Arts & Entertainment
Pitchfork Music Festival Spotlights 5 Chicago Recording Artists Among the Dozens of Bands
Akenya performs. (Erik Kommer)
Pitchfork Music Festival returns Friday for its annual three-day weekend. Since 2006, the homegrown fest has built a brand as Chicago’s eclectic summer sampler of alternative rock, pop, hip-hop and stimulating sound.
Music-makers with millions of fans lead the way. Alanis Morissette, Brittany Howard, Black Pumas and Carly Rae Jepsen are among the top draws in a bill loaded with significant acts like De La Soul, Bratmobile and Grandmaster Flash.
Discovering new bands across three outdoor stages is always a trippy treasure hunt at Pitchfork. Discovering new local bands delivers a dose of provincial pride.
Here are five Chicago performers among the more than 40 bands playing in Union Park this weekend.
Kara Jackson
Kara Jackson writes songs that conjure Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone and Tracy Chapman. Jackson sings poetic folk music and moody art songs in a distinctively dusky yet flexible voice. Her tailored words ring with honesty and suggest a wisdom beyond her years. It’s fitting that this graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School was named National Youth Poet Laureate in 2019 at age 19. “Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?” is a lament for a friend who died young; in Jackson’s hands, it’s a moving statement that’s never maudlin. The song “pawnshop” is a fine introduction to Jackson’s lyricism and imagery.
Jackson performs at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.
Akenya
Akenya composes music that invokes soul, jazz, hip-hop, pop or classical — sometimes all within the same song. Her versatile vocals guide tunes that unfold in unpredictable ways. Akenya contributed backing vocals to Mavis Staples’ 2017 album “If All I Was Was Black,” produced by Jeff Tweedy, and she has also performed and recorded with Noname and Chance the Rapper. A Chicago native, Akenya graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music and has composed music for string ensembles, including “Fear the Lamb,” a tribute to Emmett Till. Her most popular song to date is “Decay.”
Akenya performs at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Lifeguard
The new kids on the block, Lifeguard play like old school noise-punks. Their deadpan vocals and abrasive drum/guitar arrangements might bring to mind Public Image Ltd, Gang of Four or Sonic Youth. Lifeguard songs are noisy and catchy. The three lads in Lifeguard are still teenagers, they look like it, and they don’t care. Signed to the prestigious independent Matador Records last year, they’ve released just a pair of EPs. They play an after-show Sunday at the Empty Bottle, where in a few years they’ll be old enough to order adult beverages. A recent song is “17-18 Lovesong.”
Lifeguard plays at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Angry Blackmen
Angry Blackmen are that and a whole lot more. Rappers Brian Warren and Quentin Branch spout apocalyptic poetry and dabble in glitchy electronics. Their beats can bang on your eardrums or break down into minimalism. The latest recording by Angry Blackmen (ABM) is “The Legend of ABM,” an 11-track coming-of-age narrative about navigating 21st century America as a man who is Black, gifted and righteously roused. The record kicks off with a statement of purpose that namechecks a moviemaking muse, Stanley Kubrick.
Angry Blackmen hit the stage at 1:45 p.m. Friday.
Black Duck
Listen to the hypnotic soundscapes of Black Duck and find out if they smooth or ruffle your feathers. The trio are established artists from Chicago’s Thrill Jockey label and include veteran guitarist/bassist Doug McCombs of Tortoise and Eleventh Dream Day. Expect expressive improvisation as the players listen to each other and intuitively respond, fluently speaking the same language. Pieces move from breezy to stormy and explore musical motifs that emerge and disappear. Black Duck is proof that Chicago improv is not limited to comedy.
The band’s music video for “Second Guess” features a random tour of Chicago neighborhoods. It’s also ideal music for driving around town.
Black Duck is the first band of the day Friday, playing at 1 p.m.
