A Lollapalooza Recommendation

The city's all a-buzz with Lollapalooza starting tomorrow in Grant Park here in Chicago. I'm not going, which is the sad truth of the matter, but oh well, there's always next year. I won't go into my sob story, for this blog is supposed to be about the music, not me. I'm jealous of those who are going, though, I'm not going to hide that. My neighbor has the schedule printed and posted outside of his door. The damn thing is taunting me. Here's who you're missing, fool!! I'll live.



But for those who are going, I'm going to make a recommendation for you as you brave what might possibly be the hottest weekend of the Chicago summer, thus far. Go see Dr. Dog on Saturday at 1:30 at the MySpace Stage. Oh, you're all going to see Radiohead (rightfully so) and maybe Rage or NIN for some good 'ol fashioned '90s fun. And I'm sure they will be great, but please go see Dr. Dog, too.



Depending on who you talk to, these guys are either on the verge of breaking through, or already kind of have broken through (whatever breaking through means these days). The Philly band are known for their lo-fi approach, Beach Boy-esque harmonies, and '60s rock sensibilities. Being from Philly, I think they've got a bit of that old Philly Soul in them too. Maybe it's because I love '60s rock that I love this band, but although that may help, I'm going to say it's more than that. What exactly, I'm not positive. They are a tight band who play great live for one thing. I haven't seen them play their own material, but I can tell you that they were one of the best parts of a Lou Reed tribute show at this year's SXSW that featured Lou Reed himself. And who isn't a sucker for great rock harmonies? I feel like they really have an appreciation for what they do as well. You can tell when bands genuinely love music and you can conversely tell when they're just trying to make hits and cater to what might be cool in the moment.



They just released a new album entitled "Fate" that ranks up there as one of my favorite albums of the year so far. It's all of the soulful, harmonic stuff I talked about above, assembled into songs that have a real feel to them. The album has a definite mood. I don't know if it was meant to be a sort of concept album, or what, but you feel like you are on a ride through the span of human emotion as you listen to songs that can be uplifting and hopeful at one point, then dark and mysterious at another. Maybe that's the nature of "Fate" itself--one part hope, one part dread. Whatever the case may be, it's a great album from a great band. Maybe it would help if you like bands from the '60s like The Band and The Beatles (who doesn't, seriously), but I think all you need to be is a fan of rock and roll and its ability to make us feel alive. And while you're at it, check out there interactive website for the album "Fate". You get to click on a lot of imagery related to death and darkness, which seems to be a theme of the album. In the process you get to discover some of the great music from this amazing album.

On a side note, my 3 year old son is a fan of Dr. Dog. I think it's only because he thinks their name is funny, not because of the actual music. In his mind, I pretty sure he's thinking, "These guys are not The Wiggles. They just don't make the cut!" Really, though, Dr. Dog? That's an interesting band name for you. Are all the good ones seriously taken? I mean, not a bad name I guess. It's definitely original. Band names are for a different entry I think.

Go see Dr. Dog. I'll be working. Please tell me how great they were, but don't rub it in too much.