TORTOISE
It was on Saturday afternoon, smack in the middle of the three-day moe.down festival and during a feel-good version of moe.’s “New York City,” that the band was joined on stage by a group of grade school children. As the kids paraded around in front of the band, some in costumes and all smiling, singing and dancing, it was easy to see the mirror effect it had on the crowd – the music had tapped into the child in each of us, not a care in the world, just enjoying the music and the weather and that funny feeling one gets when sharing a good time with thousands of other people.
After having their song ‘Do You Realize’ named the official state song of Oklahoma, psych-rockers continue gaining momentum, now being named as the headliners for this summer’s Pitchfork Music Festival.
In addition to the Lips, the festival, which will take place from July 17 to July 19 in Chicago’s Union Park, will also feature Grizzly Bear, who are perhaps the most talked-about band in indie rock right now. The Brooklyn-based quartet’s new album, Veckatimest, is coming out in May and is being anticipated to an almost ridiculous degree. Grizzly Bear was already popular amongst indie rock fans after the release of their 2007 album Yellow House, but after touring with Radiohead and playing on both Letterman and Conan O’Brien, the group looks destined to become a household name.
Pitchfork Media has posted some of the lineup for this summer’s Pitchfork Music Festival. The festival will take place in Chicago’s Union Park July 17-19 and actually has a pretty cool feature called “Write the Night: Set Lists by Request.” Beginning on Friday, March 13, and ending on June 12, when a ticket is purchased a confirmation e-mail will be sent including a link that will allow you to vote on which songs the bands will play. Ah, Pitchfork, always bringing the power to the people.
The Schedule (so far):
7/17
Built to Spill
The Jesus Lizard
Yo La Tengo
Tortoise
7/18
The National
Pharoahe Monch
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
7/19
Grizzly Bear
The Walkmen
Vivian Girls
The legendary Aretha Franklin and clarinetist Anthony McGill are scheduled to perform at Obama’s inaugural bash, but exciting lineups have also been announced for less formal celebrations. The Hideout, a swank venue in Obama’s Midwestern quarters and political activists at Interchange will sponsor the Big Shoulders Ball: Chicago Celebrates Change and bring the fiesta to D.C.’s Black Cat. Literary extraordinaire Thomas Frank was confirmed as presenter for a string of impressive acts, including rockin’ performances by Ted Leo, Andrew Bird and Tortoise amongst many others. In light of the event’s indie foundations, guests are requested to put away the glam and bring on the gram, so if you plan to attend, fish through grandma’s closet or local thrift store before heading to the nation’s capital on Jan 19th.
Ted Leo, Andrew Bird Play Obama Inauguration Bash [Pitchfork]
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