Ty Segall Channels Jimmy Page

The psychedelic-rock artist reimagines a ’70s-esque, soft-rock sound with guitar-driven songs.

By Kendall Polidori

The Beatles, Stones and Zeppelin were awesome, but rock lives on. Why not break out of the classic rock cocoon and give new music a chance? Rockhound is here to help. Think of it as a bridge from 1967 to today and beyond.

Since 2006, the Pitchfork Music Festival that grew out of the renowned music publication has graced Chicago’s Union Park with undeniably talented bands from a range of genres. These artists aren’t necessarily the most popular—they’re often the hidden gems that represent the best of their genre and show what may lie ahead in music.

It’s tempting to throw all of the bands at Pitchfork into the “indie” category, but that doesn’t recognize their diversity. The festival actually displays everything that makes great music across a wide spectrum of genres. Acts range from indiefolk rockers Phoebe Bridgers, Big Thief and Waxahatchee, to eccentric psych-rock groups like Ty Segall & Freedom Band and Divino Niño. They run the gamut from funky acidjazz artists like Thundercat, to the neo-soul of Erykah Badu. Groups like Special Interest intertwine electronic beats with a heavy punk in-your-face vibration.

Even those who hesitate to venture beyond the familiar can begin their exploration of Pitchfork by listening to music from their go-to genres. They may even find themselves devoting time to a genre they’ve previously ignored or even disdained.

Before performing at Pitchfork in August, Tamara Lindeman, frontwoman of the Canadian folk band The Weather Station, said she likes to know the people behind the music, which then leads her to find new music in relation to those artists.

You expand your musical horizons by building upon what you already know. More than half of Luckbox readers, 55%, said rock was their favorite genre according to our most recent reader survey. Jazz came in second with 28% and country third with 26%.

KEEP ON YOUR RADAR Tamara Lindeman of The Weather Station refers to Joni Mitchell as a source of inspiration she never tries to have: “She haunts me. She’s like my aunt, or it feels like she’s a relative or something. I have been following her for a long time whether I mean to or not.” And it’s evident in her music. Lindeman’s music is lyric-led and based in folk roots, resonating with Mitchell’s lyrical genius and work on albums such as Blue. Because she leads her music with her lyrics, before her Pitchfork performance Lindeman told Luckbox that her sound has changed immensely throughout the years. If her lyrics demand a different energy or instrument, she adapts—quite often teaching herself how to play a new instrument in order to capture what her words call for. The Weather Station is more than one sound, the band is an aesthetic and resonates with other folk/rock-based names, such as Bob Dylan and Fiona Apple.

VOICE OF AN ANGEL If you had your eyes closed while listening to Some Things Cosmic by singer-songwriter and musician Angel Olsen, you’d likely assume she was from the era of Judy Garland. Her voice is angelic and can be described as vintage. Her influences have been referred back to country-pop artists Pasty Cline and country-rock icon Roy Orbison, but she also uses the influences of classic jazzy-rock to create a sound that is uniquely her own. During her set at Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival, Olsen performed a cover of one of jazz-folk artist Marvin Tate’s songs, nodding toward the influence of jazz.

MELDING GENRES After Philadelphia-based rock band Hop Along’s performance at Pitchfork, drummer Mark Quinlan told Luckbox that every member brings their own musical interests and inspirations to the forefront, creating a melting pot of what he said he hopes is a unique sound. For him, it’s heavy grunge, ‘60s prestige and blue note jazz; guitarist Joe Reinhart builds off of that of The Beatles and Elvis Costello; bassist Tyler Long pays tribute to classic rock Americana; and frontwoman Francis Quinlan is a little bit of everything, with an eclectic taste. “Fran provides us with an idea of a structure. And we sort of use that as a dartboard that we throw things at and see what sticks. I like to think of it as a library of resources that we all have access to,” Quinlan said. The band is surely not without range, mixing Francis’ raspy vocals and acoustic guitar with electrics.

Pitchfork Music Festival: Hop Along, Angel Olsen and The Weather Station.

So, let’s use classic rock and jazz as examples. Ty Segall, who performed at Pitchfork, favors heavy instrumentation and guitar-driven sounds that bring to mind The Black Lips, The Strokes, The Black Keys and The Beatles. Whether he’s shredding on his Fender Mustang or his touring Les Paul, the fuzz from his guitar is the essence of rock ‘n’ roll: loud, kinetic and in your face.

In typical festival fashion, Pitchfork sets start while another band’s set is still wailing across the park. The results aren’t always great.

In one example, indie artist Fay Webster’s soft pop-rock melodies were drowned out by Segall’s band. But at least that made the latter impossible to ignore.

Segall’s fuzzy guitar riffs seem like something out of the early repertoire of Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page. But Segall also displays immense range, switching from the bluesy but explosive pace of The Faker (which mirrors The Black Keys’ early sound) to an acoustic-driven vibe in The Keepers, a song that invokes the sound of The Beatles.

There’s no question that today’s rock differs from classic rock of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, and that’s why it’s vital to listen to artists like Segall. Inspired by rock, blues and jazz, Segall and other indie-rock artists are giving birth to their own versions

of rock ‘n’ roll. Although undeniably original, the sounds of the new rockers capture a hint of nostalgia that honors the gods of rock.

Start with his song Whisper— close your eyes and you’ll hear a Whole Lotta Love-era Zeppelin.

Pay attention to Segall’s quick transitions between smooth melodies and powerful slides on his guitar.

Segall and his band were scheduled to be in Atlanta on Oct. 22 for the Shaky Knees Music Festival and will make their way to California for the remainder of the year. Keep up with him and his upcoming tour dates on his website.

Kendall Polidori is Luckbox’s resident rock critic. Follow her reviews on Instagram @rockhound_luckbox and Twitter @rockhoundlb.

Pitchfork Music Festival: The Weather Station