As the summer starts winding down, it also brings the festival season to an end. Here in Chicago we have a lot of BIG festivals like Lolla and Pitchfork, as well as Ribfest and The World’s Biggest Block Party. Each neighborhood puts on their own festivals throughout the summer, and it seems like every day from May-September I hear about some new street festival that I need to check out. Sadly, I can’t make it to all of them. I generally stick to the ones that have some kind of pork food product in the title.

This weekend one of the final festivals of the year is being held just north of us, in the town of Woodstock, IL. I’ve never been there, but with the lineup they’ve secured it must be a pretty cool town. I agreed to go to a work function with Kari on the 25th, so I won’t be able to attend. If you haven’t secured your plans for Saturday, I would definitely recommend checking this out. Not only are the bands great, but there will be all sorts of food and fun to be had. And, it’s only $15. Music starts at 5 and ends at 2am.

I’m just gonna run down a list of some of the bands playing and insert audio or video clips where I can to give you an idea of the bands sound.

First and foremost, Ezra Furman is playing. This is worth the price of the ticket AND gas to get there if you need to drive. His newest record, The Year Of No Returning, has been number one on my list since it came out in February. He’s a unique songwriter and, even moreso, a unique performer. If you’ve never seen him before, $15 is probably the cheapest it will be for a while.

Cousin Dud is still relatively unknown band, but it won’t be for long. They just released their new full-length, Workinggirl’s Dud, a couple weeks ago. I saw them perform a little over a year ago and thought they did a really good job in a venue that didn’t deserve it.

One of my favorite surprises of the year has been Jon Drake & The Shakes album Dear Ulysses. The octet does a great job of blending different styles together to make indie rock not completely unlike Arcade Fire, but more fun. I’ve seen them live a couple of times, and Drake really pours himself into the performance. He’s a charismatic cat up there on stage, and he’s got a super talented band behind him.

That’s just three of the 20 bands Chrome Attic has put together for your listening enjoyment. On top of that there will be a pig roast, comedy shows, and a beer garden. All in all it should be a damn fine way to spend a Saturday.

For full details, check out the festivals website here.