media Music Music News

Phases of the Moon Festival this week in Kennekuk County Park, IL

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4 day camping event that will be held at the beautiful 3000 acre Kennekuk County Park in Danville, IL. The site itself, with its historic collection of turn-of-the-century buildings, prairie lands, lakes and meandering streams, give one the feeling of small town America.  This is your invitation! Hang with us for four days of 100% organic, guaranteed feel good music, performed by nationally renowned musicians on 4 unique outdoor stages.

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“We’ve always looked to the moon with a great fascination and wonder. Its phases represent a cycle of renewal and a guiding light through darkness. The moon exerts a powerful pull on both the ocean tides and on our human emotions. As we began to create our festival, we thought, what better way to express the uplifting power of music and its relationship with nature than by naming it Phases of the Moon!”

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Source: http://phasesofthemoonfestival.com/

Categories
Events Festivals Media Music Music News

AAHH! FEST BY COMMON

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On September 21, AAHH! Fest will take place at Union Park in Chicago (the same site that hosts Pitchfork Music Festival each year). The event was put together by Common and will be hosted by Dave Chappelle. Thanks to reader Brian Kedzorski for the tip.

The lineup includes Common, De La Soul, Jay Electronica, Lupe Fiasco, MC Lyte, Lil Herb, and “a special surprise guest”. There will also be a community showcase curated by Rhymefest, which will feature Diggy Simmons and young talent from Chicago.

Source: http://pitchfork.com/

Categories
Music News

Electric Forest organizers, Double JJ Ranch agree to 10-year agreement to keep festival in Rothbury

ROTHBURY, MI – Despite a lengthy legal dispute, it appears that Electric Forest is here to stay.
The Double JJ Ranch and AEG Live, a national concert promotion company which acquired Electric Forest co-organizer Madison House Presents in January, have agreed on a 10-year deal to keep the widely popular music festival in Rothbury.
Norm Halbower, who is part of the Double JJ Ranch’s ownership group Antler Bar Amusements LLC, confirmed the deal on Tuesday, Sept. 2.
According to Halbower, the agreement between the ranch and AEG Live to host Electric Forest became official when the properties’ former owners, Progressive Resorts LLC, failed to take the necessary steps to reclaim the ranch, which a court order said it had the chance to do.
A court order by Judge Terrence R. Thomas of the 27th Circuit Court in Oceana County granted Antler Bar Amusements LLC ownership of the property in November 2013 after Progressive Resorts LLC couldn’t pay the bills.
However, the court order gave Progressive a chance to reclaim and reacquire the resort if it paid off more than $7 million in debt owed to ABA by the deadline on May 19, which it failed to do.
“I can assure you that there will be a festival next year,” Halbower said. “Part of my reasoning is they have had representatives going through our forest checking trees and doing preliminary stuff like they do every year.”
Representatives from AEG Live and Madison House Presents did not respond to attempts made by MLive Muskegon Chronicle for comment.
RELATED: Electric Forest: A breakdown of legal dispute between organizers, Double JJ owners.
Halbower said hosting events such as Electric Forest are hugely important for the success of the Double JJ Ranch because it brings in funds which allow ownership to upgrade facilities.
Dave Alvarez, general manager at the Double JJ Ranch, said ABA has invested $2.4 million in the property since May.
New roofs, upgraded rooms, new flooring and cabinets at Back Forty cabins, and upgrades to the water park are just some of the improvements, Alvarez said.
In addition to the money it brings in, Halbower added that the four-day electronic music festival is something he thoroughly enjoyed.
“I’m 72 years old and I attended the festival this year,” he said. “It was such a pleasant experience. I met educated people from all walks of life, including architects and brilliant minds of stage and theater. The show the festival puts on is a sight to see.”
Halbower said the only thing that could stop the festival from happening would be a loss of support from Grant Township board, something he doesn’t anticipate will happen.
Before last year’s festival, the board approved a mass gathering permit in a split vote. The township has expressed support of the festival since its creation in 2011.
Electric Forest features multiple musical performers on several stages. More than 35,000 people from throughout the United States and Canada attended the 2014 event held June 26-29.
Sources: Brandon Champion at MLIVE.com