Preview Fri Mar 07 2014

Weekend Preview: Freddie Gibbs + Madlib and Hideout's SXSW Preview Party

By Justin Freeman

I'm looking at the weather report and it's supposed to be 50 degrees in a few days. There still might be some snow on the ground, but it looks like we've almost made it through this winter. Things outside seem to be increasingly pleasant and this may be the first weekend to truly resemble spring that we've had in 2014. What are you going to do with this not hibernating in your comfortably warm apartment whilst binge watching Pokemon cartoons on Netflix and eating leftovers of cheap chinese food time you've suddenly found yourself with this weekend? If you want to get out of the house, a few good shows are coming up that you may want to check out.

In hindsight it seems logical that Freddie Gibbs and Madlib would find kinship and become collaborative partners. Both artists romanticize days of hip-hop past in their own idiosyncratic ways. Madlib is a pursuer, prowling through his massive library of vinyl records in his neverending hunt for the perfect beat. Gibbs, on the other hand, is a rapper who finds himself rejecting the bright lights of the mainstream in favor of vulgar and grimy tales of the underclass in his quest for authenticity.

Over the past few years, both men have been working together. A few EPs have been released, but this month marks the release of their debut full length, Pinata. A few singles from the album have been floating around the web for awhile now and are full of the characteristics of their makers; Gibb's deep and gravelly voice furiously rhyming about the harsh realities of life in the projects like the second coming of 2Pac mixed with Madlib's compositions which sound like the remembrance of the drive home from church on a Sunday afternoon in your Newport smoking deacon uncle's Oldsmobile. Check out a stream of the single, "Harolds" below.

Freddie Gibbs and Madlib perform tonight (March 7th) at Metro, 3730 N. Clark Street. Opening for them are Lucki Ecks and Impala Sound Champions, who are doing an all vinyl DJ set. This is an 18+ show and starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $21 and can be purchased here.

As all of those poor, young struggling bands such as Coldplay and Lady Gaga prepare to play at SXSW this year, a new crop of Chicago bands prepare to also make the trip down to Austin. But before they go, Hideout is having a party. All day Saturday, from 1pm to midnight, there will be a showcase of many of the local bands that are going to be at SXSW. There's a lot to recommend here. The day kicks off with Wrekmeister Harmonies, the doom metal inspired ambient project of JR Robinson and also the literal soundtrack to a night at the cemetery. Check out a video for "You've Always Meant So Much to Me" here.

Also playing is the post Kids These Days band, Marrow, and the garage psychedelic weirdness of Outer Minds.

The day is headlined by a set by Radar Eyes. I remember seeing them open for DIIV last year at the Empty Bottle and they completely stole the show with their precise drums, alienated guitars and haunting vocals. Their newest 7 inch, Community​/​Fall Into Place, was released earlier this year and finds the band exploring territories previously held by bands such as Sonic Youth.

The SXSW Send Off Party is happening tomorrow (March 8th) at The Hideout, 1354 Wabansia Avenue. This is a 21+ show and starts at 1p.m. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door. Information can be found here.