Some of the biggest names in alternative and indie rock will be gracing the stages of Lollapalooza. Originally founded in 1991 by Jane Addiction’s frontman Perry Farrell, Lolla was once a nation-wide tour that ran annually until 1997. A revival was attempted in 2003, with a small but respectable line-up, only to be followed by cancellation in 2004 because of poor ticket sales. It was only in 2005, when Capital Sports Entertainment took over, that Lolla made a true comeback, becoming known as Chicago’s greatest music festival. Since then, bands like Weezer, Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Flaming Lips have taken the stage. This year, within the span of three days (and for the fee of $195), you can catch the likes of Pearl Jam, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Muse, Interpol, and Iggy and the Stooges.
But Lollapalooza isn’t just about the congregation of well known rockstars; we can’t forget the up and coming acts that will also be performing. And one of the acts that you should keep an eye out for is Springfield-based quintet The Graduate.Having formed in 2005, the current bandmates were once in two separate bands that played shows together for several years.
“Both bands broke up around the same time,” explains vocalist Corey Warning. “We all get along and decided to get together.”Their first release, 2006’s “Horror Show” EP was recently followed up this past April with full-length album, “Anhedonia.” Warning says the differences between both should be noticeable, mainly because the band went from being a hobby to their full time jobs.
“The EP was the first six songs we had ever written; we only wrote it in our free time,” he says. “But with the full length, we had three months to do nothing but write. We developed our sound with the new album.”
And that sound, more likely than not, will be labeled by others as more of the pop-punk, emo-esque genre. At first listen, it’s easy to generalize. But Warning begs to differ, and for good reason too; upon closer inspection, you can hear a moodier, alternative sound that resonates throughout their music, something that manages to stray away from the atypical emo formula.”We try to experiment with (our music),” he says. “It’s pretty catchy and easy to listen to, but we like to do different stuff that sets us apart.”
Case in point: the name of their new album. “Anhedonia” is a psychology term used to describe a condition where a person cannot feel joy or excitement from normal interaction. Warning explains the idea behind the title all began with a really bad case of writer’s block.
“We had trouble coming up with stuff. For me, it was a lyrical thing,” he continues. “I started to feel like I didn’t know what to write about or what direction to take the songs in.”
When they came across the definition of their soon to be album title, Warning equates with the band’s struggle to put create music with the condition.
“I had started feeling kind of numb at one point,” he says. “When we found out about anhedonia, we were all like, ‘Wow, that sounds like what we have’.”
The boys of The Graduate seem to have found the cure to whatever ailed them, because they’ve managed to bounce back this summer by playing a handful of summer festivals, including Summerfest and Bamboozle. They’ll be among the ranks of Alkaline Trio and Bad Religion for Warped Tour until August 3rd before coming to Chicago’s Grant Park on the 5th for Lolla.
Warning says that because the band is based in central Illinois, they look forward to the possibility of becoming more well known in the Chicago music scene through their stint on the last day of Lolla.
“We went to Lolla last year and had a great time,” he says. “Even if we weren’t playing, we would still go because it’s such a great line-up.”
As for bands that they are excited to see, Warning says that some the fellow performers they love and look forward to catching include My Morning Jacket, Regina Spektor and Cold War Kids.
In comparing Warped to Lolla, Warning thinks that the two are pretty different, citing Warped as catering to a “younger crowd these days.”
Not surprisingly enough, as Warped Tour has become synonymous with all things teenage and essentially emo-oriented. Warped crowds as of late are more often filled with fans at the average age of 15, while Lollapalooza can still belong to music fans of all ages, genders, and genres.
“Lolla is more of a huge mix of everybody,” he says. “I think that’s one of the great things about it. There’s such a variety of people. It gives you the chance to win over fans.”
Warning also admits that he and his bandmates may be a bit more excited about playing Lolla than Warped, mainly because of the amount of bands they love that will be playing along side them.
“We’ve been to Warped and we’ve been to Lolla. Both are such a crazy time,” he says. “I think (Lolla) going to be a lot more fun now that we’re playing.”
The Graduate will be playing Sunday August 5th on the BMI Stage at 11:15 a.m.
Reach Dani Garcia at [email protected].
