We’re two weeks and a day away from the start of the Phish summer tour, and I’m realizing that Tortoise is going to be in town playing at Great American Music Hall on the same night. I caught the last time they rolled through town and it was an amazing show, but I was also hoping to host a Phish stream party to watch the festivities from Chicago in the comfort of my living room with my other friends that wanted nothing more from their Friday night. For a second I was torn, but now I think the decision has been made. Das Boton, a trio from Chicago comprised of two thirds of my favorite one-album band known as Heroic Doses (they had a Sub Pop release in like ’97), will be opening the show along with a few other dates along the West Coast. For those that don’t know anything about either project, it’s perfectly summed up in this one video clip that features a recently written Das Boton song with a fast transition into a Heroic Doses classic, “Crystals.”
On a whim, I’m just going to put it out there that I want to jam with Ryan Rapsys when he gets into town. Ryan, get in touch, brutha! Lunch is on me if you show me how to do this…
Tickets are now on sale and $85 will get you a wristband allowing access to all of the shows, so follow their Twitter account for the latest updates straight from the source. I may actually try to go to this as one of my best friends lives in Raleigh, so I could easily swing a spot on the floor to crash and enjoy a weekend full of my favorite music. READ MORE
Tortoise is heading back out on the road this summer for dates all cross the country. First they’re hitting the West Coast in June and then they head East for the dates in September. Surprisingly, no dates were announced for their hometown slots in Chicago but I’m sure we’ll see a show or two get added to support the home base. Read on for the dates. READ MORE
Influential Chicago group Tortoise has announced that they will be playing an in-store performance this Sunday at Reckless Records in Wicker Park in support of their new album Beacons of Ancestorship. The album is their first in five years and this will be only their third in-store appearance. They play at 5pm sharp, but since it’s FREE, we recommend arriving early as they are sure to draw a big crowd to the small shop. 1532 N. Milwaukee.
I was a little out of pocket this week so I originally missed that Wilco had updated their fall tour dates to include two shows at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago with Tortoise opening up. That is a solid one-two punch of Chicago musical greatness and I really wish I could be in attendance for those. Read on for the dates. READ MORE
Tortoise came through San Francisco last night clearly practicing for their Friday night set at Pitchfork Music Festival coming up this weekend. Given that the “Write the Night” setlist would likely include many of the older fan favorites, I heard the band do a bunch of songs that I’ve never seen them perform live. They opened the show with “TNT” and proceeded to mix the set with some of the songs off their latest album, Beacons Of Ancestorship, and older albums and older grooves they know that they’re going to deliver on at their big set on Friday. Totally solid show overall.
Pit Er Pat opened the show as a duo, which I’ve never seen from that band before. Normally they had two up front singing and playing with their haunting-pop melodies, but this was usually over a drummer in the background that would play frantic yet light-to-the-touch grooves as he rolled around the drumset. This was severely lacking as a set without a full drummer working with the band. Instead it was dub and space rock, which generally sounded cool, but it still left a little to be desired for me having them a few years back.
Tortoise has put out a new mp3 from their upcoming album, Beacons of Ancestership, and Stereogum has the exclusive first-listen from the album. I’m definitely not hearing anything familiar in this track — and yet it sounds so much like Tortoise it really couldn’t be anybody else. I’m hoping to discover some of the tracks [...]
The lineup for the Pitchfork Music Festival got a few additions the other day, with Matt and Kim, Fucked Up, M83, Black Lips, and a few others added to the already amazing festival roster. I really hope I’ll be able to attend this festival, with the Friday night “Write the Night” series seriously exciting the [...]