Pitchfork Music Festival is set to celebrate its 11th year in Chicago’s Union Park over the weekend of July 15-17th. Since 2006 Pitchfork Fest has been a midsummer haven for indie music fans from near and far. Over the years the festival has remained great largely due to how little it has changed. Artists take to the simply named Red, Green, and Blue stages that are all located a hop, skip, and a jump away from each other. Most importantly, the expertly curated lineup runs the gamut from jazz to pop to folk acts that are consistently praised on the festival’s namesake website.
The Pitchfork Festival has been known for consistently promoting local Chicago acts over the years. This year is no different, especially on Friday evening. Chicago band Whitney will be opening up the Blue Stage their brand of sunny indie rock. After rising from the ashes of the Smith Westerns the group has gained considerable acclaim for the debut album Light Upon the Lake. Shortly thereafter garage rock favorites Twin Peaks will take to the Red Stage. The band will also be present throughout the weekend in beer form thanks to their Goose Island collaboration dubbed Garage Lager.
This year’s lineup will heavily feature top notch jazz acts, especially on Sunday afternoon. Early on, Sun Ra Arkestra will carry the torch of their legendary namesake founder Sun Ra who founded the group over 60 years ago. Kamasi Washington will be performing cuts from his incredible double album The Epic to show why he and his band have become one of the most sought after festival acts of the year. Later on, Flying Lotus and Kendrick Lamar collaborator Thundercat will be displaying his skills as one of music’s premier bassists.
The top of the bill features a few unique sets that will be hard to catch anywhere else. Experimental Canadian rock band Broken Social Scene have been mostly dormant the last couple years and Friday is one of their only scheduled sets of 2016. Indie folk icon Sufjan Stevens has to have been on Pitchfork’s wish list for years and Saturday night the wish will be granted with a rare festival closing show. Before Stevens takes the stage the weekend’s potentially greatest treat comes in the form of Brian Wilson celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Beach Boys’ Pets Sounds with a full performance of the album. Hearing the classic album with a Chicago summer sunset as a backdrop is sure to be hard to top.
In addition to great music Pitchfork also gives music fanatics the chance to knock out some shopping. Hosted by the American Poster Institute and Speedball, Flatstock gathers premier show poster artists to sell their wares. Chicago Independent Radio Project (CHIRP) will conduct a record fair featuring collectible vinyl sold by labels, record stores, and private sellers. Bookworms in attendance need to be sure to stop by Book Fort, an interactive book fair with several independent publishers, presses, and literary organizations as well as authors conducting live readings. Those with kids in tow will enjoy a visit to the Old Town School of Folk Kids Music Area where the tykes can interact with an array of musical instruments and begin their journey to become a Pitchfork Festival Green Stage headliner.
For more information on Pitchfork Music Festival visit their official website.