It's Time for Metronome

By Johnny Loftus in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 5, 2009 8:20PM

This weekend, the Western Ave. blue line stop isn't just for shuttle buses. Taking over the intersection at Milwaukee and Armitage is the Metronome Celebration, a new festival designed with the local community, sustainability, and total rockability in mind. In addition to the usual round of arts, crafts and other merchants, Metronome will include food from over 20 vendors and a raft of products and services to help you get your green on.

It will also bring the music on five genre-specific stages. Rock and electronic are featured on Saturday, while folk and punk hit the festival on Sunday. A stage with neighborhood entertainment will join the festivities each day.

Saturday's rock stage lineup includes the bristling garage rock of Kid Congo Powers at 4pm, followed by the Toronto combo Apostle of Hustle, supporting the just-released Eats Darkness. Here We Go Magic plays at 7pm -- the Brooklyn combo are about to do a bunch of dates with current indie buzz leaders Grizzly Bear -- and primo songwriter and indie/power-pop rock slinger John Vanderslice will headline at 8:30. (Vanderslice also plays an aftershow at Empty Bottle.)

Saturday's electronic stage just might totally destroy. If you've ever sweated through your neon T-shirt at evilOlive or Subterranean, you'll recognize DJ handles like Kid Color (12pm), Papa G (2pm), Willy Joy (3:30), and Zebo (5pm). Brooklynite Eliot Lipp follows at 6:30; the DJ and producer recently issued an album entitled Peace Love Weed 3D, which could be some kind of axiom for this celebration. Local party jam electro dudes Future Rock headline at 8pm.

The Sunday punk stage is peppered with veteran local names like the Effigies (4:30), Three Blue Teardrops (6:30), the Methadones (7:30), and Deals Gone Bad (8:30). At 5:30, meanwhile, make sure to check out the Del Moroccos. It's like a USO show crossed with punk rock's core DNA. The folk stage is no slouch, either, with headlining duties from Justin Townes Earle, the scion of Steve whose fine sophomore outing Midnight at the Movies appeared recently on Bloodshot Records. The folk and roots will also fly from the fingers of Ezra Furman & the Harpoons (6pm), The Giving Tree Band (4:15), The Right Now (2:45), Majors Junction (1:15), and Jaik Willis (12pm).

The Metronome Celebration runs from noon to 10pm Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $5. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Logan Square Neighborhood Coalition.