Wicker Park Fest - July 28th, 2007 and July 29th, 2007
Get ready Chicago! Over the past decade, millions have flocked to all over Chicago to countless outdoor festivals... not only to witness the music, but also to contribute and take part in some of the magic created by the Windy City's culture. This year will be no exception; and, for the 3rd consecutive year, music lovers will have a multi-day opportunity to bring the good vibes that surround Silver Wrapper shows to the Chicago summer festival circuit.

The Wicker Park Fest is a two-day, all-day event featuring music presented by Silver Wrapper. It is a free event, and all of us here at Silver Wrapper have been working hard all year to make this another one to remember, and introduce some new, fresh music. As a result the musical line-up is stacked. Silver Wrapper is proud to announce the line-up for the 2007 Wicker Park Fest South Stage, to take place outdoors, July 28th and July 29th, at the famous six-way intersection of Milwaukee, North and Damen (which will be blocked off):

 Prefuse 73 (Live Band Set)
 JJ Grey & MOFRO
 Dirty Dozen Brass Band
 Benevento/Russo Duo
 The New Mastersounds
 Oh My God
 Future Rock
 Something For Rockets
 American Babies
 The Frequency
 Eliot Lipp
 Dearborn
 Sabertooth Organ Quartet
 Juice & The Machine
 Dubconscious
 The Hedrons

Festival Schedule

Artist Information

Prefuse73, unlike Brazil 66, is the work of a lone gun, a super-sharpshooter with an army of aliases who mostly answers to the name Scott Herren. Ensconced in the Atlanta, GA with backyard pit bull breeders for neighbours, outland anonymity is the perfect cover for this Clerk Kent of the mixing desk. But he doesn't need a telephone kiosk to transform into a Cubase cubist, a carbon-based biped skewering humans with block rockin' beats or serial seducer wowing one and all with supple instrumental flow. A sonic empath with the ability to sync with any scene, Scott's nice networking reveals the extent of his dexterity, equally at home 'neath the balmy palms of tourist trapping Miami with native labels Schematic and Chocolate Industries as working in Chicago, Illanoize with Tortoise sticksman Johnny Herndon and The Sea And Cake's Sam Prekop, budding and blossoming talents in a fecund field of hothouse flowers.
learn more about Prefuse 73 | myspace

Growing up in the swamplands of northern Florida, down home roots, rock and soul artist JJ Grey became a realist early on. "You fall in love with a pig," he says, "and then one day your granddad knocks it in the head and bleeds it for butchering. You tend to grow up with a certain amount of realism in your life." JJ Grey and his band MOFRO exude rocking, funky, melodic, front porch realism in every song they play. Grey comes from a long tradition of Southern storytellers, and his songs oftentimes use the loss of his natural surroundings and the marginalization of the Southern culture he grew up in as a metaphor for universal truths. The band delivers his material with brilliant musicianship, resulting in music that is thought provoking, rhythmically dynamic and texturally mesmerizing. And the music, from smoldering soul ballads to gospel-fried funk to straight ahead rock 'n' roll, brings it all home with danceable grooves and a melodic freshness that will stay with you long after the album ends.
learn more about JJ Grey & MOFRO | myspace

The number of bands in the world that have worked with both Dizzy Gillespie and Modest Mouse stands at an even "dozen" – the Dirty Dozen. For nearly thirty years, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band has defined and redefined the New Orleans sound on sparkling, genre-busting albums; in thousands of concerts in all parts of the globe; and as in-demand collaborators for everyone from traditional revivalist Danny Barker to space-age rock star David Bowie. Just listen to the first few notes of pretty much any song included here. Kirk Joseph's extra-funky sousaphone, the skittering percussion and the way the brass ensemble shifts from loose conversational play to massive power in the span of a chorus and there's no mystery to why so large and varied a roster of stars has come a-calling. In the course, the Dirty Dozen have bridged the traditions of brass bands stretching back a century with the most modern of musical ideas taken from jazz and even classical formats. They've become the godfathers to several younger generations who have made the scene more vibrant than ever with their own unique twists. And they took New Orleans music to places it had never gone before.
learn more about Dirty Dozen Brass Band | myspace

Far from its initiation, when the Duo was conceptualized for economy, these days the band remains a twosome out of pure artistic desire. "Limiting yourself leads to new discovery,” says Benevento. As an example, he offers that the title track of their new album, Play Pause Stop, was an exercise in stringing chords together from one single note. The restriction resulted in an incredibly creative and entertaining powerhouse of a song. Much like the idea of the Duo itself. Russo began to program some of Benevento’s parts into his drum pads, and Benevento learned how to play foot bass. Time on the road, both on and off stage, has led to a group intuition and collective consciousness. Now that they know how to seamlessly complement each other and custom compose for the Duo, Russo remarks that their unique format has been far more liberating than limiting. "That’s my favorite thing about this," he says. "I don’t feel like there’s a melodic or a rhythmic leader — Marco can bang out these rhythms, and we can go back and forth melodically."
learn more about Benevento/Russo Duo | myspace

Vintage groove for the dancefloor. This UK 4-piece find inspiration in the rare groove and early soul-jazz territories of Jimmy McGriff, Grant Green, Jack McDuff and The Meters, bringing to bear a strong compositional sense that makes their take on the classic organ/guitar funk sparkle with life and freshness. Led by guitarist Eddie Roberts, the New Mastersounds’ energized funk has been delighting music-lovers around the world since the band formed back in 1999. All four of them met in Leeds, UK, and, as a BBC reviewer says, "NMS may produce some confusion: how can a collection of (mostly) pasty-faced Northerners produce with such authority the dusty funk grooves of the early 70s? It doesn't matter - they just do." So far in 2006, the band has toured all over the USA, Japan and closer to home, in France and Spain. In August they finished recording their fifth album, 102%, due for UK release in December and US release in January.
learn more about The New Mastersounds | myspace

No, Oh My God is an Earthbound rock band--a killer one. Billy O'Neill (vocals/bass), Ig (organ/vocals) and Bish (drums/vocals) can out-punk, out-pop and out-rock 'em all, and they're doing that one show and one album at a time. Formed in late '99, this utterly unique organ-bass-drums trio unleashes captivating tones and razor-sharp hooks in song after striking song...from the piano-driven pop of "February 14" and "There Goes the World" to the raucous rock of "The Uptown Lumber" and "Pearls of Wisdom." Even in ripping rock tunes like "Get Steady" and "Volatile," it's Billy's infectious vocal melodies that step to the fore, backed by the overdriven organ of Ig (who has played with Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Van Morrison, Jeff Healey and more) and the titanic drums of Bish. Oh My God has earned a constant stream of praise from press all over the U.S. as they've toured hundreds of shows each of the last few years. And the band's releases--a self-titled EP (2000) and the albums "Well" (2001), "The Action Album" (2002), "Interrogations & Confessions" (2003) and "You're Too Straight to Love Me" (2004)--have seen them grow into one of the tightest, most wildly original rock bands anywhere. Sounds like hype? Ask the thousands of concert-goers around the States who've left the room saying "OH MY GOD!" after a show.
learn more about Oh My God | myspace

Future Rock may just be Chicago's best kept electronic secret. Their music blends organic instruments, electronic synthesis and sophisticated songwriting into a contagious mix that's been creating a buzz in throughout the nation. Mickey Kellerman and Felix Moreno utilize a myriad of synthesizers, electronics, and instruments, while drummer Darren Heitz blends acoustic and electronic drum timbres with live sampling run through his synthesizers. Their live show, which is 100% live (meaning no pre-recorded samples), and filled with techno-beams, laser lights, and smoke machines you'll experience a sensory overload, as the atmosphere is almost rave-like, and certainly one helluvah dance party. With appearances at many large festivals and packed houses around the country, people seem to be catching on to the movement known as Future Rock.
learn more about Future Rock | myspace

Something For Rockets infuse hypnotic dance-floor beats with lush melody and poignant lyrics. Evocative, intelligent, and stylish, the result is a sound that is both vintage and future, dark and playful, and all anchored by the romantic sentiment of young and hopeless-self-distruction... And they also rock! Something For Rockets delights their audience with electric live shows, which often turn uncontrollably into dance parties.
learn more about Something For Rockets | myspace

Tom Hamilton is only in his mid-'20s, but the guitarist/singer commands his nursery of American Babies with all the seasoned know-how of someone twice his age. The band is filled out by some heavy hitting Brooklyn based musicians; guitarist Scott Metzger, bassist Jim Hamilton, vibraphone virtuoso Kevin Kendrick, and the highly praised drummer Joe Russo. Such a lineup could easily create a large, boisterous sound, but the American Babies apply a "less is more" mentality to these rootsy, country-infused tunes. When Hamilton strums his guitar, casually wails into his harmonica, and leads the American Babies in another one of their wistful numbers, he channels a young Gram Parsons (or perhaps a more sober Ryan Adams). And when the American Babies wrap their three-part harmonies around Hamilton's twangy baritone, it's not hard to see this group - and their young leader - enjoying a career as lengthy as those aforementioned luminaries.
learn more about American Babies | myspace

The Frequency are an alt-rock/indie band based in Los Angeles. Initially started as a creative outlet for veteran musicians/producers, Alex Stiff and Marc Cazorla, The Frequency formed in 2005 and have burst on the scene as a fresh alternative to the growing number of indie/electronic bands making their way out of Los Angeles and into the national spotlight. The group's self-produced EP "The Frequency" caught the attention of Ropeadope Records (MMW, Mike Gordon, The Duo, DJ Logic) founder Andy Hurwitz, and he signed them immediately. Ropeadope released a 5 song digital EP in February 2007, and plans are in the works for a full length album to follow shortly. The music spans a wide range of genres as the group draws from their varied influences including Pink Floyd, Air, The Beta Band, and Stereolab all while crossing in and out of dance, trance, blissful highs and ambient lows.
learn more about The Frequency | myspace

It rains for about half the year in Eliot's hometown, Tacoma, Washington. Los Angeles is lucky if it gets a tenth of that. With friends and family on his mind, Eliot recorded during the blazing Los Angeles summer. Laying down a bedrock of notorious breakbeats under his signature Sequential Circuits and Korg MS-20 leads, Eliot has created an impeccable beat record that also serves as an autobiographical chronicle of love, longing and a soulful testament to the love for his hometown. Eliot's instrumentals pour forth more emotion than most modern-day crooners, and his beats are on par with today's best producers. The music has elements of electro, soul, disco, funk, hip-hop and a myriad of other influences. "The lead single, Rap Tight, is like a rock song," says Eliot. "I wrote the first half really quickly, in about half an hour. Then I went back to it, adding the electro beat so there's a lot more going on.
learn more about Eliot Lipp | myspace

Dearborn (Sideways 8 Records) is a high energy rock band who recently released their 2007 debut release "Always In Disguise" produced by Larry Sturm (Disturbed, Naked Raygun, Prince, Michael Jackson, Greg Allman) at Pressure Point Studio in Chicago, IL. Chicago's most up and coming rock quartet has fans, friends, and critics on the edge of their stereos in anticipation. The band has been nominated at the Chicago Music Awards for Best Rock Entertainer three years running and have taken home an award one year! This past year Dearborn was up against rock greats Billy Corgan, Wilco, The Pony's, Martey Casey and The Lovehammers, Kill Hannah, and Umphrey's McGee as fellow nominees.
learn more about Dearborn | myspace

Formed in 1990 by saxophonists Pat Mallinger and Cameron Pfiffner, Sabertooth explores a variety of musical genres in the quartet format of two saxophones, drums, and Hammond B3 organ. The band's repertoire includes many original compositions, some inspired from various ethnic origins. In addition, the band often performs standards and jazz classics by Duke Ellington, Horace Silver, Wayne Shorter, Lester Young, Mary Lou Williams, and John Coltrane. Sabertooth also performs jazz interpretations of compositions by the Beatles, Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, and the Allman Brothers. Sabertooth continues an extended residency at one of Chicago's premier jazz clubs, the famous Green Mill Lounge. The band has been performing to capacity audiences every Saturday evening for fourteen years.
learn more about Sabretooth Organ Quartet | myspace

If The Machine looks familiar, it’s because you’ve seen the band members before in separate places. The Machine is fronted by two unique artists that compliment each other well. The first is underground Hip Hop Legend JUICE. JUICE has earned his stripes through the battle circuit and has taken down the likes of Common and Eminem. The second is former Chicago Idol winner, RusSoul. He’s performed with Common, Kanye West, Erykah Badu, and many more. Saxophonist Aaron Getsug was named one of the five best jazz musicians in Chicago by The Chicago Tribune. The Machine is a recent addition to the party scene, but they have hit it in a hard way. Since their first impromptu gig at a birthday party, The Machine has been a featured act at private industry parties, rocked the crowd at The Global Mixx, and were requested by Charles Oakley to play his private party featuring NBA players. The Machine is a cutting edge group because it is comprised of the next wave of musicians from Hip Hop, Soul, Jazz and Rock.
learn more about Juice & The Machine | myspace

Poised to become another name that's dropped when discussions of the world-class Athens, Georgia music scene commence, Dubconscious embraces the role of torchbearer. The band has been testifying to impressed audiences throughout the fertile music cradle of the Southeast for years, and now plays to audiences all over the country. Genuinely uplifting live performances coupled with studio recordings that successfully harness the energy and healing nature of the genre they respect and export, the band is the personification of righteousness, and a perfect soundtrack to sway to. Dubconscious strives to become an integral part of the evolution of reggae music, leaving their own indelible mark along the way.
learn more about Dubconscious | myspace

Echoing the rawness of acts like the Ramones, the Runaways, and the Stooges in their own fiery brand of bare-knuckled post-punk, the Hedrons came together in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2005. The hot-blooded gals -- bassist Gill, guitarist Rosie, drummer Soup, and vocalist Tippi -- got straight to work and released their first single, "Be My Friend," in July 2006 via Scottish indie Measured Records. The song hit the Top 20 on the U.K. indie singles chart, and its follow-up, "I Need You," managed to break into the Top Five soon after its October release. The Hedrons continued strong into the following year, scoring another Top Five hit with the song "Heatseeker."
learn more about The Hedrons | myspace

Saturday, July 28th
South Stage
9:00 PM - Prefuse 73
7:30 PM - Benevento/Russo Duo
6:00 PM - New Mastersounds
4:30 PM - Future Rock
3:00 PM - The Frequency
1:45 PM - Eliot Lipp
12:30 PM - Dubconscious
11:30 AM - The Hedrons

North Stage
9:00 PM - The Thermals
7:55 pm - Man Man
6:45 PM - Centro-Matic
5:40 PM - Maritime
4:35 PM - Catfish Haven
3:30 PM - Skybox
2:25 PM - Fancy Trash
12:00 PM - Kids Show

Sunday, July 29th
South Stage
8:30 PM - JJ Grey & MOFRO
6:45 PM - Dirty Dozen Brass Band
5:30 PM - Oh My God
4:15 PM - Something for Rockets
3:30 PM - American Babies
2:30 PM - Dearborn
1:30 PM - Sabertooth Organ Quartet
12:30 PM - Juice & The Machine

North Stage
9:00 PM - High On Fire
7:55 pm - Russian Circles
6:45 PM - Pit er Pat
5:40 PM - Sybris
4:35 PM - The Race
3:30 PM - Don Caballero
2:25 PM - Mannequin Men
12:00 PM - Kids Show