312 in the 312

Looking for some cred? Do you own a Deep-V? Do you like 312 — the beer and the locale? By no stretch of coincidence, the music blog demagogue Pitchfork Media can provide you with two out of three (BYO Deep-V) with its third installment of the who’s who of all things indie: Pitchfork Music Festival. This year’s festival will run July 18-20 in Chicago’s Union Park, featuring a full serving of 2008’s hottest acts and some favorites from the days of yore (the 1980s).
The festival opens Friday with Mission of Burma, Sebadoh, and Public Enemy (yes, with Flava Flav) working their way through one landmark album each during the All Tomorrow’s Parties set. Mission of Burma will play Vs, Sebadoh keeps it lo-fi with Bubble and Scrape, and Public Enemy will try to invigorate the social consciousness of a bunch of white kids with It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Last year’s ATP featured a similar line-up of early alternative stalwarts and one hip-hop act with Sonic Youth, Slint, and Wu Tang Clan’s GZA.
Three day passes sold out early, but it doesn’t seem like Friday’s lineup packs as much punch as some of the newer acts scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday will kick off with ex-Neutral Milk Hotel drummer Jeremy Barnes shredding the accordion and jingle bell hat in the delightfully quirky A Hawk and a Hacksaw. The 2008 indie pop darlings Vampire Weekend will surely bring a smile to your face and a jig in your step. Don’t put your dancing shoes away before !!! brings their spunky brand of dance pop on stage. The highlight of Saturday’s lineup is the drink-until-blackout brand of storytelling brought to you by the boys of The Hold Steady. If you aren’t a Hold Steady fan now, stay positive, you will be by the end of Shabbat.
If Saturday seems like a day to drink and drink in the sun, Sunday seems like the day to sneak off to the port-a-potties with that special someone. The soul crushingly romantic Bon Iver takes to the stage, and aphrodisiac above all aphrodisiacs, Spoon, closes the festival.
The Dodos, Ghostface, the Apples in Stereo, and Caribou, among others, will hit the stage, providing a little bit of everything for everyone. Two and three day passes are sold out, but single day passes for $30 apiece are still available, and multi-day passes have a tendency to float around on Ebay and Craigslist at face value. So slap on some zinc oxide, throw some Skol in water bottles, and get ready to show off your bird tattoos at Pitchfork Music Festival.

Leave a Reply