The Vallures and Reverend Horton Heat

Friday night, I had the pleasure of seeing The Reverend Horton Heat and The Vallures at Double Door here in Chicago.  It's been a few years since I've seen a show at Double Door.  I think it's a great place to see a rock show.  It's definitely got a bit of the down and dirty vibe.  The drinks are a little on the pricey side, though. Anyway, enough about the club.  I had seen RHH at Riot Fest two years ago, and really enjoyed them. When I heard they'd be playing at the Double Door, I really wanted to see them.  I saw online the opening act was The Vallures, described as a 60s girl group.  I was definitely interested in checking them out.  They did NOT disappoint.  First of all, their appearance was great, very visually appealing.  The band consisted of five girls and two guys. All the girls wore the same cute, retro red dress.  Of course, they had the mandatory bouffants.  The two guys wore outfits that nicely complemented the ladies.  It seemed like they played a lot of covers, with a few originals.  They seemed to have been greatly inspired by Motown. Can I saw they were super original, obviously not.  However, they were super fun.  Everyone was dancing. I'd dare ya not to.  The lead singer Jes could give Diana Ross or Ronnie Spector a run for their money.  It's the closest I'll ever get to seeing the Shangri-Las or Ronnettes.  After their set, we went to the downstairs lounge for a drink.  Some of The Vallures were there, so we talked to them for just a minute.  They were super nice and sweet.  I really hope they make it back to Chicago soon.  I was so impressed, I bought their single they were selling.  I plan on stalking their facebook page to keep an eye out for their next Chicago appearance.

The Reverend Horton Heat is a psychobilly band based out of Dallas.  I would describe their sound as rockabilly meets punk meets surf.  As I said earlier, I had seen them at Riot Fest and wanted to see them again.  Unfortunately, for RHH, they had The Vallures open for them this time. The Vallures would be hard to top. The three gentlemen in RHH are all great musicians in their own right.  Jim Heath, the singer and guitarist, is a great and energetic frontman.  He plays a mean guitar, with a surf edge at times, as well.  One thing I love is their bassist Jimbo Wallace.  By bassist, I mean an upright bass, and not bass guitar.  He's a lot of fun to watch, and has the whole rockabilly persona down!  What gives RHH that unique sound of theirs, though, is the drummer Scott Churilla.  He is a punk drummer!  He gives RHH that punk edge that separates them from other rockabilly bands.  He even embraced that in his appearance. While Jim and Jimbo had the rockabilly outfits and pompadour hair, Scott just wore a black tshirt and left his hair shaggy.  They put on a great high energy show.  The crowd appeared to be having a lot fun, dancing around.  Both bands were excellent and put on great shows.  If you get a chance to see either, I recommend ya go!

Pitchfork Day 3

Sadly, Pitchfork like all good things must come to an end.  I didn't really see/hear a ton of music on the last day.  I was more about taking in the scene.  The first band I did see was The Dum Dum Girls.  I enjoyed them a lot.  They were a lot of fun.  Three girls were lined up in the front with their guitars and bass.  They all wore tight black clothing, and had dark hair.  They reminded me of the Robert Palmer girls.  I would best describe their sound as rock/pop with a 60s girl group vibe.  Think the Shangri-las meet the Ramones.  One of my favorite musicians Johnny Thunders probably would've loved them.  The harmonies were incredible, and was accented by some awesome guitar playing.  At one point, Dee Dee (the lead singer)  held a note longer than I think I have ever heard in person before.  Theses girls are no dummies.  They put on a darn good show, and I would very much like to see them in a non-festival setting.

The next band I saw was Majical Cloudz.  I have seen them before, once again at Schubas.  Schubas is a great small venue, a very intimate setting.  It was the perfect venue to see Majical Cloudz.  It was just the singer and a keyboardist.  At Schubas, there was a singular light on the singer.  The simple lighting and the singer's gorgeous, beautiful vocals created something very special.  I remember describing it as almost a religious experience.  I was very interested to see how that would translate into a festival setting.  For being such a serious performer, the singer Devon is very humorous and disarming.  He seems to have a nervous energy that comes across as charming and funny.  Unfortunately, they had technical issues.  The keyboard died.  They had to improvise.  He sang some acapella, had the audience clap a beat for a song, and had the crowd tell jokes.  They got another keyboard, but it must not have had some sounds they needed stored. He said it would be a stripped down, coffee house version.  It was still a great set.  However, I must admit I did prefer the intimate setting of Schuba's to see them in.

The last act I saw was the cute Canadian Grimes.  I'm not normally a huge fan of electronic music, but Grimes is one electronic artist I enjoy.  I didn't know too much of her stuff before Pitchfork.  It was almost like a dj set, but with her live vocals.  The electronic beats and her childlike voice created a cool effect. I was expecting a somewhat dark performance.  She was dressed in black, but that was the only thing dark about it.  It was a great, fun performance.  The crowd was dancing up a storm.  Grimes had two back up dancers. They were dressed almost like 80s aerobic video girls.  They even danced with ribbons a few times, ala Get in Shape Girl.   She tested out a few new songs, and even admitted she did not have the lyrics memorized yet.  It didn't seem like she missed a beat, though, and the crowd ate it up.  It was a great way for me to end my first Pitchfork experience.

If you know me, you know I am a huge fan of Riot Fest.  I still say I prefer Riot, but Pitchfork was pretty cool as well.  I figure I'd end my Pitchfork blogging with my general take on Pitchfork.  I am very sartorial.  I blame it on my years of retail experience.  I noticed the clothing a lot.  It seemed some people were just trying to dress ridiculous for the sake of being ridiculous.  Everybody was trying to outdo everyone.  Some attempts were super cute, and some not so much.  I also wonder how practical some of the choices were.  I noticed a girl wearing a vintage cocktail dress and platforms.  It was an adorable outfit, but I wonder how she felt after being there a few hours.  There were way to many flower crowns.  I blame Lana Del Ray for that one!  At Riot, I'd see hundreds of Ramones shirts.  I saw only one at Pitchfork.  It was really fun just people watching.  I also noticed some people with books reading during down time.  I never saw a single book at Riot, so I thought that was pretty cool.  The beer situation needed an improvement.  Lines were super long.  I skipped beer anyway, due to the heat.  Another great thing was a kinda giveaway area. Topshop did free screen-printing.  You had a choice of designs and could get it on a tshirt, bag or bandanna. I thought that was pretty darn cool.  The best part was free twinkies or frozen kefir bars.  It saved on the food budget for sure!  Overall, I had a good time, but I do prefer Riot.  I think the lineup will determine if I attend next year or not.

Pitchfork Day 2

Wow!  What a difference a day a day makes!  I saw and heard so much great music today.  Let's start from the beginning.  The first band I saw was Twin Peaks.  They are a young, local band from here in Chicago. One of the guys was pushed out in a wheelchair, due to a broken leg.  That didn't stop him, though!  He kept rocking back and forth!  They are very guitar heavy, and very high energy.  It is a four man group, and one thing I liked was that 3 of them took turns singing.  They put on a great little show, and seemed thrilled to be playing Pitchfork.  I will definitely have to check out their new album Wild Onion when it comes out next month.  At the end of their performance, one of the guitarist slammed and broke his guitar ala Jimi Hendrix. The band threw the guitar pieces into the crowd.  The guitarist then must have second thought his action, and said "Everybody alright?  I'm not gonna get sued am I?  I got no money!"  It was a great show for a young band.  I plan to keep tabs on them and see how they develop.

Pitchfork seemed very hip hop heavy this year.  I'll admit, I'm not really into hip hop.  I'll touch on two that stood out to me for different reasons.  The first is Pusha T.  I was not impressed.  First of all, he started his set half an hour late. Once he started, I wish he had stopped.  Every word seemed to be a curse word, and trust me I am no prude.  I can't even count how many times he used the "n-word"  He seemed to be bragging about having dealt drugs in the past as well.  I did not like or enjoy it one bit.  Maybe I misunderstood his intent?  The other rapper was Ka.  Ka is based out of Brooklyn.  I would almost say he was more of a spoken word artist than a rapper.  I would compare him to a softer DMX.  They had a similar raspy voice. His lyrics seemed much more intelligent and thought out.  Ka may still not have completely been my taste, but definitely more palatable.  If ya like hip hop, I'd recommend checking him out.

I had previously seen the band Wild Beasts a few years back at Schubas, a great small venue here in Chicago.  I sadly don't remember that show too well, but I remember enjoying it.  I was looking forward to checking them out again.  I am glad I did.  The best word to describe Wild Beasts is beautiful.  The band members themselves are quite beautiful, and so is their sound.  I attached a photo of them below, but it's hard to tell how good looking they are.haha They didn't talk much, but when they did it was quite charming. The singer at one point said, "We're from England.  We're not used to this sunshine, or such beautiful people."  Needless to say, the crowd ate that up.  Another very cool thing, was something I have never witnessed before in all the shows I've gone to.  The guitarist played his guitar like a violin at one point.  It created such a cool sound.  I wanna try it sometime!  So yeah, I'd recommend checking them out! Okay, and yeah I'll admit I'm a little smitten.haha

tUnE-yArDs is another band I have previously seen, and enjoyed.  tUnE-yArDs is described as afro-pop. They lived up to that with their sound, the tribal print clothing they all wore, and the warpaint on their faces. Albeit, it was glitter warpaint.  You could just tell they were having a good time up there.  The singer, Merrill, would break into a smile now and again.  The crowd really got into the high energy drumbeats.  I believe I saw more dancing in the crowd at tUne-yArDs than any other band so far.  I think tUnE-yArDs feed off the crowds energy, and the crowd feed off of tUnE-yArDs.  They definitely have a cool, unique sound going for them.  I'd also recommend checking them out sometime.  

What can I saw about St. Vincent but WOW!  I was blown away.   I had high expectations from St.Vincent, aka Annie Clark.  I feared she would not be able to live up to the hype and be disappointed, like when I saw MGMT.  These expectations were not only met but exceeded.  On a shallow note, she is absolutely stunning. Her skin and bone structure are to die for.  I have never left a show thinking about the performers bone structure, but I did tonight.  Her outfit was very fun as well.  A pic should be posted below.   I'm not even sure how to describe the music and performance.  Nothing would do it justice.  She rocked and was badass. She owned her guitar.  Her voice was amazing.  She usually kept a straight face, but every now and again a smile would creep on her face. That remind me of another amazing woman, Joan Jett!  While playing the second to the last song, she "collapsed" on stage as if she had given everything.  Then kinda like James Brown, someone brought her a white guitar she had not used.  I like to think the guitar was magical, and gave her the energy to go on and go on she did.  This performance is just so hard to describe, words totally fail to explain how spectacular it was.  I would really like to see her outside of a festival setting. I'm hooked. I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND CHECKING HER OUT!

Pitchfork Day 1

I have never been to Pitchfork Music Fest before.  Once I heard some of the lineup, I knew I had to change that.  My first impressions were, I didn't like the layout as much as Riot Fest.  They definitely needed more beer tents.  The lines for beer tickets and beer were ridiculously long.  I avoided them like the plague. The only act I really wanted to see tonight was Beck.  I decided to get there early, and check out a few other bands though.  Honestly, I may as well have stayed at home a bit longer.  I walked in just in time to catch a few songs from Sharon Van Etten.  I may have to explore her music more.  She had a very pretty voice, and great singer/songwriter vibe going.  I wish I heard more.  The next I heard was SZA.  I don't know what to say about her.  I wasn't impressed, so left.  The next band I checked out was Avey Tare's Slasher Flicks. The best way I can describe it is by using my term bleepy bloppy music.  I was not a fan.  I left once again, after hearing a few songs.  A friend later described it as what must be a practical joke.  I don't think my friend is too far off.  The last I act I saw before Beck was a dj set by Giorgio Moroder.  He was a big player in the disco scene, apparently.  Most recently, he won a Grammy for his work with Daft Punk, on their latest album.  It was a lot of old disco songs, but with a modern house/techno beat behind it.  I wish they had left good enough alone.

Finally! At long last, it was time for Beck!  Beck is the main reason I bought tickets for Pitchfork.  I saw him 17yrs ago, when I was a senior in high school.  The Roots (of Jimmy Fallon fame) and Atari Teenage Riot opened for him.  Being raised in Indiana, I didn't have much exposure to different music.  It was mostly Top 40, country and classic rock.  I was blown away by all three bands, and it made me realize there was more out there.    I remember that being such a great concert.  I was a little worried Beck wouldn't live up to my memories from 17 years ago.  The minute Beck Hanson stepped onstange, those worries were cast away. He opened up with a guitar heavy version of "Devil's Haircut"  I believe that was the same song he opened with 17 yrs ago. One of the best words to describe his performance was balanced.  He had a balanced set, played something from every album.  It was also a good mix of rockers and ballads.  I forgot what a great and engaging performer and frontman Beck is.  With his crazy dance moves, I would describe him as a quirkier Mick Jagger.  He can command the crowd almost as well as Jagger.  I absolutely love the Stones, so that is saying a lot.  He closed the set (somewhat predictably) with "Where it's At" but changed things up with a harmonica break in the middle.  The crowd went crazy, and ate it all up.  I HIGHLY recommend you see Beck if you get a chance.  I'd easily rank this as the best performance I've ever seen at a fest!

I'm looking forward to day two!  I can't wait to see St. Vincent!