Hope springs from the Midwest
Sound & Gravity rises from the ashes of Pitchfork Music Festival, 81355 finds a new home at Joyful Noise Recordings, and Jon Rogers shares details of his new shop Take Care Records.
“Look for the helpers,” the great Daniel Tiger recently reminded me while reading a book by the same name my son had loaned from the library. This spring, the helpers have felt obscure and inaccessible. Just ask Daniel. His sweet voice is under threat, as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting faces massive funding cuts at federal and local levels. But Daniel remains right. In the bleakest times, the helpers are always there. You may need to strain your eyes (and ears) to find them. This week, I spotted three such helpers right here in the Midwest.
Sound & Gravity rises from the ashes of Pitchfork Music Festival
As a Midwesterner, I was disheartened, if not surprised, when Condé Nast ripped Pitchfork’s last remaining connection to the city that launched it when the company abruptly announced it would shutter Pitchfork Music Festival after 19 years. In many ways, the festival felt like the last of its kind. One that placed art above commerce. That’s probably why it no longer made financial sense for the venture capital portfolio that funded it.
Longtime attendees found reason to rejoice yesterday when Chicago musician and promoter Mike Reed announced Sound & Gravity. Reed served as the founder and talent buyer for Pitchfork Music Festival through its nearly two-decade run. Reed’s Constellation will serve as the anchor of a multi-venue festival featuring some of my favorite, contemporary acts from September 10-14. This is a wonderful reason for us all to attempt to hold on until fall.
81355 finds a new home at Joyful Noise Recordings
On the same day news broke about Sound & Gravity, Indianapolis band 81355 (pronounced “Bless”) announced its sophomore LP, Bad Dogs, Joyful Noise Recordings. The band released its debut, This Time I’ll Be of Use on Justin Vernon’s 37d03d (pronounced “People”) label in 2021. The group features veritable stalwarts of the Indianapolis music scene. Sedcairn (David “Moose” Adamson) takes the lead on production backed by his longtime drummer Pat Okerson, Oreo Jones (Sean Smith) and Sirius Blvck (Niq Askren) on vocals, Sharlene Birdsong on bass, and Dimitri Morris, who listeners outside Indy may recognize from his role in the band Wishy, on guitar. Listen to lead single “Guitar” and pre-order Bad Dogs before it arrives on July 11.
Jon Rogers shares details of Take Care Records
Longtime subscribers to this newsletter should be familiar with Jon Rogers. A story on his band Everything, Now!’s return to form was one of the first feature-length articles I wrote for this space. In addition to being one of Indy’s best frontmen, Rogers is also a longtime record store clerk, with stints behind the desk at Luna Music and Square Cat Vinyl more recently.
In July, Rogers will open his own shop Take Care Records at 6215 Allisonville Rd. He recently shared the details with Indianapolis Business Journal’s Dave Lindquist. Give the shop a follow on Instagram, and keep them in mind next time you’re buying or selling records. July will be here before you know it.
With this good news, I leave you with one parting thought. Always look for the helpers. They’re all around you, no matter how you’re forced to look.
Love it!