The Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival - 2014

A&E FEATURE - September 2014

By Matt Geffen, Sophomore, Marin Academy ~ Photos by John Hassen, Senior, Sir Francis Drake High School

“All You Can Do” — GEORGE WATSKY

Poet and rapper George Watsky has accomplished a lot since he graduated from University High School in 2005. Watsky always stood apart from the crowd, but today he blends right in as he strolls through Outside Lands, a block away from his childhood home, in a “Richmond” beanie and a red baseball jacket. We walk through the VIP section of the Festival, looking for a good place to do the interview, as HAIM’s performance blasts through the media tent and all surrounding areas. We talk about the sets we’ve caught so far at the Festival and Watsky tells us he will be catching Tom Petty’s set later tonight.

The 27 year-old, self-described “phenomenon” is set to perform his poetry and rap-filled set at Twin Peaks, one of the two main festival stages. Watsky just finished his spot on the Vans Warped Tour and is fresh off the release of his third studio album, “All You Can Do,” which just one hour after its release climbed to the #6 spot on the main iTunes charts and hit #1 on the Hip-Hop/Rap chart. The album is his follow up to his critically acclaimed album “Cardboard Castles,” released in 2013. Watsky has a month before he hits the road again, embarking on his 67-city headlining “All You Can Do” tour that will take him through 12 countries including the US, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, Australia and India.