Sunday, 4:15-6:15
Flogging Molly, Cage the Elephant, Lissie, Portugal. The Man, Boy & Bear, and Jackmaster will be performing at Lollapalooza 2011 between the hours of 4:15 and 6:15 p.m. on Sunday, August 7.
FLOGGING MOLLY
It said a lot when Martin Scorsese featured Flogging Molly in his epic police/mobster good/evil meditation The Departed, a film that examined the intricacies of undercover sleepers on both sides of the fence in a world built around the troubled descendants of Irish immigrants. The film was gritty, no-holds-barred political discourse that had no fear of being brash and loud. And never forgot that it’s audience was going to the movies to have fun. Enter Flogging Molly, the Irish American 7-piece that have created a powerful soap box, holding strong to roots and principles that have made them modern day rock prophets. Expect a good-time stomping wash of banjos, fiddles, heavy punk rock guitars and the edgy, old timey angst of a band of Celtic minstrels hell bent on making a mosh pit of the masses in hopes of a brighter tomorrow. (Sunday, 4:15-5:15, Bud Light Stage) –text: Phillip David Forsyth
CAGE THE ELEPHANT
Formed in 2005 in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Cage the Elephant broke through the music industry with their sassy single “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked”, which peaked at #3 on the Billboard “Alternative Songs” chart. Since the band’s inception, they’ve released two albums under Jive Records including their 2008 self-titled debut and Thank You Happy Birthday early this year, which debuted at #2 on the Billboard Hot 200. Cage the Elephant’s intense, powerful drums and heavy guitars reflect classic hard rock while lead singer Matt Schultz’s rare voice turns their music into spicy alternative rock. With a whirlwind of attitude and lyrics like “Oh there ain’t no rest for the wicked / Until we close our eyes for good”, Cage the Elephant is an untamed beast hosting an all-night party for head-banging pachyderms. (Sunday, 5:15-6:15, PlayStation Stage) –text: Carrie Wittmer
LISSIE
The Rock Island, Illinois native has taken the blogosphere by storm with tasteful covers of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and Kid Cudi’s “Pursuit of Happiness,” but it’s the whimsical folk singer’s original material that really demands attention. With a voice conveying the barreling thunder of a young Janis Joplin to expert harmonies that tug at the heartstrings, do nothing more than catch this tiger’s set. (Sunday, 4:30-5:15, Google+ Stage) –text: Selena Fragassi
PORTUGAL. THE MAN
Their seventh album since 2006, Portugal The Man finally released In the Mountain, In the Cloud last month after taunting listeners with 30-second clips and short films since mid-April. Produced by Grammy winner Andy Wallace and John Hill, Portugal’s latest opus continues their legacy of soaring psychedelic rock anthems with a personal edge. Drawing from their childhood in Alaska, the album is an outdoorsman’s epic acid trip, best illustrated by the 13-minute dream sequence song “Sleep Forever”. (Sunday, 5-6, Sony Stage) –text: Hilary Telford
BOY & BEAR
This Australian percussive folk-rock group is on the verge. While their debut LP Moon Fire drops on the first day of the festival, the ruggedly danceable quintet has garnered substantial buzz over the past couple years and simmered quite the pot of anticipation. The singles and EP that they’ve already laid out point towards a group with the ability to combine gorgeously lush harmonies with earnest, unpretentious songwriting that never seems to drop the tempo. (Sunday, 5-5:45, BMI Stage) –text: Matthew DeMarco
JACKMASTER
Crowned “Best Breakthrough DJ” of 2010 by DJ Magazine, Jack Revill has been a leading ambassador for Glasgow’s electronic music scene via Numbers, a club night that sired a record label that’s home to acts like Jamie xx, Hudson Mohawke, and Lazer Sword. As the party-rocking Jackmaster, Revill drops sets that run the spectrum of everything bass: from Detroit techno, Chicago house, Baltimore club, and dirty South hip-hop to dubstep, grime, R&B, and beyond. (Sunday, 5-6, Perry’s) –text: Mark Calaguas
