Featured Artist: Blind Pilot

Forget "green buses," BLIND PILOT reduced their collective carbon footprint on tour by biking along the west coast. Hardcore. On stage, the group achieves a nice blend of folk, chamber pop and rock--basically exactly what fans of Sea Wolf or The Decemberists have been looking for. Listen in to our interview with Blind Pilot backstage at Lollapalooza 2009 below.



Listen to Blind Pilot's music, and tunes from all the great bands that performed at Lollapalooza 2009, on our Lollapalooza Radio channel:

Lollapalooza: Highlights from Day One

Now halfway through the second day of Lollapalooza, we can look back on Friday and pick out some of the clear highlights for Future Perfect Radio:

1. Interview with Perry Farrell
Correspondent Scott Fleischer caught up with the king of Lollapalooza himself: Perry Farrell. He spoke to Future Perfect Radio about the success of this year's festival so far, the history and struggle of Lollapalooza and the failure of FM radio. Farrell: "Internet radio is wonderful. Better than ever."



2. The Decemberists play Hazards of Love in full
Expectations were high as The Decemberists took the stage Friday night. It didn't help that they were 6 minutes late -- the crowd, quickly grumbling, was silenced by the appearance of a spectral figure in a white wedding gown. From then on, The Decemberists had us in the palm of their collective hand. From beginning to end of their set, the band never laid down their instruments, never paused for mid-song chatter, but performed the entirety of Hazards of Love as if it were one long song -- which really, after hearing it played that way, it is. The performance was almost like a theatre production, with different characters coming forward to sing their part in the strange and magical story of the Hazards of Love. Check out photos from the performance here.

3. Interview with Ben Folds

Fleischer (or, perhaps, "Dan") spoke with famed singer/songwriter Ben Folds to discuss the history of Lollapalooza and the differences between the festival's tour incarnation and the stationary "take-over" of Chicago. Listen in below!



4. The Builders and the Butchers for Best Show of the Day!

While The Decemberists, Hey Champ and a few other acts certainly made a case for it, our choice for "Best Show of the Day" can only go to The Builders and the Butchers. Their energy, on-stage mash-ups of songs and fun crowd interactions (...did we mention their energy?) made their songs come alive. Like any live show is supposed to, it made us reevaluate songs we thought we didn't like so much, fall even deeper in love with treasured tracks, and long for a much longer set. While the band may have deserved a bigger crowd, the intimacy of the BMI stage certainly added to the show's impact. Find pictures from the performance here!

Be sure to keep an eye at Future Perfect Radio's Lollapalooza page for continuing updates: interviews (Chairlift already posted, No Age and The Builders and the Butchers up soon!), Twitter updates, photos and more! To hear the music from Lollapalooza's line-up of artists, click the radio image above or here.

Future Perfect Radio at Lollapalooza!

Future Perfect Radio is now backstage at Lollapalooza, prepping for the first day of music-packed fun. We'll be posting interviews soon, starting with our conversation with Passion Pit (look for them here).

Click the above image to launch Lollapalooza Radio! (What's playing on Lollapalooza radio? Find out here!)

To get live updates from the festival, be sure to follow our Twitter feed @fpradio.

Project Playlist: Lollapalooza 2009

Future Perfect Radio has over 25 channels, thousands of artists and even more songs. It's a lot to take in and maybe it's tough to find your feet. That's where Project Playlist comes in. At (ir)regular intervals, we'll break out one of our channels and post the first 10 tracks that come up in the radio player. This way, you get a more in-depth look at what's playing on our channels!

(Previous Project Playlists: Chamber Pop, The Big Apple)

Featured channel:


Future Perfect Radio will be backstage at Lollapalooza this weekend (more on that here), so it's only right that Project Playlist takes a look inside our Lollapalooza radio channel.

1. Andrew Bird - "Mx Missiles" from The Mysterious Production of Eggs

Mr. Bird, a Windy City hometown hero, is one of the biggest indie names on the Lollapalooza ticket (especially since the Beastie Boys pulled out). The whistling singer/songwriter made a big splash with The Mysterious Production of Eggs back in 2005. More recently, Noble Beast is one of this year's strongest efforts. We're unsure about how well Bird's subtle skills will translate to Lollapalooza's festival atmosphere, but we're looking forward to being proven wrong.

2. Bat for Lashes - "Siren Song" from Two Suns

Natasha Khan, the wonderful talent behind Bat for Lashes, rocketed onto the scene with "What's a Girl to Do?" from her debut LP Fur and Gold back in 2006. With Two Suns this year, Khan beat the sophomore slump and gave us a rich supply of luscious indie pop hits. Bat for Lashes is one of our Top 5 acts to see at Lollapalooza (more here).

3. Dan Deacon - "Woof Woof" from Bromst

Seems more and more people are jumping on the Deacon wagon everyday. The electro-infused songwriter sixth studio album Bromst is certainly our favorite, narrowly edging out his previous work Spiderman of the Rings. Like many of his tracks, "Woof Woof" is filled with inviting synth beats, unexpected melody jumps and vocals that, well, you just won't hear anywhere else. He should thrive at Lollapalooza.

4. Fleet Foxes - "White Winter Hymnal" from Fleet Foxes

Though not our favorite Fleet Foxes track, "White Winter Hymnal" seemed to seal the group's popularity last year--encapsulating everything you could get from the Seattle group. A folk, back-woods, sitting-round-the-campfire feel without sacrificing our rock roots. It's hard to believe Fleet Foxes was released more than a year ago -- one would think that after all that time the group would have some new tunes to show off. But maybe they need the right time to whip 'em out, like a huge multi-day festival...

5. The Decemberists - "The Sporting Life" from Picaresque

Picaresque is definitely our favorite Decemberists album. Except maybe Castaways and Cutouts. Or, maybe except The Crane Wife. Well, and Hazards of Love. Uhm. Well, suffice to say that we love Picaresque and "The Sporting Life" is a big reason: it perfectly sums up our youthful ever-successful, never-embarrassing sporting adventures. We caught The Decemberists live in Millennium Park a few years back and they were amazing -- expect the same in Grant Park. Another one of our Top 5 acts to catch at Lollapalooza.

6. No Age - "Keechie" from Nouns

No Age's impressive noise pop earned Nouns on countless "Best of 2008" lists, and for good reason. The fuzz and noise dominates the listener. These guys should rule the day at Lollapalooza.

7. Lou Reed - "I'm So Free" from Transformer

Well, here we come to it. THE guy playing at Lollapalooza. His tumultuous career is unmatched in the music world and with nearly 40 years of music to pull from, Reed's live set should be memorable to say the least. "I'm So Free" comes off his sophomore, and possibly best album Transformer, which was released by RCA way back in 1972. (For more classic underground rock like this, check out AccuRadio's Vintage Violence station!)

8. Passion Pit - "Fold in Your Hands" from Manners

We've written and raved so much about Passion Pit already, this feels like walking over well-beyond-trodden ground. Suffice to say that Passion Pit produce killer synth-dominated indie pop. Their debut LP Manners is amazing. You should go listen to it right now, if you haven't already. (And if you haven't: what's taking so long?) Another one of our Top 5 acts to see at Lollapalooza. Expect to find an interview from them here late Friday.

9. Santogold - "Creator" from Santogold

The collaboration between Santi White and John Hill was a stunning success, pulling ahead of slurs about ripping off M.I.A. to establish themselves as a formidable name in the indie club/dance scene. "Creator" was the song that launched the act to fame, and still sounds pretty darn good here in 2009.

10. Silversun Pickups - "Lazy Eye" from Carnavas

Before there was Swoon, there was Carnavas. The 2006 album took the music world by storm with its nostalgic combination of shoegaze and alternative rock (harking back to the Smashing Pumpkins). Though "Lazy Eye" has sadly been played to death in the meantime, it's still a killer track. Silversun Pickups are another one of our Top 5 acts to see at Lollapalooza, and we may just be bringing you an on-demand interview from them on Sunday.

Future Perfect Radio's Top 5 Lollapalooza Picks

With 5 days left to Lollapalooza, we here at Future Perfect Radio thought it appropriate to pick our Top 5 Picks for the festival weekend. Here's the five bands you should definitely not miss:

(Also, don't forget that Future Perfect Radio will be backstage at Lollapalooza! Find out more here!)



1. Passion Pit (Sunday 5:00pm, on the Citi stage)

Dance-pop synth rockers Passion Pit wowed us with their debut LP Manners. It's still our favorite album of 2009 thus far. Their music is dynamic and engaging, providing glittering electro beats, inescapably catchy melodies and some introspective lyrics for those looking for some depth in their music.

2. The Builders & the Butchers (Friday 1:45pm, on the BMI stage)

Portland's The Builders and the Butchers are an incredible live act. Their darkly enticing folk rock is made for the stage, with swells and dramatic climaxes made all the better by the group's dual drummers and strong energy. Salvation Is a Deep Dark Well is an amazing album, which will sound all the more amazing live.

3. The Decemberists (Friday 6pm on the Budweiser stage)

Not that they weren't on your list already, right? Not only did The Decemberists came back strong from The Crane Wife with Hazards of Love this year, but they've been showcasing some new songs on tour lately that are nothing less than spectacular. The chance to hear some new Decemberists tunes alone should make these Portland chamber pop, English-lit rockers a must see.

4. Bat for Lashes (Sunday 1:30pm, on the vitaminwater stage)

England's singer/songwriter enchantress Natasha Khan beat the sophomore slump with Two Suns this year, which did exactly what any sophomore album should: floored us AND enticed us to go back and rediscover Fur and Gold all over again. Her amazing voice, unique wardrobe and singular style should not be missed.

5. Blind Pilot (Saturday 4:15pm on the BMI stage)

I realize this is the third Portland band on this list, but can we help it that the city is pumping out so much good music? Up-and-comers Blind Pilot strike a nice balance between the indie pop of The Shins and more folk-oriented groups like Iron & Wine or The Decemberists. We've been itching to see these guys live since hearing their debut LP 3 Rounds and a Sound, and would see them over some more well-established groups in a heartbeat.

Other acts not to miss at Lollapalooza: Silversun Pickups, Chairlift, Friendly Fires, Crystal Castles, Neko Case, Vampire Weekend, Andrew Bird, The Delta Spirit, Lykke Li, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver.

What would you ask The Builders and the Butchers?

Lollapalooza is coming and Future Perfect Radio will be there. We'll be backstage speaking to as many bands as we can, and on the top of our list is The Builders and the Butchers.

So, what should we ask them? That's up to you!

Tell us what you'd ask The Builders and the Butchers through Twitter (@fpradio) or by commenting on this blog entry!

(We'll also be interviewing Chairlift, Passion Pit, Blind Pilot and more...so start brainstorming good questions for them too!)

Summer on Future Perfect Radio!

Summer means a lot of things to us here at Future Perfect Radio. Freedom from homework, trips to the beach, camping, drawing on the sidewalk with chalk, enormous bugs, sunburns, selling lemonade, humidity and paying more for gasoline. But most importantly, it means music festivals where you and thousands of your closest buds come together to collectively sweat and listen to amazing music for days on end.

We're celebrating these summer music fests on Future Perfect Radio with a few specially programmed channels. We've got Pitchfork Music Fest, Lollapalooza, Treasure Island and Austin City Limits. They each feature only artists performing at the respective festival. Take your pick below!




Are we missing your favorite music fest? Tell us! Odds are we'll have a shiny new channel, just for you, in days.