Hideout Block Party Day Three
I finally finished my day three photos, which can be viewed here There are about 175 photos. I created a Hideout Block Party set on the side. Here’s a sample of each band I took pictures of (I wasn’t able to take pictures of Pinback)
Overall, I will say that it was such a nice thing to see a huge variety of bands both young and reformed specially for this event. Proceeds were all given to charity, which is a huge thing. The event helped promote literacy and build a playground for a school. I enjoyed Tim Tuten’s rants tremendously. At one point, he would talk about how Chicago was the center of the world for the day and then the next introduction would be almost apocalyptic. He’s probably the only person I know of who could make me look like an optimist. I met so many people there and was able to see so many good friends it was a great experience overall…tired maybe and a little cold though it never felt so chilly in the midst of a packed crowd. And, it you are a Chicago resident, try checking out regular Hideout shows more often. I’ve caught some amazing bands and musicians there and it’s a nice space.
Quasi, a three piece from Portland Oregon had a heavy drum impact to accompany the keyboard playing and bass. When Sam Coones wasn’t playing keyboard, he was singing and playing guitar and Janet Weiss switched from drums to keyboard at one point too. The bass player seemed very shy though and hung out in the back behind her brunette locks. Quasi creates eccentric pop songs that are fun to bop around to and I enjoyed their set despite it being very chilly and rainy at the time.
Enon like Quasi is another one of those quirky three piece bands. I really liked hearing both the voices of John Schmersal and Toko Yasuda (who used to be in one of my favorite bands of all time, Blonde Redhead. Matt Schulz is a really great drummer too. Hailing from Brooklyn.
Seam is a band I am really not too familiar with and was a little let down by mainly because of the sound mix. It was very difficult to distinguish any vocals when they played, which was unfortunate. I’d be curious to hear what their albums sound like.
Three Mile Pilot which is a band Pall Jenkins of Black Heart Procession is in (although they broke up, plans are actually in the works for another album according to wiki) It’s definitely more rock oriented and less gothically beautiful and I prefer Black Heart Procession because of those qualities.
Tara Jane O’Neil from Olympia played a short but amicable set with Chris Brokaw of The New Year. It was a nice reprise to the afternoon and I enjoyed many of the songs. I did feel like the last song she played had the exact same rift as Leonard Cohen’s “Famous Blue Raincoat” though to the extent that I grew so excited she was covering it…and she wasn’t. I haven’t bought the new album yet but I definitely want to see if he’s credited somewhere in the liner notes.
Todd Trainer:
Todd Trainer of Brick Layer Cake and Shellac fame played a rather amusing and wily set consisting of rhymes that both criticised and observed society. Some were funny. Others seemed a bit endless. But hey, all in all it was animated and worthwhile. I can’t tell if the myspace link I provided was an official page or a fansite but for who I’d like to meet it says: “MY MAKER SYD BARRETT SYLVIA PLATH OSCAR WILDE” Right on, man!
Black Heart Procession:
Black Heart Procession is definitely one of those awe inspiring bands that make you think of tragedy and beauty all at once. I enjoy Pall’s vocals and the violin added a great touch as well. His passion is a great thing to witness and I was so sad that I wasn’t close enough to hear their cover of Tom Petty’s single “You Got Lucky” (they changed the lyrics the first time around from “A good love is hard to find” to “A good label is hard to find.) I turned to the people around me in front for CocoRosie and asked anyone to sing along with me. “Who loves this song? Who knows this song???” and the guy in back of me was like “Who is this.” Ah, such a shame.
CocoRosie was fantastic. They played their best songs with harp and toys with vocals that sounded like a theramin and these beats you could dance all night too. Their songs on album are rather sluggish so I was surprised how much I found myself getting into it. It was truly a magical experience with the best of emotions running through the stage-feelings of great closeness all around and one of their little sisters dressed up as a unicorn dancing all over the stage. It was very special.
Calexico have this very interesting sound to them because they aren’t straight ahead folk (especially when they add trumpets and accordian) but they aren’t your typical indie rock band either (for instance, some of their songs have some nice pedal steel accompaniament.) There’s so much variety to keep it interesting amongst the huge ensemble. They played a great set with a well rounded mix of songs off their albums and they also played their fantastic cover of Love’s “Alone Again Or” which is always a real treat to hear.