The annual Levitation France music festival will fall on the weekend of September 18-19th this year. It will be held in the Le Quai performing arts center in Angers – a great venue across from the Maine River. Tickets aren’t on sale yet, but I highly recommend going to this festival if you can make it. Angers is a lovely town and the lineup is always top notch.
Keep your mind open.
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Following the release of their new concept album, Hollow, Elephant Stone have announced a spring North American tour starting with a free show in Winooski, Vermont and ending in Chicago, Illinois. All tour dates are with DJ Al Lover, with whom Elephant Stone‘s lead singer / bassist / sitarist Rishi Dhir has worked in the past with their Acid House Ragas project. Tickets are available for all dates.
4/29 Winooski VT @ Foam Brewers FREE SHOW
4/30 New Haven CT @ State House TICKETS
5/1 Brooklyn NY @ The Sultan Room TICKETS
5/2 Allentown PA @ Muhlenberg College TICKETS
5/3 Washington DC @ Comet Ping Pong TICKETS
5/5 Cleveland OH @ Beachland Tavern TICKETS
5/6 Indianapolis IN @ Square Cat Vinyl TICKETS
5/7 Windsor ON @ Meteor TICKETS
5/8 Milwaukee WI @ Milwaukee Psych Fest TICKETS
5/9 Chicago IL @ Sleeping Village TICKETS
Keep your mind open.
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The Pitchfork Music Festival will celebrate its 15th anniversary this summer, Friday, July 17 through Sunday, July 19, at Chicago’s Union Park. Today, the Festival announces the full 2020 lineup, including headliners Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Run The Jewels, and The National. Leading up to the Festival weekend, there will be a week of special 15th Anniversary Events commemorating 15 years of the Pitchfork Music Festival and the city of Chicago. Further details will be announced soon.
The festival opens on Friday with Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Angel Olsen, The Fiery Furnaces playing their first show in 10 years, Jehnny Beth, Deafheaven, Waxahatchee, Tim Hecker & The Konoyo Ensemble, SOPHIE, Fennesz, Hop Along, Dehd, SPELLLING, KAINA, and Femdot.
On Saturday, the festival hosts Run The Jewels, who had a formative moment in 2013 during which they were originally booked as solo artists before joining each others’ sets. They will be joined by Sharon Van Etten, Twin Peaks, Danny Brown, Thundercat, Cat Power, Tierra Whack, BADBADNOTGOOD, Dave, Oso Oso, Divino Niño, Boy Scouts, Ezra Collective, and Margaux.
Sunday will feature The National, who played Pitchfork Music Festival’s first year in 2006, Big Thief, Kim Gordon, Phoebe Bridgers, Yaeji, Caroline Polachek, DJ Nate, Maxo Kream, Rapsody, Faye Webster, Mariah the Scientist, Dogleg, The Hecks, and Dustin Laurenzi’s Snaketime.
For 15 years, the Pitchfork Music Festival lineup has spanned genres and generations, consistently placing contemporary cutting-edge artists alongside some of the most influential acts of our time. Year after year, this significant balance has made the event stand out as one of the most enjoyable festivals and celebrated weekends in music.
“For the 15th anniversary of Pitchfork Music Festival, we’re excited to showcase musicians who have been formative to our readers and pivotal to their respective communities,” said editor-in-chief Puja Patel. “It’s in Pitchfork’s DNA to seek out rising talent and the best new music out there, and this year’s lineup exemplifies that across all three days. We always hope that fans will come to see their favorite band and leave the weekend having found a new one as well.”
Pitchfork Music Festival tickets are on sale now. Currently, three-day passes are $185 and single-day passes are $75. The Pitchfork PLUS upgrade, including a range of exclusive amenities, is $385 for a three-day pass and $160 for a single-day pass. Payment plans will be available for all tickets over $100. More details are available here.
PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
FRIDAY
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Angel Olsen
The Fiery Furnaces
Jehnny Beth
Deafheaven
Waxahatchee
Tim Hecker & The Konoyo Ensemble
SOPHIE
Fennesz
Hop Along
Dehd
SPELLLING
KAINA
Femdot
SATURDAY
Run the Jewels
Sharon Van Etten
Twin Peaks
Danny Brown
Thundercat
Cat Power
Tierra Whack
BADBADNOTGOOD
Dave
Oso Oso
Divino Niño
Boy Scouts
Ezra Collective
Margaux
SUNDAY
The National
Big Thief
Kim Gordon
Phoebe Bridgers
Yaeji
Caroline Polachek
DJ Nate
Maxo Kream
Rapsody
Faye Webster
Mariah the Scientist
Dogleg
The Hecks
Dustin Laurenzi’s Snaketime
For more information, including lineups, event news, and the latest updates, please visit PitchforkMusicFestival.com, facebook.com/pitchforkmusicfestival and follow Pitchfork Music Festival on Instagram and Twitter.
Keep your mind open.
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Levitation Austin has announced the 2020 festival dates as October 22 – 25th. Four-day passes for the entire festival and / or for the four headliner shows at Stubb’s BBQ are already on sale. No lineup has been announced yet, but I imagine the first wave will be announced this summer.
Keep your mind open.
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| Iceland Airwaves, the country’s longest running festival and the world’s Northernmost music showcase, returns to downtown Reykjavík Wednesday, November 4 through Saturday, November 7 and reveals its first wave of performers. This year, Courtney Barnett will play a rare intimate solo set, Metronomymake a triumphant return to Iceland with their latest album Metronomy Forever, and recent Grammy-nominated Texan psychedelic soul duo Black Pumas will make their Airwaves debut. Experimental punk band Squid, British outfit Dry Cleaning, over-the-top pop artist Dorian Electra, and many more will also appear. Icelandic-based billings include Iceland’s most famous 9-strong all female rap collective Daughters of Reykjavik, the Westman Islands’ freaky folk pop songwriter Júníus Meyvant, revered Seabear member Sin Fang, plus more. The first wave of announced artists is listed below. LISTEN TO ICELAND AIRWAVES FIRST ROUND PERFORMERS PLAYLIST HERE Iceland Airwaves is firmly back to its best and will be inviting thousands of music lovers from over 60 countries for an unmissable global gathering. Attendees can experience shows in spaces as varied as art galleries to churches and concert halls, all in easy walking distance within downtown. With the festival’s forward thinking, collaborative approach and positive local influence, Reykjavík has developed into a thriving and globally recognised music city. Super early-bird tickets have sold out. Iceland Airwaves Music Festival early-bird tickets are on sale nowfor 14.900 ISK (around $136) for a four-day pass. Travel packages from the USA, Canada, UK and Europe, are available from Icelandair. PURCHASE TICKETS HERE International Acts Black Pumas (UK) CHLOBOCOP (UK) Courtney Barnett (solo) (AU) Dorian Electra (US) Dry Cleaning (UK) Erika de Casier (DK) Lynks Afrikka (UK) Metronomy (UK) Squid (UK) Tami T (SE) The Murder Capital (IE) Icelandic Acts ADHD Andavald Andy Svarthol Benni Hemm Hemm BSÍ Daughters of Reykjavik dj. flugvél og geimskip Gugusar GRÓA Halldór Eldjárn Júníus Meyvant Kiriyama Family K.óla Krummi MSEA Myrkvi Omotrack Oyama Pale Moon Sólveig Matthildur S.hel Sin Fang Sinmara |
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It was a chilly Monday night, but not unbearable. It was downright balmy for a Chicago winter. Despite the cold and the early night of the week, Schuba’s had a good-sized crowd for the art-punk / no wave night of music featuring Chicago’s own Jungle Green and Brooklyn bands The Wants and BODEGA.
Jungle Green took the stage first with a dizzying set of no wave bedroom rock that instantly reminded me of Gary Wilson tunes with their themes of love and romance and performance art strewn throughout the show. The lead singer spent the whole set in the crowd and the rest of the band swapped instruments so many times that I lost count of how many times who played what. In other words, it was a lot of fun.
The Wants played a stunning set of dark shoegaze that reminded me of a mix of Joy Division and The Fixx. Heather (bass and vocals), Madison (guitar and vocals), and Jason (drums) made jaws drop for their whole set and had everyone eager to hear their full-length album due next month.
BODEGA (which includes The Wants’ Heather and Madison in its ranks) wrapped up the night with a wild, fun, fiery set peppered with brief, amusing discussions on Oscar Wilde, advertising, and film. I think the audience was secretly thankful for these funny chats lead singer Ben Hozie had with the audience because the talks gave us all time to breathe. BODEGA let up during these breaks from a pedal-to-the-metal set of post / art-punk and no wave bangers like “Name Escape” – which featured their friend / fellow Brooklynite / rapper Kaheim Rivera (who played Chicago’s Empty Bottle two nights later) doing two freestyle riffs during the song – and the always wall-flattening “Truth Is Not Punishment.”
It was a great way to spend a Monday night and worth the drive in the cold. Catch BODEGA if you can, and look for The Wants to tour the UK later this year.
Keep your mind open.
[Thanks to Patrick Tilley for setting me up with press credentials for the show.]
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For a small place, Ft. Wayne, Indiana’s Brass Rail can pack in a lot of sound. This show of indie shoegaze and psychedelic acts was no exception.
First up was local band Leones, who played a good set of bass-forward shoegaze with thick Latinx psychedelic touches.
Second on the bill were Chicago’s Diagonal. I’ve been a fan of the band for a while now and was happy to finally catch them live. They played a sold psychedelia set of mostly new material from their upcoming album. One of the funniest parts of their set was how they kept referring to Gary Numan and playing parts of “Are Friends ‘Electric’?” after I played it on the Brass Rail’s juke box while they were doing their sound check.
Closing out the night was Ft. Wayne’s Necromoon, who are not a Dead Moon cover band. They play a mellower version of psychedelia than Dead Moon (and to be fair, few bands can match Dead Moon’s raw power) but still put out a lot of sound as they played songs about love and death and other subjects with a bright hope to them.
All in all, it was a fun night of live music in a small venue and a nice oasis in the dead of winter.
Keep your mind open.
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Rage Against the Machine have announced their first full tour in almost ten years, starting with three shows in the American southwest that will benefit immigrant charities. Most of the tour includes opening support from Run the Jewels, and there’s also a headlining spot for RATM at Coachella this year. Tickets are on sale now, and I’m sure many dates (if not all of them) will sell out. Here’s the list:
03-26 El Paso, TX – Don Haskins Center
03-28 Las Cruces, NM – Pan American Center
03-30 Glendale, AZ – Gila River Arena
04-10 Indio, CA – Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
04-17 Indio, CA – Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
04-21 Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
04-25 Portland, OR – Moda Center
04-28 Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Dome
05-01 Vancouver, BC – Pacific Coliseum at the PNE
05-03 Edmonton, Alberta – Rogers Place
05-05 Calgary, Alberta – Scotiabank Saddledome
05-07 Winnipeg, Manitoba – Bell MTS Place
05-09 Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford Premier Center
05-11 Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
05-14 Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center
05-16 St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
05-19 Chicago, IL – United Center
05-23 Boston, MA – Boston Calling
06-19 Dover, DE – Firefly
07-10 East Troy, WI – Alpine Valley Music Theatre
07-13 Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
07-17 Ottawa, Ontario – Ottawa Bluesfest
07-18 Québec City, Québec – Festival d’Été de Québec
07-21 Hamilton, Ontario – FirstOntario Centre
07-23 Toronto, Ontario – Scotiabank Arena
07-27 Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center
07-29 Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
07-31 Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
08-02 Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena
08-04 Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
08-07 Camden, NJ – BB&T Pavilion
08-10 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
08-11 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
08-28 Leeds, England – Leeds Festival
08-30 Reading, England – Reading Festival
09-01 Paris, France – Rock En Seine Festival
09-04 Stradbally Laois, Ireland – Electric Picnic Festival
09-06 Berlin, Germany – Lollapalooza Berlin Festival
09-08 Prague, Czech Republic – O2 Arena
09-10 Krakow, Poland – Tauron Arena
Keep your mind open.
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Sharon Van Etten follows 2019’s Remind Me Tomorrow, “an album of hope, intimacy and perseverance” (New York Times), with a new single, “Beaten Down,” and its gorgeous accompanying video. “‘Beaten Down’ is about love, patience and empathy,” says Van Etten. “It’s about making life-changing choices and remaining strong enough to see them through.” Produced by John Congleton, the song opens with dark, minimalistic percussion and Van Etten’s smoldering voice before growing more textured, expanding with layered vocals, synths and keys.
The “Beaten Down” video was directed by Nicky and Juliana Giraffe at Giraffe Studios and features Van Etten and the dancing duo of Allison and Veronica Huber. “Our goal was to create a striking and psychedelic video set in the California desert, a welcoming of Sharon’s next chapter here,” explains Nicky and Juliana Giraffe. “Upon hearing the song, our minds automatically drifted into stark black and white, fever dreams, dark silhouettes contrasted against a barren desert landscape. Our intention was to give Sharon’s song and performance space to breathe and echo. It was important to us that the dancers were strongly connected and we’re so lucky to have worked with the talented Huber Twins on this project.”
Watch Sharon Van Etten’s Video for “Beaten Down”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC9GyTAuk8s
As previously announced, Van Etten guest stars in Eliza Hittman’s new film, Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always,which premiered at Sundance last week to a great deal of industry praise and won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Neorealism. The film opens in theaters in North America on March 13th, 2020. Watch the trailer here.
Van Etten will tour the southeast this April playing cities she has not yet visited in support of Remind Me Tomorrow. Additionally, she’s just announced a return to New York this summer. She’ll headline Central Park SummerStage on Wednesday, July 29th and be joined by Real Estate and Grace Ives.
Stream/Purchase Remind Me Tomorrow –
https://sharonvanetten.ffm.to/remindmetomorrow
Sharon Van Etten Tour Dates:
Fri. April 17 – Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head Live
Sat. April 18 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel
Sun. April 19 – North Charleston, SC @ High Water Festival
Mon. April 20 – Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom
Wed. April 22 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
Fri. April 24 – New Orleans, LA @ Civic Theatre
Sat. April 25 – Fort Worth, TX @ Fortress Festival
Sun. April 26 – Austin, TX @ Stubb’s
Tue. April 28 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse
Fri. May 22 – Boston, MA @ Boston Calling
Wed. July 29 – New York, NY @ Central Park SummerStage w/ Real Estate, Grace Ives
Keep your mind open.
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“this is music meant to be played at a volume walls can’t contain. Fuzz’s namesake is no joke, either — this is proto-metal, anvil-head blues-rock, thick like cement about to harden.” – NPR Music
FUZZ, comprised of Ty Segall (drums, vocals), Charles Moothart (guitar, vocals), and Chad Ubovich (bass, vocals), announces a North American tour – their first since winter 2015. The band will bring their rowdy live shows across the states, including three nights at Los Angeles’s Teragram Ballroom and to Chicago’s Thalia Hall, New York’s Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg, and more. There will be additional FUZZ-related news in the coming weeks. Tickets are on sale now.
FUZZ Tour Dates:
Wed. May 27 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
Fri. May 29 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater
Sat. May 30 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
Sun. May 31 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
Tue. June 2 – Sacramento, CA @ Harlow’s
Wed. June 3 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Felton Music Hall
Fri. June 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
Sat. June 6 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
Sun. June 7 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
Thu. June 18 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Fri. June 19 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
Sat. June 20 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
Sun. June 21 – Montreal, QC @ La Tulipe
Mon. June 22 – Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
Wed. June 24 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Thu. June 25 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Fri. June 26 – Baltimore, MD @ OttoBar
Sat. June 27 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Sun. June 28 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Small’s Theater
Keep your mind open.
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