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ACTIVITIES
The Pitchfork Music Festival and The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs present the Audible Architecture: Chicago Nightclubs at Noon lunchtime (12 pm) performance series on select Mondays from June 16 – August 25, at Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Michigan Avenue at Randolph Street.
Monday, June 16
Bird Names presented in partnership with the Bottom Lounge
Bird Names has been playing experimental pop music since the mid-2000s. This energetic Chicago-based outfit is known for their psychedelic sounds and creative hearts. Players include Albert Schatz, Nora Brank, David Lineal, & Colin Hartz.
Monday, June 23
Gary Higgins presented in partnership with the Abbey Pub
During one forty-hour period in 1973, folk musician Gary Higgins and his band of five recorded his only LP, Red Hash. Higgins disappeared shortly after this semi-legendary album was released, serving a prison sentence and later marrying. Word began to spread about Red Hash in the 90s leading to the album being remastered and reissued on Drag City in 2005. This obscure psych-folk masterpiece has influenced David Tibet of Current 93 and Ben Chasny of Six Organs of Admittance.
Monday, June 30
The Killer Whales
The Killer Whales have been moving crowds since 2004. With groove-heavy inspirations like War, the Wailers and Fela Kuti running through their minds, the Whales are unique for attacking their instruments wit the mind-set that they’re members of a tribe on a desert island. Band Members include: Travis Murphy, John Williams, Harry Brenner and Cameron Brand.
Monday, July 7
Le Loup presented in partnership with the Schubas Tavern
Le Loup was founded in Washington, D.C. in late 2006 by Sam Simkoff (keyboard/banjo). The band creates music heavily laden with intricate patterns and swells, edging towards dramatic, sweeping movements. Everybody in the live band sings, and all instruments work together to weave an overall sonic tapestry.
Monday, July 28
Bill Callahan presented in partnership with the JAM Productions
Bill Callahan also known as “Smog,” is an American singer-songwriter who started out as a highly experimental artist. Callahan’s singing is strikingly characterized by his baritone voice and his free-form approach. Themes in Callahan's lyrics include relationships, moving, horses, teenagers, bodies of water, and more recently, politics.
Monday, August 4
Tortoise presented in partnership with the The Hideout
Tortoise's almost entirely instrumental music defies easy categorization, and the group gained significant attention from their early career. The members have roots in Chicago's fertile music scene, playing in various indie rock and punk groups. Tortoise was among the first American indie rock bands to incorporate styles closer to Krautrock, dub, minimalism, electronica, and various jazz styles, rather than thestandard rock and roll and punk that had dominated indie rock for years.
Monday, August 18
The Ex with special guest Getatchew Mekuria presented in partnership with the Empty Bottle
After their start in 1979, The Ex developed over the years into a melting-pot of divergent musical styles: noise, rock, jazz, improvisation, and ethnic music have been interwoven under one unique umbrella: ‘Ex-music’. Discordant, highly rhythmic guitars and a rolling, almost African drumming style give the music of The Ex its special character. In 27 years The Ex has played 1,250 concerts all over Europe, Northern America and Africa, and made over 20 CD-albums. Getatchew Mekuria is one of Ethiopia's most revered saxophonists. He gained international attention when the album Negis of the Ethiopian Sax was released as part of the Ethiopiques CD series.
Monday, August 25
Habib Koite & Bamada presented in partnership with Martyrs'
Malian guitarist Habib Koité is one of Africa’s most popular and recognized musicians. His unique approach to the guitar includes tuning his instrument to the pentatonic scale and playing on open strings. At other times Koite's music sounds closer to the blues or flamenco, two styles he studied under Khalilou Traoré, a veteran of the legendary Afro-Cuban band Maravillas du Mali. Koite's supporting cast, the band Bamada, is a super-group of West African talent that includes Kélétigui Diabaté.
