Chicago's own Piece of Cake releases new song "Rusted"
Everybody loves A Piece of Cake right? This indie act, featuring Brynn Bixby, Dave Nolden, Mark Alletag, Paul Karnatz, and Rob Lejman, is from Chicago and are gearing up to release their self-titled debut in May. But the band are giving you a taste of the new material with their latest single "Rusted." The track is an upbeat mix of pop, indie rock, and folk sure to put anyone in a good mood. "Rusted" is a sweet taste of what's to come from this band and if this single is anything to go by, the album should be a real treat to look forward to.
Check out "Rusted" for yourself here
Riot Fest 2015 Lineups Revealed
It's been a busy month for Riot Fest organizers as they went from facing problems with Humboldt Park to being named USA Today's top summer music festival to eventually relocating to Douglas Park for their flagship Chicago festival. Finally, after incessant badgering on Twitter, the first wave of the Riot Fest 2015 lineup has been revealed. Some of the announced headliners are a bit surprising, considering the festival's typical M.O. However, it just further illustrates how large and popular the festival has grown over the past few years.
Riot Fest Chicago highlights include a few bands performing full albums like Rancid playing ...And Out Come the Wolves, Snoop Dogg playing Doggystyle, Ice Cube (and guests) performing NWA's Straight Outta Compton, The Academy Is... performing Almost Here, and The Dwarves performing Blood Guts and Pussy. Other musical highlights include No Doubt, Tenacious D, Modest Mouse, Motorhead, Less Than Jake, Modern Life is War, Lifetime, Cypress Hill, and local acts like Alex Wiley, Into It. Over it., and Psalm One.
Riot Fest Toronto highlights include Alexisonfire, Wu-Tang Clan, Tyler, the Creator, and Coheed and Cambria.
Riot Fest Denver highlights include Modest Mouse, Iggy Pop, Flogging Molly, Alkaline Trio, and Pixies.
Pre-sale tickets are already sold out, but you can still find 3-day passes for Chicago, Denver, and Toronto.
Riot Fest Chicago is Moving to Douglas Park
The dust has settled and the official verdict is in: Riot Fest is saying goodbye to Humboldt Park and hello to Douglas Park.
Mike Petryshyn, co-founder of the recently named Best Music Festival in the US, released a statement about the festival's move to North Lawndale:
In my very first meeting with Alderman Cardenas, I was happy that we were discussing logistical details and how we could enrich the community. Quite frankly, I was silently ecstatic. He gets it and it was genuine. Our goal has always been to leave a positive impact in the community we call home by helping local independent businesses, hiring ward residents and making an impact year-round. We did that in our previous home and plan to do the same — if not more — in the community surrounding Douglas Park and the 12th Ward.
As soon as we started discussing community, it was refreshing to see George get up from his desk and start pointing on the ward map to the local businesses we need to meet and have a formal introduction. He was excited and so was I. To have an an elected official see clearly how we can bring good things is humbling. To be appreciated for who we are—as people running an indie company and a festival—by the him and all of the supporters has been inspiring.
The strife between Riot Fest organizers and Alderman Maldonado of the 26th Ward (where Humboldt Park is located) has been well-noted since last year's festival that left the park with thousands of dollars in damages. And while the festival is committed to repairing the park, Maldonado and other Humboldt Park residents were vocal with their opposition to the festival's return despite overwhelming support that resulted in over 8,000 signatures (ours included) to keep the festival in Humboldt.
Riot Fest also announced the lineup for this year's festival will be released next week, ensuring a busy Riot Fest-related news month ends on a high note.
You can read the festival's official announcement here.
USA Today and 10Best Name Riot Fest Best Music Festival
This post was originally published by our affiliate site, Chicago Music.
Riot Fest has consistently been Chicago's best music festival for the past few years, and finally, the festival has been recognized for doing so. USA Today and 10Best have named Riot Fest the country's Best Music Festival as voted by fans, beating out other festivals like Electric Forest Festival and Bonnaroo. Notable music festivals like Chicago's Lollapalooza and Pitchfork Music Festival, Austin's Fun Fun Fun Fest, Austin City Limits, and SXSW, and California's Coachella didn't make the Top 10.
The accolades come at an uncomfortable time for Riot Fest organizers as they are currently facing some backlash from some Humboldt Park residents and Ald. Roberto Maldonado over the damage caused to the park from last year's festival. A change.org petition was recently started to keep the festival at Humboldt Park, but it appears that it's been taken down. Nevertheless, despite any opposition, Riot Fest has plenty of support. Being named the country's best music festival goes to show just how much the festival and its organization have grown over the past 10 years. Here's to 10 more!
[via 10Best]
[Interview] Sarah Smick and Ian Michaels (Friended to Death)
Friended to Death is a dark comedy that embraces the age old curiosity of who would show up at your funeral if you were to die. Although, this creation from Sarah Smick and Ian Michaels encompasses this question in a whole new light: What if you were to fake your death so you could find out? A story about a man whose reliance on social media might just be a little extreme, the film is light hearted in a sense, regardless of its drive from multiple antiheroes. I was fortunate enough to get to interview Sarah and Ian and find out what it was like for them to work on this feature length film together!
[EP] Glass Animals: "Gooey" and More
Oxfordshire quartet Glass Animals have been hitting my inbox since February, but it wasn't until last Tuesday's release of Gooey did I really begin to take notice. It was early in the morning when I checked the EP out, and I'm not sure if it was because it was still dark out or my mood that morning, but the song "Gooey" couldn't have been any more perfect. With frontman Dave Bayley's catchy lyrics and infectious production, "Gooey" hits all the right notes (pun intended). The EP consists of the original "Gooey" track, "Holiest" feat. Tei Shi, and three remixes of "Gooey" from Gilligan Moss, Kingdom and Chester Watson.
Glass Animals is the first signee to mega Brit producer Paul Epworth's Wolf Tone label in the UK. Epworth moved the band from their woodlands creative hub called The Shed to his studio in London to help the band refine and develop their sound. Combining their love of analog with digital Glass Animals have bee able to create a trippy-RnB-elecornic sound that's hard not to fall into a groove with.
"Gooey" was just the beginning of the Glass Animal's take over of 2014. With the EP out, the band has dropped a new song, "Pools," off of their full-length album, ZABA, due out on June 10th via Harvest Records. The press release for ZABA gives a taste of what's to come from the band's next project:
"Inspired by Kanye West and Charles Darwin, Nina Simone and the Velvet Underground, ZABA is a rich and textured work, a very special record indeed. With Dave producing and Epworth as A&R and mentor, the studio became their home and the band were free to record, improvise and write at their own speed, making their sound a bigger, brighter, heavier and more intense experience than ever before."
If "Gooey" and "Pools" are a sample of what to expect, I'm really looking forward to this project. I've yet to see them live, but hear their stage set up is pretty interesting with a show to match. With festival season well on its way, don't be surprised to see Glass Animals show up on more bills. Until then, check out the Gooey EP, the "Gooey" music video, and their new single "Pools" below.
Gooey is available on iTunes or on vinyl signed by the band here.
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[Songs of the Day] 3/6/14 (Feat. Mac DeMarco, Big K.R.I.T., St. Vincent & More)
Thursday brought about some new heat to warm our nasty March and leading things off we have a pair of tracks dedicated to another world. Along with the announcement of a "Game of Thrones" mixtape titled Catch The Throne, due out tomorrow came two tracks, Wale's "King Slayer" and Big Boi's "Mother of Dragons", stay posted for the rest of the tracklisting. Big K.R.I.T. continued his solid flow of new content by teaming up with Childish Major for another cinema-inspired track in "Wolf of Wall St.". Chuck Inglish teased his upcoming album with a very dope track with fellow Chicagoan Chance The Rapper for "Glam" which will wear out your repeat button in a hurry. A couple dance numbers got in the mix with Nick Nikon's "100 Deep" and a remix of M.I.A.'s "Y.A.L.A." anthem by Falcons. Mac DeMarco continued to prove why he's a rising star with his latest, "Brother" and St. Vincent once again showed she can do no wrong on "Del Rio". Columbia College's AEMMP Records released another track from their upcoming album, La Collection, produced entirely by C-Sick. The track, "All Love" features Taylor Bennett, NoNameGypsy & Nick Astro. Check everything out, streaming below.
Track of the Day: Chuck Inglish: "Glam" (Feat. Chance The Rapper)
Wale: "King Slayer"
Big Boi: "Mother of Dragons"
Big K.R.I.T: "The Wolf on Wall St." (Prod. Childish Major)
Chuck Inglish: "Glam" (Feat. Chance The Rapper)
Nick Nikon: "100 Deep"
M.I.A.: "Y.A.L.A." (Falcons Remix)
Mac DeMarco: "Brother"
C-Sick: "All Love" (Feat. Taylor Bennett, NoNameGypsy & Nick Astro)
St. Vincent: "Del Rio"
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