The Million Tongues Festival gets underway tonight at the Empty Bottle in Chicago. Curated by none other than the city spokesman for all things obscure and psychedelic, Plastic Crimewave himself, the event promises to be another mind-melter featuring a great line up, and a one-night-only band stand that will have the most awkward and introverted music creeps unfolding their arms and letting loose as the night goes on.
Headlining are Chicago's golden boys of damaged pop, the Mannequin Men. With their follow-up to their highly-touted Fresh Rot LP on Flameshovel, coming out sometime soon, the band hasn't been as dormant as they may have seemed, and continually play under the moniker Thee Hardy Mums every once in a while. For anyone smart enough to catch these guys in action, you'll know that they put on one of the best rock'n'roll sets around town, and Mannequin Men also have a single slated to be released this year on HoZac Records too, so keep your eye out for that.
It's been a while since the king of off-kilter bedroom crooning has made his way back to the Windy City. Michael Yonkers holds the high honor of raising up the ilk of pasty-faced, loner, shut-in weirdo rock to the height it enjoys today. Every Pink Reason and Kurt Vile out there today making their bones on the very same introverted lonely soul trip shtick, owes something to Mr. Yonkers, whether they know it or not. Tonight, Yonkers will be backed by the Plastic Crimewave Sound for this performance, so buckle up for a great collaboration that will send you through space.
Making their debut US appearance are Gunslingers, coming all the way from France to pump their rough-edged reverb into the dark pores of this psychedelic fantasy/nightmare evening. With a style the harks back to Chicago's industrial roots, Gunslingers weave their heavy rhythms through maniacal and pulsating songs that drip with a futuristic ooze left over from a nuclear guitar blast, that will melt the gums from between you teeth. The local Kraut-bent band of feedback binged gypsies, Cave open the show. Be sure to pick up their Hunt Like Devil/Jamz LP on Permanent Records before it's too late.
