Friday 23
THE HACKER Grenoble-born DJ and producer the Hacker made his name on the Gigolo Records scene, creating bombastic beats for his longtime collaborator Miss Kittin, but over the last few years he’s started to sway more toward new deutsch, the austere sound that’s poppin’ in post-minimalist-techno Berlin. On his latest mix CD, A.N.D. N.O.W… (Uncivilized World), he exalts throwbacks and classics by the likes of Ellen Allien and Front 242 and shuns organic sounds in favor of synth-addled new wave. It’s flat and a touch apocalyptic, with a classic Detroit-style frigidity, but as with the Hacker’s live sets, there’s some personal whimsy thrown in for good measure. Kill Memory Crash opens. 10 PM, Spy Bar, 646 N. Franklin, 312-587-8779, $10 in advance or before 11 PM with RSVP, $20 at the door. –Jessica Hopper
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CC INTONATION MUSIC FESTIVAL See the festival guide on page 20 for a complete schedule and comprehensive coverage. Today’s bill: Bloc Party, Dead Prez, Robert Pollard, Jon Brion, Blue Cheer, the Sword, Lupe Fiasco, Annie, Rhymefest, the Constantines, the Panthers, Bill Dolan, and the Tyrades. 1 PM, Union Park, 1501 W. Randolph, www.intonationmusicfest.com, one-day pass $20, two-day pass $35 in advance or $40 at the gate. All ages.
“Dumbing Down,” SOUTHERLY’s contribution to the KRS comp, is a well-orchestrated piece of politicized, countrified indie rock–imagine a leaner, cuddlier Wilco. Krist Krueger, the band’s front man and sole permanent member, has a shot at becoming the aughts’ version of the 80s version of David Lowery.
PENTHOUSE SWEETS It’s a shame this local quartet is reduced to begging for a label on its MySpace page (“please someone put our goddamn record out”)–its second self-released EP, See You in Bed, is loads better than most of the label-approved indie schlock that swamps my desk. Their songs have a touch of Small Faces, a dash of Guided by Voices, and more than a pinch of the Replacements–nothing you haven’t heard before, but they sound rightfully proud of their glamourless glam rock, and there are startling guitar and organ bits to turn your head. Somebody out there knows how to sell this stuff. This show is part of the Music With Meaning benefit series. Fetor and Charlie Deets open. 9:30 PM, Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, 773-276-3600 or 866-468-3401, $7. –Monica Kendrick
SEU JORGE See Wednesday. Amadou & Mariam open. 6:30 PM, Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, 100 N. Michigan, 312-742-1168. Free. All ages.
