Pitchfork Fest, Chicago?

gabster · Post by **gabster** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 3:25 pm

Hi Folks!

Wondering if any Abletonite attended the Pitchfork Fest this weekend in Chicago. Some very interesting non-mainstream bands stepping up among whom The Battles from NY that have a VERY interesting and eclectic sound using serious electronica motifs.
Anyone heard them and know their setup? Are they useng Live by any chance?

Cheers!
Gabi

Grahambo! · Post by **Grahambo!** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 3:42 pm

Howdy. I went to Pitchfork. Battles has been one of my favorite bands for a while now. They are pretty much the only reason I went to pitchfork (besides sonic youth and deerhunter

)

From what I have gathered, they don't use Ableton Live for anything. I've read some reviews and interviews of them mentioning loop station pedals and whatnot. I don't think you use too much computer sequencing; at least not in a live setting.

gabster · Post by **gabster** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 3:48 pm

Hey Grahambo!

Good to meet you this way! Yes I was really impressed with The Battles - despite the techical difficulty with the wrong patch cable -
Definitely delays and such. Also I am thinking the DigiTech Whammy pedal for Tyonday's voice on ATLAS (that song is just fabulous!).

Also I liked the New Pornographers... - not sure of Yoko Ono - hehehe.

Gab

Grahambo! · Post by **Grahambo!** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 3:51 pm

haha yeah. Yoko. Oh well. What can you say about her, right? haha. Yeah, I know he uses a whammy for his voice on top of something else, too. "Atlas" is a pretty cool song. Do you have their album? They have 2 EPs with different songs, too. Very original.

-Graham

gabster · Post by **gabster** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 3:57 pm

I am going to order their albums. There is now way around it.

Poor yoko - beside the fact that she is blamed for braking up the band - now she will be blamed for a "what-should-I-do-with-my-life-I'm-John Lennon's-widow" stigma.

Hey cool instrumentals on your myspace!

Gabi.

Grahambo! · Post by **Grahambo!** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 4:01 pm

Yeah. Poor Yoko. But not poor Yoko, too, haha.

Thanks for checkin' out the myspace. I'm the kid in the gray shirt, by the way. We just like to fool around, and since none of us can really sing, we just play and play till it gets old, haha. I'm in charge of bass and the midi side (mostly just tweaking weird loops). I'd check out your myspace if I had speakers on this computer I'm on. haha. We're still looking for a gig. We got together a couple months ago and we vowed to play at least ONE show before summer let out and we all go back to school/college. But no one seems to want an experimental/noise/ambient band to play their parties, haha. There arent many 21 and under clubs around here, either.
-Graham

tylenol · Post by **tylenol** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 5:50 pm

I was there too, though I didn't see the battles. Someone was standing near me with an Ableton laptop bag at the Dan Deacon show. I liked Dan Deacon, Junior Boys, and Jamie Lidell best of those I saw, though it was a shame that Dan Deacon got shut off (what were the organizers thinking?? "Let's put Dan Deacon and Girl Talk into a tiny parking lot. No one'll want to dance or anything..")

kramerica · Post by **kramerica** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 7:47 pm

[threadjack]

I missed Pitchfork b/c of stupid wedding in Indy.

Not happy about it.

BUT, if any of you Chicago folks are going to Lolla (say...for Daft Punk on Friday night), I highly recommend going to Schubas in Lakeview for the post show by Ghostland Observatory - an Austin, TX indie/electronic band that melted my face a few months ago when I saw them. They're also playing Lolla (again) this year but at a much better slot.

[/threadjack]

Anyone see Clipse? Fujiya and Miyagi? (returning to empty bottle in Sept.) GZA? Sea & Cake? Mastadon? I'm so pissed I missed all this.

Interestingly (and further off topic), my college buddy now runs Pitchfork Media, which is perfect considering I can't think of a bigger elitist prick with overly discriminating musical tastes.

Oh and I just saw on Pitchfork that Justice is coming to the Metro on Oct. 17th. See ya there!

pepezabala · Post by **pepezabala** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 8:23 pm

I have seen the battles a couple of weeks ago here in Barcelona and I have to say that this was absolutely amazing. Best drummer of the universe at this night. Lots of crazy livelooptweaking. We were dancing all the time....

Skeyelab · Post by **Skeyelab** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 6:30 pm

kramerica wrote:[threadjack]

I missed Pitchfork b/c of stupid wedding in Indy. Not happy about it.

[/threadjack]

ghay

TITBAG · Post by **TITBAG** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 7:22 pm

'electronica' is shit

Skeyelab · Post by **Skeyelab** » Thu Jul 19, 2007 8:07 pm

TITBAG wrote:'electronica' is shit

good input

ohiowa · Post by **ohiowa** » Fri Jul 20, 2007 7:34 am

quick nerd clarification...

it's just BATTLES, not THE battles...THE BATTLES is a cruddy indie-pop band from vancouver, BATTLES is the Don Cabellero, Lynx, Helmet, band that is good.

as an aside, it's all personal taste and whatnot but Ghostland Observatory fucking blows. I've done sound for them twice, their music is so derivative, sorry dudes, give me the MAKE*UP any day, or shit...even the first Rapture 7", better yet, how about early Cure.

sorry, i got bitchy there for a second.