5 New Bands at Pitchfork

Chicago – Saturday, Saturday, Saturday! Are you singing a little Elton? I was during day two of Pitchfork Festival. Right from the start, I was feeling it, thanks to one of my favorite local bands- but there were plenty of other new artists who kept Saturday rocking well into the evening.

Chicago boys Twin Peaks started off the day with a ruckus, and everyone was woken with a jolt from this up-and-coming garage-rock band. The dudes of Twin Peaks – Connor Brodner, Jack Dolan, Clay Frankel, and Cadien Lake James – were full of energy and beyond excited to play Pitchfork, rocking “Flavor” and “Fade Away,” both off their soon to be released album Wild Onion. Loyal fans sang along and jumped around as girls screamed. Throughout the entire set, kids bodysurfed, riding a sea of hands, but Jack and Clay were just as crazy, thrashing around and jumping on speakers. At one point Clay smashed his guitar, threw the pieces into the crowd and exclaimed, “I won’t get sued will I? ‘Cuz I don’t have any money!” Cadien still shredded despite a broken leg. He glided around in his wheelchair, and at the end of the set he wiggled out of it, hobbling around the front of the stage, one leg in a cast.

Thomas Arsenault – aka Mas Ysa – took to the Blue Stage after a disappointing set from Empress Of. Although he seemed a little nervous, the Canadian eventually fell deep into his music. Mas Ysa put the crowd under a spell with his avant-garde synth-pop, as he danced around barefoot. Enchanted fans whispered their admiration to each other: “He’s so amazing!” “Unbelievable!” Arsenault also earned a few laughs from the audience when he joked, “I’m actually a Pitchfork intern. They let me do my karaoke sometimes.”

A little after 4 p.m., a mass of people headed to the Red Stage to bare witness to tUnE-yArDs’ Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner’s musical genius. Some die-hard fans camped out all morning to be front and center; they could be heard singing along word for word to the band’s lyrics. Colorful backup singers danced around while Brenner played bass and Garbus drummed and fiercely belted out songs like “Gangsta” and “Bizness.” Garbus made it a point to barely speak but “pack as much music as possible into the little time we have.” Fans didn’t seem to mind one bit; they sang and danced in bliss.

Once tUnE-yArDs finished, Danny Brown took to the Green Stage. He amassed a massive and rowdy crowd, which felt like sheer insanity! A few songs in, he screeched, “Pitchfork! How you muthf****rs doing?” An adorable yet wicked giggle followed. Bass swamped the green during “Kush Coma.” People jumped around, rapping the words with Brown.

UK trip hop artist Tahliah Barnett, better known as FKA Twigs, was the last performer on the Blue Stage. Her long braids swayed around as she vogued all over the stage while she softly sang; she brought trip hop back to life. Between songs like “Hide,” fans screamed out “I love you,” to which she slyly smiled and in a raspy voice said, “I love you, too.” Mas Ysa also appeared to be in love; he attentively watched Barnett and her band from the side of the stage. Although at times it was tough to hear FKA Twigs over St. Vincent – she was performing at the other end of the park – it was still a wonderful close to my evening.

All Photos By Sarah Hess - http://www.smhimaging.com/

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Sarah Hess

At the age of six, Sarah Hess discovered True Blue by Madonna. This resulted in her spending hours in front of the bathroom mirror with a hairbrush microphone, belting out "La Isla Bonita" off key. Her love for music only intensified over the years thanks to her parents; her mother exposed Sarah to The Jackson Five and had her hustling to the Bee Gees, while her father would play her albums like 'Pet Sounds' and 'Some Girls' from start to finish, during which he'd lecture on and on about the history of rock & roll. Sarah would eventually stumble upon rap and hip-hop, then punk and alternative, and fall madly in love with Jeff Buckley and film photography.

After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.

You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.

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Tags: Pitchfork, bands, Best New Bands, Danny Brown, FKA Twigs, Mas Ysa, new bands, tUnE-yArDs, Twin Peaks