Sound check: Marina City joins Bush, AWOLNATION for PIQNIQ

101WKQX announced the bill Monday for its daylong summer music festival PIQNIQ, and it includes some local talent among the heavy hitters and rising stars coming to town.

Organizers tapped Plainfield’s Marina City to join the lineup for the Saturday, June 30, show at Tinley Park’s Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre that features alternative rock band AWOLNATION, emo’s Dashboard Confessional, veteran alternative rockers Bush, and indie from The Neighbourhood, Greta Van Fleet, The Front Bottoms, Bishop Briggs, Welshly Arms and L.I.F.T.

“It’s really cool to be able to check off boxes of our dreams. Playing on WKQX was definitely a goal, and now being able to play PIQNIQ was one of those things that’s like ‘Wow!'” said Argast, frontman for Marina City. “To do PIQNIQ where you’re one of 9 or 10 bands, and every band above you is going to be massive, it’s just really cool. It’s an honor honestly to be able to be part of that.”

Marina City’s sound has always had a solid foundation in rock with aggressive pop overtones. Between now and PIQNIQ, expect some changes from the band, though.

“Ever since we worked on ‘Terminal’ (the band’s 2017 album release) … we’ve been deleting our old stuff, deleting our old music, old posts. … We’re trying to brand ourselves to be this next wave of Marina City, this next era.”

While the members are remaining solid, the tweaked brand is going to be more heavily influenced by pop, R&B and soul, accentuating touches the musicians already put into their songs.

Marina City, the six-piece pop-rock band — Ryan Argast, Brian Johnson, Matt Gaudiano, Eric Somers-Urrea, Aaron Heiy and Todor Birindjiev — is not a stranger to festival stages. The band has already toured the West Coast with the Vans Warped Tour in 2016 and closed out the festival season that same year with a hometown show on the Riot Fest stage.

“We’re taking what we feel are the best parts of Marina City and being consistent on that instead of deviating from it because we’re all crazy in our influences. We want to be a little more solidified.”

Fans can see Marina City before the fest when they make a hometown stop on their spring Midwest tour Sunday, April 22, at Subterranean (2011 W. North Ave., Chicago) with Phangs, Grayson DeWolfe, Better Love and Jet Black Alley Cat.

Ticket prices for 101WKQX’s PIQNIQ start at $20. They go on sale to the public Friday, April 6, at 10 a.m. at 101wkqx.com. Presale tickets are available for WKQX members starting at 10 a.m. Monday, April 2; visit 101wkqx.com/piqniq for the password.

Save the WLUP

Durty Nellie’s and classic rock cover band 97Nine are teaming up to bring back the dearly departed radio station, WLUP, with a Save the Loop Petition Signing event and concert. “While we’re fully aware that the station will never return to 97.9, we hope to generate some momentum toward bringing the station back in some form,” said Mark O’Dette, 97Nine singer. Durty Nellie’s, 180 N. Smith St., Palatine. $7. (847) 358-9150 or durtynellies.com. 8:30 p.m. Friday, April 6

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