Oh to be young, a music fan and live in Chicago; for the next three weeks there are more bands, festivals and concerts coming through this city than I know what to do with. Some will be missed but I’m sure Mitch and I will get in our fair share over the next month or so and hopefully we won’t be burned out like Justin was after SXSW.
The Pitchfork Music Festival is kicking off the malay this weekend and should be a great two and a half days of music. There seems to be a festival almost every weekend until the end of the summer that we’ll be covering and to make things more fluid and familiar, LMB will keep all the previews looking somewhat the same as Whitperson’s All Good Preview.
Personally, I am pumped about Pitchfork because there are a number of bands I have yet to see and some that I can’t wait to see again. LMB is here to make a few suggestions and maybe someone’s weekend. Its a big event that’s nearly sold out but if you follow the jump you may be able to win yourself some three day passes.
With a special thanks to Boost Mobile and The Fader we are offering a pair of sold out three-day passes to the Pitchfork Music Festival 2008. All you have to do for us is post a little comment. Tell LMB your biggest festival “misadventure” from any festival you’ve been to and the best story will win the passes.
Make sure you put a working email down and we’ll alert you tomorrow evening if you are the winner. We’ll take submissions until tomorrow at 3pm. If its really embarrassing, post a comment saying that and I’ll get back to you personally; you can then share in a confessional style. And now back to the music.
File Under: Americana
Fleet Foxes Saturday 3pm
Rarely does a band get as much positive press as the Fleet Foxes have; I hope that their live show lives up to all the press. From what I’ve listened to, their lo-fi folk sound is really difficult not to be drawn to. The Fleet Foxes have sold out their last three shows and are one of the bands to see this weekend. Just listen to this amazing show from the Black Cat in DC that NPR has running on its site.
M Ward Sunday 6pm
M Ward has really dug out a place for himself in the folk tradition. From his heralded shows with Jim James to the new project with Zooey Deschanel, She & Him, he is all over the musical map and personally I like his solo stuff more than anything else. His live show should be well attended and I’m pretty excited to see “Him” once again.
Bon Iver Sunday 7:30pm
Another group that has been loved by all in recent months and word has it they killed at SXSW so I’m especially excited to see these guys. The best part about Bon Iver’s sound is the soul influence in their music are really strong. A good folksy band with a strong blues/soul roots is hard to deny and the excitement to see these guys is definitely building.
The Hold Steady Saturday 7pm
Truthfully I have had few bands grow on me like The Hold Steady. The fact that I was a huge Soul Coughing fan back in middle school and Craig Finn’s voice oddly reminds me of M. Doughty could be a contributing factor but really I can’t put a finger on it. Always known for an inspired, rocking show The Hold Steady are definitely one of my picks for set of the weekend.
File Under: Dance Party
Cut Copy Sunday 8:25pm
Was lucky to catch Cut Copy’s sold out show back in early May and it was a heater. Though it will be a long weekend I will be getting down to the new wave sounds of these Aussies on Sunday. There isn’t a lot of instrumentation in their live show but if you produce music that makes standing still impossible, I don’t care what you play.
!!! (Chk Chk Chk) Saturday 6pm
I love how !!! is playing Camp Bisco the day before they play at Pitchfork. That’s like going on a date with Jerry Garcia the day before you go on a date with Lou Reed. Just goes to show you that their music’s got mass appeal! I promise to shout out, “How was Camp Bisco!?”, during a lull.
Dizzee Rascal Saturday 4pm
The grime king’s latest, Math & English, is an awesome mix of booty bass and very current electronica. The live show is supposed to be a scene: part rock show, part rave. Dizzee Rascal should be one of the most original and interesting shows of the weekend.
File Under: Impossibly Hip
Vampire Weekend Saturday 5pm
I’ve been listening to Vampire Weekend’s live KEXP show for sometime now and really think their sound transitions well to the live setting. I missed these guys when they last stopped through Chicago and am pumped to see them at Pitchfork. Our friend Drew posted a great review of a show down in FLA about a month back. Check it out if you have any reservations.
HEALTH Sunday 2:20pm
Oozing LA style is how I would describe the band HEALTH. The noise rock group delved into the dance arena this year with their own HEALTH//DISCO take on songs already banged out in the previous LP. I saw the noise rock version in February and was pleasantly intrigued. I’m thinking this will be a set that keeps me interested in the group or leads me away from them altogether.
Ghostface Killah & Raekwon Sunday 6pm
What can I say about two of my favorite members of the Wu Tang Clan; resilient, smooth (for the Chef)/relentless (for Ghost) and legendary that’s what. This show is gonna be so hot and there’s is no doubt in my mind that both these giants will want to leave Union Park knowing they blew everyone away.
File Under: Utter Brilliance
All Tomorrow’s Parties/Don’t Look Back Friday Night
6:00 p.m. Mission of Burma performing Vs.
7:15 p.m. Sebadoh performing Bubble and Scrape
8:30 p.m. Public Enemy performing It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Dirty Projectors Sunday 1:30pm
I’ve been blown away by this band ever since I caught them “accidentally” when I went to see No Kids. Dave Longstreth will be remembered for a long time as a genius of his art. They’re live show was something special and I’m not sure I fully realized it when I caught them last. This may be the show I am most excited to see.
Animal Collective Saturday 9pm
Mind bending and revolutionary in the studio, Animal Collective is equally great on stage. The first show I saw in Chicago last September it was a perfect mirror for moving to a new place. Their show is exciting, unfamiliar and impossible not to enjoy. As the Saturday headliner, they could be the show of the weekend.
Here’s to a great weekend of summertime live music in the city…
Pitchfork Music Festival Schedule and Stages
A = Aluminum Stage;
B = Balance Stage;
C = Connector Stage
View site map here.
Friday, July 18 (in conjunction with All Tomorrow’s Parties/Don’t Look Back):
6:00 p.m. Mission of Burma performing Vs. (C)
7:15 p.m. Sebadoh performing Bubble and Scrape (C)
8:30 p.m. Public Enemy performing It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (A)
Saturday, July 19:
12:30 p.m. Boban i Marko Markovic Orkestar (B)
1:00 p.m. Titus Andronicus (C)
1:25 p.m. A Hawk and a Hacksaw (B)
1:30 p.m. Jay Reatard (A)
2:00 p.m. Caribou (C)
2:20 p.m. Icy Demons (B)
3:00 p.m. Fleet Foxes (A)
3:15 p.m. Fuck Buttons (B)
4:00 p.m. Dizzee Rascal (C)
4:15 p.m. The Ruby Suns (B)
5:00 p.m. Vampire Weekend (A)
5:20 p.m. Elf Power (B)
6:00 p.m. !!! (C)
6:25 p.m. Extra Golden (B)
7:00 p.m. The Hold Steady (A)
7:30 p.m. Atlas Sound (B)
8:00 p.m. Jarvis Cocker (C)
8:25 p.m. No Age (B)
9:00 p.m. Animal Collective (A)
Sunday, July 20:
12:30 p.m. Mahjongg (B)
1:00 p.m. Times New Viking (C)
1:25 p.m. High Places (B)
1:30 p.m. Dirty Projectors (A)
2:00 p.m. Boris (C)
2:20 p.m. HEALTH (B)
3:00 p.m. The Apples in Stereo (A)
3:15 p.m. King Khan & the Shrines (B)
4:00 p.m. Les Savy Fav (C)
5:00 p.m. The Dodos (A)
5:20 p.m. Occidental Brothers Dance Band International (B)
6:00 p.m. M. Ward (C)
6:25 p.m. Ghostface Killah & Raekwon (B)
7:00 p.m. Spiritualized (A)
7:30 p.m. Bon Iver (B)
8:00 p.m. Dinosaur Jr. (C)
8:25 p.m. Cut Copy (B)
9:00 p.m. Spoon (A)
