Pitchfork

Remember how we've been telling you for weeks and weeks that our two-day passes for the Pitchfork Music Festival, taking place July 29 and 30 at Chicago's Union Park, were limited and going fast? Well, we weren't lying, because we SOLD OUT of 'em!

There's a dwindling amount of single day tickets for Saturday and Sunday left, but since we sold out of two-day passes so quickly, we're putting another EXTREMELY LIMITED amount of them on sale now. Better grab 'em fast, because a lineup this amazing doesn't come around every day...or even every decade.

What's that lineup again?

Saturday, July 29

• Silver Jews
• The Walkmen
• The Futureheads
• Ted Leo/Pharmacists
• Art Brut
• Destroyer
• Mountain Goats
• Band of Horses
• Man Man
• Chin Up Chin Up
• Hot Machines

Biz3 stage:

• A-Trak
• Matthew Dear
• Matmos
• Spank Rock
• Ghislain Poirier
• Tyondai Braxton
• Chicago Underground Duo
• Flosstradamus
• 8 Bold Souls

Sunday, July 30

• Os Mutantes
• Spoon
• Yo La Tengo
• Devendra Banhart
• Mission of Burma
• Aesop Rock
• The National
• Jens Lekman
• Danielson
• Tapes 'n Tapes

Biz3 stage:

• Diplo
• Dominik Eulberg *
• Glenn Kotche
• Ada *
• Tarantula A.D.
• CSS
• Bonde Do Role
• Jeff Parker/Nels Cline Quartet

* sponsored by Summer Dance

There's still more to come, of course, with the final lineup to be announced in the next few weeks.

To get everyone psyched for the big weekend, our friends at eMusic have put together a FREE 24-track compilation of Pitchfork Music Festival artists, available HERE for your downloading pleasure. It features advance songs from the new Yo La Tengo and Mountain Goats records, a cut from Tapes 'n Tapes' fabulous debut album The Loon, which is not available on any digital music store other than eMusic, as well as music from Destroyer, Chin Up Chin Up, Futureheads, Ghislain Poirier, Mission of Burma, Jens Lekman, Matmos, Danielson, the National, Aesop Rock, Matthew Dear, Chicago Underground Duo, Spoon, Ted Leo, Devendra Banhart, Nels Cline, Art Brut, the Walkmen, 8 Bold Souls, and more!

Along with the compilation, eMusic is also offering the opportunity to receive 50 free downloads when you sign up for an eMusic trial. So basically, you're getting 74 free songs. Pretty sweet deal, huh? And speaking of sweet deals, remember the week's worth of pre-festival activities we told you about, taking place Sunday, July 23 through Friday, July 28 all around the city of Chicago? Well, we've got lots more details about those exciting events, as well.

The festival fun begins on Sunday, July 23 from 2-8 p.m., when the Pitchfork Music Festival and Rock for Kids co-sponsor an opening party for the acclaimed rock-poster gallery show Graphic Noise, featured as part of the City of Chicago's Public Art Program. It's taking place at the Page Brothers Building, located at 191 N. State Street. The space will also serve as the Pitchfork Music Festival Box Office for the entire week, starting on that Sunday. You'll be able to avoid long lines and pick up your will call tickets here, all week and possibly purchase single-day tickets while supplies last. The box office will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

From Sunday, July 23 to Wednesday, August 2, the Gene Siskel Film Center, located at 164 N. State Street, will host screenings of two awesome music documentaries expressing the spirit of the Pitchfork Music Festival. The first film, Screaming Masterpiece, directed by Ari Alexander Ergis Magnússon and released in 2005, is a documentary about Icelandic popular music featuring interviews with and performances from Björk, Sigur Rós, Amiina, Múm, Jóhann Jóhannsson, and many others. It will be screened on July 23 at 5 p.m., and July 24 and 27 at 8 p.m.

The second film, Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders From Mars - The Motion Picture, directed by the legendary D.A. Pennebaker, chronicles the 1973 concert that would be David Bowie's last in his Ziggy Stardust persona. It will be screened at the Siskel Center July 29 at 8 p.m., July 30 at 5:30 p.m., and Aug 2 at 8 p.m.

From Monday, July 24 through Friday, July 28, the Chicago Cultural Center's Randolph Café, located at 78 E. Washington Street, will dedicate its LunchBreak concert series to Chicago bands handpicked by the city's leading clubs. All of the shows start at 12 p.m., and here's what the schedule looks like:

07-24 Martyrs' presents - The Singleman Affair
07-25 Metro presents - Walter Meego
07-26 The Empty Bottle presents - The Hoyle Brothers
07-27 Schubas Tavern presents - Office
07-28 The Hideout presents - A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield featuring Abraham Levitan (Pearly Sweets/Baby Teeth), Max Crawford (Poi Dog Pondering/The Sea and Cake), Steve Frisbie (Frisbie), Nora O'Connor, and more

We'll kick off the festival weekend on Friday, July 28, with a pre-party at the Metro club, featuring performances by Sunset Rubdown, Voxtrot, Joggers, and comedians Eugene Mirman, Todd Barry, and Aziz Ansari, as well as the Life During Wartime DJs. Tickets are on sale now!

And remember that in addition to the bands, the Pitchfork Music Festival will also host a variety of activities and attractions, including the Flatstock 9 Poster Convention, the WLUW record fair and the DEPART-ment craft and clothing fair.

Plus, as an added bonus, attendees with Pitchfork Music Festival ticket stubs will be admitted free to the Empty Bottle, Hideout, Martyrs', Metro, or Schubas following the festival on the nights of Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30, thanks to the League of Chicago Music Venues. (Each day's ticket must be relinquished at club to receive free admittance-- Saturday's festival ticket for Saturday night admission and Sunday's festival ticket for Sunday night admission.)

Man, just reading about all that stuff is exhausting--in a good way, of course. To help keep track of all the Pitchfork Music Festival excitement, we've teamed up with Opt It to start a little text messaging community. Sign up by texting "Pitchfork" to 46786 or by clicking HERE.

After you sign up, you'll get exclusive and secret info during the week of the festival, as well as chances to win some really cool giveaway items, and maybe even tickets to a sold out show.

Once again, a VERY limited amount of $30 two-day passes, as well as $20 one-day passes, are on sale now.

Be sure to check out the Pitchfork Music Festival website. There, you'll find information about the bands, as well as lodging, location, onsite activities, vendors, sponsors, directions, and more.

Yeah, this festival thing basically rules.