In support of the upcoming solo LP, Between The Times & The Tides, Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo will be hitting the road this spring with some old friends and big names. In April, Ranaldo will play a pair of dates with Disappears, which features Sonic Youth drummer and Between The Times cohort Steve Shelley. Then in May, he’ll open a series of shows for folk singer-songwriter M. Ward.

For Ward’s part, he’ll be joining Ranaldo after spending time with Feist in Europe, followed by stateside shows with Jonathan Richman and the newly reunited fIREHOSE. See both Ranaldo and Ward’s tour schedules below.

Ranaldo’s Between The Times & The Tides is out March 20th via Matador. Ward is currently working on a new solo album, his first since 2009′s Hold Time.

Lee Ranaldo Tour Dates:
04/07 – Mexico City, MX @ Indie-O Fest
04/17 – Ithaca, NY @ The Haunt ^
04/18 – Albany, NY @ Valentines ^
05/05 – Portland, ME @ State Theatre *
05/06 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground *
05/07 – New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place *
05/08 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues *
05/11 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall *
05/12 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer *
05/13 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club *
05/15 – Durham, NC @ Page Auditorium *
05/16 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre *
05/17 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre *
05/22 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre *

^ = w/ Disappears
* = w/ M.Ward

M. Ward Tour Dates:
03/21 – Paris, FR @ Le Zenith ^
03/22 – Lyon, FR @ Transbordeur ^
03/23 – Lille, FR @ Theatre Sebastopol ^
03/25 – London, UK @ Royal Albert Hall ^
03/26 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo ^
03/27 – Glasgow, UK @ Royal Concert Hall ^
04/11 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore #
04/12 – Santa Cruz, CA The Cocoanut Grove Ballroom $
04/13 – Indio, CA @ Coachela Music Festival
04/17 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom $
04/18 – Flagstaff, AZ @ The Orpheum $
04/20 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Music Festival
05/05 – Portland, ME @ State Theatre *
05/06 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground *
05/07 – New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place *
05/08 – Boston, MA @ House of Blues *
05/11 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall *
05/12 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer *
05/13 – Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club *
05/15 – Durham, NC @ Page Auditorium *
05/16 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre *
05/17 – Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre *
05/22 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre *

^ = w/ Feist
# = w/ Jonathan Richman
$ = w/ fIREHOSE
* = w/ Lee Ranaldo

The last two LPs from Chicago’s Disappears were equal parts down-and-dirty garage punk and menacing Krautrock. It’s what they do best: creating short, fast sonic explosions, not unlike a slightly stripped down Sonic Youth, or No Age at their loudest. Now, just a year removed from their last release, the band returns on March 1st with another full-length, Pre Language.

Recorded at Sonic Youth’s personal studio in Hoboken, NJ, the album was mixed by John Congleton (St. Vincent, Modest Mouse) and marks the first Disappears LP to feature Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley as a full-time member. Shelley toured with Disappears throughout last year.

On their official website, the band describes Pre Language as a “full-bore assault from the opening track to the last,” and one that contains “direct allusions to Philip K. Dick, James Baldwin, and Joan of Arc sit side by side with songs about the lows of life and the characters that permeate it.” Below you can check out a video of Disappears performing the album’s title track at a recent show in Philadelphia.

Pre Language is out March 1st via Kranky.

“Pre Language”:

Pre Language Tracklist:
01. Replicate
02. Pre Language
03. Hibernation Sickness
04. Minor Patterns
05. All Gone White
06. Joa
07. Fear of Darkness
08. Love Drug
09. Brother Joliene

You can peep the whole list of shows below, but here are some “must sees” in our book: Death From Above 1979 at the Metro on Thursday, The Vaccines/Tennis at Schubas on Friday, and Titus Andronicus/Fences hitting up Reggie’s on Saturday. If you’re willing to brave the House of Blues, you can catch more of Lykke Li (who wouldn’t?) and the Arctic Monkeys, performing their new brilliant LP. It should be noted that there are no planned performances at the Vic Theatre, where Soundgarden and Pearl Jam both performed pre-weekend sets in previous years. Could there be something in the works? Maybe a Foo Fighters gig? Speculation, sure, but you never know. We’ll have to play the waiting game.

In the meantime, here are your shows and check out Do312.com for ticket information!

Lollapalooza 2011 Aftershows
08/03 – Cold War Kids w/ Gold Motel, Carbon Tigers, Katz Company @ Metro
08/04 – Death From Above 1979 w/ Metz @ Metro
08/04 – Crystal Castles w/ The Naked and Famous @ House of Blues
08/04 – Smith Westerns @ Schubas
08/04 – Delta Spirit w/ Reptar @ Lincoln Hall
08/04 – Cults w/ Guards, Riter @ Empty Bottle
08/04 – Feed Me w/ Savoy @ Logan Square Auditorium
08/05 – Black Lips w/ Night Beats @ Empty Bottle
08/05 – Atmosphere w/ Prof, Evidence, Blueprint @ Metro
08/05 – Lykke Li w/ Foster The People @ House of Blues
08/05 – Portugal. The Man w/ Wye Oak @ Double Door
08/05 – The Vaccines w/ Tennis @ Schubas
08/05 – Afrojack w/ Perry Farrell @ The Mid
08/05 – Tinie Tempah & Young the Giant @ Subterranean
08/05 – Local Natives w/ Walk the Moon @ Lincoln Hall
08/05 – Sam Adams w/ Kyle Lucas & Captain Midnite @ Bottom Lounge
08/05 – Pretty Lights & Skrillex @ The Congress Theater
08/06 – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart w/ Young Man @ Empty Bottle
08/06 – Arctic Monkeys w/ Disappears @ House of Blues
08/06 – White Lies w/ Rival Schools @ Double Door
08/06 – Fitz & the Tantrums w/ Christina Perri @ Schubas
08/06 – MSTRKRFT w/ Midnight Conspiracy, Nathan Scott, Compact Disco @ The Mid
08/06 – Dom w/ Typhoon @ Subterranean
08/06 – Two Door Cinema Club w/ Grouplove @ Lincoln Hall
08/06 – Titus Andronicus w/ Fences @ Reggie’s
08/06 – Daedelus w/ Eskmo, Lorn @ Bottom Lounge
08/06 – 12th Planet w/ 16bit, Richie August, Mega Mike @ Logan Square Auditorium

This is the problem with summer concerts at Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion, namely those of the “New Music Mondays” series. In an attempt to appease a younger demographic, organizers place musicians accustomed to hole-in-the-wall venues and their fans in a comparably restrictive environment.

This isn’t a sequel to my review of The Books’ performance at said venue, in which I questioned the wisdom of booking “cutting-edge” rock and pop acts to play for free in a large public space. Then again, in many ways it is. The same series of clashing opposites comes into play: band versus venue, fans versus security, energy versus vibe. Both artist and audience need to make the best of a non-ideal situation. And, yes, a slew of dancing hipsters make this reviewer’s evening a memorable one.

If I haven’t deterred you yet, feel free to keep reading.

The evening began uneventfully with a half hour of power courtesy of Chicago-based opener Disappears. I admit that I had reasonably high expectations upon learning of the group’s ties to the Kranky imprint (home to both Deerhunter and Atlas Sound) and their charged live performances. The performance was charged all right. Disappears specialize in a brand of raucous garage rock heard many times before. Vocals and rhythm are lost in a sea of wild guitar noise. I liken it, somewhat reluctantly, to a Stooges LP come to life: a visceral experience with cheap production values. (See, I didn’t mention the girl clad in a cut-up Led Zeppelin tee and high-waisted jeans on tambourine once!)

It can be difficult for listeners to discern between The Thermals on record and live. When they perform, they play their songs note-for-note, a notoriously hit-or-miss approach. It is tempting to write a show, never mind a group, off as stale for just that. Fortunately, The Thermals’ body of work is solid, so this isn’t necessarily a problem. I mean, does delivery even matter when you’ve got the right stuff?

The trio took the stage to a very enthusiastic reception from a decidedly more diverse, down-to-earth audience uncharacteristic of these concerts (or at least that of The Books). The band clearly sensed this. They fed off the crowd’s exuberance, which made for a charged beginning consisting largely of new material. Personal Life, the follow up to last year’s Now We Can See, drops in early September. The new songs evidence almost no deviation from the sounds of their previous work. Hutch Harris’ lyrics are socially astute. The compositions are full of punky, rapid-fire chord progressions, melodic basslines, and tight drumming. Somehow it works. It works each and every time.

When bands go out on the road to try out new material, it’s safe to assume that they feel obligated to reward their fans with a carefully selected batch of “hits” for sitting through the unfamiliar. Aside from the occasional request for “Pillar of Salt”, the audience responded warmly to songs that weren’t, well, “Pillar of Salt”.

“We Were Sick” and “Returning to the Fold” elicited some of the strongest reactions. However, no one seemed to think much of waiting for them. Fans generally don’t find a first-hand look of what’s to come to be a chore. If anything, the wait most likely made their old favorites sound even better than they remembered.

The set continued. Harris used the excellent acoustics of the space to project his voice. In fact, not one member of the group shrunk in their surroundings, a real threat to groups who perform in the Pavilion. Everyone shined in the massive environment.

It’s clear that The Thermals made the most of a difficult situation, but what about the audience?

Remember when I said earlier how the dynamic energy of a rock show can’t be contained? Security at Millennium Park certainly tried to do so. The area upfront was closed to all but members of the media. So while the professional photographers (and myself) sat comfortably, the real fans gathered at the metal barriers, bopping along happily throughout the first few songs.

Then a sweaty old dude wearing a cut-up tee shirt and a doo rag broke the barrier, pulling off moves reminiscent of Michael J.  Fox’s Chuck Berry impersonation in Back to the Future. A fiery red head in gold sequined shoes followed suit. As the two finished bouncing about up at the front of the stage more people began to jump the barrier.

You know where this is going. You know what’s coming next….

And then the moshing began. People of all stripes pogoed, pumped their fists in the air, and even got a bit sweaty as I struggled to retain balance, standing on my plastic folding chair with my camera in hand. It was what you’d expect at a Thermals gig, but the context made it all the more remarkable. Ardent fans fought against the rules in order to create the kind of wild yet friendly atmosphere they wanted.

Security guards dispersed the mosh pit soon thereafter. People returned to their seats, but they were far from impassive. The drug-induced dancing continued despite the circumstances, right up through “Now We Can See” and an encore that included the song superfans and casual listeners alike came to hear, “Pillar of Salt”.

Much of the evening felt scripted, including all the aforementioned mêlée. The show itself was, dare I say it, predictable. But hey, for a “predictable” show, it was pretty damn good.

The first thing that struck me about Poison Arrows was the synthesizer vocalist Justin Sinkovich plonked away on. The sound was as ’80s throwback as it gets: that is, it was super-cheesy. Switching over to electric guitar helped this out some, but the layer of velveeta left on stage was often a lot to overcome. Dropping those sounds over a groove reminiscent of Holy Fuck, the trio seemed to be trying their best to defrost the crowd. At times, this combination worked, finding a welcome intersection between funk and moody rock. At worst, it sounded far too much in the vein of Depeche Mode.

Their set-closing song may have been their best, though. Patrick Morris’ bass and Sinkovich’s guitar locked together in a math rock hook that turned, somehow, into math blues. Throughout, drummer Adam Reach pounded away in a bluesy thump. This song best exemplified the combination of the band’s parts. Morris used to be in Don Caballero, and their post-math style showed up in spades. Sinkovich used to be in Chicago favorite Atombombpocketknife, and their brash, noisy indie rock sounded out just as well.

Allá took the stage next, and if their tropicalia shoegaze couldn’t brighten up Schubas, god knows what would. The ethereal vocal loops, stuttered bass lines and cymbal waves got a few people dancing, but things were still a bit on the chilly side. Vocalist Lupe Martinez’s shimmery, lithe vocals were a consistent hit, as was the machine gun drumming of Angel Ledezma.

Angel’s younger brother Jorge took his own share of the spotlight though, flailing around as he chopped out tides of roaring guitar chords. His droning and crashing added a layer of what may be described as “Boredom’s Latin American cousins who don’t want to weird you out”.

The number of dancers grew exponentially as Allá’s set went on, and Disappears only boosted the growth. They may have Brian Eno and Suicide among their “Top Friends” on MySpace, and they may claim to be “CCR via Minor Threat”, but these dudes kicked out some non-stop garage rock. Vocalist Brian Case sounds like he learned how to sing from the school of Johnny Rotten and Eddie Argos, but in the best possible way. His bark and shout fit right in with the post-punk, reverb rock that the rest of the group laid down underneath.

It was clear, though, that everyone was there to see Department of Eagles. As soon as the lights dimmed, howls and whistles erupted and the icy audience got wild. Daniel Rossen walked to center stage with his arms full of water bottles. “I have many beverages to keep me awake”, he said sheepishly. Shortly thereafter, the opening strains of “Phantom Other” swirled through the hall. Fred Nicolaus had his synth set on “chorus”, and for the first time in the setting’s history, it sounded pretty damn cool. Sounding equal parts Neil Young and Paul McCartney, Rossen’s crooning had the whole audience warmed all the way up.

Rossen knew it was cold outside though, and he was the first person all night brave enough to acknowledge it. Well, sort of: “You know, weather…it’s pretty interesting”.

Just a short while later, he introduced the band, saying it was its first in the current setup. He introduced bassist Matthew Million quite succinctly: “He has a moustache. It looks pretty cool”.

After playing a couple of new songs, Rossen declared that they were going to play a “really old song”, and calling it “pretty embarrassing”. It turned out to be the amazing “Sailing By Night” off of their debut album. Stripped down to all acoustics and Rossen’s saccharine voice, the song was a piece of sheer bliss.

Next came a cover of “Too Little Too Late” by pop sensation Jojo. Again, Rossen had his terse, pithy comments for his own music. “This is a really ridiculous cover”, he mumbled. “You can get it for free online…just about anywhere. Just like all of our music. That wasn’t supposed to be funny”. And searching this number out is completely worth the non-effort.

After hitting fan favorites “1997″ and “No One Does It Like You”, Rossen’s bandmates left him alone to close out the show. Per usual, he awkwardly introduced the tune, only saying it was new and that he didn’t know whether it was any good. Well, it was. Rossen looped a set of harmonies of his own voice, then put together a sublime folk pop gem. Ending the song with “And if you’ll all look away” was the perfect awkward ending for the show, a beautiful harmony with uncertain lyrics.

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