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

Bat For Lashes, Davy Knowles & Back Door Slam, Friendly Fires, Portugal. The Man, Ra Ra Riot, Sam Roberts Band, The Greencards, Yello Fever

BAT FOR LASHES
Think of the coolest girl you know. Then multiply her coolness by a thousand. Then give her the ability to play multiple instruments, to create engaging visual art, and to sing with the voice of a seductive temptress. Now you have Bat For Lashes, a.k.a. Natasha Khan. Having a small yet solid catalog, including 2006’s Fur and Gold and 2009’s Two Sons, each song will captivate and engulf you. (Sunday, 1:30-2:30, Vitaminwater Stage) –text: Anthony Spina

DAVY KNOWLES & BACK DOOR SLAM
Any bluesman would yearn to hail from a place called the Isle of Man. Chauvinistic genre it is, but who gives a good goddamn? Davy Knowles, after splitting with Backdoor Slam originals Ross Doyle and Adam Jones, threw his name in front and kept the band’s old handle for their upcoming tour. Straddling the buzz of having Peter Frampton as a producer, Knowles will showcase why he deserves top billing for fans both old and new. (Sunday, 1-1:45, Citi Stage) –text: Benjamin Smithson

FRIENDLY FIRES
Friendly Fires is a crazy electronic band hailing from St. Albans, a city in northern metro London that rose to prominence as a World War II-era center for the electronics industry. Their synth-heavy jams are upbeat and danceable, centered around lyrics written about relationships. Listening to them makes one unable to form a single negative thought — they’re that good. Be sure to catch this surging young group at this year’s Lolla. (Sunday, 12:30-1:30, Budweiser Stage) –text: Elizabeth Aguirre–photo: Martina Woerz

PORTUGAL. THE MAN
“We wanted a name that was bigger that all of us,” says vocalist/guitarist John Gourley, explaining Portugal. The Man’s Bowie-esque bigger than life feel. The band recently left Fearless Records to form their own indie imprint Approaching AIRballoons, on which their latest album The Satanic Satanist was just released. And unlike former Governor Sarah Palin from the band’s hometown of Wasilla, Alaska, prolific Portugal. The Man shows no sign of quitting anytime soon. (Sunday, 1:30-2:30, PlayStation Stage) –text: Jyn Radakovits

RA RA RIOT
If you have to start a riot, it might as well be one full of cheerleaders. However, a cheerleader’s rah-rah has nothing to do with New York chamber poppers Ra Ra Riot. The pun was just too good not to stretch. On the heels of their stellar Barsuk debut, The Rhumb Line, these former Syracuse campus regulars graduated into the adult world of rock respectability. And many now cheer them on. (Sunday, 12:30-1:30, Chicago 2016 Stage) –text: Derek Wright

SAM ROBERTS BAND
Canada sure is proud of its musical offspring. The singer/songwriter-driven Sam Roberts Band has won numerous Juno Awards (the “Canadian Grammys”) for their string of albums from 2000 to 2008. Last year’s Love at the End of the World proved to be a fresh piece of work from the Montreal band, keeping fans interested with their classic blues-y, chord-riddled, melodic rock and roll. (Sunday, 11:45-12:30, PlayStation Stage) –text: Katie Knaub

THE GREENCARDS
Much like the way that Australian actors have infiltrated Hollywood, The Greencards lend credence to the idea that Aussies might be better at sounding American than actual Americans. Over the past seven years, the trio of Kym Warner, Carol Young, and Eamon McLoughlin has conquered Austin and risen through the ranks as one of the elite bluegrass bands in the States, with regular comparisons to the likes of Alison Krauss and Nickel Creek. (Sunday, 1:45-2:30, BMI Stage) –text: Andrew Clayman

YELLO FEVER
What happens when you pluck three leading Chicago DJs and place them into one super group? You get Yello Fever — consisting of Kid Color, Jobot and Skyler — who make their Lollapalooza debut this year. While each individually has the ability to tear up the dance floor, when combined they create an ass-shaking powerhouse that can’t be denied. Get ready to get down with a set that’ll jolt you out of your hangover stupor early Sunday afternoon. (Sunday, 12:30-1:30, Perry’s) –text: Anthony Spina–photo: Clayton Hauck

Bonde Do Role, Common, Portugal. The Man, Silverstein

BONDE DO ROLE
Like so many great bands, Bonde Do Role formed with the intention of goofing off and making the most retarded music possible. Their sound is a mix of Miami bass, Brazilian baile funk and enough sampled monster ballad guitar riffs to fill a VH1 special. Their debut full-length, With Lazers, is the sleeper party hit of the year. Drop any track off the album in the middle of a block party, a nightclub, or an ironic art loft jam and people will go nuts — plus your mom can powerwalk to it because she doesn’t speak Portuguese and doesn’t know that the songs are about rimming hookers. On their first trip to Chicago, MC Marina Vello injured herself stage diving. If this show doesn’t end in blood, it’ll end in sweat. Lots and lots of sexy, stinky sweat. (Appearing with Juiceboxxx at Empty Bottle on Sept. 21) –text: ELR

COMMON
After nearly seven years, Common continues to turn heads with his culturally conscious lyrics and jazz-rap flow. First getting recognition from a solid fanbase within Chicago’s underground rap scene, Common began rapping in high school after he formed C.D.R., a rap trio that opened for N.W.A. and Big Daddy Kane. Then after a friend sent in a tape of his work to The Source magazine, he was featured in the “unsigned hype” column, which helped him gain popularity beyond the Midwest. Proudly from Chicago, Common continues to draw in crowds with his sophisticated lyrical technique and intelligent rhymes that touch upon spirituality, love and humble struggles. Now under the release of his latest album, Finding Forever, Common is credited with re-introducing the essential elements of hip-hop to his modern-classic beats and soulful content — making him a true rarity in the rap world. (Appearing with Joss Stone and Ryan Shaw at Charter One Pavilion on Sept. 20) –text: Jackie Bernardo–photo: Gregory Scaffidi

PORTUGAL. THE MAN
Portugal. The Man isn’t exactly what comes to mind when you think of Alaska. And the unconventional upbringing of singer John Gourley — who grew up in a small cabin with only enough electricity to run a record player and hippie parents that ran the Iditarod — brought no indication that he would dream up the next big thing in progressive punk/indie and be hailed by some as the second coming of a young Led Zeppelin. The former members of Anatomy of a Ghost came together in 2004 to create PTM. Touring across the pond for the first time in promotion of new release Church Music, notably less drum machine-heavy than 2006′s Waiter: You Vultures!, the band claims to thrive “for more a Wu-Tang meets The Beatles kind of feel.” (Appearing with Rocky Votolato and The Great Depression at Abbey Pub on Sept. 20) –text: Jyn Radakovits

SILVERSTEIN
If there’s one record released this summer that tugs at the heartstrings so hard you need a brick to tie to your ankle to keep from falling over, it’s Silverstein’s Arrivals and Departures. The 11-track follow-up to Discovering the Waterfront is an emotional train wreck…and the band’s best work yet. No doubt a touring lifestyle takes a toll on any band, but throw in the painful losses of family members and the devastation of a couple severed relationships and you’ve got the most honest album lead vocalist Shane Told has written for Silverstein thus far. Musically, it’s heavier than the band’s previous two albums and enough to send you to the chiropractor. Told pulls from his own emotional torment in order to create lyrical confrontations that anyone can relate to. There’s no slacking off on Arrivals and Departures, and live Silverstein delivers even more. (Appearing with Rise Against and Comeback Kid at Congress Theater on Sept. 19) –text: Amanda Gilliam–photo: Tyler Clinton