Lollapalooza Report: Friday [Matthew Solarski]

Photos by Kirstie Shanley (unless otherwise indicated); above photo by Matthew Solarski; text by Matthew Solarski

First, a PSA that we're sad to report: Due to problems with their incoming flight to Chicago, CSS will not be performing today at 5 p.m. Although that saves your Pitchfork correspondents the heartache of having to choose between seeing all of their set and missing the first half of the Hold Steady, it's still a total kick in the pants to have one of the best live bands going out of today's lineup.

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Every year, Perry Farrell throws himself a big ol' bash, invites anyone who wants to fork over a ton of dough (a bit less for the earlybirds), and crams Chicago's Grant Park with more stages (nine this year) and performers (er, a lot) than any sane person would ever want to see. Here's my first of several dispatches from the Lollapalooza front.

Ghostland Observatory [AT&T Stage; 12:30 p.m.]






The triangular light-up lattice-work from Daft Punk's set was already looming overhead, reminding us that eight hours from now, this stage would be invaded from robots from outer space (aka France). For now though, we got an electro-soul workout from the much buzzed about Austin duo Ghostland Observatory, who seem to be playing every other festival in America as well.

The appeal is understandable: One guy mans a drum machine/drum set/keys/Moog platform at stage center while wearing a cape reminiscent of the original collar-popper, Dracula, while the other-- in pigtails and aviators-- gyrates his hips, thrusts his pelvis, and wails over Dracula dude's ribcage-rattling beats, which are thick enough to kill small birds. Every few songs they'd break from that and assume a more traditional guitar/drums setup.

At first compelling, then repetitive (a girl nearby complained that all the beats were the same, and she was more or less right), then compelling again during the more free-form finale, Ghostland's set brought to mind a question often lobbed at Daft Punk-- are they being ironic?-- as well as all sorts of fun gender theory questions, since pigtail dude-- sexy in a feminine way-- was clearly descended from the school of Jagger.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists [MySpace Stage; 1:30 p.m.]








"It wouldn't be a show of ours if I didn't fall and cut myself," joked Ted halfway through this set, and indeed the man had managed to do just that-- during the first song, an intro-boosted rendition of Living With the Living's "Sons of Cain". Sure, it wasn't the mic-busting-forehead-open incident that made Ted's set at the Pitchfork Festival last year the stuff of legend, but it's a testament to the abandon with which this spirited grown-up punk plays.

Ted's band had grown by one member since I last saw them (at the Touch and Go anniversary fest last fall), but the third Pharmacist-- guitarist James Canty of Make Up and Nation of Ulysses fame-- didn't seem to bring much to the overall sound, which was still a bit thin. The hazy, midday heat also seemed to stifle the boys' spark some, such that Living's resident reggae number "The Unwanted Things" felt the most appropriate in this setting. Perhaps eager to retreat to air-conditioned trailers, Ted and co. brought it home during peppy set closer "C.I.A."

The Polyphonic Spree [Bud Light Stage; 2:30 p.m.]









Photos 4 and 5 by Matthew Solarski

"What a day!" proclaimed bandleader Tim DeLaughter upon taking the Bud Light (ugh) Stage; in his hand, a heart-shaped piece of red fabric he had cut from a massive ribbon stretched across the stage, initially dividing band from audience. Kids were batting a beach ball about, somebody started blowing bubbles, and it became abundantly clear that this was the perfect setting for another extravagant sermon from the Spree.

To say these guys lay it on a bit thick is an understatement, but they're getting smarter. Early tunes were all "BE HAPPY!", while more recent numbers dig deeper: "Section 30 [Watch Us Explode (Justify)]" invites us to "justify all our phases" and "keep the world always guessing," advice which recalls Whitman's bit about multitudes and various existential quips about caprice. And when they cover Nirvana's "Lithium"-- which they did here, after trading the black Fragile Army uniforms for their traditional white robes and snaking through the crowd-- it becomes apparent that those could very well be Spree lyrics (with the exception of "I'm so horny," a line DeLaughter gleefully emphasized with what could only be described as a cock-thrust). So with the information age at the same time a very cynical stage, the Spree offered a valuable lesson in how to package optimism. Was it mere coincidence that this end of the park seemed the sunniest?

This performance also marked the opening salvo in the Battle of the Inordinately Large Bands, with I'm From Barcelona set to take the same stage today. For the record, I counted 22 in the Spree-- although they were joined by a dancing Beatle Bob for one tune and by the Chicago Tap Theatre for "Section 27 [Mental Cabaret]" (Unfortunately the troop was inadequately mic'd and their shoes made a harsh sound, like a crackling blown speaker). Consider the twee Spree line "The trees wanna grow!/ Grow! Grow! Grow!" a war cry; it's your move, Swedes.

Sparklehorse [Adidas Stage; 3:30 p.m.]










All set to have my skin further melt to the tune of Mark Linkous' country slow-burners, I was pleasantly surprised when Sparklehorse opened this set with the scuzz-rocker "Pig". Things soon went languid, of course, but give Linkous credit; not only did he warn us when the "quiet ones" were coming and tell us the names of pretty much every song, he was also the only act I saw Friday that made conversation with the audience (although James Murphy's later banter was the most priceless). Linkous also used only about 45 minutes of his allotted hour and thanked us at the end for being "kind." A merciful move on Mark's part, and a successful one, as far as I'm concerned; I left with a desire to dig deeper into the man's catalog.

The Rapture [Playstation Stage; 5 p.m.]











Photos 4-6 by Matthew Solarski

The Rapture looked a bit miffed when they sauntered out on stage a few minutes late; Luke Jenner's gaze suggested his mind was elsewhere, while Matt Safer had a smarmy look on his face (I couldn't help but think of those kids on the cover of the first Walkmen album); were they sour because tourmates Daft Punk and DFA kin LCD Soundsystem were playing much larger stages? Because they were playing against M.I.A.? Because there was a ridiculous 10-yard gap between them and the barricade?

Whatever the reason, when they trotted into the second song, "Get Myself Into It", the chorus couldn't have been more self-flagellating. What's more, Safer failed to bank on a couple opportunities to ditch the mic stand and engage the crowd-- both "Pieces of the People We Love" and "First Gear" had him on vocals sans instrument, so he could have removed the mic and taken its place, but instead opted to use the stand as a pivot point.

Thankfully both band and crowd improved, perhaps aided by an overflow from M.I.A.'s just-wrapped set. Between Gabriel Andruzzi's saxophone ostrich-strut (a move he would later enact while playing, yes, cowbell) and Jenner's cracked smiles and guitar-gun pantomime (see photo), the kids loosened up, and by the time the one-two punch of "Whoo! Alright/Yeah...Uh Huh" and "House of Jealous Lovers" arrived, and straight through to "Olio", all was well in the world of indie dance punk.

Lollapalooza Report: Friday [Amy Phillips]

Photos by Kirstie Shanley; text by Amy Phillips

For Scott Plagenhoef's previous Lollapalooza coverage, click here: Friday / Saturday / Sunday

For Amy Phillips' Lollapalooza coverage: Saturday / Sunday

First, a PSA that we're sad to report: Due to problems with their incoming flight to Chicago, CSS will not be performing today at 5 p.m. Although that saves your Pitchfork correspondents the heartache of having to choose between seeing all of their set and missing the first half of the Hold Steady, it's still a total kick in the pants to have one of the best live bands going out of today's lineup.

M.I.A. [Bud Light Stage; 4:30 p.m.]

M.I.A.'s late afternoon set was marred by technical difficulties, a terrible mix that privileged the bone-rattling bass at the expense of just about everything else, and Maya's own sore throat, which rendered her hoarse. (At one point, she pulled out some kind of throat spray and bragged that Jack White had sent it to her.)

But I didn't care in the slightest. Watching M.I.A. in action right now is a thrill no matter what, not only because her new Kala is probably the album of the year, but because she's just so...awkward. In the best possible way, of course. Her music doesn't fit neatly into any established genre guidelines, her current fashion style is, like, suburban mall glam meets downtown hoochie mama, and she's developed a fascinatingly outspoken persona that dares to make people uncomfortable.

All of this collided at Lollapalooza, her eccentricities magnified by the fact that she was singing "Pull up the people!/ Pull up the poor!" on the Bud Light stage, surrounded by people eating $5 pizza slices. The Arular tunes-- "Galang", "Bucky Done Gun", "URAQT", "Sunshowers" (the latter dedicated to "the FBI and those guys in Washington doing a really great job, I love you")-- got the biggest crowd response, inspiring much loose-limbed I'm-a-funky-white-person dancing, in stark contrast with the rigid booty contortions of M.I.A. and her hype woman. (The pair was accompanied on stage by DJ Low B, Diplo's partner in Hollertronix.)

It's weird and awesome to see M.I.A. embracing her sexuality and forcing it to the forefront. She's not naturally, fluidly sexy or particularly graceful; rather, she's bullying sexiness into fitting her standards, and it works. When she climbed the scaffolding on the side of the stage during Kala standout "Paper Planes", singing "All I wanna do is-ah (gun clicking noises) and-ah (explosion noises) and-ah take your money," I couldn't think of anything cooler.

LCD Soundsystem [MySpace Stage; 7:30 p.m.]

Even if LCD Soundsystem's twilight set had been a complete disaster (it wasn't), it would have been worth it just to watch them play "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House" less than an hour before the French gods themselves took the stage right across the same field. Getting to shout "You've got to set them up, kid! Set them up!" right at the people actually setting up Daft Punk's equipment was probably wish fulfillment on par with the nerd bagging the prom queen, but James Murphy didn't seem overly excited. True to his reputation as the kind of the New York hipsters, he acknowledged the situation by introducing the song with, "It's kinda funny...not really ironic."

LCD aren't really an outdoor band; their ice-cool punk-house sound finds its natural habitat in any packed, black-walled room with a disco ball. But there was still something magical about experiencing the crescendo of "All My Friends" as the sun went down over the baseball field, and Murphy's face loomed on the enormous screen next to the stage, the Sears Tower rising ominously in the background behind it.

That song's peak ("Where are my friends tonight! Where are my friends tonight!") will never cease to cause audiences to lose their shit from now until the end of time, but it hasn't gotten old yet. Barefoot dreadlocked creatures with hemp necklaces, bandana'd slicksters in So Me T-shirts, Schaumberg residents who piled the whole family into the mini-van-- everybody can appreciate the value of a good sonic climax.

I want to give Murphy a special shout out for one most excellent piece of between-song banter. After "North American Scum", he thanked the mosh pit for not getting too rowdy. "If you're dancing and you suddenly can't see any girls around you, you're dancing wrong," he said, deflating the machismo inherent in slam-dancing. Yes. YES. Thank you, Mr. Murphy. Please, everyone learn from this man.

M.I.A. Confronts the Haters
"I find it kind of insulting that I can't have any ideas on my own because I'm a female, or that people from undeveloped countries can't have ideas of their own unless it's backed up by someone who's blond-haired and blue-eyed."

I worked up a whole slew of questions for M.I.A. before we spoke late last week-- probing stuff about the creation of her new album, Kala (out August 21 on Interscope/August 20 in the UK on XL), her take on world affairs, the fate of her rumored work with Three 6 Mafia. It probably would've been a nice interview with a rising star about to follow-up a very highly regarded debut.

But after the requisite exchange of pleasantries and an order of flapjacks, M.I.A. made it very clear that she had a statement to make far more pressing than anything I'd scribbled down beforehand. Nearly all the original questions remain unanswered, but what transpired proved a far more illuminating look at M.I.A. the artist and Maya Arulpragasam the person than anything I could've planned.

Pitchfork: How are you doing?

M.I.A.: How am I doing, or what am I doing?

Pitchfork: Well, both.

M.I.A.: I'm about to eat.

Pitchfork: What are you eating?

M.I.A.: I'm in San Francisco. I'm at some diner looking at the menu.

Pitchfork: Are you deciding between two things?

M.I.A.: No, I've got a vast-sized menu in front of me. So should I order before we get started?

[She orders]

Pitchfork: So what did you decide on?

M.I.A.: I'm going to get everything. Pancakes with everything.

Pitchfork: So tell me a bit about Kala. I just heard it for the first time today, and--

M.I.A.: Diplo didn't make it.

Pitchfork: Uh, what?

M.I.A.: He never made Arular, but you guys keep writing it. [MORE...]

Video: M.I.A.: Boyz [from the Kala LP]

!!! Add Even More Tour Dates
Fun fact: In the Southern Hemisphere, they're known as ¡¡¡

Stream: !!!: Must Be the Moon (Hot Chip remix) [from the Must Be the Moon 12 single]

Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young on "Johnny Cash Show" DVD

On September 18, CMV/Columbia/Legacy will release The Best of the Johnny Cash TV Show, a 2xDVD compiling 66 live performances from the 58 episodes of Johnny Cash's 1969-1971 "The Johnny Cash Show".

Kris Kristofferson hosts the DVD, which features performances from Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Ray Charles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Louis Armstrong, Loretta Lynn, Neil Diamond, Jerry Lee Lewis, George Jones, Derek and the Dominoes, Roy Orbison, the Carter Family (inluding June Carter Cash), and Johnny Cash himself, among many others.

The set also features new interviews with John Carter Cash, Tennessee Three bassist Marshall Grant, Hank Williams, Jr., musical arranger Bill Walker, and hairstylist Penny Lane.

There will also be a single-disc CD version of the compilation available on the same day as the DVD. [MORE...]

Video: Ray Charles: Ring of Fire [from The Best of the Johnny Cash TV Show DVD]

Klaxons Add Dates, Including One With Bjork

Video: Klaxons: It's Not Over Yet [from the Myths of the Near Future LP]

Gang Gang Dance, Psychic Ills Play Social Registry Fest

Brooklyn-based imprint the Social Registry-- home to the small, the avant garde, and in the case of Jena Malone, the famous-- has lined up a two-day festival on August 11 and 12 in its home borough. The International Registrars Convene will take place at The Yard next weekend as a way of saying "thanks for the paychecks."

August 11 will feature sets from Psychic Ills, Artanker Convoy, the reunited Ghost Exits, TK Webb, Samara Lubelski, Mike Bones, and an acoustic set from Sian Alice Group. The next day gathers Gang Gang Dance, a plugged-in Sian Alice Group, Growing, Electroputas, Douglas Armour, Christy & Emily, and Octis (aka Mick Barr of Orthrelm).

Update: Octis has canceled, Jah Division have been added to the lineup on August 11, and Sleepy Doug Shaw has been added on August 12.

Ted Leo Update: The Tour Goes On

Video: Ted Leo: Dancing in the Dark [live at Brooklyn's Northsix]

Melvins Release Demos With Comic Book

Photo by Andrew Kesin

Stoner metal elder statesmen Melvins will release a collection of eight previously unreleased recordings from 1987 called Making Love Demos on October 9 via Bifocal Media.

The CD will come in a package with MANCHILD 3, the third book of comic art by Brian Walsby, who has not only designed Melvins album art but has also played drums with the likes of Polvo and Ryan Adams.

On his MySpace blog, Walsby gives the Making Love Demos tracklist (below) and includes a little bit about their history as well. Featuring a good number of songs that ended up on 1989's Ozma, these are the last Melvins recordings with original bassist Matt Lukin (who would go on to be in Mudhoney). The title of the collection comes from a KISS song the band covered (!) for it but which got lost in the ensuing two decades.

For those wondering why the Demos come with Walsby's book in particular (other than the fact that he's a friend of the band), the connection is that MANCHILD 3 includes Walsby's "Illustrated Melvins tour diary."

Speaking of touring, Melvins have a pair of dates scheduled for the coming months. The first is tomorrow (August 4) in L.A., and the second is a Don't Look Back event with Melvins playing all of Houdini and Mudhoney playing Superfuzz Bigmuff and Early Singles. [MORE...]

Stream: Melvins: Dime Lined Divide [from the forthcoming Making Love Demos LP]

Sonic Youth, M.I.A., Spoon, PBJ Play Portugese Fest
With Dinosaur Jr., Simian Mobile Disco, Architecture in Helsinki, CSS

The Oceanic climate, the delicious dried cod, the relatively high per-capita beer consumption rate-- Portugal's got pamphlet-fodder for days. And all that, plus a bunch of great bands willing to make the trip, turn Portugal into the perfect spot for a mid-August festival.

Lucky is the dude or dudette within crawling distance of Paredes de Coura, Portugal August 12-15, as the Paredes de Coura Festival hosts the lofty likes of Sonic Youth, M.I.A., Spoon, a Simian Mobile Disco DJ set, Dinosaur Jr., Peter Bjorn & John, Architecture in Helsinki, CSS, New Young Pony Club, Electrelane, the New York Dolls, DeVotchKa, and Crystal Castles. All that, plus cheap Dutch beer and delicious cured fish. If you're asking for more than that outta life, friend, you're just getting greedy.

Cat Power Prepares Second Covers Record

Photo by Kathryn Yu

When she's not filling her MySpace blog with exhortations to buy eco-friendly cars or using it to ask "whatchall feel about Obama + Hillary??," Shortlist Prize winner and Pitchfork Music Festival alumna Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power) occasionally leaks little tidbits of info about her own new music. Or at least she did today, when she talked about Covers Record 2, the blockbuster sequel to her 2000 Covers Record. It's tentatively due in January on Matador.

Marshall writes that she is mixing the record next week in Dallas with Stuart Sikes and that she has "24 covers to choose from," adding "with so many covers, tryin' to decide if I should release COVERS RECORD 2 VOL. 2 ???"

This new covers album has been in the works at least since last fall, when it was mentioned in a New York Times story. And Cat Power certainly played a lot of covers at her Pitchfork Music Festival set.

Cat Power has a small palmful of dates scheduled for the next few months, including two in Brazil. Her next show, with the Dirty Delta Blues ensemble she assembled, is in Dallas (coincidence?) on August 17. [MORE...]

Video: Cat Power: Various Tracks [from The Greatest LP]

Grizzly Bear Extend Tour

Stream: Grizzly Bear: Various tracks [live on NPR's Pop Sessions]

Do you have a news tip for us? Anything crazy happen at a show you attended recently? Do you have inside info on the bands we cover? Is one of your favorite artists (that's not somebody you know personally) releasing a new record you'd like to see covered? You will remain completely anonymous, unless we are given your express permission to reveal your identity. (Please note that publicists, managers, booking agents, and other artist representatives are generally exempt from this rule, but will also be granted anonymity if requested.)