Slimmed-Down Intonation Music Festival Unites Divergent Crowd

Music fans that overdosed on Chicago-based festivals this summer had a final event to mark off their checklists on Sunday; the organizers of Intonation Music Festival decided to eschew their outdoor concert set-up in order to partner with the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) for a one-day event called Rock/Art.

The concert was held as part of museum’s 40th anniversary celebration and kicks off a new music-themed exhibit titled Sympathy for the Devil: Art and Rock and Roll Since 1967. The change of format and venue was significant: a one-day festival held under a large tent downtown at the MCA Plaza, rather than a two-day event in the wide expanse of Union Park.

The new arrangement was for the best. The downtown location attracted a much more diverse crowd — middle-aged MCA regulars, Gen-Xers and their restless children, curious teens, and the usual college-aged hip-hop heads and skinny jean-wearing indie rockers — than Intonation’s previous outing. It was a welcome change to see such a variety of music fans congregating at one show.

And the music delivered on most counts: Midwestern indie rockers Poster Children seemed to come out of retirement, preserved in amber from their days on the college circuit but still churning out their trademark power pop. The 1900s (shown above) were a pleasant surprise; though they invite comparisons to the New Pornographers and Belle and Sebastian with multi-harmonic, ’60s-rock-influenced melodies, there’s a surprising weight to their swooning, pensive sound.

Soft post-rockers Califone were a buzzkill despite attracting what may have been the largest crowd of the day. Fans were into the performance, but after the lively sets of previous bands, Calfone’s moody set brought the general energy level of the crowd to a standstill.

Unfortunately, that meant a smaller crowd by the time The Eternals (shown left) took the stage. The funky, experimental rock trio was the most memorable performance of the afternoon. Singer Damon Locks’ distorted, oft-shrieking vocals and spastic stage presence seemed to confuse some listeners while entrancing others, but the percussive, jazz-tinged grooves of bassist Wayne Montana and drummer Tim Mulvenna did have a few people in the crowd dancing.

In a city crowded with options for live indie rock fests, particularly this past summer, Intonation and MCA’s collaboration of pop art and local music stands out. If Rock/Art is a glimpse of Intonation’s future, Chicago concert goers will have much to enjoy.

– Keidra Chaney

Photo credits: Keidra Chaney

Intonation Music Festival: www.myspace.com/intonationmusicfestival