Results tagged “okkervilriver”

If you haven't been watching Beardo on Pitchfork.tv, you've been missing out. Chicagoan Fred Armisen makes an appearance in this latest episode of Tim Harrington's eccentric show, along with an all-star indie rock cast under the moniker USA for Affluence, singing an epic ode to consumerism.

We rested, rehydrated, and recovered from Day 1 in preparation for the rest of the weekend. Luckily, Mother Nature decided to have pity on the festival-goers: while clouds were still completely absent from the sky on Saturday, the temperature and humidity were considerably lower than on Friday and the breeze off Lake Michigan made the weather downright pleasant to enjoy all the great music. There's no rest for the weary and with some big decisions looming in Sunday's line-up (i.e., the Gnarls-Girl Talk-National conundrum), we dove right in to Saturday's sets.

Former Okkervil River bandmates Jonathan Meiburg and Will Sheff formed Shearwater in 1999 to give public life to the piano-based ballads that didn't have a home among their main band's emotionally-charged pop. Perhaps not surprisingly, the near-brilliant songwriting duo found no drop off in critical acclaim just because they dialed down the volume. The stunning "Rooks," from the full length Rook (Matador) combines one of the neatest guitar lines of 2008's first half with a haunting, death-defying trumpet and emotionally-charged organ. Rook is an album full of menacing grandiosity and a deeper, more accomplished and ultimately more satisfying experience than its still-excellent predecessor, 2006's Palo Santo.

Sybris has its roots deep in the Chicago music community. Trumpets a pretty impressive pedigree, the group boasts members of local legends Kelly 18 and Tekulvi. Kelly 18 was well known for their blustery Bacchanalian din while Tekulvi was respected for their emotive songs laced with razor sharp intertwining guitars. So when word came out that these heavy hitters had paired with a completely unknown vocalist they met in a bar, a few in the music community could be forgiven for scratching their heads.