Pitchfork Festival’s Mike Reed to Launch Sound & Gravity in Chicago

Pitchfork festival co-founder Mike Reed and his cultural nonprofit Constellation Performing Arts have launched Sound & Gravity, a Sept. 10-14 festival set in Chicago.

Sound & Gravity will be spread out across Chicago’s Bricktown and Avondale neighborhoods with seven venues hosting the festival — Constellation, Hungry Brain, Judson & Moore, Beat Kitchen, Guild Row, and Rockwell on the River. Reed, who is known for curating challenging and contemporary artists through the now defunct Pitchfork Music Festival, is reportedly shaping Sound & Gravity into an “ambitious” event and “unique adventure for music enthusiasts” featuring 48 artists across a spectrum of genres including jazz, experimental, contemporary classical and indie music.

Performers include American singer-songwriter Bill Callahan, who has also recorded and performed under the band name Smog; Nigerian guitarist Mdou Moctar; American experimental electric guitar duo Kim Gordon and Bill Nace, American musician Helado Negro and many, many more.

Reed said he chose the Bricktown/Avondale area of Chicago, known for its fast-growing creator community and small businesses, due to it small intimate size, noting Sound & Gravity “capitalizes on the neighborhood’s walkability with all venues a 5-15 minute walk from each other,” according to a press release.

“Sound & Gravity offers attendees the opportunity to experience the local culture during five days of cutting-edge performances,” the release continues.

Sound & Gravity also serves as a fundraiser for Constellation Performing Arts, a 12-year-old not-for-profit organization that “has become a cornerstone of Chicago’s forward-thinking music scene,” according to the release. Constellation “has filled a crucial void in Chicago’s cultural landscape by providing a reliable, high-end platform for avant-garde and experimental music.”

Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, May 7 at 11am CT, and can be purchased here. Ticket options include an all-event four-day pass at $240, a single-day pass at $95, and a Wednesday opening night pass at $45. More info here.

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