Pitchfork Festival booker launches new Chicago fest

Sound and Gravity is a new Chicago music festival presented by the club Constellation that will take place over a week (September 10 – 14) at various venues in the city’s Bricktown district. Constellation is owned by former Pitchfork Festival booker Mike Reed, and Sound and Gravity “caters to adventurous, creative listeners eager to support an organization founded and run by artists.”

What exactly does that mean? The inaugural Sound and Gravity lineup includes Bill Callahan, Mdou Moctar, Body/Head, Helado Negro, Mary Lattimore, Irreversible Entanglements, Jeff Parker Expansion Trio, Tarbaby, The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis, Steve Gunn, William Tyler, Elias Rønnenfelt, Glenn Kotche, Rafiq Bhatia, Sam Prekop, Eucademix, ganavya, Geologist, Hannah Cohen, Ken Vandermark, Cooper Moore, MEMORIALS, and more including “Surprise Sets Programmed by Electrical Audio.”

Participating clubs for Sound & Gravity are Constellation, Beat Kitchen, Rockwell on the River, Rockwell Patio, Hungry Brain, and Judson & Moore and the daily schedule is already live. Festival and daily passes are on sale now. Check out Sound & Gravity’s full inaugural lineup below.

Pitchfork Festival isn’t happening in Chicago this year, and Reed said in an interview that he felt “relieved and happy” that it wouldn’t continue as it was, and that booking it since Condé Nast purchased Pitchfork had become “increasingly difficult” (including pressure to book Justin Bieber).

SOUND & GRAVITY 2025
Bill Callahan
Mdou Moctar
Body/Head
Helado Negro
Mary Lattimore
Irreversible Entanglements
Jeff Parker Expansion Trio
Tarbaby
The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis
Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore,
Mary Halvorson: Amaryllis
Steve Gunn
William Tyler
Elias Rønnenfelt
Glenn Kotche
Rafiq Bhatia
Saccata Quartet
Third Coast Percussion
Chicago Underground Duo
Darius Jones Trio
Sam Prekop
Eucademix
ganavya
Geologist
Nabihah Iqbal
Hannah Cohen
BASIC
Jeremiah Chiu
Ken Vandermark Edition Redux
Anna Webber’s Simple Trio
Cooper Moore
Fred Moten & Brandon Lopez
Glyders
Maria Somerville
Olivia Block & Lea Bertucci
Zoh Amba Sun Ensemble
JJJJJerome Ellis
Lia Kohl/ Macie Stewart/ Whitney Johnson
Luke Stewart’s Chicago Quartet
MEMORIALS
Magic Tuber Stringband
Nadah El Shazly
Tara Clerkin Trio
James Elkington & Nathan Salsburg
Edsel Axle
Ana Everling
Hanging Hearts
Michael Zerang’s Puzzle House
Mute Duo
sinonó
Andreas Røysum Ensemble w/ Marvin Tate
+ Surprise Sets Programmed by Electrical Audio