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. ✶
Get ready to shred some serious air! Air guitar is back in Chicago this Friday at the Metro. The Air Guitar Regional Competition will feature competitors from all over the Midwest, all vying for a spot at the US championship competition which will be held this year in Denver.
Tickets are available for the 9pm show at the Metro here. Doors open at 8pm.
Still not convinced you should go? Check out the interview with reigning US champion, Justin Howard -- or as he is known in the air guitar world, Nordic Thunder -- for some convincing reasons to head to the show.
We've been hyping up Wavefront Music Festival for the last several weeks on Gapers Block and it's finally here. This Saturday and Sunday, June 30 and July 1, Chicago's house music roots are the guest of honor at this jam-packed beach bash.
There's a lot to look forward to this weekend. Three stages of national and international electronic acts. An additional stage showcasing the best local artists that Chicago has to offer. An ideal festival locale at Montrose Beach, which will encompass both the actual beach and grassy area to the west included in the festival grounds. Now if the weather can just hold off, we've got a great couple of days ahead of us.
Now I know there's a lot to worry about at festivals: What can I wear that's both stylish and conducive to standing in the sun for ten hours? Who is playing when? Why am I paying $8.50 for a Bud Light? But Gapers Block put together some thought provoking (more or less) questions for anyone going to the festival this weekend to mull over.
We already told you the reasons why you should "Go Right Ahead" and see The Hives at The Vic Saturday night, June 30, but now we're giving one lucky reader a free pass, plus so much more. One lucky reader will win a pair of tickets to the show, plus a copy of the band's new album Lex Hives on 180 gram vinyl, plus a Hives 4-set pin pack and (oh, what the hell) some stickers. Just email us at contests@gapersblock.com with the subject line "Lex Hives" and we'll select a winner at noon on Friday. You must be 18+ to attend this show. [Update: We have our winner! Congrats to Othy!]
The full album won't be out until September, but "Right Now Everything" should give you a nice taste of what's to come. And if you're not able to make it to Fifth Third Field or up to Madison, you can catch The Congregation July 1 at Fitzgerald's American Music Festival, July 21 at the Sheffield Garden Walk or July 29 at the Taste of Lincoln Avenue.
The Hives broke in America at a time when every band whose name started with "The" and ended in "s" were touted as saviors of rock'n'roll. Some reached tremendous heights before imploding. Others just never got above, like, the second floor. It's 2012 and the Hives are alive and even pretty strong. They're still one of the most entertaining live shows anyone can see, due in large part to Howlin' Pelle's high marks as a frontman. His swagger mixes a bit of Iggy Pop's crowd-rousing and some of Mick Jagger's strutting. But he nor the band are gimmicks. They pump out catchy garage rock hooks and fall back on a lot of early punk signatures. Their latest album, Lex Hives, doesn't veer much from what's made them successful and their shows are just as fun as ever.
The Hives headline the Vic on Saturday, the 30th. FIDLAR and Flesh Lights open at 7:30pm. The show's 18+ and tickets are $27.50. The Vic's at 3145 N. Sheffield.
Chances are you probably missed the Brilliant Corners of Popular Amusements festival last fall. While the carnival/circus/music festival was high in entertainment, unfortunately it was also low in attendance. They're changing it up this year and dropping the rides and games (looks like you'll have to check out Riot Fest for your carnival fix this year), instead opting for the new tented Riverfront Theater. The complete music line-up announcement is still to come, but for now, it's not looking too shabby at all. The three-day festival will include performances by John Cale, Bobby Womack, Conor Oberst, Zola Jesus, Van Dyke Parks, and Helado Negro. They're also bringing back El Circo Cheapo this year, and as a new addition, there will be a line-up of comedians to perform after the music ends each night.
The festival takes place September 21 - 23rd at the Riverfront Theater, 650 W. Chicago Ave. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Tuesday, June 26th) at noon and will be available to purchase here.
I am generally turned off by musicians who spend more time chatting than singing at shows. But I could've listened to at least another hour of Billy Bragg talking about Woody Guthrie (now a century old) at Old Town School of Folk Music on Friday. On his current tour, Bragg is splitting shows with Guthrie's songs (many of which he recorded with Wilco during the Mermaid Avenue sessions) followed by his own material. Armed with only an acoustic guitar at the start, Bragg spent as much time playing Guthrie's songs as talking about the legendary folk singer, his impact on successors and the process of putting music to words left on thousands of pages. He noted early on that Guthrie, like himself, wasn't trained as a music writer. (At this point, Bragg said that he can read a lyric he wrote as a teenager and instantly recall how he wanted it to sound.) Guthrie's lyrical layouts and footnotes were guides, but Bragg's melodies are still guesses. Lost are the tunes passed down through generations, from those that his grandmother taught him ("The Unwelcome Ghost") to what he learned by osmosis while scraping by in the Texas panhandle ("Don't You Marry", which was jokingly implied to have been learned from Robert Johnson) to others with unknown origins ("Black Wind Blowing"). But every story was a history lesson that captivated the audience. He talked about Jay Bennett's extensive influence on Mermaid Avenue, especially on "Another Man's Done Gone" (presumably written while Guthrie knew death was inevitable) with Jeff Tweedy pumping raw emotion into the vocals. When he mentioned that a particular line was the catalyst for wanting to record a song (or to research the song's origins further), it was almost like everyone made a mental note for when he sang the line. It was fascinating to hear him present songs and stories for which he's very passionate about, and for them to be received so warmly.
Next Wednesday is the deadline to enter Mucca Pazza's "Thought Bubble for a Mucca" contest. Prize includes a Safety Fifth CD, a t-Shirt and a tote bag. See the contest details and post your "thought" on Twitter or Facebook.
Fake Shore Drive has a video of Kids These Days covering Kanye's song "Flashing Lights." The band plays Schubas at a Lollapalooza pre-party on August 2.
DJ Chrissy Murderbot plays a rare Saturday night show in Chicago at the Kioku Lounge at 2130 S. Wentworth Ave. this weekend. Starts at 10pm ends at 3am. Free beer from 312 from 10-11pm. Custom photo booth. Learn more on Facebook.
Grab the entire "world punk" band Firewater's catalog via Bloodshot Records in September. There's also a geocaching campaign to go along with the release. That's right. Geocaching.
Last night, while they kicked off this year's Gospel Fest in Millennium Park, neo Soul rockers JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound (Bloodshot Records) were being honored by eMusic and the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM) at their inaugural A2IM Libera Awards ceremony. The awards (dubbed the "Libbies" for short), "recognize the growing support and market share for independent artists by celebrating the accomplishments of independent musicians and the independent labels and services that support them." eMusic's community of members honored the band by overwhelmingly voting for them as their choice for the "Up and Comer" award.
In a press release, eMusic Editor-in-chief J. Edward Keyes said, "We're excited to be able to give eMusic Members a voice through the Libbies. It's not surprising that JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound were the artists to win this award. We've long been known for our active community of jazz fans and blues enthusiasts. While the competition was stiff, this group is truly an up and comer to be celebrated."
Congrats, fellas!
JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound play Fitzgerald's in Berwyn on June 30 for the 32nd Annual American Music Festival, before embarking on a national summer tour. They return to Chicago to perform at Lollapalooza on August 4, 2012.
There're countless female singers who strap on a guitar, write a few catchy tunes and get one of them in the background of a network television program or Hollywood movie. But there's a streak of wildness in Audra Mae's uptempo Americana that's separated her far enough from the pack that she's not just another pleasant but forgettable voice. With her excellent backing band, the Almighty Sound, Mae's latest album delivers on the glints of promises in her music over the last few years. It's full-steam ahead for this Oklahoman who's been honing her craft in Los Angeles. (Fans of Sarah Borges who've been looking for more twang need to check out Audra Mae.)
Audra Mae opens for Cory Branan at Schubas on Tuesday, the 26th. Briar Rabbit opens the show at 8PM. It's 21+ and $10. Schubas is at the corner of Belmont & Southport. Gapers Block's giving away a pair of tickets to this show. Write to contests@gapersblock.com with "Audra" in the subject line for a chance to win. [Update: And we have a winner. Thanks for writing in, folks.]
It goes without saying that Chicago has a lot to offer. Many consider our music scene to be bar none. There's a ton of history here. And, come on, have you driven down Lake Shore Drive on a sunny day? I don't care how bad the traffic is, you can't deny that this city is gorgeous. If you're a good Chicagoan, you'll find a way to enjoy all of these elements this summer. If you're a great Chicagoan, you'll find a way to combine them into one weekend.
The folks behind Spybar seem to have done that with the inaugural Wavefront Music Festival: two full days of local and national dance music talent right on the lakefront at Montrose Beach. Paying homage to the house music genre that's rooted in Chicago, Wavefront has gathered an impressive lineup of DJs and producers including American/Canadian super duo Duck Sauce (the guys who brought you the seemingly omnipresent club hit "Barbara Streisand"), Jesse F. Keeler's post-Death From Above 1979 electro project MSTRKRFT, DJ sets from LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy and Pat Mahoney as well as a slew of local artists on the rise.
Wavefront is giving you a chance to do Chicago right this summer and Gapers Block is proud to give you the chance to do it....for free. We're giving away 10two-day passes to the festival (which hits Montrose Beach June 30 and July 1) and all you have to do is email contests@gapersblock.com with the subject line "Beach Party" for your shot at getting down in the sand. Deadline for entries is noon Friday (tomorrow) when we'll pick 10 lucky winners, so be sure to email before then (just one entry per person, please). [Update! We've picked our winners, thanks to a random number generator, and we're emailing them now. Thanks to everyone who entered!]
With today's announcement of Andrew WK, Minus The Bear, Hot Water Music, Neon Trees, The Adicts, and Pegboy, this year's Riot Fest line-up is getting out of control. With the previously announced Iggy and the Stooges, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Elvis Costello, it's getting to the point of being more impressive than the Pitchfork and Lollapalooza line-ups combined. Three-day passes for the festival are now sold out, but two-day, single day, and VIP passes are available to purchase here, with day-by-day line-ups now available to view here. Riot Fest will be taking place September 14 - 16th in Humboldt Park.
If day one of Spring Awakening was a party, day two was an all-out rager. Saturday's lineup was a nice, even spread of buzz worthy acts across the day but Sunday packed some of the festival's biggest names like Diplo, Wolfgang Gartner, Flux Pavilion and Moby all into a 120-minute time slot. The temperature was hotter. The energy was higher. The beats were heavier. If you were there yesterday and you're not feeling it today, you must have done something wrong.
I knew I'd be traversing around Soldier Field and its surrounding grounds all night at breakneck speed so I decided to hang back in the morning. When I did show up later in the afternoon, I was pretty much instantly drawn to the beats coming from Da Drive Stage. Shermanology is a group that, until yesterday, I knew little about but in the midst of a festival with dozens of artists trapped behind the decks, it was refreshing and simply fun to have both a hype man and a hype lady out in front of the DJ booth getting the crowd into it and actually adding some real, live, un-prerecorded vocals to the jams the three-piece's DJ was spinning.
Bass, I've concluded, is essentially like the wind. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not there. Now, I'm not talking about that box in the dude sitting next to you in traffic's car that makes his trunk rumble. Nor about that thing that Flea plays. I'm talking about the kind of bass that was heard, felt and, yes, dropped an innumerable amount of times during day one of Spring Awakening Music Festival yesterday.
Despite the fact that this young festival is just in its first year of existence, I believe it's safe to say this festival is a keeper. I doubt the twenty-some-odd thousand people that crammed into Soldier Field last night for headliner Skrillex would care to argue that point. Like most festivals, music is at the center of Spring Awakening, but the experience is just as important. That's why I made some notes yesterday along with my artist reviews that I hope will provide a better feel for the festival. Enjoy.
Skrillex, DeadMau5, Rusko. Yes, these are all music artists. Electronic dance music artists--or EDM--to be exact. They've all broken through on a national scale and have rolled through Chicago for various summer festival performances.
Our city has undeniably always been a magnet for national talent for whatever the hot new thing in music is. But we always hold true to our own talent, too. Amongst the sea of blazing hot DJs and producers that will be hitting the stages at Spring Awakening Music Festival this weekend including the aforementioned Grammy-winning Skrillex, there will also be more local beatmakers than you can shake a neon-colored stick at. Midnight Conspiracy is one of those acts. Gapers Block had the chance to chat with these dubstep trailblazers before their Saturday afternoon set at Spring Awakening.
GB: Tell me a little bit about how Midnight Conspiracy originated.
Mikul Wing: Midnight Conspiracy originated in the basement of Angels & Kings. We all were part of a weekly party called "Disappear Here" and between all the partying and drinking back then decided to form Midnight Conspiracy. And then things started to get serious, we put in the hard work, and here we are today. Blur the lines between work and play and you'll find yourself surprised with the results.
GB: EDM music has seen a huge explosion in popularity over the last few years and has arguably become a major presence in mainstream culture. Why do you think this is? Why now?
Louis Kha: When traveling around to the college campuses, I've noticed EDM being played in places I wouldn't have expected a couple years ago like frat parties and your normal college bar or club. People tell me that these places used to play hip hop and now they play EDM, so I ask, "Why the change? Why do you like EDM?" The responses usually come in the form of "It's just good fun and good vibes."
It remains to be seen if EDM can transcend and become a lasting force like hip hop or fade away as the latest fad to hit the youth.
GB: Why do you think Chicago has become such a huge hub for EDM music?
Louis Kha: There's a really long tradition of house music and other forms of electronic music in Chicago. So you have the old guard that were in a position of booking venues and clubs. And their passion for EDM is what drove them to take risks on acts way before EDM got popular. And from that they just cultivated a scene rich in EDM.
GB: You guys are playing Spring Awakening festival. What's the most exciting part about that for you?
Louis Kha: I'm stoked to play in Solider Field. Aside from being a big football fan when I was a kid, I remember watching Depeche Mode's 101 documentary and seeing them perform in other football stadiums like the Rose Bowl. That whole arena rock thing was epic, so it's exciting to bring EDM to the arena.
Download Midnight Conspiracy's third installment of their Dead Fame mixtape series here. Catch them TODAY at Spring Awakening Music Festival on the Da Main Stage from 6-7pm.
I didn't know quite what to expect going into Battles' headlining show at the Bottom Lounge last night. I'm not oblivious to the ever-growing cultish following the three-piece has here in Chicago though. So when the show was resceduled from June 2 and my evening was free I jumped at the chance to finally check them out live. I wasn't quite sure what to expect going into the show and I left not quite know how to describe it.
At first glance, Battles' live set up is a simple one. The only thing on stage that seems superfluous is drummer John Stanier's crash cymbal that sits atop a six-foot-tall stand. But you only think that until the beanstalk of a guy in front of you steps out the way and you realize that Ian Willams' keyboard artillery is a little more intense than you first thought. Then you notice the cowbell stashed in the corner. Then the lights go down and the two black rectangular spaceholders sitting behind the band's instruments come alive as full LED screens, swirling with flashes of color and images. Guitarist/bassist Dave Konopka starts interchanging four- and six-string guitars every few minutes. And, all along, everything is ridiculously coordinated, right down to the hits on that six-foot-tall cymbal.
With the return of the hot (and packed) days of summer, I thought it's only fitting that we jump back into this weekly post, and try to spread the word about all of the amazing music in Chicago you might otherwise miss. Feel free to make sure we're in the know, by Tweeting at us, or emailing anne@gapersblock.com with tips.
Thoughtful piece on Dale Watson, and his place among the country music canon. He plays Martyr's tonight (Friday) by The Reader.
The Grant Park Chorus and Orchestra celebrates Chicago history with the composition "An Exhaltation of Place." Catch it performed live (for free) in Millennium Park Friday or Saturday night this weekend.
Have a chance to win a gift card to Schubas or Lincoln Hall by Instagramming this video in any Chicago cab.
Numero Group is adding another format to a recent album "spruce-up" with a release...on cassette. Fire up your boombox for Antena's Camino Del Sol.
Another past music venue, Lounge Ax, is putting on a cool retrospective at saki, along with some parties at the store (with live music, of course) August 10 and 11.
When a staffing agency called me last year and asked if I wanted to work the B96 Pepsi Summer Bash, I was intrigued. CBS Radio's Top 40 station, 96.3 FM, WBBM, had been a nearly ubiquitous presence while growing up in suburban Chicago. Without fail, the Summer Bash would be hyped up every year across the radio speakers of minivans, swimming pools, and shopping mall clothing stores as the biggest music event of the summer.
First held in 1992, and later sponsored by Pepsi some years later, the Summer Bash has always been a cross-section who's hot, who's established, and who's emerging in Top 40 mainstream pop radio. Bigger names like T-Pain, Chris Brown, Pitbull, and Lupe Fiasco were on the bill for the 2011 edition, along with acts with hit singles like Far East Movement, Tinie Tempah, Keri Hilson, Jay Sean, and the New Boyz, and tween heartthrobs Joe Jonas, Cody Simpson, and Big Time Rush.
Curious to see what the current crop of mainstream pop acts were like in a live setting, I said yes.
The evening of Loops and Other Variations began with Ensemble Dal Niente performing Donatoni's "Hot" Fausto Romitelli's "Professor Bad Trip Lesson 3" and an arrangement of Deerhoof's "Eaguru Guru." The non-Deerhoof pieces were both creative and climactic at times keeping the audience on the edge of their seats as if watching a Hitchcockian thriller. Still, it was quite strange to be present for the indie rock and listening to classical compositions. It made sense mainly from the perspective that Deerhoof has always created music that is both interesting and innovative and, with the arrangement of the Deerhoof song, it tied the two performances together nicely.
Want to get a behind-the-scenes look at a great orchestra? The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Riccardo Muti (last seen at Wrigley Field) are holding a rare open rehearsal during Make Music Chicago. Watch the CSO rehearse Bruckner's Symphony No. 6 in preparation for its final concert series of the year. The open rehearsal is free and open to the public, but tickets must be reserved by calling (312) 294-3000.
Catch the CSO's free rehearsal on Thursday, June 21 from 10am-12:30pm at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.
Something was building in intensity Saturday night at the Metro: a raucous, debauchery laden atmosphere that communicated to everyone in the place, this concert is going to be a celebratory event. Though my spirits were briefly defeated by the standard concertgoers that somehow manage to find their way right next to me at each show, from the individuals who became far too intoxicated before the show to the point that I'm pretty sure the woman next to me fell asleep standing up, or the unknowingly tone deaf man behind me who insisted on singing every word to each song, the Metro's lively atmosphere was translated from the stage, as each band who played a set brought a dynamic, energized presence to the Metro, allowing me to forget what was going on around me.
First to play a set was group Scott Lucas & The Married Men. The band contrasted with the casual concertgoers, as they appeared wearing coordinated and dressy attire. This complimented their sound; with loud, powerful bass riffs, and sounds suitable for a stadium audience, Scott Lucas & The Married Men brought the energy to the Metro and kept it coming. Highlights of their set included dropping in segments from The Beatles number "I've Got A Feeling," and their end ballad which featured a lengthy, dark guitar solo and lead singer Scott Lucas wailing into the mic.
Three years ago, Perry's stage at Lollapalooza--which features the vast majority of electronic music artists at the festival--was a humble, circular electro oasis nestled under Grant Park's the nearby treeline. By 2011, the stage had grown to a football-field-sized gargantuan filled to the gills with furry-boot-wearing, shutter-shade-sporting EDM fans. The stage's rapid expansion is a reflection of the parallel growth of EDM--electronic dance music--in the U.S.
Speaking of football fields, Chicago's very first all dance music festival is about to be unleashed on the city and it's far from a down-home, DIY, low-scale first-year festival. Spring Awakening Music Festival will draw between 25,000 to 30,000 bassheads to Solider Field between June 16 and 17. Not only is it the first Chicago festival of its kind, it's also the first electronic music event of any kind to have a stage inside Soldier Field.
"We're definitely priding ourselves on being the first all dance music festival to come to Chicago," said Zach Partin of React Presents. React is co-producing the festival along with dance music hotspot Congress Theater. "We think it's long overdue. We're hoping that we can just pay homage to those roots that we have here in the city."
The Fader and vitaminwater have teamed up for their uncapped series of mystery shows that'll come to Chicago on Thursday, June 14. Last week's performance in Los Angeles featured Rick Ross, The-Dream and Zola Jesus. Hmm, who might it be in Chicago... ? If you're the curious type, you'll want to RSVP. Even if you're not, it might be a good idea. Afterward, vitaminwater's Youtube channel will be updated with exclusive content. The show starts 8PM at 1052 W Monroe.
Last month, Jason Lescalleet got his hands dirty on ferric oxide at The Burlington. As I said then, Lescalleet's approach to tape loops is the yang to Joseph Hammer's yin. With Hammer's upcoming appearance at the closer of Lampo's Spring series this Saturday, it might be beneficial to compare the styles.
Lescalleet is constantly building and tinkering. He wraps his spools of tape across several reel decks, stretching them long distance and overlapping them in confusing ways. In fact, he starts his sets before he's even completed his setup, a literal application of Ray Bradbury's declaration that artists should "jump off cliffs and build their wings in the air." His process, though transparent in theory -- everything's happening right in plain sight -- is incomprehensible in practice. I can't sync up what I'm hearing with what I'm seeing, other than the physicality of the two. Lescalleet roughhouses his decks, and the sounds respond by taking it out on the audience.
Hammer, on the other hand, has refined his technique until it is as straightforward and intuitive as Tai Chi. Compared with Lescalleet's knotty, dirt-track obstacle course, Hammer is like a velodrome, his frictionless surfaces removing all impedance to a soaring audio experience.
Among a set list that included "Street Spirit", "Karma Police" and even a tease of R.E.M.'s "The One I Love", Radiohead premiered a new song titled "Full Stop" last night during their show at Tinley Park's First Midwest Amphitheater. Previously, a muddled fan recording of the song being played during a sound check in Cincinatti spread like wildfire across the internet last week. Here's a full video of the song performed last night, as best as I could manage from my seat near the back.
Chicago welcomes its very first all dance music festival this weekend. Spring Awakening Music Festival hits Soldier Field Saturday, June 16 and Sunday, June 17.
It's safe to say that electronic dance music -- or EDM for short -- has finally jumped the pond and adapted the same mainstream status it has enjoyed in Europe for years here in the U.S. Though many Chicagoans are already old pros at dance music shows and festivals, Spring Awakening will prove to be the first headfirst dive into the bass-tastic pool that still more have only dipped their toes into thus far.
Either way, here are a few things to keep in mind while you're getting down this weekend.
The Hideout Block Party and the Onion's A.V. Fest are combining forces this year, presenting one festival Sept. 14-15 in the City vehicle depot lot across from the Hideout, as in prior years. Iron & Wine, Glen Hansard, Lee Fields & the Expressions, the Corin Tucker Band, the Waco Brothers with Paul Burch and Redmoon Theater are the first acts to be announced, with another announcement June 25 and more in July.
Two-day passes are on sale now. If you move quickly, you'll get the $40 early bird rate; once those run out they'll be $50 and then $60. Single day passes will go on sale later this summer. A portion of every ticket sold will benefit a variety of Chicago charities, including Rock For Kids, Literacy Works, Drummond Elementary School and Oscar Mayer Magnet School.
Seventeen years into their career with eight studio albums, The Dandy Warhols seem pleased than ever to take the stage and hear their fans singing along to all their favorite songs. The Portland four piece always does a good job of picking out the songs that fans remember best from throughout their career with a good sense of pacing that makes the audience feel both the faster drive of the edgier songs "Bohemian Like You," "We Used to be Friends""Boys Better," and "Get Off" all being some great examples. But the band also helps you experience the velvety lushness of the melancholy lingering tracks like "Good Morning," so rich with texture one could feel it bursting and by the time lead singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor started singing "Godless," I swear he had a whole group of spiritual devotees to his indie rock religion.
Deer Tick, five member folk rock band originating from Rhode Island, is making a tour stop in Chicago this Saturday evening at the Metro. This dynamic group will take concertgoers on a musical journey by way of their songs wrought with heartache, struggle, and life lessons. Infused with feeling, their songs present the most authentic snapshots of the events we are presented with in our lives.
Their musical style is effortless, and listeners become captivated by their gritty, alt-country style. The group released their latest album, Divine Providence, in 2011, which received countless accolades, and an EP, Tim, this past February.
One of the many reasons that I enjoy listening to Divine Providence is due to the fact that Deer Tick's sound hinges upon many different musical genres, from alt-country "The Bump" to whimsical "Let's All Go To The Bar" featuring a punk rock sound, to confessional ballad "Electric," yet the group still manages to keep the album cohesive. Their sound is so versatile and engaging, and with their latest releases Deer Tick proves that their sound is consistently developing. Take a listen to an acoustic performance of "Cake And Eggs" from Deer Tick lead singer John McCauley below:
Standing at the back of the nave of St. James Cathedral, Chicago Symphony Orchestra trumpeters Christopher Martin and Tage Larsen heralded a new season of Rush Hour concerts Tuesday evening, belting out Jean-Baptiste Lully's March Royale with pinpoint articulation and bell-like incantation. Sitting once again under J. Neville Stent's stenciled patterns of the cathedral's Arts-and-Crafts ceiling, one is reminded just how good a deal this is: 30 minutes of free music from some of the best musicians in town.
Photo by Colin Knapp/Rush Hour Concerts
Martin and Larsen joined their CSO colleagues — hornist David Griffin, trombonist Michael Mulcahy, and tubist Gene Pokorny — onstage to complete the brass quintet for J.S. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in C Major. Bach's knack for making any instrument sound like an organ was easily apparent as the quintet's volume rose with each fugal riff. The cathedral worked against the low brass, the live acoustics muddling Pokorny's solo passages; but with the entire ensemble, the high ceiling amplified the sound which was likely to be heard by passersby outside.
To celebrate three years in the business of good vibes, good music, and an ambiance and audience to match, The Shrine thanked its guests, two weekends back, by welcoming the near-mythical hip-hop trio, De La Soul, to its stage. The group, made up of Maseo, Posdnous, and Dave, ranks among the greats, of not only the era that birthed similar legends like A Tribe Called Quest and The Wu-Tang Clan, but certainly of all time.
It isn't often the city, let alone the Midwest, gets the chance to see artists that possess the trio's level of influence and legend. It's no wonder then, that as soon as Maseo took the stage, the room filled with cheers, chants, and song requests; and all hands were filled with a cell phone.
The best thing about seeing a concert at the Pritzker Pavilion is the people watching: the young woman who somehow pulled off a pair of high-waisted jeans that would have made the rest of us look like sausages; the teeny tiny babies being worn on their parents backs and stomachs; and the sun-darkened, shirtless man in a necktie standing near the west ramp, dancing to music coming through a pair of earphones.
At a youthful 61 years old, Jonathan Richman looked tiny on the enormous stage with only his guitar, drummer Tommy Larkins, and a drum kit. With his trademark worried expression on his face, Richman began the set with a song that opened with the lyrics: "We had a fight last night." He moved into multilingual territory with a song sung half in French, half in English, translating for the audience like an instructor of a massive impromptu language lesson, pausing to say "Let's hear what Tommy's up to," and breaking into some crowd-pleasing dance moves while Larkins performed a solo.
French was only the beginning of the multilingualism Richman brought to the show. "If this song seems like it's in Italian don't worry, it's just 17 different ways of saying 'it's a great party.'" (Which he pronounced "pahty," in the manner of those Boston-born.) He then moved to Hebrew and Arabic, with the same intro: "if this song seems like it's in Hebrew don't worry, it's just 18 different ways of saying 'it's a great party.'"
Can you remember the first music that scared you? Maybe you were too young when you first heard the eerie, mournful peal of bells that started Black Sabbath's "Black Sabbath" coming from an older brother's bedroom, or you covered your ears in reflexive terror at Vincent Price's infernal laugh at the end of "Thriller." Or maybe you've never been scared by music! This might be all on me, but I remember (and cherish) every moment that a song put the fear in me, every time that a collection of sounds, melodies, or emotions pushed me away, maybe not to return for years after. Ringo screaming "I got blisters on my fingers!" at the end of "Helter Skelter." The alien-sounding whale song in the middle of Pink Floyd's "Echoes." Bob Mould's flayed-alive shriek in Husker Du's "Beyond the Threshold." In some cases, I couldn't listen to the song again for days or weeks afterward. In a few rare cases, I still can't return. In every case where I do return, I return stronger, more calloused to frightening, bracing music, but also a little desensitized. I no longer see demonic sea creatures baying for vengeance during "Echoes," just four well-paid Brits in a studio twisting knobs and going, "oh, jolly good one, Roger!"
But the track that unsettled me for over a decade isn't from the UK. It's from our neighbors to the north, Wisconsin. And this Thursday, they're coming to finish me off.
The Metropia Experience is a new music and arts festival running this Thursday and Friday, June 7-8, in the Atrium Events space at 4325 N. Ravenswood Ave. The festival features an eclectic mix of mostly local musicians and artists, with a few regional acts thrown in for good measure.
Thursday's lineup includes Dinger, Marina City, Dozens, The Bears of Blue River, R.O.E., Lucky Dutch, Milano, The Pirates, Famous Like You, Take the Day, Santah and J. Crist. On Friday, the Kelsey Montanez Band, Nina Ferraro, Kirby Kaiser, Fathom Blue, Jana G., Shadow the Machine Angel, Jaded!, Ramsen, Cold Blue Kid, Tim Million, Veilside, Tiny Fireflies, Shuteye and The Night Survives perform. Doors open at 2pm each day -- which seems a little early for a weekday show, but who am I to judge?
Single-day tickets are $65 (students can get in for just $27), two-day passes are $110, and are available online or at the door. A portion of the proceeds will benefit The Bully Police Squad and WLUW.
But if you hurry, you don't have to pay that at all. We have 12 pairs of one-day tickets to give away! Just email contests@gapersblock.com with the subject line "Metropia." We'll draw names from the entries received at noon Wednesday.
The Eternals are taking over Millennium Park, and this time, they're bringing their friends.
The Chicago-based group is a longtime mainstay in the local music scene; fans have enjoyed watching the Eternals albums' particular trajectory, tracing the band's ambitious path from thick funk grooves and electro-dub bounce to include a wider swath of influences, including jazz, rock, Afrobeat, and other world music.
Next Monday, June 11, an otherwise serene summer evening at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion (N. Michigan Ave. and E. Randolph Street) will be shattered as the core Eternalists, Damon Locks and Wayne Montana, are joined by eight fellow musicians for the debut of the "Espiritu Zombi Suite," a piece written especially for this large group. We're talking drums and percussion, flute, coronet, vibes, saxophone, backup singers -- the whole awesomely dancealicious nine yards. The show is part of the Downtown Sound music series.
Brother-sister duo Wild Belle open the show, which runs from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The event is free and family friendly.
June kicks off a great summer for music: loads of free concerts indoors and out, and Riccardo Muti returns to conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in its final concerts of the season. But if you're just too busy enjoying the hot weather, street festivals, and local bands, take a few minutes on June 21 to find your nearest live performance during the city-wide Make Music Chicago. There is no excuse this month — did I mention free concerts?
Last year, Chicago film collective Scenic (Anthony Ciannamea, Mark Wisniowski and Ryan Sievert) ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund Outliers, Vol. 1: Iceland, its first full-length documentary in Iceland. The film was shot in October in a variety of locations around Iceland, with photographers Tim Navis and Kim Høltermand and composer/producer Deru tagging along with the filmmakers to film their journey and make a series of collaborative musical vignettes inspired by the locations they visited. Deru's compositions are supplemented on the soundtrack by contemporary classical and electronic music by Shigeto, Goldmund, Ryuichi Sakamoto,Sweatson Klank, Asura, Son Lux, Loscil, A Lull and more.
Outliers Vol. 1 will be released on DVD later this month (it's available for preorder now), and will premiere at Lincoln Hall, 2424 N. Lincoln Ave., on July 10. There will be a Q&A with the artists after the screening, followed by a concert by Loscil, Sweatson Klank, Shigeto and Dero. Scenic will join Deru onstage for the final set, which will consist of a collaborative A/V performance. Only the first 200 ticketholders will get into the film and Q&A; the rest will see the concert only. Tickets are $20 online or at the Lincoln Hall box office.
As an exclusive on Transmission, Scenic has shared a song from the soundtrack: "Filthy, Wild Animals" by A Lull. Listen to it below or download it here.
There's something so refreshing, nay more like wholly life affirming to be in the presence of a truly talented individual that is completely lacking in any artifice. Patrick Watson is one such individual and his songs seem to arise straight from his heart out of his throat with a spontaneity that defies any idea of it being rehearsed but with such a smooth perfection that you know between all of his tour stops it of course had to have been practiced. Still, it's really the idea that each time Watson plays one of his songs, he's able to bring something new to it and the lyrics and composition that he's created is still so meaningful and genuine that everything just feels right.
The Bears of Blue River, folksy Chicago band, have just returned from touring, and released their latest album, Dames, in 2011. Their sound is light, fun, and refreshing, perfect for a sunny Chicago day. They're in the process of creating their next album, and they've taken an innovative approach to its concept. The Bears of Blue River have decided to let their fans create the design for the album art, and the winner of this contest could be you! Take a listen to one of their songs, "Blue Ribbon," below to get inspired:
The contest prize features some pretty nifty items, including number 1 of a 250-set hand-numbered pink vinyl, a framed copy of the winning artwork, and a personal shout out to you in the album liner notes to say thanks. Beyond the prizes for the winner, the band wanted to make sure that everyone who submitted an entry felt their gratitude; each person that enters the contest will also be recognized in the album liner notes. Pretty cool, right?
Contest entries can be sent in the form of photographs, paintings, illustrations and digital artwork, so there's plenty of room for variety and creativity within your design. Send your finished product to The Bears of Blue River by June 30 for consideration via email or standard mail at the contest's website, where you can find further details and specifications for your entry.
Get ready to shred some serious air! Air guitar is back in Chicago this Friday at the Metro. The Air Guitar Regional Competition will feature competitors from all over the Midwest, all vying for a spot at the US championship competition which will be held this year in Denver.
There're countless female singers who strap on a guitar, write a few catchy tunes and get one of them in the background of a network television program or Hollywood movie. But there's a streak of wildness in 
By Jason Prechtel
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