My Bird Performs

As we wind our way through the dog days of summer, Midwestern music fans can take heart in more than just air conditioning. The summer festival season is finally upon us and, though the wait was long and arid, the three shows that are now just hours away from commencement have "promising" written all over them. Over the next two and a half weeks or so, My Bird Performs will transform into Festival Central, offering coverage from Chicago's Pitchfork Music Festival (July 29-30) and Lollapalooza (August 4-6) and Indianapolis' Midwest Music Summit (August 10-12). During this period, check the site for artist profiles, song samples, performance reviews, and all manner of pictures/personal musings from myself and an assortment of guest staffers. To put it simply, the next couple of weeks are gonna be totally tits, y'all. And, with that...



Pitchfork, with its unique combination of vitriol and toffee-nosed elitism, is often used as an example of exactly what's wrong with today's American hipster. However, indie kids everywhere can, for one weekend each year, ignore the site's normally divisive nature and start doing what they were originally meant to do: stand around with their arms crossed listening to bands their parents haven't heard of. That weekend is known as the Pitchfork Music Festival. After getting a taste for the festival atmosphere as curators of last year's Intonation Festival, the people behind Chicago's favorite virtual music rag return a year older, a year wiser, and ready to kick their cred meters into high gear. First, some basics:

NAME: Pitchfork Music Festival
DATES: July 29-30
VENUE: Union Park, Chicago, Illinois
PRICE: $20 for single-day passes, $30 for the whole shebang
TICKET STATUS: It's official - as of yesterday, this baby is sold out.
SIGNIFICANT ACTS: Brazilian tropicalia pioneers Os Mutantes; freak-folk captain Devandra Banhart; college radio stalwarts Yo La Tengo; semi-recluse twangers the Silver Jews; British franchisers Art Brut. For a complete list, check here.
INTENDED AUDIENCE: College radio DJs, former college radio DJs, guys who wax their mustaches, record store clerks, bookish girls, the people in that video.

As you can tell by that admittedly unscientific analysis, Pitchfork looks to appeal to a crowd that's either too jaded or too broke for Lollapalooza, its behemoth older brother. Its attempts to further distance itself from the festival establishment include *gasp!* actually turning their event into a real festival. Throughout the past week, citizens in Chicago have been treated to numerous Pitchfork-related special events. Here are the three coolest:

3) Graphic Noise: Art at 1000 dB's - MODA's Rock Poster Exhibit. Straight from Atlanta and into your head comes a week-long exhibition celebrating the best of rock-related art and graphic design. According to an exhibition presse release, posters and handbills from artists such as Elvis Costello, Death Cab for Cutie, Duran Duran, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are among the highlights of the show, which opened at Chicago's Page Brothers Building on Sunday night. The show runs until Sunday, July 30, and is free to the public.



2) Lunchbreak Concert Series at the Chicago Cultural Center. If you've never been to the Chicago Cultural Center, you're missing out on one of the most enjoyable, not to mention affordable, experiences that the Windy City has to offer. Located in the city's original public library building, the Center's beaux arts architecture is only part of its charm. Open year-round, and offering free admission, the center is home to a number of eclectic artistic installations, ranging from performance art pieces to storytelling competitions. The last time I was there, my friends and I spent a good 30 minutes examining an exhibit dedicated to the art of hand-crocheted superhero costumes. It's just that kind of place. However, one of its most popular traditions is the Lunchbreak Concert Series, a feature that offers busy Chicagoans the opportunity to enjoy a free program of music in the same time it takes to haggle with a street vendor over the contents of a hot dog. Usually devoted to jazz, classical, and world music, this week's series has a decidedly hipper feel. Each day, one of Chicago's popular music clubs sponsored, in conjunction with Pitchfork, a showcase of their favorite Chicago artists. Highlights from these chioces include indie darlings Office (chosen by Schubas Tavern) and honky tonk chargers the Hoyle Brothers (chosen by the Empty Bottle).

1) Pitchfork Festival Opening Night Party. In case you can't wait one more day to start the party, Pitchfork once again has you covered. On friday night, the Metro will play host to the Pitchfork Music Festival Pre-Party show. An extra $15 (the free ends here) pays your way into the indie opening ceremonies. Show up, drink, trade iPods with strangers; you know, whatever it is you do. The event is capped off with performances by comedians Todd Barry, Aziz Ansari (featured in the video above), and Eugene Mirman, as well as music by the Joggers, Sunset Rubdown, and my new favorite group: Voxtrot.

Voxtrot - Raised By Wolves. I'll be the first to admit it: I'm a little late in showing up to the Voxtrot lovefest that's gripped some blogs over the past few months. However, when I found out they were playing at an event I may very well attend, I broke down and downloaded their first two EPs. Oh what a fool I've been. Mixing the exquisite jangle of 80s guitars with equal parts Pharmacist swagger, Gibbard swoon and Sufjan spirtuality, these guys are going to be gracing my mixtapes for years to come.

THE FESTIVAL

Amazingly, everything up until now only serves as a precursor to the festival proper. Since the event is of the massive two-day variety, I've decided to split my preview into two posts. First up is Saturday, and a starting lineup that rivals anything Kenner could ever dream of. For info on any of the artists, including links to their websites, go ahead and check the festival front page.

Since the festival is separated into three stages, I figured I'd look at each one on its own. Unsurprisingly, their names smack of crypticness: the Constructor and Aluminum stages will handle the bulk of the main action, while the Biz 3 stage will act as the festival's B stage. It will also have the pleasure of being the first one we scrutinize for weakness. Hurray!

BIZ 3: DAY ONE

1:00 - 8 Bold Souls
1:50 - Flosstradamus
2:50 - Chicago Underground Duo
3:45 - Tyondai Braxton
4:30 - Ghislain Poirier
5:25 - Spank Rock
6:45 - Matmos
7:40 - Matthew Dear
8:40 - A-Trak

Any festival's B stage has one of the least enviable tasks in showbiz: attracting the disinterested. Fortunately for plucky little Biz 3, Pitchfork has even stacked its practice team with some serious talent. On day one, the Biz 3 stage plays host to acts that cater to audiences outside the indie rock spectrum. The publication seems to be using this stage as a means of flexing its indie hip-hop cred: on Saturday alone, attendees can "ride dirty" with acts like Montreal DJ Ghislain Poirier (whose own website touts his obsession with "big dirty beats") or Adult Swim darlings Spank Rock. For the more electronically inclined in the audience, Biz 3 features sets by house artist Matthew Dear, as well as Chicago natives and mash-up aficionados Flosstradamus and A-Trak, whose prowess behind the tables has impressed even Kanye himself.

OBVIOUS CHOICE: Matmos. As the only instantly recognizable act playing Biz 3 on Saturday, Matmos' quirky ambient tracks will probably bring the stage the bulk of its attention on Saturday, though their spot during parts of sets by both Ted Leo and and the Walkmen will likely hurt attendance.

BIGGEST BARGAIN: Flosstradamus. Situated between the cannibals of Man Man and the melancholy noodlers in Band of Horses, Flosstradamus goes on at a prime time for attracting walk-bys. It'll still be early (the boys go on at 1:50), so why not shake some ass early? It couldn't hurt.

ACT TO WATCH: Matthew Dear. Maybe I'm biased because of my innate love for house and trance, but I think Matthew Dear is going to deliver big this weekend. His work combines coolness and edgy detachment masterfully, and he's positioned at a time of day when most people could use both of those. Now, if only he can woo some folks away from the main stages' one-two punch of the Walkmen and the Futureheads.

Matthew Dear - But For You. This is what it might sound like if Yellow Magic Orchestra had been run by knife-wielding philosophy majors instead of three Japanese dudes.

CONSTRUCTOR: DAY ONE

1:30 - Chin Up Chin Up
2:35 - Band of Horses
4:20 - Destroyer
6:10 - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
8:10 - The Futureheads

With the electronic crowd covered, it's time to move on to the main stages for a look at the action in the center ring. With five acts to offer, the Constructor stage is the smaller of the two main stages. It also appears to be the stage that'll make fans earn their keep. While the Aluminum stage has the good fortune of releasing Man Man from their cages as only the second act, the Constructor stage will likely lose some fans to Biz 3 early thanks to a less than inspired early lineup. Beside the previously mentioned Band of Horses, Constructor also plays host to Chin Up Chin Up, whose Brand New-like love for clever titles does little to mask the averageness of their music. However, all is not lost. The second half of the day brightens considerable, and features three acts (Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, The Futureheads, Destroyer) that are all guaranteed hits. Palpable ones.

OBVIOUS CHOICE: Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. If you could only see one act at the Constructor stage on Saturday, this should be your pick. Ted Leo's creative writing major lyrics and snarly, proactive D.C. punk attitude are matched only by his own vocal acrobatics. I've never heard a man with testicles hit such high notes while simultaneously rocking as hard as humanly possible. This one's a no-brainer.

BIGGEST BARGAIN: The Futureheads. I only say this because they're British, and seeing them in Chicago is clearly cheaper that seeing them in Brighton. Though their new album has yet to move me, they're still one of the reasons I'm at the festival to begin with.

ACT TO WATCH: Destroyer. Dan Bejar is one crazy mofo with a flair for the dramatic. When it comes to his work with Destroyer, I prefer the theatricality of Your Blues; apparently, this puts me in the minority. However, my spider sense tells me that this performance has the potential to sway my opinion.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Loyal To My Sorrowful Country. And people say no one writes protest songs these days.

ALUMINUM: DAY ONE

1:00 - Hot Machine
2:00 - Man Man
3:30 - Mountain Goats
5:10 - Art Brut
7:10 - The Walkmen
9:10 - Silver Jews

The other, bigger main stage suffers from less obvious faults than its smaller counterpart. The Aluminum stage is home to each day's headliner, and this responsibility is reflected its lineup. Truthfully, there really aren't any obvious holes here. Well, except for the Walkmen. I've never liked the Walkmen. Hamilton Leithauser just sounds like a butch Bob Dylan. Anyway, I guess that's a personal problem.

OBVIOUS CHOICE: Silver Jews. These guys aren't headlining for nothing. Since David Berman broke out of his own semi-reculsiveness and began touring earlier this year, I've been itching to catch the Jews in action. Their last album, 2005's Tanglewood Numbers, was easily in my top 5 from last year, and their back catalogue is even stronger than that.

BIGGEST BARGAIN: Art Brut. See: the Futureheads.

ACT TO WATCH: Man Man. Yes, I know. Man Man = super sweet. I remain unsold, though. Somehow, they just sound like a shipwrecked drunk guy's answer to the Decemberists. Plus, that "Engwish Bwudd" video is seven types of obnoxious. We'll see what some live action face time can do for the boys' reputation. There's one thing I do know, though: if these guys don't look as filthy as they sound, I'm outs.

Silver Jews - Buckingham Rabbit. Oddball Americana, you say? Malkmus on guitar, you say? Go oooooooon....

CONCLUSION

Well, that's Day One, and what a day it promises to be. I'm predicting at least one pleasant surprise (someone on the Biz 3 stage gets me to buy their CD), one shocking disappointment (The Futureheads skew heavily towards their new stuff) and one complete surprise (Ted Leo's vocal cords explode on stage). Check back tomorrow for Day Two, and throughout the weekend for thoughts and pictures.

Posted by Tyler on Thursday, July 27, 2006 at 9:21 PM | Permalink