Sound check: Marina City joins Bush, AWOLNATION for PIQNIQ

Posted April 02, 2018 8:00 am

Brian Shamie

Plainfield's Marina City steps onto the stage with big dogs AWOLNATION, Bush and more for 101WKQX's PIQNIQ music festival Saturday, June 30, in Tinley Park. Courtesy of Penelope Martinez

101WKQX announced the bill Monday for its daylong summer music festival PIQNIQ, and it includes some local talent among the heavy hitters and rising stars coming to town.

Organizers tapped Plainfield's Marina City to join the lineup for the Saturday, June 30, show at Tinley Park's Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre that features alternative rock band AWOLNATION, emo's Dashboard Confessional, veteran alternative rockers Bush, and indie from The Neighbourhood, Greta Van Fleet, The Front Bottoms, Bishop Briggs, Welshly Arms and L.I.F.T.

Marina City, the six-piece pop-rock band - Ryan Argast, Brian Johnson, Matt Gaudiano, Eric Somers-Urrea, Aaron Heiy and Todor Birindjiev - is not a stranger to festival stages. The band has already toured the West Coast with the Vans Warped Tour in 2016 and closed out the festival season that same year with a hometown show on the Riot Fest stage.

Aaron Bruno and AWOLNATION headline 101WKQX's PIQNIQ music fest Saturday, June 30, at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre. Associated Press

“It's really cool to be able to check off boxes of our dreams. Playing on WKQX was definitely a goal, and now being able to play PIQNIQ was one of those things that's like 'Wow!'” said Argast, frontman for Marina City. “To do PIQNIQ where you're one of 9 or 10 bands, and every band above you is going to be massive, it's just really cool. It's an honor honestly to be able to be part of that.”

Marina City's sound has always had a solid foundation in rock with aggressive pop overtones. Between now and PIQNIQ, expect some changes from the band, though.

“Ever since we worked on 'Terminal' (the band's 2017 album release) ... we've been deleting our old stuff, deleting our old music, old posts. ... We're trying to brand ourselves to be this next wave of Marina City, this next era.”

While the members are remaining solid, the tweaked brand is going to be more heavily influenced by pop, R&B and soul, accentuating touches the musicians already put into their songs.

Gavin Rossdale and Bush head to Tinley Park for 101WKQX's PIQNIQ music festival Saturday, June 30. Associated Press

“We're taking what we feel are the best parts of Marina City and being consistent on that instead of deviating from it because we're all crazy in our influences. We want to be a little more solidified.”

Fans can see Marina City before the fest when they make a hometown stop on their spring Midwest tour Sunday, April 22, at Subterranean (2011 W. North Ave., Chicago) with Phangs, Grayson DeWolfe, Better Love and Jet Black Alley Cat.

Ticket prices for 101WKQX's PIQNIQ start at $20. They go on sale to the public Friday, April 6, at 10 a.m. at 101wkqx.com. Presale tickets are available for WKQX members starting at 10 a.m. Monday, April 2; visit 101wkqx.com/piqniq for the password.

Save the WLUP

Durty Nellie's and classic rock cover band 97Nine are teaming up to bring back the dearly departed radio station, WLUP, with a Save the Loop Petition Signing event and concert. “While we're fully aware that the station will never return to 97.9, we hope to generate some momentum toward bringing the station back in some form,” said Mark O'Dette, 97Nine singer. Durty Nellie's, 180 N. Smith St., Palatine. $7. (847) 358-9150 or durtynellies.com. 8:30 p.m. Friday, April 6

Concert highlights

Matt Derda & the High Watts, Missy Renae (of The God Awful Small Affairs): 6 p.m. Friday, April 6, at Brewpoint Coffee Workshop & Roastery, 617 N. York Road, Elmhurst. Free. (224) 542-8263 or brewpointcoffee.com.

Timeflies, Bryce Vine, Baby Raptors: 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 6, at Concord Music Hall, 2047 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. $27. (773) 570-4000 or concordmusichall.com.

David Paige, Katie & Les Bates: 8 p.m. Friday, April 6, at Uncommon Ground, 1401 W. Devon Ave., Chicago. $15. (773) 465-9801 or uncommonground.com.

Minor Characters album release: 8 p.m. Friday, April 6, at Bucktown Pub, 1658 W. Cortland St., Chicago. (773) 394-9898 or bucktownpub.com.

CyberFest Chicago featuring Covenant, The Rain Within, Project .44, The Gothsicles, Biocarbon 13 and Scary Lady Sarah: 8 p.m. Friday, April 6, at BrauerHouse Live, 1000 N. Rohlwing Road, Lombard. $25-$52; party bus and VIP packages available. (630) 495-2141 or brauerhouse.com.

The Reaganomics, Death And Memphis, Benny and The No Goods, Size 5's: 9 p.m. Friday, April 6, at BrauerHouse, 1000 N. Rohlwing Road, Lombard. $8-$10. (630) 495-2141 or brauerhouse.com.

Oasisfest Concert 2018: 3 p.m. Saturday, April 7, at Grayslake Oasis, 151 Hawley St., Grayslake. $5 donation. (847) 986-2799 or oasisgrayslake.com.

Pat Green - A Benefit for Gavers Community Cancer Foundation and Yhim: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 7, at Joe's Live, 5441 Park Place, Rosemont. Tickets start at $20; $40 for VIP. (847) 261-0392 or joesliverosemont.com.

Framing the Red, Rebel Soul Revival: 8 p.m. Saturday, April 7, at RocHaus, 96 W. Main St., West Dundee. $15-$18. (815) 893-9768 or rochaus.com.

Dead Harvest (featuring Over the Sun's Joe Brunker), Zoo Trippin', From Chaos, Eugeine Grey and the Bad Habits: 8 p.m. Saturday, April 7, at Elbo Room, 2871 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. $9-$10. (773) 549-5549 or elboroomlive.com.

South City Revival: 9 p.m. Saturday, April 7, at Old Towne Pub, 201 W. State St., Geneva. (630) 232-7962 or otpgeneva.com.

Hi Infidelity: 9:30 p.m. Saturday, April 7, at Durty Nellie's, 180 N. Smith St., Palatine. $8. (847) 358-9150 or durtynellies.com.

Crooked Spires, Dried Spider, Mertle, Axios: 7 p.m. Sunday, April 8, at Elbo Room, 2871 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. $9-$10. (773) 549-5549 or elboroomlive.com.

The Bones of J.R. Jones, Ryan Joseph Anderson: 7 p.m. Sunday, April 8, at Schubas Tavern, 3159 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. $8-$10. (773) 525-2508 or lh-st.com.

The Decemberists: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 10, at Chicago Theatre, 175 N. State St., Chicago. $ckets start at 39.50. (312) 902-1500 or msg.com.

David Luning, Glass Mountain: 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 10, at Schubas Tavern, 3159 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. $12. (773) 525-2508 or lh-st.com.

The 2018 Spring Kick-Off at Elbo Room featuring Amy's River, Came Out Swinging, VitriaL, Billy Martin, Observing With Annie, Stay Up All Night and Fight, Them Dead Poets: 7 p.m. Thursday, April 12, at Elbo Room, 2871 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. $10. (773) 549-5549 or elboroomlive.com.

Ripe, Caleb Hawley, The North 41: 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 12, at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. $13-$15. (773) 525-2501 or lh-st.com.

Sweet Diezel Jenkins, The Banknotes: 9 p.m. Thursday, April 12, at BrauerHouse, 1000 N. Rohlwing Road, Lombard. $7-$10. (630) 495-2141 or brauerhouse.com.

<i> Brian Shamie is a Daily Herald multiplatform editor and local music fanboy. You can follow him on Twitter at @thatshamieguy. Listen to Brian's “2018 Chicago Sound Check vol. 2” Spotify playlist for a sampling of some of the local bands he's written about for the Daily Herald recently.</i>

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