Sporting bright basics and snappy accessories (check out his cameo brooch & bow tie!), this pair is easily the best dressed duo at the Randolph Street Market.
Posted in chicago, street style, wearing, west loop
Tagged chicago, events, randolph street market, street style, wearing, west loop
Storm clouds darkened the sky as the California group took the stage at Lollapalooza, assaulting the audience with a fierce downpour one song into the set. There was scarcely any cover from the pelting torrent, and some poncho swathed festival-goers scurried under trees while others dove headfirst into quickly forming mud bogs. The scene was a surreal contrast to Cosentino’s beachy melodies, but Best Coast was not dampened, playing with intensity that added a harder edge to their doo-wop…
Read the rest of my review and get MP3s at Indieball.com.
Earlier this month, Best Coast released short and extended versions of the music video for the track “Our Deal,” off of 2010′s Crazy for You. Directed by Drew Barrymore for MTV’s Supervideo series, the video features a West Side Story-like teen gang rivalry, with star-crossed lovers, sharply-dressed indie kids, cameos, and breakdance fighting. Check it out below.
Posted in chicago, events, exploring, festivals, indieball, listening, magnificent mile, music notes
Tagged best coast, chicago, events, festivals, listening, lolla, lollapalooza, music notes, our deal
Visitors pose on Michigan Ave. with the sculpture by Seward Johnson. - Chicago, IL
Posted in arts, chicago, magnificent mile, street scene
Tagged arts, chicago, magnificent mile, marilyn monroe, michigan ave, sculpture, seven year itch, seward johnson, street scene
In a set that seemed made for summer Sunday afternoons, the Brooklyn band’s easygoing indie pop performance was as sunny as the bright reflection off the Chicago skyline. Blending new tracks from Belong, released in March, with familiar favorites from their 2009 debut, Pains were a welcome respite of luminous balance in a blissfully hectic weekend.
Enjoy a video of “Heart in Your Heartbreak” below. Read the rest of my review and get MP3s at Indieball.com.
Posted in events, festivals, listening, music notes
Tagged chicago, events, festivals, listening, lolla, lollapalooza 2011, music notes, the pains of being pure at heart
As mentioned in my June fest recap, Chicagoans pack in their fun in the sun while they can all summer long. While there are hundreds of neighborhood street festivals, here are my picks for the best fests of July 2011.
Chicago Folk & Roots Festival: July 9-10, 2011
Organized by the Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago Folk & Roots festival features an eclectic lineup of folk, funk, global, and rootsy music from all over the world. Located in Lincoln Square’s Welles Park, the fest draws hippies, families, and music lovers of all kinds for a crowd of 30,000 over two days. This year I took in stage plummeting acrobatics by The Soul Sonic Sirkus, Congolese hip-hop/soul artist Baloji, and shimmied my way through my first salsa lesson to the energetic Caribbean beats of Cuban flutist Maraca.
Roscoe Village Burger Fest: July 9-10, 2011
Nine local vendors competed for the battle of the burger at the second annual Roscoe Village Burger Fest. Restaurants including Goose Island, Hamburger Mary’s, and last year’s winner John’s Place, served up full size burgers and sliders in variety of carnivorous flavors. Attendees texted in their votes with Stanley’s Kitchen & Tap taking top burger.
[Photo Credit]
West Fest: July 9-10, 2011
Whether grooving to the garage soul of King Khan, rocking out to Local H, or dancing the night away with Derrick Carter, West Fest’s allure lies in its musical lineup. Programmed by The Empty Bottle, the fest’s diverse live music draws a hip crowd and is a great reason for exploring west Chicago Ave.
Pitchfork Music Festival: July 15-17, 2011
90-degree days spent outdoors, sweaty strangers, and up-and-coming indie rock are an incredible combination in my opinion. If you’re not sure why Pitchfork is my preferred Chicago music festival check out my 4 favorite things and enjoy my photos from this year’s fest.
Wicker Park Fest: July 23-24, 2011
Boasting names like Blitzen Trapper, Wild Flag, Wavves, and Flosstradamus, Wicker Park Fest is another summer street event that’s known for its musical lineup. Check out Chi-town indie darlings Company of Thieves performing “Modern Waste” from their latest album.
Sheffield Garden Walk: July 23-24, 2011
Strains of Verdi lilt through the late afternoon while sunlight filters through garden leaves, casting different patterns on the mossy stone paths below. Beyond the sidewalk, through a verdant archway, I feel worlds away from the street I’ve rambled down so many times, invited to share in Lincoln Park’s personal city retreats.
Now known as the “Garden District of Chicago,” this neighborhood was not always blooming. By the mid-1950′s, much of Lincoln Park had fallen into disrepair. The Sheffield Garden Walk was first organized in 1969 to draw attention to the beauty of the neighborhood. The lovely trees and street planter boxes you see lining the lanes of this neighborhood are due to the work of the Sheffield Neighborhood Association. While that first festival featured 16 local gardens, 78 local residents shared their gardens for this year’s Garden Walk.
A Garden Walk map guides you through the neighborhood, including a botanical background of each featured property. There’s a community feel to the festival and homeowners are happy to tell you about their gorgeous places and rare plants. The Sheffield Garden walk makes you feel like a neighbor no matter which ward you hail from…at least for the weekend.
Taste of Lincoln Ave: July 30-31, 2011
With a kid’s carnival, beer and food vendors, and the addition of the Lill Street Craft Fair, the Taste of Lincoln Ave. is a summer standard in Lincoln Park. The festival’s 28th edition featured five stages of live music, including blues legend Johnny Winter. Jam with Johnny to “Dust My Broom,” below.
Posted in drinking, eating, events, exploring, festivals, lincoln park, lincoln square, listening, roscoe village, union park, west loop, west town, wicker park
Tagged chicago, chicago street fest, drinking, eating, events, festivals, folk and roots fest, lincoln park, lincoln square, listening, pirchfork music festival, roscoe village burger fest, sheffield garden walk, taste of lincoln ave, union park, west fest, west loop, west town, wicker park, wicker park fest
“Hundreds of thousands of buyers repeatedly receive up-to-the-minute information concerning products necessary to their daily living.” No, we are not talking tweets or Google+, the advertising medium in mind is billboards.
“To Market to Market,” by General Outdoor Advertising Co. offers a look at daily life in Chicago circa 1942. While we discover the scientific processes behind outdoor ad placement, Chicagoans are seen running errands in furs, hats, and heels or pulling up vintage automobiles to a filling station. A billboard reading, “Help Defense, Don’t Waste Antifreeze,” displays a sense of the times, yet ads for Sunkist, Coca-Cola, and Rice Krispies remind us that maybe nowadays are not so different.
[via How to be a Retronaut]
Posted in chicago, exploring, link love, street scene
Tagged ads, advertising, billboards, chicago, chicago history, link love, street scene, vintage
It’s been a busy weekend. Three days at North America’s most populated festival is not for the faint of heart, and I packed in a variety of performances at Lollapalooza‘s 20th anniversary. One of the wonders of Lolla is the range of fantastic acts featured, from mainstream veterans and rock legends, to up-and-comers and the next big thing. At a festival this massive you simply can’t do it all…but you can try.
The images below comprise a snapshot of my auditory adventures at Lollapalooza 2011. Yes, yes, there are some omissions in my itinerary. However, moral musical dilemmas must be decided, lobster corndogs must be consumed, and one needs to brave the porta-potty line at some point. The good news is, with so much talent packed into Grant Park, you really can’t go wrong.
*Click images for full size
Foster the People • Grace Potter & the Nocturnals • The Kills • Two Door Cinema Club • The Mountain Goats • A Perfect Circle • Crystal Castles • Coldplay •Girl Talk •Fitz and the Tantrums • Mayer Hawthorne and The Country • The Drums • Deftones • Local Natives •Ellie Goulding • Lykke Li • My Morning Jacket • Eminem • Pretty Lights • Daedelus • Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses • The Pains of Being Pure at Heart • The Cars • Flogging Molly • Cage the Elephant • Best Coast • Arctic Monkeys • Foo Fighters • Kid Cudi •
Posted in chicago, events, exploring, festivals, listening, magnificent mile
Tagged chicago, events, festivals, grant park, listening, lolla, lollapalooza 2011, lollapalooza performances, music notes
I hope everyone in Chicago is having an incredible Lollapalooza weekend!
I will be posting Lolla follow-ups soon, but until then enjoy my review of Cold Cave’s performance at last month’s Pitchfork Music Festival, featured on Indieball.com.
The searing 90-degree weather at Pitchfork Music Festival hardly phased Cold Cave’s post-industrial, new wave sensibility. Outfitted in leather jackets and black denim, the NY-based trio delivered brooding synth beats with fists clenched in the air, inciting a goth-pop dance party…The darkly delicate “Confetti,” is an example of the balance between brooding romantic and appetizing pop aesthetic appearing on Cherish the Light Years.
Read the rest of my review and get MP3s at Indieball.com.
Posted in chicago, events, listening, music notes, union park
Tagged chicago, cold cave, listening, music notes, pitchfork music festival, union park
