This weekend: West Fest

West Town’s annual street fair, West Fest, returns this weekend and will offer festgoers the chance to see some top-notch music acts. Head over to Chicago Ave. and Damen Saturday, July 11 and Sunday, July 12 to to take in two full days of eclectic live performances, which, unlike many of the city's music fests, put a strong emphasis on homegrown acts. Local H and Red Red Meat will headline, and there’s plenty of other excellent Chicago bands on tap that will make it worth arriving early. Here’s a rundown of the lineup:

Saturday, July 11

8:30: Local H – Chicago’s perpetual alternative rockers are still going strong, as evidenced by their most recent release, 2008’s Twelve Angry Months.

7:00: Mucca Pazza – Self-described as a “circus punk marching band,” this 30-piece plays everything from TV theme show covers to their takes on classical pieces. They have released two albums, A Little Marching Band (2006) and Plays Well Together (2008).

5:45: Liquid Soul – A jazz-funk-rap fusion act that’s been going strong since 1994.

4:30: Caos

3:15: Coupleskate – This all-girl indie rock band recently released their debut LP, Don’t Scare the Horses.

2:00: Peacekeeper – This band moved from New Orleans to Chicago in 2008, and brought with them a unique sound that references everything from Americana to indie pop to Southern rock. They describe their music as “gentleman rock,” refusing to fall into any of indie rock’s PBR-drenched clichés. Click here for a review of the band’s recently released debut album, Fireworks.

12:45: Fluid Minds – Eclectic rock that’s been featured on ESPN, Cartoon Network and various local radio stations.

Sunday, July 12

8:45: Red Red Meat – These blues-influenced alt-rockers gained notoriety on the Chicago music scene in the ‘90s, but have seldom performed in recent years. Their West Fest set will be one in just a handful of 2009 shows.

7:45: The Aluminum Group – A longtime staple of Chicago chamber pop, these two brothers released their most recent album, Little Happyness, in 2008.

6:45: Richard Edwards of Margot & The Nuclear So and So's with Brian Deck - Deck, a member of Red Red Meat, will join So and So's bandleader Edwards for a set. Edwards recently announced that Deck, who produced the So and So's last two records, will be the drummer in his new side project, Vegetables.

5:45 The 1900s – One of the most notable bands on the current Chicago music scene, having released an acclaimed LP of charming folk pop, Cold & Kind, and two strong EPs, Plume Delivery and Medium High, via Parasol Records. The band is currently working on a new sophomore full-length.

4:45: The Vulgar Boatmen - A classic roots pop band best known for the albums You and Your Sister (1989), Please Panic (1992) and Opposite Sex (1995).

3:30: Freak Easy - Locals that perform both original material and covers of songs by bands such as Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles.

2:15: Sex Fist - A bluegrass act self-described as featuring "high-energy, hard-driving picking and angelic harmony singing."

1:00: Ian Torres Big Band - Local jazz/swing troupe playing original compositions and fresh arrangements.

The fest will also feature DJ sets at the BassByThePound Dj Stage (Chicago & Wood):

Saturday

8: 30: Dj Craze

7:30: Million $$ Mano

6:30: DJ Zebo

5:45: Mark Gertz

5:00: Willy Joy

4:00: Dj MTM

3:00: Justin Reed

Sunday

8:30: Derrick Carter

7:30: Diz

6:30: John Mork of TSR

5:45: The Beat Giants

5:00: John BID Simmons

4:00: Striz

Peacekeeper - 'Fireworks'

Local band Peacekeeper moved to Chicago from New Orleans in the summer of 2008, and have since released their debut LP, "Fireworks." The band describe themselves as part of a musical movement dubbed "gentleman rock," in which "a premium is put on good manners, cosmopolitanism and a generally genial attitude." "Just because you rock doesn't mean you have to drink Pabst Blue Ribbon in a filthy alleyway at 3 o'clock in the morning, right?," ask the band in their MySpace profile. You have to admire them simply for daring to refuse rock and roll cliches, but luckily their music is pretty great, too.

Although "gentlemen rock" could easily describe their sound as well as their attitude, overall Peacekeeper is one of those acts you can't easily categorize. Lead singer, songwriter and piano player Kevin Corcoran sounds comfortable dabbling in a variety of styles, all rooted in down to earth, classicist pop. The band is at their strongest when they lean toward breezy, upbeat melodies, with the title track, "Ship in a Bottle," "Girl" and "New House" offering up the most memorable hooks and sounding like the musical equivalent to a Sunday afternoon in July. "New House" features a particularly soaring, ear-catching chorus that makes it stand out as one of the disc's finest. Elsewhere, they expand their sound via old-time Americana ("Lonely Waltz"), jazzy lounge pop ("Is This Love") and Southern-style classic rock ("Don't Hold Me"), and while these tracks aren't quite as convincing, they are still enjoyable and add welcome variety.

"Fireworks" is the work of a band that isn't attempting to make your ears ring or rock your face off, but it's also a lot more than mere background music. Its best moments are examples of genuinely great, refreshing songwriting. If this is what gentlemen rock sounds like, hopefully we'll hear much more of it soon.

You can get "Fireworks" on iTunes and Amazon MP3, as well as at select record stores in Chicago. Check out Peacekeeper live at Phyllis' Musical Inn in Wicker Park on March 20 and April 25.

More Chicago music reviews:

The Steak House Mints - Out of the Sky

Pet Lions - Soft Right

Camera - Fire & Science

tenniscourts - Dig the New Sounds of tenniscourts