Chicago.com
As 225,000 festival-goers take over downtown Chicago every August for Lollapalooza, many Chicagoans overlook its smaller, wiser counterpart taking place every July: Pitchfork Music Festival. Maybe it’s because of the less central location in the Near West Side’s Union Park, or maybe because of its lack of blockbuster music names, but every year Pitchfork goes down as Chicago’s “second” music festival. That isn’t to say that it goes completely unnoticed–this year, three-day passes to the festival sold out in under a week–but the 48,000 hipsters who attend the festival will notice many fewer corporate sponsorships, music stages, vendors and attendees… which aren’t such bad things, after all. The best part is that the indie performers often turn up at bigger festivals a year or two after Pitchfork, setting you a step…or year… ahead of the Lollapalooza folks.
If you haven’t heard of what Pitchfork has to offer, never fear– here’s a guide of what you can expect from the forward-thinking music fest in its fifth year.
Friday, July 16
Rock fans, I suggest you head straight to Modest Mouse’s set. The first Friday act to be announced this year was coincidentally my favorite of the entire festival, and the Seattle alt-rockers aren’t ones to disappoint. Not new by any means (their first album, This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About, debuted in 1996), Modest Mouse have remained on the cutting edge of indie music with intricate instrumentation, unconventional vocals, and thought-provoking lyrical work. For those of you who haven’t heard the Modest Mouse sound before, I suggest you tune into my favorite track, “Dramamine,” for a glimpse of what they might have to offer.
Interested in heavy beats and smooth rhymes? Look no further than alternative hip-hop pioneer El-P. Like Modest Mouse, El-P is no newcomer to the scene, releasing his first single at age 17 in 1993. Still, he has remained an entrepreneur in the underground hip-hop game, and is preparing the release of an instrumental album this August. He recently released the first single, “East River Float,” and if it’s at all indicative of his Pitchfork performance, expect multi-layered jazzy, funky, head-nodding, old-school hip-hop.
Electronica is your calling? Check out Robyn, a Swedish electropop singer/songwriter with recent production work from electronic music mavens Royksopp and Diplo. She stated earlier in the year that she’s preparing to release three albums in 2010, so expect plenty of new material and dance-worthy anthems that make Lady Gaga look silly.
Saturday, July 17
Saturday’s line-up is full of progressive acts melding traditional genres into one big indie dance party. Of course there’s the ubiquitous LCD Soundsystem, headed by James Murphy, bringing dance-punk-disco-indie rock to hip stages since 2005. Beyond LCD, however, there’s plenty to boogie down to, likely with a far smaller crowd: check out Panda Bear, a founding member of indie darlings Animal Collective, for experimental neo-psychedelia; Delorean, a Spanish indie pop/dance band, released their most recent album Subiza to widespread acclaim; and Dam-Funk, a California singer, DJ and producer, brings funky electro that’s somehow retro (reminiscent of 80s funk melodies) and futuristic at the same time.
For rock and hip-hop, go for indie rockers with an alternative hip-hop edge WHY?, and undoubtedly head to Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon’s set showcasing the emcee’s rhymes that earned him the title “Best Emcee of 2009″ from major hip-hop website HipHopDX.
Sunday, July 18
Major Lazer
Festival endings are always bittersweet, but Pitchfork made sure to stack the last day with acts ranging from dancehall electro to old-school rock reunions to keep those sad feelings at bay… at least until it shuts down at 10 p.m. Start the day off dreamy and slow with the shoegaze duo Beach House or multi-instrumental singer/songwriter St. Vincent. The schedule heats up later, with a hip-hop set from Outkast rapper Big Boi, an electric dancehall carnival from DJ duo Major Lazer, and the long-awaited reunion of 1990s lo-fi rockers Pavement.
Hope your feet and ears hold up long enough to brave that outlandlishly long line for the El on the way home! Festival organizers are encouraging attendees to travel to and from the festival by bike–saving you both time and carbon impact. Just don’t drink too many PBRs!
It was a rainy, soggy day but that didn’t keep hungry Chicagoans from enjoying the Taste of Chicago Preview event at Daley Plaza on Tuesday. Nine food vendors and four sponsors stood under white tents from 11am to 2pm promoting the upcoming festival. A DJ kept the crowd motivated and lured passers by to join in on the festivities. People wandered around under umbrellas and sat at rain soaked tables, talking and eating as though the weather was sunny and bright. It was a great day to sample some of the exciting treats being offered at the Taste of Chicago’s 30th anniversary this year.
One of the vendors, Bacino’s Pizza has been a part of the Taste of Chicago for over 20 years, but has only participated in the preview event for the past few years. Bill White, who was managing the booth, said the restaurant will be “going with what’s worked in the past” at the Taste this year. Bill also noted that the restaurant’s Wacker location will be promoting their new Green Delivery Service- using environmentally friendly Segways instead of cars to deliver pizzas. Bacino’s will be offering their stuffed spinach, stuffed sausage, and cheese pizza slices at the event.
Chicago classic Garrett’s Popcorn are fairly new to the Taste of Chicago and the Taste Preview, marking the second year they have participated. Their wildly popular Caramel Popcorncicles, which are popcorn balls on sticks flash frozen in liquid nitrogen, will make another appearance this year. The wacky treat is both delicious and fun to eat. Garrett’s will also be offering their cheese and caramel mix, popcorn balls, and mixed nuts. “We’re excited for our second year at the taste. We hope people will come out and have a good time and enjoy our food.”
Best Buy, one of the sponsors of the Taste, will be giving out coupons for free gift cards (with set purchase amounts) to use at participating Best Buy stores. Shoreline Sightseeing, another sponsor, had a raffle at the preview to win free boat tour rides. The tours occur several times per day and focus on Chicago history and architecture. The winner will be drawn on Friday. The Chicago Tribune was also at the preview promoting their involvement in the event.
Many business people stopped by on their lunch breaks, attracted by the lack of tax on food items. One hungry business man said he preferred the Taste Preview to the actual event because he doesn’t like the ticket system. “I like the direct money exchange here” he said, “I wish the larger event would switch to just using cash as well.” Many of the vendors felt the same way about the ticket system. One man from the Garrett’s Popcorn booth commented on how difficult it is to keep track of tickets and how some tickets can be counterfeit, which is a definite downside apposed to using cash. But it doesn’t look like the ticket system will be replaced anytime soon. Strips of 12 tickets will be sold for $8 at the entrance to the event and throughout the park. You can also purchase tickets in advance at Dominick’s stores from June 17-24.
The 30th anniversary of the Taste of Chicago starts June 25th and goes through July 4th in Grant Park. A total of 53 restaurants will host booths at the event. The ever popular “Taste Of” portions, which are smaller servings of each restaurant’s classic dishes, are available for between 2-4 tickets. Special musical performances take place at the Petrillo Music Shell inside the park every day. This year performances include Rob Thomas, Salt-N-Pepper, Mat Kearney, Passion Pit, and many more. The Taste will close early on July 4th at 6pm- but don’t go too far- there will be fireworks displays along the lakefront at 9pm.
‘Maifest auf Deutsch’ celebrates the arrival of spring each year in Chicago’s very own Lincoln Square, and funnily enough this year, that was the first weekend in June. I’ve never been and had my doubts getting off the train when all I could see was men in short shorts and women with babies in one arm and a stein of beer in the other. First impressions aside, I had an uber awesome time.
If you are looking for German women who could both drink you under the table and beat you in an arm wrestling match, Maifest is for you. Everything about the fest seemed like what an authentic beer fest in Germany should be… minus the overwhelming amount of Blackhawks jerseys. Guys who would normally be wearing Cubs hats were now sporting giant purple caps with feathers reminiscent of Peter Pan, lederhosen and suspenders with flair. To be fair, I probably wouldn’t know the first thing about German culture aside from humming the theme song to David Hasselhoff’s Baywatch. But if this is what Germany might be like, someone book me a flight today. Everyone was friendly even with the torrential downpour that started as soon as the authentic German folk band began to play the ‘Chicken Dance.” The cold beer and brats kept our hearts warm as hundreds of fest-goers huddled under tents that somehow kept just about everyone dry. Women dressed in dirndls like the Family Von Trapp (yes, I know they are Austrian) and guys who looked like overgrown oompa loompas made this festival truly great. The rain didn’t stop the masses from consuming 600,000 steaming hot brats with sauerkraut and potato salad. Not really sure if that’s accurate number, but I watched a fat kid in suspenders eat at least 599,000 by the polka tent. And even with the Hawks game approaching, the party looked like it was never going to end.
Maifest is located every year at the intersection of Lincoln and Leland right off the Western Brown line stop. This year they had some authentic polka on Friday evening with the “Polkaholics” and on Saturday “The Captain Blood Orchestra.” The food and beer were spectacular. I had Bavarian meatloaf which is “basically Spam” according to the friendly guy at the tent. I was also lucky enough to try a brat from “The Chicago Brauhaus.” Indeed I have been known to hueberstein in the brauhaus in my younger years. All I can say is the Maifest is uber fun and I’ll be going back next year – hopefully without the rain!
According to the Sun-Times, a large sculpture of an eyeball constructed by artist Tony Tasset will stand in Pritzker Park on the corner of State and Van Buren. The sculpture will be unveiled on July 7th and will stay in its location through October. The Eye is expected to become a tourist attraction much like the Bean, and will draw people to the South Loop area. The artist, Tony Tasset, specializes in contemporary art and is based in Chicago. The 30-foot sculpture is made of “steel reinforced fiberglass” and features a blue iris, which happens to be the color of the artist’s own iris.Illinois’ mandatory insurance law is one of the most significant consumer protection measures now on the books. Comply or end up like this.
The Law
You are in compliance with the mandatory insurance law if you have vehicle liability insurance in the following minimum amounts:
You must always carry your insurance card in your vehicle and show it upon request by any law enforcement officer. Your insurance company will send you an insurance card, usually when your insurance policy is issued or renewed.
Your signature on the Vehicle Renewal Registration Application affirms that your vehicle will be properly insured throughout the registration period.
Enforcement
Enforcement of the mandatory insurance law is accomplished through a random questionnaire sampling process and the issuance of traffic tickets.
We have been getting a ton of emails about Chicago’s insurance policies. Well here you go! If you have any other insurance questions contact Vince “da insurance guy” Lifonti, over at Lifonti insurance. Where theyalways treat you like family!