Talent Scouting at Lollapalooza

Every April, Lollapalooza rolls out its festival lineup on a glorious wave of breathless hype, sending thousands of music aficionados flocking to Chicago to dance, sing, and drink booze at high noon.  While the headlining groups may pack crowds and eclipse media attention, the festival also acts as a critical springboard for emerging artists, creating an opportunity for festival-goers to catch early incarnations of what may prove to be next year’s headlining attractions.  As perhaps the most infamous Lollapalooza graduate, Lady Gaga rose from the ashes of her 2007 performance only to command the Parkways Foundation main stage with pyrotechnics, giant angler fish, and fully fledged theatrical gusto a mere three years later. Comebacks aside, Lollapalooza has granted many side-stage performers a foothold in the nation’s musical psyche—singer Ke$a’s 2009 stint on the BMI stage helped launch her glitzy, gutterpunk-pop into the top 40 charts, while folk troubadour Elvis Perkins amassed a large following after his 2006 performance. Drawing on this time honored tradition of break-out stardom, Eleven caught up with three of Lollapalooza 2010’s up-and-coming performers to wax poetic on fame and fortune.

(more…)

This entry was written by Annie Rose Fondaw, posted on September 14, 2010 at 11:37 am, filed under New Music and tagged , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Lolladays: Day 3

Saturday’s final consensus: I’d definitely gotten too much sleep. Seven hours is a lifetime at Lollapalooza—much less at any music festival. With heightened resolve, I tumble out of bed couch at 8:30am, a mere four hours after being let in from the hallway I had settled on calling a resting point for the evening. The ringing in my ears, bleariness in my eyes, and general emptiness in my head: everything felt just right for a successful final festival day. (more…)

This entry was written by Josh Petersel, posted on August 9, 2010 at 9:28 pm, filed under Live and tagged , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.

Lollapalooza is Approaching

Photo by Cambria Harkey.

Tell your boss you’re taking Friday off, buy a 3-day pass, and start the trek North to Chicago for the nation’s baddest music festival, Lollapalooza.  Tickets aren’t cheap, but you get what you pay for: three days of musical juggernauts (ex: The Strokes, The Arcade Fire, Hot Chip, and of course Soundgarden) and up-and-comers (ex: Wavves, the XX, The Morning Benders, and Dawes).  The only difficult decision is which bands to see once you’re there, and who’s couch you’re going to crash on for the weekend. Stay tuned for Eleven’s yearly jaunt through Chicago, and hopefully we can document our antics in a legible manner.

This entry was written by Eleven Magazine, posted on August 3, 2010 at 3:55 pm, filed under Upcoming and tagged . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.