Tales from Saltfest

Arggg mateys , it is I, Mo, welcoming you to my new blog! :)

I'm planning on using this space to talk about the Chicago music scene, CD/tape/film reviews, and of course, visual arts.

What a lot to cover! I've been going out to events almost every weekend since moving back to Chicago (from a brief stint of farming around the Wisconsin border). It seems like there's always something going down here, I'm so lucky to have the opportunity to engage with creative people at the frequency that I do. I love music, I love Chicago and I hope they love me too! <3

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending Saltfest, a two day hardcore/electronic extravaganza to celebrate the birthday of Sydney, a local favorite techno artist (also known by her stage name sulffffffur).

She was able to curate an absolutely stacked lineup with some friends, familiar names, faces, and people from out of town. Admittedly, I wasn't able to see everyone who performed, but I'll get to that later.

The fest was held at Archer Ballroom, a historically relevant venue to the Chicago DIY scene. I've seen loads of shows there, and I've never been disappointed. The atmosphere greatly between shows, but in general I would call it quaint and homely, largely because people actually live there! Along the open, hardwood dance floor, there's couches, bookshelves, a patio and a fully operational kitchen. (One night, the kitchen was actually in use by the duo easygoingtech to make tacos! They were delicious :0 )

On Friday, I skated from my Bridgeport apartment, only about 15 minutes away, and got to the show right around doors opening. The fest started off very mellow, with some softer, experimental electronic acts. A personal favorite performer (and friend) of mine, Dierdre Fromberg played a lovely set . I wish I could go into detail, but I lack the technical expertise to describe what exactly she was doing. I think its better if I just let the videos speak for themselves:

((Shout out to OmniaSol for sending me these!))

Unfortunately, I didn't get much footage from this night. The only video that I managed to record was this one, where I'm flexing my beanie baby, Speedy the turtle. You can hear a bit of musical action going on in the background too:

I stuck around a little past midnight, just long enough to hear a set from Casper McFadden, another scene favorite. If you're not familiar with them, they opened for Machine Girl a couple years back. Their sets are super high energy, and great to dance to ! I'd highly recommend seeing them live if you get the chance.

And with that, I was off ! I skated home, said goodnight to the cat , and took a five hour nap before heading to my Saturday morning shift at the West Loop Farmer's market.

xD

After a purrfect night, I was refreshed and ready for retail

(NOT)

Somehow, I made it through that shift. I waited 25 minutes for a bus and tried (but failed) to nap on my way home. So it goes. The party never stops, it just pauses.

Later, I was ready for round two. I pulled up to Saltfest around 7:30, 8ish (which is still very early by rave kid standards). My friend was checking tickets at the door, so we caught up and hung out for a bit.

I ran into Sydney again and, for her birthday, gave her a copy of "Girl Like Me" by Rhianna. It has one of my favorite 2000s pop songs on it, SOS.

The energy on Saturday was definitely different from the first night. Sets were intense and aggressive, with heavy variation between acts. Themes of mortality and surveillance were prevalent in the lyrics of a freestyle performer. The lights were brighter, the crowd was listening closely.

I needed to get some air, so I went out to the balcony overlooking the highway. It was then that I realized the door had no knob. My friend had to let me back in.. may this be a warning to all patrons of Archer: DO NOT CLOSE THE BACKDOOR😭

Again, I didn't take any photos or videos of the performances. I was trying my best to stay in the moment and enjoy the music in front of me (at the expense of how well I can recall it).

As a flyer in the bathroom said: "...PUNK IS MORE THAN JUST MUSIC..."

The world is changing. A new sentiment is in the air.

I think the highlight of my Saturday night was the Easygoingtech set. I've been following Anaïs and Jozie since the beginning of them preforming as EGT, and its been extremely satisfying to watch their work develop. They played acid house, which is simultaneously very fun and challenging to dance to. I think they ran into some technical problems while they were onstage, but it didn't detract from the performance at all. If anything, I thought it was nice to hear all the different layers that were going on. With music as complicated as theirs, I feel like its easy to forget its a living work, or a sum total of its parts, rather then one simple cohesive structure.

They're dropping an album soon and I can't wait :)

Again, I stepped out after that set.

I was originally just going to skate home and give myself an intermission. I even promised someone that I would bring them a block of cheese from my fridge when I got back. However, when I returned home I was too tired. I felt terrible.

Luckily, my friend informed me that they were able to procure some cheese-its from the gas station, rendering my obligation unnecessary. I took this as a sign that I needed rest.

I said goodnight to the cat again and finally, got a full night's sleep.

Saltfest was a perfect blend of creativity and chaos. Attending it around my work schedule was a challenge, but well worth the sleep deprivation. I'm glad to be a part of it, supporting my favorite local peeps, dancing all night, and overall becoming something larger then myself.

Super stoked to see what happens next !

-MH

Thoughts?

Reach out to me on Instagram, @themollosk

#swag