Earlier this week, Mayfest and WNUR announced four of the five music acts that will be performing on the IndieU Stage presented by WNUR for this year’s Dillo Day: RUNNING, Teen Witch Fan Club, the GTW and Tink. Haven’t heard of them? No problem. Here’s a quick breakdown of what you need to know about each act and what you can expect to hear.
RUNNING
Running is a gritty, three-piece noise-punk band from the Chicago underground rock scene. Comprised of lead vocalist and bassist Matthew, guitarist Jeff and drummer Alejandro (they have not shared their last names), they have released two albums: Asshole Savant in 2012 under Captcha Records and Vaguely Ethnic in 2013 under Castle Face Records. Asshole Savant received the title “Best Album Packaging” from Chicago Reader, who praised the surreal cover art and called their aesthetic “more sophisticated than that of a typical noise-punk band.” You can listen to Asshole Savant on their bandcamp.
Teen Witch Fan Club
If you go onto the Teen Witch Fan Club website/tumblr, you can see the DJ’s eclectic taste: ying-yang flowers, pastel colors and Sim-like characters adorn the website and album art for their mixes. Teen Witch also releases an art-based magazine that targets the gay and trans underground youth scene. You can listen to their remixes of One Direction’s “Little Things,” Taylor Swift’s “Red” and Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” on their SoundCloud.
The GTW
James “Akaninyene” King is a Nigerian-American rapper, vocalist and producer whose signature “Chigerian” style blends elements of hip-hop, traditional Nigerian instruments and soul music. The result is some smooth R&B that will provide refreshing lounge music in between some of the higher-energy acts at both the Main Stage and Second Stage. King also works on a group project called JODY in between solo releases. Check out “Calling Cards” and “Bleach Pool” for a taste of his silky smooth beats. He even reworked a track by Tink, who will be going on stage directly after him.
Tink
Don’t let Tink’s youth deceive you – this 19-year-old singer, songwriter and rapper has been at the music game since she was seven when she began singing at her church. The daughter of a gospel singer and a music producer, Tink’s musical influences started young. At 18 she released her first mixtape, Winter’s Diary, and then released the more rap-orientated mixtape Alter Ego only four months later. Her most recent track, “Don’t Tell Nobody,” had Gawker calling it the “perfect song." Her freestyle over a Chief Keef beat has over 100,000 views on YouTube. She will also be the first female act to perform at Dillo in four years, which is another reason to get pumped. Both of her mixtapes can be listened to and downloaded on her website.