Riot Fest Wishlist

Yesterday, Riot Fest made the first lineup announcement for Toronto. 

This has sparked a lot of discussion among my peers - how many of these acts can we expect in Chicago? 

Unlike last year, I am completely in the dark & believe it or not, I am kind of happy about that.  The anticipation is building!  I still get occasional glimpses into all the blood, sweat and tears that pour out behind the scenes of this festival, so I am rooting for the organizers like they are family. 

What I do know about Riot Fest Chicago is what everyone knows, we have one more day than Toronto AND a bigger park which means more stages, which means many more bands.

So let me be clear: this is NOT a post where I am suggesting to the good people of Riot Fest to take my advice and book headlining acts that I just thought of on a whim.  I have to book just one benefit concert a year and I can't stand when someone rolls into my office and suggests I contact Neil Young or Aretha Franklin because, well hey...you never know, right?

Because they do know; they know what they are doing and they know who is "get-able."  So, the major draws are their responsibility because they have earned their reputation and have my respect. 

But they DO have a lot of stages to fill for three whole days.  They are working around the clock to book bands.  So, I have been asking around to friends who they would like to see at Riot Fest and this is what has come up. 

Consider this post to be a festival organizer version of Fantasy Football; how do you round out the team after the several rounds of draft picks have gone by? 

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Dem suggested Future of The Left and the Jim Jones Revue and I gotta say both are great live acts. 

I recently joined Dem to see the Jim Jones Revue at Schuba's and they are amazing performers.  Punk Boogie swagger done to perfection. 



G$ suggested The Spits and Radar Men From The Moon and I have to second those two choices as well.  You give The Spits a 30 minute set and you are going to get a lot of punk rock!



Claire wanted to see the Flaming Lips and since they are on the Toronto bill our fingers are crossed. 

I have a few bands to add, of course:

Doomtree - last year Dessa kicked off Friday at Riot Fest, why not bring the whole fun-lovin' crew?  They have a bit of a punk rock ethos, their fans are fervent and it is short drive from Minneapolis to Chicago.  Last year, fans were treated to the mighty Public Enemy and Saul Williams.  We need some agitprop hip-hop to carry on that tradition in 2014.



Danko Jones - Danko delivers arena sized hooks regardless of the size of the venue he is playing.  In a world of unsalted rice cakes, Danko Jones is cheese fries.  I have dragged a LOT of people to see Danko perform over the years and they all leave the show forever in my debt.  Discovering Danko is like tripping over a briefcase full of cash.  



Yes, that video features the acting talents of Mike Watt and Lemmy!  Not to mention Elijah Wood and Selma Blair.  Danko Jones has a million friends who would probably pretend to be his enemy in a video if he asked them. 

Killing Joke - I know this band has Visa issues now and again and that Jaz Coleman goes missing from time to time.  But hand to God, this band is worth the potential headache because they deliver the goods.  Their sound and schema are as relevant today as ever.  



Is Jaz Coleman batshit crazy or the sole sane man in a world gone mad?  I will leave that up to the listener.  I just want to see him do his Perry Farrell as Frankenstein lurch in front of thousands of people.  

Godflesh - kinda along similar lines to KJ, Godflesh would bring us older people out.  I saw them at the Metro in April and I have no doubt that nearly every person at that show would pay good money to see them again so soon.

  

Beaches - So, when I saw on the Toronto announcement, The Beaches were playing I hoped that it was a typo and that it was this quintet from Australia but that really doesn't make sense. I mean, that shit gets proofread, right?



So please consider Beaches my first entry on the wishlist for 2015 because that would be too cruel to put a band called Beaches on a lineup with another band called The Beaches.  UNLESS they got together and agreed that one group of Beaches would put stars on their bellies so we could tell them apart. Then I am sure that Dr. Seuss would approve.  

Savages - This last one kind of goes beyond the concept of "get-able" because I am sure they are taking a much needed break after touring the globe.  But hey, the title of this post is Riot Fest Wishlist. 

So have you seen this video that came out a couple of days ago?  I realize they played Pitchfork just last year but still...god damn!  They are amazing.  I actually went and saw them the Monday night after Riot Fest last year even though I just wanted to soak in a tub of Ben Gay. Not only do I not regret it that decision, it was one of my favorite shows of 2013.  



Well, this was fun.  What do you think?  Who would you like to see at Riot Fest Chicago 2014?

Collective "memory"....

So I read this fascinating article in Wired today which explains how memory works as well as how fragile and malleable it is and how it can be manipulated.

I say this because I am now all the more chagrined that it took me almost a week to kick off this post, which is a bit of an experiment in collective memory.

Last week I blew off a LOT of steam with a LOT of people at the Doomtree show (by last count 13?). Some of these people were kinfolk and others I just met that night.

At the Wugazi after show, those of us that were still around circled around members of Doomtree and mixed it up with strangers while outside sleet was going for some kind of local record.

Since we were broken into little groups strategically placed throughout the venue like a league of assassins (kudos to Joe for that analogy), I thought it might be interesting to see the experience from other vantage points.

To put it more directly: I would like to invite others that attended to share their thoughts and favorite moments of the night in the comments. Also, I have an extra download code of No Kings if any y'all are lacking - first come first served.

Conversation topics might include:

Dessa's role in the group - are they holding her back or providing her with a platform for greater exposure?

Is it possible for my brother to be out in public without attracting the animosity of strangers?

Did you dress appropriately for the occasion? How do you know?

Before I open up the floor I will leave you with one of my favorite moments of the night:

The show is over and I am giving Shane shit for taking too long to select what he wants at the merch table. The crowd waiting to make their purchases is getting thicker by the second and Dessa is trying to navigate herself to the far side of it.

As she squeezes past, I am suddenly aware of these two teenage girls that are standing right next to me because they make an spastic but enthusiastic attempt to stop Dessa in this narrow aorta of space. Dessa looks at them both and quickly assures them that she would love to talk to them, but she is trying to find a comfortable space at the outskirts of this mass of people and she will stay right there for a while so come and find her, okay? And then she moves fluidly to the edges.

These two young women, I will never forget the look on faces at that moment - in an flash, their eyes said everything about crushing adoration, fan worship, or whatever you want to call it. They were freaked out and a little worried they missed or botched their chance to talk to their hero while also instantly intoxicated by being in such close proximity.

Should they ditch their place in the merch line and follow her right now? one of them asked the other. Her friend looked panicked; she didn't know!

"You can stay in line," I told them. "Dessa will be hanging out for a while. She wants to talk to you as much as you want to talk her." I said this with a casual certainty as I motioned over to another corner of the merch crowd where Lazerbeak was signing a fan's record, then I pivoted my gaze to another section where Mictlan was holding court with a group of folks.

The two girls seemed so grateful for this simple assurance - their devoted attention had been well spent all those countless hours because THESE TALENTED MUSICIANS WERE ALSO COOL PEOPLE!

It is an axiom that is proven so often I wonder why our default mental setting in the presence of musical talent is to assume the person wielding it is a self possessed asshole. Why do we always breathe a sigh of relief when someone whose art we admire turns out to be an affable and good natured person?

Oh, and if anyone could help me identify the song toward the very end of the set where all the members of the crew went batshit crazy-dancing I would be very grateful.