Version '06 Music Guide, Weekend 1

The fifth annual Version Fest (aka Version '06) kicks off tomorrow night with an opening party at Sonotheque. If you're not familiar with the event, Version is a 17-day long festival focused on emerging art, technology, and social activism. As usual, the festival also brings with it a barrage of musical performances amongst the numerous different exhibits, programs and installations. Below is a brief run-down of this weekend's music madness: Thu 04/20 @ Sonotheque Warhammer 48K Hailing from Columbia, MO, Warhammer 48K is possibly the finest psychedelic stoner prog-metal ensemble in the country. Jerusalem & the Starbaskets Lo-fi folky pop from Columbia, MO that gives way to psych drones and synth rumbles. Jeremy Freeze sings songs of Doom and of werewolves delight while Kim Sherman manages to hold everything together (just barely) with her hypnotic beats. The Mummy Old funky jams from Milwaukee's Mummy. DJ Kyle Dade An eclectic mix of indigo chillbient waterfall and floetry cloud forms. Fri 04/21 @ Iron Studios [3636 S. Iron] Juiceboxxx Teen-dream posi-rap sensation from Milwaukee will make U sweat. E-Rock E*Rock is from Portland, OR. He works with a variety of visual and audio mediums as well as motion graphics and video. Benn Jordan (aka Flashbulb) The Rephlex Records breakmaster known as the Flashbulb will take a walk down memory lane in this special 1992 Acid themed set. It’s A Trap Piercing spazz-out dance-punk from Dance to Panic cholos. Mirajj Fucked up top-40 cover band butchers the hits in da-glo body suits all awash in a neon haze. Far Rad Are you a part of the Far Rad movement? You better be, or else you will be held accountable for your actions when the time for the spirtual cleansing of your getting down-ed-ness is upon us! Pamphlets explaining their position, with crude little stick figures to illustrate it, will be dropped across the Chicagoland area educating the masses on how Far Rad will rock you into submission, until there is no way to fight back. Eavil McKinley Park's own dark electro duo. Minimal synths and bursts of noise meet sweet beats and brooding vocals. Cool Runnings DJ Collective Jamaica's finest DJ team, all deckep out in matching jumpsuits and dreadlocks. Sat 04/22 @ Iron Studios KK Rampage Three of the ugliest young men from Chicago play improvised punk rock that's loud and obnoxious and sounds like it's not improvised. Alexis One half of Princess presents a one man gospel-circus, cartoon-necessary schizo-rap New York hillbilly, aged and innocent provocateur, Alexis has emerged with the craziest music currently available, which is only to say it is the most familiar. From joy to mourning and back again and none of it harder or easier than it has to be. The most familiar music in America. Amerika’z Meth Problem II Terry Plumming's terrorist karaoke supergroup returns for another go-round. Rotten Milk is selling the rights to shave his mighty beard during this show on e-bay. It is uncertain what other chaos might ensue. Soft Serve Terry Plumming's queen of noisy-electro-fuck-pop freakout returns to Chicago from the West Coast with a backpack full of pedals for this performance. Lazer Mountain You will never believe four kids from the Quad Cities can rock this hard or this spastically. Aspic Tines Aspic Tines will enslave some and make others dance. DO NOT RESIST! Typewriter Typewriter is the twisted children's story of a cow, two giant rabbits, a talking dummy, an evil hospital administrator, Santa Claus and a decapitated polar bear set to blistering live hip hop beats. I Am the Liquor A new Dance to Panic band that pays homage to the greatest of vices, the booze. Featuring members of It's a Trap, A Drunk with A Gun & Spiderlegs. It'll be a miracle if they stay standing through their whole set. DJ Hunter Husar