Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni. ✶ Thank you for your readership and contributions. ✶
Thax is a Chicago music institution, whether you like his poetry or not. You knew you were at a "real Chicago show" when, after the lights went down, he stepped quietly out on stage, pulled out a piece of paper and read a poem in honor of the night's entertainment. Most of his live poetry has been brief (read in under 30 seconds) but the impression he left behind lasted much longer (there's even a documentary). Chicago adopted him as "ours", but no longer. In a short while, Thax will pack his poems and head out to New York City. In honor of his legacy, tonight, Chicago musicians will say farewell at a special show at the Hideout featuring Sybris, Tight Phantomz, Dick Prall, and Daniel Knox. I had a chance to ask Thax a few questions about the show and his poems and Chicago music venues, and below are his responses.
TODAY marks the 13th anniversary of the punk-rock whiskey bar Delilah's, 2771 N. Lincoln Ave. [Centerstage review], a loveable, local watering hole for many of the city's musicians and music lovers (It was also here, in its former incarnation as Crash Palace, that Kurt was rumored to have met Courtney). To celebrate today's event, the bar is hosting 13 DJs, who come from all corners of Chicago's music scene, starting at 1pm. Delilah's is also honoring the anniversary with the introduction of its own 13-year-old bourbon.
After the jump, a full list of the day's guest DJs.
When I caught up with Gregg Gillis one Tuesday night a few weeks ago, he was driving home from the supermarket. He gets a lot of his chatting done in the car, and one has to assume his phone's been ringing a lot lately.
Sycamore Smith, who played the Gapers Block Third Anniversary Party at the Hideout back in June, returns to Chicago for a show at Phyllis' Musical Inn, 1800 W. Division St., at 8pm tonight. No word on cover, but it's not likely to be much.
Sycamore wowed the crowd at the GB anniversary show with his witty lyrics and unusual kazoo solos. He's got a sort of dark folk feel, singing songs of odd and menacing characters in dangerous neighborhoods. Check out some samples here, and read Ted McClelland's profile of the guy over in Detour.
The whole city should be humming jazz this week, and local quartetFrequency is hitting the clubs a little harder than usual to join in the party. Made up of four musicians who primary instruments (flute, sax, drums, and bass) don't stray too far off the jazz standard, the excitement for this group really brews from each member's multi-instrumentalism that ranges from the Egyptian harp to kalimbas to the plastic bag. At home, you can check out their new self-titled album, and in person, they'll be playing the Empty Bottle tonight, leading a session on "the Art of the Solo" on Friday at the Chicago Jazz Festival, and headlining the Hot House on Sunday.
The Tribune published a report this weekend which updates the lawsuit between rockers Hawthorne Heights and local label Victory Records. Also commenting on the labyrinthine world of recording contracts is Enon member and former Braniac John Schmersal and local rock hero and Mekons member Jon Langford. Be sure to read the royalty capsule after the article, then hire a good entertainment lawyer.
M. Ward (Wiki) (MySpace) is a skinny non-smoker from Portland, but his low-toned front porch sound could easily make you take him for a whiskey-chugging, three-pack-a-day Mississippian. September 8th, Ward comes to the Metro in support of his new record, Post-War. Some know Ward as a one-time bandmate of Grandaddy's Jason Lytle, others as the producer of Jenny Lewis's fine Rabbit Fur Coat album, and others still as the then-unknown who toured with My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James and Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst in a singer/songwriter tour during 2004. You can get to know him via MP3 here, here, and here. See him live on Austin City Limits with Conor Oberst via YouTube.
On the verge of a huge weekend for Chicago jazz (see Slowdown), one Chicago jazz landmark, The Jazz Showcase, has announced it's lost its lease. The second-oldest jazz venue in the nation, the Showcase must vacate its Grand Ave. digs by January, and owner Joe Segal doesn't exactly know where they'll land. Maybe they'll get a boost from another newly-relocated jazz venue, the Velvet Lounge, and put up bebop stakes in the South Loop.
Pitchfork Media may operate out of unassuming offices in Logan Square, but, as Wired is only the latest to point out, its "effect" reaches all over the world of music, independent and otherwise.
Thursday, August 31st, is Dance Day at Millennium Park (see Slowdown). There'll be programming from 10am on, culminating in a special taping of Chic-A-Go-Go. Performers on the show will include Urban Definition, a group of high school students who spent the summer working with the Chicago Urban League to release their first CD and perform a series of concerts, and Yuri Lane, a human beat box who has performed in Hip Hop theater festivals around the globe. Miss Mia and Ratso will also host Thax Douglas as he prepares to leave town. After years of going to gigs, surely you have an opinion about him -- now's your chance to say goodbye.
Here it is Friday night and you still haven't figured out where to go. Never fear--we'll run down some last-minute options real quick-like and send you on your way.
Touch & Go Records has released their extraordinarily precisely timed festival lineup for their spectacular 25th Anniversary Party coming up at the Hideout in early September. Have a look, and synchronize swatches. Tickets are on sale now.
Hey folky indie rock lovers, if you'd like to check out Saturday's show at the Hideout featuring Chicago's The Lesser Birds of Paradise, plus a copy of their new album Space Between, then be the first person to email us at inbox [at] gapersblock.com with the name of your favorite bird (or tropical flower) and you and a friend get to go for free! [Update! Congrats to Molly, who submitted the Blue-footed Booby and won! Keep checking Transmission for more chances to win tickets, and to keep up on Chicago music.]
Doc Films has a doozy of a rockumentary tonight, in the form of The T.A.M.I. Show. This 1965 film by Steve Binder (the same director who later brought us Elvis' 1968 Comeback Special) documents the Teen-Age Music International Show, a concert held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in October of 1964 and is often hailed as one of the most important rock and roll movies ever made. It featured every style of music from the British Invasion to Motown to girl pop to surf rock, and has performances from The Rolling Stones, Marvin Gaye, Jan & Dean, Lesley Gore, James Brown, The Beach Boys, The Supremes, Chuck Berry, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and more. Tickets are $4, and the movie plays tonight at 7pm and 9:30pm. Doc Films is located in Ida Noyes Hall at the University of Chicago at 1212 East 59th Street.
I'm not confident the ground will be dry enough after today's storms, but They Might Be Giants will be Jammin' at the Zoo tomorrow night (8/25) anyway. Tally Hall and Chicago's own Bad Examples open. Doors open at 6:15pm; the Giants take the stage at 9pm. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for kids (a bit cheaper if you're a zoo member).
It is a rare thing indeed to be able to lay claim to the birth of a genre. When Chicago's Tortoise started to gain a wide audience in the mid '90s, they were doing just that. Often pigeonholed as "post-rock," Tortoise's multi-layered songs are precision crafted from a wide assortment of off-the-beaten track styles. Bass and horn lines owe a debt to classic dub. Subtle layering and loops pay homage to Stephen Reich. There is the angular composition of Can, and the cool of avant jazz. Somehow, out of a tangle of seemingly diverse styles, Tortoise made something new, and in many ways, more accessible than its diverse roots.
Singer-songwriter Pete Yorn will be in Chicago for a 3-night stand on September 7, 8, and 9. (This stop comes between his 3-night stands in Los Angeles and New York.) He'll be at Double Door, Schubas, and Martyr's, respectively. Each show is being billed as "An Evening with Pete Yorn," so there are no openers. His new album, Nightcrawler, will be released next Tuesday and it's his first studio album since 2003's Day I Forgot. Be prepared to hear a mix of songs from each of his albums in addition to a number of covers. Tickets for all 3 shows are $20 and go on sale this Saturday, August 26.
Sub Pop'sRogueWave hits Logan Square Auditorium September 7th in support of their new album, Descended Like Vultures. Picking up steam from inclusion on the Napoleon Dynamite soundtrack and repeated play on tv's The OC, Rogue Wave's adventurous, glistening indie pop seems destined to win over fans of like-minded indie faves Death Cab for Cutie and Built to Spill.
Before the Monorchid and after Big Black were announced to play at the Touch & Go 25th Anniversary in September, a Naked Raygun reunion was rumored. It made sense because almost everyone who'd been in the band would already be there with other bands. And then the Monorchid took the last spot. Considering that Naked Raygun never properly released anything on Touch & Go (Quarterstick reissued their catalog), it was forgivable, especially since so many other high-profile reunions would be taking place. Well, now it turns out that the reunion rumors were true, but the event was incorrect. Naked Raygun will actually be reuniting to play Riot Fest in November. And another Chicago band, Blue Meanies, will also be reuniting for it.
Tonight marks the first Live Band Karoake Championship at the Wicker Park pizza joint, Piece, 1927 W North Ave. A benefit for Children's Memorial Hospital, each wannabe singer who donates the $10 entry fee will peform in front of a panel of celebrity judges: Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, along with Shellac's Bob Weston and Steve Albini. So, what's in it for the winner? Well, on top of the good karma you'll get for supporting Children's Memorial, the winner will also receive a year's supply of Piece pizza and a chance to perform with Rick, Bob and Steve. Don't feel like taking the stage? C'mon and watch -- $5 gets you in and a pint of beer.
Wednesday's show at the Double Door is possibly a glimpse of what would happen if we were lost at sea with a indie rock band and were trying to come up with songs to pass the time while succumbing to scurvy-induced hallucinations. Indianapolis-based Margot and the Nuclear So & So's (who I give props for name originality, and the crazy "kitten on fire" style artwork on their website) rock with a sweet guitar-cello-rhodes-crazy vocals kind of sound. Their music is filled with the contributions of their many band members' musical imput, as well as the creepy lyrics that are at the same time dark and day-dreamy. They might play "On a freezing Chicago street" or "Paper kitten nightmare", or maybe both. Support includes the Katie Todd Band with Bascom Hill starting the evening out. Tickets are $7, doors at 8pm, music at 9pm (just like counting!).
Matthew Herbert's Summerdance event this evening has been moved from Millennium Park to Metro. The performance is still free and open to all ages. It will begin at 6pm and carry on until 10pm. An after-party downstairs at Smartbar will follow.
The Tribune's concert watch reports that Sonotheque plays host to the ever surprising British experimentalist Herbert Sunday evening, though their site makes no mention of it. Herbert has made a career out of creating danceable music out of household noises, found sounds, even the sounds of the human body. One local appearance is for sure, though: a free Sunday afternoon stop at the Uptown Borders.
Lovable orchestral-pop outfit (and headliner of Gapers Block's third anniversary party back in May) Canasta is auditioning for a new guitarist. Interested? Check out the details here, and tell 'em GB sent you.
What are you still doing home? Haven't you heard? There's a show tonight. Chicagoan Chris Mills brings his seventeen piece band The City That Works to The Subterranean tonight and word is, they put on a phenomenal show. The real treat, though, may be the opening act.
Brooklyn's Bishop Allen has been getting a good deal of pub lately for its ballsy 2006 release strategy. Each month, they've self-released another mail order four song EP. That's 28 tracks so far of good-natured, optimistic indie pop. The EPs have created a steadily growing fan-base, all waiting by the mailbox to see what's next. A loving tribute to a Civil War ship? Check. Moody Arcade Fire-esque anthem? Check. Even when the band's original songwriting chops lag a bit, they manage clever classic rock knockoffs like March's "The History of Excuses" (via the Stones "Street Fighting Man") or February's "Vain" (via Boston's "More Than a Feeling.") Check 'em out at the Subterranean at 10 pm tonight (Friday) and get your fill of warbly gang vocals, cheerful handclaps, and playful singalongs. More on Bishop Allen in this NPR piece from 2003.
Chicago's Headache City (Myspace) bring their gritty post-garage goodness to public radio Friday, contributing a remake of the hundred year-old American traditional "The Cat Came Back" to this week's episode of This American Life. TAL airs Friday at 7pm on WBEZ and will be available in streaming audio at their site shortly thereafter.
In the meantime, swing by Shit Sandwich Records and grab yerself a copy of Headache City's self-titled debut. Seamlessly blurring the lines between '60s garage soul and newfangled postpunk, with a dab of '80s new wave thrown in for good measure, Headache City comes off like cold PBR on a warm night with a hot girl--the music greaser teen motorcycle gangs would rock out on, if such kids existed anymore. El Goodo Audio's Robert Daniels deserves kudos for the way this record manages a greasy, sweaty swagger, even as the guitars ring clear, the vocals shine clean, and the drums always pound just so. Check out Headache City September 1st, when they headline at The Empty Bottle.
Pompeii, hailing from Austin, TX, is an emerging band that recently picked-up some notable attention at SXSW. Their debut record Assembly, will release in early October from Eyeball Records, a label more commonly known for launching My Chemical Romance and Thursday.
Looking for something for Friday? How's about checking out hometown hero Lupe Fiasco for the princely sum of $10? A noted sneaker freak himself, Fiasco will be performing at the Sneaker Pimps art show, featuring 1000+ pairs of rare and limited-edition kicks. Details in Slowdown. (If you've somehow missed Lupe's video for "Kick Push" featuring skating around the near Northwest side, check it here.)
Mid '90's Alterna-pop Chicagoans Veruca Salt will be making an appearance at the Double Door on September 29th in support of their album Veruca Salt IV which is scheduled for release September 12th. Touring likely means that drummer Tasty J will be spending less time at his Southport eatery, Coobah.
Seattle's KEXP is going on its first field trip next month, and it's coming to Chicago, winner of its Fall 2005 Pledge Drive city-to-city challenge. Sign up on the station's site to attend the broadcast of morning and midday shows from Bucktown's Engine Music Studios. So far the announced line-up of artists who'll appear on-air is scant -- John Langford, M. Ward, Sally Timms -- but you never know who else'll stop by; you could get lucky. [via]
With ticket sales of nearly $8million this year, what to expect from next year's Lollapalooza? Its talent buyer Charles Attal tells Billboard, "I think it's only going to get bigger and better."
I guess after dealing with Pete Doherty, you've gotta have some stamina for dealing with tough times, but Carl Barat of Dirty Pretty Things really showed how it's done last Friday at Schubas, performing with an arm in a sling and all. Does it get more rock 'n' roll than that?
Hailing from Asheville, N.C, Ahleuchatistas is a politically charged, guitar, bass and drum driven band that get their point across through their instruments alone - lyrics aren't needed here. Their latest release, What You Will is comprised of quick songs combined with elements of jazz, which leave the listener trying desperately hard to follow the musical patterns.Though, Ahleuchatistas play intensely power-driven chords, they manage to do it without driving the crowd away, by never getting too lost in their lost moments.
Ahleuchatistas is playing with Inishi and Lovely Little Girls
The show begins at 9:00 PM Ahleuchatistas is on at 9:30 PM. Tonight is "free Mondays" at The Empty Bottle
Rhymefest's Blue Collar has had disappointing sales in its first month of release. The rapper came to his record's defense on his MySpace blog last week, noting that Blue Collar's first-week sales were higher than the slow-starting debuts of platinum artists Akon, Lyfe Jennings, and Maroon 5. Meanwhile, 'Fest shows the Chicago love in the video for Blue Collar's second single, "Fever," filmed mostly on the CTA (with a cameo appearance by Harold's Chicken Shack). Watch it here.
Gorilla vs. Bear points out the upcoming re-release of The M's debut album. Along with comes a 7" featuring the band's cover of "Turn on, Tune In, Drop Out," a cover so long it takes up both the A & B sides. If you've not got a record player, Polyvinyl offers the song as an electronic (and legal) download: part 1 and part 2.
After much speculation on the Internets, Touch and Go has just announced its 25th -- and final -- band for the lineup in its three-day 25th anniversary celebration at The Hideout, Sept 8-10. Are you ready? It's The Monorchid.
Also announced today were mini-sets by: Sally Timms, PW Long, Tim Midgett and Andy Cohen (Silkworm), Brick Layer Cake, Cash Audio, Tara Jane ONeil, and Jon & Kat (The Mekons and The Ex).
A full schedule for the weekend is also now available here.
Dirty Pretty Things(not the film, the band) is just that - a mix of all that is ugly in the music world combined with sounds of pure boisterous energy that leaves you pumped or rather angry - either way that's what a rock show is meant to be. Somehow this package of mod-inspired punk tunes, can soften the blow and make the most tasteless of things sweet to the palate. Dirty Pretty Things rose from the ashes of The Libertines, and their frontman Carl Barat along with drummer Gary Powell and guitarist Anthony Rossomando have come on strong this past spring, with the release of their record Waterloo to Anywhere. If you're looking for a British raucous and fiery experience over on this side of the pond, Dirty Pretty Things is one not to miss.
You can catch them tonight at Schubas with Scissors for Leftys
Show is at 10:00 PM - $15.00
Although it’s still pretty vague, festival co-organizer (and Tiger) Josh Davis says the MBT collective is basically a group of friends, who first came together as a band, and later as a website/message board (where their tagline is: “Almost as Good as Hanging Out In Real Life.” Truth.). Now, the collective has its sights set on becoming a production team, by recording, booking and promoting bands and artists. They bring it all together this weekend in this first fest, highlighted with an appearance by Brooklyn’s noisy art punks Japanther and the controversially named This Bike is a Pipe Bomb at the Beat Kitchen on Saturday.
For the visual art part of the fest, there’s a gallery show at South Union Arts featuring local artists like Keith Herzik and Steve Walters. There will also be a screenprinting demonstration on Saturday at Walters’ Screwball Press, the Chicago basement where many of the city’s young printers go to cut their teeth in the art.
The sheer magnitude of last weekend's Lollapalooza music festival hit hard Monday morning when the first questions started being lobbed over by friends and co-workers. "How was it?" and "What was your favorite part?" were surprisingly hard to answer, or rather, they were hard to answer sufficiently. You found yourself rambling silently inside your head trying to suss out exactly how it was while your friend stared at you blankly, waiting for your response. There simply was too much to sort through for a quick answer so soon after the experience had ended. So, it's been a few days now, and I think we're finally ready to reply. Below are four Gapers Block: Transmission contributors' impressions, in words and pictures, of Lollapalooza 2006:
Where would this city be without a little Jazz in its diet? Now there's a newly re-opened space just to fill that need. Viewed as a training ground for many of Chicago's creative jazz musicians since 1982, The Velvet Lounge is celebrating their grand re-opening this weekend with music performances by Fred Anderson(sax), Kidd Jordan(sax), Harrison Bankhead(bass), and Alvin Fielder(drums).
More than $100,000 was raised in private contributions to build out two new storefronts for this joint, and in it you're sure to love the added little touches from a vintage Chicago art deco bar to a musician's locker rooom. Don't worry, the old Velvet is still around, they've hung their trademark chandeliers and the 'Velvet lady' painting.
This party is on Friday Aug 11 and Saturday Aug 12 9pm. This is a non-smoking bar.
New Velvet Lounge
67 E. Cermak Rd. btwn Michigan and Wabash
312-791-9050
Bonnie "Prince" Billy (a.k.a. Will Oldham, a.k.a. Palace, a.k.a. Palace Music, etc.) will be a guest on the WGN Morning News tomorrow, August 10, at 8:45 a.m. to plug his latest album, The Cursed Sleep. Immediately following the early morning gig, he will be setting out on a free in-store tour. Also appearing on the show will be writer Steve Turner, whose latest book is The Gospel According to the Beatles.
After seven years, local indie Lying in States is calling it quits, but you've got one last opportunity to pay your respects, so to speak, at 8:30 tomorrow night at the Empty Bottle. It's gonna be a long night, with Love Story in Blood Red, The Narrator, The Notes and Scratches, Where the Moon Came From Casey Meehan opening. However, you get all that rock for just $8.
How many times have you found out that your favorite band is coming to town, only to realize that they totally played last weekend?
Building on the premise of the online social event calendar Upcoming.org, the recently launched site Tourb.us takes note of your favorite bands and reminds you when they’re coming to town, alerting you via e-mail or text message.
There’s a dopey social network feature where you can make concert-going friends (P.S. friend me!), and you can also import your playlists from your iTunes and Last.fm accounts to get recommendations for shows you should be seeing based on your listening habits.
One of Chicago record label Victory's banner bands, Hawthorne Heights, announced yesterday they are leaving, and suing, the label (PDF). As you may remember, HH was the band that allegedly sent out a disturbing "call to arms" against R&B artist Ne-Yo, who released his album the same week the band released its latest, and there was an e-mail intercepted from the Victory street team supervisor who told all street teamers to hide Ne-Yo records in stores, so they could not be found. Yikes.
Tomorrow night, you can hit the first in a series of fundraisers for the independent feature film, Snap, at the Double Door. The headlining band, Baldwin Brothers, is featured on the upcoming Samuel L. Jackson movie soundtrack, Snakes on a Plane, for which they produced a remix of the All American Rejects song "Can't Take It." The show will also feature the dub reggae stylings of The Drastics, and DJ Sid Delicious featuring Jarrett from Walter Meego. A raffle with prize giveaways includes the chance to win a walk-on role in Snap. The show starts at 9pm and the cover is $10. All proceeds go towards the production of Snap. The Double Door is located at 1572 N Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago.
Now that Lollapalooza hangovers have faded away, it's time to think about next weekend's outdoor music festival: WestFest. Urge Overkill and Local H will headline Saturday and Sunday, respectively, on Chicago Avenue between Damen and Wood. Notable support comes from Califone, Bobby Conn, and Waco Brothers. (Califone will also be at the Hideout on Sunday evening.)
Here's a great opportunity for those of you who like to rock, but can't spare the cash. This September's Hideout Block Party/Touch & Go Records 25th Anniversary Party needs your help, and they'll reward you handsomely. For just a 4-hour shift, you'll get free admission to that day's events, plus 3 free beer tickets! All the details are on their website. [Thanks, Jennifer!]
Often overlooked in baseball crazed Wrigleyville, the reggae-centric Wild Hare bar has been fun every time I have ever been there. This weekend, they host British reggae singer/toaster Pato Banton who should probably draw more water than he seems to these days. If nothing else, a trip to the Hare on a Friday should be good for satisfying your Jamaican roach coach needs; there is usually a good one parked outside on the weekends.
The Taste had quite a lineup for this year's July 4th show: Ray Davies, My Morning Jacket, and Mike Doughty. But if you couldn't bear the heat or the crowds or the bad barbecue sandwiches, you can find all three performances online. The Davies and MMJ shows are reg. req'd and require a bit of FLAC and torrent nerdery, but the Doughty tracks are available in a simple mp3/zip package with a streaming online player to boot. Enjoy the fireworks.
Party a little hard this weekend? Fill your Sunday with a good dose of that which can heal us all: country music and barbeque. Start off your morning at the Horseshoe Bar's All-You-Can-Eat Sunday Brunch, complete with outstanding music from the Dimestore String Band. The chow line runs from 11am-3pm at the Horseshoe at 4115 N. Lincoln Ave. When you're done, slide on down to 1035 N. Western Avenue to the Empty Bottle, and belly up to another dose of toe tappin' with the Hoyle Brothers' Sinner Sundays. This free afternoon show (starting at 4pm) features fantastic Texas two-steppin' tunes just the right dessert to follow that Texas barbeque you chowed down on at the Horseshoe earlier.
You've probably seen this by now, but just in case: OK Go has another super choreographed video out.
But what you may not have known about is the dance contest they're running: contestants replicate the moves from OK Go's previous viral video, "A Million Ways," post it on YouTube, and the band judges. The winners will dance with the band on stage during an upcoming concert. You've got until August 30 to enter.
Chicago has one of the most interesting radio spectrums in the country, ranging from religious broadcasts to Spanish language sports coverage to such narrow musical niches as "smooth jazz." Several schools, at both the university and high school level, also compete with the commercial stations for your attention. Here's a list of stations around Chicagoland that you might tune in as you wander the roads.
On the high school front:
• Elgin Public Schools: WEPS, 88.9 FM
• Evanston Township HS: WKR, (cable/Internet only)
• Glenbrook North & South: WGBK, 88.5 FM
• Hinsdale South: WHSD, 88.5 FM
• Homewood-Flossmoor HS: WHFH, 88.5 FM
• Lyons Township HS (LaGrange): WLTL, 88.1 FM
• Maine Township HS (Park Ridge): WMTH, 90.5 FM (8 Watts strong!)
• New Trier: WNTH, 88.1 FM
• Downers Grove HS: WDGC, 88.3 FM Colleges:
• Columbia College: WCRX, 88.1 FM
• College of DuPage: WDCB, 90.9 FM
• Elmhurst College: WRSE, 88.7 FM
• Illinois Institute of Technology: WIIT, 88.9 FM
• Lake Forest College: WLFC, 88.9 FM (formerly WMXM)
• Lewis University: WLRA, 88.1 FM (no site)
• Loyola University: WLUW, 88.7 FM
• Kennedy-King College: WKKC, 89.3 FM
• Moody Bible Institute: WMBI, 90.1 FM / 1110 AM
• Northeastern Illinois University: WZRD, 88.3 FM
• Northwestern University: WNUR 89.3 FM
• North Central College: WONC, 89.1 FM
• St. Xavier University: WXAV, 88.3 FM
• Triton College: WRRG, 88.9 FM
• University of Chicago: WHPK, 88.5 FM
• UIC: WUIC, 89.5 FM
• University of St. Francis (Joliet): WCSF, 88.7 FM
• Wheaton College: WETN, 88.1 FM
Also of interest is Radio Arte, WRTE 90.5 FM, run by the Mexican Fine Arts Museum.
A note about frequencies: Many of these stations overlap; because they're so low-frequency (usually 100 Watts or less) they don't cover much ground. Chances are you won't hear them if you're more than a couple miles from the transmitter, so more than one station can easily share the same spot on the radio dial.
Ether Frolics, a local band with a small but loyal following, have some new songs up on Last.fm. Worth checking out if you're into folk-influenced indie rock.
Though the weather shouldn't be much of a problem this year, with an expanded festival grounds rambling down Grant Park, Lollapalooza's three days will be an endurance test. No longer should there be constant sound bleeds from one stage to another harshing your buzz, but you'll likely rack up a few miles walking between all the events. The fest's new found space unfortunately means that unless you jog, you probably can't easily split sets this year, which means you're also in for some tough choices. It's going to be band vs. band (vs. DJ) this weekend — all of them vying for your attention. Gapers Block: Transmission contributors have looked at the 130 bands playing over 30 hours this weekend, and given you the breakdown of 25 sets you should hear:
Lollapalooza's Last Band Standing competition comes to a close at Double Door tonight with the Cankles, Kate Starr, Tonedeff, the Appleseed Cast, and Everybody Else battling against each other and in front of judges for the last two spots over the weekend. A winner will be announced at the end of the night. They will then play at 11:15 on Saturday morning and the runner-up opens the festival at 11:15 on Friday. Tonight's show begins at 8pm and it is free.
In all of this week's albeit deserved Lollapalooza pre-hype, it is easy to forget that there ARE other things going on around town. One option is Retro on Rosco, Roscoe Village's yearly summer fest. This year, they feature the always popular local cover group Hairbanger's Ball, Chicago street fest standards Mr. Blotto, and top notch bassist Oteil Burbridge (of the Allman Brothers' Band and Aquarium Rescue Unit fame) with his band, the Peacemakers.
Death Cab for Cutie are one of few acts returning this weekend from last year's Lollapalooza. By now we've gotten used to their big time status, and so, it seems, have they. In the past year, they've done a number of European festivals and know how to handle being on a bill with a hundred other acts: "come out swinging and play the most high-energy set you possibly can." They talk about the passion with Illinois Entertainer.
Yesterday, Stereogum and Brooklyn Vegan both had items about cancellations of various dates on the Cardigans' fall US tour. The Chicago stop was still showing up on Ticketmaster, so I crossed my fingers and hoped against hope that we might be spared. Alas, word came today from the Metro: it's a no-go. Refunds are available at point of purchase.
Singer-songwriter Grant-Lee Phillips brings his acclaimed songbook to Schubas Tavern tonight and tomorrow night, but it'll be the covers the kids're lining up to hear. Phillips is touring with his improbably irresistable 80's covers album, nineteeneighties. What could have been a smarmy cash-in is instead a winning, personal mixtape, recasting beloved alternahits and lesser-known numbers in the warm, strumming glow of the onetime Grant Lee Buffalo frontman's golden pipes and spacey alt.country-ish arrangements. Need a taste? Swing by his MySpace page to check out his cover of REM's "South Central Rain." Better yet, stop by Captain's Dead and check out Phillips' spooky organ/Hawaiian slide guitar remake of "Wave of Mutilation". You'll be playing it for everyone you know.
If the drone of your a/c isn't enough of a harmonizer for you, head out and check the Wake Up! series at Sonotheque tonight. They'll be debuting the new EP Strumm by Chicago electronic artist Kate Simko, along with sets by DJ Sassmouth, Detroit Luv founder up-and-coming DJ Eric Cloutier and Chicago-based video artist Jeffrey Weeter will be performing real-time visuals throughout the night. Cool, indeed. Details in Slowdown.
