Gogol Bordello

Eugene Hutz, ringleader of gypsy punk revivalists Gogol Bordello, is charismatic in the way that Freddie Mercury might have been with more angst, vodka, and vitriol. But with Hutz, it hardly seems like an act. Just look at that mustache. If that’s not a full-on lifestyle commitment, I don’t know what is. Gogol Bordello is a true melting pot of a band in the proudest immigrant tradition, a blurring of old culture meeting the new. A mish-mash of party music infused with the politics of the working people, the tireless fish-out-of-water rock animals create fist-pumping sounds from a seemingly mythical land. Watch manic Eastern European energy on display as Gogol Bordello high kick into the rafters, spill drinks on the crowd and smear their infectious soundscapes all over the Western world with loopy lyrics, accordion-accented old world rhythms and unpolished brutality. And, when all else fails, “start wearing purple!” (Sunday, 7:30-8:30, Groupon Stage) –text: Phil Forsyth

Saturday, 2:45-5:15

Grizzly Bear, Gogol Bordello, The XX, Against Me!, Dan Black, PerryEtty vs Chris Cox, Royal Bangs, and Dawes will be performing at Lollapalooza 2010 between the hours of 2:45 and 5:15 p.m. on Saturday, August 7.

GRIZZLY BEAR
After the breakout success of their third LP Veckatimest and a stretch supporting longtime heroes Radiohead as well as their own world tours (Australia, twice!), where does a band like Brooklyn’s dreamy folk rockers Grizzly Bear go from here? Anywhere they damn well please, as they try not to act like they’re still basking in the glory. Next stop: Lollapalooza, where the lucky ones might just catch a melody or two of highly-anticipated new material. (Saturday, 4:15-5:15, Budweiser Stage) –text: Mike Scales

GOGOL BORDELLO
Gogol Bordello plays gypsy punk rock and yes, it’s as ridiculously awesome as it sounds. With loopy lyrics and endless instruments, their stage presence is as electric as their roots are eclectic. But who are we kidding? You’ve probably already heard of them, bought your tickets to Lollapalooza knowing they’d be there, and have been combing your Eugene Hutz-styled mustache while singing “Wonderlust King” in front of the mirror. It’s okay, we’re on to you. (Saturday, 3:45-4:45, Parkways Foundation Stage) –text: Maëlle Jayet

THE XX
Of all the bands influenced by ’80s dream pop, London’s The XX must have the best record collection. There are echoes of obscure 4AD bands like Sort Sol in their low-end dynamics and slow-moving developments — not that they sound like anyone else or could exist any time but now. It’s the tension between the voices of Romy Madley-Croft and Oliver Sim above stately instrumentals that made their compelling debut one of 2009’s best. (Saturday, 3:15-4:15, PlayStation Stage) –text: Michael Latham–photo: Terryfy

AGAINST ME!
Punk rock group Against Me! began in Gainesville, Florida as 17-year-old Tom Gabel’s solo acoustic act and evolved to a full band with blazing electric guitars for the band’s 2002 debut, Reinventing Axl Rose (No Idea Records). The politically conscious band caught some serious shit after signing to major label Sire Records in 2005, but they continued to solidify their fist-pumping sound with 2007’s New Wave and the 2010 release of their fifth studio album, White Crosses. (Saturday, 2:45-3:45, Adidas Mega Stage) –text: Ariel Sundel

DAN BLACK
These days, mixing genres is in vogue. And when artists like Dan Black succeed, something special arrives. A veteran of the U.K.’s wonky pop movement, Black concocts a hybrid of pop, rock, hip-hop, and dance as his music swells with synthesizers and melodic hooks. His debut single, “HYPNTZ,” was released in 2008 followed by the hit “Yours” off his album ((UN)). ((UN)) reached the U.S. in 2010, featuring a remix of “Symphonies” with Kid Cudi on vocals. (Saturday, 3-3:45, BMI Stage) –text: Adrian Sobol

PERRYETTY VS CHRIS COX
He’s the man behind Jane’s Addiction, Porno for Pyros, and a little festival called Lollapalooza. So when Perry Ferrell (along with wife Etty Lau) decides to add dance music to his repertoire as PerryEtty, you know he’s going to go big. And there’s no one more apt to take on this musical marriage than Chris Cox. With a background featuring Billboard hits and Grammy nominations, Cox boasts a portfolio of edgy, risk-taking mixes that defy genre. (Saturday, 3:30-4:30, Perry’s) –text: Lindsay Terchin

ROYAL BANGS
Knoxville rockers Royal Bangs represent everything that is missing in today’s disposable flavor-of-the-week music scene: unapologetically fresh and straight-up awesomely fun rock music. Releasing music since 2005, these dudes may not have received their big break yet but nabbing a spot at Lollapalooza ain’t a bad start. Fans of Broken Social Scene, The Mae Shi and hell, maybe even Radiohead (on uppers) are sure to be won over. (Saturday, 4:15-5, BMI Stage) –text: Jodi Root

DAWES
Hailing from the North Hills region of Los Angeles, Dawes played post-punk before discovering that they were the sonic children of Neil Young and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith create the kind of vocal harmonies that are only achievable through shared genes. Their debut album, North Hills, came after a few loose jam sessions were tightened up enough to put on a record. As a result, they kick ass live. (Saturday, 3:30-4:30, Sony Bloggie Stage) –text: Theodore Appert–photo: Matt Fruen

The Black Keys, Cat Power, Free Sol, Gogol Bordello, Mates of State, Your Vegas

THE BLACK KEYS
The raw, driving, mostly self-produced songs of Akron, Ohio’s blues-rock duo The Blacks Keys seem to be all the rage these days. Their Delta blues-inspired numbers can be heard in films, commercials, TV shows and videogames while everyone from ZZ Top to Radiohead are reportedly fans. Hype aside, The Black Keys are truly a band built for the live experience. With drummer Patrick Carney’s kit flush to the edge of the stage and Dan Auerbach’s multi-amp guitar setup, the band tends to be about as loud as any 2-man operation could possibly be — yet somehow their skillfully crafted, soulful melodies are not lost in the sheer wall of volume. The Black Keys’ fifth album (and second release for Nonesuch Records), Attack & Release, took form after sessions with the now late Ike Turner and is the band’s first effort with producer extraordinaire Danger Mouse. (Friday, 4:15-5:15, Bud Light Stage) –text: Mike Scales

CAT POWER
There may be no bigger enigma in music today than indie’s reigning chanteuse Chan Marshall, a.k.a. Cat Power. Her music runs the gamut from interpretive covers (Jukebox) to minimalist folk-rock (You Are Free) to updated soul (The Greatest). The one constant through it all has been her haunting voice, no doubt informed by a history of troubles and eccentricities. This is, after all, the woman whose Wikipedia page reads like the restless trip of a tortured artist. By the age of 36, Marshall had permanently retired to a farmhouse in South Carolina, unretired, worked with Yoko Ono, grown tired of her own material, suffered a mental breakdown, done advertisements for The Gap and co-starred with Jude Law. In the end, all the legends of Chan Marshall are a quirky diversion from the art of Cat Power. Her music has a permanence that even she (or Wikipedia, for that matter) can’t take away. (Friday, 5:15-6:15, PlayStation Stage) –text: Tim Slowikowski

FREE SOL
Christopher Anderson (a.k.a. Free Sol) grew up in Memphis influenced by many different kinds of music. In 2002 he formed a band with Premo D’Anger on keys, Kickman Teddy on drums, and Elliot Ives on lead guitar. They have since performed with such musicians as Digital Underground, Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu, Foo Fighters, and Justin Timberlake. Recently, Free Sol was signed to Timberlake’s label, Tennman Records, a joint venture with Interscope Records. (Friday, 4:30-5:15, Citi Stage) –text: Ariel Sundel

GOGOL BORDELLO
They first arrived in New York City like “ripe olives from Turkey, fresh loaves from Poltava, Jordake from Skopya, red caviar from Kaspiy, Gypsy-Jews from Brighton Beach.” And from that day on, the predominantly Eastern European folk/theatrical weirdo punk rockers known as Gogol Bordello (the first half of their name honoring long-dead writer Nicolai Gogol) have firmly planted their centuries-old cultural songscapes and new age seed into the unsuspecting English-speaking populace. (Friday, 4:15-5:15, AT&T Stage) –text: Benjamin Smithson

MATES OF STATE
Yet again, it’s another beautiful love story out of Lawrence, Kansas. Keyboardist Kori Gardner and drummer Jason Hammel had been playing separately in the small-town music hotbed for years before they met each other in 1997 and formed Mates of State. The two are so cute that they later went on to marry in 2001 and release five harmoniously filled albums of keyboard-driven pop music, the latest being Re-Arrange Us on Barsuk Records. (Friday, 5:15-6:15, MySpace Stage) –text: James H. Ewert Jr.–photo: Crackerfarm

YOUR VEGAS
Leeds, England is 5,079 miles away from Las Vegas. What’s the best way to span the distance? Write catchy dance-rock tunes, wear mostly black (with boots) and eventually move to New York like British quintet Your Vegas. Bring pianos, plenty of synth, wet and reverb-y guitars and be sure to feature a strong British vocal styling and you may end up at Lollapalooza. Before securing your nightly stint at the Palms, that is. (Friday, 5:15-6:00, BMI Stage) –text: Billy Kenefick–photo: Frank W. Ockenfels

Atlas Sound, Gogol Bordello, Headlights, Quintron & Miss Pussycat

ATLAS SOUND
Atlanta-based and sometimes cross-dressed musician Bradford Cox has been quite busy in the last year. 2007 saw his group Deerhunter strike a chord with the indie masses, defying expectations with their riveting Cryptograms debut. A few months after reaching popularity, they were robbed at gunpoint, played a stint at the Empty Bottle with Interpol and Liars under the name Reefer Duberland, then shortly after announced they would be taking an indefinite hiatus. Luckily, Cox has rebounded with his new group, Atlas Sound. Still along experimental lines, their debut Let the Blind Let Those Who Can See But Cannot contains warm electronics exuding ethereal ambience, while Cox’s lyrics delve into both social and personal issues. On “Quarantined,” Cox sings about children with A.I.D.S, “Winter Vacation” is about a family trip he took as a child, and “Recent Bedroom” focuses on muffled atmospherics. Almost as interesting as the music is Cox’s blog: http://deerhuntertheband.blogspot.com. (Appearing with White Rainbow at Empty Bottle on March 1) –text: Garin Pirnia–photo: Tim Schaar

GOGOL BORDELLO
Named for affluent writer and professor Nickolai Gogol (1809-1852), a Ukrainian powerhouse known as a public watchdog and for being the first notable voice authoring works about the social injustice of Russian life, gypsy punk/ska band Gogol Bordello couldn’t have found a better namesake. Known for breaking down musical barriers, this band’s fusion in all its unpolished glorious brutality is about as raw as it comes. You will be dancing in some fashion. Maybe moshing. There will be screaming. For a band making such noise, their tunes are cleverly written — many with a literary background reminiscent of early Metallica. “Start Wearing Purple” seems almost as narrative as its inspiring source: the novel Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. Spiked with crazy punk/hard rock energy blended with slippery Eastern European rhythms and a ferocious attitude, you’ve seen nothing like Gogol Bordello. Says one such critic: this is music with angry eyes and a goofy grin. (Appearing at the Riviera on March 4) –text: Jyn Radakovits

HEADLIGHTS
It’s barely March, but I’m willing to lay money down on Headlights’ sophomore LP, Some Racing, Some Stopping, as one of the five best records of 2008. A bold statement for a bold release. The album takes a fresh approach on classic pop sensibility, with songs like the organ-driven “Cherry Tulips” hearkening back to Brill Building and wall-of-sound production. Softer songs, like the title track, take a subtler path with creaking floorboards and barely-audible glockenspiel building a lonely atmosphere. Taking cues from classic rock giants, the album was written and recorded by the 3-piece in a farmhouse outside Champaign, allowing the group to capture each song in its spontaneous moment of conception. Headlights also deserves props for creating such lush music with limited equipment, and for stealing the indie-pop mantle away from rival college towns like Austin — if only for one glorious moment. (Appearing with Evangelicals at Schubas on March 7) –text: Caroline Evans–photo: Justine Bursoni

QUINTRON & MISS PUSSYCAT
Nearly a year ago Mr. Quintron released the JamSkate EP; since then, the New Orleans-based 2-piece has been awfully quiet about new material. Beginning February 24, however, the band is playing close to a show a night for a month. When Miss Pussycat’s hilarious gothic puppet shows kick off the organ-rocked “JamSkate” and “Place Unknown” for a dancing roomful, you don’t really need an excuse to tour. When the Black Lips ask you to open for them, you have reason enough to drop everything and start packing the tour van (especially when the Chicago date includes the Ponys offshoot Hot Machines). The breakout Good Bad Not Evil along with the Tijuana live album has earned the Black Lips “best live band” status. But Quintron’s sunny, carnival-inspired, (organ) dance jams should give the Black Lips a run for their money, if not simply giving fans their money’s worth. (Appearing with The Black Lips and Hot Machines at Logan Square Auditorium on March 1) –text: Joseph O’Fallon