2009 July | dailybeatz

Posts published during July, 2009

07/22/2009

the changes – her, you and i

the changes live

today we have a special treat. the first in what could potentially become a series of interviews with dailybeatz artists. our special guest today is darren spitzer, lead singer of Chicago band the changes. their sound is pretty unique and combines elements of pop, rock and jazz, to quote wikipedia, all with a “dreamy jangle”. i hadnt heard from them in the while so i wanted to check in to see what they were up to. this is my first interview ever, so the questions are kind of stupid. hopefully in time they will become more awesomer.

dailybeatz: tell us what it was like to play lollapalooza after winning a battle of the bands contest and being the only unsigned band on the bill?

darren spitzer: playing lollapalooza was a great experience, but beyond everything the weather is what everyone remembers about it. it was 104 degrees, sweltering and surreal. we didn’t win a battle of the bands. we just got the gig because we were a higher-profile local group. (editors note — i swear i researched the band but got some bum information)

db: settle the score. whats the best pizza in chicago?

ds: ginos east has that corn flavored crust…probably the best. but i love the pizza they serve at chicago sporting events…connies.

db: what are a few up and coming artists youve been listening to?

ds: im only listening to old stuff, theres such a crazy volume of new bands that im way out of touch with. theres an animal collective song i think is incredible…thats about it.

db: are you guys attending pitchfork or lollapalooza this year and if so who are you most excited to see? (editors note – oops, guess i was supposed to post this last week)

ds: i used to sell water at pitchfork, but that got kinda old so im skippin that. lolla could be fun, my friend is gonna play steel pedal over there.

db: what are your favorite chicago nighttime hot spots, and favorite drunk food on the way home?

ds: favorite nighttime hot spot is maries. great jukebox filled with the old stuff, its like another world in there…but you should only be there after 3am.

db: whats the craziest thing thats ever happened while you were on stage at a show?

ds: jonny [basofin] threw a drum stick at my hand, i must have done something mean or nasty…and he whipped this drumstick at my hand and it really hurt. it left a mark and also a bump for a few months. with time the aching and swelling went down. but man, guy threw a drumstick at me. that was crazy.

db: who would win in a fight between the changes and serena williams?

ds: the winner would be serenas ASS.

db: last but certainly not least, whats up next for the changes? are you working on new material or do you have any plans to tour in the future? do you want me to debut some brand new material on my blog?

ds: hmm…up next is another adventure, time will contiune to unfold…and unravel. id like you to post the awesome nigerian afro-disco song thats playing as i complete this interview.

special thanks to darren for taking the time to answer a few questions for us. as for the changes, hopefully there is nothing to read into his ominous response to my last question and there will be much more music coming from the group in the future. aside from posting the aforementioned nigerian afro-disco song at darrens request, i will also be playing my favorite track from the changes album “today is tonight”, the jazzy-chorded “her, you and i”.

shina williams – agboju logun

the changes – her you and i
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07/21/2009

beck – lost cause

beck live

we now return you to our regularly scheduled programming. todays song is one of my favorites of all times and its by the ever changing beck off his album “sea change” that came out some time when i was in college, and also a request by nick. as you maybe can tell, my fact checking seems to be falling by the wayside, and since it usually consisted solely of wikipedia anyway, i figure you arent necessarily losing out on top notch info. but anyway, sea change was one of those albums that had a definite sound that wasnt really like any other beck stuff for the most part. the other album like this was “midnight vultures”, which was full of big instrumentation and funky funky tunes. like the 10+ minute “debra” with the classic chorus line “i wanna get with you and your sister. i think her name is debra”. maybe one of the most fun albums ever?

the other cool thing about beck (aside from being one of the most eclectic and interesting people out there, both personally and musically) is that one of his band members once hit on my friend sarah. we were ushering his show at hill auditorium back in the day (i want to say we were still in high school) and were standing in the back of the auditorium and this guy was just mackin hardcore on her. then the opening band finished and becks band stared up, and sure enough, there was the hitman himself, right up there on stage. i cant remember if he was the drummer or the bassist.

does anyone not like this song? can anyone not like this song? i really like when theres two guitars in a song, and one is playing the melody, and the other is just noodling around the entire time playing fills and just layering it on thick. and then theres some bells in there. and then theres some great lyrics. the centerpiece of a classic album thats both soft and powerful. still crankin out the hits after all these years.

beck – lost cause

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07/20/2009

the flaming lips – ego tripping at the gates of hell

flaming lips live

this is a pretty big week of firsts here at dailybeatz. first of all, i wrote a little article about the cost aspect of pitchfork fest which was posted on the windycitizen blog yesterday. this marks my first time writing an article about anything using proper punctuation and capitalization. we’ve also got our first ever interview coming up later this week. and finally, we’ve got our very first giveaway coming up even later in the week. phew, thats a lot to look forward to all in one week, dont you think? that being said, im exhausted, and im going to repost the contents of the story i wrote below, as well as a song by the flaming lips, who closed out the pitchfork festival last night with a bang. you can see the original article here in all its glory.

The Price of Pitchfork Fun

Friday night began my second year at the ever-eclectic Pitchfork Music Festival at Union Park in the great city of Chicago. While I’m still deciding if I prefer this weekend’s sub-70 degree temperatures to last year’s intense heat and humidity, I do know that Pitchfork Fest has remained one of the most affordable festivals, especially relative to the caliber of its acts. At just over $80 for a weekend pass, its among the most affordable 3-day music festivals out there. But what about the costs when you actually arrive at the festival? After spending ridiculous amounts of money at last year’s festival, I decided to provide a list of good deals and things to avoid to keep your wallet in check.

Let’s start out with the good. Perhaps the best value at Pitchfork is the food. While a typical meal will run you $6 or $7, the portions are generous and the options are abundant. I had a messy and delicious $7 pulled turkey sandwich from the Robinson’s cart and will be indulging in a $2 corn on the cob tomorrow. My friends got a huge portion of tempura shrimp and vegetables from the Star of Siam booth that was pretty tasty too. Regardless of what you’re in the mood for, there’s probably a food stand for you.

Another place to hit up for a potential deal is the Threadless.com booth, located just to the right of the entrance next to the baseball diamonds. They are offering a wheel of deals for whoever wants to spin. You can win anything from a button up to a $25 credit on threadless.com, and I believe at the end of the weekend they’re going to pick a winner who will win 200 free t-shirts.

If you’re looking for more wearable goods, check out the Broken Cherry stand. This Chicago boutique offers a wide selection of t-shirts for as low as $5 and $10 each. For a little extra, they will even make a custom shirt with the design of your choice. Last year there was also an InCase booth making custom stenciled spray paint t-shirts that were a big hit with the crowd, but I didn’t see them this year.

Now on to the ugly. The good news is, there really wasn’t much that was very ugly this year. While some of the wares in the vendor tent may seem a little overpriced to some, there weren’t many items that my friends and I purchased that we felt were a ripoff. The most notable change from last year was that the price of beer increased from $4 to $5. While this price increase may seem small, it definitely adds up over the course of the weekend when you’re with a group of 8. The $7 Sparks drinks also seemed a little overpriced. The ice cream cone we got was pretty good, but not for $5.

Perhaps the most costly part of our day was the valuable time we spent waiting in long bathroom lines today. Either there were many more attendees than last year, or far fewer bathrooms, or a combination of both, but if you were a victim of long bathroom lines today, here’s a little tip to save you time on Sunday. Try the port-o-lets between the main entrance and the Connector Stage, and go to the line all the way to the right. We never waited more than 10 minutes once we found that spot.

All in all, our group was pretty happy with the selection of food and non-food vendors that were offered, and we were content with the prices for the most part. As we exited the festival grounds after a phenomenal set by The National, we got one last freebie: a large can of Venom energy drinks, thanks to the lovely lady pictured here (Sorry, I’m new to this whole reporting thing, and I really should have asked for your name, but hopefully you were able to find the article anyway). They came in very handy as mixers for our pre-bar festivities.

i hope you enjoyed my first foray into “journalism”. a few highlights from pitchfork friday and saturday include: running into my long lost friend angelina on the street in wicker park, yeasayer playing “sunrise” and the rains stopped and the sun came out for the first time all day, beirut being incredible live, and the national proving they were worthy headliners. on to todays song. i chose “ego tripping at the gates of hell” by the flaming lips. its one of my favorite flaming lips songs but i dont know why, i just like the way it sounds, so enjoy it. maybe ill update later telling you all whether or not they played this song during their performance if i am not too lazy. in other words dont count on it. [edit: they did not play this song. they did, however, utilize awesomely copious amounts of confetti and giant balloons. at one point, they blew up a giant confetti filled balloon with a leaf blower, the biggest balloon ive ever seen. i went to snap a pic and it exploded just before i took the picture, so i have a great pic of confetti in the shape of a giant balloon. but i wish the singer wouldnt have been such a chatty cathy and played a few more songs instead. and that they didnt play the yoshimi songs so slowly. but, m83 KILLED IT. i am obsessed with them now.]

flaming lips – ego tripping at the gates of hell

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07/19/2009

pitchfork preview day 3: the walkmen – another one goes by

the walkmen live

i love pitchfork festival. its got tons of bands i like and the whole festival atmosphere, but its super small (relatively speaking) and easier to see more shows, and i get to shower nightly. what more could anyone ask for? today is a huge day because not only do i finally get to see the flaming lips after all these years (kind of always wanted to see them, and i know their oft-discussed live show will definitely be the perfect ending to the whole festival), but i get to see some other favorites of mine the same day, such as grizzly bear, blitzen trapper, women (all 3 of whom have already appeared on dailybeatz.com) and last but certainly not least, the walkmen.

the walkmen have such a distinct sound that its pretty impossible to hear a song by them and not know its by them. with their crazy reverb, intense drumming and sometimes horn section combined with those one of a kind vocals, i cannot do them any justice without hearing it for yourselves. while the song i really want to post is “the rat”, probably their most famous track and one that makes me want to be an amazing drummer, ive decided to post “another one goes by” because i think it more accurately represents what they are all about. i think a few other bands have covered this too (unless the walkmen version is actually a cover, which im too lazy to confirm or deny). im sure the rat will make an appearance farther down the line, since i do have to post a song from now until eternity every single day. if this song is too laid back for you, then you need to seek out “the rat” on your own. i dont know off the top of my head where the walkmen are from, but they remind me of the south. perhaps its the reverb, or perhaps its that they have a song called “louisiana”, but they always make me think of the bayou. and they sound kind of old-timey too which i like. having seen them live once already, i know its going to be a killer show. hopefully i can weasle my way up front for this one.

the walkmen – another one goes by

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07/18/2009

pitchfork preview day 2: the national – baby we’ll be fine

the national live

getting ready for the second day of pitchfork, and the first full day of music. there are tons of crazy good acts at this years festival and many of my personal favorites, but luckily none of the favorites are playing at the same time so i have less difficult decisions to make than in previous and future festival scenarios. if i hadnt already written about yeasayer, i would definitely feature them again today, because i just cant get enough of them. im kind of curious to see if i still love their weird and unique performance as much when its not at 1am immediately following 3 hours of bruce springsteen, but im pretty sure i will like it as much if not more this time around since im much much more familiar with all of their music. so instead i decided to talk about another favorite band of mine and yours, the national, who will be headlining saturday night.

ive seen the national a few times and its always fun. what do i like most about the national, other than their versatility and the deepest voice by a lead singer ever? probably the honesty in their lyrics. they are just very true to life and real. i think this is especially evident in todays track “baby we’ll be fine” in which the story is told of a man who feels like he just cant do anything right and who is struggling with making something of himself. probably my favorite song by the national. just listen to the lyrics in this one and tell me if they sound like a familiar struggle. and the music is so great too. i love the ends of each verse, starting with “all we gotta do is be brave and be kind”. it also mentions my favorite drink, the jack and coke, so bonus points for that. and the music aint too bad neither. if you arent convinced about brutally honest lyrics, just listen to “karen”.

the national – baby we’ll be fine

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07/17/2009

pitchfork preview day 1: yo la tengo – black flowers

yo la tengo live

tonight marks the start of the pitchfork festival with its usual abbreviated night of friday performances. the shows will begin at 5 and there are only 4 bands playing — tortoise, yo la tengo, the jesus lizard, and built to spill. in past years, friday night performances have been part of the all tomorrows parties series, where a band plays one of its classic albums from start to finish. this year, they changed it up a bit and friday night became a “you write the setlist” night. everyone that bought a ticket was sent a link to a page where they could vote for their favorite songs that they wanted to hear, and even request covers and other things like that, and the bands will be writing their setlists based on that. pretty exciting because it gives the fans the opportunity to hear those songs that the bands never play live.

since ive already talked about tortoise a little, i decided to bring you a song by yo la tengo. yo la tengo is one of these bands that has been around for a million years and consequently has recorded millions of albums, so there is no way that i have even been able to work through most of their discography, but i do know that their songs span the spectrum from incredible slower songs to heavy heavy rockers, and theyre mostly pretty catchy regardless of the genre. even the first three songs from their 2006 album “i am not afraid of you and i will beat your ass” showcase this versatility [aside: their album title always reminds me of this little girl]. it starts out with the 10+ minute rocker “pass the hatchet i think im goodkind”, then goes into the uber-fun “beanbag chair” before transitioning into the much slower “i feel like going home”, ripe with lush piano chords and a string section. todays track is “black flowers”, one of the slower tracks on the album, but one that still has that distinct yo la tengo sound that runs through all of their songs. cant wait to see this versatility live in action in a few hours.

yo la tengo – black flowers

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07/16/2009

spiritualized – ladies and gentlemen we’re floating in space

spiritualized live

tomorrow is the big day everyone, which means that today is (lucky for you) the last day in our look back at the 2008 pitchfork music festival. the next few days will either be artists playing that day or quick looks back at the day we had at the festival, and then we will finally return to our regularly scheduled programs next week. today is an interesting post because im going to be writing about a band i didnt even see, well at the festival at least. near the end of the last day, we headed over to the B stage to see bon iver, while mike stayed back at the A stage to see spiritualized. i had never heard of spiritualized, but while we waited for bon iver to begin as they started a little later than anticipated, we could hear faint mumblings of the spiritualized show from across the park, and it sounded excellent. luckily they ended up playing a show in detroit at my favorite, st andrews, just a few weeks later so i was able to see them for myself. mike was supposed to attend but he bailed after i bought my ticket, which also marked my first solo show ever (mike — dont think i forgot about that). but it was still fun and super empty, so i was able to be right up front.

todays song is “ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space” and you may recognize it from the vanilla sky soundtrack (gosh do i love that movie). without the bitter, the sweet just aint as sweet. but dont let the slowness and rock-ballady feel of this song fool you, because spiritualized means business, especially live in concert. the combination of turning every song into a huge rock gospel piece, complete with abstract walls of noise and gospel backup singers, sounded exactly what you think a show by a band called spiritualized would sound like. holy cow cant wait to see them again.

spiritualized – ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space

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07/15/2009

fleet foxes – ragged wood

fleet foxes live at 2008 pitchfork festival

what an alliterative post title. is that alliteration or consonance? i cant remember, nor do i really care. today were going to continue our look back at the 2008 pitchfork festival in preparation for the 2009 pitchfork festival, the second of my three music festival adventures this summer. last year i bought a ticket and was going to go just because, and didnt really know many of the bands playing, so i was pretty excited when i discovered fleet foxes a week or two after i bought my ticket, only to find out that they were in fact performing at the festival. they were part of the aforementioned hot, sticky, wet and muddy saturday of last years festival, but the weather seemed to break a little bit after their performance.

fleet foxes are super folky and awesome. their self-titled album sounds to me like a day in a cabin in the mountains. when the opening track “sun it rises” begins, you can almost see the sun rising over the distant rocky horizon, and this mood continues throughout the whole album. the song i chose from the album is “ragged wood”. this and mykonos are my favorite songs by them, in case you care. what was so great about their live performance, besides the dead silent crowd, was that they nailed all of their harmonies live. theyre really good at harmonies. i was especially looking forward to hearing the second half of this song live once i noticed how great their live harmonies were, but, just like m ward, the song i most wanted to hear was a song that they didnt play. great song, great band.

fleet foxes – ragged wood

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