Photos | Cage The Elephant + Cold War Kids at Pop's in Sauget, Illinois

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Cage the Elephant and Cold War Kids performed at Pop's in Sauget, Illinois this past Saturday. Please enjoy these shots of the show by Adam Schicker of Indie Image STL.

COLD WAR KIDS

Concert Photos | The Joy Formidable + Guards + Kitten at Pop's

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All photos by Louis Kwok

The Joy Formidable was in town this week to play tunes off their latest release, Wolf's Law, a fine album that explodes from its first track, "This Ladder Is Ours." Also on the bill was Guards, who has created buzz with its single, "Ready To Go," and the Los Angeles-based Kitten, who we interviewed earlier this week.

Please enjoy Louis Kwok's photos of the show, and be sure to visit his site here.

Guards

 

Kitten

Interview | Kitten: "To prove you're equal to a man in whatever craft you're pursuing, just do it as well or better than a man would and shut up about it."

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Photo by Kaitlin Christy

Tonight at Pop's in Sauget, IL, the electric Chloe Chaidez and her Los Angeles-based band, Kitten, will get things fired up for what should be a killer bill with Guards and the Joy Formidable. Doors are at 7PM.

Here's a taste of what to expect from Kitten.



We recently caught up with Chaidez and Kitten over email before the show.

I watched a little bit of one of your SXSW performances, and I was stuck by your presence. Explain your energy on stage. Do you ever take a breath? Is it hard to sing when you're moving that much?

It's hard to explain, but I'm really not thinking about anything while I'm on stage. Which is why often times I forget to thank the headlining band for having us, or mention that we have CD'S in the back. The most extreme parts of myself come out on stage and I'm not sure why. So if I'm feeling particularly aggressive or angry that day, I'll probably end up punching one of my band mates. If I ate a spinach salad, ran a mile and feel like Beyonce, I'll probably bite my lip and shake my hips a little more than usual.

I read where you started writing songs when you were 13 or 14. Talk to me about starting out.

Whatever songs I wrote at 13 and 14 were probably a joke. I remember writing something about the holocaust and thinking I was very deep. Over the past couple of years, rhythm and groove has really influenced my writing more than anything. About a year ago I started really diving into making beats and vibes on Ableton, and I think that really changed the game for me. I like to play with phrasing, and often times whatever words come out of me while singing along to the rhythm and mood of the track I'm working on will stick, for better or for worse. I assume they mean something to me if they're coming out of my mouth, but sometimes I don't know what and I'll just figure it out later, or never.

What goes through your head when you read a list like "the 10 best female rockers"? Does it really matter who is rocking -- a man or a woman? 

No, not at all. To prove you're equal to a man in whatever craft you're pursuing, just do it as well or better than a man would and shut up about it.

Branching off that question, you're only 18, and the Cut It Out EP sounds mature to my ears. In your experience, how does age matter when it comes to music -- writing, recording, and performing?

Of course a 15 year old couldn't make the  record that a 25 year old could, simply because of life experience and  lack of musical maturity, duh. That said,  I think there's a certain level of beautiful ignorance that comes with young people making records. When a person's been around the block, they're jaded, and more importantly bitter about creative failures in the past. People recording music for the first time just try shit and see what happens. I think after recording music for a long time, a bit of that is lost because of how many times you've pursued a certain sound or vibe and had it fail. Young people have no past defeats to overcome.

Tell me about the Cut It Out EP, how you recorded it. Also, what is next for Kitten?

The Cut it Out EP was very important in the sense that it marked the beginning of a sound that I can finally say is ours. I'm not saying we made Dark Side of the Moon, but before that I was so young, I was still finding my musical identity/voice. A lot of the Cut It Out EP came from Ableton demos that were purely electronic, and from there the band was included to make what became songs like "Cut It Out and "Junk" etc. They're pop songs, but there was also a lot of experimentation that went into the process. I learned a lot. After this Joy Formidable tour, we're playing a show with Garbage and then going on tour with Paramore. We're playing some festivals in the summer and most likely touring more in July. Oh and our album... that's coming out soon.

Finally, you're going to be opening for The Joy Formidable at Pop's, which is near downtown St. Louis. Have you ever played St. Louis, and if so, what do you remember?

We really enjoy St. Louis. We've played the Firebird a couple of times, and that's always a pleasure. The crowds are enthusiastic and excited, and there's always really delicious BBQ.

Get Out! Concert Schedule | Saint Louis + The Triangle

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Here's this week's Speakers in Code endorsed live shows in St. Louis and The Triangle, from now until October!

Saint Louis
6/26 - Sleepy Kitty + The Blind Eyes + The LIVERS @ Off Broadway [buy tickets]
6/27 - Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears @ Off Broadway [buy tickets]
6/28 - The New Pornographers + The Dodos @ The Pageant [buy tickets]
7/4 - Joe Pug + Rayland Baxter @ Off Broadway [buy tickets]
7/6 - Maps and Atlases + The Cults + The Globes @ The Firebird [buy tickets]
7/8 - Sarah Borges & The Broken Singles @ Off Broadway [buy tickets]
7/9 - Steel Phantoms + Active Child + Islands @ The Firebird [buy tickets]
7/9 - Common @ Live on the Levee [free show]
7/16 - Chamberlain + Tim Barry + The Gaslight Anthem @ Pop's [buy tickets]
7/17 - Morning Teleportation + Modest Mouse @ The Pageant [buy tickets]
7/18 - Drive-By Truckers + Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers @ Verizon Wireless Ampitheater [buy tickets]
7/20 - Nathaniel Rateliff @ Off Broadway [buy tickets]
7/22 - Fol Chen + Liars @ The Firebird [buy tickets]
7/26 - Art Majors + Jumbling Towers + Frog Eyes @ Luminary Center for the Arts [buy tickets]
7/30 - Harper Blynn + Greg Laswell/Cary Brothers @ The Old Rock House [buy tickets]
8/5 - Dead Conferderate + Deer Tick @ Off Broadway [buy tickets]
8/8 - Roller Coaster Club + Pretty Little Empre + Mimicking Birds @ The Old Rock House [buy tickets]
8/9 - Two Door Cinema Club + Phoenix @ The Pageant [buy tickets]
8/13 - We Are Scientists @ The Old Rock House [buy tickets]
8/15 - Katie Herzig @ The Old Rock House [buy tickets]
[new] 8/15 William Elliot Whitmore @ Off Broadway [buy tickets]
8/17 - Rosi Golan + William Fitzsimmons @ The Firebird [buy tickets]
8/27 - An Evening With The Black Crowes @ The Pageant [buy tickets]
8/28 - LOUfest in Forest Park [buy tickets]
8/29 - LOUfest in Forest Park [buy tickets]
9/9 - Jamie Lidell @ The Old Rock House [buy tickets]
9/14 - Male Bonding + Best Coast @ The Gargoyle [ticket info coming soon]
9/23 - Watson Twins + Laura Veirs and The Hall of Flames @ Off Broadway [buy tickets]
[new] 9/24 - The Avett Brothers + Grace Potter and The Nocturnals @ The Pageant [buy tickets]
9/30 - Owen Pallett + The National @ The Pageant [buy tickets]
[new] 10/3 - The Very Best + Beach House + Vampire Weekend @ Chafeitz Arena [buy tickets]
10/11 - Menomena @ Luminary Center for the Arts [buy tickets]
[new] 10/20 - Japandroids + The Walkmen @ Off Broadway [buy tickets]

The Triangle
6/26 - Math The Band + MC Lars + MC Chris @ Cat's Cradle [buy tickets]
6/27 - Matthew Ryan @ The Pour House [buy tickets]
6/30 - Athlete @ Local 506 [buy tickets]
7/1 - Phish @ Walnut Creek [buy tickets]
7/2 - Steel Phantoms + Islands @ Cat's Cradle [buy tickets]
7/5 - Delta Spirit @ Cat's Cradle [buy tickets]
7/6 - PO PO + Nerve City + Sleigh Bells @ Cat's Cradle [buy tickets]
7/9 - Peter Wolf Crier + The Builders And The Butchers + Heartless Bastards @ Cat's Cradle [buy tickets]
7/11 - Ringo Starr @ DPAC [buy tickets]
7/13 - Rasputina @ Cat's Cradle [buy tickets]
7/13 - Twin Tigers @ Local 506 [buy tickets]
7/16 - We Are Each Other + Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros @ Cat's Cradle [buy tickets]
7/16 - Future Islands @ Local 506 [buy tickets]
7/17 - The Love Language CD Release Party@ Cat's Cradle [buy tickets]
7/18 - Mic Harrison (ex-Superdrag) @ Sidlacks [buy tickets]
7/22 - John Hiatt @ Cat's Cradle [buy tickets]
7/23 - Tegan and Sara @ Boutique Amphitheater [buy tickets]
7/27 - Chairlift @ Local 506 [buy tickets]
7/29 - Matt Kearney @ Cat's Cradle [buy tickets]
7/29 - Ariel Pink @ Local 506 [buy tickets]
7/31 - Ben Kweller + Barenaked Ladies @ Boutique Amphitheater [buy tickets]
8/2 - Boris @ Cat's Cradle [buy tickets]
8/4 - The National @ Memorial Auditorium [buy tickets]
8/7 - Beach Fossils + Here We Go Magic @ Cat's Cradle [buy tickets]
8/8 - Janelle Monae @ Walnut Creek [buy tickets]
8/8 - Norah Jones @ DPAC [buy tickets]
8/10 - Citizen Cope @ Boutique Amphitheater [buy tickets]
8/13- Mission of Burma @ Cat's Cradle [buy tickets]
8/19 - Miniature Tigers @ Local 506 [buy tickets]
8/29 - Jim Avett @ The Pour House [buy tickets]
8/29 - KISS @ Walnut Creek [buy tickets]
9/9 - Hopscotch Festival @ City Plaza [buy tickets]
9/10 - Hopscotch Festival @ City Plaza [buy tickets]
9/11 - Hopscotch Festival @ City Plaza [buy tickets]
9/13 - The Black Keys + Kings of Leon @ Walnut Creek [buy tickets]
9/14 - Strange Boys + Those Darlins @ Local 506 [buy tickets]
9/17 - The Black Crowes @ Boutique Amphitheater [buy tickets]
9/18 - ZZ Top + Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers @ Walnut Creek [buy tickets]
9/18 - Billy Bragg @ Cat's Cradle [buy tickets]
9/18 - The Watson Twins + Laura Veirs @ Local 506 [buy tickets]
9/19 - Lady Gaga @ RBC Center [buy tickets]
[new] 9/23 - Jenny and Johnny @ Cat's Cradle [buy tickets]
9/25 - Carolina Chocolate Drops @ Duke University [buy tickets]
9/29 - Electric Six @ Cat's Cradle [buy tickets]
9/30 - Tobacco @ Local 506 [buy tickets]
[new] 10/1 - Stars @ Cat's Cradle [buy tickets]
10/7 - Suckers + Menomena @ Cat's Cradle [buy tickets]
10/8 - The Avett Brothers @ Walnut Creek [buy tickets]
[new] 10/10 - Built To Spill @ Cat's Cradle [buy tickets]
[new] 10/19 - School of Seven Bells @ Local 506 [buy tickets]
10/20 - Matt & Kim @ Cat's Cradle [buy tickets]
10/26 - Muse @ RBC Center [buy tickets]