Last weekend, half of Holiday Matinee met in the middle of a spacious San Francisco park for Outside Lands. Despite our inability to be in four places at once, we caught some really rad shows and met volumes of super friendly people. Smaller, less-packed performances by Vetiver and Phantogram were a treat for our elbows and ears, while bigger bands like Arcade Fire and The Shins lived up to the hype and successfully gave us the chills.

If you were on the hunt for more than just music, the festival offered a bunch of different options for exploring. We spent a lot of time in McLaren Pass, admiring the interactive installations from Monica Canilao, swinging with the chimes and sampling bites from the Food Truck Forest vendors (tots + fried mac & cheese = <3). The booze selection, however, left a lot to be desired. Forget Big Boi, we were missing craft brews, as Heineken completely dominated the beer booths. This had Kiran and Ice Cream Man reminiscing over the good ol’ Goose Island days of Pitchfork. Thankfully, the $2-4 pours splashes of local vino inside Wine Lands were there to quench our thirst.

Some favorite memories include: The Decemberists’ encore performance of Mariner’s Revenge Song, which had the audience clapping and screaming like they were being swallowed by a whale, our interviews with Chaz, STRFKR and The Stone Foxes, winning a koozie in the shape of a shoe, a magician playing the cello in Choco Lands and Dave Chappelle’s first beach ball concert.

In its fourth year, Outside Lands took it up a notch, hosting a wonderful weekend packed with memorable shows, enthusiastic fans, delicious food and environmental friendliness. We’re already counting down the days until next year’s festival and looking forward to the magical things that take place within the woods of Golden Gate Park.

See more photos here and check out our previous Outside Lands coverage too!

Take it from me, Chaz Bundick (Toro Y Moi) is one of the most approachable people you’ll ever meet. I’ve always felt awkward butting into conversations, but had no problem walking right up to his circle of friends for a chat at Outside Lands this past weekend in San Francisco. Chaz was nice enough to take a few minutes from his ultra-busy press schedule to talk about his new EP, what his dreams are like and the two things he’s most excited about right now. Have a listen below.

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Who’s going to Outside Lands this weekend? With half of the HM crew in the Bay this weekend to get our summer music festival fix, we thought we’d drop a quick mix of some of the artists we’re looking forward to seeing. While there’s always some choices and compromises to be made (it’s killing me that Toro Y Moi and Foster The People are playing 10 minutes apart on a 3-day festival) this is still going to be a great time. Hit us up if you’ll be there. We’ll hang!

Somewhere in between twenty minute hikes to stages across Golden Gate Park and those delicious sweet potato fries, I caught up with Chromeo at Outside Lands to find out two things they’re really excited about right now. Coupled with their funny fixation on my phrasing (you’d think I was the first person to ask them what they’re “pumped” about), P-Thugg and Dave 1 gave us the inside scoop on some collaborations from their new album, Business Casual, out September 14th. Hint: it involves an awesome redhead and a blood-sucking indie rocker. Are you ready to get stoked, pumped, and psyched? Watch on.

Gloomy skies couldn’t dampen my weekend at Outside Lands, a two-day music and arts festival in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Big acts like Phoenix, Al Green and The Strokes cranked out the hits, while Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, My Morning Jacket and Gogol Bordello delivered solid sets to smaller crowds.

In addition to the talented lineup, Outside Lands managed to keep the grounds greener than the grass with a plethora of eco-friendly details. There was a solar-powered stage, complimentary valet bike parking, and a seesaw that generated enough kinetic energy to make snow cones. SF Environment “trash talkers” also stood next to waste receptacles, politely advising the proper disposal of garbage.

An organized schedule left time to explore the festival’s booths, which featured delicious fare from local restaurants and wineries, urban farming workshops, and a variety of unique artisan goods. Wandering around, I met Silvi from the poetry store who quickly became a favorite after volunteering to write me a poem about creativity on her vintage typewriter.

With so many annual summer concerts, it’s great to know there are sustainable options, and rocking out while reducing my carbon footprint in a gorgeous SF park is not an experience I will soon forget.

For more highlights from the weekend, check out the Flickr set here.

I haven’t been to San Francisco’s Outside Lands Festival before, but from what I can gather this year’s event in Golden Gate Park is shaping up to be something special. There are a bunch of bands I’d love to see live including The Strokes, My Morning Jacket, Freelance Whales, Phoenix and Empire of the Sun. And as if that isn’t enough to keep occupied, Outside Lands also sports wine tastings, great food from local vendors and outside art installations. Being in SF, you also know organizers will be on top of staying eco-friendly and making sure everyone has a good time. I’ll take that any day over a summer NASCAR race in the Bible Belt. What’s so great about rednecks, crappy beer, hotdogs and burning fossil fuels anyways? All the action goes down soon (August 14 + 15) so now’s the time to get your plans in order for an awesome weekend.