Only one week until this year's Pitchfork Music Festival, which takes place July 15-17 at Chicago's Union Park. With the event right around the corner, PMF would like to inform everyone of a few key components that help make the festival such a distinct event – the live festival webcast, a slew of Chicago’s favorite food vendors, plus a new addition this year, the Pitchfork Music Festival mobile app. Also, please note that Sunday tickets are officially sold out; and the final batch of tickets for Friday and Saturday have been made available. Tickets can be purchased here: http://www.pitchforkmusicfestival.com.

Pitchfork Music Festival Webcast:

If you can't make it out to Chicago at all, fear not: Pitchfork will be webcasting the whole thing live, so feel free to fest it up in the comfort of your own home (sun tan not included).

Optimus, via its production arm ONE at Optimus, is the official webcast production partner of the Pitchfork Music Festival for the fifh year running.  Optimus is a creative collaborator and partner with a passion for the festival and the independent music community, consistently capturing the essence of both in its work for the Pitchfork Music Festival.  As a valued partner in aspects of coordinating, shooting and producing live video feeds of the performances, Optimus works with the festival to enable people around the world to watch the independent music event in real time.  The production and post-production house also creates original video content to promote the festival and the brand, and will run two such pieces on the screens between bands during the festival.

Pitchfork Music Festival Mobile App:

If you are heading to the fest, then you can make use of the Pitchfork Music Festival mobile app, designed by Diacarta to help you plan out your festival experience. You can select bands from the official schedule and set alerts to let you know where you have to be and when, share your schedule and experience on Facebook and Twitter, learn more about the artists that are performing, and take a look at a map of the festival grounds. Best of all, it's free.

2011 Food Vendors:

Additionally, the PMF welcomes back the great variety and quality of food we’ve provided in year’s past, including Robinson’s Ribs, Stars of Siam, Bite Café, The Rice Table, Wishbone, Abbey Pub, Cevapcici, Bombay Station, Urb Garden, La Luce, Berghoff, Connie’s Pizza, Heineken, Chicago Diner, Whole Foods, and Temptation Ice Cream.

The full festival schedule is below. See you at Union Park!

2011 PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL SCHEDULE:

FRIDAY, JULY 15 – gates at 3pm

8:30 (GREEN) Animal Collective

7:30 (BLUE) James Blake

7:20 (RED) Neko Case

6:30 (BLUE) Das Racist

6:25 (GREEN) Guided By Voices

5:30 (BLUE) Curren$y

5:30 (RED) Thurston Moore

4:35 (GREEN) Battles

4:30 (BLUE) tUnE-yArDs

3:30 (RED) EMA

3:20 (BLUE) Gatekeeper

SATURDAY, JULY 16 – gates at 12pm

8:30 (GREEN) Fleet Foxes

7:40 (BLUE) Zola Jesus

7:25 (RED) DJ Shadow

6:45 (BLUE) Twin Shadow

6:15 (GREEN) The Dismemberment Plan

5:45 (BLUE) The Radio Dept.

5:15 (RED) Destroyer

4:45 (BLUE) OFF!

4:15 (GREEN) Gang Gang Dance

3:45 (BLUE) Wild Nothing

3:20 (RED) No Age

2:50 (BLUE) G-Side

2:30 (GREEN) Cold Cave

1:55 (BLUE) Sun Airway

1:45 (RED) Woods

1:00 (BLUE) Chrissy Murderbot Feat MC ZULU

1:00 (GREEN) Julianna Barwick

SUNDAY, JULY 17 – gates at 12pm

8:30 (GREEN) TV on the Radio

7:40 (BLUE) HEALTH

7:25 (RED) Cut Copy

6:45 (BLUE) Toro Y Moi

6:15 (GREEN) Deerhunter

5:45 (BLUE) Kylesa

5:15 (RED) Superchunk

4:45 (BLUE) Baths

4:15 (GREEN) Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti

3:45 (BLUE) Shabazz Palaces

3:20 (RED) OFWGKTA

2:50 (BLUE) Twin Sister

2:30 (GREEN) Kurt Vile & the Violators

1:55 (BLUE) How to Dress Well

1:45 (RED) Yuck

1:00 (BLUE) Darkstar

1:00 (GREEN) The Fresh & Onlys

Case-Mate® and Creative Allies are excited to announce the conclusion of their Hangout Music Festival poster design contest. Over 600 artists submitted poster art for Hangout Music Festival headliners The Black Keys, Pretty Lights, Portugal.The Man, Ween, and Dead Confederate.

Each band selected a winning design for a limited edition print on Case-Mate iPhone 4 cases.

Fans can enter to win one of the special edition cases by tweeting "I want the [Band's Twitter Handle] @CaseMate #HangoutMusicFest http://bit.ly/jqgBmg. Also, limited quantities of the winning cases will be available on each band’s website as well as onsite at Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama from May 20th – 22nd.

The Hangout Music Festival design contest immediately follows the launch of Case-Mate’s new “I Make My Case” music line, which allows fans to customize mobile accessories using exclusive designs contributed by top artists such as No Doubt, Underwold, Metric, Yo Gabba Gabba, Nine Inch Nails and Health. Designed for true customization, “I Make My Case” allows users to design all visual elements of their case starting with the background color scheme and shade. From there they can pull in a variety of elements, including Yo Gabba Gabba logos and images and a remix of Underworlds latest album art produced by their longtime collaborator, Tomato. The design is completed as users take advantage of an array of tools to create unique effects with a kaleidoscope, monochromatic palette or mirror option. The result is a one-of-a-kind case that is a true collaboration between artists and their fans.

For the latest updates on “I Make My Case,” follow @CaseMate on Twitter or on Facebook at Facebook.com/CaseMate.

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About Case-Mate

Case-Mate is the leader in design of fashion-forward accessories for mobile technology and tablets. Since 2006, the company has helped consumers express their individual style with products that protect, adorn and enhance their mobile devices. Working with top designers from around the world and using cutting-edge materials, Case-Mate’s team of technology and design aficionados have created an extensive repertoire of mobile and tablet cases right for any style and every occasion. For more information, visit www.case-mate.com. Follow us on Twitter @CaseMate & Like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/CaseMate.

About Creative Allies

Creative Allies is an online community of over 14,000 art students, illustrators, hobbyists and music fans. Creative Allies gives everyone a chance to enter art contests for bands, films, television shows, brands, and festivals. Designers from anywhere in the world can connect with big names in music and entertainment like Jack Johnson, Passion Pit, OK Go, Robyn, Umphrey's McGee, M.I.A. and many more through Creative Allies. Upload original poster art, album art, clothing designs, logos and more at www.creativeallies.com.

About The Hangout Music Festival

The Hangout Music Festival debuted in 2010 and set itself apart from other festivals by featuring a blockbuster lineup of bands performing on stages located directly on the beach. The 2011 lineup features Paul Simon, Foo Fighters, Widespread Panic, The Black Keys, My Morning Jacket, Flaming Lips, Cee Lo Green, Primus, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Pretty Lights, Bassnectar, Girl Talk, Ween, Matisyahu and dozens more. The one-of-a-kind music festival takes place May 20th – 22nd on the beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama – just minutes from the Florida border. The festival is now sold out with 35,000 weekend pass-holders purchasing advance tickets.

Grayson Capps' fifth studio album, The Lost Cause Minstrels, is set for release June 7 on Royal Potato Family. The 11-track effort finds the Mobile, Alabama-based singer-songwriter coming of age. This doesn't mean, however, that his often unholy tales of the Southern Gothic have lost any of their sting. Quite the contrary, Capps' Tao-tinged, philosophical reflections--revealed deep inside songs shuddering with spit, stomp and snarl--are as potent as ever. Listen no further than "Highway 42," "No Definitions" and "Rock N Roll" to hear that Capps cedes no quarter. It's just that this time his bark and bite is more accepting of the unanswered questions mucking up the universe, while country soul textures and gospel harmonies ease the raw edges. Occasionally, even a celebratory mood prevails like the horn-fueled romp "Ol' Slac," an ode the rebirth of the Mobile, Alabama Mardi Gras, or "Coconut Moonshine," a character sketch based on Mr. Jim who inhabits the hallowed roadside barbecue joint in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Two rare, but classic, American roots' numbers are born again here, as well: Taj Mahal's country-blues paen "Annie's Lover" and Richard Rabbit Brown's jaunty "Jane's Alley Blues," (the original recording preserved on Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music).

Grayson Capps' real life situation has evolved since his previous release Rott 'n' Roll, and it surely influences the album's sound and spirit. In 2010, he dissolved his band The Stumpknockers, re-assembling a new cast of musicians, fittingly dubbed The Lost Cause Minstrels. The line-up features a who's who of the finest players on the Gulf Coast music scene, including Corky Hughes on guitars, Chris Spies on keys, Christian Grizzard on bass and John Milham on drums. Capps also moved back to Alabama, where he was born and raised, in the middle of recording the album. He'd been residing in Nashville since 2007 after being driven from his longtime New Orleans’ following Hurricane Katrina. Capps co-produced the effort with his longtime partner and Grammy Award-winning engineer/producer Trina Shoemaker (Queens of the Stone Age, Dylan Leblanc, Sheryl Crow). All of these factors coalesce into a collection of songs timeless in their pursuit of truth yet well aware of how hard the truth is to find in these times. The Lost Cause Minstrels is the highly anticipated next chapter from one of the finest Southern troubadours of the day.

The Lost Cause Minstrels track listing:

1. Highway 41
2. Coconut Moonshine
3. John The Dagger
4. Jane's Alley Blues
5. Chief Seattle
6. Yes You Are
7. Annie's Lover
8. Ol' Slac
9. Paris, France
10. No Definitions
11. Rock n Roll

Upcoming tour dates:

May 1 | Rosie's Grill | Daphne, AL (*solo acoustic)
May 3 | Chickie Wah Wah's | New Orleans, LA
May 5 | Le Petite Theater | New Orleans, LA (*Southern Troubadours also featuring Anders Osborne, Tab Benoit and Devon Allman)
May 6 | DBA | New Orleans, LA (8PM)
May 6 | Le Bon Ton Temp Roulet | New Orleans, LA (*Late Night)
May 7 | River Pub | Hurricane, AL
May 13 | The Fire | Jackson, MS
May 14 | The Hangout | Gulf Shores, AL
May 21 | Northshore Grill | Orange Beach, AL
May 25 | The Nick | Birmingham, AL
May 27 | Smith's Olde Bar | Atlanta, GA
May 28 | Jamming At Hippy Jack's | Crawford, TN (taping for PBS broadcast)
May 29 | Rosie's Grill | Daphne, AL (*solo acoustic)
June 3 | Oak's Cafe | Brewton, AL
June 4 | Pirate's Cove | Josephine, AL
June 12 | Callaghan's Irish Social Club | Mobile, AL
June 14 | Blue Gill | Mobile, AL
June 16 | Myers Park | Gulf Shores, AL
June 17 | DBA | New Orleans, LA
June 18 | The Porch | Lake Charles, LA
June 19 | Callaghan's Irish Social Club | Mobile, AL
June 23 | Rhythm & Brews | Chattanooga, TN
June 24 | The Basement | Nashville, TN
June 25 | Phoenix Hill Tavern | Louisville, KY
July 16 | Chrome Horse | Silver Hill, AL
July 17 | Callaghan's Irish Social Club | Mobile, AL
July 20 | The Grey Eagle | Asheville, NC (*solo acoustic)
July 21 | Duck Pond | Brevard, NC (*solo acoustic)
July 22 | Shenanigan's | Dahlonega, AL (*solo acoustic)
August 4 | Woodwalk Gallery & Events Barn | Egg Harbor, WI
August 6 | Lumberjam Festival | Hayward, WI

From the ragtime piano tinged opener "Mariama" to the percussion fueled, slide guitar glide of "Gine Fare" to the subtle, inviting African echoes of "Konkoba" to the hypnotic, psychedelic slow burn of "Holy Grail," TK2 reveals Toubab Krewe to be rare innovators in a modern age often too ready to settle for more of what's been. Toubab Krewe is happily an exception to this rule, and those willing to take the journey with them are in for one hell of a cool, exciting ride.

"It's five years later since our last studio album, and we've been doing almost nothing but playing together," says Drew Heller. "We've had a lot of time to further our musical relationships. I feel like this album was recorded at a really perfect time. The last track on the new album is an improvisation that was the very first sounds captured, and other things came out of that initial rush."

CURRENT TOUR DATES:

October 9 - Silk Hope, NC (Shakori Hills Grass Roots Festival)

October 10 - Roseland, VA (The Festy Experience)

October 28 - Memphis, TN

October 29 - Birmingham, AL

October 30 - Mobile, AL

October 31 - New Orleans, LA (Voodoo Experience)

November 5 - Charlottesville, VA

November 6 - Baltimore, MD

November 7 - Washington, D.C.

November 9 - Carrboro, NC

November 10 - Knoxville, TN

November 11-12 - Live Oak, FL (Bear Creek Music Festival)

November 18 - Miami, FL

November 19-20 - Key West, FL

December 1 - Boulder, CO

December 2 - Denver, CO

December 4 - Phoenix, AZ