Alex Perkolup is a musician who currently plays bass and guitar in the critically acclaimed progressive rock band, Cheer-Accident. Originally formed in 1981, Cheer-Accident has maintained an impressively fresh and interesting sound, oscillating between noise and pop, refusing to be categorized. The music is moody, complex, and highly composed, but never muddy. Perkolup has been one of the three mainstays in their ever-evolving lineup for six years. He has also played in Bobby Conn, Lovely Little Girls, and The Flying Luttenbachers, among others.
Do you have formal music training?
I started lessons at eight and went on until I was about nineteen. I had one guitar teacher for nine years of that time who was a big influence on me. I started playing because of Eddie Van Halen. I came out of the metal school of musicianship. I was really into difficult playing and my guitar teacher recognized that. He introduced me to King Crimson, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Gentle Giant and some progressive rock bands, so he was very instrumental in my influence.
Paste magazine sat down recently with our favorite local mashup DJs: The Hood Internet and had a little chat. Read and learn about the creative process behind their dancefloor breaking mashups, their feelings on Girl Talk, and plans for an actual Hood Internet album release. These guys (well, a solo STV SLV, but still) rocked our anniversary party like nobody's business, so we have a lot of love for what they do.
A weekend full of interviews with some of the nicest bands around was capped off with Paul and Perrin, two of the musicians in the band Beirut. The guys and I camped out backstage under a tree, chatting about the wonderful staff and actual musicians who work at Pitchfork Festival, their encounter with a drunk Pete Shelley of the Buzzcocks, and how part of Beirut was formed in a Haggen-Dazs. Special thanks to WBEZ for reading my mind and taking a shot of the guys a day before during their set, somehow knowing I would get so engrossed in our conversation that I'd forget to snap a picture.
Thanks for tuning in as I sat down with some of the artists this past weekend, and I hope everyone had a wonderful Pitchfork Music Festival 2009.
Early Sunday afternoon we sat down in the shade with the all girl rock trio Vivian Girls. The band spoke about the craziness of playing in front of a massive festival crowd, how Pitchfork is centered around the city, their story of opening for Sonic Youth, and the relaxed the atmosphere at the festival all weekend.
Check back later for our last installment of Conversations at Pitchfork.
Speaking to The Thermals was a lovely start to Sunday at Pitchfork Festival. The Portland trio chatted about what bands they were excited to see, their favorite festival memory of dancing on-stage with the Flaming Lips, their recent move to a new label, and how things are going with Kathy's band All Girl Summer Fun Band.
Thanks to Kirstie for taking some lovely shots of The Thermals, and keep checking back for a few more interviews with bands at Pitchfork Festival.
Hans-Peter Lindstrom is a dedicated guy. He flew all the way from Norway to play Pitchfork Festival. He arrived five hours before his set in Chicago, and told me he was jumping back on a flight Sunday morning to return home. Lindstrom was kind enough to sit down and chat with Gapers Block during his whirlwind weekend of travel, praising the selection of bands that Pitchfork books for the festival, his enjoyment of working alone as a solo artist, and how he selects the music he remixes.
And before Lindstrom could leave, Justin from WBEZ convinced the Norwegian DJ to pony up for an installment of their delightful segment the Wikipedia Files. Of course Justin had to steal our thunder and demand I take a glamor shot of him and his new best friend Hans-Peter. Clearly these two hit it off, and have forged a lifelong friendship. I can only hope this picture will end up framed on the WBEZ office wall.
Keep checking back for more interviews with artists from the festival this past weekend.
What you see above is the true face of festival fatigue. The Antlers sat down with us to chat 10 minutes after performing on Saturday. The guys joined us to have a post show beer and a smoke break, and shared what bands they were looking forward to seeing at the festival, the open mind that festival goers have when checking out new bands this weekend, their preferred location for recording, and how recording Hospice was a therapeutic labor of love.
Keep checking back for more interviews with bands from the festival this weekend.
The Black Lips closed out Saturday night with a searing set of rough and raw blues fueled garage rock. In person the band is sarcastic and entertaining, much like the stage antics their known for during a live show. The fine folks over at ReadyMade Magazine let me and the band crash their swanky display, as the guys expressed their dislike of festivals (love to play, hate to attend), memories of being chased out of India with their record label Vice, their sinister plan to take over and shut down the festival with their radical ways, and even give the festival itself a Pitchfork style rating.
Keep checking back for more conversations with artists all week at Pitchfork.
Call it twee, call it shoegazer, or call it whatever you like, but make no mistake about the fact that The Pains of Being Pure at Heart make bright and cheery pop music. Their sunny music matches the bands sweet and friendly disposition perfectly, as I caught up with the band backstage after the brief downpour of rain Saturday afternoon. The band spoke about still being in the honeymoon stage of success, dished the dirt on a pop-punk Warp Tour past, and Peggy disclosed her rebellious ways of sneaking backstage at the first Pitchfork Festival.
Keep checking back for more conversations with artists all weekend at Pitchfork.
Next up I spoke to Cymbals Eat Guitars, one of my picks from our feature of bands to check out this year at the festival. Earlier the band kicked off Saturday with their brand of fuzzed out '90s style indie rock. Their laid-back music was the perfect soundtrack to a breezy early Saturday afternoon. The guys discussed the extremes of playing both venues and festivals, their favorite memories from early Lollapalooza festivals (including Neil's memory of Cyprus Hill and an inflatable bong), the surreal moments of their success this past year, and their guilty admittance of loving dance rock. And to fully explain their photo, the guys really needed a bathroom break. I was more than happy to oblige their need to express this frustration. Even indie rockers have to cave and use the port-a-potty.
Keep checking back for more conversations with artists all weekend at Pitchfork.
This weekend Gapers Block is sitting down with some of the artists at Pitchfork to talk about the festival itself, their favorite festival memories, and much more. Keep checking back all weekend for more conversations at Pitchfork Festival.
Before you take a listen, I have to disclose I'm a writer, not a sound engineer, so I apologize for the rough around the edges audio. You'll hear background noise, the occasional siren, and even the cheering crowd of DOOM during one interview. What else would you expect though from a live music festival? Have no fear if you're not a fan of audio, though. I'll be transcribing and posting the transcripts of each conversation throughout the week. Until then, turn up your speakers, and check out what some of the bands play Pitchfork Festival had to say.
I started off my Saturday chatting with the happiest indie pop duo in the world, Matt and Kim. I can say without a doubt, they are two of the sweetest people around, and a ridiculously dedicated band, constantly touring and even sometimes playing multiple shows a day. They shared with us a favorite a festival story of Matt jumping into the most contaminated lake in Norway, expressed their love of top 40 hip-hop, and clued us in on the perks of no longer having to rough it on the road.
Keep checking back for more conversations with artists all weekend at Pitchfork.
In addition to being the sharpest-dressed band in Chicago, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound have been taking the city by storm with their unique brand of raw power soul.
Hailed by Tyondai Braxton of Battles and Stereogum, Brooklyn's Extra Life have made a name for themselves with their hypnotic combination of math rock and chamber pop. Extra Life hits up the Empty Bottle tonight in support of their album, Secular Works, released last year through Planaria Recordings. Gapers Block had the chance for a quick chat with lead singer and guitarist Charlie Looker before the show.
Gapers Block: Where did the title Secular Works come from?
Charlie Looker: The title Secular Works is a reference to Medieval and Renaissance music, periods which I am deeply into. Composers from those periods wrote sacred music (masses) and then also would write secular songs in the popular forms of the time. When you buy a CD of Early Music, you will often find records of so-and-so's "secular works". So for Extra Life, the title is somewhat ironic. However I'm very influenced by Early Music, both sacred and secular. I have also become interested in religion, simply as a human phenomenon, an outlet for the human will.
Despite the awful winters, the corrupt politics, and the rising unemployment rate, Chicago is one of the best cities in the world, especially for live music. With numerous acts constantly stopping in Chicago, it's no surprise that important events happen in our fair city. So it was definitely no surprise when seminal 1980s British rock band The Godfathers announced their return to the U.S. for the first time in 20 years would happen at the Metro in Chicago this Valentine's Day. And that the show would be the first St. Valentine's Day Massacre show (a tradition of theirs) outside of London ever. Gapers Block: Transmission had the chance to chat with lead singer Peter Coyne about the upcoming show, music, and what it's like being in a groundbreaking band like The Godfathers.
Yea Big & Kid Static's first music video, "The Life Here," hit the front page of YouTube, resulting in 250,000 views in two days. Along with those views came a whole lot of negative, often racially charged comments. The duo talk about it on Current.TV.
At the age of 24, Chicago's Brendan Losch has already accomplished a great deal. He just self-released his second full length album, Until We Meet Again, and is dedicated to recording a song a week throughout the year. He also run the fantastic music blog, Count Me Out, and has opened for many successful acts including Bowerbirds, Nicole Atkins, The Dodos, Woven Hand, and others. On June 23rd he will open for friend and fellow talented musician Michael Nau (a.k.a. Cotton Jones Basket Ride) at Schuba’s.
When I saw Brendan had released his new album I felt it was the perfect time to ask him a few questions.
Robert Francis, a 20 year-old indie-folk singer songwriter from L.A., recently opened at the Park West for Australian singer Missy Higgins. He’s on his first national tour and attracting attention from a myriad of music journalists who believe that he’s on the verge of a big break (and probably all want to claim that they “broke” him), and I wouldn’t disagree.
His songs are deeply personal and possess a sort of haunted country twang caused by a myriad of folk instruments, many of which he plays himself. He loves Townes Van Zandt, is frequently compared to Bob Dylan and has been described as a young guy with an “old soul.” In fact, he’s much nicer (I imagine) than Bob Dylan and I sensed a very youthful passion for his music.
I sat down with Francis before his Park West gig and asked him about touring nationally for the first time, getting along with his band in a small van and his very musical family. When I entered the theatre, his manager and band mates were frantically trying to repair a set of amps that had just exploded, but he sat calmly in one of the booths and we talked with 80’s music blaring in the background.
Legendary, yet still active photographer extraordinaire Pat Graham will land in Chicago on Thursday to discuss his decade-spanning career as a touring photographer. Coinciding with the recent release of his first official book, Silent Pictures (Akashic books), Graham will hold a speaking engagement at The Book Cellar, with a special introduction from Chris Thomson from Red Eyed Legends and former Circus Lupus, The Monorchid, and Skull Kontrol fame.
Graham, who rose to fame as the semi-official Dischord Records photographer has spent years on the road with Modest Mouse, June of '44, and Tortoise, creating fine art prints, calendars, and contributing to an endless stream of record covers and liners. Come out and meet the photographer at this rare appearance/book signing.
The event starts at 7:00pm Thursday, December 20. The Book Cellar is located at 4736 N. Lincoln Ave. Call 773-293-2665 for more information.
Four more years!!!: DJs Bald Eagle and Mother Hubbard
It's been four years since the Life During Wartime DJs crew came together and started spinning at clubs in Chicago. They're still at it, and their chosen moniker is, unfortunately, still relevant. The duo of DJs Bald Eagle and Mother Hubbard currently bills its homebase monthly appearance at The Hideout as “Chicago’s Dance Party.” While that may sound like a bold claim, it’s certainly apt. The past two years have seen LDW move to the top of the local popularity index, having proven themselves to be one of Chicago’s most reliable homegrown party-sparkers. This weekend sees them celebrating their four-year anniversary with a two-night dance party at The Hideout.
Holy crap! Pitchfork scored an interview with Bjork about her new album, Volta, which will be released in May. And contrary to her charicaturized personna, she's completely coherent!
"I just wanted to get rhythmic again. Medulla was my way of pulling out of that, refusing to be categorized as 'Oh what rhythm is she going to do next?' Just feeling the pressure of all these young drum programmers or producers or whatever you call them contacting me, like, who was going to be the flavor of the month. It had become this kind of fashion statement, it just wasn't right.
"I mean, I do love one-upmanship sometimes, like when you see kids breakdancing and who can do the best tricks. It's common, it's in our nature as animals, like the birds of paradise who've got the best feathers and that sort of stuff. But it's fun when it's impulsive and it's about fun. When it becomes clever, when it becomes more of a left-brain, who can mathematically out-do the other, it's not so fun anymore. And maybe I just sort of pulled out and did a whole vocal album."
Eight Forty-Eight interviewed musician and teacher Michael Droste this morning about his just-completed One Song Every Day project , which began as a New Year's resolution in 2006. Listen to the interview here (mp3).
Later in the show, Chicago Public Radio's decision to kill its nighttime jazz programming was defended by music critic John McDonough (mp3), who pointed out that many of the most vocal opponents of the decision don't actually listen to jazz on the radio.
If you do listen to jazz on the radio, your last chance to do so at 91.5 on your FM dial is tomorrow (Thursday) night beginning at 8pm, when Dan Bender, Richard Steele and Sarah Toulouse will host the final eight hours of jazz programming as a team.
The Tripwire runs a 2003 zine-only interview of Thax Douglas by Elia of Scotland Yard Gospel Choir. We're told Douglas departed because he had "deep dissatisfaction at his perceived lack of status in Chicago and felt bleak about his economic prospects here." As Douglas reveals that the blood bank is one of his primary sources of income, one is left to wonder, perhaps New York's pay more?
You may recall earlier this year when, upon the leak of his album, Lupe Fiasco suggested he might just take his rhymes and go home. These days he's singing a somewhat different, albeit similarly end-game-focused tune: he tells Tom Breihan "[his] thing is to put out the next two albums, and then [his] mission is complete." There'll likely be the empire to attend to, but being a mogul is different than being a rapper, right? (He talks about other stuff, of course: topics range from Pitchfork to Pink Floyd.)
Today, Nerve interviews local band OK Go. On the subject of local website Pitchfork Media: "Yeah, they really don't like us [sighs]. I think it's personal. They were a small Chicago-based site when we started out as a small, Chicago-based band, and I think there were some infidelities with someone's girlfriend. But they really hate us."
Thax is a Chicago music institution, whether you like his poetry or not. You knew you were at a "real Chicago show" when, after the lights went down, he stepped quietly out on stage, pulled out a piece of paper and read a poem in honor of the night's entertainment. Most of his live poetry has been brief (read in under 30 seconds) but the impression he left behind lasted much longer (there's even a documentary). Chicago adopted him as "ours", but no longer. In a short while, Thax will pack his poems and head out to New York City. In honor of his legacy, tonight, Chicago musicians will say farewell at a special show at the Hideout featuring Sybris, Tight Phantomz, Dick Prall, and Daniel Knox. I had a chance to ask Thax a few questions about the show and his poems and Chicago music venues, and below are his responses.
When talking musical influences with Helen Money, it's easy to forget her instrument of choice: cello. She references Bob Mould's Beaster, with its wall of sound and intense, thought-obliterating guitar work. She speaks of The Who and all the crazy rock bands she was exposed to in the '80s. "The stuff I like sounds like life or death," she reasons. And this coming from a woman with a picture of Jimi Hendrix taped to her cello case like he's a saint.
Transmission is the music section of Gapers Block. It aims to highlight Chicago music in its many varied forms, as well as cover touring acts performing in the city.
Editor: Anne Holub, ash@gapersblock.com
Transmission staff inbox: transmission@gapersblock.com
