Preview: Denise Hradecky, Brice Woodall & more at Abbey Pub, 7/15

By Sasha Geffen

Holy double release show! If you're like me and want to duck out of the way of the P4K crowd (hipster swarms of doom!) but still want to spend this weekend enjoying some great live music, you ought to kick things off by heading up to the Abbey Pub this Friday. Brice Woodall and Denise Hradecky will both be releasing sweet new records there, and I have good information that says you'll be able to pick up 7 inch vinyl to add to your growing collection, you trendsetter, you.

First, you'll be treated to the eerie bleeps of Across the Dark Forest, a new outfit as mysterious as their name suggests. The few tracks they've got up on their MySpace are gorgeous atmospheric compositions overlaid with ethereal vocals. Head on over and check out "The Paper Waste" if you're into dark, dreamy drum machine action.

Multi-instrumentalist Ian Hoffman of the orchestral pop ensemble Needers and Givers will also perform. As one of three brothers in the band, it looks like Ian's flying solo for now, although the N&G site suggests he's been doing some recording with his brother Dylan while Christopher's over in New York. Hopefully we hear more from these guys soon: the two rich, tight folk-rock jams streaming on their website sound like Jethro Tull frontloaded with expensive stimulants and electric sparks. It's finds like this that make me lament my lack of an in-ear antenna tuned to all the achingly lovely tunes hidden within this city's underbelly.

Speaking of, Brice Woodall will be releasing his latest EP Id Escaped, which he discussed when he chatted with us back in February. If you didn't catch it on this week's Chicago Mixtape, you can stream the single "Small Victories" over on Soundcloud. It's probably the catchiest tune about fleeing from dystopia you're ever bound to hear. Brice will be jamming on his excellent new material accompanied by Dan Wagner of Sequoia.

Finally, headliner Denise Hradecky will be releasing her new record Save the Universe. A Chicago native, she made a brief detour to the east coast before returning to continue recording and performing here in the Windy City. Her new single "Raine", available to stream on her website, is a perfect summer day contained within three and a half minutes. Her airy vocals float along the track, a feel-good dream-pop number in the vein of Damon & Naomi. Check out the live video of Denise's last performance at the Abbey below for a preview of coming attractions.

The show will start at 8:30pm on Friday, July 15th (doors open at 8). Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door.