popwreckoning

Despite a great line-up of bands, Sunday was the most challenging day of the Lollapalooza festival. Mother Nature teased with some early morning rain before bringing on one of the hottest afternoons of the fest. By early evening, the rain returned with a vengeance turning the last bit of the festival into a mudfest. With our expensive camera guitar, we were less than thrilled about the rain, but it didn’t stop the thousands of other festival goers from having a blast.

We avoided the early morning rain by taking an extended breakfast at the Hard Rock Hotel and entered the festival as Noah and the Whale were wrapping their set. We found them a little dull at SXSW, but they seemed a lot livelier during their Lolla performance. The big crowd singalongs during “L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N” and “Five Years Time” made the set a lot more fun, too.

We then went to check out Canada’s City and Colour. With a new album on the way, Dallas Green and company treated us to a few new tracks, but also plenty of classics such as “Sleeping Sickness.” During one moment of the set, Dallas even asked everyone to put down the cameras, hide your phones and just enjoy the music. The vibes were just all around pleasant as the audience obliged and joined with an amazing singalong.

Next on the agenda was a classic: The Cars. These guys still can rock and I think even some of the younger folk that missed out on the Cars in their prime were surprised by how much energy these guys had. We were surprised to find ourselves saying more than once, “I didn’t realize this was a Cars song! I love it!” Looks like we need to revisit this music catalog.

From classic to completely brand new, we then went over to check out Boy & Bear. Hopefully some of the City and Colour fans made their way to this set as well because it also was full of some beautiful harmonies, acoustic guitars and sweet musicians. This charming folk music left us with a smile on our face and this is an act to keep on your radar.

We had to really switch gears for the next act. Cage the Elephant faced the threat of storm clouds opening up over their set, but they seemed to face the weather with a “bring it on, bitches” sort of attitude. The band ripped open with some of the most intense energy of any set and it wasn’t long before the singer was crowdsurfing. When it did start raining, it only seemed to intensify everyone’s desire to rock out. This set was a big improvement from Cage the Elephant’s Lolla performance a few years ago and finally helped us see what the fuss about Cage the Elephant is all about.

Because of the rain, we dashed into cover under the press tent. Arctic Monkeys delayed the start of their set, finally going on 30 minutes after their start time when the rain let up a little. It was still raining enough that we just listened to them from the safety of the press area as they quickly started delivering some of their older radio classics with a few new songs sprinkled in.

The rain stopped and we began our muddy trek to Explosions in the Sky. It was fascinating to watch the division in the crowd as half tried to carefully trod the least muddy path and the other half just embraced it and began mudsliding down hills. As for us, we weren’t thrilled to be muddy on the last day with our heavy gear and the prospect of riding the CTA back covered in dirt, so we were feeling a bit ruffled as we prepared for the next few performances. Fortunately, two things quickly made life better. #1: Lobster Corndogs. OMG. If you are ever in Chicago, you must try a lobster corndog at Grahamwich. As great as the music was, so was the festival food and these things were heaven. The best spent $8 ever. The #2 thing that made life better: Explosions in the Sky. These instrumental rockers politely apologized for beginning late (Arctic Monkeys cut into their set a bit) and began with a beautifully orchestrated dynamic piece that was the most cathartic moment of the festival. The anger at the rain quickly dispersed as their cleverly built songs continued to carry us over a range of emotions.

We were in much better spirits as we made our way through the mud toward the Music Unlimited Stage where the Foo Fighters would soon be taking the stage. The mud must have been going to people’s heads because we saw some stranger and stranger things on this walk: people making mud angels, mud fights and the worst: people using the mud as their personal bathrooms…ew. Fortunately, we had Foo Fighters to distract us from some of the less pleasant members of the audience.

The energy was electric as anticipation grew for Dave Grohl and company to take the stage. When the band finally came out, they looked almost as giddy as the audience–it is always heart-warming to see musicians that really love what they do and don’t look like they’re just here for a check. From the first guitar strum, the band dived right into non-stop hits from their record – we can’t believe how prolific they are! Crowdsurfers were going wild, the audience singing along was almost as loud as Grohl’s amplified voice. Grohl knows how to play to a crowd and quickly ran across the stage to the left, dropped a true rock star pose and played some killer riffs before running back to the right. Forget Willow Smith, Grohl knows how to whip his hair back and forth. He was as dynamic to watch as he was to listen…the whole band was that way. These guys were everything that headliners should be. The rain decided to challenge the band during their third song, but this is the Foo Fighters; rain can’t stop them. Grohl shouted some encouragement at the audience before the fourth song and cheers reverberated through Grant Park bigger than any thunder clap.

This was an epic way to close out Lollapalooza and I would have been content ending there, but there were two other performances going on: Kid Cudi and Deadmau5. We’ve seen Deadmau5 and had no doubt that people were dancing and swimming through the mud to his electronica beats, but Kid Cudi was in a tent and we’ve never seen the up-and-comer, so we made our way to Perry’s (the appeal of it being covered also factored into our decision.) This was the first time we braved the tent at this year’s festival. It had been expanded to being the size of football field and it looked like people were having a blast every time we had walked past, but it also looked a lot more intense than any other stage. I don’t know where some of these fans were getting their energy from to keep up with Perry’s non-stop dance party. In the end, we’re glad we made our way into Perry’s, not only to check out the new digs, but because Kid Cudi generally surprised us with how enjoyable his set was. Kid Cudi brought great rhythms, witty lyrics and a spectacular light show. We can see why he was selected to round out the last night of Perry’s 3-day party. He sent us off into the night, amped up for the return of Lollapalooza in 2012.

Check back to PopWreckoning.com for more Lollapalooza recaps, interviews and photo. See coverage from Friday here and Saturday here.

Saturday at Lollapalooza starts with just as much mental excitement, but unfortunately, the body is already starting to feel a bit drained from the long hours and lots of walking.

When PopWreckoning arrived from our train stop, we could hear Walk the Moon from across park, but unfortunately resigned ourselves to being unable to hobble over in time. Instead, we began with Aussie duo An Horse at the Google+ Stage. We’ve seen these guys before and we’re continually impressed by their full sound for just being a drummer and a singer with a guitar. Plus singer Kate Cooper is a force unto herself. That girl can belt.

From two to at least thirteen, the next act we caught was a big change up from An Horse. Portland’s Typhoon quickly became our favorite discovery at Lollapalooza. This ensemble had brass, strings, multiple guitarist and percussionists. They knew how to build-up a song and they knew how to have fun. Put these charming chamber folk musicians on your radar.

We really changed things up as we returned to a group with fewer members and switched out the folk sounds for electronic synthesized ones. Phantogram got us to dance over by the Sony Stage. The group sparsely uses lyrics, so the focus is all on the sounds and the beats they drop.

But we never stay in one spot too long, much like the singer of the next act we caught: Friendly Fires. Singer Ed MacFarlane is one entertaining fellow. He danced as he sang and though the stage was at least 20 feet above the audience, but he jumped down and surfed through the crowd. The rest of the band was pretty content staying out of the crowd and instead focused on delivering a tightly played set. The rhythms dropped by drummer Jack Savidge especially impressed because without those beats, none of the tropical dancing would be possible.

We had some interviews to conduct (which will be posted on PopWreckoning.com soon), so we had to miss Fitz and the Tantrums‘ Lolla set. But we did overhear their jazzy waves all the way in the press area and it sounds like they did two great covers (“Sweet Dreams” and “Steady as She Goes”) that might be worth youtubeing.

After we finished interviewing, we worked our way to the young up-and-comers DOM, and overheard a raucous party over at the tail end of the Black Lips‘ set. A lot of those Black Lips fans must have worked their way over to DOM because that stage was just as much of a party as the young group really embraced the rock and roll aesthetic of their synth indie rock.

Just across the way, another synth indie rock act was performing a very different type of music. Denver’s Chain Gang of 1974 mixes a lot of different elements into its brand of rock – from American rock to some global influences most noteworthy in the percussion and then a bit of glam dance thrown in.

From here we went to see one of the most anticipated sets of the festival: Death From Above 1979. The newly reunited duo had one of the largest daytime crowds. One donned white and the other embraced black clothes – their appearance reflected the duality of their music – the tug and war of the drums and guitar perfectly balanced out. For a group that’s been away from the stage for some time, you wouldn’t know it from their performance. They were tight and energetic and dripped with passion. From this performance, it was easy to see why DFA has influenced so many other acts to follow.

As cool as the classic acts are at Lolla, we also love checking out the newer ones. Patrick Stump then Ellie Goulding were next on our agenda. Patrick Stump is a popular Chicago son, having built a fanbase with his previous act Fall Out Boy. Now he’s gone R&B, which is well suited for his voice, but it looks like his new backing band has some kinks to work out. The band let stress show through when they were hit with a few technical difficulties. Ellie Goulding is a British singer that many first started hearing about when she performed for the Royal Wedding. We’re kind of on the fence about her. Her original pop songs are great and catchy, but she can do some atrocious covers – particularly her sloppy cover of Elton John’s “Your Song.”

Another new act we caught was the Pretty Reckless. This is the project that has taken Taylor Momsen from the acting stage and onto the music stage. It seems she likes the spotlight more here because she’s given up her role on Gossip Girl to focus on her band. The Pretty Reckless is a glam rock group, but honestly, Taylor’s outfit held our attention more so than the music. Taylor was wearing a very strappy mini-dress that didn’t leave too much too the imagination, but it also did a good job embracing the rockstar image she is working to exude. We just didn’t care for the strained vocals when she goes into a louder rock passage. The girl can sing and it is evident at times, but the attempt to reach for rock isn’t quite effortless yet.

The next band we saw didn’t even bother with singing. Beats Antique blew us away with their instrumental music and belly dancing show. Big drums, strings – this was a great introduction to global music for people who had previously only thought they were cultured after watching one single Bollywood film. The trio’s dancer kept eyes transfixed on her fusion of belly dancing, ballet and jazz. By song two, she amazed yet again by picking up a big bass drum. This is an act that should be seen live if you ever have the chance.

Lykke Li kept us dancing, but more in that ‘sway along to the pleasant music’ type of dancing. Lykke Li had this mystical air about her enhanced by her trash bag like outfit. She was good, but didn’t hook us quite as much as the amazing Beats Antique performance prior.

Just when we thought our feet would give out beneath us, we were hit by a fresh wave of energy at the thought of it being headliner time. We began with My Morning Jacket who delivered one of their best sets yet: 2 hours of solid entertainment from these indie rockers. Jim James had brought his A-game, sporting a special voice box on his chest and practically prowling about the stage. Across the park, Eminem also brought his A-game. Even if you’re like us and rap isn’t your thing, Eminem delivered an entertaining superstar set. He had passion, impeccable timing, charisma and some amazing visuals. The videos during his set were just as entertaining as he was. But one of the greatest highlights was the surprise appearance of singer/guitarist Bruno Mars. It was a fantastic surprise to hear some of the guest vocals performed live instead of listening to pre-recorded tracks.

The last band that we were most excited about was Beirut. The brass-loving French band doesn’t tour the states to often, but with a new album about to drop, this was our chance to see one of our favorite indie acts live at last. This was almost as enriching as seeing a full orchestra live – french horn, tuba, trombone and more – the songs were beautiful, haunting and a great way to send us off into the dark Chicago night.

Check back to PopWreckoning.com for more Lollapalooza recaps, interviews and photo and see coverage from Friday here.

This year, Lollapalooza promised a bigger and better event than past years. The three day festival brought back some classic artists (Big Audio Dynamite, The Cars) and introduced some great new artists (Typhoon, Reptar) to the thousands massed in Grant Park for the music festivals 20th anniversary celebration.

Now nothing says celebration like cake, so to help kick things off, the Charm City Cakes crew, aka Ace of Cakes, unveiled a very special moving treat. The fondant masterpiece had little bands, cassette tapes and the classic Lolla sign. And yes, Charm City’s cakes taste just as good as they look on TV.

The festival officially kicks off with the traditional blasting of the Star Wars theme. As the triumphant ‘dun dun dun duuun’ sounded the opening of the gates, music lovers poured through the gates and excitedly rushed to one of the many stages sporting bands.

The London indie rockers the Vaccines were playing some catchy hooks as PopWreckoning made our way out of the press area and over the nicely shaded Google+ Stage for husband and wife act, Tennis. The Denver couple was joined by a friend to help round out their charming sound. They played saccharine indie pop tunes and were like a fresh breeze to the hot air. Alaina Moore’s light and airy vocals were an especially nice compliment to the piano, as was the group’s neverending supply of smiles.

After the relaxing set from Tennis eased us into the festival, we finally felt ready to dance and worked our way to the Sony Stage. The Naked and Famous perform catchy synth pop tunes – think Passion Pit, but with a female and male singer as opposed to just a male singer who can sound like a female. The Naked and Famous have great chemistry on stage and sound even better live than they do on album.

With “Punching in a Dream” stuck in our heads, we parted Sony to return to the Google+ to experience Reptar, and what an experience they were. If you couldn’t guess from the Rugrats’ inspired name, Reptar is a little quirky…for example, one of the guys was wearing a blue, ankle-length leotard. Their music matches their fun personalities and with their drumming patterns, they sound a bit like Vampire Weekend. Tiny little bells added a great percussive layer too.

Then the amazingly talented Grace Potter and the Nocturnals pulled us to the BudLight Stage, where Potter’s soulful singing kept everyone transfixed. Two tigers adorned the band’s amps and as we watched the frontwoman move about the stage in a flapper-esque dress, we could help but think that she was like a tiger on the prowl with her own might roar.

The ever increasingly popular Foster the People played across the park on the Sony stage. One of the largest crowds of the day had gathered to hear the ubiquitous “Pumped Up Kicks,” among other tunes.

Synth pop/rock kept us busy through the next few acts. White Lies entertained on the Music Unlimited Stage, gleefully smiling at the audience gathered. Question: did someone lose a suitcase on the way to the festival? Three of the members were matching in all white, while the other members were not. Regardless of the peculiarity in fashion decision, the band’s music was the focus and what hooked us in. Fans of the Killers will instantly love this band’s music, whose vocals and synth patterns are of similar fashion.

Ireland’s Two Door Cinema Club also played synth pop/rock, but while White Lies was slower, more reflective musings, Two Door Cinema Club played amped up songs that got people in a dancing frenzy. The band quipped about the effect of playing in the Midwest sun with their fair Irish skin, but the heat didn’t seem to faze them. They were energetic as they passed guitar riffs and vocal lines back and forth amongst members.

Lollapalooza has its share of local Chicago acts and one of the most buzzed about ones was Black Cards, a project featuring former Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz. Here, Pete steps away from the bass and back behind a DJ table. Bebe Rexha sings over the tracks he spins, while Spencer Peterson drops a beat. Some slightly stripperish dancers joined on stage, but we were more intrigued by the prowling male dancer who popped some moves than the girls that were all up on the monitors. Pete doesn’t spend very much time spinning from back behind the DJ table. Cheerleader might be a better description for what he was doing – yelling “put your hands up,” crowdsurfing and throwing toilet paper at the crowd. This was definitely an interesting set to watch, but we’re not sure we’re sold on the musical aspect of it.

Speaking of musical aspect, Tinie Tempah surprised with a much more rocking set than we thought it would be. Rap/hip hop isn’t usually our thing, but with a live drummer, bassist, etc Tinie Tempah’s set delivered a lot more musicality than we ever expected. We wish we could have stayed longer, but we had to get over to our favorite Midwest indie rocker’s set.

Bright Eyes has already been impressing on this year’s festival rounds. The Omaha alternative folk rock act performed with an enthusiasm that was absent from Bright Eyes shows of the past. This refreshed take on the songs was evident from the get-go, when the group started with “Four Winds.”Additionally, frontman Conor Oberst has grown a lot more confident over the years and this really shows in his performance.

“Jar of Hearts” has been everywhere on the radio, so even though it hasn’t appealed to us on that format, we thought it might be a good idea to check out rising star Christina Perri on the BMI Stage. Perri and her backing band ended up being a pleasant surprise – their other songs are a lot catchier and more upbeat than the single “Jar of Hearts.” We were hooked on Perri’s effervescent piano playing. Now, just maybe, we might think twice before changing the dial when “Jar of Hearts” comes on the radio.

Crystal Castles didn’t want any photographs taken of them, which actually ended up being for the better. The groups loud and eccentric electronica/rock songs meant we wanted to be free to dance around. Though it had already been a long day, everyone seemed to find a wave of new energy for this set and those that couldn’t spare the effort to dance stood transfixed on the antics of the act’s bold frontwoman.
When it came time for the headliners, Coldplay and Muse, both ends of the venue spouted fireworks. As excited as we were to see Coldplay and hear the new material they had been working on, we found it a bit hard to stay interested in their set. They sounded fine and were playing lots of the hit singles – “Yellow,” “Lost,” etc – but Muse was way too enthralling from even a mile away. Their laser show was lighting up the night sky, so we  soon moved on from Coldplay back toward their direction. On the way, we stopped at Google+ for instrumental duo Ratatat. They had a bit of a wild video and light show going on in their own little area of Grant Park and we enjoyed dancing and watching their bizarre chicken videos before finishing the walk to Muse.

Muse knows how to headline. They pulled out all the stops and performed lots of singles, spanning their entire catalogue, complete with big guitar solos and lots of wild lights. This band is easily one of the best live rock groups still performing and their live show is one not to be missed. They were the perfect ending to the first night of the festival.

Check back to PopWreckoning.com for more Lollapalooza recaps, interviews and photos…

It’s Lollapalooza‘s 20th anniversary and as we’re packing our bags to spend the weekend in Chicago’s Grant Park, here are 20 things that we’re most anticipating for Lollapalooza‘s 20th:

20. Grant Park. The park is beautiful and great place to visit even without a festival going. The long stretch of land is right next to Lake Michigan and wedged next to the Chicago skyline.

19. The artwork. Every year Lolla has some amazing sculptures setting a theme for the park and they always invite talented artists to design the official posters. We can’t wait to see what decorations will be set up this year.

18. Sold out. Ok, so some people may not be excited about this, but we love that over 200,000+ people are about to electrify the atmosphere with their excitement over the fest.

17. The Green Initiative. Volunteers go around picking up trash and collecting recyclables. There’s even a section of the venue that rewards you for turning in collected trash. Even water containers have been specially ordered to reduce Lolla’s carbon footprint.

16. The volunteers. A lot of this wouldn’t be possible without them, so be sure to thank them if you see them in their t-shirts giving out instructions or cleaning up somewhere around the park.

15. Cool down centers. It’s one of the hottest summers on record, but Lolla is kind enough to set up spray hoses and air conditioned buses.

14. Chicago tourist spots. A lot of Lolla attendees are from out of town, so this is a great opportunity to check out the Bean or Shedd Aquarium for the first time…or second…or 90 millionith. Chicago tourist spots are pretty amazing.

13. Free gear. Visit some of the radio station tents for cool gear and a chance to sit in the shade. Last year we got some great Lolla bandanas and paper fans that helped protect us from the sun.

12. Food. Chicago has some great spots to eat – hello deep dish pizza, but you don’t even have to leave the fest to grab a great meal. Be sure to stop by Chowtown where they have your standard fried festival fare, but also some great healthy options.

11. Veggie-friendly. Speaking of food, vegans and vegetarians are taken care of in Chowtown. There are plenty of options for everyone. Another reason why Lolla is awesome.

10. Kidzapalooza. Lolla really does think of everyone. With Kidzapalooza, people of all ages are able to have a great time at the fest. There are games and family friendly music that is special for the kids, but still enjoyable for parents.

9. Special guests. Lots of musicians are friends, so you never know who might pop up during another person’s set. A few years ago, Slash surprised everyone. This year, we’re keeping an eye on Black Cards and Patrick Stump, former members of Fall Out Boy that are playing the fest.

8. Cover songs. Lolla artist little hurricane just released a cover song and you can bet that plenty of artists have their own goodie bags of covers. We’ll more than likely hear a few of these live.

Chicago quartet Maps & Atlases is about to make its Lollapalooza debut. The band plays Saturday at 2:15 p.m. on the Google + Stage. In lieu of their hometown festival appearance, singer Dave Davison took some time out of the band’s busy tour schedule to talk about the group’s music, festival appearance and some of his favorite spots in the Windy City.

Bethany, PopWreckoning: You guys are getting ready to play the Lollapalooza festival. For people who haven’t heard you, how would you describe your sound?
Dave Davison, Maps & Atlases: A lot of times, people describe it as sort of technical pop music or something. I think we have a big focus on songs and song structure and we go a little further out with that in using technicality in music. So, it’s as simple as you want to make it, I guess.

PW: I know you guys met in art school. How does your art background translate into your music?
Dave: I know that for me personally that because we started at a time where we’re learning so much about everything, especially art, that the band sort of served as a sort of place where we could experiment with a lot of the ideas that we had been exposed to and had been learning about. It lets us experiment with concepts that we had learned about in school and stuff. I think that developmentally that played a role like that. It’s been an extension-forming ideas into how music can evolve.

PW: Does the art background also carry over to your videos? You just released a video for “Solid Ground.” How much input did you guys have personally in that video?
Dave: Erin [Elders], our guitar player, and Chris Hainey, our drummer, they both majored in film and the video that we did for “Living Decorations,” Chris shot the video and Erin directed. So they’re the video experts. “Solid Ground,” we didn’t have as much input because Taryn Gould directed and had an interesting concept, so we let Gould direct that and that was fun. I think we definitely try to use whatever things we’ve learned, especially for video; and you know, Shiraz [Dada], the bass player, he majored in sound engineering, and recorded our first two EPs. So the stuff we learned in school, we definitely try to use as possible.

PW: Now that song, “Solid Ground” is off your first LP, Perch Patchwork, which came out a year ago. Are you guys already thinking about a new record or working on some new songs?
Dave: We try to stay consistently productive and all that. I personally try to not think too deeply about the actual release aspect of music until we get further along. We’re definitely thinking about doing something in the future and have recorded some music and played around with some ideas, but it’s hard to say when it will come out because we want to make sure that it’s something that we feel like we need and want to do as opposed to just having something new to release, so we’ll see when we have that. Hopefully something like that will just come together and be something we’re really excited to put out.

PW: Will you guys be playing anything new at Lollapalooza and your upcoming tour? What can people kind of expect from those performances?
Dave: I think Lollapalooza, we’ll be doing a lot of songs from Perch Patchwork. I think that they’re good songs where we can tour quite a bit and the songs have just naturally evolved from being played a lot, so there’s definitely some different stuff in there – our take on the songs that have evolved on Perch Patchwork, as well as some songs from previous EPs. I think the same can be said for the tour in October, but you can’t really say yet. We might play some newer songs on that tour, but we’ll see how it goes.

PW: What was your reaction when you were told that you’re playing Lollapalooza? You’re a Chicago band and you’re playing pretty much the biggest show of the year there.
Dave: We were extremely excited. Just on a really basic level, I think it’s really fun to play outside at festivals. It seems so much like the shows I went to when as a teenager and it was the times where you sort of…what it would be like for people developing. So for me it developed with that in mind. So a big festival and a big stage, anytime we have the opportunity to do that, and Lollapalooza probably being the biggest, any time we have the opportunity to play a big festival, the crowd has been is really exciting for that reason. It’s such a Chicago specific thing now and it’s really exciting to be able to go. And we’ll get to play for a lot of people that actually know us. People from the area that haven’t really been able to see us play. And I’m excited about that.

PW: Since you are from Chicago, and there are a lot of people coming in from out of town, do you have any must see, must visit Chicago spots that you’d recommend?
Dave: That’s tough. Probably all my recommendations are all restaurants. One of the advantages of not being from a place is being OK with doing touristy stuff. And Chicago has such a concentrated area of that. When I first started going to Columbia, I really loved being down in the South Loop area and going to all the museums. Definitely that stuff-the Art Institute, Shedd Aquarium. Hopefully it will be nice…the Zoo. I really like doing that kind of stuff. As far as off the beaten path recommendations, I’d have to think a bit more.

PW: What are some of your favorite restaurants?
Dave: This will be all veggie stuff. Irazu is really good in the Bucktown area: a Costa Rican restaurant. It’s one of my favorite restaurants. The Spice Thai in Logan Square is definitely worth checking out. Hm. Trying to think of places that aren’t quite so obvious…those are like the two places that I eat everyday. Downtown, it’s not super close to Lollapalooza, but you can get good veggie stuff if you go to Karyn’s. I always try to recommend that to everyone.

PW: Sounds great. Finally, what are you guys most looking forward to about Lollapalooza?
Dave: You know, I don’t even know really. I’m just excited to play. I’ve never actually been to Lollapalooza before, so I’m really looking forward to the actual performance. We’ve been gone on tour since like June 22 or something and we’ll get home that day, so it’s such a great way to be able to come. We get to come home and play this big show. It’s been a really fun summer of touring. Then we go back on tour like a week later.

For more information on Maps & Atlases Lollapalooza schedule and upcoming tour, visit myspace.com/mapsandatlases.

Fellow synth band Twin Shadow have put their own spin on The Chain Gang of 1974‘s “Undercover.”

Twin Shadow kept the track danceable, but stripped out the urgency, crafting it into a dream-pop number.

“Undercover” is from the Chain Gang of 1974′s third album, Wayward Fire, due out June 21.

You can check out both the Twin Shadow remix and the original track in the player below and hear a bonus remix of The Chain Gang of 1974′s “Hold On.”

Lollapalooza is celebrating its 20th anniversary and as promised, the recently announced delivers some pretty hefty acts. 

Eminem, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Muse, My Morning Jacket, Deadmau5 and A Perfect Circle will headline the annual event in Grant Park from August 5-7, 2011.

If you missed Death From Above 1979‘s Coachella reunion, Lolla gives fans another chance. There’s also many other classic acts such as The Cars to up and comers The Naked and Famous. You can see the rest of the announced lineup below:

Eminem, Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Muse, My Morning Jacket, Deadmau5, A Perfect Circle, Cee Lo Green, Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley & Nas, the Cars, Ween, Bright Eyes, Arctic Monkeys, Big Audio Dynamite, Deftones, Beirut, Explosions in the Sky, Death From Above 1979, Ratatat, Crystal Castles, Flogging Molly, Atmosphere, Cold War Kids, Lykke Li, Cage the Elephant, OK GO, Local Natives, The Kills, White Lies, Portugal. The Man, Two Door Cinema Club, Ellie Goulding, Delta Spirit, Beats Antique, Mountain Goats, Sleigh Bells, Manchester Orchestra, Smith Westerns, Best Coast, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, The Drums, Black Lips, Fitz & the Tantrums, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, City and Colour, Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses, Cults, Noah and the Whale, Sam Adams, J. Roddy Walston and the Business, Tinie Tempah, Lissie, Dom, The Vaccines, Foster the People, Titus Andronicus, Mayer Hawthorne and the County, Chico Trujillo, The Naked and Famous, Phantogram, Rival Schools, Friendly Fires, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Reptar, Maps & Atlases, Fences, Tennis, An Horse, Young the Giant, Los Bunkers, Imelda May, Grouplove, Wye Oak, The Joy Formidable, Lord Huron, Disappears, Walk the Moon, Gold Motel, Iration, Ryan Leslie, Tab the Band, Skylar Grey, Christina Perri, Black Cards, The Pretty Reckless, Boy and Bear, Patrick Stump, Kids These Days, Young Man, The Kingston Springs, Lia Ices, The Chain Gang of 1974, Ximena Sarinana, Typhoon, Electric Touch, Kerli, Ruby Jane, Julia Easterlin, and DJ Mel.

On Perry’s Stage:

Girl Talk, Pretty Lights, Kid Cudi, the Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77, AfroJack, Modeselektor, Skrillex, Perryetty vs. Chris Cox, Chuckie, The Glitch MOb, Busy P, Joachim Garraud, Super Mash Bros., Jay Electronica, 12th Planet, Daedulus, Feed Me, JackMaster, Collie Buddz, Savoy, Kyle Lucas and Captain Midnite, Ana Tijouxana, Midnight Conspiracy, L1ght, and Lady D.

Early Bird tickets have already sold out, but you can now buy regular priced tickets for $215 while supplies last. VIP Passes and Travel Packages are also available. A limited number of
Single Day tickets will go on sale June 7. Go here to buy tickets.

Organizers are expecting over 240,000 people.

Lollapalooza 2011 is due to announce its 20th anniversary lineup in just a few days on April 26, but before they do, they’re having a little fun.

Some of the headliners – Eminem, Foo Fighters and Muse – have been previously announced, but now Lollapalooza is giving fans a chance to guess more of the lineup through a trivia game.

The game asks new trivia questions daily and some of the questions unlock clues. For example, one of the clues given reads: “Name aside, her skies are looking very blue these days.” Lolla fan sleuths have decoded this to mean Skylar Grey would be performing this year.

The game also gives you a chance to win a flyaway, hotel and tickets for two. There will also be ticket giveaways daily until the lineup is revealed.

To play the game, go here.

The 2011 festival is August 5-7 in Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois.

Another highlight of this past year’s Lollapalooza was Jukebox the Ghost. The piano rockers are releasing a new album, Everything Under the Sun, on Sept. 7. Bethany caught up with them at Lolla and asked them a few questions about their real biography, playing Lolla and the upcoming release. The full interview is below:

Bethany, PopWreckoning: Ok, first off, I was trying to find some information about you guys online and really all I could find is a biography of President Taft. What’s up with that?
Tommy Siegel, Jukebox the Ghost: Haha. I think I have to answer this. Do you guys even know about this? I’m Tommy, by the way. I play guitar and sing sometimes. We set up the Facebook bio and instead of putting an actual bio, I put the Wikipedia entry for Howard Taft. So now when you search on Facebook for Jukebox the Ghost, it says Jukebox the Ghost – indie rock – and underneath it says, “Born in 1837″ or whatever.
PW: You guys are anti-slavery under influences. It says that as well, so that’s good.
TS: Yeah, that’s good.

PW: So what’s your real background story? How did you guys all meet?
Ben Thornewill, Jukebox the Ghost: We met in college at George Washington University in DC. I lived next door to Jesse and met Tommy Sophomore year, so we started there. I’ve lived in Philly for three years. Some of us live in New York and some of us in Philly.

PW: How does the distance thing work with the band with practicing and touring?
BT: We barely practice as it is. Touring is our practice. We would practice like two or three times a year, doing like a marathon: eight hour days for like a week and a half. We’ll keep doing that and it doesn’t really matter where we do it.

PW: Is this your first time at Lollapalooza? How does it compare to other things that you’ve done in the past like club shows?
BT: This is our first Lolla and it is (a) way better than any other festival that we’ve done, for sure. And (b), it is sort of like a perfect show. We had like people as far back as we could see. It is the biggest show we’ve ever played.

PW: And you’re doing an after show for free. How is that going to compare what people saw already at Lolla?
TS: It will be longer, there will be 1/100th the number of people, but it will be fun. We’re playing with two great bands: Skybox, whom we’ve toured with before from Chicago, and Spinto Band, whom we’re fans of but have not met.

PW: Lolla is an extreme festival compared to others. Do you guys have like a survival kit or anything that you’ve learned on how to make the most of it?
BT: Not really. They have golf carts that take you, artists and others, from place to place. That’s the greatest thing. Tommy has advice.
TS: My advice is just to act confident. Because anyone who is a security person, they might ask you a question, but they’re way less likely to if you just act like you know where you’re going. So act confident and you can get all sorts of free stuff that’s not really free here.
Jesse Kristin, Jukebox the Ghost: This is Jesse. I play the drums. My Lollapalooza 2010 tip is bring your cell phone charger with you because there are outlets everywhere. You just got to find them. I was watching the Strokes and charging my phone. It was great. They actually have electricity in this wilderness.

PW: So, the Strokes must have been a must-see for you, but were some of the other acts that you were excited for this year?
JK: Miniature Tigers. They’re one of our best band friends and they just put out a new record. It’s just phenomenal. They’re small for the festival, but we’re pushing them really hard because we love them and they’re going to be huge. We have other friends that have played and are playing. These United States, Freelance Whales, Skybox, so a lot of friends here and we’re pushing for them. The big ones are fun, but it is special to see these small bands play on these big stages.

PW: What are your plans post-festival?
BT: Post-festival we’re just driving back to the East Coast and playing some small album type stuff. The album comes out Sept 7 on Yep Roc Records. Then we’ll go on tour after that for like five weeks. So until Sept. 3, keeping it easy, practicing and maybe learning a new cover.

PW: For people who didn’t get a chance to hear the new songs here, on the upcoming album, what can they expect?
TS: They can expect a more mature version of what we had done before. It’s nothing wildly different, but it is definitely moving in a new direction. There are some prog rock elements, but there are a lot of just straight retro pop elements. We got into a very Beatles-y phase. There are a lot of songs that reflect that aesthetic. We’ve been playing a lot of these songs live though for awhile. Most of our hardcore fans will already know what’s in store.
PW: Sweet.

The best part about Lollapalooza is not seeing some headlining act that you probably couldn’t afford during a regular tour, or hanging out next to Lake Michigan, or the excuse to start drinking at 11 a.m. No, the best part is the discovery. Perhaps you heard a band name in passing, you got tired and just plopped down in front of a random stage, or (as was my case) you had a friend just rave about an act you just have to watch: at a big music festival, you’re bound to discover some sort of new band that you’ll keep listening to long after they’ve torn down the stages from Grant Park.

This year, my big discovery band was Skybox. My friend had just met the lead singer at her job in Kansas City, so I was surprised and excited to learn that a Lolla band had a connection to my hometown. Live, they were one of my favorite acts at the festival, delivering a high energy and very catchy pop rock set.

I caught up with the lead singer, Tim Ellis, to talk about how the band divides its time between Chicago and KC, their music, Lollapalooza and more. The full interview is below their video for “In a Dream.” They’re touring this fall and for my fellow Kansas Citians, they’ll be at the Riot Room on September 14. Be sure to check them out.

Bethany, PopWreckoning: How does the split KC/Chicago-base thing work with like practicing and writing?
Tim Ellis, Skybox: Well, I’m actually out here a lot. I’ll come out here like a week before we play to get really rehearsed. Like I’ve been out here [before Lollapalooza] since Tuesday. We rehearsed, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and play today [Saturday]. Before tour, I’ll come out at about the same time, a week or so before, then we’ll tour. After the tour, if we’re writing, I’ll come out here for writing purposes.

PW: Are you from Kansas City originally then?
TE: Yeah.
PW: So that’s why you decided to live there and the rest of the band stayed in Chicago.
TE: Yeah. And we [my wife and I] just moved to KC recently, so we’re getting back to the city recently. We just moved downtown in February.
PW: It’s a good city. A little more affordable than Chicago.
TE: Definitely.

PW: So how did you guys form Skybox?
TE: We released our first record in ’06. That’s usually when I tell people that Skybox was officially Skybox was that first record in ’06. However, we did form about a year before that just writing, figuring out members and the whole dynamics of how it was going to work. It was primarily, well, I was in a folk kind of project before Skybox, me and a good friend of mine from Kansas City, we were just playing folk music. We moved to Arizona during the whole folk thing. After about a year, we just started getting some good press and started getting some people kind of helping us out and putting us on the road and stuff like that. Doing some folk stuff on the road we realized, we’re just so young and we really want to be in a rock band again. We missed it. We had done that our whole lives in high school. So we went ahead and did some home recordings and throwing around ideas. Once we had some solid foundation, that’s when I called Christian [Fields], which is our piano player/guitar/vocals. He had played drums with me most of our lives. He actually was born with me. His mom and my mom were best friends before we were born. So we were born around the same time and were both playing together since we were real young. So I gave him a call to see if he could move to Phoenix and play lead guitar for the band, ironically, coming from playing drums. But we really needed a lead guitarist and keyboard player. So he decided to do it. After a lot of convincing, he finally moved out. From there, we added a few more members and started recording our first record, Arco Iris?, and released it in ’06. Then moved to Chicago.

PW: If a person hasn’t seen or heard your band before, how would you describe your sound?
TE: When people ask me, I usually say just weird pop music.

PW: How would you describe your live show to them?
TE: It’s different. It’s a lot of fun, a lot of energy and just a really fun, strange show.

PW: How do you come up with the costumes and outfits and the occasional theatrics?
TE: We definitely like to mix it up at all our shows. We hope that if somebody comes to see us they’ll like it and the next time they come it will be a little bit different for them. We’re all ADD in the sense that it’s a little hard to stick with one thing or one sound and we hope that we can give something fresh back to the audience if they have the same schizophrenic feelings.

PW: Who would you cite as some of your influences, whether for show fashion or musical sound?
TE: The whole fashion thing is kind of glam, I guess like Iggy Pop and all that kind of stuff. We also like really big sound. Like ELO was a huge influence for us. There are a lot of great modern bands that we’re listening to a lot like Dirty Projectors. We got to go backstage with those guys the other day, so that was cool. I’ve been listening to a lot of Genesis lately, getting into that again.

PW: With Lollapalooza being as big as it is, what have you learned from the festival and making the most of the three days?
TE: This is my first time here, so I’m learning the ropes myself. The golf carts have been great to get around, but I don’t think everyone has access to the golf carts. There are so many good bands playing here that you can really go anywhere and it is going to really inspire you and motivate you to be artistic.

PW: What are some of your favorite bands at this year’s Lolla?
TE: Devo. We got to see them. Dirty Projectors was good. We even saw the Strokes, which was awesome. We’ve been looking forward to Yeasayer and Grizzly Bear. Empire of the Sun, I’ll go see. X Japan. There are others.

PW: With your Chicago ties, what is a must do for anyone coming here for a show?
TE: There are a lot of great venues. There’s Lincoln Hall, which is a cool place to adventure to and they’re always having great bands. Burlington is a cool bar. Wicker Park, in general, Uptown area, Logan Square, that’s where we used to live. Lots of good places to go and good food. The Bead is a great restaurant.

PW: So what are your Fall plans for Skybox?
TE: We’re touring in September, the West Coast, with a band called What Laura Says. They’re really great. So we’ll be starting Midwest and going out West, which will be awesome because we haven’t been out to Phoenix, our former hometown, in about year. So that will be a homecoming of sorts for us, so we’re pretty excited.

PW: Finally, anything else that you want to get out there or something that I didn’t cover that you think people should know about your band?
TE: Well, one thing that has been really, really huge for us is giving away free music and we do that at our website, Skyboxmusic.com. It’s just a huge thing for us to go to a city that we’ve never been to and have people singing our songs and being familiar to our music. It’s a testament to the artist’s freedom, giving free music away.
PW: Sounds great.