Prior to the Soft Pack’s Lollapalooza aftershow performance at Schuba’s in Chicago, we spoke with front man Matt Lamkin and bass player David Lantzman about their Lolla performance. It sounded like a smashing success, confirming what one Sound Citizen reader told us — that the Soft Pack “was worth the price of admission” that day.
Lantzman also told us that it was probably the biggest stage they have ever played. So it was fitting that, on this night, they were playing one of the smallest stages in Chicago where some of the biggest bands have played in the past.
The Soft Pack’s sound is direct and empowering, and at the same time lazy and completely understated. But the band itself is anything but lazy. Guitarist Matty McLoughlin shreds the strings — literally — and the rest of the band follows suit with passionate turns on the drums and bass. Lamkin sings in one of the most straightforward manners I’ve seen and a tone that never wavers, no matter the song. I think that’s part of what draws me to them in the first place, and got them a spot on Sound Citizen Radio 7.
Anyway, enough from me. Let’s hear from Soft Packs drummer, Brian Hill on their Chicago visit.
“Chicago has always been really great to us, but it was more than a little bit surprising that people came out early on Saturday to see us play at Lollapalooza. Playing at around noon at a huge festival like that can be a bit daunting, but we had a total blast. It was a treat to see Phoenix’s soundcheck earlier in the day — those guys are the best. We just kind of did our thing for 40 minutes or so, and then moved along from there. Unfortunately, we didn’t get much of a chance to check out any bands, really. One highlight would be Wild Beasts. I thought that the singer sounded a little like Jeff Buckley, and that was fine by me. My comparisons are usually wrong to a lot of people … maybe I’m losing my hearing?*
“Later on, in the evening, we had the chance to play one of our favorite venues, Schuba’s. That place is great. It always sounds great, they treat bands wonderfully, and their restaurant is top banana. Now I sound like I’m writing for Zagat’s or something. Anyways, there was a slight mishap regarding equipment at the beginning of the night … we didn’t have our backline. Luckily for us, the other band on the bill, Royal Bangs, were sweethearts and offered to let us borrow theirs. Well, not to ramble on, but our equipment did show up and we played what we thought was a great show. No complaints about Chicago — we love that place.”
Big thanks to Brian and the rest of the Soft Pack fellas for an outstanding show at Schuba’s. The Soft Pack comes back to Chicago October 30 and 31. Check them out, you won’t be disappointed.
*Hearing loss wouldn’t surprise me. These guys are wonderfully loud as hell.
Below is some video from the show and below that are current Soft Pack tour dates.
| Sep 4 2010 | 5:00P | FYF Fest, Los Angeles CA | Los Angeles, CA |
| Sep 10 2010 | 9:00A | Bowery Ballroom | New York, NY |
| Sep 11 2010 | 9:00P | Bowery Ballroom | New York, NY |
| Sep 17 2010 | 5:00P | Neon Reverb Festival, Las Vegas | Las Vegas, NV |
| Sep 18 2010 | 9:30P | The Clubhouse, Tempe AZ | Tempe, AZ |
| Oct 1 2010 | 8:30P | San Francisco State University: The Depot | San Francisco, CA |
| Oct 3 2010 | 11:00P | Detroit Bar | Costa Mesa, CA |
| Oct 7 2010 | 9:00P | Sons of Herman Hall | Dallas, TX |
| Oct 8 2010 | 11:30A | Austin City Limits Festival | Austin, Texas |
| Oct 9 2010 | 10:00P | Antone’s | Austin, TX |
| Oct 12 2010 | 11:00P | Old No. 2 | Laredo, TX |
| Oct 13 2010 | 11:00P | Mango’s Cafe | Houston, TX |
| Oct 14 2010 | 10:00P | Lochrann’s | Frisco, TX |
| Oct 16 2010 | 2:00P | Corona Festival, Mexico City | Mexico City, MX |
| Oct 19 2010 | 5:30P | Juanita’s Cantina Ballroom | Little Rock, AZ |
| Oct 20 2010 | 10:00P | Proud Larry’s | Oxford, MS |
| Oct 21 2010 | 10:00P | The Earl w/ Kurt Vile | Atlanta, GA |
| Oct 22 2010 | 6:00P | The Nick w/ Kurt Vile | South Birmingham, AL |
| Oct 23 2010 | 9:00P | Mercy Lounge w/ Kurt Vile | Nashville, TN |
| Oct 26 2010 | 6:00P | Mad Hatter Club w/ Kurt Vile | Covington, KY |
| Oct 27 2010 | 6:00P | The Summit w/ Kurt Vile | Columbus, OH |
| Oct 28 2010 | 6:00P | Blind Pig w/ Kurt Vile | Ann Arbor, MI |
| Oct 29 2010 | 6:00P | White Rabbit Cabaret w/ Kurt Vile | Indianapolis, IN |
| Oct 30 2010 | 9:30P | The Empty Bottle w/ Kurt Vile | Chicago, IL |
| Oct 31 2010 | 9:30P | The Empty Bottle w/ Kurt Vile | Chicago, IL |
| Nov 1 2010 | 9:00P | Triple Rock Social Club w/ Kurt Vile | Minneapolis, MN |
| Nov 4 2010 | 9:00P | Neumos Crystal Ball Reading Room w/ Kurt Vile | Seattle, WA |
| Nov 5 2010 | 7:00P | Biltmore Cabaret w/ Kurt Vile | Vancouver, Vancouver, CANADA |
| Nov 6 2010 | 8:30P | Berbati’s Pan w/ Kurt Vile | Portland, OR |
| Nov 9 2010 | 8:00P | Rickshaw Stop w/ Kurt Vile | San Francisco, CA |
| Nov 11 2010 | 8:00P | Echo Plex w/ Kurt Vile | Los Angeles, CA |
| Nov 13 2010 | 8:00P | Casbah w/ Kurt Vile | San Diego, CA |
| Dec 30 2010 | 6:00P | The Falls Festival – Marion Bay, Tasmania | Marion Bay, Tasmania, AUSTRALIA |
| Dec 31 2010 | 6:00P | The Falls Festival, Lorne – Victoria | Lorne, Victoria, AUSTRALIA |
| Jan 2 2011 | 5:00P | South Bound Festival, Busselton – Western Australia | Busselton, Western Au, AUSTRALIA |
| Jan 6 2011 | 6:00P | Sunset Sounds, Brisbane – Queensland | Brisbane, Queensland, AUSTRALIA |
Lollapalooza has released the schedule of aftershows for 2010 — and just like Lollapalooza itself, there are several difficult choices to make. It’s shocking and unfortunate that each night, every show has a conflicting schedule. Wouldn’t it be nice to see one show, then head to another? Not going to happen.
Let’s start with Thursday, August 5:
Devo, with Dirty Projectors are at Congress Thetaer at 7:30
Slightly Stoopid with Collie Buddz are at House of Blues at 8.
The New Pornographers with The Dodos are at Metro at 8.
The Big Pink with Night Gallery are at Lincoln Hall at 8
Cymbals Eat Guitars with Young Galaxy are at Schuba’s at 8
Out of these, our choice is Slightly Stoopid with Collie Buddz. It’s a tough call over The New Pornographers and Cymbals Eat Guitars. But Slightly Stoopid is perfect summer music and House of Blues is a great downtown Chicago venue.
Friday, August 6:
MGMT is at House of Blues at 10.
Cut Copy with Dragonette is at Metro at 10.
The Walkmen with Warpaint is at Double Door at 10.
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros with Freelance Whales at Lincoln Hall at 10.
Wild Beasts at Empty Bottle at 10.
Rogue Wave with Gamble House at Schubas at 10.
Lackluster, if you ask me. But we’ll go with Edward Sharpe and Freelance Whales. The two bands go well together, which should make for a good all-around experience and Lincoln Hall is one great venue.
Saturday, August 7:
The National with The Antlers at House of Blues at 10.
The Black Keys with The Morning Benders at Metro at 10.
Minus the Bear with Miniature Tigers at Double Door at 10.
Blitzen Trapper with Avi Buffalo at Lincoln Hall at 10.
The Soft Pack with Royal Bangs at Schuba’s at 10.
Wavves with Harlem at Empty Bottle at 10.
Gogol Bordello at Subterranean at 10.
Precision Guided Musicians featuring Hot Chip (live), Rusko, Steve Porter Ancient Astronauts and Perry Farrell at Congress Theater at 10. CANCELED
Far and away, Saturday features the most difficult choices. I’d be happy with The National, The Black Keys, Minus the Bear or The Soft Pack. I’ve seen The Black Keys several times, although not on the most recent album. I’ve seen The National at Pitchfork. I’ve seen Minus the Bear at The Riviera. All are impressive. The one I haven’t seen is The Soft Pack and they are one of our new favorite bands — so we’ll choose them by default. That is, unless we see them at Lolla. If so, it’s The Black Keys once again. Seriously, you can’t go wrong.
Sunday, August 8:
Phoenix with Toro Y Moi at House of Blues at 10.
Health with Chandeliers at Reggie’s Rock Club at 10.
Phoenix should be entertaining.
What do you think? Leave your comments below!
Click to buy Lollapalooza 2010 aftershow tickets.
There are some great bands I’m excited to see at Lollapalooza 2010 – like Soundgarden, Green Day, The Strokes, The Black Keys and Spoon. But you know the bands in small type on the Lollapalooza lineup list? Yeah, those are often the best ones when it’s all said and done. Unfortunately, many times they are missed because you just don’t know who they are. Well, as always, we’re here to help.
Below you’ll find our list of five bands that you absolutely should not skip. In order of our predictions on who will be crowned Lollapalooza 2010′s Show Stealer:
The Soft Pack
This is one of our favorite new bands, and featured on Sound Citizen Radio 7. They play like they have nothing to lose and everything to gain, so look for a sharp, energetic set. This band is going places and they will be eager to slam their collective foot on the gas pedal.
Dawes
Another newfound favorite at Sound Citizen (and featured on Sound Citizen Radio 3), Dawes is a perfect fit for a summer day. These guys can rock out with the best of them, but I really dig their flowing melodies mixed with simple, clean hooks. “When My Time Comes” and “Love is All I Am” are two of the best songs I’ve heard this year.
The Morning Benders
Much of The Morning Benders (great band name, by the way) reminds me of the music from the simple times of the 50′s when music was considered rebellious but was understated. But, their arrangements are far from simplistic. Expect a big crowd reaction and sing-alongs with this one. The song “Excuses” is downright dreamy.
Freelance Whales
Sweeping songs are the specialty of Freelance Whales. They sound like a perfect fit for any number of indie movie soundtracks and kind of remind me of Postal Service. I think one of the most impressive things about this band is their ability to take several different instruments and styles and weave them together into one cohesive jam. Nothing sounds out of place.
Minus the Bear
You know the show BJ and the Bear? That’s how this band got their name… Anyway, this band is another that defies categorization. They can be metal, trip-hop and just about everything in between. They have serious chops and are not afraid to push boundaries. They have a new album coming May 4, so expect a heavy set of new stuff.
What do you think? Have any other show stealers you think we missed? Leave a comment and let your fellow Sound Citizens know!
Ahhhh… spring. That much closer to summer and road trip season. So, we have three excellent road trip bands lined up for you this week. They’re from all over the country, too. Of course, we’ll tell you where to see them live in the coming days and months, as well as play a round of “Screw the Scalpers,” where we tell you about some shows sure to sell out and when they go on sale – so you don’t get screwed.
A big thanks this week to Jon, a Sound Citizen reader who suggested Root Hog, and to everyone who subscribed this week to Sound Citizen Radio on iTunes. Keep it going – the more we spread the love, the closer these bands get to living the rock and roll dream.
This week’s lineup:
Root Hog, Lafayette, IN (pictured)
Saturday, April 10, Lafayette Brewing Company, Lafayette, IN
Sunday, April 11, Lakeshore Theater, Chicago, IL UPDATE: This show has, unfortunately, been canceled. We’ll let you know when another local show is scheduled.
The Soft Pack, San Diego, CA
Thursday, April 8, Magic Stick, Detroit, MI
Friday, April 9, Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL
Drive-by Truckers, Athens, GA
Thursday, April 8, St. Andrews Hall, Detroit, MI
Friday, April 9, The Vic, Chicago, IL
July 17, opening for Tom Petty, United Center, Chicago, IL
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