Today's column comes from Double Time Feel's first guest writer, long time friend, ex-bandmate, ex-roommate, and all around solid dude Jon Heupel. Jon had the opportunity to catch The Police playing one of two sold out shows at Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. Before we get into Jon's review, I just want to make sure you check back often this week, as I'll have some more reviews up as well as a pre-Pitchfork Fest analysis of bands you should make sure to catch if you are attending.

Now, here's Jon:

With all the aging rocker reunion tours such as the Rolling Stones and the often rumored Led Zeppelin it wasn't too much of a surprise when The Police announced they were going to do another tour together. The Police were THE major label band of the early 1980's and their ability to produce hit after hit made for a very hyped ticket this
time around. With giant video screens flanking the stage and 40,000 people looking on The Police managed to put on a show that impressed even those who went in with lofty expectations of a Police stadium tour.

(Photo taken by Nicole Radja courtesy of Flickr)

The 2 Chicago shows were played at Wrigley Field on beautiful spring nights and I was lucky enough to attend the second show last night. There had been some talk in the Chicago Tribune review of the first night that Sting was no longer being able to hit the high notes that he has been known for. This turned out not to be the case at all. The only noticeable change was he did bring the chorus of "Roxanne" down an octave. However, it should be noted that in between songs Sting mentioned that it was a "good" voice night so maybe it's variable.

It was obvious Sting has been playing and touring since the breakup of the Police. Copeland and Andy Summers were a little more noticeably rusty. Summers had a few less than impressive solos that he broke into for a few minutes in two different songs. Copeland was a little sloppy at times but nothing that was worth mentioning specifically. For "Wrapped Around Your Finger" Copeland left his drum kit for a collection of other percussion and a xylophone that added a lot to the song.

The band was set up in front of the scoreboard in center field allowing for a large part of the crowd to be on the field which made for a novelty beyond just being able to see the Police. The crowd was noticeably an older demographic than one would be used to seeing at large stadium shows. It was mostly subdued even when Sting tried to get the crowd to sing along with some of his more sing along backing vocals and even breaking away from of the songs entirely for extended call and response with the crowd without a whole lot of participation. During "Roxanne" Sting would sing "Roxanne-o" and would attempt to get the crowd to sing it back to him. Had he only known how much it sounded like "Ron Santo" (Chicago Cubs beloved radio announcer) much less who Ron Santo is he would have been able to get the biggest cheer out of the Wrigley crowd of the night.

It was hard not to notice that almost every song of the 2+ hour set was a huge hit that everyone in the stadium knew the words to. With perhaps one of the best "hook" writing bands, you knew they were going to have to play the hits. What wasn't known was if they would be able to live up to the praise that had only grown since their break-up in 1986. Even with huge expectations, The Police were able to deliver a show that made it impossible to walk out not humming something they had just finished playing. They ended the show by saying "See you again soon" so this may not have been the last time to see them live in Chicago. Should they come back, I have to recommend going out to see them especially if they play somewhere as unique as Wrigley Field. If nothing else there was nothing stopping anyone from sitting out on Sheffield or Waveland avenues and listening for free, and how could you beat that.

(Photo credit: Calbee Booth for Snapcult)

If the history of music in Chicago represented the average human lifespan, New Black would have been around just long enough for the time takes to throw up a set of rock horns, and perhaps a split second longer to connect it with a rock lock. For those of you who have no idea what the hell I mean, don't worry, keep reading.

New Black released their first, self-titled record in March of 2004 on Chicago's Thick Records. They played a catchy, sassy brand of punk rock intertwined with no-wave, and quickly managed to create quite a buzz both locally and nationally while touring at a good clip to support the record. 18 months later, they released their sophomore effort, Time Attack. Another tour followed in the winter of '05, but was abruptly cut short, and the band was not heard from again. There was never a formal announcement as to the fate of the band, but drummer Nick Kraska moved on to play with Bang! Bang!, guitarist/vocalist Patti Gran continued to play with The Dials, and bassist Liam Kimball moved to New York City. In a nutshell, this is the story of New Black.

In late May, New Black's name appeared on The Beat Kitchen's show list, and word spread quickly that they were back... but for how long? The only words from the band came from their official website where Kraska stated "I'm sleepy now from our hibernation but we're coming out to play a rock show 07/06/07 and you should totally be there cuz it's gonna be an absolute blast." Other myspace blogs from the band refer to 'hibernation' and 'sleeping' as well, but rather than trying to decipher their true meaning, I just bought myself a ticket and showed up at the Beat Kitchen.

I had seen New Black many times before, and I wondered if they could muster up their high-octane shows that I had grown accustomed to. 18+ months is a long time to go without playing, and based on information gathered prior to the show, they had only 2 practices to prepare. I must admit...in my book, the cards seemed pretty well stacked against them. Could they deliver?

Before the first song had even ended, all of my questions had been answered. I was completely floored because it really seemed like they had spent no time apart at all. Most importantly, they all looked to be genuinely into what they were doing, and even joked with the crowd about being away for so long. They proceeded to play through almost every song on their 2 records, and the grateful audience got them back on stage for a few encore songs. I walked away from the show feeling that New Black was even better than what I remembered them to be. Even as I left Beat Kitchen that night, the same thought kept popping into my head... "2 practices??? 2?!?!?!?!"

It seems that future plans for the band are still up in the air. Rather than lament about whether or not they have broken up or not, I'd be stoked if, every year or so, New Black awoke from their hibernation and played a raucous set for their fans in Chicago.

Here is a video of "Put It To Bed", which appears as the opening track on their self titled record.

In case you've been living under a rock for the past few months, you may have missed the news that the sold-out Pitchfork Festival begins tonight at 6:30pm at Union Park in Chicago. I said a few days ago that I'd offer some analysis, but in light of the fact that I'm quite short on time, coupled with the fact that if you have tickets... there is a pretty good chance you already know who you want to see. Most of the acts, perhaps with the exception of Sonic Youth, GZA, Yoko Ono, and De La Soul, are right on the cusp of establishing a stronghold in the world of indie music, and some may end up with some mainstream notoriety in the months/years to come. Regardless, there is a lot of talent in this year's lineup, and includes Chicago acts Califone, The Sea and Cake, The Ponys, Ken Vandermark's Powerhouse Sound, and Fred Lonberg-Holm.

Gapers Block has a nice breakdown of each group performing this weekend in their Transmission section.

EMusic is running a sampler of songs from some of the bands as well.

Those who don't have tickets can probably find them on craigslist, or probably even hang out near Union Park to find your hookup. If worse comes to worse, you can just chill outside of the festival grounds and take a listen as well.

Here is the lineup for the weekend. Be sure to bring your sunscreen!

Friday, July 13 (in conjunction with ATP/Don't Look Back):

5:00 Union Park opens

Connector Stage
6:30 Slint perform Spiderland

Aluminum Stage
7:45 GZA performs Liquid Swords
9:00 Sonic Youth perform Daydream Nation

Saturday, July 14:

NOON Union Park opens

Connector Stage
1:00 The Twilight Sad
2:00 Voxtrot
4:00 Battles
6:00 Mastodon
8:00 Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues

Aluminum Stage
1:30 Califone
3:00 Grizzly Bear
5:00 Iron and Wine
7:00 Clipse
9:00 Yoko Ono (with special guests)

Balance Stage
1:00 Ken Vandermark's Powerhouse Sound
2:00 William Parker Quartet
3:10 Beach House
4:10 Fujiya & Miyagi
5:15 Professor Murder
6:15 Oxford Collapse
7:15 Dan Deacon
8:30 Girl Talk

Sunday, July 15:

NOON Union Park opens

Connector Stage
1:00 Deerhunter
2:00 Menomena
4:00 The Sea and Cake
6:00 Stephen Malkmus
8:00 The New Pornographers

Aluminum Stage
1:30 The Ponys
3:00 Junior Boys
5:00 Jamie Lidell
7:00 Of Montreal
9:00 De La Soul

Balance Stage
1:00 Fred Lonberg-Holm's Lightbox Orchestra
2:00 Brightblack Morning Light
3:10 Nomo
4:10 Craig Taborn's Junk Magic
5:15 The Cool Kids
6:15 Cadence Weapon
7:15 The Field
8:30 Klaxons

That's right folks, the first ever Double Time Feel EXCLUSIVE!. Nowhere else on the int0rw3bs can you get the inside scoop on this record, one that will undoubtedly be turning heads in 2007. Go ahead, tell all of your friends to come listen to their new favorite Chicago band, Mt St Helens.

Mt St Helens are no strangers to Chicago, having played their first show at the sort-of-defunct-but-not-really Fireside Bowl (feel free to follow along using the awesome timeline on their site). In the 9 1/2 years since that show, the band has released a few 7''s and 2 outstanding LPs (check out Ontime Always on Arborvitae Records and You Are A Ghostly Presence on Divot Records). Their sound has evolved over time and has incorporated elements familiar to the post-punk movement, yet they stand above their peers in their ability to uniquely venture out on their own.

Of Others will be released on August 31 at the Beat Kitchen on the up and coming Two Thumbs Down Records (run by Steve Reidell of May or May Not, and 1/2 of the Hood Internet phenomenon). Needless to say, I was thrilled to receive the record, which should be rolling off the presses as I write. If you have seen Mt St Helens live over the past year or so, you have undoubtedly heard most, if not all of these songs already. Upon first listen from beginning to end, it didn't take long to conclude that the band put great effort into this release, and you can hear it resonate throughout the record. I have always regarded Mt St Helens to be the most criminally underrated band in Chicago, and Of Others should be the record to help them shed such an undeserving label.

The record begins with 'Time of Low Volume', where an effected guitar loop gives way to a 3/4 time beat that provides a solid foundation for the rest of the track. There are a few transitions throughout the song that exemplify the band's maturing knack for songwriting. The record moves directly into 'Want Out', perhaps the band's most pop-driven song to date. Similar to predecessors such as Jawbox or Unwound, Mt St Helens have added their two cents to the book on 'angular' hooks, and 'Want Out' showcases the notion that pop-oriented jams do not necessarily equate to uninspiring, radio-friendly drivel (as any seasoned punk rocker would tell you).

'Omission' is one of my favorite tracks on the record, and it begins with an unassuming, repetitive guitar line, and then the rhythm section drops in to really get the song moving. Bassist Jason Sprague sounds as if he's plugged in to a power transformer at ComEd, reminiscent of the ominous, pulsing hum of electricity moving across power lines of some barren industrial complex. Its an effect that is scattered throughout the record and achieves some truly dark overtones. Peter Hook, eat your heart out.

The middle of the record, in my humble opinon, really showcases the talent of drummer Ben Geier. Those who are familiar with the Mt St Helens catalog know that the drumming reaches some critically intense levels. While I am always one to appreciate the intricacies of drumming, this is more about what Geier doesn't say with his percussive prowess. In the case of this record, he knows exactly when to make a statement and when to let the song breathe. Look no further than 'City Of', where Geier's presence moves the song along at a methodically evil tempo.

The guitar duo of Quinn Goodwillie and Mike Sprague make their presence known throughout the record, and showcase their skills in opportune moments. Also thrown into the mix on this record is ex-guitarist-but-I'm-back-again, Matt Fast (also of Rollo Tomasi). Fast adds another dimension to the band in a time where the 3 guitar player lineup has all but been abandoned, but there is enough going on in these songs to make it all work flawlessly. The ascending/descending line in 'Strange Navigation' makes the hair on the back of neck stand on end every time I hear it, and it seamlessly moves back into the main theme of the song. They show flashes of guitar wizardry without being wanky, which demonstrates attention to the composition rather than ego. Another album highlight is 'Centicorn', a Jesus Lizard-esque song about a 100-horned unicorn (the band is not lacking in the sense of humor department, either). Equally as impressive are the vocals of Goodwillie on this record, which really stand out on this record above all previous releases.

The record ends with the brilliant 'Interruption', a song that I debated adding as an mp3 to the track listing below, but I'll save it so that you can buy the record for yourself and decide. The song represents the culmination of everything that makes this record one that you should not be without when it is released, and why Mt St Helens will not be flying under the radar for long.

here is the track list for Of Others:
1) Time of Low Volume
2) Want Out (myspace)
3) Omission (* doubletimefeel.com exclusive track!)
4) Massive Dosage (courtesy of Two Thumbs Down Records)
5) Seething is Believing
6) The Drink (myspace)
7) City Of
8) Strange Navigation
9) Centicorn
10) Interruption