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. 

Photo by slay1975

As I was eagerly waiting for Saturday night’s headliner to come onstage, I overhead someone behind me who posed the question to his friend: “Are The National really that big of a band that they can headline Pitchfork Music Festival?”

Ten years, four albums, and two EPs later, this Ohio-originated band has come a long way. Their third album Alligator (2005) put this band on the indie-rock map. However, their follow-up, Boxer (2007), lifted the band to the upper-tiers of the indie rock universe, receiving many spots on best albums of 2007 lists. The band has toured extensively following their last release, and has appeared to be at their best this past tour.

The band started their set just as dusk was settling, as they began slowly with their new song “Runaway” and “Start a War”. After meandering through these two slow and melancholy pieces, the group kicked it up a notch at the end of the second song with a blistering jam. From there, they went into their rich, pulsating mainstays, including tracks primarily from their past two albums—Alligator and Boxer.

Their set list was highlighted by several poignant songs. Matt Berninger’s “Abel” had him screaming “well my mind’s not right!” over and over as if he was Abel himself and needing to yell in order to exude his pain. Their main set closer, “Mr. November” capped off a tight set in excellent fashion. The emotion with which Berninger not only sings, but lives this song, is breathtaking. The way he grasps the microphone with both hands in such an intense manner appears as if he can not only sing his songs, but needs to feel it throughout all of his body. His songs overtake him to the point where he can barely control his spastic motions. Beside his haunting baritone voice and somber lyrics, his complete immersion in his music becomes contagious to his listeners, as they can equally feel his conveyance of sadness, loneliness, and the like.

Photo by slay1975

Beyond Matt’s beautiful crooning, Bryan Devendorf’s drum mastery shines through every single track. His ability to be a pocket drummer while still having such power and complexity in his style stands out remarkably. His intensity and concentration set the foundation for the full sound that the band possesses. Devendorf deftly colors the music similarly to how Berninger brings life to the lyrics—by adding an overflow of emotion and life into each beat.

If that doubting fan wasn't sure at the time if the The National were good enough to headline, he definitely realized the correct answer by the show’s end.

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.

All photographs by Chris Atto. 

Hipster Bingo has been sweeping the Pitchfork Music Festival and the talk is that we made it a little too easy. Plaid shirts, tight jeans and skinny ties abound in Union Park. 

1. 
   
   
   shannonsays wow. i could have already won hipster bingo, and i'm still on the wrong side of the street. 17 Jul 2009 from txt

2. 
   
   
   jason1749 Dammit, if I'd brought my damn card I woulda won Hipster Bingo by now. 17 Jul 2009 from TwitterBerry

3. 
   
   
   stringbot Somebody just made fun of me for having a mustache AGAIN. I am a square on a hipster bingo card. 18 Jul 2009 from txt

4. 
   
   
   grace6697 to all of you playing Hipster Bingo at #pitchfork, is it not unlike shooting fish in a barrel? 'course it is. 18 Jul 2009 from Tweetie

-- this quote was brought to you by quoteurl

Since it seems so easy to win, send us your five in a row bingo pictures by tweeting them at @pitchforkblog or emailing them to windycitizen@gmail.com. We want to see you in the thick of hipster Mecca. Download the bingo board and start snapping pictures.

Photo by matthewnorth

Pitchfork Musical Festival day one kicked off in Chicago's Union Park Friday night with performances from Tortoise, Yo La Tengo, Built to Spill and The Jesus Lizard. Folks were playing hipster bingo and here's a review of The Jesus Lizard, who took the stage for the first time in more than a decade.

The web is full of great Pitchfork coverage. Here's the best of it.

Pitchfork 2009: Day I by Jim Derogatis
http://blogs.suntimes.com/derogatis/2009/07/pitchfork_2009_day_i.html

Pitchfork Music Festival Day 1: The Jesus Lizard, Tortoise, Yo La Tengo and Built to Spill play fans' choice by Greg Kot
http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2009/07/pitchfork-musi...

Metromix Chicago Photos: Pitchfork 2009
http://chicago.metromix.com/music/photogallery/photos-pitchfork-2009/133...

Metromix Chicago: Pitchfork 2009 Friday reviews
http://chicago.metromix.com/music/article/pitchfork-2009-friday-reviews/...

Pitchfork Festival: Day One University of Minnesota, MNdaily
http://www.mndaily.com/blogs/ae-blog/2009/07/18/pitchfork-festival-day-o...

Pitchfork Day One Newcity Chicago
http://music.newcity.com/2009/07/17/pitchfork-day-one/

All Forked Up: Pitchfork Music Festival Day 1 Riverfront Times
http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/atoz/2009/07/all_forked_up_pitchfork_mu...

Pitchfork Music Festival review Day 1 Staten Island Live
http://www.silive.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2009/07/pitchfork_mu...

Stripping, crowd-surfing, and record-breaking round out Day One of the 2009 Pitchfork Music Festival VenusZine
http://venuszine.com/articles/music/live_reviews/6128/Day_1

Pitchfork Music Festival 2009: Built to Spill TimeOut Chicago
http://www3.timeoutny.com/chicago/blog/out-and-about/2009/07/pitchfork-m...

What’s the perfect sonic partnership to a night laden with indie-loving hipsters, warm beer and the stench of a thousand cigarettes all coalescing into one giant, smokey fist choking the life out of the Chicago skyline?

The Jesus Lizard, of course.

photo via g33kgrrl

I see plenty of heads-a-boppin’ and toes-a-tappin’, yet it seems completely ridiculous in this reviewer’s mind to assume that anyone here, at the 2009 Pitchfork Music Festival, is a real fan of The Jesus Lizard (save for that lanky bald guy up a few rows). David Yow’s primal screams and gutteral emissions seem to scare more than please, and perhaps that’s the point; the sparse humor between numbers serves as one more layer of irony to a slightly ironic setting on the one Friday of the summer you wish for clear skies and open roads and get rain and traffic jams instead. Despite all that, I’m convinced that The Jesus Lizard’s performance will prove to be one of the highlights of this summer’s Pitchfork Festival.

Over a decade passed fairly silently following The Jesus Lizard’s final show in 1999, with guitarist Duane Denison forming his own collaborative outing and David Yow reforming the Austin based noise rock band Scratch Acid. This summer’s Pitchfork Festival marks the first performance in ten years by the newly-reunited The Jesus Lizard, and the band hardly skips a beat. Denison’s growling guitar fills Union Park with the raw grind of early nineties-era noise rock, while Yow reinforces the assault with plenty of crowd-surfing/taunting. It’s enough to make you wonder if indeed this is the same Pitchfork that welcomed Fleet Foxes’ sixties psychedelic aesthetic just a year ago.

Much can easily be said about a band like The Jesus Lizard, but what’s difficult to say is whether you can ever be too old to rock. Nonetheless, if you’re a child of the nineties, celebration is in order, and it’s definitely a good sign that grunge-era bands like The Jesus Lizard can still draw quite a crowd.