9 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(08/29/17 5:27pm)
Back in 2009, Keith and Michael Jeffery decided to start the band Atlas Genius. Their debut, "Trojans", reached 4th on Billboard's US Alternative Songs chart. We had the chance to sit down with them before their show on the BMI stage at Lollapalooza 2017.
It was the first interview of the weekend, and I was incredibly eager to interview the brothers; a band I had played on my radio shows since my first show on my high school radio station in 2012. I was so eager to start talking to them that I didn't realize that my finger had hit the wrong button! I didn't record this great, raw interview. I was so embarrassed by my unprofessional behavior, how could I not check that I had hit the record button! Keith and Michael were incredibly nice about the mishap and agreed to re-record the interview. That is true forgiveness.
So here is version 2 of my interview with Atlas Genius:
(08/20/17 10:19pm)
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/338430086" params="color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /]
The mystery of Lo Moon: that is the only thing I heard before meeting the trio. The band had released only 2 songs before being invited to Lollapalooza on the Pepsi stage. However, once you listen to "Loveless" and "This is it", you will understand why they performed on such a prominent stage. Singer Matt Lowell informed us that he worked on the track "Loveless" for four years until it was released. The hard work definitely paid off.
I told the band about the first time I had heard "Loveless" a few months ago. I was driving back to Indianapolis from a weekend home in Chicago. It was the middle of the night and I was the only one on the road. I was blasting music to keep me awake while the beams of light passed overhead at a constant pulse. It was just me in that moment. Usually, I reserve these times to blast LCD Soundsystem or Majical Cloudz. But here I was, listening to the crescendo of drums during the chorus of the song Matt Lowell had spent 4 years perfecting. The band got incredibly excited by that scene. That moment is what they want.
Their main set consisted a preview of songs from their upcoming album. They also played an intimate show at the Toyota Music Den.
(08/20/17 4:04pm)
Originating from Toronto, the punk rock band PUP emerged under the name Topanga. And yes, that is a reference to Danielle Fishel’s character on Boy Meets World. WIUX was able to sit down with Stefan and Steve in a grassy area in the media village. There was a lot going on during the start of the interview, with Whitney walking past and artists playing on the Grant Park and Lakeshore stages behind us.
Their performance on the Tito’s Stage was incredible. Fans were popping up all over the place, moshing and crowd surfing. It was amusing to see security guards grab the crowd surfers by their feet and pluck them out one by one. Of the dozen our so I saw being picked off, one was able to escape by dropping into the sea of bodies.
Singer Stefan Babcock discusses his reasoning for the naming of the band’s last record “The Dream is Over”, words the doctor said to him after losing his voice.
(08/18/17 8:25pm)
With Temples playing in the background on the Grant Park stage, HONNE opened our eyes. They discuss how they continued to write songs even while 6,000 miles apart. The band has over 1.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify with over 30 million plays on "Someone That Loves You". They have upbeat, electric funk songs that make you 1) wiggle that booty or 2) cuddle with your boo.
Forming in 2014 after meeting at their university, Andy and James started making music together. Their song "Warm on a Cold Night" blew up after it's release in September 2014, which gave the duo momentum for their first album (rightfully called "Warm on a Cold Night"). The song later was made to feature Aminé, which came about through a Twitter DM.
We were able to catch them after their energetic set on the Tito's stage Thursday morning. They performed again later that day in an intimate show at the Toyota Music Den. Listen below to see how the band overcomes perfectionism, and how crowds in America differ from other areas of the world.
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/338427177" params="color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /]
(08/13/17 10:30pm)
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/337738254" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /]
On Saturday August 5th, one year after dropping their debut, self titled album, the UK band Blossoms played on one of the headlining stages of Lollapalooza on a blazing afternoon. The band from Stockport consists of five members, [NAMES], They have been nominated for the 2017 Mercury Prize, going against Alt-j’s relaxer, Ed Sheeran’s divide, and the XX’s I See You. They have achieved great success for only being around for a few years. They guys were authentic, and incredibly talkative group. You can tell that they mesh together not only as a band but as friends, which adds to their already organic energy.
WIUX was able to sit down with them in an abandoned tent in the media village. In the background, Glass Animals is playing their set on the Grant Park Stage. There were only four chairs in the tent, so Charlie Salt had to stand, and I had to squat in the center of a circle I directed them to make.
(08/03/17 5:01pm)
There are many great bands are playing at the 26th year of Lollapalooza, but these are some artists I'm personally excited to see.
Whenever I think of The Drums, I am automatically brought to high school summers, walking through forest preserves and blasting "Days". Their albums scream summer vibes and are perfect for the first and blazing day of Lollapalooza.
HONNE is a band I discovered while walking through The Arboretum in the middle of a warm spring night; "Warm on a Cold Night" and its low drones throughout the song was a nice, calming way to finish a long night of studying.
Lo Moon has only released two songs, but I couldn't stop listening to them at the beginning of the summer. The way "Loveless" builds into a crescendo of emotion kept me from switching to the next song.
"Trojans" by Atlas Genius will always hold a special place in my heart. It was one of the first songs I ever played on my first radio show in high school, and have continued to play them ever since.
These are just short personal snippets of why I'm eager to see them perform.
Listen to the playlist below to see other artist we'll definitely be seeing during our time here at Lollapalooza.
(08/05/16 8:02pm)
In 2002, a group of teenagers came together form Wimslow High School to start a band. After staying together for 14 years under numerous names, the band released their most recent album. The album continues the dark themes of sex, love, and broken hearts that goes through the genius mind of Matty Healy. Healy lays his emotions from these themes on stage for all to see, making The 1975’s stage presence like no other. While the crowd cheers, screams, and sings along to “Change of Heart”, all you can see on stage is the pain and hurt in Healy’s eyes.
WIUX was able to interview George Daniel who broke his shoulder on May 4th of this past year. Daniel had to take a break from the band’s tour while a fill-in covered the rest of the shows. We were able to interview him before his first on-stage performance with the band.
[embed]https://soundcloud.com/wiux-radio-dramas/wiux-talks-to-george-from-the-1975[/embed]
(08/03/16 5:36pm)
After a few cocktails, a couple of get-to-know-you exercises, some high fives, and a quick song that they sing to each other, the members of Wild Child are ready to go on stage. Since the formation of the band in 2010, this indie pop band has released three albums and they are currently working on their fourth. Alexander Beggins told WIUX that this fourth album will be released throughout the year with around one track per month. This year was the first time they played at Lollapalooza at Grant Park, and we were able to talk to them about their experience. Wild Child will be playing at The Bishop in Bloomington on September 15th.
[embed]https://soundcloud.com/wiuxdjc/wiux-wild-child-interview-lollapalooza-2016[/embed]
(07/27/16 7:38pm)
As per usual, Lollapalooza tickets sold out faster than you could say “I want a Lollapalooza pass." This year, Friday and Saturday one-day passes sold out in minutes while the other two days took longer to sell their tickets. It’s not surprising since Friday and Saturday have fantastic acts such as: Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, M83, Saint Motel, Miike Snow, The Front Bottoms, St. Lucia, The Strumbellas, and Foals. However, I’m more excited for Sunday.
Sunday has one act that I’ve been dying to see since 2012. LCD Soundsystem. I thought I was too late when I first discovered the band. I was downtown, spending the night on my brother’s Ikea couch, listening to the creaking of the old apartment compliment the music in the background. My brother pulled out a documentary that he had just bought about a band that I had heard for the first time earlier that day. The repetitive piano intro from “All My Friends” stayed in my head from the moment I first heard the song to when my brother delicately placed the documentary, Shut Up and Play The Hits, into his DVD player. Little did I know that the documentary was about the band’s final show in Madison Square Garden on April 2nd, 2011. I sat there and watched the emotions pour out of the members as they performed for the final time. I saw James Murphy listen to his voicemails while lying in bed with his white sheets wearing his white button down shirt from last night and couldn’t help but think of the white as a symbol for a fresh start. I fell in love. I saw the reality and the passion through that documentary. They were done, and I couldn’t do anything to change it.
Between the time of my discovery of the band and the start of 2016, I listened Sound of Silver and This is Happening and grew to love the band even more. The escalation from the single piano riff to the repetition of the question “Where are your friends tonight” in “All My Friends” helped me through a string of deaths in my life. I listened to “New York I Love You, But You’re Bringing Me Down” every time I flew in or out of the Big Apple, not because the title fit the destination, but because it condensed the city down into the people. It highlights the fidelity between the inhabitants and the city while demonstrating the ill-mannered stereotypical New Yorker. “Dance Yrself Clean” is my go to song if I want blast music in my car. It’s so easy to let go with the huge explosion of sound and emotion around three minutes in. Every song by LCD Soundsystem had emotion and passion. It was obvious just by listening that James Murphy loved every word he sang, every note he played, and every moment he spent with LCD Soundsystem.
When I was home in the suburbs of Chicago for Christmas, my friend sent me LCD Soundsystem’s Christmas song. On January 5th, 2016, I decided to go to the band’s website only to see the post that announced a new LCD Soundsystem album. I couldn’t believe it. A band I thought had become extinct, who had been so incredibly influential throughout my life events was back and was not only going on tour, but releasing a completely new album.
Later that year, they were announced to be the headliner of multiple music festivals, including Lollapalooza, and I knew I had to go. Based on their past performances at other festivals this year, I will not be disappointed. They will stick to their old music for now, not giving any hints on their new album. If you would like to find me, I will be dancing to “All My Friends” in front of the Samsung stage, listening to the final act on the final day and fulfilling a wish I thought was long gone.