Dear _______,

I know that you always think I’m such a snob with my music tastes, but at the same time I know that you think it is entertaining when I am able to spout off random facts about all these bands that you have never heard of. I revel in my pretentiousness, my “hipsterdom” and you sit there and listen patiently. Sometimes I feel really bad, like I’m dominating the conversation, and it’s mostly just because I like to hear myself talk. Well, I’m going to be away for a week baking in the Chicago sun while standing in Union Park getting my yearly does of music festival.

Over the years I have seen and heard so many bands and even continue to follow many of them. Some are, deservedly, long forgotten (Fuck Buttons) and some I wish I could go back in time to see again because I only realized how epic and amazing your set must have been, playing all of my favorite songs that only became my favorites months later (The Futureheads). This is what I am looking forward too this year, probably the most anticipated of my Pitchfork festival outings since its inception in 2006.

Friday, July 16:

I’m definitely excited to catch Liars…again….and again. I’m sure I told you about the first time that I saw them, at Pitchfork 2006. They immediately became the standout band from that years festival. The shear energy alone was enough to make me stop caring that my brains were being fried like an egg inside my head in the direct sun and 95ºF heat.

Well, they are returning this year. Since 2006 there has been a day added, Friday, that is shorter. A warm up that used to be in conjuncture with All Tomorrow’s Parties (remember when I kept going on and on about seeing Sonic Youth performing Daydream Nation in its entirety?) well, that was ATP. Anyway. Friday isn’t in conjuncture with anything but Pitchfork these days and Liars is playing at 5:30, and on the same stage I saw them on in 2006 (I know you find it amusing that I remember details like that. Well, thank god for mental illness [which is the name of an album by a band called Brian Jonestown Massacre, who isn’t playing..] mine being OCD) anyway. Liars new album is called “Sisterworld” and I’m including the track “Scarecrows On A Killer Slant“. It pretty much captures in a song what Liars are like.

They added a comedy line-up to the 3rd stage on Friday, which is usually vacant, so good on Pitchfork for figuring out a way to utilize this space. I feel like they are copying Bonnaroo with this idea though. That’s a much, much larger festival. Maybe people will be over there for part of the afternoon. I might even stop over and catch Wyatt Cenac while Robyn is performing, because I have no idea who Robyn is. Might just walk around, but then at 7:20 Broken Social Scene is taking the stage and I know that I need to see that.

They were pretty much the first band that I got into back in 2006 when I started listening to actual good music, thanks to a friend that sent me gigs upon gigs of music. That reminds me that the first song of theirs that I ever heard was “7/4 Shoreline”. Watching this video brings back so many memories.

That’s Feist singing that tune, not that you’d be able to mistake that voice for anyone else. She’s in the band, but not really, I mean sometimes she shows up, but the band is pretty much made up of about 48 people with successful solo careers so who knows who is going to show up for gigs. Maybe she’ll be there. That’d be great, considering I haven’t heard much from here lately. They have a new album out and it has been a while since that has happened. Their new one is called “Forgiveness Rock Record” and it has been getting some great press and favorable reviews. That reminds me, I need to buy that album.

After them, I suppose you could consider the ‘headliner’ on Friday to be Modest Mouse. I know you know Modest Mouse. They have gone from one of those super indie-hipster-only bands to fairly mainstream. But I think they have managed to keep themselves positioned much like the Flaming Lips, with one foot firmly planted in each realm. From what I have heard their music is just as good, and true to form, over the years. They seem to evolve without selling out, but have become much more popular. Long story not short: Good for them. I like them. I always liked this track, “Black Cadillacs“, from their album “Good News for People Who Love Bad News”. It’s not their best album, according to their fans, but they have so much material that you can check out. That song just holds some nostalgic value for me, so that is why I picked it.

Wow, this is getting wordy. I’m going to have to break it up into a couple posts. You wouldn’t mind reading a post for every day of the festival would you? I mean, it doesn’t take that long to read, does it? Considering that the next 2 days of the festival are full days, it’s going to take considerably longer to go on and on about each of the bands that I want to see.

Check back soon,

Adam