[RH Photos] Riot Fest 2014: Day 1 (9/12/2014)
Photos by Geoff Henao.
After a long year, Riot Fest finally returned to Humboldt Park last Friday, and with it was an unseasonal chill and rain that attempted to damper the good mood that spread across the crowd. The move to the Northern end of the park was necessary for the festival to grow, adding a couple more stages to the festival grounds. Unfortunately, this also meant trampling through muddier grounds that weren't covered by baseball field dirt. Nevertheless, the fatigue and callouses that formed on Riot Fest attendees' feet were more than justified by the amount of talent that performed at the three day event. Here is my recap of Riot Fest 2014: Day 1.
I started Day 1 off by checking out one of my favorite surprise performances from Riot Fest 2013, GWAR. As I mentioned in our "Bands to See" list, GWAR added a new vocalist following Dave Brockie/Oderus Urungus' death earlier this year. In his place was a platoon of vocalists, including ex-GWAR bassist Mike Bishop. GWAR has quickly become one of my favorite bands to photograph thanks to their elaborate costumes and stage theatrics that include beheading politicians and pop culture icons (Barack Obama was this weekend's victim) and spraying endless amounts of "blood" on the audience.
Following GWAR's set, I headed out to the Root Stage to catch Stiff Little Fingers' set. With my luck, they opened their set with their most popular song, "Suspect Device," following that up immediately with "Wasted Life." The crowd mostly consisted of older people, which made sense given the band's longevity. However, that's not to say their set was lacking energy; far from it. On a cold September afternoon, Stiff Little Fingers delivered a performance worth braving the mild drizzle for.
Afterwards, I soon made my way out to see NOFX. I'm not the biggest NOFX fan (or of pop-punk, for that matter), but my curiosity and cursory knowledge of the band led me to check them out. The band's singer and bassist (as well as Fat Wreck Chords founder/owner) Fat Mike is known for his sense of humor and open-mindedness. Sure enough, just as the band was preparing to take the stage, he began to berate and insult Failure, the band playing just before them on the stage directly across the field from them. If you're a fan of NOFX, especially Punk in Drublic, their Riot Fest set must have been magical for you. For myself, they were just a band to take photos of. Meh.
Unfortunately, I called it a night just after I shot NOFX due to the impending rain and not wanting to risk being sick for the rest of the festival. You can check out my photos of GWAR, Stiff Little Fingers, and NOFX below. We'll have more from Days 2 and 3 throughout the week!
You can find more of my photos from Riot Fest 2014: Day 1 here.
[RH Photos] North Coast Music Festival 2014 Recap
This post was originally published by our affiliates at Chicago Music. Photos by Alex Lapenia and Jesse Pizano of Three Card Photography. Recap by Kevin Baker.
North Coast Music Festival 2014 took over Chicago Union Park last weekend as thousands of people came to see some of the world’s best EDM and hip hop acts perform their greatest hits. Labor Day weekend set the perfect stage for festival goers as the 5th Annual North Coast was looking to be a big success. Friday was a beautiful day as the sun came out from the cloudy skies to drench the stages waiting for the likes of Keys N Krates, ProbCause, Showtek, Alesso, Bassnectar, and many more to perform. Saturday and Sunday continued the party with performances from Adventure Club, Nicky Romero, STS9, Talib Kweli, Little Dragon and Kid Cudi on Saturday, and Porn and Chicken, Riff Raff, Ookay, Zeds Dead, and Snoop Dogg closing on Sunday.
North Coast Music Festival 2014 was a huge success, and we look forward to seeing what 2015 has in store. If you missed out this year, make sure you get your tickets early for next year’s festival, as North Coast Music Festival will only get bigger and bigger. Read on as we share our recap from North Coast Music Festival 2014.
[RH Photos] AFI and Linkin Park at the WKQX Piqniq (8/29/2014)
Photos and recap by Vanessa Bly.
Hearing about the all-star lineup of WKQX's Piqniq of AFI, 30 Seconds to Mars, and Linkin Park was enough to get me out of work early and into gridlock for an hour. I used to take the train/bus to high school, and I remember the most dominant CDs in my book were AFI's Black Snails in the Sunset and Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory.
I had always wanted to see AFI live, they have been there for me for so long! It wasn't until last year at Riot Fest that I was able to see AFI live-- I told myself that the next time I would see them, it would be in VIP. To be able to get up close and personal with my favorite band of all time was a dream come true! It was still light out, which didn't really fit with the emotion of the music. However, by the third song, singer Davey Havok was already standing in the crowd to great fan response. They played a lot of newer songs during their short set, but made sure to include some old favorites.
Linkin Park hit the stage hard! Taking advantage of every inch of the stage, the band was super high energy and for the three songs that I was able to be front and center, they interacted with the media and the audience non-stop. The crowd was going crazy for their entire set. Like AFI, their set was the perfect mix of newer and older songs.
You can view my photos of both AFI and Linkin Park from this year's WKQX Piqniq below!
[RH Photos] Midwest Ska Festival 2014 at Double Door (8/23/2014)
Photos by Geoff Henao. This post was originally published by our affiliates at Chicago Music.
Chicago music isn't just hip hop. For years, ska used to play a huge role in the city's independent scene, especially during the early '00s, coinciding with my high school tenure. Every month, my friends and I would either throw shows at our friend's Mom's gallery in Pilsen (props to Miss Tirabassi and the Humility Gallery) or attend a show somewhere in the city. National bands like Big D and the Kids Table, Mustard Plug, and Streetlight Manifesto would be big draws, but we were also very active in the local scene, thanks to Chicago ska bands like Random Outburst, Not Too Good, Deal's Gone Bad, and more. As I grew older, ska didn't captivate me the way it used to, but it stuck with a handful of my friends in Random Outburst.
Since that band's breakup, two pivotal ska bands arose from its ashes: The Judgementals and Run and Punch. For the past three years, Run and Punch has been making a name for itself across the Midwest ska scene, culminating in the biggest step for the band's relatively short existence to date: curating and running a day-long festival dedicated to ska: Midwest Ska Festival 2014. While the majority of the bands come from the Chicagoland area, other bands from the Midwest also played the festival, including Omaha's The Bishops, Milwaukee's Something To Do, and Indiana's Green Room Rockers.
From the Latin reggae of Los Vicios de Papa to The Crombies' 2-tone influenced jams, there was something for everybody in attendance Saturday night, with attendees skanking, moshing, dancing, and even crowdsurfing to the music. Check out some of my photos from the night below; for more photos, take a trip to my personal Flickr page.
[RH Review] ShowYouSuck: "Dude Bro"
ShowYouSuck has been one of the more interesting artists in the Chicago landscape for a minute now. Since establishing himself as a witty lyricist and connoisseur of all things "rad" on his One Man Pizza Party trilogy, released throughout 2011-13, Show has carved out a niche unto himself with a character and personality to match. Dude Bro, released today, is the culmination of a long road of experimentation and progression that pulls from all sides of what makes up the complex and fun-loving LOD/Treated Crew affiliate.
Linking up with Chicago outfit Closed Sessions for his latest project, Show recorded a majority of the album under the watchful eyes of Mike Kolar at Soundscape Studios, which has become habit as of late. The continued work and personal relationship between Closed Sessions CEO Alex "RTC" Fruchter, Kolar and ShowYouSuck shows on Dude Bro, as an overall aesthetic reigns supreme in a tightly-knit, entertainingly different approach.
The lead single off the project, "80s Boobs" is wholly ShowYouSuck through and through. From the artist that brought you "Viva La Chon Chon" and "Mom Jeans" is the perfect reverie back to the days of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" as Show reminisces over the intricacies of the era's breasts, rapping: "Double D's on my sofa/Double A's in my remote/Weird Science on VHS but my goddamn VCR broke." J. Arthur of Chicago duo theWHOevers handles the duties on the beat, employing a synth-heavy backing that calls to mind the eighties perfectly to add a fitting platform from which to let Show explain the subject matter further.
Perhaps the most appropriate song ShowYouSuck has ever made is also the final track on the album, "Awesome" featuring punk rock duo Unstoppable Death Machines. Anyone who's been to a ShowYouSuck show will testify to the fact that his performances more clearly resemble a punk rock show, complete with moshpits and stage dives, so the two acts complement each other deftly. As a kid who grew up going to Metal shows in and around Chicago, Show is completely in his element, using his performance call and response "Show is so awesome-Show You Suck" as the chorus over the wild, intense backing from Mike and Billy Tucci that make up Unstoppable Death Machine.
Top to bottom, Dude Bro is fully and totally the artist that is Clinton Sandifer, ShowYouSuck. Show is a narcissistic rapper; his songs are just about things he enjoys. For a less interesting person, this could pose an issue, but for the fun-loving lyrical Jedi that he is, Show has found just the right amount of all the aspects that make up who he is and found a way to transfer that perfectly to an album. For an artist that wears his emotions on his sleeve as anyone tracking his Twitter account last night as Dude Bro dropped can attest to, this release means something, and may just be the kind of polished, well put together project with a solid backing that could once and for all vault Clinton over the proverbial wall to the big time. ShowYouSuck is on iTunes, buy Dude Bro here for only $4.99. You can also stream Dude Bro in its entirety below.
Score: 
8.5 out of 10
[RH Review] Elsinore @ Subterranean (Chicago,IL)
I have been looking forward to seeing Elsinore live pretty much since the final notes of the last set I saw them perform -- but especially since they released their new album, PUSH/PULL on October 8. And I am happy to report that their set at Subterranean on Friday night surpassed my expectations by far. Brighton, MA opened the show with a laid-back, old-fashioned rock and roll sound that emanated a strong, but less obviously-catchy Strokes vibe. Their energy grew as they played through their set, getting everybody pumped for the following acts, including Chicago natives, Hemmingbirds, who tried to keep Halloween alive with a cover of Michael Jackson's "Thriller," and a fast paced pop-rock set.
There were a few things I was curious to see from Elsinore at this show: their new line-up (they gained a new bass player and drummer since the last time I saw them) and the killer five-piece brass section they'd brought to Chicago, including two trumpets, tenor sax, baritone sax, and trombone. They started the set with "The Art Of Pulling," the first track off of the new album. This song is genius. It sets up the entire album with a fresh, poppy sound that is lyrically enticing and brilliant, but not too showy, and this is just the first song. The whole album is awesome from start to finish -- a fact that the crowd got to witness. Elsinore played PUSH/PULL in its entirety, mixing in oldies and goodies along the way, including "Lines" off of their full-length record, 2010's "YES YES YES," as well the title track from their EP, Chemicals, which is one of my favorites.
I was particularly excited to hear the new version of "Ultraviolence" live. The tune's rebirth on PUSH/PULL has such a different sound than the original recording, trading out elegant strings for an energized and upbeat spin that, to my surprise, I love equally as much. Though I suppose it's not too surprising, as I am fairly certain I couldn't resist anything that Ryan Groff writes or sings. His simply gorgeous voice enslaves, leaving listeners hanging on his every word, with what seems like little to no effort. Seriously, it makes you want to pull an Ursala on him and wear his voice in a shell around your neck (creepy and true). And it's refreshing to watch a singer who can play just as well as he sings. On lead guitar, Groff owns his instrument. The band matched Groff's energy well. With heavy, buzzy, and precise bass playing from Brad Threlkeld and spot-on drums from James Treichler, the new rhythm section was tight as can be. Founding member Mark Woolwine held it all together on the keys, adding layers of sound and harmonies with his Nord Electro, and funky synthy riffs on his Mini-Korg. The transitions between songs were impeccably smooth. Even when Groff busted a guitar string and switched out guitars, just before they slid into "Life Inside An Elephant," the closing track on PUSH/PULL, it all seemed like part of the plan and the perfect ending to an amazing set.
Clearly, I could go on and on for days about how fantastic Elsinore is, but ain't nobody got time for that. If you haven't listened to Elsinore yet, do yourself a favor and check out "The Art Of Pulling," along with the rest of their album, merch, and tour dates here.
[RH Review] of Montreal @ Lincoln Hall 10/30
The rain didn't stop anyone from making it over to the sold out show at Lincoln Hall last night to see of Montreal turn it out Halloween Eve-style, with the grooviest set I've seen in a while. Lincoln Hall was packed to the brim with fans decked out in costumes and ready to dance, hoping to hear their favorites and some new tracks from of Montreal's latest record, Lousy With Sylvianbriar, for the first time.
The show kicked off with a man dressed Nacho Libre giving an appropriately creepy and energized introduction for Kevin Barnes. Barnes hit the stage in a vintage 60s two-piece pant suit, thanking everyone for coming and jumping into "Triumph Of Disintegration," followed by the first track off the new record "Fugitive Air." The band was accompanied by stage dancers who came out in full white body suits, catching psychedelic projections on their bodies, and eventually diving into the crowd, surfing their way to the back of the venue. They brought the whacky down a bit for "Raindrop In My Skull," another new track from Lousy, sung by the beautiful Rebecca Cash. Her spooky sensuous voice entranced the crowd adding a mysterious and enticing vibe to the set. But my favorite part was probably the fact that they played a ton of songs off Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer including "Suffer For Fashion," "Heimdalsgate like a Promethean Curse," and "Gronlandic Exit," with an a capella introduction from the crowd singing the funky synth part under Barnes's vocals.
The show was a perfect way to start off the Halloween weekend, but the tour continues. Don't miss your chance to see of Montreal live, and check out their new music video for "Fugitive Air."
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[RH Review] Vic Mensa: "Innanetape"
RH Rating: 
4/5
The thing that has always attracted me to Vic Mensa and his music has been his penchant for being different, his eagerness to push forward and his unwavering ability to make a stand for what he believes in. Those qualities and more manifested themselves fully on his latest project, INNANETAPE, released September 30.
Talking to co-Executive Producer Peter CottonTale about the project, he calls it a "transformative" album that has rap at it's base, infusing it with a multitude of different genre-bending sounds that make the album hard to pin to one genre. Vic has interest in a wide musical landscape and it was the job of CottonTale and Cam Osteen of J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League to craft a sound that embodied all of them while sounding like none of them.
Since it's on most Chicagoans minds, yes Vic is somewhat like fellow SaveMoney artist Chance The Rapper, but only the way one might have a similar taste in clothing as an old friend. The comparison musically isn't fair. While Vic may have a similar aesthetic to his lyrical content and message, he has managed to create a wholly different, almost more mature sound for himself. The interesting thing is that many of the parts that came together for Acid Rap are present here, without sounding overly familiar or at all played out. It is a testament to the steady production process that Vic, Cam and Peter went through over most of 2013.
Innanetape is creative, it's interesting, it doesn't allow listeners to passively tune in. Bottom line; it's powerful, and you need to pay attention.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Innanetape is the development of Mensa since his days with Kids These Days. Always a lyrical artist, the Hyde Park native shows tremendous growth in his delivery, mixing in and playing with a variety of cadences and rhyme schemes that come together to create a collage of styles that is all his own.
On "Tweakin" Vic goes in like never before, vehemently rhyming: "I don't want to fight/I just want a quiet life and a nice little suburban place to cry at night/And an eye dropper filled to the top with cyanide/So my psychiatrist dies soon as she tries the Sprite." It's a rhyme scheme and content matter right out of Eminem's lexicon but with Vic's own playfulness layered to it. On top of that, "Tweakin" also has Vic's voice chopped and screwed, adding yet another element to a song bursting with them.
On "Orange Soda" and "Lovely Day" Vic gives listeners a chance to "breath, breath, it's all in your head," relax, before diving back into the mayhem and hairpin turns that is the rest of the project. Both were recorded in Los Angeles and bear the easy going West Coast stereotype which makes sense for a kid born in Chicago who takes regular excursions to the left side of the country for an escape. If anything, it's obvious that Vic is able to absorb what's around him and present it in a succinctly thoughtful manner.
Continuing to spread his wings with the project, Mensa also sings and dabbles in production. Drake, he is not, but his careful eye for crafty melodies adds another layer to the overall aesthetic that he has created. "Diditb4" was the first track Mensa produced on his own, put together while on the road in the back of the large white van with Kids These Days. Vic proves with Innanetape that he's not just a rapper, he's a artist.
When CottonTale talks about transformations on this album, he mentions Vic's openness to try different things. "Run" was one of the first tracks they put together and has the feeling of an 80s dance track rather than a hip-hop song out of Chicago. More than any other track on the album, it may be the most polarizing for listeners. The shrieking school bell sound, the muted hook and the sudden whirlwind into what CottonTale calls "pop juke" is a certain breath of fresh air, if not at first hard to decipher.
"I was looking at hip-hop and beats as becoming monotonous when I was out west. When I came out here I met rappers who had such an unorthodox style and delivery and Vic is a perfect example of that," said Las Vegas native Cam Osteen. "It's something that is very different and honestly something that rap needs right now. In Chicago you see a lot of these guys for the unconventional to steal the show, and that's what sets this project apart."
Innanetape is a long time coming. Work started at Soundscape studios soon after the announcement of KTD as the first draft of the tracks began to take shape. To have been able to sit in on some of the sessions throughout the process, it has been fun to watch the paths many of the songs took to get on the final project. About a year or so ago, the country took notice of Chicago for the antics of Chief Keef and the often cluttered thought of drill music which became the city's calling card. Heading into 2014, Chicago has regained it's stature as a soulful, creative, open place from which music emanates and that is owed much to Vic and the generation he represents in the Second City. Never one to satisfy himself with anything, it will be exciting to see where Mensa takes things from here.