Pitchfork Rundown: Sunday

Finally......

Sunday, July 20
1:25 p.m. High Places --
Ehhh. I've heard some of their recorded stuff and been alright with it (while not crazy about it), and this set was no different. It was hot as hell, they weren't very engaging, and the music wasn't entirely my taste.
"Canary"

2:20 p.m. HEALTH -
Oh, the HEALTH controversy. I haven't heard anything but their remix album (which, admittedly, is a lot of fun to dance to) and hype and hype and hype, and I was pretty disappointed. Their schtick seems to be hurling themselves around like mad and pausing to look really fucking exhausted at every opportunity. I would believe the latter, except that they all walked onstage looking, well, really fucking exhausted. Clinging to drums and sinking to the ground and inhaling great lungfuls of air and panting them out at us. I didn't buy it.
"Crimewave" (Crystal Castles v. HEALTH)

3:15 p.m. King Khan & the Shrines ++
Such a phenomenal, engaging, entertaining band really doesn't need to rely so much on fodder for the crowd. Their live show is so great off of their personalities alone, that the rest just seems to get in the way. I was neutral on Khan's gold cape and navy boxer briefs (in this crowd, I was just thankful they weren't American Apparel briefs), but really bothered and put off by the bands 'cheerleader', some chick in a blue flapper dress and gold-spangled underwear that I saw way too much of. Where the musicians' glee was infectious, hers seemed affected. Khan doesn't need the act--why include it? It would have been better without.
"I Wanna Be a Girl"

5:00 p.m. The Dodos +++
My surprise hit of the festival. I particularly enjoyed the standard aluminum trash can serving as a kick drum.
"Nerds"

7:00 p.m. Spiritualized +++++
SO LOUD. SO DAMN GOOD. We were in the second row, near-deaf, dancing around gleefully. The soul singers added a perfect element, and the Spaceman was stoic and weird as ever. After two shows I got used to the routine: never a word between songs, never an acknowledgement of the crowd's yells, then a sudden act of violence--battering into a microphone or hurling a guitar across stage--before exiting, coming back on to clap at the audience, and exiting for good.I was so struck by this show and seeing them again in Nashville Tuesday night that I got goosebumps when I realized how close I was to them. We worked our asses off for an encore, but it didn't happen. Does anyone know if these guys have ever played an encore?
"Soul on Fire"

8:00 p.m. Dinosaur Jr. ++++
This probably pulled the most diverse crowd of the festival, and
"Back to Your Heart"

Friday's Playlist

What a weekend.

I had every intention of having a moment to update you all, but what with the party preparations, the Protomen show, and being exorbitantly hungover on Sunday (I slept until seven pm. I nearly missed daylight.) it never happened. But god, what a show it was, and god! what a party it was. I am of the firm belief that one should always sacrifice their blogging for the hedonistic hours of the weekend. So, no apologies! Thanks for tuning in Friday, and here's your playlist:

The Faint, "Posed to Death" from Danse Macabre (Saddle Creek)
C.C. Adcock, "Stealin' All Day" from Noise Makers (Yep Roc)
British Sea Power, "Please Stand Up" from Open Season (Rough Trade)
Apples in Stereo, "Golden Flower" from Electronic Projects for Musicians (Yep Roc)
Jarvis Cocker, "Big Stuff" (Rough Trade)
Kentucky Nightmare, "Caroline" from Take Her Favour (Self-released)
Rogue Wave, "Cheaper Than Therapy" from Asleep At Heaven's Gate (Brushfire)
Josh Ritter, "Rumors" from The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter (Sony BMG)
The Billionaires, "Highschool High" from Really Real For Forever (Too Soon)
Rilo Kiley, "Does He Love You?" from More Adventurous (Brute/Beaute Records)
Ferraby Lionheart, "A Crack in Time" from Catch the Brass Ring (Nettwerk)
Eleni Mandell, "Wings in His Eyes" from Miracle of Five (Zedtone)
The Acorn, "Do You Not Yearn, At All?" from The Pink Ghosts (Paper Bag Records)
The Apples in Stereo, "Shine a Light" from Tone Soul Evolution (Sire Records)
Tilly and the Wall, "Cacophony" from O (Team Love)
The Protomen, "Unrest in the House of Light" from The Protomen (Self-Released)
Wax Fang, "The Doctor Will See You Now" from La La Land (Self-released)
How I Became the Bomb, "Kneel Before Zod" from Let's Go! (Self Released)
Cheap Trick, "Surrender" from Heaven Tonight (Epic)
Meemaw, "Blue in the Blacklight" from Glass Elevator (Infinity Cat)
Robbers on High Street, "Married Young" from Grand Animals (Yew Line Records)
Hot Chip, "Ready for the Floor" from Made in the Dark (DFA/Astralwerks)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Gold Lion (Diplo Remix)" from Show Your Bones (Interscope)
Creature, "Brigitte Bardot"
Chromeo, "Fancy Footwork" from Fancy Footwork (Turbo)
HEALTH, "Crimewave" from Disco (Lovepump United)

Pitchfork Rundown: Saturday

I'm back from my wonderful weekend away from work and house repairs and GRE prep, and back at the grind over the lab bench. Pitchfork 2008 was great for a lot of reasons, despite the rain on Saturday which kicked in just enough to birthe a giant mud pit and ruin my shoes, and despite my friends who were incensed that I wouldn't leave and miss Dinosaur Jr. on Sunday. Come on!

Thanks again to Kate for subbing on Friday, and you can check out all she played here!

Below is my rundown of the bands I saw on the first day of Pitchfork. The second day is forthcoming. We took it a little easier this year, and instead of either camping out at a stage or refusing to take a break from the music all weekend, we did a little shopping (I scored Cheap Trick's Heaven Tonight on vinyl for 5 bucks!) and actually tried the food (the ginger chicken was supreme). This means I saw slightly fewer bands, and was not in the front for all of them--although I came pretty close for a few. I had great company--my friend Mike and his crew on the first day, and my two indie cousins on the second day--and actually didn't get sunburned this year! I also shared my sunscreen with about half a dozen red-necked hipsters, made friends with (most of) the crowd around us, and had a delightful weekend.

Check it out.

Saturday, July 19
1:30 p.m. Jay Reatard ++
Loud, sweaty, and full of energy, barely stopping long enough between songs to yell out the next one before plunging forward. Near noise-rock.
"An Ugly Death"

2:00 p.m. Caribou +
I was too far away.
"After Hours"

4:00 p.m. Dizzee Rascal ++
The token hip-hop group of the year. The field filled up with pot smoke and Dizzee succeeded in making us "Bounce! Bounce! Bounce!"
"Is This Real"

5:00 p.m. Vampire Weekend +
Too pop-arrific for my taste. Still, fun and energetic and not at all a waste of time.
"Oxford Comma"












6:00 p.m. !!! +++
Front row! Lots of pelvic dancing, lots of banter, lots of touching. Nic Offer spent half his time atop the speakers and half his time being stroked by the crowd. There was a kind of sad exchange when a girl insisted upon giving him her giant purple sunglasses, then insisted he keep them--"I don't like sunglasses... they make me feel like I'm trying to be cool"--then, as a weak recovery--"Quick, take your picture. I'm going to take these off in a minute, but I'll wear them whenever I'm trying to be cool. Thanks." Ouch.
"All My Heroes Are Weirdos"






7:00 p.m. The Hold Steady +++
God, I love them. I don't think a single other band of the festival had so much fun onstage, enjoyed the crowd so much, or made it so damn impossible to sing along.
"Party Pit"
























8:00 p.m. Jarvis Cocker ++
I was barely close enough to appreciate the show and didn't really have intentions of staying the whole time (or paying too close attention) but I was completely drawn in by Jarvis Cocker. Aside from the fact that "Common People" is a staple in my danceparty mixes (and really, that doesn't mean anything), I'm ashamed to say I don't know much of Jarvis Cocker's work, and am looking forward to checking out the forthcoming album this fall.
"Big Stuff"

I'll post my rundown of Sunday sometime Thursday or Saturday. Don't forget to tune in Friday to win tickets to see Apples in Stereo, as well as a copy of Electronic Projects for Musicians!

Playlist, 7/11

It was so great to be back in the station this week. The giveaways were chaos, so thanks to all of you who were willing to be a part of that chaos. Remember, I'll be doing more next Friday (the 25th) when I get back in town!

To top it off, Friday I met a fan of the show. See, we never see our listeners--half of our job is based on faith alone. We hope people are listening. We're noncommercial, so we have no way to quantify you, to figure out your demographics, to even know if anyone at all is tuned in. It's absolutely my favorite thing to meet a listener who really likes the show and makes a point to listen in. It blows me away.

And then on top of that, I discovered that the listener who called in and proposed to me some time ago is actually a real, sane, interesting person. So apparently, I should have said yes.

Enjoy the music below. I'll try to post a few more times before I leave town on Friday!


British Sea Power, "No Lucifer" from Do You Like Rock Music?
Liam Finn, "Lead Balloon" from I'll Be Lightning
Mates of State, "Get Better" from Re-Arrange Us
Islands, "Life in Jail" from Arm's Way
Happy Birthday Amy, "This Song Is About Monsters" from Sue
Glossary, "Almsgiver" from The Better Angels of Our Nature
Portishead, "The Rip" from Third
Caitlin Rose, "T-Shirt" from Dead Flowers
Santogold, "Unstoppable" from Santogold
Black Mountain, "Wucan" from In the Future
Spiritualized, "All My Thoughts" from Ladies and Gentlemen we are floating in space
Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, "Gardenia" from Real Emotional Trash
Gospel Gossip, "Wind" from Sing Into My Mouth
The Helio Sequence, "Shed Your Love" from Keep Your Eyes Ahead
Bonnie Prince Billy, "For Every Field There's a Mole" from Lie Down in the Light
DeVotchKa, "The Clockwise Witness" from A Mad and Faithful Telling
Margot And The Nuclear So And So's, "Skeleton Key"
Lucero, "She's Just That Kind of Girl" from Rebels, Rogues, & Sworn Brothers
New Buffalo, "Cheer Me Up Thank You" from Somewhere, Anywhere
Akudama, "Out Again" from Johnny Appleseed EP
Electric President, "Insomnia" from Electric President
Sigur Ros, "Inni Mer Syngur Vitleysingur" from Meo suo i eyrum vio spilum endalaust

Unconfirmed Disappointment: Mucklewain 2008

So after a slew of phone calls, emails, and drunken shouts that Mucklewain 2008 was going to happen, I'm fairly certain it is not.  If you haven't already figured that out from the lack of news, it's been fairly confirmed by some of the folks who helped get it together last year.  I'm very, very sad to hear that news, but not surprised. Disappointed as well?  Here's what you should do.

Go to http://www.myspace.com/mucklewain and leave a comment or send a message to Joie Todd.  If you went last year or the year before, tell him what the festival meant to you.  Tell him how far you drove to get there, tell him what acts you liked, tell him about the people you met, tell him what your Mucklewain was like.  Most importantly, just tell him thanks.  He needs to know how much we appreciate all he's done for the festival, and how glad we are that it happened last year.  If you haven't been but want to go, tell him what you've heard about it, tell him why you want it to happen again.  Tell him that we'll keep holding out for a Mucklewain 2009, or 2010, or 2020.  Tell him you'd be happy to help spread the word, or recommend bands, or get your business/radiostation/friends involved.  Let him know!

At any rate, I'm so glad I heard about Muckelwain in time to make it to last year's festival.  I won't forget about it--don't you either.

EDIT: Giveaways, Giveaways!

EDIT: Due to a last minute change in plans, I won't be leaving town this weekend, but I will be gone next weekend.  That means: show tomorrow, no show on 7/17.  Lots of giveaway edits.  Read below.

The good news: Kate from Say Yes! To Music is going to sub for me (next week I hope)!  She just started her first summer DJing and is doing a kickass job of it, so I'm glad to be able to give her some drivetime.  Tune in and let her know if you like what you hear!

The better news:

This week as well as the week I get back, July 11th and 25th,  will be a blowout of giveaways.  

This week I'll be giving away a slew of tickets to Forecastle Festival (see forecastlefest.com for details), including 2 3-day passes, 2 Sunday VIP passes, and a few other 1-day passes that have not yet been claimed.   Also, I'll be giving away two passes to see Spiritualized at the Mercy on 7/22!  

Only July 25, I'll be giving away a pair of tickets to the Apples in Stereo show on 7/29 with Poison Control Center and Big Fresh at the Mercy Lounge.  The show's 18+ and kicks off around 9pm.  And along with your tickets, you'll get a copy of the Apples' latest album, Electronic Projects for Musicians.

So mark your calendar for this Friday and next and make sure to tune in from 4pm-6pm CST on your drive home.  Or listen in at WRVU.org if you don't have a radio nearby.  Giveaways will start shortly after 4pm and continue throughout the show.

Feel free to ask if you've got any questions, and get yourself geared up for all the great music in and around town!

Minimix: The reason I haven't posted in a week and a half...

I'm back from the family beach trip, which was a delightful mess of competitive tubing and aggressive drinking, long days out on a boat and long evenings playing beach games, family sing-alongs and incredible food.  It would be unfair to say I'm the oddball of the family, because it's so obvious we've got the same blood--we're loud, boisterous, active, always talking and socializing and enjoying each other.  My indie-hipster leanings are somewhat the exception.  The cousins gather together with a deck of cards and a cooler of Summer Beer and listen to Rihanna and other top 40 until five AM hits and we've got enough energy left to walk nextdoor and sleep until noon.  The whole family gets out the banjo, or the guitar if there's not one around, and sings "Margaritaville" and "Bitin' My Fingernails" and even all seven-and-a-half minutes of "American Pie".

With only about thirty of us at the beach this year, we weren't as big of a group as usual, but with aunts, uncles, grandparents, boyfriends, in-laws, cousins, second cousins, great-grandchildren... we're a crowd.

So after that wonderful exhaustion, I came home and immediately packed up the minivan and began the move to my new house!!!!! which I couldn't be more excited about.  It's old as hell and covered in ivy and KA fraternity brothers lived in it last year and left us a keg and a bunch of beer and a hole in the ceiling and I love it.  My closet is larger than the kitchen of the last place I lived.  I'm just completely ecstatic about being there.

But, the move has kept me busy (since I've also been working 830-5) and the point of that whole spiel was that I have not posted because I have been out of town and moving.

Also, I won't be able to do my show this week because I'll be in Wisconsin for a wedding, and the week after that I'll be in Chicago for Pitchfork!  So, my deepest apologies.  This week I've got a kickass sub, Brandon Spencer from Nashville Mixtapes, so check him out and see what you think.  I'm not sure about the week after that, but I'll let you know.

In the meantime, to make up for it, here's a minimix of songs loosely related to what I've been doing this week.  Enjoy!

The Dalloways, "A Place to Call Our Home"

Art Brut, "Moving to L.A."

The Spinto Band, "Brown Boxes"

Arcade Fire, "Neighborhood #2"

Beach House, "Home Again"