If I Were At Lollapalooza

KidzapaloozaLogo.JPGI've already given you a brief guide to the Kidzapalooza festivities which kick off tomorrow with the rest of the Lollapalooza. I won't be attending (actually, I'll be handling both kids by myself as my wife heads out of town for a girls' weekend away), but if I did, I'd be getting sunburned, feeling dehydrated, and running my very own Chicago Marathon as I dashed between sets as follows... (Note: If I were there with, say, my two kids and not my wife, my actual schedule would be a lot different. Maybe I'd catch the Wee Hairy Beasties and play the rest by ear.) Click on the dates to see the master schedule for each day. Friday, August 3rd 11:30 - Rock for Kids Youth Jam Band 12:00 - Illinois (caught 'em with the Hold Steady. Good set.) 12:30 - last 15 minutes of the Hipwaders set (don't worry, I'm catching their full set on Saturday. Or, er, if I were actually attending, I would.) 1:00 - G Love 1:30 - Son Volt or Ted Leo, can't decide (The Sippy Cups are playing, too, but I'll catch their set on Saturday). 2:30 - last 15 minutes of Peter Himmelman (catching his full set on Sunday). 2:45 - last 45 minutes of the Polyphonic Spree 3:30 - Sparklehorse (I'll catch the School of Rock Allstars on Sunday) 5:00 - The Rapture 6:30 - The Black Keys 7:30 - LCD Soundsystem (though Femi Kuti would be hard to miss) 8:30 - Daft Punk (I mean, c'mon, coming from an LCD Soundsystem set, you have no other choice but to go hear Daft Punk) Saturday, August 4th 11:30 - Wee Hairy Beasties 12:15 - The Blisters 1:15 - The Sippy Cups 1:45 - Tapes 'n' Tapes (catching the middle 30 minutes of their set) 2:15 - The Hipwaders 2:45 - Alvin Ailey Theatre 3:15 - "Very Special Guest" on the Kidzapalooza stage 4:30 - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah 5:30 - The Hold Steady. Do not miss the Hold Steady, even if it means missing Roky Erikson, whose return is a pretty big deal, considering his medical/mental health issues. 6:30 - Yeah Yeah Yeahs 7:30 - Spoon 8:30 - Interpol Sunday, August 5th 11:30 - Peter Himmelman 12:15 - Q Brothers 1:15 - Candy Band 1:45 - Smoosh 2:30 - tail-end of Peter DiStefano & Perry Farrell 2:45 - tail-end of Amy Winehouse. Assuming, of course, she even shows up. 3:15 - School of Rock Allstars featuring "very special guest" 4:15 - Hmmm... Iggy and the Stooges or Kings of Leon. Iggy, just to say I did... 5:15 - Yo La Tengo 6:15 - My Morning Jacket 7:15 - Cafe' Tacuba 8:00 - Pearl Jam Anybody going, even if they don't plan on attending any of the Kidz acts? Anything I missed?

Nine Days of Great Kids Music in Chicago

Now, Kidzapalooza will rock Chicago August 3 through 5 (for more details, see here). But the previous weekend is, well, pretty darn good in its own right if you'd rather fight local neighborhood throngs than fight the Pearl Jam and Ben Harper-obsessed throngs in Grant Park. I've been waiting to post about the Summer on Southport festival on the 28th and 29th because I wanted to know the times, and I'm glad I did... check out the lineup. Not only does it include Lunch Money... and ScribbleMonster... and Justin Roberts, it also includes, well, see for yourself: Saturday Lunch Money 10:00 am Seussical the Musical 11:00 am Scribble Monster noon Little Nashville 12.30 pm Girl Authority 2:00 pm Justin Roberts 2:00 pm Sunday School of ROCK 11:30 am Ralph’s World 2:00 pm Girl Authority and Justin Roberts will be playing on different stages Saturday, though the '80s references on Roberts' classic Meltdown! might be a little bit up their alley. Hey, Chicago, did I miss anybody?

What Kind of Cold Beverages Do Kids Like?

Well, thanks to Karen in Chicago, who attended the Kidzapalooza kickoff party in Chicago a few days back, this question is a little more relevant. I noted the Kidzapalooza lineup a few days ago, but Karen in Chicago went to the party and noted an additional performer: G. Love. Now, the only kids' song I know G. Love has recorded is "Jungle Gym," with Jack Johnson on the Curious George soundtrack. Assuming he's not going to play that song a dozen times straight (how punk would that be?), maybe he's got some new stuff up his sleeve. Heck, if you can tolerate a few references to adult beverages, "Cold Beverage" itself would be easily G-rated.

Chicago Loves the Kids, Too (Kidzapalooza Lineup Announced)

So even though Lollapalooza is a good six weeks after the Austin City Limits Festival, those good folks in the City of Broad Shoulders just got around to announcing their Kidzapalooza lineup. Slowpokes. As with the Austin Kiddie Limits lineup, this one too can be divided into two camps: 1) Adults Playing For Kids 2) Kids Playing For Adults In the first category, you have the following (artists playing ACL Fest noted with a happy *): -- Peter Himmelman: Kids' singer-songwriter of the highest order -- Wee Hairy Beasties: Americana/insect-based rock from Jon Langford, Sally Timms, and other Bloodshot Records staples -- The Sippy Cups* -- Psychedelic-inspired rock and pop -- CandyBand: Punk music from four Detroit-area moms -- The Hipwaders: Occasionally retro power-pop -- Q Brothers* -- Hip-hop -- Peter DiStefano & Perry Farrell: This has nothing to do with their appearance here (replicating their appearance last year), but that new Satellite Party album cover is one of the weirdest I've seen in some time. (Note: "Weirdest" is a gentle term for "bizarre." Or "awful.") In the second category are bands made up of youngsters or recently-adulted young folks. Again, I don't know much about these bands, though I believe the Blisters and the Alvin Ailey Dance School both showed up at last year's Lollapalooza. -- Paul Green School of Rock All-Stars* -- The Blisters: Oddly enough, Jeff Tweedy's kid is playing Lollapalooza while his dad isn't. (Even though Wilco -- but not the blisters -- are playing the ACL Fest. Weird.) -- Rock For Kids Youth Jam Band: I keep having this feeling that they're gonna break into an extended version of My Morning Jacket's "Mageetah." -- Alvin Ailey Dance School -- John Yost's Rhythm Revolution Lollapalooza is August 3-5, 2007 in Chicago's Grant Park. And for those of you looking to score some free tickets, the Paul Frank Store in Chicago is hosting a party this Saturday, June 2, from 11 AM to 1 PM. You can tell me how those Paul Green's School of Rock All-Stars sound, and maybe win some free tickets.

Chicago in August? Sure, It's Humid, But...

... it's got Lollapalooza. Although Kidzapalooza's website is mum, Lollapalooza does list a few children's musicians, including Justin Roberts, Candy Band, the Q Brothers, Peter DiStefano, and Chicago's much-revered Ella Jenkins. More are certainly on the way. Oh, and if you don't like those artists, there might be a few others of interest in the main lineup. You know, like 30 or 40. Lollapalooza is scheduled for August 4-6, 2006, in Chicago's Grant Park.