For the uninitiated, Pitchfork.com is one of the most prominent taste-makers in indie music. Every year, the site puts on a festival featuring some of the biggest names in alternative music — and some not–so–big. Because Pitchfork believes in the little guy. And thinks you should listen to them. We do too.
1. New music: Between all the bands you probably haven’t heard of and the ones with really funny names, the Pitchfork lineup may seem intimidating. No one wants to be that loser at the Unknown Mortal Orchestra set that doesn’t know all the words. Do not fear: we have tasted the fruits of Pitchfork, and they are sweet. And in season. And local. Here are the new (to us) musicians we’re most excited to catch live: King Krule, Purity Ring, Schoolboy Q, and of course, Grimes.
2. Old music: Remember when you were in the 10th grade and “A Punk” spoke to your wee, teen soul? Now you can relive those glory days by watching Vampire Weekend play the last set of the festival on Sunday. Before that, come to the Feist show to catch her obligatory rendition of “1234” – and stay because the stuff off her new album, Metals, is really good. Bonus points if you and your friends come dress in matching American Apparel. Let’s party like it’s 2007. If that’s too current for you, don’t worry: Olivia Tremor Control, members of the influential 90s collective Elephant 6 (along with Neutral Milk Hotel), will be playing some older tunes Friday.
3. The food: Pitchfork is going to have a ton of food and drink vendors throughout the festival, with everything from Indonesian cuisine to southern home cookin’. We even hear there will be a guy selling churros. While we definitely plan to peruse all these things in between sets, but we can’t leave Chi–city without sampling their great hot dogs and deep-dish pizza. And we plan to eat both. Preferably together.
4. The afterparties: It’s 11 at night, you’ve just finished enjoying 10 hours of live music, you’re tired, sunburnt and your feet hurt. It can only mean one thing: time to hit the afterparties. They’re seriously cool for a few reasons (awesome club venues, intimate live performances from festival bands), but mostly, you have a statistically higher chance of rubbing elbows with some of your favorite musical entities. lf you’re looking for us, we’ll be hitting on Sleigh Bells at the bar.
5. The fandom: When you strip away the corporate sponsorships, the food stands, the sight-seeing, Pitchfork is just a big, three–day playground for indie music fans. Take advantage. Play in the sandbox, and don’t be afraid if you have sand in your shorts all weekend. Trust us, you won’t be making a fool of yourself — and if you are, well, this is the time to do it. Use this weekend to shake the hands of as many of your heroes as you can. We’re bringing our autograph books – we’ll see who gets the most signatures.
