Riot Fest 2013 recap: Day two

By Gene Wagendorf III

Chelsea NoPants| Photo Credit: Gene Wagendorf III

Day Two of Riot Fest was loaded with sets by legends: UK ska icons The Selecter, LA punks X and hip-hop pioneers Public Enemy. Not your thing? Well, aren't you a picky bastard. Luckily the promoters had you covered, inviting the circus sideshow troupe Hellzapoppin to set up shop and freak out festival goers. A mix of gravity-defying stunt work, sword swallowing and straight luncay (glass eating, human dartboards and a man snorting popcorn kernels and shooting them out of his eyes), Hellzapoppin had the crowd buzzing cringing all weekend. After all the glass had been washed down with Windex (for real), there were plenty more great bands to catch...

Dinosaur Jr.

J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr

...Plenty more great bands, some of whom dropped really disappointing sets. I've seen Dinosaur Jr four or five times before- everywhere from Subterranean to Lollapalooza- and this was easily the most uninspired of those performances. Part of it was the muddied sound, which crippled J Mascis' voice and took the edge off his guitar, and part of it was the band's seemingly disinterested demeanor. Most of the set suffered from a fuzzy directionlessness, including hit single "Out There," a song that normally sways with desperate energy. Saturday it came off as bland and whiny, despite a couple laser-hot guitar licks. The group finally woke up when covering Deep Wound, a hardcore punk band that Mascis and guitarist Lou Barlow played in before forming Dinosaur. The song was all buzzsaw and raw energy, and in an ideal world would've been the first in a series of Deep Wound tunes. Their closing cover of "Just Like Heaven" had them ending on a high-note; its gurgling bass got people moving as they sang along. Even there though, the lead guitars felt buried in the mix, leaving me wanting more just as much as wanting something else all together.

Blondie

Deborah Harry | Photo via redbull.com

I once drunkenly uttered the words "Blondie did more for fashion than they ever did for rock." I know, I know, I'm a fucking moron, and Debbie Harry had a whole hour at Riot Fest to rub it in. The singer's voice sounded perfect romping through "One Way or Another," steeped in her trademark combination of playfulness, seductiveness and edge. "Hanging on the Telephone," a Nerves cover off 1978's Parallel Lines, found Harry's vocals dripping with sass against her band's magnetic bop. Blondie even found a way to jazz up what I've always considered one of their most boring songs, tacking on a snippet of "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" onto the end of "Rapture." The strutting crunch they attacked the Beastie Boys song with came off very Joan Jett, which is to say it kicked complete ass. Aside from that little surprise the group threw down pretty straightforward renditions of their songs; tightly polished but never mechanical.

Blondie ended their performance with a couple more massive hits; the disco carousel of "Heart of Glass" and high octane fist-pumper "Call Me." The former found Harry accenting the glee by nailing every ooh-ooh and ah-ah. Saving her best vocal performance for last, the singer snaked between a cooing sing-song and boisterous salvo. Pushed by charging guitars and serpentine keys, Harry sounded as invigorated onstage as on any Blondie record. The crowd was left in a euphoric tizzy, and I was left with my foot crammed way down my throat.

New releases - June 23

Some weeks it seems like there's a shortage of noteworthy new music releases to check out. This isn't one of those weeks. From classic rock to singer-songwriter to prog rock, there's a wide selection of new releases out for every sort of rock fan this Tuesday. Here's a rundown of the highlights:

Regina Spektor - Far - Spektor's fifth studio album and the follow-up to 2006's Begin to Hope, which brought the Moscow-born singer-songwriter mainstream attention via widely-played songs such as "Fidelity," "Better" and "Samson." The new record features lead-off single "Laughing With" and production by Garret Lee (R.E.M.), David Kahne (Paul McCartney), Mike Elizondo (Eminem) and Jeff Lynne (Electric Light Orchestra).

Cheap Trick - The Latest - Illinois' own classic rock/power pop heroes deliver their first new collection of material since 2006's Rockford. The CD includes 13 tracks, including a cover of Slade's "When the Lights are Out," and is also available in limited editions on vinyl and 8-Track. The band will tour the album as part of a 40-city stint with Def Leppard and Poison, including a local stop at the First Midwest Bank Amphitheater on July 17.

Pete Yorn - Back and Fourth - The alt-rock singer-songwriter is back with his fourth LP, including lead single "Don't Wanna Cry." He'll kick off a two-month North American tour in July, stopping in Chicago for gigs August 3rd and 4th at Park West. Yorn is also set to release an album of duets with Scarlett Johansson, Break Up, in September.

The Mars Volta - Octahedron - The fifth studio album from the experimental prog-rockers, following 2008's The Bedlam in Goliath.

Tortoise - Beacons of Ancestorship - Since forming in 1990, these locals have garnered a dedicated following with their experimental, "post-rock" style. Their new album is their first collection of new, original material in over five years. The band is set to play Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park on July 17.

Dream Theater - Black Clouds & Silver Linings - The 10th album from the Long Island-based prog-metal band, available as a standard CD, vinyl LP, or three-disc special edition. They are set to come to town August 23 for a show at the Chicago Theater.

The Lemonheads - Varshons - An album of covers from Evan Dando and company, with 11 takes on songs from a diverse (and often unlikely) list of artists such as G.G. Allin, Leonard Cohen, Wire and Christina Aguilera. The record features guest performances from Liv Tyler and Kate Moss, and was produced by Butthole Surfers front man Gibby Haynes.

Dinosaur Jr. - Farm - The influential alternative rock act's ninth LP follows 2007's Beyond, which was their first collection of new material in over a decade. The full album is currently streaming on the band's MySpace page.

Deer Tick - Born on Flag Day - The sophomore album from this Providence-based four-piece, mixing straight-ahead rock with elements of Americana/alt-folk. The band is set to play the Empty Bottle July 15.

R.E.M. - Reckoning (Reissue) - An expanded reissue of the band's sophomore album, following up last year’s “25th anniversary” edition release of their 1983 debut LP, Murmur. The re-release of the album - which includes classic tracks such as “So. Central Rain (I’m Sorry),” “Pretty Persuasion” and “Don’t Go Back To (Rockville) – is remastered and include a bonus disc featuring a previously unreleased concert recorded during the band’s "Little America" tour at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom on July 7, 1984. Click here for additional details.