The weather's getting colder, so the summer filled with street festivals is drawing to a close. Luckily, the Chicago music scene still thrives indoors. Here are some concerts coming up that you should check out.
Sept. 29: Dry The River at Schubas - I loved their show at Lincoln Hall earlier this year. These guys are a must-see.
Oct. 6: Taking Back Sunday - All of my middle school dreams will be fulfilled by this concert.
Oct 12: Say Anything & Tallhart at Durty Nellie's in Palatine - Take a little road trip and go see these guys rock their anarchist hearts out as part of the tour for their new album, Anarchy, My Dear.
Oct. 13: Stepdad at Beat Kitchen: NEED I SAY MORE?
Michigan folk musician Nathan K just released an amazing new album that you should all check out. It's called Dishes, and the whole thing was recorded in a hospital room on a 4-track recorder. Go to his website to read the full story.
(Fun fact: Nathan's also part of Stepdad, which as you all know is one of my favorite bands ever of all time ever. There's a lot of good music coming out of Michigan lately).
Until a few months ago, I'd forgotten about Warped Tour.
It's not exactly my thing, except for that brief period of time in middle school when I was really into Yellowcard (they have a violin, man) and Taking Back Sunday (who are both a part of this year's tour). But I was reminded of its existence when Stepdad announced that they'd be playing the tour.
This surprised me. If you've ever listened to Stepdad, you know that they're not exactly the typical Warped Tour fodder. They were chosen as a fringe band, apparently, to throw some variety into the mix.
So, on Saturday, I found myself driving to the First Midwest Bank Amphitheater in Tinley Park, which is basically nowhere.
Going to Warped Tour as an indie-pop-folk-rock-loving 22-year-old is a bizarre experience. It kind of felt like hell at first, what with the 100 degree weather, ridiculous amounts of people in black, and bands screaming from every corner.
I wandered around for an hour or so in the blazing sun and started to feel dizzy. Luckily, I got to chill on Stepdad's air-conditioned bus. Thanks, guys. I would have died.
The live show was awesome, though too short! I'm sad that they didn't play "Must Land Running," which is easily one of my favorite songs of 2012. I've never seen Stepdad live with a full band- it brought some more energy to the performance and filled out the stage nicely. They had a half an hour onstage, and ended with "My Leather, My Fur, My Nails," which you can view below. Also, ~*~BONUS~*~: you can see me dancing in the background.
Though it's not my cup of tea musically, it was sweet to see how jazzed people were to be at Warped Tour. They were dancing, and freaking out, and getting their shoes and merch signed, and meeting their favorite bands. I saw more than one earsplitting grin.
This Saturday, I'm headed to Pitchfork, which will be totally different in some ways, but I'm sure I'll see the same kind of smiles.
PS: Check out Nathan K here: he's the most recent addition to the Stepdad lineup but also has his own sweet solo stuff, which you should check out.
I can't believe that I have yet to post about my undying love for Stepdad on the pages of Stic of the Week.
They played at my college a couple of times, and the first time I saw them was one of the best live shows I've ever been to.
Check out this awesome video for Squares below.
