A Post-Pitchfork World: Sound & Gravity Fest Review & Gallery
September 10th to September 14th, 2025
Glyders
Mike Reed, co-founder of Pitchfork Fest and founder of Constellation Performing Arts, put on a five day-long festival (September 10th – September 14th) across seven venues in the Bricktown/Avondale neighborhood. The Sound & Gravity Festival showcased the unsung heroes of a diverse set of genres including jazz, experimental, contemporary classical, and indie. To describe it in only three words, Sound & Gravity was avant-garde, experimental, and innovative.
In our “post-Pitchfork world,” Sound & Gravity was a refreshing addition to the Chicago music scene, filling the indie-sized gap in my own heart. The festival truly is a special gem. Admittedly, quite a few names in the lineup were unfamiliar to me, but I was extremely grateful for that. The beauty of a festival like Sound & Gravity is the experience of discovering new music. For most people, there’s this expectation of knowing every single artist on the bill. But what fun is there in that? With AI algorithms taking over and controlling how we experience music, getting a chance to authentically experience new musicians is a treat. I was pleasantly surprised each day I went, which was everyday but Sunday.
Sound & Gravity was a beautifully curated festival which I, and all of Chicago, are eager to see future iterations of in the coming years.
photos by Taylor Pate.
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