Touch And Go Block Party Preview
Hideout Block Party Preview
Twenty-five bands in three days? Are the Neo-Futurists involved? Unlike some other gargantuan summer fests, The Hideout (1354 W. Wabansia) and Touch And Go kick things off Friday evening. Then it never stops.
Friday, September 8th: !!!, Girls Against Boys, The Shipping News, Supersystem, Ted Leo + Pharmacists — Quite the intro for Leo, as he makes his mod label debut at its first-ever festival. Supersystem (ex-El Guapo) are working a new album, A Million Microphones, as should The Shipping News and psyche-dance punks !!! (chk chk chk to you!), but the real highlight is a reformed GVSB, back after a stint in the majors. No rock singer has mastered the letter “x” quite like Scott McCloud.
Saturday, September 9th: Big Black, Didjits, The Ex, Killdozer, Jon Langford & Kat Bornfeld, PW Long, Man . . . Or Astroman?, Negative Approach, The New Year, Pegboy, Tim Midgett & Andy Cohen, Sally Timms, Scratch Acid, Shellac, Uzeda — The most hyped set will be the “couple” of songs Steve Albini will play as Big Black before reappearing in Shellac. Saturday’s theme is reunions, with original lineups from Didjits, Killdozer, Astroman, and Scratch Acid. Silkworm’s Midgett and Cohen soldier on without drummer Michael Dahlquist, who was killed in that horrific wreck in Skokie last year; hardcore godfathers Negative Approach will be rep’d by John Brannon and OP Moore. The Mekons couldn’t all make it so Langford and Timms will play . . . separate sets (Langford’s is with The Ex’s Bornfeld).
Sunday, September 10th: Arcwelder, The Black Heart Procession, Brick Layer Cake, Calexico, CocoRosie, Enon, The Monorchid, Pinback, Quasi/Seam, Tara Jane O’Neil, Three Mile Pilot — A healthy dose of modern T&G rules Sunday (Black Heart, Calexico, Coco, Enon, Pinback, Quasi, O’Neil), while it’s extemely pleasant to see Arcwelder, Seam, and Three Mile Pilot (precursor to BHP) again. The full lineup of Monorchid materializes, but everyone’s job is to get Touch And Go owner Corey Rusk on stage with Brick Layer Cake. His only gig after dissolving The Necros was playing guitar with Todd Trainer.
