Filtering by Category: Gigs
PHOTOS: Future Generations with Private Island and Wilder
Last week, we caught Future Generations rock the stage at The Beat Kitchen with Private Island and Wilder. Check out the photo gallery of their high energy gig below!
Future Generations are still wrapping up their tour on the east coast. Check out all of the upcoming dates here, and listen to their new single "One More Problem" below!
PHOTOS: Public at Schubas 7.25.17
Public is one of the most personable bands out there right now. If you come to their show, they want to know your story...what brought you to their music. They also want you to leave with something new; a takeaway from their live performance that you can't find anywhere else. And during their hour long set on Tuesday night at Schubas Tavern, the trio delivered exactly what they set out to at the start of tour; a unique experience that put each member of the audience in a better mood and higher spirits than when they entered the concert hall. By the end of the night, even the most tame members of the crowd had found themselves out of their chairs and dancing in the crowd.
Although the dancing reached its peak during the final song of the night "4Her," songs like "Pretty Face" and "Make You Mine" also had the crowd moving. In our interview before the show, frontman John Vaughn described his vision of their developed live show this tour, and their set went above and beyond what he explained. Before the trio played "Make You Mine," towards the end of the set, Vaughn gave the crowd some insight to his inspiration behind the song. These introductions occurred before most of the songs, acting as another way to keep the crowd engaged. The majority of the songs also featured special arrangements or extended jams between the band members that you can't hear on the EPs Sweet Lemonade or Let's Remake It. Mixing things up even more, the set also featured a very well-received cover of "Toxic" by Britney Spears.
If you're looking for a truly unique concert experience, make sure you go see Public on the remaining dates of their Sweet Lemonade Tour. You can see all of the tour dates here, and check out a photo gallery of their show below.
While you wait patiently for our interview with Public, in which they reveal their most recent Google searches, each others' pet peeves, the secrets behind their show and more...listen to the Sweet Lemonade EP in full below!
PHOTOS: Flagship at Empty Bottle 7.18.17
Flagship hit the stage at The Empty Bottle last week, as one of their first stops on a two month tour with their label mates In The Valley Below. If you missed out on the show, check out the full gallery of Flagship's set below.
Flagship will be on tour throughout August. Check out all of the tour dates here, and listen to their latest album The Electric Man below!
PHOTOS: Julie Byrne at Schubas Tavern 7.20.17
Julie Byrne captivated the crowd at Schuba's Tavern last week with her soothing folk tunes. Check out the photo gallery of her mesmerizing set below.
Check out all of Julie Byrne's upcoming tour dates here, and listen to her latest album Not Even Happiness below!
SHAED Wrapped Chicago Around Their Finger with Their Infectiously Energetic Set
Although we’re smack dab in the middle of summer, there’s been no shortage of SHAED the past few months. Playing Mamby at the end of June before returning to support Sir Sly for their show at The Bottom Lounge, the DC trio composed of Chelsea Lee, and twin brothers Spencer and Max Ernst have already performed in Chicago twice this month. Fortunately, the band and the crowd don’t seem to mind, as lead vocalist Chelsea Lee exclaimed “I fucking love this city,” near the end of SHAED’s set on Wednesday night. Cheers and applause greeted Lee’s expression of appreciation for the midwestern city and the audience alike.
That same infectious energy and mutual love clung to band’s roughly 40 minute performance, which has become polished and perfected by touring with the likes of Bishop Briggs and Marian Hill. As the three performed in harmony, Lee’s powerful and smooth vocals rang out into the concert hall, a good portion of the crowd echoing the words back. The Ernst brothers and Lee also grooved to their own music, exuding a feeling of comfort not only between each other, but as performers. A particularly stand-out moment of the night occurred when SHAED played their latest single “Too Much.” During the song, Lee took a break from singing to go dance next to each of the brothers, and the crowd moved in unison to the funky beat, which is perfect for a summer night.
Unreleased material made up a good chunk of the set, as the trio is still working on their debut album, but that didn’t stop the crowd from knowing some of the words or getting into the songs with their bodies. At one point, the crowd started clapping along to the beat, and Lee’s face lit up with a mix of surprise and gratitude at the action of positive feedback from the audience. The band’s nifty lighting rig also added another layer to the live show, keeping the crowd engaged with that facet of the production, but ultimately what had the crowd wrapped around SHAED’s finger was the seamless blend of Lee’s vocals and the production work of the Ernst brothers. It’s early on in their career, but it’s clear that SHAED has found their groove and it will only grow stronger as this tour goes on.
SHAED at The Bottom Lounge 7.19.17
Stay tuned for our interview with the DC based trio, but for now make sure you catch them on tour with Sir Sly. You can see all of the tour dates on SHAED's Facebook page, and listen to "Too Much" below to get ready!
Sir Sly Return With a Raw Performance at Bottom Lounge
“We’ll play at least one more old one. But that’s actually all we’re going to play. I don’t know why I said at least... I’m using my words terribly right now,” Sir Sly’s frontman Landon Jacobs rambled onstage at The Bottom Lounge, right before the trio performed the viral single “Gold” from their first album You Haunt Me. Up until this moment, Jacobs had been using his words beautifully.
Rewinding the clock back to about an hour prior, the lights in the Chicago venue had dimmed and the three members of Sir Sly appeared onstage to ominous intro music, which gradually faded into “Astronaut,” a tune from their highly anticipated sophomore album Don’t You Worry, Honey. Painstakingly honest at times, the album offers an unfiltered and raw glimpse into some of Jacobs’ personal tribulations over the past few years. As you absorb the lyrics and listen to the struggles that are threaded throughout each melody, you’ll find yourself filling with empathy over Jacobs' descriptions of a young marriage falling apart and the pain of losing a parent to cancer. As the words seep in, you suddenly understand why this second album has been such a long time coming.
Before the LA-based trio performed “Altar” from the aforementioned album, Jacobs declared “this is easily the angriest I’ve been while writing lyrics,” and the live performance only amplified the bite behind the song’s chorus, where Jacobs sings “You do what you want/ Sleep with who you want /I can't stop you/ Even if I try, the whole time, you will lie.” The remainder of the set weaved in and out of newer and “old” tracks, which Jacobs points out sounds ridiculous to call any of their music “the old stuff,” as the Chicago tour date fell on the eve of his 27th birthday. Although he may be young, when the band performed “Change” about halfway through the set, it’s evident that Jacobs has gained wisdom beyond his years after experiencing some of his recent hardships. The live version of the song features an auto-tuned spoken word bridge by Jacobs. “I get to improvise that part each night, but the central theme remains the same,” he said, adding that he won’t change who he is for anyone else. And of course, he made the obligatory positive comments about deep dish pizza that touring bands usually mention onstage during the improvised part, which kept it lighthearted.
Continuing on the lighthearted path, Jacobs told the crowd to “smoke em if you got em” before he and his bandmates Jason Suwito and Hayden Coplen played the debut single “High” from Don’t You Worry, Honey. The Chicago crowd had been moving the entire time, but the anthemic single got them jumping higher and thrashing around more than any song prior. The high energy continued throughout the next new track, “&Run,” which also featured an extended jam that you’ll only hear during one of the band’s live performances. During this jam, it was clear that Jacobs, Suwito, and Coplen have matured and grown as both friends and musicians during their years of making music together.
Contrasting the infectiously high energy of the last three songs, the crowd went quiet as Jacobs took a step back to introduce the emotional song “Oh Mama.” Jacobs vulnerably described the heartfelt track as an ode to his mom, which alludes to childhood memories, like singing 80s songs with her. The song is also Jacobs tribute to his mother, who recently passed away from brain cancer. For the unknowing in the crowd, suddenly the meaning behind the band’s backdrop of a giant, light up brain clicked. “She gave me a love of language and taught me how to use my words clearly,” Jacobs said during his song dedication to his mom. As he fondly recalled more memories of his mom, the crowd hung to every word. As Jacobs sings the final line “But oh, mama, one day I'm gonna sing, I'm gonna sing with you again,” his eyes cast upwards to the ceiling, as a final tribute to his mom for the evening.
At this point, Sir Sly’s set has come full circle, to Jacobs' introduction of “Gold,” but once the song came to an end, Jacobs made up for his “at least” blunder. The band performed “High” for a second time that night, closing the night on a high note (pun totally intended). The trio look genuinely humbled and gratified as the crowd let out bellowing cheers, but the praise was much deserved after the precision and passion that had been poured into Sir Sly’s performance. Easily one of the best performances I've seen all year, Sir Sly's set was an emotional rollercoaster, laced with dynamic arrangements and layers that make their show a must-see.
Photos: Sir Sly at Bottom Lounge on 7/19/2017
To experience this electrifying show yourself, head to Sir Sly’s website to snag tickets to the remaining dates of the tour, and listen to Don’t You Worry, Honey below.
PHOTOS: ACLU Benefit Show with Post Animal and Friends
It's been just over a week since Post Animal, The Evening Attraction, Jude Shuma, Condor and Jaybird, and Lucille Furs played a benefit show to a packed SubT, raising over $4000 for The ACLU. If you missed out on the fun and good cause, read about the show here.
Post Animal is back on the road for the rest of the month. Their upcoming tour dates can be found here.
Pitchfork Festival Photo Gallery
Already got the post-Pitchfork blues? Relive all the fun with our photo gallery of the incredible weekend, and check out our daily highlights featuring some standout moments during the performances.
Friday featured Priests, Hiss Golden Messenger, Vince Staples, Frankie Cosmos, Danny Brown, Dirty Projectors, and LCD Soundsystem.
Sunday featured NE-HI, Kilo Kish, poetry reading by the book fort, Isaiah Rashad, Joey Purp, Hamilton Leithauser, Pinegrove, Jamila Woods, and portraits with Vic Mensa and Taylor Bennett.
Pitchfork Fest Day 3 Highlights
Another year at Union Park has come and gone, with many standout moments in between Friday afternoon and Sunday night. By the time Sunday rolled around, the crowd at Pitchfork had definitely dwindled down (three days of nonstop music can really get to you), but the performances were still topnotch. If you missed the festival and didn't opt to have Pitchfork couch party with the live streams, here's what you missed at the final day of Pitchfork!
Kilo Kish Got Theatrical
The LA based multi-talented Kilo Kish opened up the festival on Sunday, getting a little theatrical on The Green Stage. As Kish took the stage, it almost felt more like a Broadway musical was about to begin, rather than a festival performance. Kish's work as a visual artist definitely bled through into her performance as a musician. The multi-faceted and dynamic performance also featured dancing from Kish and she remained emotive while singing, which made for a perfectly well-rounded start to Sunday at Pitchfork.
One of the many expressive faces made by Kilo Kish
Danny Pudi Watched NE-HI
Chicago's own NE-HI had quite the draw at The Green Stage despite their early slot at 2:30PM on the last day of the festival. Among the thrones of locals coming out to support their own, actor and comedian Danny Pudi, who is best known for his role on Community, was spotted watching NE-HI's set. Regardless of their audience, NE-HI gave the same energetic performance they always do, with guitarist Michael Wells doing his signature high jumps and lead singer and guitarist Jason Balla throwing himself around the stage as he strummed his guitar. If you missed NE-HI at Pitchfork, catch them in the fall with fellow Chicagoans Whitney.
Jason Balla of NE-HI
Vic Mensa and Towkio Crashed Joey Purp's Set
Things got rowdy by 4PM on Sunday when Joey Purp took the stage with the support of his DJ Knox Fortune, Peter CottonTale of The Social Experiment, and a whole lot of bass. The crowd at The Blue Stage immediately went wild, reciting the Chicago based rapper's words back to him. During Purp's set, fellow Chicago rappers Vic Mensa and Towkio made a surprise appearance. Purp's set highlighted the collaborative nature of the Chicago music scene.
Joey Purp rapping to a packed crowd
Pinegrove Practically Hosted a Singalong
Some music festivals draw people in for the fashion or the non-music activities, but at Pitchfork most of the folks are there simply to enjoy their favorite bands. While devoted music fans staked out to see their favorite artists all weekend, none seemed more dedicated than those that watched the New Jersey natives of Pinegrove perform on Sunday evening. From the instant that lead singer Evan Stephens Hall sang the first note, the audience became a backing choir, loudly singing along to every word in songs like "Old Friends" and "Then Again." Hall fed the energy right back the enthusiastic crowd, giving a passionate performance.
Evan Stephens Hall mirroring the energy of the crowd
Jamila Woods Got Moved To The Main Stage
Another Chicago artist at Pitchfork this year, Jamila Woods got a much deserved stage bump on Sunday evening when her set got moved from The Blue Stage to The Green Stage. Unfortunately, The Avalanches had to cancel at the last minute due to a family emergency, so the poet and singer songwriter filled in for their slot on the main stage. Many fans had camped out all day to see Solange, and they got treated to an elegant and well-rounded performance featuring Wood's silky vocals and her boisterous backup singers. The Chicago music scene is alive and well thanks to talented songwriters like Woods, and we can't wait to see what else 2017 has in store for her.
Jamila Woods singing in the sunshine