Bouncing Souls @ Bamboozle in May (more by Dana (Distortion) Yavin)

today in Chicago
* Wicker Park Fest (Day 2)
* Tennis, Pet Lions @ Lincoln Hall
* Rebecca Gates @ Saki (Free; In-store)
* Rebecca Gates, Archer Prewitt @ Hideout
* Zoo Animal, The Wiitala Brothers @ Schubas
* Bouncing Souls, Menzingers, Luther, Masked Intruder @ Metro
* Alessandro Cortini, Richard Devine, Lichens, Keith Fullerton Whitman @ Empty Bottle
* Black Actress, The Brothers Gross, Not All There, The Van Buren Boys @ Subterranean

Rebecca Gates plays a 5PM in-store at Saki and then headlines the Hideout later tonight with support from Archer Prewitt (of The Sea and Cake, who are releasing a new LP).

Wicker Park Fest 2012 finishes off tonight.

Schoolboy Q has a new video for "There He Go." Watch it below.

Follow @bvChicago on Twitter, "Like" us on Facebook.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Sunday?"

A$AP Rocky @ Pitchfork Festival 2012 (more by Fred Pessaro // BBG)

A$AP Rocky and the A$AP Mob are slated to head out on the LongLiveA$AP tour in late-September, which features Danny Brown and Schoolboy Q. All three acts hit Chicago earlier this month to perform at the 2012 Pitchfork Music Festival. That tour will reach Chicago on October 11 for a show at the Congress Theater. Tickets for that show are not on sale yet, but check Ticketfly for updates.

In related news, Rocky was arrested in NYC last week after a brawl with some photographers, which caused him to miss his scheduled performance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Brawls are kind of his thing.

All LongLiveA$AP dates are listed below...

Continue reading "A$AP Rocky touring w/ Danny Brown & Schoolboy Q, playing the Congress Theater"

photos by Chase Turner and James Richards IV, words by Parker Langvardt

Wild Flag / Sleigh Bells

Day 2 of the 2012 Pitchfork Music Festival happened on Saturday (7/14) with sets from Grimes, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Hot Chip, Sleigh Bells, Nicolas Jaar and more. We've already got pictures of day 2 up on BrooklynVegan, and here's another set of pics for BV Chicago.

I began my Saturday at the Blue Stage for The Atlas Moth, whose bluesy doom was an appropriate fit for the grey weather we had early on at the fest. Vocalist and guitarist Stavros Giannopoulos flashed a friendly peace sign that contrasted the aggression of his high, crackling scream. The interweaving riffs of the three guitarists give a lively edge to the band's slow, doomy rhythms. They were later joined by Chicago jazz trumpeter Jaimie Branch, who previously lent her skills to a track on The Atlas Moth's 2011 album An Ache For the Distances, and de facto Chicago rock saxophonist Bruce Lamont of Yakuza and Bloodiest. Lamont also performed with The Atlas Moth at SXSW 2012, and just last week contributed to The Black Lips' performances at The Empty Bottle and West Fest.

Cloud Nothings started on the cheerier end of their 2012 album Attack On Memory opening with "Fall In" and following with "Stay Useless". The rain began after "Separation," and it was down-pouring by the noisy bridge of "Wasted Days" a couple songs later. The stage hands covered the floor monitors with tarps before the PA system was shut off entirely, leaving the band jamming at stage volume. When frontman Dylan Baldi went to sing and found his mic off, the crowd took over the chant of "I thought I would be more than this" before Cloud Nothings closed out their set. They seemed disappointed, but great set nonetheless.

The sky had cleared by the time Bradford Cox took the stage as Atlas Sound, decked out in a straw hat, white face paint and a harmonica hanging angularly from his neck. Like most Atlas Sound shows, it was just Bradford and his acoustic guitar on stage, but he creates layers of sound with the loop and effect pedals that he runs it through.

The rain picked up again for Liturgy, who have disintegrated from a black metal quartet into a guitar duo backed by programmed drums. This was not the kind of set that you casually walked away from; it either captivated or repelled. The bizarre electronic drum tones might have fit better with dance music, but instead followed chunky, mechanical rhythms which usually synced up well, but lacked the dynamics that used to be provided by live drummer Greg Fox.. At one point, frontman Hunter Hunt Hendrix gave a solo vocal performance that involved him looping his voice into a strange, twisted chant, which stood in contrast to the howling and yelping scream he produced during the rest of the set.

The sun made its final return by the time Flying Lotus began his set. He spun bits of A$AP Rocky, a sped up Schoolboy Q, and the beat to "Niggas in Paris," mixed with pieces of his own abstract recordings. He was joined mid-set by rapper and Brainfeeder label mate Azizi Gibson, who also played the Brainfeeder showcase that night.

After a long set up and some volume issues with the PA, Nicolas Jaar and his live band began creating a swell of noise before settling into a cool electronic R&B groove. Though some of the band's mics were too quiet, the set was still enjoyable.

Back at the Blue Stage, Schoolboy Q walked on stage and yelled "Pitchfork, what it fuckin' do?" He later made a comment about being faded, a mental state fans might have expected from the lyrics of "Hands On the Wheel," which was heard during both his and Flying Lotus' sets. Many of his songs work in a party setting, but there is a dark sense to it. He made sure to keep the energy up, jumping and yelling more aggressively than heard in his recordings.

Hardcore fans of Godspeed You! Black Emperor had camped out in front of the Green Stage for a couple hours prior to their set, though it was still possible to get a good spot, about as far back as the sound booth, fifteen or so minutes before they began. The proximity of the stages made it easy to catch any artist for an acceptable amount of time, yet there was very little bleeding of sound between stages.

Godspeed spent the first several minutes of their set focusing on one note, working intently on expanding it slowly by creating noise that inched up toward harmonizing notes. After a careful build, the strings broke out into a dark Eastern European melody. When the first song ended, the silence was eerie, like a cease-fire in a war zone. The often sepia imagery projected behind them reinforced the seriousness of their set, at one point showing sped up smoke stacks spewing vapor and particles into the atmosphere. Having seen their other project Thee Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra earlier this year, the instrumental Godspeed seemed to be more apocalyptic and bleak. Both bands are very critical in a post-modern way, but the lyrics in Silver Mount Zion provide a sense of hope, in that there are other humans aware of the world's problems. Godspeed You! Black Emperor is more like the soundtrack to the human race destroying itself.

Pics from day 1 are HERE. More from day 2 are below...

Continue reading "#P4K Festival 2012 pics & review (part 4) - Grimes, Nicolas Jaar, Psychic Paramount, Liturgy, Youth Lagoon, Danny Brown & more"

White Fence & Ty Segall

today in Chicago
* Larkin Poe @ SPACE
* City of Win party @ Beauty Bar
* Old Monk, Soft Jolts @ The Burlington
* Justin Townes Earle, Tristen @ Park West
* Royal Bangs, Thunders, Heavy Times @ Township
* George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic @ Cubby Bear
* Khaira Arby, Das Boton @ Old Town School of Folk Music
* Abbi Rajasekhar, Small Houses, Sharon Irving @ Quenchers
* Dastardly, The Shams Band, The Dirty Feathers @ Subterranean
* Ty Segall, White Fence, The Strange Boys, Bitchin Baja @ Lincoln Hall
* Deth Warrant, Rad Payoff, Vanna Inget, Government Jobs @ Ultra Lounge
* Saturday Looks Good To Me, The Wild Moccasins, Love of Everything @ Schubas
* Destruction, Warbringer, Vital Remains, Pathology, Savagery, Vesicant @ Reggie's
* Frosting, Tomorrow, The Moon, Kevin Tihista's Red Terror, The Welcome @ Beat Kitchen
* The Steel Chops, The West Side Winders, Miss Jackie and The Sass, Northside Ruckus @ Double Door

Schoolboy Q, who played Reggie's on Tuesday night (5/8), will be recording a Daytrotter session TODAY (Thursday, May 10). Stream it live at 3:30PM CST.

Grimes has a new (NSFW) video for "Nightmusic." Check it out below.

Follow @bvChicago on Twitter, "Like" us on Facebook.

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

Schoolboy Q @ Reggie's on Tuesday (5/8) (via)

On Tuesday night (May 8), Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul brought The Groovy Tour through Chicago for a show at Reggie's. Where you there? How was it? Maybe you went to his meet and greet at Jugrnaut earlier in the day? Check out two videos from the show at the bottom of this post, one of which is an eight-minute clip of Q's "There He Go," "Hands On The Wheel," and a cover of Chief Keef's "I Don't Like."

Watch below...

Continue reading "Schoolboy Q & Ab-Soul played Reggie's, covered Chief Keef (videos)"

Schoolboy Q @ SOB's (NYC) (more by Julie Schabel)

As mentioned, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul play Reggie's tomorrow night (May 8), supported by Jugrnaut. Tickets for the show, which we don't suggest you miss, are still available. Q will also be hanging out at the Jugrnaut shop (427 S. Dearborn St.) from noon-3PM tomorrow afternoon.

You actually have two additional chances to see him in the coming months: the 2012 Pitchfork Music Festival on July 14 and First Midwest Bank Amphitheater on July 27.

A few choice videos, below...

Continue reading "Schoolboy Q hits Reggie's tomorrow, but first a meet and greet @ Jugrnaut"

Wiz Khalifa & Snoop Dogg @ Coachella (via)

Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller are heading out on the Under the Influence of Music tour this summer, which reaches Tinley Park's First Midwest Bank Amphitheater on July 27. Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q will open. Advance tickets are on sale.

As mentioned, Q has a Chicago show of his own at Reggie's on May 8. Fellow Black Hippy member Ab-Soul will open. Tickets are still available. As also mentioned, both Q and Kendrick Lamar will be performing at Pitchfork Fest 2012 in Union Park in July.

Snoop Dogg, who brought out Wiz and Kendrick as surprise guests at Coachella last weekend, is coming to the Horseshoe Hammond Casino on May 24. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Saturday, April 21), at 10AM CST. Snoop is currently trying to get "#snoop420" trending on Twitter. Help a guy out?

Schoolboy Q

LA rapper Schoolboy Q, who made a splash at SXSW 2012, has announced a spring North American tour in support of his sophomore LP Habits & Contradictions. Kicking off in late-April in his homestate of California, Q will reach Chicago's Reggie's on May 8. Advance tickets are on sale. Joining him on the entire tour, will be fellow Black Hippy member Ab-Soul. Their full spring schedule can be found at the bottom of this post.

As mentioned earlier today, Schoolboy Q has also been added to the lineup of the 2012 Pitchfork Festival.

All known 2012 tour dates and some videos, below..

Continue reading "Schoolboy Q to play Reggie's on tour before Pitchfork Fest"

The Atlas Moth @ BV-SXSW 2012 (more by Greg Cristman)

The Atlas Moth, Danny Brown, Dirty Projectors, Clams Casino, Flying Lotus, Iceage, The Men, Olivia Tremor Control, Purity Ring, Schoolboy Q, and Sleigh Bells were all just added to the lineup of Pitchfork Festival 2012, taking place in Chicago's Union Park from July 13-15. Three-day passes are now sold out, however single-day tickets are still available.

20+ acts are still TBA. Current lineup below..

Continue reading "The Atlas Moth, Danny Brown, Dirty Projectors & more added to Pitchfork Festival 2012"