It's going on in Chicago all weekend, but I only went last night.
Friday September 8 (5pm-10pm):
9:00pm !!!
8:00pm Ted Leo + Pharmacists
7:00pm Girls Against Boys (all original members)
6:00pm Supersystem
5:00pm The Shipping News
Saturday September 9 (noon-10pm):
9:00pm Shellac
8:40pm Big Black (a couple of songs)
7:45pm Man... Or Astroman? (all original members)
6:50pm Scratch Acid (all original members)
6:30pm Sally Timms
6:00pm Negative Approach (featuring John Brannon and OP Moore)
5:40pm PW Long
4:55pm Didjits (all original members)
4:35pm Jon & Kat (Mekons and The Ex)
3:50pm Killdozer (all original members)
2:55pm The Ex
2:35pm Tim Midgett and Andy Cohen (Silkworm)
1:50pm Pegboy
12:55pm Uzeda
12:00pm The New Year
Sunday September 10 (noon-10pm):
9:00pm Calexico
8:00pm Pinback
7:00pm CocoRosie
6:05pm The Black Heart Procession
5:45pm Brick Layer Cake
5:00pm Seam
4:40pm Tara Jane ONeil
3:55pm Three Mile Pilot
3:00pm Enon
2:00pm The Monorchid (all original members)
1:00pm Quasi
12:00pm Arcwelder
So, an amazing little fest, yes. It's too bad I didn't get to go all of the days. But let me just clue you all in on how amazing my night was last night. I'll go in chronological order.
So, my friend Amanda and I arrive and head for the merch stand. I buy a TL/RX black hoodie with the same design as my TL/RX TL/RX TL/RX green shirt. I think of buying the two CDs of theirs that I don't have, but I figure that I can get them cheaper elsewhere. We go around to all the stands, even checking out the vegetarian options stand. We realize that this is certainly and indiefest. I walk past the VIP Backstage section and spot Chris, the drummer for TL/RX and ask the guy guarding what I have to do to get in. He seemed really disappointed that I couldn't get in to meet him and we thanked him and went over to the stage to watch the end of Supersystem. I hadn't heard a lot of them prior to the event, but they put on a good set and I'm planning on downloading some soon. As most people made their way over to the other stage to see Girls Against Boys, Amanda and I stayed and sat in front of the gate waiting for Ted Leo. We met these kids who were here with their mom who was apparently a big fan of Ted Leo and we also made friends with a thirteen-year-old girl (who I'm still convinced is older) and her mom, who's a musician and is introducing her young daughter to good music (which is great). Ted Leo comes on starting off with "Me and Mia", then "The Ballad of the Sin Eater", and then a bunch of new songs. During "The Ballad of the Sin Eater", Ted starts throwing some of his instruments out into the audience (a tambourine, maracas). He has one maraca left and I am obviously screaming my lungs off trying to get it so he looks at me and motions as if he's asking if I want it (HELL YES I DO) and throws it, and I catch it. So, my night is already amazing because I have Ted Leo's maraca, but it gets better. After they play, Ted comes down to talk to some of the fans that have stayed at the gate to talk to him and I ask if he'll sign his maraca. He says he doesn't have a pen, but I do, so he went to go put some of his stuff away and then come back out. He comes back out with a Sharpie; how nice of him. He signs his maraca and my sketchbook and I talk to him for about 10 minutes, asking him why he saddened me so by not playing "Timorous Me", and he tells me to add him on his personal Myspace (which I have). Then we go to see !!! play and that was one of the funnest shows I've seen. Everyone was dancing so hard. After that I go towards the backstage area to see if any members of the band are back there and no one sees any, so a lady working there takes me back behind the stages to meet Chris Wilson, the drummer. He was very nice and approachable and I got him to sign my sketchbook too. The lady takes me back out, complimenting me on my music taste. We get a ride to the train station across town from the musician mother of the thirteen-year-old girl. MOST AMAZING NIGHT OF MY LIFE.