We drove by Union Park last night and saw it was all set up for North Coast Music Fest. We also noticed the stage configuration is pretty much exactly the same as it is for Pitchfork Music Festival, held at the same location. We're hoping kids at the fest this weekend see the summer out right and have at least as much fun there as this crowd did at Cut Copy earlier this year. more ›

Day three of the Pitchfork Music Festival is now behind us so let's reflect on the hits and misses yesterday's line-up and the fest in general more ›

Day two of the Pitchfork Music Festival is now behind us so let's reflect on the hits and misses yesterday's line-up and the fest in general more ›

Day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival is now behind us so let's reflect on the hits and misses yesterday's line-up and the fest in general more ›

After Pitchfork Music Festival caps out each day there are a number of after-party options. There's Bitchfork's smoking in the parking lot aesthetics, Dickfork's cool kids club, Sailor Jerry's brawny rocking and now, for the clubbier minded amongst you, there's the Vitaminwater Uncapped dance party going down this Friday through Thursday just blocks from the rilly big shew. The full line-up is below, but be sure to RSVP for free entry and little perks like free booze (like you'll need more) and food (which you probably will need some of by that time). Do it! more ›

The 2011 edition of the Pitchfork Music Festival kicks off tomorrow in Union Park and continues through Sunday. One of the little joys of a bill like Pitchfork's is that we look forward to discovering new groups or finally having "ah-HA" moments with groups we thought we weren't all that into. One of the big joys, though, is the anticipation that builds up to see the acts on the bill that you're already excited about, be they fresh young talents or old friends coming through for an indie rock victory lap. After you've read our picks we recommend downloading the fancy new Pitchfork Music Festival app to help you map out your own weekend and then snag the free music sampler the site produced with the help of eMusic to help you get acquainted with any bands you're not already familiar with. more ›

While our days and early evenings between July 15-17 will be wholly occupied with the Pitchfork Music Festival a new option has surfaced for keeping the party going after the fest winds up each day. more ›

The first time we heard about Peter Silberman's project The Antlers was when they released the lineup for the 2009 Pitchfork Music Festival. That year alone, we were inundated with releases from an army of fellow Brooklyn indie-hipster bands like Dirty Projectors, Real Estate and Bear In Heaven, and, really, we just had it up to our eyelids with that particular scene. When we had the opportunity to catch them at the Fest on that cold, rainy Saturday afternoon underneath that canopy of of tall, slender birch trees that dot the landscape of the C-Stage, we were taken a-back by the unadorned, yet complex beauty of their performance. The combination of Silberman's willowy falsetto and warm, glowing electric guitar and the rain falling ever-so-gently upon us seemed to transcend the hipster the electro-afro-beats that dominated that year's sound aesthetic. more ›

Pitchfork Music Festival just released another update on acts they've booked and with these new additions we can see three very distinctive days of pretty great music. more ›

While we think it's CRIMINAL to have Guided By Voices play before Animal Collective, we're still happy the Ohio-based stalwarts have been added to the Pitchfork Music Festival bill. Other notable additions include ex-Hideout bartender Neko Case and Chrissy Murderbot's juke to be reckoned with. We admit we weren't toally stoked about the line-up for the festival, taking place in Union Park from July 15 through 17, but now we're ready to head out and save a prime seat on the lawn right now! Tickets for each day are still available, though three-day passes are sold out. more ›

Tickets to the 2011 Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park are on sale starting today, and to spur folks along towards purchase of said tickets, the organizers have released the first glimpses into the line-ups o soundtrack July 15 through 17. We're beginning to notice festival fatigue making its way even into this local stalwart with a number of P4K Fest alumni making repeat appearances. more ›

Now that we've gone for the easy, lazy hipster-hating joke in the header, let's dispense with the real news. Pitchfork announced on its venerable, taste-making site the dates for the 2011 version of annual music festival: July 15-17 at the usual bat station, Union Park. Tickets go on sale next Friday, March 4th, and they'll set you back $110 for three-day passes, and $45 for single day passes. more ›

We close our coverage of this year's Pitchfork Music Festival with some of our favorite photos of the weekend. Hope y'all stayed hydrated, looked out for each other, and had as good a time as we did this weekend. We're already looking forward to P4K Music Fest 2011! more ›

Previously: Day One, Day Two more ›

This year's Pitchfork Music Festival has such a solid line-up most are saying that the quality and density of acts is even trumping what Lollapalooza has to offer. We're not going to take a stand on that point, but we will admit that this weekend has us very excited. Our music writers have huddled together and fought over who got to writer what about whom and our final recommendations for bands you absolutely, positively, do NOT want to miss follow. You'll notice we didn't include heavyweights Pavement in our round-up but that's purely because, well, who the hell is going to skip out on Pavement's first Chicago show in eleven years?! more ›

With Saturday and Sunday’s tickets sold out and three day passes long gone, those without Pitchfork tickets are probably desperately considering buying sketchy three day passes for $200+ off Craigslist. But don’t PayPal some stranger half your rent money just yet - Pitchfork announced that they’ll be releasing additional tickets tomorrow, Thursday, July 15. more ›

We've gotten in numerous arguments over the past few days regarding the musical virtues or lack thereof around heavy rock-dance duo Sleigh Bells. The group seems to be polarizing general opinion and we find ourselves firmly on the side of the fence that just can't get enough of their debut Treats. In fact we suspect the primary conceit that is working against the band's favor, and inciting negative commentary, is that when you see pictures of Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss it's easy to immediately write them off as appearing like yet another useless couple of Williamsburg hipster fucks. Sometimes you have to ignore the press photos in order to hear the music, but apparently some folks have trouble doing so. more ›

Look, we love Lollapalooza's three day long smorgasbord of music that allows you to wander around Grant Park and sample a little of this and a little of that. But we have to give the prize for the most solid ROI on every dollar spent on a ticket line-up to the Pitchfork Music Festival this year. Their line-up is laser focused and we suspect that by the end of the hot July weekend it occupies, Union Park will just be a smoking crater in the ground. more ›

We credit the sharp eye of Time Out Chicago's Areif Sless-Kitain for bringing this one to our attention. He discovered that the Pitchfork Music Festival's Facebook page dropped a clue in code hinting at the identity of an as-yet-unannounced act. In under an hour commenters had banded together to break the code and reveal the act as Outkast's Big Boi, who drops his first solo album, Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, next month. more ›

The most notable new addition to this year's Pitchfork Music Festival, taking place July 16 - 18 in Union Park, is Canadian indie supergroup / powerhouse Broken Social Scene. The addition that excited us the most is skronk-boogiers The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (and not just because we're hoping to catch sight of his hottt wife and frequent collaborator foil Cristina Martinez in the audience). Local kids The Smith Westerns have also been added, somewhat unsurprisingly given the press they've gathered form both Pitchfork and other sites across the land in the past year. Although their furious live show will certainly meet it's match in the Springsteenian punk of Titus Andronicus, making their second-appearance / victory lap through the festival. more ›

At first the notion of a Pavement "best of" album made no sense to us, but then we realized not everyone owns every single thing the band put out like we do. in Pavement's ten years as a working band it's fair to say they birthed the final wave of the truly independent movement in music and it's hard to understate their influence on the generation that followed. more ›

St. Vincent is the moniker of Annie Clark, American singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. She’s a former member of the Polyphonic Spree and toured with Sufjan Stevens, but lately she’s been playing solo, releasing knockout albums and earning her status as an indie goddess. But don’t let her big doe eyes, porcelain skin and soothing, lovely voice fool you; her music proves that she isn’t as sweet and innocent as she appears. more ›

We warned you. It took under five days for 3-Day passes to this year's Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park to sell out and we can't say we're surprised. In our opinion Pavement alone could have triggered the run, but we also suspect that folks are probably viewing the handful of acts announced thus far as the tip of the iceberg, setting expectations for the full bill pretty high. more ›

The Pichtfork Music Festival has gotten in the habit of releasing its festival acts in fits and spurts that constantly one-up each other, ostensibly to keep fans excited for the impending summer weekend it inhabits, but after today's initial line-up announcement we're curious how they're going to keep the momentum going to top this. more ›

It's on! The Pitchfork Music Festival will take up residence in Union Park this summer from July 16 to 18. Tickets go on sale THIS Friday, February 5, through their website with single-day tickets selling for $40 and three-day passes selling for $90. Who's playing? You'll have to wait until Friday to find THAT out since they're holding off the announcent of the first round of bands until then. more ›

If Day 1 was all about politeness, then Day 2 of the 2009 Pitchfork Music Festival was about shifting gears. The day dawned sunny and bright but clouds rolled in by the time we made it to Union Park, just in time to see some of the Plants & Animals action, rollicking around under the overcast sky and grooving on songs like "Good Friend." We thought it would be a standard Saturday: throw down a blanket and enjoy some mellower music and relax. Fucked Up had other ideas. Indeed, the band kicked off their set with the jolting, "Son the Father," the opening track from their most recent LP, The Chemistry of Common Life, and didn't relent for the rest of the set. Within the first two songs, lead singer Damian Abraham had already torn apart a beachball with his teeth and placed it on his head. Good, rocking times. more ›

Tonight kicks off the annual Pitchfork Music Fest and music is on everyone's mind. There is no better complement to good music than good art and as you spend the weekend checking out your favorite bands, set some time aside for Flatstock, located inside the Pitchfork grounds. more ›

Ah, it's that time of year again! Time for us to strap on our backpacks, get our over-sized sunglasses, slap on a fannypack, and head to Union Park for this year's Pitchfork Music Festival to mingle and and rock and sway with fellow music lovers, hippies, hipsters, and even a few regular folks. But this year, there's a twist. No, it's not tonight's Write The Night set-up. It's...the weather. That's right, for the first time perhaps, well, ever in its history, Pitchfork Fest won't live up to it's "Sweatfork" nickname. For tonight's opening set, you may even need...wait for it...a jacket. While we have sunny skies now, overcast skies and a few possible sprinkles are in order for later today as well as highs that will just crack 70. Brisk northwest winds of up to 20-25 mph will only make things cooler, especially tonight as lows drop to the mid 50s. We are not kidding. And tomorrow? More overcast and more showers with a high in the lower 70s. Maybe those hipster scarves will actually come in handy. more ›

The Pitchfork Music Festival kicks off tomorrow evening and we're being completely honest when we say it is the event of our summer. Excellent booking and the laidback atmosphere, combined with what looks to be wonderful weather, provides the hope of an unforgettable weekend. Instead of boring you with a band by band rundown like everyone else is doing, this year we thought we'd let a couple off you step up and make the recommendations. Here they are. more ›

Unsurprisingly, this year's amazingly solid Pitchfork Music Festival is selling out of its tickets. 2-day passes are gone with only single day tickets available. If you want to see Built To Spill play "Car" or actually witness The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne picking up a guitar connected to a distortion pedal you better get your tickets today. more ›