This year marks the 10th anniversary of All Tomorrow’s Parties, the annual alt-bro bonanza curated by invite-only artists like Thurston Moore, Belle & Sebastian, and Matt Groening (yes, that one).
The Flaming Lips have been anointed the deciders for the 2009 U.S. lineup, taking place in New York’s Catskill mountains this September 11-13 (ticket link here!), and they’ve selected quite a smorgasbord: Headliners include Sufjan Stevens, Animal Collective, the Jesus Lizard, Iron & Wine, Panda Bear, Shellac, the Boredoms, Super Furry Animal, Deerhoof, and of course, the Lips themselves.
Only one man, however, is so nice they booked him twice: Noah Lennox, a.k.a. Panda Bear, of both psych-pastiche champions Animal Collective and his own much-lauded solo output. From his home in Portugal, the Maryland native talks with EW exclusively about his double duties at the upcoming fest, work on the long-awaited follow-up to Person Pitch, and why Sade’s Love Deluxe is the jam.
Entertainment Weekly: Are you ATP experienced, or will this be your first time? Who are you most excited to see?
Panda Bear: We played ATP in the U.K. a year or so ago. It was nice and the vibe around seemed sweet, but I remember we had to go right after we played because it was the start of a tour for us. I’m actually not the kind of person who goes to see music all that often, and I’d say that has a lot to do with the fact that I’m doing it so much or thinking about it so much that when I’m not involved in it, I’d rather be away from it if I can. I feel like it’s kind of a lame answer, but the things I’m most into at the ATP coming up are the performances by people that I know at least a little bit. So: No Age, Atlas Sound, Grouper, Black Dice, Four Tet and Oneida. Besides those bands, I’d be psyched to see the Boredoms, Boris, and Deerhoof.
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