HINT at Pitchfork Festival

Attention musicians attending the Pitchfork Festival: Alex Maiolo, project coordinator for FMC's Health Insurance Navigation Tool (HINT), will be at Chicago's Union Park this weekend (July 17-19), to spread the word about FMC's free service for musicians.

HINT is an information resource that helps musicians learn about their health insurance options. After scheduling an appointment on the HINT website, artists get a call from health insurance experts (who are also musicians) who go over an individual's options on case-by-case, state-by-state basis.

In between catching some quality rock (it's a tough life), Alex will be talking to musicians and managers about HINT. He probably won't have time to do one-on-one sessions, but if you're a musician who's planning on being at Pitchfork Festival, you can shoot him an e-mail here to get set up for one of his informal group chats.

You can also check out an earlier podcast interview with Alex here, where he talks more in depth about the program and why health insurance is so important for musicians.

Public Enemy Video From Pitchfork

On July 17, 2008, Pitchfork and Future of Music Coalition co-presented a panel discussion about Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, as part of Chicago's Pitchfork Music Festival. As expected when you put front man Chuck D, PE Media Assassin Harry Allen and original Bomb Squad members Hank and Keith Shocklee around a table, the back-and-forth was incredibly entertaining and informative. In our blog wrap-up, we mentioned there would be video on its way for those who missed out.

Well, Pitchfork has edited together footage from the talk along with clips from media professor and panel moderator Kembrew McLeod's documentary on sampling. You can also see from PE's festival performance, where they played It Takes a Nation in its entirety. Stay tuned for full video of the panel discussion.

Head over to PitchforkTV to watch, or click on the embedded clips below:

It Takes a Nation of Millions (And a Good Moderator)

As if the Pitchfork Music Festival didn't already hold enough thrills, Future of Music Coalition is co-presenting a panel discussion on Public Enemy's seminal hip-hop album It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, at the the Chicago Cultural Center's Claudia Cassidy Theater on Thursday, July 17. (The group will perform the album in its entirety at the Pitchfork Fest the following evening.)

Icon Chuck D will join Hank Shocklee and Keith Shocklee — one half of Public Enemy's production unit, the Bomb Squad — to discuss the cultural conditions and creative energy that informed this legendary album. Harry Allen (journalist, activist, and PE "Media Assassin") will also participate in the panel, which will be led by media professor and documentary filmmaker Kembrew McLeod.

Journalist and FMC pal Alexandra Richmond recently caught up with Kembrew for a quick Q&A:

Alexandra Richmond: Kembrew, you're an established agitator, academic, and documentary filmmaker. What can music fans expect from the panel you will moderate during the Pitchfork festival?

Kembrew McLeod: As moderator, my job will be to move the discussion forward so that we can cover a wide range of topics. The members of Public Enemy will be the stars of the show, and because I've done several interviews with the individual panelists over the years, I know what topics will be of interest to both them and the audience. In addition to having them tell us about the fascinatingly innovative ways they put together their music in the studio twenty years ago, we will also talk about the cultural and political contexts they were reacting to in the 1980s, which their music was a part of.

AR: Are there any acts in particular you're looking forward to seeing during the fest?

KM: I'm looking forward to seeing PE, of course, but aside from that I'm looking forward to seeing several artists, including: Dizzee Rascal, !!!, Fleet Foxes, Spiritualized, Ghostface & Raekwon, and Jarvis Cocker, to name a few.

AR: Have you ever shared a stage with PE before?

KM: I've shared a panel stage with Hank Shocklee before. But as for a concert, the closest I've ever come to sharing a stage with PE was when Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock (of "It Takes Two" fame) opened for PE in 1990, and they invited the audience onstage to dance. I bum rushed the
stage and busted a few moves, but it became clear that Mr. Base was only looking for the ladies to come up, so I meekly crawled off stage.

Admission to the panel discussion is free, but reservations are required. Email rsvp@pitchforkmedia.com.

FMC and Pitchfork Music Festival Present:
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Chicago Cultural Center, Claudia Cassidy Theatre
Thursday, July 17, 2008, 3 pm

Public Enemy Panel in Chicago — Now With Chuck D!

We just received exciting news that Chuck D — mouthpiece for legendary hip-hop act Public Enemy, will be appearing at FMC and Pitchfork's "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" talk at the Cultural Center on Thursday, July 17.

The event was already gonna be awesome, with Hank and Keith Shocklee — one half of Public Enemy's production unit, the Bomb Squad — talking about how they fashioned their powerful world of sound. Now, PE's culturally astute and outspoken frontman Chuck D will join journalist, activist and PE Media Assassin Harry Allen and the Bomb Squad in a lively conversation led by media professor and documentary filmmaker Kembrew McLeod (Copyright Criminals: This Is a Sampling Sport).

The talk takes place at the Chicago Cultural Center's Claudia Cassidy Theatre, beginning at 3 PM. Admission to the event is free, but those interested in attending must reserve spots by emailing rsvp@pitchforkmedia.com.

FMC, Pitchfork and Public Enemy!

Get ready — here comes hip-hop history. FMC and Pitchfork Music Festival Present: It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back is the ONLY panel discussion at 2008's Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, and it's gonna be an exciting one. The event takes place in the Claudia Cassidy Theatre at the Chicago Cultural Center on Thursday, July 17.

When Public Enemy released It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back in 1988, it sounded like nothing else at the time. It Takes a Nation came frontloaded with sirens, squeals, and squawks that augmented the chaotic, collaged backing tracks over which frontman Chuck D laid his politically and poetically radical rhymes. Twenty years later, the album is still considered one of hip hop's finest achievements. It Takes a Nation fused politics and music in unprecedented ways, creating a dense sound collage of rhythm, noise and the voices of 20th century black leaders.

On Thursday July 17 – one day before Public Enemy reunites to play It Takes A Nation in its entirety at the Pitchfork Festival – join us for a discussion that will explore the making of that album, as well as the cultural events that helped shape its message.

Hank Shocklee and Keith Shocklee — one half of Public Enemy’s production unit, the Bomb Squad — will discuss how they fashioned their powerful world of sound. Harry Allen, journalist, activist and PE Media Assassin, will join the members of the Bomb Squad in a lively discussion led by documentary filmmaker Kembrew McLeod (Copyright Criminals).

To RSVP, e-mail rsvp@pitchforkmusicfestival.com.

It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
Chicago Cultural Center, Claudia Cassidy Theatre
Thursday, July 17, 2008, 3 pm