SuperKnova / 📷 : TLM

This was, yet again, another excellent week in Chicago music, dear Surfers! Our crew covered the beauty of SuperKnova, releasing the awesome American Queers at Empty Bottle, instrumental funk masters Gramps the Vamp at $1 beer night, jazz collective Resavoir’s LP release at Sleeping Village, and Anderson .Paak’s magical House of Vans party. Talk about one hell of a week! And now it’s Lolla time and we’ve got a special picks preview for those headed to Grant Park this weekend. As always, we’ve got a jam-packed issue with reviews of new records from Will Bennett & The Tells, BJ The Chicago Kid, SuperKnova, Much The Same, Conrad Merced (our interview this week), and of course- Chance the Rapper’s new record. And that’s just the music from Chicago! So get on in here, and soak it all up! 

Keep Seeing Live Music!

conrad merced

“‘I had no real intention of writing an album or performing music again, I just did it as a form of therapy.”

—> READ THE INTERVIEW <—

 

SHOWS

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Preview: Lollapalooza

Lollapalooza is a doozy. Four days, seven stages, and over 140 acts, all packed into a mile-long park with picturesque views of the Chicago skyline. Over the years, the largest and most attended music fest in the city has been shaped by the trends in popular music. The electronic stage, Perry’s, has grown from a small tent to the largest stage with plenty of flame jets, steam cannons, and enough lights to be seen from space. The 28-year-old festival’s rock leanings have reflected the genre’s general death in popular music. This year’s Lolla is full of synth pop, R&B,  EDM, hip-hop, and bubblegum radio tunes that show the shifting tastes of the young. With so many musicians coming to Grant Park this weekend, it can be tough to wade through the generic to find something truly special. In order to prepare you for the best Lolla possible, we’re highlighting some under-the-radar (and not-so-under-the-radar) acts to check out while basking in the sun with the lake wind at your back.   

Read more —>

 
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SuperKnova (Record Release)


The Just Luckies / Yomí /

Bev Rage & The Drinks


Empty Bottle

July 29th

SuperKnova / 📷 : TLM

Superknova greeted us with, "Thank you for coming to my gender reveal party" with a dry, sardonic delivery. She mostly lets her amazing music speak for itself. There was a mixture of drum machine, synth, and backing tracks behind her singing and guitar. Her performance was so dynamic, the backing track faded from importance. It was all about watching her shape the sounds coming from the guitar, using it like a voice, even singing and cutting herself off, letting the guitar finish the thought or word.

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Resavoir
(LP Release)


Yadda Yadda / Lake James


July 26th

Sleeping Village

Resavoir / 📷 : NBL

Resavoir, made up of an orchestra ensemble of strings, wind, and percussion mixed together playing song after song of entangled harmonies and tones working well together to create contemporary jazz. Sleeping Village became packed with limited space where I could move and take pictures, but I loved it- it gives me a challenge and appreciation that a local band can bring such a huge crowd when it’s as full as it was.

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Gramps The Vamp


Deep Fayed / Family of Geniuses


Sleeping Village

July 24th

Gramps The Vamp / 📷 : TLM

$1 Hamm’s and plenty of good tunes are the perfect cure for getting through the middle of the week. Still recovering from Pitchfork and needing a good concert to lift you out of a funk, this show was the remedy.

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Anderson .Paak


House of Vans

July 25th

Anderson .Paak/ 📷 : MDR

Here’s a hypothetical: What if beloved R&B and hip-hop hero Anderson .Paak played a free show in Chicago? How many people do you think would show up to see him?

Read more —>

 

NEWS & NOTES

 
 

See you at the show Chicago!