With bands like Grizzly Bear, The Black Lips, and The National playing in some of the bigger time slots at Pitchfork this year, it has become apparent to me how these bands have broken out through the help of Pitchfork, now playing to significantly larger crowds than they did last year. While it's easy to see that these bands are big indie acts, not everyone could have predicted such success at this time last year. Who will be the next set of breakout bands? I have chosen my candidates for bands who played earlier shows this festival, who are on the brink of becoming much bigger, and who could be seen playing the late shows at Pitchfork in years to come.

The Walkmen

Photo by dirty black chucks

The Walkmen are distinguished most by the lead singer Hamilton Leithauser’s Dylan-esque voice, which he emulates so with much success. Leithhauser is complimented by the rest of the band, who offer an intriguing combination of an antiquated, warm indie sound. Their sound becomes even more complex as they layer their music with frequent dynamic changes between their meandering ballads and blistering explosions of beautiful noise.

Highlights from their set include “The Rat”—a fast-paced, straight up, edgy rock song teeming with Leithauser’s angry and bitter lyrics, as he shouts out “You've got a nerve to be asking a favor / You've got a nerve to be calling my number”. In addition, the band had the support of about a half-dozen horn players, which complemented their rustic feel nicely on songs such as the lonesome ballad “Red Moon”. With up to ten people on stage during their show, The Walkmen’s full sound provided the crowd with one of the more impressive acts of the festival.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

Photo by Robert Loerzel

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart can be described in a nutshell as pure pop bliss. Their innocent, noised laced indie rock combines a shoegaze sound topped with undeniably catchy riffs. The band, which exploded onto the indie-rock scene with the release of their 2009 eponymous debut album, hails from New York and was performing at Pitchfork for the first time.

Despite the light rainfall during their set, the band brought their A-game from the moment they stepped on the stage. The band impressed the crowd as they cranked out a solid set, with a string a songs including “Young Adult Friction”, “Come Saturday”, “Everything with You”, and “Stay Alive”. While the band did not stray much from their album versions, they did not need to, as their tightness as a band defined their clean pop sound on Saturday.

The entire band seemed beyond happy with the idea that they were playing at this festival. Lead singer Kip Berman looked in awe, donning a smile which was overflowing with his happiness and gratefulness just to be there. While this was only their first time playing Pitchfork, I have a feeling it will not be their last.

Blitzen Trapper

Photo by self-titledmag

Portland natives Blitzen Trapper are a six-piece outfit, with a diverse sound ranging from folk to country-tinged rock, mixed with a variety of other influences, including Tom Petty and the Grateful Dead. The band released their 2008 album Furr, receiving acclaimed criticism from numerous publications. Since Furr came out, the band has really come into their own as live performers, and it showed both at their Pitchfork set, as well as their after-show at the Empty Bottle.

Blitzen Trapper kicked off their set ready to rock, as they jammed with their more powerful, Americana-based rock , including “Sleepytime in the Western World,” “Wild Mountain Nation,” and “Saturday Nite.” These songs got the crowd’s attention, as they seemed to be enjoying the groove that these songs possessed. Halfway through the set, Blitzen Trapper played their hit “Furr”, which brought the hipster-filled crowd together for a sing along of sorts. By the time the set had reached its end, the crowd seemed pleased with what they had heard.

Be sure to check these bands out over the next year, as there is a good chance one or more will breakout!

There may have been some 90's grunge bands on the stage at Pitchfork, but there certainly weren't any slackers in the audience.

@sftsc has entered the fray with this submission, making it clear to all that he sought more than a mere "bingo" this past weekend. @sftsc went deep into hipster country in search of TOTAL HIPSTER BINGO DOMINATION!

Let us see what he found there...

(fresh white) Converse - check

Hipster Haircut - yup

Hipster Hat - there it is, the brown one, back there

Raybans - Why is this guy reading? What the heck's so interesting that he has to read it standing up, outdoors, at a music festival? I hope Jesus Lizard didn't catch him doing this...

T-shirt with Ironic Phrase - "Sex Drive." Nice little pose he struck there. Looks like he actually warped time and space around him with his awesomeness.

Parliament Lights - I'll bet he just carries the box around to look cool.

Scarf - The perfect summertime accessory.

Thick Black Rimmed Glasses - "I hope nobody can tell I'm Superman"

Cabbie Cap - I'm pretty sure this guy is somebody's dad. Maybe the girl with the hipster haircut?

Pants That Fit Way Too Tight - Hoping that's a girl. Fearing it isn't.

Vans - The "Air Jordans" of $8 sneakers.

Plaid Shirt - It might be a shirt, but how can we tell if he's not wearing it? Judges?... We'll allow it.

Unkempt Beard - Yes, he has a beard. And he's generally unkempt... Judges?... Yes! Count it. Another close call for @sftsc.

Fedora Hat - Did Bogie wear his fedora with a t-shirt and flip-flops?

Satchel - The cammo pattern is the most butch man purse available on the market today. And the "CONSUMER" tattoo down his forearm means this pic counts for double the points, as well as being thematically consistent with this particular hipster's aggressive brand of irony.

Neon Shirt - Look how wide this guy's shoulders are. You have to be one bad dude to wear a pink t-shirt.

Congratulations @sftsc! By a clean knockout, you are Windy Citizen's first undisputed Hipster Bingo Champion!

At Pitchfork this past weekend, @ellembee tried her hand at the new game that's sweeping teh internets, Hipster Bingo!

Let's see how she fared...

9:24 PM Jul 18th

Pitchfork hipster bingo: the man purse

9:31 PM Jul 18th

P4K hipster bingo: the vest.

9:32 PM Jul 18th

P4K hipster bingo: the inappropriately tight jeans.

9:33 PM Jul 18th

P4K hipster bingo: the towel-as-scarf.

9:35 PM Jul 18th

P4K hipster bingo (last one): the... bathrobe?

Whoops! I'm sorry @ellembee, our judges have ruled that last one doesn't count.

Please present your card...

SO CLOSE!

But let's give her a round of applause for trying, folks, and wish her better luck for next year.

Photo by austin.happel

How do you close a 3 day festival with dozens of excellent bands? You put on a show. The Flaming Lips did exactly that at Pitchfork last night.

After making quite an entrance - band members were essentially given birth via a gigantic animation - lead singer Wayne Coyne climbed into a clear plastic bubble and rolled out over a sea of hands. The sides of the stage featured costumed dancers: young ladies as kittens on the right, guy dressed in frog suits on the left. The Lips put the random beach balls bouncing around the crowd to shame by unleashing a few dozen of their own.  Cap it off with a blast of a confetti cannon, and things were off to a rollicking start.

Photo by austin.happel

The Lips partook in the "Write The Night" festivities, which was the basis for all four sets on Friday night. Ticketholders were able to choose the songs each of the participating bands played. But with only 11 songs in their set including two new ones and a treat for long time fans that follow them on the road, that left only 8 songs. Coyne shared (truthfully, I think) the rank of each song and promised to cover the top 10. But my count, based on Coyne's numbers, was that they played just half of the top 10- Race For The Prize (9), The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (7), Flight Test (3), She Don't Use Jelly (2) and Do You Realize?? (1). They threw in Bad Days (#25) for Chicago rock critic Jim DeRogatis and Mountainside from In a Priest Driven Ambulance (66, if you believe Coyne), which lent itself very well to the vast outdoor setting.

When they announced that do to city regulations they had to end the show after 2 more songs, fans were naturally disappointed, as was I. They should have started earlier to accommodate for their extended concert renditions and generous helping of onstage banter. Coyne expressed great love for Chicago, citing that they are often mistaken for being from the Windy City. "We played here 16 times in 1994...we owe you guys our (expletive) lives."

So obviously, they will be back with the 3 hour show Coyne says he wishes the band could play. Judging by the two new songs last night, it will be a damn good one. The Lips were an awesome festival closer, taught any young bands hanging around a thing about showmanship, and (hopefully) signaled to festival organizers that if they get an awesome closing band next year allow them enough time to stretch out.

 Check out Tim's blog at http://blog.vasilcastle.com/

It's called the Pitchfork Music Festival, so it's all about the music, right? Yet even the skinniest hipster must eat, and the fine organizers of this event have them covered nicely- at least on 2 of the 3 days. I will attempt to cover the food at the 'fork by sampling as much as my stomach and wallet can bear..

Day One: You have been warned

This is my third year at Pitchfork, and as in each of the previous years, they send an e-mail to ticketholders and post a list of rules and warnings to the fest site so you know what to expect before you go. One note I've seen each year is that there will only be two food vendors on Friday night, selling pre-packaged foods- good for a snack, but eat a meal prior to arriving. It's never exactly been explained why, but by the feverish setting up of food booths behind a temporary fence, my guess is the festival folks don't have enough time to set up the grills/fryers/dutch ovens/etc. by the time things kick off on Friday. Which is a shame, for both the vendors and the concert-goers. There is clearly a demand for food, as the line for the vendors on Friday night was ridiculous. In fact, I only saw one of two advertised vendors. I think both were there, but I lost sight of one in the beer lines- or was it the ticket lines? (More on that in a minute).

The vendor I saw was a good one- Whole Foods Market. They had a nice assortment of pre-packaged foods, including my perennial favorite snack at Pitchfork, the big ol' bag of bing cherries. Fresh, cool, juicy and with plenty of ground to spit them on, it's the perfect snack for an outdoor fest. It was listed at $7 on Friday, but only $5 on Sunday.

Regarding drinks on Friday, I wanted a beer, but was quickly dissuaded when I saw the length of both the ticket lines and the beer lines (A two step process that ensures the proper IDs are checked, makes sense for an event this size.) I wasn't that thirsty. The lines were long and I heard may complaints when I walked by, but I saw plenty of people with beer and nobody obnoxiously drunk or vomiting. So, perhaps that was the balance organizers were looking for.

Day Two: Great choices abound

For day two of the fest, the food choices swell from two vendors to fifteen, offering a variety of items, many vegetarian and vegan friendly. In fact, the meatless choices were on an even par- or may even surpass- those with meat. I was a vegetarian last summer, and Pitchfork's food selection was heaven. I'm back on the meat wagon now, but it's still nice to see so many excellent vegetarian and vegan choices.

I smelled grilled onions and sausage, so my first bite of the day was the Cajun Bratwurst from Wishbone, an outstanding Chicago restaurant. The sweet onions were a nice contrast to the spicy sausage, and the sauce blended in nicely. At $6, not bad for a fest.

Second on my menu for the day was the Thali Plate from Bombay Station. The Tuvar Dal of the plate was spot on, a nice spice and great lentils. The other half seemed like canned vegetables (corn, tomatoes and green beans) and one chewy mushroom. It balanced the spicy part nicely and was filling, but lackluster in comparison. The bed of basmati rice was passable. $8, it filled me up, so I can't complain too much on the price.

I finished with the Beer-Fed Pork Pork Tacos from the Goose Island Brewery. Yes, the pigs that ultimately wind up on the menu at Goose Island feast on the spent grain from the brewing process. They were tasty with a nice cabbage topping and above average salsa, and a nice deal at 2 for $6.

Day Three: More great choices

I tried out the other curry vendor, Urb Garden from Iowa City. The spice wasn't as much as Bombay Station's, but this plate blew Bombay's away in every other category. The vegetables were organic and fresh with an excellent crunch, and it was served over fresh brown rice. At $6, $2 less than Bombay Station, this was the clear winner.

A Berghoff Root Beer- with real sugar, not high fructose corn syrup- was a great accompaniment to the curry, 20 ounces for $2.

I next had Chicken Satay from The Rice Table, an Indonesian Restaurant. 3 skewers for $7 in a nice peanut sauce over yellow rice. A little bland but decent, $7.

I ended my day with an enormous veggie burger fro The Chicago Diner, a long standing vegetarian restaurant. This is not the frozen patty you find at most places, but a giant, fresh patty served on a whole wheat bun. With plenty of condiments, this was a great deal at $6, $7 if you add vegan cheese (which I did, and believe me, on this burger it works)

Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips said this during their event-closing set: "Even the food you get at this festival is (expletive) top-notch." Amen, brother. Some food-dedicated fests don't offer up what Pitchfork does, and that goes tenfold if you don't eat meat.

All photographs by TimV.