Avoiding Skrillex's Mosh Pit

'Shameless' Star Emmy Rossum on Avoiding Skrillex's Mosh Pit, Making Out to 'Wonderwall'

Emmy Rossum / Photo by Sam Jones

The actress-singer shares the soundtrack to her life.

The multi-talented Emmy Rossum could use a breather. It's a good thing then, that the Showtime network's Shameless, on which she plays a dutiful sister holding a family of miscreants together in Chicago, just tied a bow on its third season. Earlier this very busy year the New York City native dropped her second full-length album, the standards collection Sentimental Journey. While back in her hometown, the singer-actress cleared some space in her schedule to chat about her life in music.
What's your favorite song?Probably "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid because that was the first song I loved as a kid. When I hear it, I try to take it out of the Disney context and just think of the sentiment of the song. It's a very sweet one.
When you were growing up did your parents object to anything you were listening to?Spice Girls.
What was wrong with the Spice Girls?My mom thought it was crap. I was singing in a classical children's chorus when I was seven so I was exposed to so much classical music at a young age; that's what I would hear when I came home. My mom was playing these standards from the '20s to the '60s and that influenced my listening. So she didn't like Spice Girls
What song do you associate with your first kiss?"Wonderwall" by Oasis. The guy I was kissing told me, "I think this song is about drugs" and then we made out.
What was the last concert you went to?I was at Jay-Z's Made In America festival last year. I saw Skrillex and he was so awesome. It was so fun, though I thought I was going to be killed by the moshing!
So you got down in there in the madness?I stayed away mostly. Skrillex had a whole light show going — it was pretty amazing.
Who on the set of Shameless has a musical taste that's similar to yours?[Shameless co-star] Justin Chatwin and I both like stuff like Passion Pit and M83. William H. Macy also plays the ukulele on set.
Often?He has it with him every day, always picking a cute tune over in the corner. The guys who play the drunks in our bar on-set are all musicians too and sometimes they'll break out guitars and have a jam session with Macy.
Who's music has helped you over a breakup or through a dark time?I could be corny and say Celine Dion but it's really more like David Gray. I used to really like his earlier stuff and its very nostalgic and comforting. I also think food and music can also go hand in hand when nursing a broken heart so, like, grilled cheese and some ice cream, too. Lots of dairy and David Gray.
Do you have a go-to karaoke song?"Girls Just Want To Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper. I really can't mess up the words if I'm drunk. You just sing the chorus and then kind of blah, blah, blah your way through it and you're golden.

 

Brad Paisley-LL Cool J draw ire with song on bias

Brad Paisley-LL Cool J draw ire with song on bias

Country singer Brad Paisley says he was trying to foster an open discussion of race relations when he collaborated with rapper LL Cool J on "Accidental Racist."

The new song about racial perceptions has drawn ire from both the country and urban music worlds after its wide release this week. Paisley, the singer-songwriter known for his white cowboy hat and virtuoso guitar work, gave his first interview Tuesday since the hubbub began on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" after briefly addressing the debate Monday night on Twitter.
"I felt like when we were writing this song, it wasn't necessarily up to the media and I don't really trust Hollywood ... or talk radio or anything like that to sort of deal with that anymore," Paisley said on the show. "I think it's music's turn to have the conversation."
The song appears on Paisley's new self-produced album "Wheelhouse," released Tuesday. It's his most ambitious album so far and the progressive message of "Accidental Racist" is in line with opinions the 40-year-old West Virginia-born singer has expressed before in interviews and songs.
Of the album, Paisley wrote on Twitter, "I hope it triggers emotions," and says he wouldn't change a thing about it: "This is a record meant to be FAR from easy listening. But fun. Like life. Have a ball, ya'll."
At its heart, "Accidental Racist" is about how cultural symbols favored by whites and blacks - the fashion choice of wearing Confederate flags or baggy pants, for instance - come loaded with meaning.
It's not a new discussion. Though race relations have evolved over the decades, cultural symbols continue to color perceptions.
Paisley uses the Confederate flag as an example in the song, noting whites are "caught between Southern pride and Southern blame" 150 years after the end of the Civil War.
"I try to put myself in your shoes and that's a good place to begin," Paisley sings, "but it ain't like I can walk a mile in someone else's skin/Because I'm a white man livin' in the southland/Just like you I'm more than what it seems/I'm proud of where I'm from/But not everything we've done/It ain't like you and me can rewrite history/Our generation didn't start this nation/We're still paying for mistakes that a bunch of folks made long before we came."
Paisley was unavailable for an interview and LL Cool J's publicist did not immediately respond to messages. The 45-year-old rapper, who elevated himself from a teen sensation on the streets of Queens to an American cultural icon as a personality and actor on shows like CBS's "NCIS: Los Angeles," provides the response to Paisley's meditations.
He kicks off his portion of the song "Dear, Mr. White Man, I wish you understood what the world was really like living in the hood." Later in the song he raps, "I guess we're both guilty of judging the cover not the book/I'd love to buy you a beer, conversate and clear the air/But I see that red flag and I think you wish I wasn't here."
Later he and Paisley enter a call and response portion of the song where LL Cool J raps in part: "If you don't judge my 'do rag, I won't judge your red flag. ... If you don't judge my gold chains, I'll forget the iron chains ... Can't rewrite history, baby ... let bygones be bygones ... Rest in peace, Robert E. Lee, I got to thank Abraham Lincoln for freeing me ... ."
"One of my favorite lines in the song is he says 'I think the relationship between the Mason-Dixon needs some fixin','" Paisley told DeGeneres. "Leave it to a rapper to put it so simply and so beautifully."
Not all the good people of the blogosphere and Twitter world were as taken, though, and comedians were weighing in as well.
Demetria Irwin of black culture blog The Grio wrote, "'Accidental Racist' is the worst song in the history of music," then broke it down line by line.
Comedian Patton Oswalt tweeted: "I can't wait for Brad Paisley & LL Cool J's next single: "Whoopsy Daisy, Holocaust, My Bad""
Even the usually open-armed Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson of The Roots seemed taken aback as he tweeted: "Just heard the "Accidental Racist" man that Weird Al is amazing."
A little later, he compared the reaction to "Accidental Racist" to the recent backlash over Rick Ross' contribution to the Rocko song "O.U.E.N.O," which brought an apology after detractors accused him of glorifying date rape.
"All the "OUENO" weigher ins....i expect "Accidental Racist" to get equal amount of discussion & dialogue," he wrote.
That it did. Paisley told DeGeneres that was the point.
"Make up your own mind," he said. "That's fine. You can throw things at me. I'm all right."

 

Skrillex

Jay-Z, Kanye West, Skrillex, D'Angelo Kick Off Made In America Festival

On the first day of what Jay-Z hinted hopefully was the "first annual," Jay was spotted roaming from each of the festival's three stages to catch the "great music" he'd recruited. He was watching while Rick Ross and Maybach Music Group rolled through hits like Wale's "Bag of Money" and Philly-native Meek Mill's "Amen" on the main Rocky Stage during the afternoon. He also witnessed Janelle Monáe's Liberty stage performance, which included new song "Electric Lady," hits from "The Audition" and "The ArchAndroid," and covers of Jackson 5 ("I Want You Back") and Jimi Hendrix ("Little Wing"). 

After Monáe put on an impressive show alongside her Wondaland Arts Society band, fans hurried back to the main stage to swoon over D'Angelo. He introduced crowd pleaser "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" with the touch of three keys, sending up a huge roar for more from the audience. 

Following the July release of sophomore album "Gossamer," Passion Pit brought its brand of squiggly electro-pop to the main stage as the sun set. With sweat drenching the back of frontman Michael Angelakos' pink dress shirt, the collective ended its 45-minute set with a killer lineup of songs like "Constant Conversations," "Sleepyhead" and an especially jubilant "Little Secrets." 

A late addition, elusive Roc Nation rapper  Jay Electronica, announced from the Liberty stage that he himself hit up Jay-Z to ask for a short slot and hinted at an upcoming single featuring Chris Brown, according to MissInfo.tv.  

After the Dirty Projectors unspooled the pitch-perfect harmonies of new album "Swing Lo Magellan," Miike Snow was given a prime performance slot to play tunes from the follow-up to its 2009 breakout album. And like the DPs with their "Bitte Orca" songs, the Swedish pop band drew the most attention -- and contained the most panache -- when it played older material like "Animal" and an extended version of "Sylvia." But tracks from Miike Snow's recently released "Happy To You" also scored, as Andrew Wyatt paraded around the stage as strobe lights signaled the buoyant beat of "Paddling Out." 

But although all of Saturday's performers pleased fans and won over new ones, such as was the case with Skrillex who ruled the second stage with skittering beats and a huge throbbing crowd as darkness prevailed andGary Clark Jr. whose effortless blues-rock guitar solos were the first notes of the fest, the night belonged to Jay-Z and everyone knew it. 

At 9:30, Jay-Z walked out to Frank Ocean's chorus on the "Watch the Throne" song "Made in America," in ode to the moments that were to be created. 

After a message from President Barack Obama played on the massive screens -- in which he told concert-goers that "no matter your party, you should vote this fall" -- Jay-Z began performing hit after hit, from "In My Lifetime, Vol. 1" to "The Blueprint 3." Freeway, Memphis Bleek and Young Gunz then made a special appearance to re-create the magic from "Philadephia" 2002 Roc boys hit, "What We Do." 

An hour into his 90-minute set, Jay announced that "Collision Course" song "Numb/Encore" would be the last song of the night, but no one believed that. After waking off stage, fans pleaded for more by screaming "Hova" and throwing their hands up in the signature Roc diamond shape. 

"Because you've been so good to me tonight, Philly," Jay said on the mic before G.O.O.D. Music's Kanye West, Pusha T and Big Sean came out and performed their remix to Chief Keef's "I Don't Like." G.O.O.D Music, later joined by Common and 2 Chainz, took over the rest of the night, performing their collaborative hits ("Mercy," "New God Flow") and solo singles (Big Sean's "A$$," Common's "Light of My Life" and Kanye West's "Can't Tell Me Nothing"). 

"Wait 'Ye, I think we got time for one more," Jay said before asking what looked like the venue's staff, if he indeed did. "We do," he said before he and Kanye made the tired yet overwhelmed fans jump to R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart No. 1, "Ni**as in Paris." 

After the fireworks boomed from the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum behind the Rocky stage and Jay-Z and West finished sipping champagne, fans spilled out onto the Philadelphia streets on foot shortly after 11 p.m. Many will return today (Sept. 2) for the last day of Made in America, which will be streamed live on Made in America's YouTube channel and which will feature a headlining mainstage set from Pearl Jam and music from Drake, X, Odd Future, Run-D.M.C., and many more throughout the day.

Outside Lands 2012: Metallica and Skrillex Rock San Francisco

Outside Lands 2012: Metallica, Skrillex Rock San Francisco

It's official: there's no such thing as genre-division anymore. The proof? The Outside Lands music festival in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park this weekend, which found boomer headliners sharing time with EDM youngsters, metal oligarchs, and AOR mainstays -- and an audience that lavished love on them all with equal aplomb.

It wasn't just chemicals at work, though: moderate temperatures and a sort of passive-yet-engaged overall crowd interest, coupled with a woody, never-neverland vibe (thanks to the naturally green surroundings), gave the fest a less hectic vibe than, say, its close cousins Bonnaroo and Coachella, with a lineup clearly on par with either of those powerhouses.
Some highlights from the weekend:

Organizers may have made a mistake on Friday by having Neil Young and Crazy Horse close the night out after the Foo Fighters, who delivered a typically consistent set of powerfully bludgeoning pop-alt classics, "Everlong," "Learn To Fly," and "The Pretender" among them. Young, on the other hand, chose to spend his first hour crafting feedback jams and one-note riffs, often for minutes at a time, clearing out the once-full field before early depart-ees had a chance to hear timeless jams like "Cinnamon Girl" and "The Needle and the Damage Done." Spotted among the wise music fans who stuck around: comedian David Cross.

In what's becoming a festival tradition, Jack White played a surprise set by his Third Man records truck before blasting a full-frontal assault on Sunday's mainstage crowd, wowing about a thousand lucky passers-by (and their Twitter followers) with four songs including a mellowed-out version of "Hotel Yorba" with his all-female band before playing the song again, just an hour later, in tightened up form, with his dude-buddies, in front of a crowd at least thirty times the size.

Beck's inconsistent set Friday was a bit lackadaisical (in fact, it seemed like Beck himself forgot a fair number of his own lyrics), but it was clearly meant to showcase his recently-reunited "Odelay"-era band, which includes Justin-Medal Johnson on bass and Smokey Hormel holding down axe duties. He didn't debut anything from the forthcoming sheet music collection "Song Reader," though instead dedicating the "Sea Change"-era "Lost Cause" to Beastie Boy Adam Yauch and whispering his way through the third verse of "Where It's At."

The longest lines? They weren't to get in: those moved fast. They were for individual-sized, super-fresh pizzas, Korean tacos, and coffee. Yep, coffee.

Fog-filled forests dotted with giant eucalyptus and hidden paths set the stage for a quixotic experience at Golden Gate Park. The backdrop was only reinforced by the fashion trends, which could best be described as Lord of the Rings-meets-Dances With Wolves. Feathers, face paint and furs were routine, rounded out with occasional animal printed jeggings and makeshift grass crowns.

Watching Icelandic moodsters Sigur Ros play melodramatic songs like the chilly "Svefn-G-Englar" as the fog rolled in over the meadow on Saturday should have felt alien and moving in the best possible way. But, instead, it was interrupted by cannon-fire coming from Metallica's pyro-laden show on the other side of the field, inspiring at least a few of the lovelorn to give up on learning Hopelandic and instead make their way across the long field to sing along to a few bars of "Master of Puppets" and "One."

Saturday's run at the Panhandle stage was a dream come true for blog disciples, with sets ranging from effective to majestic from 70's throwback Father John Misty (who ironically implored the audience to avoid taking the brown acid), soul-man Michael Kiwanuka (a slippery cover of Hendrix's "May This Be Love" was a weekend highlight), some retro-punk from the bay area's Thee Oh Sees, and finally Philly's Dr. Dog, who played to a massive throng that knew every word to "Shadow People."

The biggest non-headliner crowd of the weekend didn't belong to hitmakers fun., whose early hour prevented thousands from getting there on time to sing along to "We Are Young," or Norah Jones, despite a guest spot from the Dead's Bob Weir, but rather Alabama Shakes. The buzzy, rootsy band could have had a two-story audience filling the Sutro Stage's massive field as they played songs like their current single "Hold On," suggesting that, next year, their placement should be a bit more prime.

Uber-DJ Skrillex drew just about every fest-guest under the age of 30 away from Stevie Wonder on Sunday as soon as the latter had made his way through an inspired singalong of "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," doling out a breathtaking lazertag-inspired set that found the odd-haired dubstep master atop what looked like a crashed Star Wars X-Fighter, commanding the audience to jump along with every boom-bip bass drop. Fans who held fast with Wonder on the Polo Field were treated to a rush of hits, a speech supporting Obama and biting jokes, including asking the audience to "put away your cell phones so I don't have to blind-handle you."