Results tagged “mountaingoats”

Lit more ›

Raleigh, NC's Bowerbirds have had some heavy expectations to live up to since the Mountain Goats' John Darnielle called the folk-pop trio one of his favorite new bands. Since then, they've brought interesting instrumentation, plaintive male-female vocal harmonies, and varying arrangements to cozy music rooms across America and signed to the freak-folk hotbed Dead Oceans label. Chicagoist caught Bowerbirds last August at Schubas, on tour in support of the critically acclaimed, self-released, Hymns For a Dark Horse EP. Chief songwriter Phil Moore weaved fantastical tales over an acoustic guitar and a hi-hat / tambourine contraption, while the supporting cast of Beth Tacular and Marc Paulson shifted easily between a marching band bass drum, violin, and accordion. The result was nothing short of mesmerizing, with Moore's tunes taking on a rambling dimension that would be just as at home in an Eastern European gypsy encampment as they’d be on some rogue, restless pirate ship. more ›

Somebody's been keeping track of our eyelash-blowing habits because the Mountain Goats recorded a song about Super Tuesday, and it's all about satanic symbolism. "Vampires only kiss you if they've sharpened up their fangs." Oh, mama. more ›

The male bowerbird is one ugly dude, but he makes up for his drab plummage by building elaborate, intricate nests with unusual materials like insect skeletons and bits of colorful garbage. Like their namesake, Raleigh, NC's Bowerbirds build a rather glorious abode out of simple, majestic, and formidable storytelling to house their comparatively modest, unassuming image. Chicagoist first basked in the group's aural light back in August, amidst a mellow crowd at Schubas that had to be comprised of at least one-third journalists. At one point, a member of the audience approached our camera- and notebook-wielding contingent to ask what all the fuss was about this humble, soft-spoken freaky-folk trio, and we're pretty sure they had their answer by the end of the evening. Chief songwriter Phil Moore weaved fantastical tales over an acoustic guitar and a hi-hat/tambourine contraption, while the supporting cast of Beth Tacular and Marc Paulson shifted easily between a marching band bass drum, violin, and accordion. Much of the buzz surrounding Bowerbirds can be attributed to the staunch support of Mountain Goats' John Darnielle, who has called the group "my favorite new band in forever." more ›

As the group Liars droned on with their less-complicated-than-it-looks brand of noise rock, they repeatedly intoned the words “the weather is fierce.” It was a lyrical aside that would define the weather, if not necessarily the atmosphere, of the second Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago’s Union Park. Though Pitchfork was instrumental in creating last year’s Intonation festival, a split with some of last year’s organizers led to two separate events this summer. So the site... more ›

Approximately 17,000 indie rock fans now have tans thanks to the 2006 Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago’s Union Park. With temps in the 90s all day long and plenty of humidity radiating off the bodies of a sold-out crowd, Day One was a sweat-filled celebration of some of the best indie rock has to offer, including Chicago groups like Hot Machines and Chin Up Chin Up. Many attendees lined up to enter the park as... more ›

Yesterday, we learned that Lollapalooza sold 3,000 tickets without even announcing a single band. Today, not to be outdone, Pitchfork announced six of their thirty-six slated acts for the Pitchfork Media Festival. Here are the six acts that are supposed to get us all excited and ready to buy tickets on Monday. That's right - in three days these one- and two-day passes go on sale. No word yet on exact sale time, but we know the price this year will be $20 for the one-day pass and a mere $30 for the two-day pass. more ›

Though the phrase "Christian rock" would likely (and rightly) send most music fans fleeing with hands cupped over their ears, Pedro the Lion's Dave Bazan manages to inject a spirituality into his songs that never becomes too preachy. He mercifully keeps things subtler than, say, Creed. (Who now have officially broken up. Thank God.) The fact that Bazan listens to and is noticeably influenced by bands like Radiohead also helps immeasurably. Pedro the Lion, perhaps most of all, works as great background music: Chicagoist has written our fair share of term papers to the pessimistically titled albums It's Hard to Find a Friend and The Only Reason I Feel Secure. It'll be interesting to see how their sound translates to a live setting tonight at the Abbey Pub. more ›

Chicagoist just loves receiving mix tapes � or mix CDs now, *sigh* � and analyzing the meaning behind every agonizing choice. As the recent Tony Award winner Avenue Q notes, �A mix tape./ He made a mix tape./ He was thinking of me,/ Which shows he cares!/ Sometimes when someone/ Has a crush on you/ They'll make you a mix tape/ To give you a clue.� And when making the tapes, we definitely abide by the rules of one Rob Gordon: �You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention. Then you got to take it up a notch, but you don't wanna blow your wad, so then you got to cool it off a notch.� more ›

Country-music fans (yes, both of you) rejoice: Chicago transplant Kelly Hogan will play a pair of shows tonight at Hideout. But the real music story is tomorrow night, when there are so many quality bands playing in the area that we decided to give you a day�s warning to make the torturous decision. At the Empty Bottle will be the Mountain Goats, a.k.a. John Darnielle. (Chicagoist just loves singer-songwriters that pretend to be full-fledged bands, e.g. Cat Power, (smog), Destroyer, Iron & Wine, and Bonnie �Prince� Billy.) Darnielle will perform his unique, literate brand of lo-fi folk pop, and here�s hoping his awesome acoustic cover of Ace of Base�s �The Sign� makes the setlist. Archer Prewitt from local heroes The Sea & Cake will open. At Metro, weirdo Neutral Milk Hotel wannabes the Decemberists will play � probably in costume � their songs about pirates, soldiers, movie characters, and real-life novelists after the equally strange Chicago-area popsters Head of Femur open. And at House of Blues, check out Danger Mouse � the brilliant mind behind the justly lauded Beatles-Jay Z mash-up �The Grey Album� � performing with Brooklyn cohort Jemini. The duo�s recent collaboration �Ghetto Pop Life� evidences further wizardry with hip-hop tricks both underground and mainstream. No matter which show you choose, each will be a great way to kick off the weekend. more ›