In the inimitable words of Axel Foley, "It's inna air and I smell it. Do you smell it? 'Cause I smell it."

What Axel's smelling, of course, is New Jersey, and for once it's smelling quite pleasant. It's been a long time coming for a mega summer festival to hit this metropolis and AEG, Goldenvoice, and Liberty Event Management are about to make history with All Points West. Final preparations are already underway and this upcoming weekend will bring 3 days of top-tier live music from the likes of Radiohead, Jack Johnson, Kings of Leon, Underworld, The Roots, and many more to the ridiculously idyllic Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ.

We here at WPIX will be featuring team coverage of the entire festival, starting with a look inside the festival site as it comes together. Watch this space for frequent updates and all the latest happenings surrounding the fest. In the meantime, go buy some sunblock and comfortable shoes. See you at the park!

See photos of the All Points West preprations.

Sure, you've got Radiohead and Jack Johnson bringing the festivities to a close each night in spectacular fashion but what could be better than spending the day in the sunshine while listening to great tunes? Get there early and take a listen to up-and-coming bands that some day might be inheriting those very same headlining slots. Here are my top picks!

• Mates of State, Friday, 4:45pm / Queen of the Valley stage
  Kicking things off on Friday don't be afraid to check out melodic musical duo Mates of State. Their new album Re-Arrange Us just came out a short while ago so you will likely hear some tracks off of that, along with some oldies but goodies like "Ha Ha" and "Goods." Their quirky keys and drums will definitely get festival-goers bopping.
• Grizzly Bear, Friday, 5:15pm / Queen of the Valley stage
  You might have caught Brooklyn based Grizzly Bear on Letterman July 23rd, where they played a new song "Two Weeks." Fingers crossed we get to hear that one again, along with some other favorites. They're incredible to see live and their performance is sure to please.
  
• Metric, Saturday, 3:45pm / Blue Comet stage
  On Saturday, Emily Haines and crew, Metric will set the tone. This is a band I have yet to see live, and it's been a long time coming. They've been on tour with previously mentioned Mates of State. Coming to us all the way from Canada, the band recently played an acoustic version of the new song "Gimme Sympathy" at Coachella. Will they do the same for All Points West? Let's hope they do!
• Animal Collective, 5:00pm / Blue Comet stage
  Hearing Animal Collective will be an energetic musical whilrwind that will most likely blow you away. Because their songs sometimes run long, there's no telling how many they will get to play, the only way to find out is to see for yourself!
• Rogue Wave, Sunday, 2:45pm / Queen of the Valley stage
  Rogue Wave, who has been on tour with All Points West headliner, Jack Johnson, will have an afternoon set on Sunday. Their latest album, Asleep at Heaven's Gate came out last September, and it's definitely worth checking out before you head over to their performance! Although I must say I am a fan of their older stuff too, hoping that we will get to hear songs like "Eyes" and "Kicking the Heart Out."
• Cat Power, Sunday, 5:00pm / Blue Comet stage
  Chan Marshall, otherwise known as Cat Power will be performing later in the day over at the Blue Comet Stage. Her latest album Jukebox consists of covers that range from Frank Sinatra to Bob Dylan. You could even catch her on the Juno soundtrack, with her cover of "Sea of Love." But her covers aren't the only songs that we'll hear. Cat Power has a full discography that with luck she will pull from liberally, especially tracks off of The Greatest

For a full listing of artists that are playing as well as their respective set times, head on over to the official APW schedule.

Mike Donovan of AEG Live talks with cw11.com's Andrew Ramos

Preparations are well underway at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, as the countdown begins for this weekend's All Points West Music & Arts Festival. The park will host over 40 acts who'll be performing simultaneously on three different stages, for three straights days.

WPIX Spotlight On has your inside look at concert preparations and how festival organizers are taking a green approach to bring an eco-friendly concert to our neck of the woods. We met up with Ken Tesler from Liberty Events and Mike Donovan from AEG Live on site to get the lowdown on what to expect this weekend. Watch the video after the jump.

The festival starts tomorrow! Time to plan your APW strategy. Pick out your must-see bands using the schedule.

Click the map below for a larger version to figure out how best to navigate the grounds.

Ever since I discovered CSS a few years ago, I've ached to see them live. Since they're from Brazil, they haven't been in the United States for some time. Last year the band toured the UK and they were all over Europe. The release of their new album Donkey last month also makes this performance much anticipated. You might even remember hearing their song "Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex" in the ipod touch commercial last fall. Video after the jump.

It's been a while since our area has seen the likes of a big 3-day music festival, unless of course you count the the Republican convention a couple years back which ended up being an entire week of song & dance.. ZING!!

Seriously, though, there's more than a king's share of great music that will be descending on Liberty State Park, headliners Radiohead & Jack Johnson will be joined by a plethora of some of the biggest buzzworthy bands around, as well as a bevy of upstarts that seem poised to head into the indie stratosphere.

We got an opportunity to talk with one of the festival's promoters, Mike Donovan from AEG Live, who gave us the real-deal rundown of who, what & why.

Watch the video after the jump.

All Points West is in full throttle, I can't wait to go explore and see Mates of State perform, They're going to be awesome. Surprisingly, not as many people as I would expect are here, but then again, not everyone is lucky enough to do this for work.

The rain has passed! Hopefully to never return again.

At this point the Duke Spirit is rallying up a ton of people over at their stage. They've been getting some radio play lately, "The Step and The Walk" is their single and it's off their new album, "Neptune"

Just had a chat with Brooklyn's own Lowry. Guys were awesome. They just got off stage from performing and now just kicking it with the fans in the park. It's pretty cool when you could walk around in a public park and bump into rock stars. That's random. More after the jump.

Just got done with catching up with Ed and Daniel from Grizzly Bear, another band from Brooklyn. Gee Brooklyn is definitely well-represented here at APW. The guys haven't performed yet and told me their stoked to be hitting the stage. Check out my interview with them after the jump.

Storm clouds have moved in and the wind has kicked up quite a bit, causing a flurry in the media tent. There were even reports of a flying laptop or two. The music on the stages, however, is all moving along on schedule. Bring that poncho if you haven't left from home yet.

Most adorable band ever? The answer is absolutely. Everytime I see Mates of State I can never get over how much chemistry they have on stage. Kori and Jason kicked their set off with "Fraud in the 80's" and then sampled a new song from the new album "Rearrange Us" Read more after the jump

Chi Fukami Taylor and Sam Dook from the Go! Team stopped by to chat with us after their set. And it started pouring. Okay "pouring" is an understatement - it was more like a friggin' tropical storm in Jersey City. But all is well now. The Go! Team had such lovely weather when they hit the stage - but the weather got nasty when they got off. Hmmmm... Something smells fishy. We get to the bottom of this after the jump.

Well kids, Duffy came, saw, and ripped it apart. The up and coming blonde bombshell just brought down the house with her set. She was begging for mercy and she was under our spell... and in response, the crowd went B-A-N-A-N-A-S. Check out her ridiculously sexy performance after the jump.

CSS, my music is where I'd Like you to touch! They were so fun live, There was pretty much a party taking place on stage. They had balloons and lead singer was dressed like a birthday party piniata cake parade float. I LOVED IT.

Seeing Grizzly Bear live is definitely more majestic than you could imagine. If you've never seen them perform, you totally should because after seeing them you would only like them more. We got to give a listen to some new stuff, but nothing really compares to when they play the stuff we're familiar with and already know. I of course enjoyed when they played "Knife."

We're just a few minutes away from Radiohead taking the stage, and we're just hanging out in the press tent. It's pretty chilly here, I feel like I should have been a little more serious about bringing my sleeping bag. But in the mean time here is a picture of Girl Talk, killing it. Video after the jump.

The night has gotten decidedly chilly but the sky is clear, and Radiohead is on stage and in top form. There's a 25,000 strong crowd basking in the glow of a band in their prime. Overall the vibe of the whole show is relaxed. So relaxed that Thom Yorke just uttered the phrase "Cool beans."

We just heard an insanely raucous rendition of "Idioteque" that saw Thom spastically dancing on stage and people in the media tent shaking their asses as well. It was unavoidable.

More photos after the jump.

Radiohead has already entered their encore, which means this night is almost at it's close. They're playing crowd favorites along with some of the songs I was looking forward to hearing. The opened their encore with "House of Cards" which was impeccable. We'll have a full wrap up of their performance along with the complete setlist when they're done. I feel fortunate that we have another night of this.

The first night of the New York area's now premiere multi-day music festival came to a close with a rousing set by Oxford, England's favorite sons Radiohead. Known to reinvent their set lists night to night, the band stuck with safe choices from their repertoire (there were no surprises, pun intended) though they opted for a set heavy on their brooding, slower tempo tunes, including "How to Disappear Completely," "Pyramid Song," and "You and Whose Army?" In the same vein, it would've been nice to hear "Exit Music (for a Film)" as the setting and mood both seemed a perfect fit for the song.

The new album In Rainbows was showcased as expected, though tonight's performances of the new songs definitely felt less spontaneous (or more polished, but not in a bad way) than the summer 2006 tour when the material was first road-tested. Based on tonight's setlist, one can likely expect tomorrow's show to feature some of the more crowd-friendly tunes including "Karma Police," "Fake Plastic Trees," and "The National Anthem." Don't cross your fingers, though, because Radiohead is always unpredictable with their song choices and that's one of the best reasons to go see them live. Me, I'll be waiting for "Talk Show Host" with a gun and a pack of sandwiches.

For anything you could ever want to know about Radiohead, check out At Ease.

Final setlist was as follows:

15 Step
There There
Morning Bell
All I Need
Lucky
Nude
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
The Gloaming
Optimistic
Videotape
Reckoner
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
You and Whose Army?
Idioteque
Climbing Up the Walls
Bodysnatchers
How to Disappear Completely
House of Cards
Pyramid Song
Paranoid Android
Dollars and Cents
Street Spirit (Fade Out)
Cymbal Rush
Just
Everything in Its Right Place (dedicated to Underworld; Thom says "See you on the boat.")

More photos after the jump.

I opted to buy into the advice of the festival organizers and ride the ferry, not out of deference to the "green" cause (though it doesn't hurt) but more because they made it difficult to get to the festival any other way. Carpooling, while more economical, is a royal pain, made even a bit tougher if you don't own a car. Riding the NJ Transit has never been a good idea for me on a normal day, let alone a Friday afternoon during rush hour where 30,000 people are trying to converge on Jersey City.

So the ferry cost $30 for most of us (the earlybirds paid $20 + $8000 in Ticketmaster fees) which is definitely steep for a grungy NY Waterway ferryboat that takes a whole 7 minutes to get to the park. Organizers argue that you also get a nice harbor cruise as a bonus, which I guess can be construed as true but it goes by in a New York minute.

All in all, though, the ferry was a relatively well-organized effort and an efficient method of transport. The line at Pier 11 at 5:30pm today was minimal and the ride was comfy. The return trip we were all fearing also wasn't so bad. The hike to the pier is quite a long one and it dispersed the crowd in a way that there wasn't a mile-long pileup near the boats. Radiohead ended at about 10:45pm and I was on a ferry by 11:30pm, which is reasonable, given the scenario. I'd have no qualms about doing it again tomorrow.

Which model/socialite/heiress borrowed our cell phone during Radiohead's set last night and then took forever giving it back? Clad in a skimpy red dress, she sat on a picnic bench surrounded by press bawling into our cell phone. Not to be nosy or anything, but the only phrase we heard between sobs was, "I'm in f---ing New Jersey!"

That reality made us want to cry, too.

Well day one of the All Points West Music & Arts festival is now in the bucket. It was a crazy day with ridiculous performances and a lot of great moments. Radiohead closed the show in a set that could only be described as "cool beans."

See some photos from Day 1 at the All Points West Music & Arts festival.

We're setting up camp here at day 2 of All Points West, we have plenty to check out. The weather is gorgeous, I can't get over how beautiful it turned out. And it better stay that way!
First band I'm off to see is Metric. Emily Haines and the band will surely have plenty off of their albums "Old World Underground" and "Live it Out."
I can hear their soundcheck now and it will probably be sick. I'll have pics and a setlist when I get back from their performance.

Emily Haines' crew Metric just stormed the Blue Comet stage amidst a squall of feedback. They're drawing the biggest crowd of the day so far and the songs are providing the perfect soundtrack to a picture-perfect afternoon. More soon!

Only a few rock starlets can pull off a gold lamé romper, Emily Haines is one of them. (I still love you, Karen O).

They kicked off their set with "Dead Disco" and followed with "Poster of a Girl." They played a generous amount of songs from both of their albums, and closed their set with "Live it Out," sort of stripped down.

After the band played "Monster Hospital" Emily confessed that it was around four years ago, after the election, that she grew into a hippie on the inside, despite her gold lamé outside. I really enjoyed them, this was a fantastic set for me to see them for the first time.

WATCH PERFORMANCE & INTERVIEW VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP >>>

If you're a fan of Gossip Girl, then you know The Virgins - the NYC band that was fortunate enough not to have just one song featured in the mega-hit TV show, but all 5 songs on their first EP. Since then, they've released a self-titled first full release, and I've been listening to it for a couple months, quite honestly not completely sold on what was coming out of my JBL's.

Well, okay, so I found a cure to that - see The Virgins live. Yup, that'll do it. Today, after hearing them absolutely kick the crap out of their set, I got it. Maybe the disc doesn't do them justice, but live I was able to get the sarcasm of their lyrics as well as the lushness of all the different influences that can be heard in their songs. From the Bee-Gee's to The Clash, one can hear a collection of influences in every tune - Donald even reminds one of a young Mick Jones. With live shows like the one they just played, I have a feeling The Virgins, Donald, Wade, Erik & Nick, are going to be converting fans for a long time yet.

WATCH VIDEO INTERVIEW & PERFORMANCE AFTER THE JUMP >>>

Probably one of the most complicated sounding bands (but in a good way) that I know, and have seen live. Their energy on stage is indescribable - Unbelieveable to watch. They've played about six songs already... and it could be days before I hear "Purple Bottle" or "Grass."
I took some photos to share with you, enjoy! Photos after the jump.

We're going to go out on a limb and proclaim Sia a consummate chanteuse. She brought her Australian stylings and coordinated band t-shirts (incidentally spelling LOVE for headcount.org) to the Queen of the Valley stage for fun tunes in the sun. She made an appeal to the audience to advise her if her short shorts develop camel toe. I guess when you're onstage in front of thousands, these are the things to worry about.

WATCH VIDEO INTERVIEW & PERFORMANCE AFTER THE JUMP >>

The Black Angels from Austin, TX just brought their psychedelic revivalist sound in all its thunderous glory to the Bullet stage. The drone was deafening but warm and I wish I could've hung out at their stage longer. Their newest LP Directions to See a Ghost comes alive on stage and you'll definitely want to check them out when they come to your town. Check out their performance after the jump.

The Followill clan certainly took no time to get the crowd up and rocking. From the moment they took the stage, in front of them assembled the largest crowd of the day yet here in front of the main stage. Playing songs like Sex on Fire from their recent release, Only by The Night (2008) as well as favorites from previous records, one easily hear how the band's touring & popularity have begun to mature their sound. What's developing in place of the wide-eyed southern boy rock (and the southern rock part hasn't changed at all, just the wide-eyed part) is a depth of emotion & experience that seems to belong to established southern acts like Drive-by Truckers & Clutch, and just as powerfully driving.

It seems like a perfect afternoon here in Liberty state Park, and The Kings may just be the perfect band to walk this whole festival into the dusk... Video after the jump.

Photos, photos, photos...The Virgins, Sia, Animal Collective, The Black Angels, bring it on Day 2 at the All Points West Music & Arts festival.

Okay, so I just came back from checking out The Roots, and no surprise they kilt it. Yes, that's right they kilt it. (That means 'killed it' for you old folks.) Say what you will about my choice of words. I kinda don't really care. They're set was unbe-weed-able. Yea, I said it and I smelled when I made my way through the crowd. Video after the jump.

Radiohead's stint at All Points West has come to a close and they went out in tremendous style. So stylish, in fact, that Thom busted out skinny red pants for the occasion. The sound of the band was tight and, as we expected, the set was heavily laden with the guitar rock of the band's earlier days. Highlights included a soaring rendition of "The Bends" and a sublime "House of Cards."

Full setlist was:

Reckoner
15 Step
The National Anthem
Kid A
All I Need
Nude
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Where I End and You Begin
The Gloaming
Faust Arp
No Surprises
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
The Bends
Bangers and Mash
Everything in Its Right Place
Exit Music (for a Film)
Bodysnatchers
Pyramid Song
Videotape
Airbag (dedicated to Kings of Leon. "If we were that good looking we'd be famous.")
Fake Plastic Trees
There There
House of Cards
Planet Telex
Idioteque

If this is not worthy of a post - then I don't know what it is. Last night after Radiohead wrapped up their set, we made our way through the VIP parking lot, behind the Blue Comet stage ... guess who we ran into... a one Miss Mary-Kate Olsen. No wait, or was it Ashley. No, I'm pretty sure it was Mary-Kate. You know what, at this point it was a confirmed Olsen sighting. Let's just leave it at that. Word has it, it was this Olsen's first Radiohead concert. Rock on, Michelle Tanner.

As tempted as I was, I did not shout out - "What up Michelle? Where's D.J. and Stephanie?" The joke would have worked 10 years ago, but probably not last night. Any-who, we're off to Liberty State Park for day three of the All Points West Music & Arts festival. Jack Johnson, you're up. Let's reminisce after the jump, shall we?

Well we just arrived for day three of APW and it's windy, rainy, and cold. What gives!? And to make matters worse - they just made an announcement over the pa that if the winds and lighting get worse to evacuate the tent. Isn't that fantastic! If you are on your way over - bring a jacket and umbrella. (Oh, that's right umbrellas aren't allowed into the venue... so I guess you're screwed.) Bring a poncho.

The first band I checked out today was Rogue Wave. I listened to them more than any other band while I was writing college essays, even though I would have much rather been at a senior pub night, instead of the library. The clouds were rolling in, but that didn't stop them. The band warned us though, that if it started to rain, it wasn't their fault. And rain it did!
I was pretty pleased with their set. They played some of my personal favorites like "Publish My Love" and "Kicking the Heart Out"

The Chan gang is up on stage sampling tunes from the latest album, "Jukebox." I wandered over there wanting to know, could her performance be "The Greatest?"

Chan is a beautiful songstress, she sings with feeling, and her voice is so disctinct. Watching her go about the stage so effortlessly can convince anyone that she is good at what she does. I captured the many faces of Cat Power, and posted them for you! Photos after the jump.

So today, the final day of the festival, Jack Johnson is headlining. And what can I say but... snooze! Although, his performance is the perfect way to end a three day festival where everyone has been drinking all day. We'll call it a cool down perhaps? A meditation? A nap?

Some (me) may think so, but for others this might be the most anticipated event of the festival.

It's sort of like frat boy and college kid day here in Liberty State Park, I've noticed a lot of Hollister and Birkenstock wearing individuals walking around. I even spotted a Phish t-shirt.

Since Cat Power is over it's pretty much the end of this festival for me, as far as indie-rock goes.

The rain has cleared out, but it's getting chilly and windy. But here are some pictures from the soggy mess before. Photos after the jump.

If you weren't aware - which I'm sure you weren't - organizers behind the All Points West Music & Arts Festival took many steps to provide us with an eco-friendly festival this weekend. From encouraging concert goers to use mass transit to donating $2 from every ticket purchased to the Friends of Liberty State Park, it was a green event whether you want to acknowledge it or not.

This weekend I decided to play along with APW's little green game. Among all the green activities I could've participated in, I decided to recycle to get free stuff. Apparently every plastic bottle was worth one point towards some "cool" APW merchandise. So I did it. I was on a mission all weekend to land an I-pod or flat screen... because last time I checked those items were considered "cool" stuff. But when I cashed in my plastic bottles, all I got was a lousy t-shirt, and some lame keychains. Damn you Mother Earth, I've been had for the last time.

Jack Johnson just took to the stage... More pics after the jump.

Jack Johnson has left the park, putting an end to the first ever All Points West Music & Arts Festival. It was quite the weekend. But I think I speak for everyone when I say it's officially sleepy time. This little girl was caught snoozing during Jack Johnson's set. I know I'm not mad at her. Sleep on and rock on little one.

SEE ALL OUR PHOTOS FROM ALL POINTS WEST: Check back for more photos as the gallery is still growing.

Rapper T.I. has teamed up with the Hip Hop Caucus for the Get Out the Vote Campaign.

T.I.'s album Paper Trail drops on September 30th. His new clothing line AKOO, which stands for "A King of Oneself," is launching in October.

For more information, log onto http://www.hiphopcaucus.org. For more in T.I.'s projects, log onto http://www.trapmuzik.com.

WATCH THE VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP...

At Ease is reporting this morning that the new film from Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk called Choke & due out at the end of September will have a soundtrack of all new music by none other than our heroes Radiohead. At ease quotes Chuck: "Apparently Radiohead liked the movie so much, they’ve written the score, most of the ambient music throughout it. So it’s ‘Choke – with the music of Radiohead."

UPDATE: NME is reporting that Radiohead will not actually be doing the Choke soundtrack. They are instead contributing "Reckoner" to play during the closing credits. Oh, what could have been.

Read the whole At Ease post >>>

So I'm sure you guys have come across these funny, slightly weird subway ads featuring the Louis Vuitton Don himself, Kanye West. It seems these ads are making their rounds throughout the MTA Transit system, and they're leaving many confused, namely myself. So I just had to investigate.

The ad reads: BE SOMEONE ELSE. BE KANYE. Fast-acting tablets turn anyone to Kanye West!

After reading the ad, I immediately dialed up the number. Seriously, who wouldn't want to be Kanye West. He's rich, his best friend is Jay-Z, and more importantly Jesus walks with him. Hello!? I get down to the bottom of this mystery ad after the jump.

Radiohead, Jack Johnson, Sia, Grizzly Bear, The Virgins, Cat Power, The Black Angels... you name it, we snapped it.

SEE ALL OUR PHOTOS FROM ALL POINTS WEST: Check back for more photos as the gallery is still growing.

They're the biggest band on the radio right now, and they're sitting down with the CW11.

(Left to right) Jeremy Davis, Zac Farro, Hayley Williams, Josh Farro, Taylor York start a Riot! in Times Square's Planet Hollywood (Shelley Ng/WPIX-TV)

Paramore is in New York promoting their single "That's What You Get," the latest track off their certified gold album Riot! The band is also gearing up for their performance in Central Park on August 28th, when their Final Riot! Tour comes to the Big Apple.

Hayley, Zac, Jeremy, and Josh took time out of their busy schedule to rock out with dozens of lucky fans at Z100's Z Lounge in Planet Hollywood.

WATCH AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE BAND, PLUS CHECK OUT THEIR LIVE PERFORMANCES AFTER THE JUMP.

See PHOTOS OF PARAMORE PERFORMING AT Z100'S Z-LOUNGE AT PLANET HOLLYWOOD IN TIMES SQUARE.

Emily Frances sat down with musical prodigy Ryan Leslie, a native New Yorker, to talk about his rise to fame.

At the age of 19 he graduated from Harvard University and has gone on to produce hits for the likes of Diddy, Britney, Beyonce and found singer Cassie. Called a "phenom" in the music industry, Ryan is now concentrating on his own album and is releasing his first music video "Addiction" feat. Cassie and Fabolous.

We caught up with him at the video shoot to find out what makes him tick.

WATCH THE VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP...

Hailing from Seattle, Washington and formed during their high school days, Danger Radio has been on a non-stop tour since January-- opening for acts like "Metro Station" and "Cute Is What We Aim For."

Critics are calling them a "mix between Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, and Carlos Santana." Danger Radio is continuing to defy genres and we were lucky enough to catch up with them while they were in town to get the scoop. Interview and performance after the jump.

Their album "Used and Abused" is in stores now.
To learn more about the band, visit their website at dangerradio.net