The electronic scene is growing in popularity at a rapid pace. Groups are dominating the airwaves with filtered electronic beats and dancehall anthems, with the sound being embraced by singers adapting to the times.

Fortunately, Dave 1 (real name, David Macklovitch) of Chromeo doesn’t see them as part of the trend.

“To be honest, I don’t feel like we’re part of that sort of electronic music,” Dave said, “It’s very different from what we do.”

What Chromeo does, as Dave on guitars and lead vocals and P-Thugg (real name Patrick Gemayel) on synthesizers and keyboards, is create a nostalgic 80’s style electronic funk hybrid, filled with tight basslines, danceable beats, “vintage synthesizers and drum machines, and Loverboy lyrics,” producing a sonic experience that rivals the mainstream electronic being spun today.

“I think what’s going to happen is electronic music, like rock music is going to become increasingly compartmentalized. You have stuff like us which is more of the indie side of electronic music, and then you have the more mainstream side to electronic music,” Dave said, “But I wouldn’t knock any of it. We’re fortunate enough to be able to go on tour and do shows.”

Chromeo has a unique flair in being a band-based outfit but still having the pull of an electronic group, giving them free range of tours and shows to do, from the current tour with Michigan native and soul revivalist Mayer Hawthorne, to New York’s Electric Zoo festival which boasted a heavy line-up of major electronic artists like David Guetta and Skrillex.

“That’s something we’re really happy with,” Dave said. “We were the only band [at Electric Zoo] on the main stage and our music is more song-based where a lot of electronic is tracks-based, so we can only hope it makes for a listening experience that’s refreshing.”

The hilarious chemistry between Dave and P-Thugg is evident on their recordings and in their videos, which Dave assures has been organic to their relationship from the start of their musical career together, and while it’s good for them to have, the humor is more an ode to projecting honesty as an artist.

“It’s an attempt to be high-brow and low-brow at the same time. I think it goes with what you’re personality is, and what counts is being true to yourself,” Dave said. “We have this kind of humor built in to what we do and hopefully it charms people and becomes part of the whole Chromeo package.”

Their onstage antics will be experienced first-hand by Metro Detroiters Monday September 26 when Chromeo come through Detroit’s Majestic Theatre on their current tour.

“We’re focusing on making the show as tight as possible, making it the best show we’ve ever done and honoring the legacy of our friend DJ Mehdi (The France-based DJ and Chromeo collaborator had tragically passed on September 13),” Dave said. “It’s a torch to carry for all of us since we’re his friend.”

With Chromeo’s tour plan running through the rest of the year, Dave has put his work towards his Ph.D in French Literature on hold, along with one of his other passions alongside music, teaching.

“I did [teach] the last academic year,” Dave said, “I’m not going to this year because the schedule is just a little bit too intense, so it’s better for me just to focus on this.”

Surely fans will be receptive towards the energies being focused when Chromeo perform Monday night when the duo play through a their funk-filled set and get the adoring crowd dancing without reserve on the floor.

While the struggle of going through cancer treatment may send many off the deep end, Andrew McMahon of Something Corporate and Jack’s Mannequin used his experiences to shape his musical and personal life.

Growing up, McMahon explained that he hung around his older brothers friends, who were always bringing home music from artists like Fleetwood Mac, Billie Joel, Elton John, among many others.

“I was like a sponge at an early age,” McMahon said, when regards to music he was exposed to by family friends.

From 1998 to their hiatus in 2005, McMahon played fronted the widely popular band Something Corporate and had released three studio albums, along with two extended plays.

Even though McMahon regularly expresses no negativity towards members of Something Corporate, he was quick to say simply “no” when asked about the possibility of the release of any new material from the band.

Following the hiatus from Something Corporate, McMahon formed a side-project called Jack’s Mannequin and their first record called “Everything in Transit”, which was a departure lyrically from “North”, Something Corporate’s final release.

“To me, I always perceive ‘North’ as pretty somber record, I always perceive (‘Everything in Transit’) to some extent, to be the polar opposite of (‘North’),” he said. “I felt where I was standing, my desire to create (Everything in Transit) was a knee jerk reaction to try to do something more fun.”

Three months before the debut release of Jack’s Mannequin, McMahon was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a cancer of the white blood cells, after being examined for what was thought to be laryngitis, on June 1, 2005.

Over the course of a few months, McMahon received many types of treatment and updated a blog to keep fans informed of his progress and the status of his condition.

The motivation to present his new endeavor to the masses became one of the driving factors to push him through both treatment and recovery.

“(Getting out to) support this first record, which to me was up to that point, the best thing I’ve ever created and it was something I really wanted people to hear,” he said. “I became incredibly motivated to get well and get well fast and take it on the road and share it with people.”

On August 23, 2005, “Everything in Transit” was released via Maverick Records. That same day, he received a stem cell transplant with his sister Katie McMahon serving as the donor.

McMahon said it was hard to keep music in his mind, while dealing with cancer.

“When you encounter something like (cancer), the last thing you’re thinking about is business,” he said. “I think my real drive was to live my life, and more than anything, I wanted to stay with my family and friends and not die at 22-years-old.”

A common theme throughout songs like “Dark Blue” and “Swim” McMahon draws and is influenced by the idea of swimming. Not in the sense of the activity, but as an act of survival.

“I’ve always looked at idea of swimming as a survival tool, in some of the moments where I needed help to keep my head above.”

That positive outlook expressed in McMahon’s lyrics carried through both “Everything In Transit”, and his sophomore release “The Glass Passenger”, but his upcoming album, “People and Things”which slated for release on Oct. 4, takes his music in a different direction.

“In a lot of ways, (‘People and Things’ is) the most humble, focused and simple record.” He said. “The whole goal was to get a batch of great songs and not to over think the production.”

While previous albums have underlying theme of hope, the album’s lyrics are more direct, with according to McMahon, a “tell-it- like it is” concept.

“(‘People and Things’) certainly is not a depressing record, but its a little darker with its language unlike the other record.”

Outside of his musical endeavors, McMahon launched the Dear Jack foundation in July 2006, a totally volunteer driven non-profit charity, with an aim to raise funds for cancer research, which has seen a dramatic growth over the years.

Recently, the Dear Jack Foundation has become a proper non-profit organization, instead of existing within a parent organization, which is bringing advantages in the creation of new activities.

“We are looking in our communities to align ourselves with other different organizations that are doing great things to help young adults who are suffering from cancer and fund good research that will impact the young-adult age bracket that has seen little no increase in their survival rates in the past 30 years.”

During his show at the Filmore Detroit on August 30, and in interviews, McMahon repeatedly expressed his affection for performing in Detroit.

“One of my favorite gigs I’ve ever played was the 2002 Warped Tour in Detroit,” he said. “I certainly always look forwards to playing in Detroit.”

With an overwhelming resume consisting of both a growing discography that has tones that masses can relate to, and a bright future for the Dear Jack Foundation, his experiences make lyrics like “Just find the horizon. I promise you it’s not as far as you think” in “The Glass Passenger” are even more believable.

Latest tracks by Orange Marsupials

Truth be told, I rarely write about local bands.

I find it hard to be honest as a journalist and deal out objective criticism because some bands take it as me bashing their music.

So, for the sake of artists still trying to make a name in our city, I just avoid it all together.

I’m making an exception this time around.

A couple months ago, staff reporter Brian Figurski, asked me to check out this band that was performing at the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac. I’ve heard of the Orange Marsupials before, but I’ve never really given them a dedicated listen.

I was delightfully surprised at what I heard and saw.

This band is different. Throughout their show, I kept repeating the same thing in my head.

“So. Much. Potential.”

From exceptional bass and guitar work of Nick Press and Justin “Saz” Salazar, to the vocals of Lisa Vitale, the Orange Marsupials had continuous flashes of brilliance.

Their technically sound drummer, Kevin Klopocinski deserves praise. He keeps up with the momentum set by the rest of the band with ease and creates the bedrock for the mood of each song.

From the first song, it is undeniable that Lisa is a gifted singer and her extensive range is obvious with songs like “Inescapable”. Think Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley with more of a soul background.

Midway through the set, the soulful toned Lisa, turned a corner and tore through a cover of the Dr. Dre and Eminem hit “Forgot About Dre,” but with a more funk styling. It was a nice change of pace and not what I expected.

More importantly, the chemistry of the members of the Orange Marsupials on stage makes their passion for music genuine in nature.

While the Orange Marsupials do have a solid foundation, they have obvious room to grow musically.

A common gripe with most bands is that they just fill sound. Some tracks have too much reverb, effects, etc, which are used to mask flaws or limitations in musicians in the band.

I’m a firm believer that simple is better when it comes to composition and arrangement in production and tracks. It’s much more difficult to be clever with minimal sound but it is worth the time and energy.

Not saying that the Orange Marsupials are guilty of that, but I think a minimalistic approach, would be advantageous because it would highlight the true skill of musicians in band.

The Orange Marsupials have great ability in the right places. They have an established sound, now it’s time to refine and grow, which I believe they will.

In time, forward progress of this blossoming band is inevitable — they have too much potential to not take a step back.

- The “MusicGuy” Kevin Romanchik is the Scene section editor at the Oakland Post.
- You can follow him on twitter, @kevin_ro

The last day of Lollapalooza was looming in the distance Sunday morning. I wasn’t glad to see it end, but three days of scorching sunlight was getting to me.

Opening on the main stage was The Joy Formidable, bringing their sonic assault to the masses early to start with a bang. After tearing though 45 minutes of their noisiest material, lead vocalist/guitarist Ritzy Bryan smashed her guitar into a gong while the other members finished out their single ‘Whirring’, leaving a large impression on the eager crowd.

Indie band Noah and the Whale were up after The Joy Formidable with a rather calming set compared to their metal-enhanced predecessors. With violinist Tom Hobden center stage, the crowd swayed in the heat to the mellow jams and deep vocals provided by Charlie Fink.

On the opposing smaller stage was City & Colour, Dallas Green of Alexisonfire fames mellow project. Interspersed in the fantastic set of mainly new material, he entertained the crowd with his hilarious commentary, such as, “I don’t know how to thank you guys, so I’m not going to. But know that I mean it.”

Traversing Grant Park, we set out to the second main stage to briefly watch The Cars, who ran through their classic material like the year was still 1980, playing classics like ‘My Best Friend’s Girl’ and ‘Good Times Roll.’

Portugal. The Man was slated to start at 5 PM, so we arrived early to the Sony Stage to get a close spot up front for what was bound to be a great set from the Alaskan band. Playing a hefty amount of old material, the crowd jammed along regardless of knowing the songs or otherwise.

Within a half hour, the skies had turned from blue to a deep gray. As Portugal. The Man closed out their set with ‘People Say’ and seamlessly transitioning into a cover of Oasis’ ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger,’ the sky spilt hard cold rain over the park.

We ran for cover near the media tent, one of the many perks of our wristbands while the rest of the festival attendees ran in the flooded streets.

The rain cleared within a half-hour, bringing the show back into action. Arctic Monkeys teared through their set due to their late start, giving fans a fast pace to stomp about in the muddy field. The band even created a mosh pit, the first one we witnessed over Lollapalooza.

While we waited impatiently for mega house DJ Deadmau5 to close out the show, the rain reared its ugly head again. Kevin and I took refuge in the glamorous port-a-johns while waiting for the rain to pass, but after we heard the opening chords of Deadmau5 starting regardless of the downpour, we knew we had a job to do.

I ripped my shirt off and kicked open the stall door and ran through the streets to the main stage, fist-pumping the entire way while stomping through lakes of mud. We emerged to a massive crowd of fans raving to the thunderous boom of bass provided by Deadmau5, equipped in his glowing mouse helmet with a devilish grin, guaranteed Joel Zimmerman behind the mask was doing the exact same.

The event was a massive success, and the hoards of raging fans walking through the Chicago streets drenched in mud are sure to feel the same. For Kevin and I, Lollapalooza was an amazing three day spectacle we are both grateful to have gone through.

To check out photos from Lollapalooza, click here

I awoke on a rainy Saturday morning to a hearty breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs and fresh zucchini pie patties provided by our hosts for the weekend – my cousin and her fiancée. Having gotten a terrible sunburn the day before, the meal definitely started me off on a much better foot then when I first arose from my slumber.

We left around 11:30 and took the blue-line subway towards Grant Park.

Once we got there, Brian and I started trying different foods from the Chow Town section of the festival grounds and doing interviews for the food article, available here.

From watermelon-jalapeño popsicles to gourmet burgers, Lollapalooza had much more to offer then just the usual concert junk food.

After we were done sampling some of Lollapalooza’s finest culinary offerings, we saw the Australian indie-rock duo An Horse perform to kick off the day. I’d heard of the band before, but never actually listened to their material.

Unfortunately, we only saw the last part of the show, but it was pretty good. Kate Cooper, lead singer of the band, has good pipes and can really shred.

With Brian wanting to see Friendly Fires perform on the Bud Light stage, I went to the Music Unlimited stage over on the opposite side of the festival grounds to watch the indie-soul band Fitz and the Tantrums.

Overall, Fitz and the Tantrums had, in my opinion, one of the best performances all festival. With soul interpretations of Eurythmics’ “Sweet Dreams” and the Raconteurs  “Steady As She Goes,” the five-piece band from Los Angeles really rocked the crowd with their retro sound that has a modern pop feel.

It’s refreshing and different to hear a band that doesn’t have  a guitarist in their band but does has a horn section. It adds a different dimension to their music that isn’t too common in this day and age.

After the Fitz show, Brian and I met back up in the media tent to conduct an interview with Zach and Ryan of Portugal the Man and then went to check out former Fall Out Boy lead singer Patrick Stump.

We only needed to hear two songs before realizing that his new solo act was nothing special, and decided to instead get a good spot for Cee Lo Green on the main stage.

Donning a black dress and shoulder pads covered in spikes, Cee Lo and his band of bondage- and goth-clad outfits tore through a set featuring Gnarls Barkley hits as well as songs from his solo releases like “Smiley Faces” and “Crazy”.

Ending with the popular “Fuck You,” Cee Lo’s onstage antics and presentation made him one of more entertaining and interesting acts of the weekend.

One of the general problems with a mainstream festival like this is that you have to make difficult decisions of who to see, because the times for a lot of acts often clashed with each other

A prime example of this was the conflict that closed out day two of the festival – My Morning Jacket, Beirut and Eminem all played at the same time. With his always-limited tour schedule, Brian and I decided that Eminem was the best choice.

Opening with “Won’t Back Down,” Detroit’s hometown act maximized his set list to include a fair majority of his extensive catalogue by playing only half of songs.

With guests like Bruno Mars, Skylar Grey and the other half of Bad Meets Evil, Royce Da 5’9”, Eminem brought the energy to one of the largest crowds all weekend.

Although Saturday was considered by some to be the weak link of the festival, acts like Fitz and the Tantrums, Cee Lo Green, and Eminem truly made it memorable.

To check out photos from Lollapalooza, click here

The first thing one thinks of when Lollapalooza is mentioned is an eclectic collection of musicians, spanning a vast sea of genres and eras.

You have your headliners drawing in the mass of the raving fanatics and catching some of the smaller, less exposed acts along the way and seeing what the world has to offer.

This is no different than Lollapalooza’s Chow Town, split in two strips of tents showing the people of the day what the fine city of Chicago has to offer.

From the gourmet gouges of meat to ripe vegan dishes, and oriental-inspired antiquities clashing right next to a deep-dish Chicago trademark, this year’s line-up for food is as epic as the music.

“[There is an] ethos and philosophy of food and music as a symbiotic relationship and a way to express yourself,” Graham Elliot Bowles, Culinary Director of Lollapalooza, said at a press conference early Friday morning.

The strips are sectioned off on two extremities of the park, the north side and the south side, also reflecting where the main hub of the restaurant sits geographically in the bigger picture of the city itself. While the South side generally had more foot traffic, with one-hundred thousand people traversing the grounds becoming famished, every server was bound to become profitable.

Rarely does one consider a hot dog to be a five-star meal, but over at the Franks ‘N’ Dawgs stand, owner Alexander Brunacci takes the American classic to a new level.

The restaurant has been heralded by Chicago writers as some of the best food Lollapalooza has to offer, with its unique breakfast dog drenched in maple syrup, smoked bacon and fried eggs, to southern guacamole and salsa smothered dish.

“The poorer the country I visited, the better quality the street food, so the concept was to recreate a fine dining meal on top of a bun,” Brunacci said.

A hot commodity in high demand at the festival this year is Kuma’s Corner, creating fresh burgers aptly titled after metal bands.

“The names usually coincide with something related to the band,” Sous Chef Luke Tobais said. “The Gates of Slumber is a basic burger, and they’re a classic doom band, and the Neurosis burger is a heavy burger, and Neurosis is an extremely heavy band.”

By late afternoon when the crowds are at their hungriest, the line for Kuma’s stretches and curves with the sweaty bodies of the meat-craving maniacs in attendance.

“These people are ravenous. We keep up the best we can,” Tobias said. “Hopefully they understand they’re getting a fresh burger and it’s worth the wait.”

One booth drawing in hoards with its organic vegetarian strategy was the Chicagolocal.org, a trio of green restaurants (Blue 13, Elate and Jam) that offer dishes for the green folks in the crowd today.

“We’ve been getting a lot of people loving the all-vegetarian,” Chris Curren, executive chef of Blue 13 and Elate, said, “Two of our dishes can be done vegan, and we’re getting a great reception.”

The collection has a volley of concoctions on deck for fans, including southwest inspired cactus tostada, and for dessert, the intriguingly odd watermelon jalapeno popsicle.

“We wanted to do something easy, something refreshing,” Curren said. “The flavor profiles work really well together when you have the sweet watermelon and then a little heat from the jalapeno juice.”

With keeping green, Lollapalooza also has a separate farmers market available for those looking for fresh produce to snack on in the hot sun, including blending fresh fruit together on-site for revitalizing smoothies.

“Lollapalooza asked us to be a part of this two years ago,” Peter Klein, owner of Seedling Farms in South Haven, Michigan, said. “It’s nice exposure and a lot of people who don’t know us get to.”

The food scene is as wildly diverse as the bands in Grant Park this year, sure to draw a crowd of their own. This weekend in Chicago, the restaurants feel like rock stars on their own stage.

Photos by Kevin Romanchik, Scene Editor.

After we settled on the meat-in-dough item called a “bao” we headed over to see Two Door Cinema Club.

At this time of the day, the physical toll caused by the heat had affected everyone but we continued to trek through and make our way over to the Sony stage to enjoy Two Door Cinema Club.

Or so I thought I’d enjoy it.

Maybe it was my position in relation to the stage and speakers, but I was very disappointed with their performance.

I enjoyed their first record, and it was repeat for some time but the live performance didn’t stack up.

The sound seemed empty and the depth of that album had been non-existent on stage.

With temperature and hippie numbers still rising, we cut across the field to the Music Unlimited stage to check out A Perfect Circle.

I’m a casual fan of the band, and I’ve never had the chance to see either A Perfect Circle or Tool, so I was pretty excited.

Just as we got to area as band was beginning their set with cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine” and if you haven’t heard it before, imagine if John Lennon had dabbled in metal and hard rock when he quit the Beatles.

We found a spot where we could lay on the grass and still see both the stage and the screen to the left of the stage.

Maynard Keenan, lead vocalist for both A Perfect Circle and Tool, is talented but creepy in his stage demeanor, but it’s all good.

Unfortunately because of the physical exhaustion, I had fallen asleep towards the end of the set for about two minutes but abruptly woke up to them beginning to play a favorite of mine, “The Outsider.”

Although A Perfect Circle isn’t the first band that I’d think that would play at this year’s festival, especially because dance-oriented bands dominate it, that’s the beauty of Lollapalooza. Collective differences in style and music that just seem to fit and make sense.

We left during their last song to trek to the main stage all the way on the opposite side of the festival grounds for Coldplay.

It takes some real endurance to be able to walk from one main stage to the other because it seems like miles separate them, and at this point in the day, we could see the finish line.

I saw Coldplay at DTE Energy Theatre a few years back and was blown away, even though I went into this festival wanting to see new bands, I couldn’t miss it

As to be expected, the crowd grew larger and larger and went as far back as the entrance to the main field and we were somewhere in the middle.

People started to grow anxious and were fighting to get as close as possible, and I kept thinking a specific thought, people are starting to get threatening for the most non-threatening band at this festival.

Finally the clock hit 8:30, and the band from overseas hit the stage and opening with 2 new tracks from their upcoming record, “MX (intro)” and “Hurts Like Heaven”

Coldplay’s striking visuals and fireworks really picked the crowd up and put them in a positive place after a hot day.

The band tore through their hour and half set, playing a great mix of new songs and old.

Coldplay’s positive energy throughout the show, especially with the last two songs, “Fix You” and “Every Tear Drop is a Waterfall,” was a really was fantastic way to end the first day of the festival.

The video of their entire performance can been seen here. Coldplay starts at the 11 minute mark.

Check out part one of this blog here.

Entering Chicago for the first time in my life, and being relatively constricted to suburbia for majority of my time on Earth, the view of the skyline looming in the background of I-94 was overwhelming. I was awestruck and under-prepared with the bustle of the city. Hell, a Hispanic man nearly ran me into the concrete median on the freeway while I was staring like a wide-eyed child.

Opening day of Lollapalooza in the historic Grant Park was even more of a breath taking and exhausting spectacle.

The day started early with a press conference led by festival founder and Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Ferrell, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the festival, followed by a handful of supporting speakers commenting on the shows enhancements over the years.

There was still plenty of time to kill before the bands flooded the eight stages scattered on the park grounds, so Kevin Romanchik and I decided to take a stroll from one end to the other to get a lay of the land, approximately a mile hike.

We did this several times over the next fourteen hours.

The sun was already burning greater than the muscles in my inner thighs by high noon when British newcomers The Vaccines took the Music Unlimited Stage, one of two larger showcases. Immediately realizing their music did not translate well to a live setting, we shuffled across the park to catch Young the Giant on the Bud Light Stage, the other main stage on the complete  opposite side of the field.

Instant gratification came when Young the Giant entered into their youthful catalog. The bands tunes were executed with perfection, and the songs I was unfamiliar with had me tapping my feet and clapping my hands like the already-topless Jersey Shore look-alikes flocked in front of me.

I think after this I blacked out walking down the street for a 45-minute period while watching the Naked and Famous. While I was looking forward to seeing the New Zealand bands dark electro-rock performance. I have no shame in admitting I spent a high portion of the day shuffling my feet like a zombie, running into any of the roughly 100 thousand goons like myself in attendance.

Ill prepared, the 3 p.m. set by Foster the People got me back on my feet. Performing their album ‘Torches’ on shuffle, their high-energy, danceable set had a sea of fans fist-pumping and singing along about their pumped up kicks.

After the heart-pumping show, I passed out face first in the grass somewhere and heard White Lies in the background moaning about death, love, and the death of love. White Lies is a band I do like, but not one that I love, and certainly not one beyond me ripping on their unoriginality and sometimes agonizing lyrics of typical heartbreak and post-relationship tears.

By 5 p.m., the sun was still kicking our asses and we needed to get some real food in us, not just the organic vegan granola and almond bars in the media lounge. We wanted to get a giant, grease-drenched gourmet burger to represent the entire city of Chicago out on the strip mall of food tents.

That line was way too long, so we settled on a bao.

What the expletive is a bao? I still don’t know, and I ate two of them. Imagine if you squeezed a stress ball until it exploded spicy beef stroganoff by way of Laos.

Lollapalooza, one of the biggest festivals in the United States, is more than just a 3-day sprawl for a nation of strangers to congregate and dance to music. The festival is celebrating their twentieth year and making enormous strides to give back and give more.

Bryan Traubert, Member of the Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners, estimated the show brings in $85 million to the city, giving it a major economic bump in times where many major cities still find funds critical. Roughly 40 percent of 270,000 out-of-towners bring in revenue for local eateries, hotels and other accommodations the city of Chicago has to offer.

“Twenty years ago, I expected to see maybe ten to twenty thousand weirdoes showing up from town-to-town and now I’m proud to say we have ninety-thousand weirdoes showing up here today,” Perry Farrell, frontman of alternative rock band Jane’s Addiction and founder of Lollapalooza, said.

“It is our responsibility as event producers in our industry and society to lead by example and give back wherever we can,” Charlie Jones, event planner for Lollapalooza via C3 Productions, said.

The biggest splash for giving back to the music world is their freshly announced partnership with the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

“Berklee College of Music is thrilled to be involved with such a renowned and influential festival like Lollapalooza,” Deborah Bieri, Senior Vice President of Berklee said. “This is where we want to be.”

Starting next year, the partnership will be bringing one fully-funded scholarship to a student each year, after they go through auditions. The festival is also expanding their reach to include more local flavors to the mix is with their Lollapalooza Chow Town food court, showcasing some of the best foods the Windy City has at its disposal.

“(There is an) ethos and philosophy of food and music as a symbiotic relationship and a way to express yourself,” Graham Elliot Bowles, Culinary Director of Lollapalooza, said. “Making food that showcases what the city is all about, to be part of it is humbling and amazing.”

In addition to the press conference, Elliot introduced famed pasty chef and host of “Ace of Cakes,” Duff Goldman, bearing a Lollapalooza branded lemon cake.

The creative force behind the festival has broken down all barriers this year, making this two-decade festival a fun-filled weekend packed full of music, mouth-watering food and spectacles you’d have to be here for to believe, setting the tone for the festival off with a fiery kick.

Be sure to check in regularly to www.theoaklandpost.com to check for more updates and follow @theoaklandpost on Twitter for live updating during the days to come.

I want to welcome you all to my new blog. I am the Music Guy, Kevin Romanchik.

If you’re familiar with the Scene section of The Oakland Post, for about a year we were running a weekly column called “Music Spotlight.”

What began as a simple album review of Athlete’s “Black Swan” turned into full articles containing concert reviews and band interviews.

Since I took over the position of the Scene section editor, I’m bringing back Music Spotlight, but instead of being mostly print, I believe that it’s better suited for a blog format.

The other major change to Music Spotlight, other than the name, is that instead of just me writing these pieces, I want to have other talented staff and contributing writers help add something that can be much more than a weekly column.

What to expect from this blog:
1. Fantastic updates from the world of music

2. Concert Reviews

3. Album Reviews

4. Artist Interviews

5. Pictures of me (not really)

6. Song of the Day

7. Album of the Month

And everything in between.

We have many big things planned for this summer and the following year.

For instance, The Oakland Post has been invited to cover the famous Lollapalooza festival in Chicago, IL this weekend (August 5-7).

We’re really excited for possibilities of what we can offer, so keep checking back to see what’s new!

Kevin Romanchik

You can follow Kevin on Twitter – @kevin_ro