We've been hearing about director Kevin McAlester's disturbingly intimate look at Roky Erickson's life for quite some time, anticipating the documentary's arrival in the Midwest. And tonight we don't have to wait any longer. "You're Gonna Miss Me," is a documentary that outlines the story of Erickson, who made his name as lead singer from the 13th Floor Elevators. As the story goes, Roky was arrested in 1969 for carrying one joint. He entered an... more ›

With the recent news that Intonation Music Festival will not be held this year, there’s been speculation of what exactly David Singer and company will be doing to bide their time. When we spoke with the Intonation crew last year, they emphasized that what made their festival different than the influx of outdoor festivals in the Chicago area was the diversity of the lineup, combined with the fact their festival happened before the Chicago summer... more ›

Greg Kot drops two scoops in today's Tribune. The Pitchfork Music Festival will return to Chicago's Union Park July 14th and 15th. In addition, Girl Talk will be on the bill. As someone on the Sound Opinions message board said: "Finally, a Girl Talk show I can get into." Girl Talk last appeared in Chicago for a much-anticipated, much-talked about New Year's Eve show at Empty Bottle. Last year's Pitchfork Music Festival was a first... more ›

Sometimes you need to clean yourself up, get serious, and move in with daddie for a few months before you head to Latin America for a new gig. The District bid's Jenna Bush adios. D.C.-based television shows have an elderly audience and DCist has some suggestions to fix that. They're also throwing Butterstick the panda bear a birthday bash. Yeah, we may have a few issues with our World Cup broadcasters here, but this guy... more ›

Chicagoist awakened Sunday morning to grey skies and rain. Luckily, Day Two of the Intonation Music Festival was anything but dreary. Following are some recaps of the performances that we liked best (and, boy, narrowing that down was a hard decision). Before the clouds even had a chance to dissipate, we were blown away by the Tyrades. Finally, a pure and simple punk band. We loved Jenna Tyrade's screams and the whole band's assaultive attitude.... more ›

Holy crap, we're tired. Day One of the 2006 Intonation Music Festival has come and gone and after a full day's rockin' out at Union Park, we're ready for a nap. No major craziness or incidents to report (though we did see one jackass get escorted out by security for disobeying the no-pushing-your-way-up-to-the-front rule). So far, the fest has gained diversity thanks to a mixture of indie rock, hip-hop, metal and pop but lost a... more ›

(Editor’s Note: Are you an out-of-towner preparing to make the trek to Chicago this summer and wondering how to spend your time? Then download Act Like You've Been Here Before: The Chicagoist Guide To Chicago, a compendium of the Chicagoist staff’s tips for getting around Chicago and our favorite places in the city to eat, drink, shop and rock) in convenient PDF form. Perhaps it’s not surprising that the lion’s share of the press about... more ›

With new details emerging each week, Chicago’s summer of rock festivals continues to roll on. Yeah, that’s right. We said it. What fun is a cliché if you can’t beat it into the ground? We’re not the only ones excited though: Chicago Public Radio is putting together a “Listener's Guide to Chicago's Summer Music Festivals,” featuring Chicago rock fans talking about their favorite acts playing Lollapalooza, Intonation and Pitchfork this summer. If you’d like the... more ›

Chicagoist is starting to get rock fest whiplash, people. And what's with all the orange in the logos? Every time we turn around, there’s another announcement about this fest or the other. With each group trying to one-up each other in the press with discounted passes and hot-shit bookings, we’re having trouble keeping up. So here’s a quick summary of the most recent news and what we know so far (updated as of 3/11):... more ›

We’re not sure if you noticed, but Greg Kot was a busy guy at the end of last week. On Friday, Kot reported that the Smashing Pumpkins will not be reuniting at Coachella this April. Over the last couple weeks, published reports created a veritable Hokey Pokey of information: you had your Pumpkins in, you had your Pumpkins out. Whether Corgan backed out or was never in it to begin with remains a cause for... more ›

Last month, Eric Zorn debuted a new Month in Review feature on his blog. He invited local bloggers and journalists to join him in discussing the month's hottest state and local news stories. This month Monsieur Zorn asked Chicagoist to participate. Below are our picks for July. Check Zorn's site tomorrow for his Monthly round up. Biggest Loser: Mayor Daley With the Feds coming in and busting up Chicago's political "boys club," Mayor Daley's approval... more ›

The Intonation Interviews more ›

The defining moment for Pitchfork’s Intonation Music Festival came just after Toronto’s Broken Social Scene began their Saturday evening set. Taking advantage of a security force that was as laid-back as the attendees, a few concertgoers slipped into the press pit with the same hesitation and excitement you’d see if they were trying to stand next to the prettiest girl in school. At any other show, a struggle would have ensued between drunks rushing the... more ›

Pitchfork Media's Intonation Music Festival 2005 took place this past weekend and Chicagoist was there from start to finish. The organizers of Intonation proved it's possible to put on a safe and enjoyable destination music festival that stays true to its audience and reflects the city of Chicago's rock community. We'll be posting a write-up of the fest later today but for now enjoy our Flickr photosets of Day One and Day Two or check... more ›

An update to a story we've been posting about this week: Late yesterday, Pitchfork changed their rules about bringing in outside water to this weekend’s Intonation Music Festival. All attendees will now be allowed to bring in two sealed bottles of water. You’ll be able to refill those bottles at stations provided by the Chicago Park District especially for the event. In addition, half-liter bottles of water can be purchased onsite for $1. If you... more ›

UPDATE: Scott Plagenhoef, Managing Editor of Pitchfork, wrote us with the following: "Here is the info on the water situation: The Chicago Park District is providing extra water stations throughout the site. If people wish to purchase water, it will be available at a cost of $1/half-liter." When asked about restrictions on water at this weekend’s Intonation Festival during WXRT’s Sound Opinions radio program, Intonation Music Festival organizer and Pitchfork Media head honcho Ryan Schreiber... more ›

Pitchfork Media, that doyenne of indie rock criticism, kicks off the first Intonation Music Festival this Saturday with one of the most distinguished lineups of bands you’ve probably never heard of in your entire life. We know many of you have been losing your shit for weeks over the chance to see artists like A.C. Newman, The Go! Team, Broken Social Scene, and the Decemberists share the same bill and have also been giving the... more ›

As the organizers of Lollapalooza struggle to dot their I’s, cross their T’s, and leave the bags of money behind the correct trees, Pitchfork does them one better by announcing they’ll be “curating” the first Annual Intonation Music Festival on July 16th and 17th at Pulaski Park. (Curating? Huh. So that’s what pretension smells like). But let’s leave our own sarcasm aside for a moment because Pitchfork has done something really crazy and released a... more ›