I-GO Car Sharing

The results have been tabulated and the winner crowned in I-GO’s North Coast Music Festival contest.

We asked I-GO members on our Facebook page and in this blog to answer the following questions in the most creative way possible for a chance to win a pair of three-day passes to the North Coast Music Festival:

“If I-GO was a band, what should it be called? And what sort of music would it perform?”

The fest, taking place Sept. 2-4 in Union Park, is organized by local indie producers and features a stellar lineup of cutting-edge, contemporary artists such as Common, Bassnectar, Of Montreal, Gogol Bordello, Lotus and more.

Envelope, please. And the tickets go to:

Zach Freeman!

Here’s Zach’s winning entry:

I-GO’S BAND NAME:
Homegrown Heroes

This name captures many aspects of I-GO’s personality, including its heroic dedication to helping Chicagoans find alternative (and affordable) means of transportation, its eco-friendly “green” image, and its commitment to local Chicago culture.

BAND DESCRIPTION:
Appealing to listeners of all backgrounds and ages with tunes that are as easy to get into as an I-GO rental, Homegrown Heroes would perform a mix of atmospheric indie rock along the lines of Grizzly Bear and Fleet Foxes and more beat-driven garage rock like The Kills and The White Stripes, with a hint of underground hip hop (like a less-intense Atmosphere). They’d be known for their critically acclaimed and epically listenable albums as well as for their moving live performances featuring free insurance for all crowd surfers.

“Free insurance for all crowd surfers” — nice, Zach. Just know our insurance doesn’t cover getting kicked in the head with a combat boot.

We plied Zach for a little more info on himself and how he uses I-GO. To wit:

How Zach uses I-GO: “My wife and I use I-GO for driving to race events outside Chicago (we’re renting one on Labor Day for the Oak Brook Half Marathon), home improvement trips, and picking people up and dropping them off at the airport.”
What Zach does for a living: “[I'm the] Director of Technology for the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at DePaul University.”
Festival acts Zach is most looking forward to: “Wiz Khalifa, Common, Fatboy Slim, Gogol Bordello, and Of Montreal.”

Have fun at the fest, Zach. And thanks for supporting I-GO!

Here are some of the other entries we received from I-GO members. We wanted to share them with everyone. As far as we’re concerned, car sharing is sort of like a band: When everyone follows the same beat and shares a common vision, we make truly awesome music together.

RUNNERS-UP:

I-GO MEMBER:
Forrest Gibbs

I-GO BAND NAME:
“I-Ghost”

BAND DESCRIPTION:
“That ephemeral sound between Plastikman, Moby, and Ghostland Observatory. Performed with live guitar and drums some times, just the DJ other times, and some songs with a vocalist. Elements of electronic music and traditional bands. Like a smarter, more modern version of Pendulum. It should be minimal, modern, and slightly from the future. It should be easily accessible but still with a new feel. It’s a bit different then the mainstream norms but fits people perfectly. Those who try it out love it, and they tell their friends. It should have a feeling of omnipresence and subtle familiarities that make it your own, even though it’s a bit too complex for you to put together yourself. You’re grateful there’s some one else to help out.”

I-GO MEMBER:
Luke Classen

I-GO BAND NAME:
“The Everbearing Ecovaters”

BAND DESCRIPTION:
“They make electronic reggae music. Their set is complete with a solar-powered soundstage and an LED light forest surrounding the whole stage and crowd.”

I-GO MEMBER:
Wynsley Kuo

I-GO BAND NAME:
“The Green Machines”

BAND DESCRIPTION:
“The band would write and perform songs that naturally relate to using the cars — road-tripping, going to the store, making out in the back seat, etc. The band would likely also get into a very public beef with Zipcar in the media.”

I-GO MEMBER:
Nicole Lana

I-GO BAND NAME:
“Bass Boomers”

“We are young, we are broke, we are synthesized, and we are taking our time to figure everything out. And until we do, we will play. We are the follow-up to the baby boomers, looking for bass in the masses, and looking to afford it all.”

BAND DESCRIPTION:
“That is why if I-GO were a band they would be an electronic band. Electronic music is up and coming. Over the last two years it has been growing in popularity and surpassing other genres to be the sound of our generation. Electronic music is made for the young. It is fun, high energy, and life-changing. It is a perfect release for confused, stressed young adults to blow off some steam and have the time of their lives.”

I-GO MEMBER:
Sarah Lawson

I-GO BAND NAME:
“The I-GO-GO Dolls (if you don’t get the reference, shame on you)”

BAND DESCRIPTION:
“Like the band whom their name is derived from, the I-Go-Go Dolls would be a nice, reliable mix of soft rock and powerful vocals. Music like that is similar to the fundamentals of I-GO Car Sharing because it is liked by everyone; when you need a song to satisfy a particular mood, you go back to one of their classic hits. I-Go-Go Dolls’ sound would be mellow at times, but live they would have a great energy even during slower songs, and most likely would rock out at North Coast!”

I-GO MEMBER:
Ann Warnke

I-GO BAND NAME:
“It would be like if Sound Tribe and Yonder Mountain String Band had a child and named it I-GO.” [So, um, maybe "Tribal Summit"?]

BAND DESCRIPTION:
“If I-GO was a band it would consist of four to five people: a drummer, bassists, a DJ of course, a banjo because they’re awesome, and a singer. It would be some funky psychedelic bluegrass that would take the audience through a crazy, trippy melody adventure — where, at one point, the audience would all just be getting down to the songs, moving and feeling the beat. Then, next, they would be getting sucked into the song and not being able to move because the sound was just so beautiful. Also, to complete the whole experience, the members of the band would all wear intense, glittery, lit-up capes just because glitter and glow sticks cannot go wrong with each other.”

I-GO MEMBER:
Crystal L. Peralez

I-GO BAND NAME:
“City GO-r’s”

“Being that you give updates about the city that a person is in. This is a very helpful application, especially for those constantly on the GO!”

BAND DESCRIPTION:
“The music you’d play would be most likely electronic, with the mixture of Mike Simonetti and Ladytrons beats. The vocals would be similar to that of Coldplay and (don’t hate me for this) Maroon Five. You’d have a variety of tracks — some slow, more mellow — that you could listen to everywhere, and yet some more upbeat dance songs that could be played to rock out in the house while cleaning, driving around in the car, or that would be played at all the best hot spots! With music like that you can’t go wrong. You’d have a very big fan base.”

With headliners ilke Common, Bassnectar, Lotus, Of Montreal, and Gogol Bordello on the bill, it’s not surprising tickets to the North Coast Music Festival have gone fast. One lucky I-GO member*, though, still has a chance to win a pair of three-day general-admission passes to this fantastic local indie-produced party in Union Park on Labor Day weekend, Sept. 2-4. Send us a 100- to 200-word description that answers this question: “If I-GO was a band, what should it be called and what sort of music would it perform?” Respond by Fri., Aug. 19 with the most creative answer and those tix could be yours!

(You must be an I-GO member to enter this contest.)