FESTIVALS

 » Pitchfork 2009 - For the past several years there has been a new given for Chicago summers--along with heat, humidity, and unpredictable thunderstorms, Pitchfork's annual music festival has become a staple of July in the Windy City. Once again senior staff writer Josh Zanger was at Union Park to catch three days of performances.

MUSIC

 » Build Buildings - "I want the music to be about sound, not just ready-made effects." In this fascinating interview, Ben Tweel talks with Josh Zanger about his sound-color synesthesia, and using found sounds - "a chopstick falling on my cutting board, or setting down sunglasses on my stereo" - to create criminally overlooked music in his spare time.

MUSIC

 » Tokyo Bloodworm - "Our basic concept was to push a sound that mimicked the natural order of things; where there is light there must also be darkness," says Ryan Keane of his unorthodox collaboration with musical partner Andrew Sanchez. LAS staff writer Josh Zanger recently caught up with Keane to clear up some of the mystery surrounding the project.

MUSIC

 » Flying Lotus - "I can't really tell you that, because I don't really know," replies Steven Ellison when prompted for an explanation of his recording process. "It just kind of happens. After I make some shit, I listen to it the next day and usually ask, 'Where the hell did THAT come from?'"

MUSIC

 » A Light Sleeper - "Despite the fact that it definitely does take a certain amount of mathematical thought to get multiple loops to sync up with each other, a lot of it is surprisingly instinctual." LAS senior staff writer Josh Zanger talks with Dheeru Pennepalli about effects, influences, and hand-made packaging.

MUSIC

 » Eliot Lipp - "He wants me to make some badass patterns and drawings to shoot out of the lasers. Instead of like, peace signs and hearts and stuff." LAS senior staff writer Josh Zanger talks with the wayward beatmaker about migration, city sounds, and his dad's obsession with laser light shows.

SPORTS

 » Hot Stove Baseball 2008 - "I've been a baseball fan for much longer than I've been into music, and a passionate follower of America's summer pastime for far longer than I've rested my hooves in the LAS stables. To think that it has taken this long for me to take a stab at covering anything sports-related is pretty ridiculous." Josh Zanger on the 2008 baseball off season.

PROFILES

 » Moodgadget - Under the broad mission statement and motto of "exposing the diversity in electronically made music," record label co-founders Jakub Alexander and Adam Hunt have been dealing audio heat for the past three years with an impressive roster of developing artists. Josh Zanger recently cornered the two label visionaries for an interview.

CINEMA

 » Moogfest 2006 - A collection of concert footage recorded live last fall at the B.B. King Blues Club in Times Square, featuring performances by Keith Emerson, Jan Hammer, Jordan Rudess & Bernie Worrell.

FESTIVALS

 » Pitchfork 2007: Photo Recap - Josh Zanger's modest picture diary from the festival, with images of Battles, Cat Power, De La Soul with Prince Paul, GZA, Iron & Wine, Jamie Lidell, Fred Lonberg-Holm's Lightbox Orchestra, Mastodon, Menomena and a bunch of others there is no room to list.

MUSIC

 » Strategy - "I hope people don't feel excluded by any reputation that might proceed me as being a supreme-record-nerd or what have you." Josh Zanger talks with Paul Dickow about making Future Rock, being brought up in a musical household, and the awesomeness of the vocoder.

MUSIC

 » Animal Collective: LIVE - Having become one of the most beloved and recognizable outfits in indie rock, Avey Tare, Panda Bear, Geologist and Deaken rolled into Chicago late last week for a cacophonous set at the Metro.

MUSIC

 » Skeletons & The Kings of All Cities - "You gotta make something that does something for you and for people that you're doing it for. I just wanna be making records. I just want to put out a record every year until I'm sick of it." Josh Zanger interviews Matt Mehlan.

MUSIC

 » Cornelius: LIVE - On Monday night in Chicago the Japanese ensemble proved that even though they've been doing this for years, there are still ways to keep rock shows fresh and appealing without resorting to shock value or stealing another band's show.

LITERATURE

 » FOUND Polaroids - Senior staff writer Josh Zanger reports on the book of grainy, white-framed photographs that members of the Found team have accumulated over the years, a collection that turns out to be both distinct and widely appealing.

LITERATURE

 » Dirty Found #3 - Chock full of blatant sexual images (nude men and women, and a notably disturbing drag queen), the latest issue of the Found series continues a long tradition of upping the ante on the display of social detritus.

MUSIC

 » 31 Knots - "I think the biggest rule of thumb for this record was to 'fuck subtlety.' We had alluded to things before but it was always a little more in the straight rock context." LAS senior staff writer Josh Zanger interviews Joe Haege.

MUSIC

 » Ralph Soul Jackson - After decades of obscurity outside of the 45 collectors and soul DJ circles of the UK this Alabama soul legend has found his stride again, thanks in part to a pair of reissued tracks on a Birmingham Sound compilation. Josh Zanger sat down with Jackson to talk about recording, collecting, and returning to the stage.

MUSIC

 » Ralph Soul Jackson: LIVE - On a cold night early last month, for only the second time in the last 20 years, Ralph "Soul" Jackson played out in public. The show, which took place in Chicago, was dazzling and the sold-out crowd was again wildly impressed.

MEDIA

 » Market Frenzy - From a makeshift studio in a Chicago apartment, Fred Wells and Gabe McDonough's podcast has generated a significant buzz with its positive attitude, exceptional and rounded taste palette, and friendly atmosphere.

MUSIC

 » Primus: LIVE - Die hard fans of any band are usually the last to embrace new material as tightly as the old, but can decades-old trio be able to mix things up enough to keep later converts equally as happy?

MUSIC

 » Edan & Dagha, Cut Chemist, and Lyrics Born - LIVE - With three of the most potent and innovative acts grouped together on one ticket, an evening performance earlier this month at the Abbey Pub in Chicago could have been given the title "Night of 1,000 Beats" without anyone crying foul.

POLITICS

 » Presidential Debates 2004 - FROM THE ARCHIVES: With Americans heading to the polls today in the nation's midterm review of Congress, LAS takes a look back at the last national election and the hilarious 2004 Bush/Kerry debates.

PROFILES

 » Benoît Pioulard - The extent of the audio discography (not to mention the visual art portfolio) of Tom Meluch's alter ego easily lends itself to an image of a storied creative veteran, but in truth the momentum-collecting artist is just four years out of high school.

PROFILES

 » 15 Minutes: Aziz Ansari - With 15M, LAS embarks on a series of quick interviews with people, but without necessarily knowing anything deep about them. This installment: Comedian Aziz Ansari.

CINEMA

 » We Jam Econo - A comprehensive 2-DVD documentary on the history and impact of The Minutemen, this film not only tells the story of the legendary California punk band but also serves as firey inspiration of D.I.Y. to those that see it.

CINEMA

 » Burn To Shine - Portland - Josh Zanger reports on the third installment of Brendan Canty and Christoph Green's ambitious film project, half rock video and half arthouse documentary, that combines music, film and wrecking ball into one destructive mess.

FESTIVALS

 » Pitchfork 2006 - Josh Zanger - Words? Who needs words? Josh Zanger recounts some of the highlights from last weekend's festival and lets the pictures do the talking. Okay, there is also some text because, let's face it, we're writers.

FESTIVALS

 » Intonation 2006 - Josh Zanger - This year's festival was noticeably more diverse than the one a year prior, and with a broader focus came the difficulty of re-capturing the attention of the zealous hipsters and concertgoers that were so struck by Intonation 2005.

CINEMA

 » Burn To Shine - Chicago - Josh Zanger reports on the second installment of Brendan Canty and Christoph Green's ambitious film project, half rock video and half arthouse documentary, that combines music, film and wrecking ball into one destructive mess.

LITERATURE

 » Shortpants Press - Comprised of Chicagoan Sarah Becan and St. Louisan Jason Robards, this independent print boutique/collective utilizes two drastically different styles to complement each artist and create a cross-over readership.

CINEMA

 » Pixies Sell Out: 2004 Reunion Tour - About a year and a half ago, the post-punk poster group of the Pixies got back together as mid-lifers and played a bunch of shows, alluded to new material, and made a bunch of indie fans go nuts. To boot, they documented it and released the footage on DVD.

LITERATURE

 » The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas - Josh Zanger reviews the new book from Found magazine creator Davy Rothbart, a collection of short stories that seem remarkably ironic while at the same time of relevance to the common reader.

MUSIC

 » Copperpot - "I'd like to think of myself as more global [sounding]," Dan Kuypers says. "I don't think I have a Chicago sound." After digging up obscure music to sample and nearly ruining his future in the process, Copperpot has arrived as one of Chicago's hottest DJs.

MUSIC

 » 15 Minutes: Dance Disaster Movement - With a new and regularly recurring feature, LAS embarks on a series of quick interviews with people, but without necessarily knowing anything deep about them.

CINEMA

 » Fearless Freaks - Josh Zanger reports on Fearless Freaks, a new retrospective film detailing the ups and downs and the whole story of the career of the Flaming Lips.

COLUMN

 » 15 Minutes: Finch - With a new and regularly recurring feature, LAS embarks on a series of quick interviews with people, but without necessarily knowing anything deep about them.

CINEMA

 » A-Motion - Ever since his earliest of days leading Tool, James Maynard Keenan has alluded to a dark and intriguing sense of artistic creativity. He continues that direction with the release of aMotion, a DVD and remix CD package from his other outfit, A Perfect Circle.

CINEMA

 » End of the Century - A new documentary sets out to present a detailed picture of both the obvious and subtle particulars of the Ramones, one of rock music's most significant groups.

CINEMA

 » Burn To Shine - Washington D.C. - Combining the elements of music, film and fire is sure to make sparks. Josh Zanger reports on this ambitious film project from Fugazi's Brendan Canty and film maker Christoph Green.

CINEMA

 » Looking for a Thrill DVD - Josh Zanger reviews the new Thrill Jockey DVD culling hours of stories from the likes of Bjork, Tortoise, Yo La Tengo, Thurston Moore, Steve Albini, Slint and more.

MUSIC

 » Pit Er Pat - Josh Zanger knows that what many individuals do not realize is that to be as creative as Fay, Butchy and Rob, the amount of effort spent day in and day out is deep and constant.

CINEMA

 » Ray Charles - With O-Genio, Josh Zanger takes a look at the "running corporate memoriam" for this inspiring R&B icon, and takes in the magic of some seldom-seen performances.

MUSIC

 » Ahleuchatistas - Josh Zanger interviews this controversial, powerful band, allowing these instrumentalists a chance to use their words to support their beliefs.

CINEMA

 » Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow - Josh Zanger takes a look at the new DVD from upstart rockers and shunners of subtlety, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

CINEMA

 » World Drifts In - Josh Zanger examines the release of Calexico's DVD, which includes behind-the-scenes perspectives and is centered around a performance at London's Barbican.

COLUMN

 » Forgotten Favorites - Josh Zanger dusts off an old copy of a Rollins Band release that served as his gateway drug to harder pleasures.

MUSIC

 » Midwest Product - Similar to musical styles and textures, the psychological source for the tightness with which Midwest Product plays is far removed from the Motown, Soul, and Rhythm and Blues artists of their native Detroit four decades ago.