Chi-city and the Pitchfork Festival or Why J should go to shows again...Part 1

"Perhaps the most typically American place in America." James Bryce, 1888

The wife and I went to Chicago in July so I could attend the Pitchfork music festival for the second year in a row. I thought I would be going by myself as my usual show companion had already made alternate travel plans but at the last moment I convinced the missus that Chicago was a fun city to visit plus she wanted to check out the craft fair at the festival to see if she might want to participate as a vendor next year. Thought she is not a live music fan I got her a 2 day pass for Saturday and Sunday, while I had already bought a 3 day pass before acts were announced.

Buying tickets to a show when you don't know who will be performing would seem like a bonehead move. I would normally agree but this year the Pitchfork Festival was extended, adding a Friday night to the weekend schedule. The Friday night acts it was announced would be part of the 'Don't Look Back Series'. The series has artists performing records from beginning to end. Previous performances have included Low performing Thing We Lost in The Fire and the Dirty Three performing Oceans Songs. This was enough for me to buy tickets as soon as they went on sale despite having to probably go alone. Plus the festival itself is well organized and usually has an eclectic line up, this year being no different.

When it was announced that Sonic Youth would perform Daydream Nation on Friday night I knew I had made the right decision. I have been a Sonic Youth fan for while and have been seeing them live just as long. Though I have a special place in my heart for Evol and especially Sister (chock full of Philip K Dick references) Daydream Nation was the 1st Sonic Youth record I anticipated coming out. I remember being blown away hearing the whole thing from front to back the first time. It would still be 2 or 3 years before I would see then live for the first time. By then they had signed to a major label with grunge right around the corner. Their live set did not include a lot of stuff from Daydream Nation at that time so this would be my first chance to hear some of these songs live.

More in part 2......Publish Post

Last FM Thingee added

Added a last.fm plug in to show what I music I am playing. If you are not familiar with last.fm it is a mash up of myspace, pandora, and any other random web 2.0 social networking site you can name. I like it because I can get suggestions for music, stalk my friend's musical tastes and in turn people know what I am listening to recently. Alas most of my last.fm "friends" who are active I don't really know so it would be nice to get some people on board who I know better so I can send messages trashing or praising their musical tastes.

Please note I have not detected nor read about any spyware, adware, or tracking besides the obvious associated with the last.fm if'n you care about intertube security and what not.

This thing is still here?!

After a year plus I guess it is time for me to start posting again or at least feign another attempt to keep up with posting. Since the last entry mentioned more about music that sounds like as good a place to start back up as any other.

That said I will post about the shows that I have seen since the beginning of the year in reverse order starting with the Pitchfork music festival I attended in July. The post will be a long overdue response of sorts to this post by J who as some of you may know is often my show going buddy. (That is my term not his.)

Besides recommitting myself to maintaining this virtual connection to my friends I hope to inspire the same audience to resurrect their dead lonely blogs. You know who you are?

Back to the salt mine for now.....