Snowden And Other Reasons To Attend The Green Music Fest

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 20, 2013 4:50PM

Photo of Snowden's Jordan Jeffares by Preston Craig

Green Music Fest returns to Wicker Park this weekend with a slew of bands and the mission to connect eco-friendly Chicagoans with each other. In previous years the fest has made its mark by booking bills that make it stand out above most other local street festivals, yet the vibe has always stayed relatively chill and enjoyable.

This year's booking takes a step back from the bigger names of previous years, there is no one on the level of Dinosaur Jr or Les Savvy Fav, but there's still plenty of great music to see and hear. Our personal top pick for the weekend is Snowden, the project led by Jordan Jeffares. Jeffares has moved around quite a bit, even briefly calling Chicago home, so his music has no obvious home. More precisely as soon as the first buzzy strains of guitar come through on his new album No One in Control one immediately thinks Brooklyn or London and not the artist's current base of operations, Austin. The moody atmospherics of the music bristle with energy and everything pushes forward at a desperate pace, contrasting brightly with Jeffares reserved vocal style. It's a unique mix that's sure to make everyone feel like twilight has settled in early when Snowden takes the North stage at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.

If you're looking for the most unexpectedly entertaining band, then show up early on Saturday to catch The Hamburglars' 3:15 p.m. set. Anything we write to try and describe their show will never do them justice but expect to see men dressed just as the band's name suggests and take solace that if you can just say the words "robble robble" than you can participate in every song as a sing-along.

Make sure you stop by the Green Kids' Area, whether you have kids or not, since that stage has featured some real undiscovered surprsies in the past. That is to say, we've seen bands of pre-teens out-soloing most metal guitar gods on that stage, so it's always a good time. And if you do have kids, there are loads of fun activities to occupy them while you sip on a, erm, summer refreshment. Speaking of refreshment, we also hear that Ygaview will be hosting free yoga classes next to the South stage Saturday at 1 p.m., so you can kick off the day's activities feeling energized and invigorated ... or totally exhausted if you're a yoga newbie like this correspondent.

Green Music Fest is June 22-23, on Damen between North and Schiller, 12 p.m. - 10 p.m., $5 suggested donation, all ages