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SHAED Wrapped Chicago Around Their Finger with Their Infectiously Energetic Set
Although we’re smack dab in the middle of summer, there’s been no shortage of SHAED the past few months. Playing Mamby at the end of June before returning to support Sir Sly for their show at The Bottom Lounge, the DC trio composed of Chelsea Lee, and twin brothers Spencer and Max Ernst have already performed in Chicago twice this month. Fortunately, the band and the crowd don’t seem to mind, as lead vocalist Chelsea Lee exclaimed “I fucking love this city,” near the end of SHAED’s set on Wednesday night. Cheers and applause greeted Lee’s expression of appreciation for the midwestern city and the audience alike.
That same infectious energy and mutual love clung to band’s roughly 40 minute performance, which has become polished and perfected by touring with the likes of Bishop Briggs and Marian Hill. As the three performed in harmony, Lee’s powerful and smooth vocals rang out into the concert hall, a good portion of the crowd echoing the words back. The Ernst brothers and Lee also grooved to their own music, exuding a feeling of comfort not only between each other, but as performers. A particularly stand-out moment of the night occurred when SHAED played their latest single “Too Much.” During the song, Lee took a break from singing to go dance next to each of the brothers, and the crowd moved in unison to the funky beat, which is perfect for a summer night.
Unreleased material made up a good chunk of the set, as the trio is still working on their debut album, but that didn’t stop the crowd from knowing some of the words or getting into the songs with their bodies. At one point, the crowd started clapping along to the beat, and Lee’s face lit up with a mix of surprise and gratitude at the action of positive feedback from the audience. The band’s nifty lighting rig also added another layer to the live show, keeping the crowd engaged with that facet of the production, but ultimately what had the crowd wrapped around SHAED’s finger was the seamless blend of Lee’s vocals and the production work of the Ernst brothers. It’s early on in their career, but it’s clear that SHAED has found their groove and it will only grow stronger as this tour goes on.
SHAED at The Bottom Lounge 7.19.17
Stay tuned for our interview with the DC based trio, but for now make sure you catch them on tour with Sir Sly. You can see all of the tour dates on SHAED's Facebook page, and listen to "Too Much" below to get ready!
Sir Sly Return With a Raw Performance at Bottom Lounge
“We’ll play at least one more old one. But that’s actually all we’re going to play. I don’t know why I said at least... I’m using my words terribly right now,” Sir Sly’s frontman Landon Jacobs rambled onstage at The Bottom Lounge, right before the trio performed the viral single “Gold” from their first album You Haunt Me. Up until this moment, Jacobs had been using his words beautifully.
Rewinding the clock back to about an hour prior, the lights in the Chicago venue had dimmed and the three members of Sir Sly appeared onstage to ominous intro music, which gradually faded into “Astronaut,” a tune from their highly anticipated sophomore album Don’t You Worry, Honey. Painstakingly honest at times, the album offers an unfiltered and raw glimpse into some of Jacobs’ personal tribulations over the past few years. As you absorb the lyrics and listen to the struggles that are threaded throughout each melody, you’ll find yourself filling with empathy over Jacobs' descriptions of a young marriage falling apart and the pain of losing a parent to cancer. As the words seep in, you suddenly understand why this second album has been such a long time coming.
Before the LA-based trio performed “Altar” from the aforementioned album, Jacobs declared “this is easily the angriest I’ve been while writing lyrics,” and the live performance only amplified the bite behind the song’s chorus, where Jacobs sings “You do what you want/ Sleep with who you want /I can't stop you/ Even if I try, the whole time, you will lie.” The remainder of the set weaved in and out of newer and “old” tracks, which Jacobs points out sounds ridiculous to call any of their music “the old stuff,” as the Chicago tour date fell on the eve of his 27th birthday. Although he may be young, when the band performed “Change” about halfway through the set, it’s evident that Jacobs has gained wisdom beyond his years after experiencing some of his recent hardships. The live version of the song features an auto-tuned spoken word bridge by Jacobs. “I get to improvise that part each night, but the central theme remains the same,” he said, adding that he won’t change who he is for anyone else. And of course, he made the obligatory positive comments about deep dish pizza that touring bands usually mention onstage during the improvised part, which kept it lighthearted.
Continuing on the lighthearted path, Jacobs told the crowd to “smoke em if you got em” before he and his bandmates Jason Suwito and Hayden Coplen played the debut single “High” from Don’t You Worry, Honey. The Chicago crowd had been moving the entire time, but the anthemic single got them jumping higher and thrashing around more than any song prior. The high energy continued throughout the next new track, “&Run,” which also featured an extended jam that you’ll only hear during one of the band’s live performances. During this jam, it was clear that Jacobs, Suwito, and Coplen have matured and grown as both friends and musicians during their years of making music together.
Contrasting the infectiously high energy of the last three songs, the crowd went quiet as Jacobs took a step back to introduce the emotional song “Oh Mama.” Jacobs vulnerably described the heartfelt track as an ode to his mom, which alludes to childhood memories, like singing 80s songs with her. The song is also Jacobs tribute to his mother, who recently passed away from brain cancer. For the unknowing in the crowd, suddenly the meaning behind the band’s backdrop of a giant, light up brain clicked. “She gave me a love of language and taught me how to use my words clearly,” Jacobs said during his song dedication to his mom. As he fondly recalled more memories of his mom, the crowd hung to every word. As Jacobs sings the final line “But oh, mama, one day I'm gonna sing, I'm gonna sing with you again,” his eyes cast upwards to the ceiling, as a final tribute to his mom for the evening.
At this point, Sir Sly’s set has come full circle, to Jacobs' introduction of “Gold,” but once the song came to an end, Jacobs made up for his “at least” blunder. The band performed “High” for a second time that night, closing the night on a high note (pun totally intended). The trio look genuinely humbled and gratified as the crowd let out bellowing cheers, but the praise was much deserved after the precision and passion that had been poured into Sir Sly’s performance. Easily one of the best performances I've seen all year, Sir Sly's set was an emotional rollercoaster, laced with dynamic arrangements and layers that make their show a must-see.
Photos: Sir Sly at Bottom Lounge on 7/19/2017
To experience this electrifying show yourself, head to Sir Sly’s website to snag tickets to the remaining dates of the tour, and listen to Don’t You Worry, Honey below.
PHOTOS: ACLU Benefit Show with Post Animal and Friends
It's been just over a week since Post Animal, The Evening Attraction, Jude Shuma, Condor and Jaybird, and Lucille Furs played a benefit show to a packed SubT, raising over $4000 for The ACLU. If you missed out on the fun and good cause, read about the show here.
Post Animal is back on the road for the rest of the month. Their upcoming tour dates can be found here.
Pitchfork Festival Photo Gallery
Already got the post-Pitchfork blues? Relive all the fun with our photo gallery of the incredible weekend, and check out our daily highlights featuring some standout moments during the performances.
Friday featured Priests, Hiss Golden Messenger, Vince Staples, Frankie Cosmos, Danny Brown, Dirty Projectors, and LCD Soundsystem.
Sunday featured NE-HI, Kilo Kish, poetry reading by the book fort, Isaiah Rashad, Joey Purp, Hamilton Leithauser, Pinegrove, Jamila Woods, and portraits with Vic Mensa and Taylor Bennett.
Pitchfork Fest Day 3 Highlights
Another year at Union Park has come and gone, with many standout moments in between Friday afternoon and Sunday night. By the time Sunday rolled around, the crowd at Pitchfork had definitely dwindled down (three days of nonstop music can really get to you), but the performances were still topnotch. If you missed the festival and didn't opt to have Pitchfork couch party with the live streams, here's what you missed at the final day of Pitchfork!
Kilo Kish Got Theatrical
The LA based multi-talented Kilo Kish opened up the festival on Sunday, getting a little theatrical on The Green Stage. As Kish took the stage, it almost felt more like a Broadway musical was about to begin, rather than a festival performance. Kish's work as a visual artist definitely bled through into her performance as a musician. The multi-faceted and dynamic performance also featured dancing from Kish and she remained emotive while singing, which made for a perfectly well-rounded start to Sunday at Pitchfork.
One of the many expressive faces made by Kilo Kish
Danny Pudi Watched NE-HI
Chicago's own NE-HI had quite the draw at The Green Stage despite their early slot at 2:30PM on the last day of the festival. Among the thrones of locals coming out to support their own, actor and comedian Danny Pudi, who is best known for his role on Community, was spotted watching NE-HI's set. Regardless of their audience, NE-HI gave the same energetic performance they always do, with guitarist Michael Wells doing his signature high jumps and lead singer and guitarist Jason Balla throwing himself around the stage as he strummed his guitar. If you missed NE-HI at Pitchfork, catch them in the fall with fellow Chicagoans Whitney.
Jason Balla of NE-HI
Vic Mensa and Towkio Crashed Joey Purp's Set
Things got rowdy by 4PM on Sunday when Joey Purp took the stage with the support of his DJ Knox Fortune, Peter CottonTale of The Social Experiment, and a whole lot of bass. The crowd at The Blue Stage immediately went wild, reciting the Chicago based rapper's words back to him. During Purp's set, fellow Chicago rappers Vic Mensa and Towkio made a surprise appearance. Purp's set highlighted the collaborative nature of the Chicago music scene.
Joey Purp rapping to a packed crowd
Pinegrove Practically Hosted a Singalong
Some music festivals draw people in for the fashion or the non-music activities, but at Pitchfork most of the folks are there simply to enjoy their favorite bands. While devoted music fans staked out to see their favorite artists all weekend, none seemed more dedicated than those that watched the New Jersey natives of Pinegrove perform on Sunday evening. From the instant that lead singer Evan Stephens Hall sang the first note, the audience became a backing choir, loudly singing along to every word in songs like "Old Friends" and "Then Again." Hall fed the energy right back the enthusiastic crowd, giving a passionate performance.
Evan Stephens Hall mirroring the energy of the crowd
Jamila Woods Got Moved To The Main Stage
Another Chicago artist at Pitchfork this year, Jamila Woods got a much deserved stage bump on Sunday evening when her set got moved from The Blue Stage to The Green Stage. Unfortunately, The Avalanches had to cancel at the last minute due to a family emergency, so the poet and singer songwriter filled in for their slot on the main stage. Many fans had camped out all day to see Solange, and they got treated to an elegant and well-rounded performance featuring Wood's silky vocals and her boisterous backup singers. The Chicago music scene is alive and well thanks to talented songwriters like Woods, and we can't wait to see what else 2017 has in store for her.
Jamila Woods singing in the sunshine
Pitchfork Fest Day 2 Highlights
After and eventful first day at Pitchfork 2017, we returned to Union Park for another full day of music. During the second day, we managed to watch more than ten bands, but here are the moments that stood out as the top five highlights!
Jeff Rosenstock Became Obsessed Over The Wave
Brooklyn based punk rocker Jeff Rosenstock had the crowd at The Red Stage getting rowdy before the clock struck 2PM on Saturday. From the get go, Rosenstock expressed his elation about his band being invited to play at Pitchfork, even joking at one point that the person who invited his band to play must have gotten fired. Early on in his set, Rosenstock requested that the huge crowd did the wave, shortly after asking, "What if we do a converging wave, and when it gets to the center, everyone just does spirit fingers?" (The crowd happily obliged again). Rosenstock kept the crowd hooked for the remainder of his set with his humorous stage presence and lighthearted songs that had the crowd screaming back the lyrics. If you didn't roll out of bed on time to see him yesterday, catch him tonight at The Beat Kitchen!
Jeff Rosenstock rocking The Red Stage
Cherry Glazerr Crawled On Stage
Los Angeles based rock band Cherry Glazzer played a very sold out show at Schubas Tavern on Friday in advance of their Pitchfork Fest performance, and as one of the buzziest bands around at the moment, it's no surprise The Blue Stage viewing area filled up quickly for their 2:45PM show. Known for her outlandish stage presence, lead singer Clementine Creevy entered the stage by crawling to her mic stand. As the performance continued, Creevy continued her boisterous antics, making faces at the crowd and working the entire stage. Definitely one of the most entertaining sets at Pitchfork so far, Cherry Glazerr is a band you don't want to miss live.
Clementine Creevy crawling onstage
Mitski Was So Grateful She Almost Cried
"I can't thank you enough," Mitski told the crowd early on during her afternoon set, which followed Cherry Glazerr's show at The Blue Stage. Although she's quite the contrast to the over-the-top Cherry Glazerr set, Mitski drew in a massive crowd with her mellow narratives, which provided a nice break from the fast-paced day. Mitski first mesmerized the crowd with her soft, ethereal vocals, but quickly showed off her chops when the pace gradually picked up and she held out a roaring note towards the end of her set. Mitski reiterated her appreciation of the crowd saying, "This has been my dream since I was a little girl," her voice wavering with her thanks. If you missed Mitski's compelling set, she'll be back in October with The Pixies.
Mitski singing her heartfelt songs
Francis Climbed a Tree
Francis Farewell Starlite, the man behind Francis and the Lights, has collaborated with everyone from Bon Iver, Kanye West, and Chance the Rapper, recently remixing his song "May I Have This Dance" with the latter. That new collaboration coupled with Chance's tendency to show up announced at Chicago festivals had the crowd buzzing with rumors about a Chancis (Francis + Chance) performance. Although Chance never did end up joining Francis during his set, Francis kept the crowd glued to him the entire time, darting around from one end of the empty stage to the next as he sang over his tracks like "See Her Out (Thats Just Life)" and "I Want You To Shake" from his debut album Farewell, Starlite! Towards the end of his set, Francis took the energy up a notch, climbing a rig on the side of the stage and eventually making his way over to a tree next to the stage to climb that. Francis's Pitchfork performance reinforced his captivating stage presence as a musician and as an entertainer.
Francis and the trees
A Tribe Called Quest Brought On Nostalgia
Although it's been a while since they've toured and the iconic 80's hip hop group lost one of their founding members Phife Dawg last year, when A Tribe Called Quest hit the stage at 8:30PM Saturday, the energy at Union Park reached an all time high. Festival goers of all ages could be spotted screaming the lyrics back to the stage, which was lit up by the constantly-changing graphics and videos designed for this farewell tour by A Tribe Called Quest. The remaining members of the tribe also paid tribute to Phife Dawg, leaving an empty mic stand on stage in his memory. The nostalgic performance wrapped up about two minutes before the noise curfew of the festival and left the crowd wandering out of the park in awe of the historic performance.
A Tribe Called Quest making their Chicago comeback
Day 2 also included incredible performances from Vagabon, PJ Harvey, Angel Olsen, and more. Stay tuned for a photo gallery of the whole weekend, featuring photos of performances across the entire weekend, and follow along on our socials for real time updates of the third and final day of Pitchfork!
Pitchfork Fest Day 1 Highlights
Pitchfork Festival returned to its rightful place in Union Park yesterday on Friday, July 14th, and so begins one of the best festivals of the summer. Each year, Pitchfork Festival curators do an excellent job of placing some of the best up and coming acts on the Red, Green, and Blue stages at the three day event, but this year they also wrangled in massive headliners LCD Soundsystem, Solange, and A Tribe Called Quest. This year's line up also feels more diverse and wide-reaching with genre, drawing in a large crowd early on Friday afternoon. If you weren't among the masses last night, here's what you missed at P4K Day 1.
Priests Put On A Bright and Bold Performance
Prior to the festival, we compiled seven of our most anticipated acts, and of course it included Washington DC punk band Priests. Although they got stuck with the second performance of the festival at 1:45PM on Friday, a surprisingly large number of festival attendees managed to get out of work and to The Green Stage just in time. Lead singer Katie Alice Greer had the crowd instantly wrapped around her finger with her roaring vocals and magnetic stage presence. In addition to singing back the words of popular Priests songs like "JJ" and "Appropriate," the crowd also went wild when drummer Daniele Daniele multitasked on the drums and vocals during one of the songs. If you missed their wild and captivating performance yesterday, catch them tonight at Schubas! Tickets will still be available at the door, and show starts at 8:45 with Espejos.
Frontwoman Katie Alice Greer in her bright and bold Pitchfork getup
Phil Cook Rocked The Harmonica with Hiss Golden Messenger
Based in Durham, North Carolina, Hiss Golden Messenger is the brainchild of M.C Taylor, but on his records and live performances, you never know who will show up to lend a hand. In fact, on the Facebook page for Hiss Golden Messenger, under band members it just says "M.C Taylor + pals," and on Friday afternoon, Taylor's definitely brought his pals out to play. The collaborative set of folk and alt-country music featured the likes of Ryan Gustafson on guitar, Scott Hirsch on bass, and Phil Cook on the keys. Cook brought some character into the afternoon set, multitasking on the harmonica and keys at one point, which had the crowd going wild.
Frontman M.C Taylor
Vince Staples Promoted #WearOrange
This year, Pitchfork Festival has partnered up with organizations Everytown for Gun Safety and Mothers Against Senseless Killings to promote the campaign Wear Orange, to raise awareness of the senseless gun violence that plagues Chicago. Vince Staples took the stage at 4PM Friday and performed his entire set in front of an orange backdrop with orange stage lights, lending a hand to the campaign. In addition to his powerful backdrop, Staples had the crowd screaming back his lyrics and moving nonstop during his rowdy performance.
Vince Staples rapping to a packed crowd
Frankie Cosmos Overflowed The Blue Stage
Another act on our list of can't miss performances this weekend, Frankie Cosmos and her band completely overpacked the area in front of The Blue Stage for their 5:15 PM show. As the smallest stage at the festival, The Blue Stage often gets crowded, but folks showed up early to soak in Frankie Cosmos' indie pop narratives, and the band gave it their all during each song. Keyboardist Lauren Martin danced while playing the keys and Frankie Cosmos (Greta Kline) enthusiastically played guitar, at one point dropping to the stage floor to ground all her energy into playing. If you missed their mesmerizing set, catch the band at SPACE in Evanston on September 30th!
Great Kline, AKA Frankie Cosmos playing her heart out
LCD Soundsystem Made It Smell Like Middle-Aged Sprit
Hands down the best set of the day, the seasoned musicians of LCD Soundsystem had the crowd grooving the whole time. Although they've been around for a while, the band still gave an incredibly enthusiastic performance, completely entrancing the audience. Lead singer James Murphy acknowledged their veteran status early on in the set joking "it smells like middle-aged spirit up here." In addition to the high-quality tunes, LCD Soundsystem's performance also featured topnotch production, with trippy effects added to their video projections on the big screen and of course--their trademark disco ball.
The LCD Disco Ball in Full Effect
That's all for Day 1, but don't forget to follow along on our social media for some real time updates, and check back for day 2 highlights, as well as a photo gallery of the whole weekend!
