Radio Wed Jul 01 2009
Which Wilco Came First?
Wilco's Jeff Tweedy sat down with WBEZ's Alison Cuddy to talk about the band's newly released album Wilco (the album), Jay Bennett and the order of things.
— Anne Holub / Comments (0)
Artist Mon Jun 29 2009
Pictured: Steve Albini
Photographer Ian Merritt caught up with producer and musician Steve Albini after his band Shellac played an unusual Saturday night/Sunday afternoon double gig at the Bottom Lounge this weekend. Check out the rest of the resulting portraits here.
— Andrew Huff / Comments (2)
Concert Fri Jun 26 2009
Find Love in October
Love in October, who recorded and produced their own new self-titled EP, could be described as rock and power-pop. There is a young innocence in their sound, not surprising since two members are brothers originally from Sweden. Love in October has that Swedish pop feel, with a definite American 90's alternative influence--a hint of Weezer in the guitar on "Permutations" and Blink 182 in the quick paced vocals on "Like Nothing Ever Happened." The album has a reflective, melodic ending on "27-08-08" with a distant voice singing in Swedish (reminding me a bit of Foo Fighters on "Doll").
Join them tomorrow at the Record Release Show for Love in October at Martyrs (3855 N. Lincoln Ave.). The Right Now and Jenny Gillespie will also play. Show starts at 10pm. Tickets are $8. 21 & up. (For your chance to win guest passes to the show, email your name and email address to management@loveinoctober.com by noon TODAY.)
Download a free mp3 of "Like Nothing Ever Happened" at their website.
— Michelle Meywes / Comments (0)
Artist Thu Jun 25 2009
Brad Peterson Finds Ductape Can Fix Almost Anything
Few stories begin with quite this much drama: "Against odds, Chicago musician wakes from coma." That was the headline in the Chicago Tribune on December 21, 2004 when Brad Peterson woke from a 39-week coma after being struck by lightening. But this story ends up less a tragedy and more fortunate beginning. Within six days of waking from the coma, Peterson had written an entire album from his hospital bed called The Red Album, named after the red-tinted vision he claims to have had when regaining consciousness.
After the crisis passed, Peterson returned to the normal struggles of life, as is evidenced in his new record, The Ductape Album (because as we all know, duct tape fixes everything, right?). "On the surface, a humorous antithesis to the King Midas touch, The Ductape Album is the collection of songs about love, struggle, spirituality, failure and beauty with words and tones -straight my heart." He will no doubt draw comparisons to The Beatles on the tracks like "More" and "Serenity Prayer," but the album is mostly singer/songwriter alternative rock.
Brad Peterson plays tonight at Double Door for the Record Release Party for The Ductape Album. Nicolas Tremulis opens. Stick around after the show for live band karaoke. Show starts at 9pm. Tickets are $10. Double Door is located at 1572 N. Milwaukee. 21 & up.
Photo by Thomas Steiner.
— Michelle Meywes / Comments (1)
Concert Thu Jun 25 2009
An Evening With Jeff Tweedy
Photo by Paul Golm, Creative Commons
Wilco's Jeff Tweedy must really love the Emanuel Congregation in Edgewater (the Tweedy family's synagogue). He played two shows at the Vic to benefit the synagogue last February, and this August he'll be playing yet another benefit show, this time in the synagogue itself (though you don't have to be a member to attend). It's a perfect opportunity to enjoy a relaxing evening of music for those not interested in that little music festival going on the same weekend. Peter Grosz, who is a Second City alum and is currently a writer for "The Colbert Report", will be opening the show.
The charity event is taking place August 8th at the Emanuel Congregation, 5959 N Sheridan. If you've got a bit of extra dough, a $200 VIP ticket will get you front section seating, a meet and greet with Tweedy and Grosz, an on-site parking spot and a drink ticket. Mid-section seating is available at $75 per ticket and third-section seating for $54 per ticket, with off-site parking available for $10. Tickets are on sale now and may be purchased here. Doors are at 7 pm, show at 8.
— Stephanie Griffin / Comments (1)
Artist Fri Jun 19 2009
Can Music Relieve a Hangover?
Hangovers are the annoying, productivity-inhibiting result of a night spent drinking quite a bit, and yet we still put up with them because it's fun to loosen up, be social, and dance. Sure, it's easy to pop some aspirin, rehydrate and muddle through the morning, but wouldn't it be cool if music could relieve your hangover?
That's the concept behind Exception AM, a free digital compilation from subVariant that aims to present a collection of electronic music to help you feel better in the morning after a night of drinking. To celebrate the release on June 20, the release party will be held at Ai lounge in River North as the first in a series of concept parties called "Artificial Intelligence." Liz Revision will mix the mostly-ambient and downtempo tracks from the compilation together at the beginning of the night and will then hand over the decks to local DJs Silentcorp, Andrew Kevins, Dirtybird, and Droopy to finish out the night with techno and house. The party will be free all night from 10pm-3am.
— Liz McLean Knight / Comments (0)
Artist Mon Jun 15 2009
On June 18 Fashion :: Sex :: Music Series Brings in Godsgirls, Drops the Beat
Fashion :: Sex :: Music is a multi-disciplinary event series hosted by Godsgirls.com [NSFW] -- a Suicide Girls-type site that takes things a bit further -- that aims to showcase and cross promote fashion, sex, music, and art in a single night. With attractive girls in lingerie, a photo-installation from the site, a mixed media and fashion installation by My Broken Heart Mafia, and a diverse, dance-oriented sound from an all-girl DJ lineup, FSM delivers more than just another hipster dance music night.
The night also encourages community building and intra-industry networking by concurrently billing itself as a meetup for The Chicago Fashion Industry on Meetup.com, a group that has amassed more than 1,000 members. Judging by the comments and introductions on the site, the group is filled with ambitious and dedicated amateurs and professionals alike who work within or on the periphery of the fashion industry in Chicago. Combined with the increasing focus on Chicago as a fashion hub (with the relatively recent Chicago Fashion Week, for instance), grass-roots efforts like FSM that reach out to build a thriving network may help bolster Chicago's image as a fashion resource as well as a thriving and innovative music community.
The event starts at 9pm on Thursday, June 18 at Sonotheque, 1444 W Chicago Ave, and features an-all girl DJ lineup that includes Liz Revision, Fathom, Avi Sic, and Hilary Rawk.
— Liz McLean Knight / Comments (0)
Artist Fri Jun 12 2009
Nylon Music Tour Brings Living Things to Town
Living Things (not to be confused with Peter, Bjorn and John's new album of the same name) are a band with a message, political and social, told through straight ahead rock and roll. Their latest, sophomore album, Habeus Corpus, is fueled by rage from the Bush era, in fact, these guys used to burn posters of the former President on stage. But, don't think we're dealing with a heavy-metal Rage Against the Machine copy-cat here, these guys have drawn more comparisons to the likes of The Ramones and Johnny Rotten punk.
Three brothers from St. Louis comprise the band--lead Lilian Berlin, drummer Bosh and bassist Eve, with Cory Becker on guitar. You might recognize the catchy chorus form the first single from their debut album, "Bom Bom Bom," which was featured in an Apple commercial. The singles released so far from Habeus Corpus, "Let It Rain" and "Oxygen," are more melodic and poppy, but the group shines on grittier tracks like "Brass Knuckles" and "Cost of Living" which are more representative of the album as a whole.
Living Things are slated to play Lollapalooza in August, but you can see them at Bottom Lounge (1375 W. Lake St.) on Monday, June 15 as part of the Nylon Summer Music Tour. They will open for Patrick Wolf, along with Plasticines and Jaguar Love. The show starts at 7pm. Tickets are $ 15. 18 and up.
— Michelle Meywes / Comments (0)
Album Tue Jun 09 2009
Hot Streaming Tortoise
Tortoise's latest album, Beacons of Ancestorship, isn't out until June 22, but it's streaming on the band's website right now.
You can preorder Beacons of Ancestorship as either a CD or 180g vinyl LP with mp3 download directly from Thrill Jockey, or on Amazon
— Andrew Huff / Comments (2)
Artist Tue Jun 09 2009
Not Too Insecure to Win
As if Stubhy Pandav hadn't found enough success as the lead of Lucky Boys Confusion and Shock Stars, he's created another band by the name of The Insecurities who debuted to a sold out crowd at Elbo Room last June. What started as "an outlet for my songs that I loved but, for one reason or another, never made the cut in previous projects," Pandav says, can now boast that they will be opening for 311 and Ziggy Marley as the winners of an online Q101 contest.
With a familiar Stubhy power-sound, The Insecurities are piano-infused rock taking influences from Ryan Adams, The Counting Crows and Bright Eyes. They have an EP out now called Ban The Kiss Hello: A Social Commentary, and are currently writing songs a full-length album due out in August.
The annual Q101 Block Party will be held at Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island on Sunday, June 14. The show starts at 7pm and tickets are $37.
— Michelle Meywes / Comments (1)
Artist Mon Jun 08 2009
"The Wikipedia Files" with St. Vincent
WBEZ's Justin Kauffman interviews multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter Annie Clark -- aka St. Vincent -- to clear up some of the details on her Wikipedia entry.
St. Vincent will be performing a free concert tonight in Millennium Park in the Pritzker Pavilion, with Allá opening. The show starts at 6:30pm.
— Andrew Huff / Comments (0)
Album Fri May 29 2009
Devine is Divine on Brother's Blood
I'll be honest, most of the time I find solo singer/songwriters kind of boring. But, then I heard Kevin Devine. Devine is an artist that can cross many different genres and put his stamp on each one. His new LP, Brother's Blood, is in a word, outstanding. He excels with energetic indie-rock jams like "I Could Be With Anyone" and several tracks -- including "All Of Everything, Erased" and "It's Only Your Life" -- that sound like they could have been on the Garden State soundtrack. He also has a talent for creating powerful swelling songs like "Carnival" and title track, "Brother's Blood."
In listening to the album, I found myself associating him with artists from Ben Gibbard to Ryan Adams to Albert Hammond Jr. to Sam Beam to Jeff Tweedy, but even those comparisons don't capture his wide range. There is "Fever Moon" -- a sexy Latin croon that you wouldn't expect, but it works. Then there is the deceivingly cheery ukulele tune "Murphy's Song" about a pup with a Marley & Me ending. The album hits its peak at the middle with epic desperation in the nearly eight-minute "Brother's Blood" followed by the steamy "Fever Moon."
Devine has worked and toured largely under the radar and was almost lost after his dismissal from Capital Records during their merger with Virgin, but he came out unscathed, and frankly, better off than he went in. This fifth album, released on the Favorite Gentleman label, is a self proclaimed "sprawling, confident mission statement about conscience, culture, and personality."
Kevin Devine and his Goddamn Band play tonight at Schubas, but if you miss him tonight, he'll be back in August as part of Lollapalooza's line-up. Tonight they will be joined by Miniature Tigers and Brian Bonz & the Dot Hongs. Schubas is located at 3159 N. Southport. Show starts at 9pm. Tickets are $11 ($13 at the door). 18 & up.
(Photo by Andreas Hornoff)
— Michelle Meywes / Comments (0)
Album Fri May 15 2009
Top Sellers: DEADWAX Records
This week's list comes from Wilbur Sutphin, owner of DEADWAX Records over at 3819 N. Lincoln Ave. There's no website for the store, but we can link to this excellent Newcity article on all the indie record stores in Chicago, where the writers say this about DEADWAX: "Owner Wilbur Sutphin offers the quintessential music collection at Deadwax and keeps it in immaculate order. It's like going through your friend's cool dad's music collection that he would never let you touch, but here you finally can." The locals are bolded.
Bill Callahan, Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle (Drag City)
Serge Gainsbourg, Historie de Melody Nelson (Light in The Attic)
Flipper, Gone Fishin (4 Men with Beards)
Rats, Intermittent Signals (Mississippi Records)
The Wipers, Over the Edge (Jackpot Records)
Boscoe, Kingdom of Chad (Asterisk)
Tim Hecker, An Imaginary Country (Kranky)
Andrew Bird, Mysterious Production of Eggs (Grimsey Records)
Handsome Family, Honey Moon (Carrot Top)
Nothing People, Late Night (S.S. Records)
— Sheila Burt / Comments (0)
Video Tue May 12 2009
New Video for Rhymefest's "Chicago"
Konee Rok directs the video for Rhymefest's single "Chicago" off the upcoming album, El Che. See if you can count how many superheroes and villains our Che Smith turns into.
— Andrew Huff / Comments (0)
Album Sat May 09 2009
Top Sellers: Vintage Vinyl in Evanston
This week's list comes from Steven Kay over at Vintage Vinyl Records at 925 Davis Street in Evanston. This list, Kay says, is "the music that is making our clientele happy at this moment" and is "in order of them spilling from my brain."
nick nicely, Psychotropia (LP and CD)
The Dukes of Stratosphear, 25 O'Clock (Expanded CD)
Smoke, My Friend Jack (LP and CD)
Magic Mixture, This is the Magic Mixture (LP and CD)
Bat for Lashes, Two Suns (LP and CD)
Halloween, Alaska, Champagne Downtown (LP and CD)
Tommy James and the Shondells, Crystal Blue Symphonies: The Psychedelic Years (CD)
Coloured Balls, Ball Power (CD)
Kevin Ayers, What More Can I Say (CD)
Jeff Beck, Shapes Of Things: '60's Groups and Sessions (CD)
— Sheila Burt / Comments (0)
Artist Tue May 05 2009
Tortoise: New Tracks, Upcoming Album Preview
As we head toward summer, local post-rock pioneers Tortoise are preparing to ramp-up their activity. The band's got a new full-length CD on the way and they're also scheduled to play an all-request set on the opening night of the Pitchfork Music Festival. Over at his music blog Pampelmoose, Gang of Four bassist Dave Allen offers a preview for the new album -- two tracks from the band's upcoming album Beacons Of Ancestorship, which is set to arrive via Thrill Jockey on June 23.
The two preview tracks also recently popped up on the the band's Myspace page. Allen, however, throws in a special bonus -- Tortoise's previously unreleased remix of Gang of Four's "Paralyzed" that wasn't included on the U.K. edition of Return The Gift, the Gang's double-disc live/remix collection from a few years ago.
You can check all three of 'em out here.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
mp3 Mon May 04 2009
Who's Got Good Bait?
Now that the weather is finally starting to shift to the warmer side of t'ings, the trees starting to bud and the idea of summer starting to seem like more like a reality, that means mixtape season is upon us. With that in mind, The Cool Kids have fired the opening salvo today with the release of their new 18-track, downloadable mix-CD Gone Fishing. The mix also arrives as a something of a run-up to their debut full-length, When Fish Ride Bicycles, which is (reputedly) due to drop at some unspecified date in the coming months. You can download Gone Fishing for free from the Kids' website.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Album Fri May 01 2009
Top Sellers: Hyde Park Records
This week's list comes from Joe Wroblewski, manager of Hyde Park Records, 1377 E. 53rd St. On top of listing these sellers, Wroblewski also mentioned that, unfortunately, Neil Young's new one "has not sold at all."
Bob Dylan, Together Through Life (Columbia)
K'jon, Ballroom Xplosion (Up&Up Records)
Jadakiss, The Last Kiss (Ruff Ryders/ Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam)
Bonnie Prince Billy, Beware (Drag City)
Depeche Mode, Sounds of the Universe (Mute/EMI)
— Sheila Burt / Comments (1)
Album Thu Apr 23 2009
Top Sellers: Permanent Records
This week's list of unofficial top sellers comes from Lance Barresi, owner of Permanent Records, 1914 W. Chicago Ave. Per the usual, Chicago artists are bolded.
Wavves, Wavvves
Kurt Vile, Constant Hitmaker
Lazer Crystal, EP 1
Flipper, Generic
V/A, World's Lousy With Ideas Vol. 8
Wooden Shjips, Dos
Psychedelic Horseshit, Golden Oldies
Sneakers, Children Into People EP
Serge Gainsbourg, Histoire De Melody Nelson
Monks, Black Monk Time
— Sheila Burt / Comments (4)
Artist Fri Apr 03 2009
They Started Something...
Every time I see pop duo The Ting Tings (Katie White and Jules De Martino), all I can think is that Katie is basically what every little girl wanted to be when they "grew up" after watching Jem and the Holograms. She bounces all over the stage with her fluffy blonde hair, Technicolor outfits (clothes which she designs herself) and sugary voice chanting cheerleader-style or serenading a sweet little melody.
— Michelle Meywes / Comments (0)
Artist Wed Apr 01 2009
Ingebrigt Haaker Flaten Returns to Chicago
Free jazz can be a little hard to get into if you didn't get your degree in music composition, but you probably don't realize that it influences a lot of the indie and rock music you listen to. You also may not have known that The Hideout hosts an improvised music night once a week. The Immediate Sound series, a part of Umbrella Music, (read about their annual festival here) takes place there every Wednesday.
Norwegian bassist Ingebrigt Haaker Flaten lived in Chicago for two years from '06 to '08 and in that time formed friendships and bands with some of the city's most renowned improvised jazz musicians. He has returned from his home in Oslo to play five shows in as many days, beginning tonight at The Hideout with trombonist Jeb Bishop, trumpeter Jacob Wick and Frank Rosaly on drums. Peter Margasak over at The Reader has written a nice piece about Haaker Flaten where you can read more about his collaborations and recent album releases.
Info on Haaker Flaten's other gigs this weekend after the jump.
— Michelle Meywes / Comments (2)
mp3 Tue Mar 31 2009
Hoodtronics 2009
photo by Clayton Hauck
Here's a couple of recent tracks flipped to us by hometown leftfield hip-hop artist Vyle, who's back in town after a stint at SXSW. This past year saw the beneath-the-radar releases of his Flosstradamus-produced Oh I Think Dey Like Hoodtronics, Vol. 2 mixtape and the Neonstrider Bit Rate collab with Eliot Lipp.
According to a recent post on his blog, Vyle's resuming work on his next album (which wouldmake for his first solo full-length release since 2003's Post-Paleaeonlogist). In the meantime, he guests on a track from the new EP by French bloghouse producer Dangers on the Ekleroshock label.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Album Sat Mar 28 2009
Top sellers: Reckless Records in the Loop
Transmission checked in with Jeff Johns from Reckless Records in the Loop at 26 E. Madison St. to find out what the top sellers were this week. The list isn't scientific but is based on what records managers have noticed are selling a lot. We're hoping to make this a regular feature by checking in with indie record stores across the Chicagoland. For our first segment, here's Jeff's list, which he titled "Reckless Records' (un)lucky top 13 sellers in alphabetical order." Chicago-based artists are bolded.
-Animal Collective, "Merriweather Post Pavillion" (Domino)
-Azita, "How Will You?" (Drag City)
-Bonnie Prince Billy, "Beware" (Drag City)
-Neko Case, "Middle Cyclone" (Anti)
-Death, "For The Whole World To See" (Drag City)
-Duress, 2009 demo cassette (Self)
-Harms Way, "Reality Approaches" LP (Organized Crime)
-Abner Jay, "The Story Of Abner Jay" LP (Mississippi)
-Lotus Plaza, "Floodlight Collective" (Kranky)
-Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, "s/t" (Slumberland)
-Wolves In The Throne Room, "Malevolent Grain" 12" (Southern Lord)
-Yearling, "No More White Horses" 12" (Bronx Cheer)
-Various Artists, "Dark Was The Night" (4ad)
— Sheila Burt / Comments (2)
sxsw09 Thu Mar 19 2009
The Hood Internet, Live at SXSW 2009
The Hood Internet will be live-blogging (well, live-tweeting mostly) their 2009 SXSW experience for us all weekend long, starting tonight. DJ STV SLV and ABX aren't on the official list this year, but they've got four gigs lined up anyway. Follow along as they broadcast their antics from down in Austin. Oh, and if you're in Austin and want to give a shout out, or you're in Chicago and just want to add your $.02 to the live-tweeting, just mark your entry #gbsxsw.
Here's the Hood Internet's schedule as it stands now, but you know they'll be playing more shows on the fly as well!
Thursday, March 19 — at Canvas (105 E. 5th St.) for The Lose Control Party, 10pm.
Friday, March 20 — at Hi-Lo (301 W. 6th St) w/ ninjasonik, death set, and more for THE FMLY AUSTIN BLOWOUT, on and off from 9pm on.
Saturday, March 21 — Red-Eyed Fly (715 Red River St.) w/ Chairlift, Titus Andronicus, Loney Dear and more for the COFFEE NO PANTS party -- hosted by Eugene Mirman 3-6pm then
Saturday night — at The Lodge (411 E. 6th St.) w/ Bald Eagle, Kid Color, Black Holes and Vyle for the IT'S CHICAGO party — they're on at 1am.
— Andrew Huff / Comments (0)
Artist Wed Mar 18 2009
Back In The OFFICE
Worried you were never going to get to see OFFICE perform any of their new stand-out album, Mecca, live? Or that their catchy pop tunes were going to be sadly missed at all the street festivals since they had reportedly split up? Well, if Scott Masson was taking a break from the scene, it wasn't for long, because the band has listed some local performances coming up on their MySpace page including Rib Fest and a benefit at Double Door (benefiting Inspiration Corporation). There is also a new lineup listed--Scott, Erika, and Justin are still there, but there's a whole slew of newbies added. The crew is "well into the recording of a new album" after signing a two-album deal with Quack!Media.
Visit the band's MySpace page for dates and to download Mecca for free!
— Michelle Meywes / Comments (0)
Concert Fri Mar 06 2009
Chicago International Movie and Music Festival After Party Saturday at Double Door
Two recent topics of posting in Transmission collide this weekend at the Double Door for the after party of the Chicago International Movies and Music Festival. We first mentioned the festival last week in a spotlight feature piece of some of the screenings to check out. We also recently reviewed the stellar new album from Bloodshot Records own Dex Romweber Duo. You're in luck this Saturday as Romweber and a slew of talented acts take the stage to celebrate the inaugural CIMM festival.
One of the bands to make sure you check out on the bill is fellow Carolinians (the homeland of Dex Romweber Duo) The Old Ceremony. Their new album, Walk On Thin Air, has a sultry soulful vibe yet still rocks the house with their jangly piano driven southern tinged rock 'n' roll. The bands played with the likes of CAKE, Chuck Berry, and The Avett Brothers, so combine those sounds and you've got a good idea of what The Old Ceremony sounds like. Which if you weren't paying attention, they sound like a good time. Expect a rollicking good night from start to finish Saturday.
The CIMMF after party is Saturday night at Double Door, located at the intersection of Milwaukee, Damen, and North. The show starts at 9pm, and is $12 or $9 if you show your CIMMF badge (even more the reason to go check out a screening our two).
— Lisa White / Comments (0)
DJ / Dance Thu Mar 05 2009
The Heaven Seventies' Remixes Vol.2 available for free download
Chicago-based electroni-rock-pop outfit The Heaven Seventies have released a second volume of remixes of their tracks available as a free download on their site. Remixers include Slava of the local MomentSound collective and DJ/producer/promoter Quantazelle (er, me).
— Liz McLean Knight / Comments (0)
Video Tue Mar 03 2009
Bird & Band
Andrew Bird gets a little help from Mucca Pazza in this new video for "Fitz and the Dizzy Spells," recorded live at the Hideout Dec. 14 and 15, presumably either before or after his recent two-night stand there.
Andrew Bird with Mucca Pazza - "Fitz & The Dizzyspells"
— Andrew Huff / Comments (2)
Album Fri Feb 27 2009
Neko Case Is All Over The Place
In addition to having AWESOME album art, Neko Case's latest album Middle Cyclone is also an awesome piece of work. A collection of love songs (which she swore to herself that she would never write again...) Middle Cyclone is a beautiful follow up to Fox Confessor Brings The Flood.
The first time I heard a Neko Case song (it was "Star Witness" for good measure) I was completely struck by her entrancing voice and Fox Confessor became one of my favorite albums. Sometimes I wonder if an artist can match themselves after putting out such a great album, but I would say she's one-upped herself with this one. Middle Cyclone is typical Neko in all the right ways, yet new and different in all the right ways. The opening track "This Tornado Loves You" is an energizing, powerful entry into the album, while "People Got a Lotta Nerve" is the catchiest tune that will most likely get the most airplay.
The Sound Opinions boys talk with Neko about the new album in this week's episode available today via podcast and airing on Chicago Public Radio tonight at 8pm (and again tomorrow at 11am). She's joined by guitarist Paul Rigby and backing vocalist Kelly Hogan for a couple of live songs, too.
Middle Cyclone doesn't come out 'til next Tuesday, but until then, NPR is streaming the album in its entirety as part of their Exclusive First Listen series. Also, if you pre-order on iTunes, there are a couple of bonus live tracks recorded at her old stomping ground, The Hideout.
In case this wasn't enough NekoNews for you, she is also embarking on a tour this spring, and makes her stop in Chicago April 24th at Chicago Theatre. Tickets are $30 but are also available at the Chicago Theater box office with no service fees (take that Ticketmaster).
(Photo by Jason Creps)
— Michelle Meywes / Comments (0)
Artist Mon Feb 23 2009
Tinted Windows Update
Last week we reported the formation of an unusual new 'supergroup' featuring James Iha, Adam Schlesinger, Taylor Hanson and Bun E. Carlos by the name of Tinted Windows. Since then, the band has launched a website, MySpace, and Twitter, and announced that their self-titled debut will be released on April 21st via S-Curve Records. The band is scheduled to make an appearance on Letterman April 20th, and will be touring in select clubs around the country starting in the spring. I'm still not quite certain that this is meant as a serious musical endeavor, although I will admit that it's great to finally see James Iha behind a guitar again.
Check out their "Rock After Dark" promo and let me know what you think. Performance art? The next big thing?
An MP3 of the track "Kind of a Girl" is available to download now via Rolling Stone. It's catchy as hell, I'll give them that.
— Stephanie Griffin / Comments (3)
Artist Thu Feb 19 2009
Wilco To Debut New Film In Chicago
Today must be my lucky day, being able to post two Wilco stories in the same day. Last week, the band debuted the trailer for their new tour documentary, Ashes of American Flags, and now we have a Chicago release date for the movie.
Ashes of American Flags will debut at the Chicago International Movies and Music Festival next month. Monday, March 9 at the famous Music Box Theater. Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. and tickets are only $10 on the CIMM website. [Update: Wilco film event ticketing on CIMM site coming soon, we're told. Ticketing is now live.] The director of the film, Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty, will be on hand for a Q&A session following the show, too. Not too shabby, not too shabby at all.
— Gavin Robinson / Comments (5)
Artist Thu Feb 19 2009
Wilco Announces Tour, Doesn't Mention Chicago
If I remember correctly, Wilco didn't play the Chicago show on the Neil Young tour because they felt that we'd simply seen enough of the band lately. Let's see if I can dig up that quote....ah yes, here's Wilco publicist Deb Bernadini talking to the Sun-Times, "They just felt it was time for a break." It seems that break isn't over yet, either. Wilco announced their Spring 2009 tour and we've been left out in the cold again. Sure, you can head out to Milwaukee or Athens, OH but there won't be any Chicago on this leg. Their site also has a group of festival dates in the summer announced and it's worth mentioning that August 7-9 (the dates of this year's Lollapalooza) are still open.
— Gavin Robinson / Comments (0)
Artist Wed Feb 18 2009
Bizarre New Supergroup
Photo via jamesiha.org
Billboard.com is reporting Rockford native and Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos, Elk Grove native and former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, Fountains of Wayne bassist Adam Schlesinger and Hanson's Taylor Hanson have formed a new supergroup by the name of Tinted Windows. The group has reportedly finished recording their debut album, due out in the spring, and will be playing Billboard's showcase at SXSW as well as the Bamboozle festival in New Jersey.
Iha and Schlesinger founded Chicago's Scratchie Records and are long-time friends, and The Smashing Pumpkins have always had a tight relationship with Cheap Trick, but the addition of Taylor Hanson seems a bit out of left field. Here's to hoping they'll play a show in Chicago - should be interesting to say the least.
— Stephanie Griffin / Comments (5)
Album Tue Feb 17 2009
Kicking Against the Pricks with Kaspar Hauser
Some month ago, our GB editors allowed a pair of aspiring contributors to participate in a CD-review session for our Transmission page on a trial basis. The experiment was -- in our opinions -- not entirely successful and barely suitable for print. But in recent weeks, one of the involved parties came knocking on our door again, petitioning to join the Transmission team as a contributor with the claim that he'd "redeemed" himself. Being gracious sorts, we decided to give him another chance; this time putting the prospective reviewer (PR) under the supervision of one of our Transmission staff members (TS). What follows is a transcript of the resulting listening-party session.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PR: ...And so that's why they call it a "whoop tube."
TS: Fascinating. At any rate, we've got to get to the matter at hand. We're supposed to review this new CD by a local artist. It's called The Sons, by the local artist Kaspar Hauser.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Random Thu Feb 12 2009
Chicago Bands on Twitter
We're putting together a list of Chicago bands on Twitter, as a companion to this list of 406 international acts who use it. We most likely missed one or two; add more in the comments, or by DMing us on Twitter.
Andrew Bird
Animate Objects
Big Sky Stringband
Chicago Opera Theater
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Common
Cotlife
DJ Heather
Eighth Blackbird
Flosstradamus
The Fold
The Frantic
Helicopters
Hood Internet
Kid Sister
Lost Cartographers
Loyal Divide
Morris Mills
Post Honeymoon
The Right Now
Snows Era
The Sweeps
Treaty of Paris
Volcano!
— Andrew Huff / Comments (7)
Album Wed Feb 11 2009
Dan Auerbach Keeps It Real
You may know Dan Auerbach better as the front half of rock power duo The Black Keys, but yesterday Auerbach released his first solo album, Keep It Hid on Nonesuch Records. Self-produced and recorded with a full backing band, Keep It Hid is dripping with the gritty guitar and vocals The Black Keys are known for, especially on tracks like "I Want Some More" and "The Prowl." Yet, the bluegrass twang and weary blues that peeked out on The Keys' Attack & Release take on a life of their own in his solo work. "Trouble Weighs A Ton" and "Whispered Words" are notably turned down and different. There is heavy desperation in "Real Desire" and "When the Night Comes," while "Mean Monsoon" has a heavy 60's psychedelia influence. Lyrically and in mood, the album is has an overall dark tone making it a haunting, yet appealing piece of work.
Auerbach, a self-confessed workaholic "obsessed with making music" recorded songs for Keep It Hid between tours at his home studio in Akron, Ohio. Auerbach's obsession is a family affair, too. His uncle James Quine, who taught him how to sing and play guitar, also plays guitar on the album. Auerbach's dad, besides encouraging his musical aspirations at a young age, also contributed to Hid by writing "Whispered Words."
Dan Auerbach's solo tour begins in DC on Feb 28th, and makes its stop in Chicago March 6th at Metro with special guests Hacienda and Those Darlins. Tickets are on sale now at Metro's website for $20. Show starts at 9pm. 18 & over. 3630 N. Clark St.
You can stream Keep It Hid in its entirety on Nonesuch Radio and Auerbach's MySpace page.
— Michelle Meywes / Comments (0)
Concert Tue Feb 10 2009
D. Rider: Foxhole Prayers & Maternal Hexations
The presskit that accompanies Mother of Curses, the debut album by Todd Rittmann's new outfit D. Rider, goes out of its way to emphasize that this is not an art-rock record, but rather a record that rocks. Considering that D. Rider is the latest musical outfit headed by Todd Rittman -- former guitarist for the '90s avant-rockers U.S. Maple, and more recently involved in the bands Singer and Cheer-Accident -- the distinction might be warranted. Because let's face it, if what you're wanting is something linear and un-ironic in the way of a conventional rock "song," then Rittmann's probably the last guy in town who's gonna give it to you.
But D. Rider does indeed rock. Joining Rittmann in the band are Andrea Faught on keyboards and cornet, Mucca Pazza saxophonist Noah Tabakin, and Theo Katsounis (lately of A Tundra) stepping in to take the drummer's seat. And Mother Of Curses finds Rittmann checking much of his affinity for musical abstraction and disjointedness at the door. Over the course of eight tracks, he and his associates doling out a batch of tunes spooled on skulking basslines, some fractured Crazy Horse riffage, and heavy rhythms that lurch and lunge against the moorings. Musically, it's very reminiscent of a certain breed of indie rock animal that used to stalk the expanse of the Midwestern plains back in the early-'90s (specifically that pig-poking subgenus that once made up the bulk of the Touch & Go roster). On the vocals, Rittmann's often in trademark form -- sometimes singing as if he had developed an entire book of style from the fragmented, schizoid narrative that Bowie laid down on "Breaking Glass," at others yammering about who-knows-what like David Yow on an amyl nitrate bender.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Concert Tue Feb 03 2009
Tweedy Adds More Solo Dates
Andrew already clued you in to Jeff Tweedy's upcoming shows at the Vic to raise money for Emanuel Congregation in Edgewater, Near North Montessori, and Kawasaki disease that are coming up on February 13 and 14. What he didn't know at the time (none of us did, really) was that these won't be the only shows that Tweedy is going to be doing for a good cause.
The Wilco frontman will be hitting the Northeast with shows March 26 in Burlington, VT, March 27 in Northampton, MA, and March 28 in Beacon, NY. Remember, this is a charity show so tickets probably won't be cheap once they go on sale. You can pick them up here. Here's hoping that there are people reading this outside of Chicago that can make use of that info.
— Gavin Robinson / Comments (0)
Album Tue Feb 03 2009
Review: Dex Romweber Duo - Ruins of Berlin
Dex Romweber's new album, Ruins of Berlin, fills a niche that I never knew needed filling in my musical library. Somewhere in between the old Billie Holliday records and the much more recent Squirrel Nut Zippers records lies the Dex Romweber Duo. There's good reason for them to sound like the Squirrel Nut Zippers, too. John Plymale (also of Corrosion of Conformity & Meat Puppits) produced the album.
The album features stellar appearances from Cat Power, Neko Case, Exene Cervenka, and Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids. Miller makes a staggering first impression along with Dex (and his sister, Sara Romweber on the drums) right out of the gate. The first track on the album, "Lookout," is nothing less than explosive. It's a guitar duet that will make you need to listen to the rest of the album. Let's embed it, shall we.
[audio]: Dex Romweber Duo - Lookout"
— Gavin Robinson / Comments (2)
Concert Mon Feb 02 2009
Peachcake Bring Sunshine and Happiness to SubT
The album art for their latest album, What Year Will You Have the World? looks more like and ad for a children's television program with its bright colors and cartoon images, but it's fitting upon listening to the happiness inside. Peachcake reminds me a lot of the first time I heard Aqueduct back in 2003, with an electronic sound reminiscent of fantasy video games of the 80's. But, their fun, playful music takes on a whole new meaning when you consider what the band has been through in the last few years.
When the band was flying high selling out shows and getting press, they were confronted with a number of obstacles including the death of singer Stefan Pruett's brother (and Peachcake keyboardist) Alex in September 2007. At this point, John O'Keefe (DJ JohnO) and Stefan (aka Space Panda) decided to press on and use their experiences as fuel. Their mission became to spread positivity and hope and make the world a safer, better, happier place through music and art. They bought themselves out of their record contract so they could self-release What Year Will You Have the World?, and then implemented a series of community events, youth outreach programs, and teen hotlines.
Tonight Peachcake bring their lively stage show to Subterranean with A Lull and The Wiitala Brothers opening. The show is all ages and starts at 7pm. Tickets are $10. 2011 North Ave. 773-278-6600.
MP3: "Stop acting like you know more about the Internet Café than me."
— Michelle Meywes / Comments (0)
mp3 Thu Jan 29 2009
Four Fictions for Free
Here's another batch of free tunes from a local artist, this time courtesy of our friends The Fake Fictions. The band has just posted their latest EP to their website. Entitled Laugh Tracks EP, it's a package of four new songs that the band is offering as a free digital download. You can get a taste below, or head straight over to the mp3 page at the band's website and grab it for yourself.
We also hear from the band that they'll be playing a show at the Whistler on Thursday, March 5; where they'll be sharing a bill with Coltrane Motion (about whom, see Monday's post below).
[audio]: The Fake Fictions - "Snappy Answers To Stupid Questions"
Related: GB Transmission interview with The Fake Fictions (April, 2008).
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
News Tue Jan 27 2009
R.I.P. Charlie Cooper of Telefon Tel Aviv
News has been circulating today concerning the death of Charles Cooper, member of the Chicago-based electronic music outfit Telefon Tel Aviv. Cooper's body was found yesterday, with the date of his death reported as having occurred on Thursday, January 22. As of this morning, the cause of death has yet to be officially declared, pending an autopsy.
The duo of Charles Cooper and Joshua Eustis first began working together as Telefon Tel Aviv in New Orleans during the late 1990s. They released their debut album, Fahrenheit Fair Enough, via Chicago's Hefty Records in 2001 -- an album of lush, jazz-tinged downtempo electronica that caught the attention of listeners and fit perfectly alongside the work of such contemporaries as Prefuse 73 and DJ Shadow. They relocated to the Windy City later that same year, and a second album followed in 2004. Having earned an international fan base, the duo recently signed to Ellen Allien's Berlin-based BPitch Control, and released their third LP exactly one week ago today.
On the eve of the release of TTV's new album, music critic Miles Raymer just recently profiled the band in the January 15 edition of the Chicago Reader; and today he writes about Cooper's passing on the publication's "Crickets" blog.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Concert Mon Jan 26 2009
Coltrane Motion Takes It Up with The Boss
In recent days, the local duo Coltrane Motion leaked a pair of free new tunes via their own website. More specifically, they leaked a pair of cover versions by which band members Michael Bond and Matt Dennewitz offer their own reworkings of the Bruce Springsteen songs "I'm On Fire" and "I'm Going Down."
Those familiar with CoMotion's fuzzed-out electronic psych-pop might find the choice of cover material a little surprising. As the band explains on their website:
"After hearing Bruce's cover of a Suicide song ('Dream Baby Dream'), Michael attempted to invert the formula, drowning two of his favorite Springsteen songs in the droning keyboards and mechanical beats that Messrs. Vega and Rev pioneered. But the result doesn't sound much like Suicide or Springsteen..."
As it so happens, the arrival of these tracks coincides with (1) the release of The Boss' new album, which hits in stores on Tuesday; and (2) Coltrane Motion's performance this Friday evening at Reggie's Music Joint in the south Loop.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Concert Mon Jan 26 2009
Andrew Bird Adds Another Date At Civic Opera House
You may remember when I complained that Mr. Bird wasn't showing much hometown love, so consider me speechless after two surprise Hideout shows and then a tour date announced for Chicago's Civic Opera House (which sold out in 2 and a half hours). Now a second show has been added at the Opera House for April 9th. Pre-sale tickets go on sale today at 11am. Once those are gone, they will be available online starting January 31st, or at the Civic Opera House Box office on January 30th.
Andrew's latest album, Noble Beast, is now available on Fat Possum Records.
— Michelle Meywes / Comments (1)
Concert Sat Jan 24 2009
The Beat Kings
Hailing from Queens, The Beatnuts originally got introduced to the music industry by Afrika Bambaata in the early 90s. The duo, composed of JuJu and Psycho Les, immediately garnered attention as producers. Working with such artists as Common, Fat Joe, and MC Lyte, it was only a matter of time until JuJu and Psycho Les decided to try their hand at rapping. 16 years and several albums later, The Beatnuts have cemented their reputation as hip-hop royalty and don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Considering the genre has seen super popular acts like Ja Rule, DMX, and Ma$e fade away, it's pretty impressive The Beatnuts have been at it this long.
This Sunday, Scion is sponsoring a free Beatnuts show at Metro. Doors open at 9pm and attendance is not guaranteed, so don't be late. Also, remember to RSVP on the Scion website. 21+
— Raf Miastkowski / Comments (0)
Artist Thu Jan 22 2009
An interview with The Jakes
It's a hard life being an up and coming band. Endless shows, lots of time making new fans on the internet, and much hard work to prove yourself. Thankfully there are some good people out there to help you make the right connections and hook up with other acts that will garner you exposure in this day and age. Indie rockers The Jakes took this last suggestion to heart, entering a contest on Sonicbids to open for Kings of Leon at their Chicago House of Blues benefit show this upcoming weekend (which Gapers Block will be spotlighting later today). They'll be flying out from sunny California this weekend to open the sold out show Saturday night, but before they head to the Midwest we spoke to lead singer Sameer Gadhia about their trek to our fair city, what the band is listening to these days, and winning their pretty swank weekend gig.
— Lisa White / Comments (2)
Artist Thu Jan 15 2009
Still going and going and...
After a very successful 2008, The Hood Internet are continuing to churn out impressive remixes. It seems like these guys just aren't slowing down anytime soon. Recently, they have been basking in end-of-year accolades and debuting tracks on Q101's weekly "local 101" show. Here are two to hold you over for now:
[mp3]: The Hood Internet - Bot Control (Yea Big+Kid Static vs Hey Champ) [mp3]: The Prarie Cartel - Crackdown (Hood Internet remix feat. Qualo) Mark off January 29th on your calendars, because the duo will be ripping it up at Sonotheque (1444 W. Chicago Ave.) with the Hey Champ DJs. The show kicks off at 9pm and costs $5 in advance and $8 at the door. 21+ — Raf Miastkowski / Comments (0)
Artist Tue Jan 13 2009
Company of Thieves are the free download on iTunes this week
Chicago indie rock darlings Company of Thieves are getting along very nicely these days. They are getting ready to head out on a cross country tour with the band Thriving Ivory, and have re-released their stellar album Ordinary Riches with new artwork, packaging, and added unreleased tracks.
The cherry on top is the fact that Company of Thieves is one of the free discovery downloads this week on the iTunes store. Which means if you haven't had the time to check out this Chicago act, you can head over to iTunes and download the song "Oscar Wilde" for free, and then pick up the full album for the special price of just $5.99.
— Lisa White / Comments (0)
Concert Wed Jan 07 2009
Lambchop Before or After Dinner on January 24th
Lambchop is a band that seems to, somehow, fly under everybody's radar until they're pointed out by somebody from Nashville. It's a shame, too, because the very large group has some extremely talented members and some incredibly wonderful music. Led by Kurt Wagner's often unexplainable lyrics, the band has a knack for finding their way into my musical rotation often. Being that they're from Nashville, your first thought might be to lump them in the country or folk music category, but their sound is ever-expanding and difficult to define. Their latest album, OH (ohio) is a whimsy tale that goes from interested, to unhappy, to excited, and back to interested. That doesn't make much sense, but if you'd like to see them and attempt to give a better description to their sound, may I invite you to see Lambchop at the Old Town School of Folk Music on January 24th at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $20 and still available.
— Gavin Robinson / Comments (0)
Video Tue Dec 16 2008
Booze and Bootlegs
Check out former Cash Money Records member Mikkey Halsted in this very cool Liquor Store video. Mikkey originally came up with Kanye and has even been called an inspiration by Lil Wayne. The song itself was inspired by a liquor store on 71st and Halsted, and Mikkey makes it pretty clear what he thinks of these establishments. The desertification of low-income neighborhoods has long been a problem in Chicago, leaving many communities with corner shops and fast food joints instead of grocery stores and restaurants. Even before the video came out, the song was already stirring up trouble. Many of these corner liquor stores sell mixtapes of local artists, and their owners had taken offense to Mikkey's criticism. For some time Mikkey, and anyone associated with him, were banned from selling their CDs at a number of stores on the south side. Controversy ensued, but it has mostly blown over by now. Anyways, enjoy the video.
— Raf Miastkowski / Comments (1)
Event Wed Dec 10 2008
Less Cowbell.
Chances are you're familiar with the work of local visual artist Cody Hudson by now; either by way of his silkscreened posters for various events and venues, his public art installations, or perhaps even his work as in-house designer (under the moniker Struggle Inc.) for the Chocolate Industries record label. Or you might know him -- along with Mike Genovese and Juan Angel Chávez -- as one of a core cluster of this city's most notable street artists.
This weekend, Hudson will be trotting out a new batch of work at a show that opens this Friday evening at the Andrew Rafacz Gallery in the West Loop. Entitled "Tambourine Solo: Take One," the exhibition will also feature musical accompaniment -- a musical score crafted by local musician Zachary Mastoon. In recent years Mastoon's released albums of shoegazey, downtempo tunes under the name Caural. The score for "Tambourine Solo," incidently, was originally done in collaboration with Hudson for a show that took place at New Image Art in L.A. this past August. So peep the work, hear the soundtrack, maybe even buy a print of something. 835 W. Washington, 5-8 PM. 312-404-9188 for info. The exhibition is scheduled to run until January 24.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Album Tue Dec 09 2008
Mash The Beat, Wob The Bass & Run T'ings Proper
South American soundbwoy: Cardopusher
Since relocating his base of operations from Boston to Chicago a couple of years ago, DJ C (aka Jake Trussell) has kept his MashIt label going; issuing a steady stream of digital tracks and mixtapes, serving up a lot of bouncement and nu-skool ragga-jungle rollers on top of frequently teaming up local dancehall artist MC Zulu. This week finds C using the label to spotlight some recent work by a pair of emerging artists on the international dubstep scene -- specifically a pair of Venzuelan DJ/producers by the names of Cardopusher and Pacheko.
Both hailing from the city of Caracas, Cardopusher and Pacheko have been dropping tracks via various labels over the past two years, and -- despite Cardopusher's recent move to Barcelona -- they often collaborate on rocking spots as cornerstone members of the Caracas-based Wob This! network of dubstep DJs.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Concert Fri Dec 05 2008
The Loneliest Monk Haunts and Enchants
If you're looking for something to do tonight, think about heading over to Bottom Lounge for a concert that's a little different than the usual rock show. He is a member of local indie rock band All Things Lucid and runs Kilo Records. She is a master cellist who has played with Phillip Glass, Kanye West, and even the Foo Fighters in their 2008 Grammy Awards performance. Together, Miles Benjamin and Michelle Morales form the experimental duo The Loneliest Monk. Their cool, ambient music is a nice departure from the standard 4-piece rock or jazz group. It's little bit rock, a little bit classical, a little jazz infused, and all intriguing. They open up for The Loyal Divide (Album Release). Shapes And Sounds and Gaberdine also open. Show begins at 8pm. 1375 W. Lake. 21 & up. Tickets are $6.
*The Loneliest Monk will be handing out "Magic Buttons" at the show that you can bring to the Empty Bottle on December 21st (their first headlining show) for a handmade Loneliest Monk Christmas gift. The buttons were designed by Aaron Albarran, and will reveal their new logo.
— Michelle Meywes / Comments (0)
Concert Wed Dec 03 2008
ohGr @ the Double Door, 11-30-08
Sunday night, I headed out to the Double Door for a good dose of metal, and I got what I had hoped for. It was a unique night, though, beginning with a cab driven by the one and only Ray St. Ray, the Singing Cab Driver. Knowing that I was going to a concert for an artist whose work I am only marginally familiar with, I was a bit skeptical of the whole night. Of course, that seems to be how I look at every concert these days. Ray's songs got me in the mood, though. Honestly, if you're on your way to see ohGr, it's always best to start your night out with a cab driver who sings a large collection of songs that range in about "Love! Sex! Social Significance! Dreams!" (Or "Other!" as the case may be).
— Gavin Robinson / Comments (1)
Concert Mon Dec 01 2008
Nada Surf @ The Metro, 11-29-08
I always get a little nervous when going to an 18+ show at the Metro. You simply never know what you're getting yourself into. Such was the case Saturday night when I ventured out to see Nada Surf. I had concers about what I would find what I would find inside, as I honestly had no clue what kind of audience even goes to a Nada Surf concert. All I know about this band is their new album and the fact that I used to sing "Popular" all throughout high school. Would the rest of the audience be my age or would they all be 18 and 19?
— Gavin Robinson / Comments (2)
Artist Sun Nov 30 2008
FINISH HIM! Local DJ and Producer Hernan Sanchez voices key Mortal Kombat phrases
Interestingly enough, his hidden celebrity has brought him admiration from his own heros in the world of electronic music. Hernan says, I meet people on the dancefloor throughout the world; they'll introduce me as the "Mortal Kombat voice guy" and you can see their eyes get as big as plates. These are people that I respect within the industry, that I'm a fan of, and they'll look back at me and say, "I'm am so glad to meet you!" Then the conversation eventually comes around to, "Hey can you please do 'Finish Him!'" or something like that, and it becomes an exchange of fandom from one world to another. Hernan performs locally under his own name and as Bastard with Brian Franzen.[via] — Liz McLean Knight / Comments (0)
Concert Sat Nov 29 2008
Let Loose and Dance With OBDBI
Occidental Brothers Dance Band International is just what their name suggests... a band that will make you want to get up and dance with their West African grooves. Even if you don't know how to dance the meringue, you'll pretend like you do. The different members have backgrounds in jazz, rock and African music, and they all bring something to the table.
This summer they performed at Pitchfork Music Festival and Chicago's Summerdance series. They also opened for Andrew Bird at his Pritzker performance in September. They have a lot more to come including free downloads you can get at the news section of their website. Catch them tonight at Schubas where friend W.W. Loman opens. 3159 N. Southport. 10:30pm. 21 & up. Tickets are $10.
— Michelle Meywes / Comments (0)
Artist Wed Nov 26 2008
Jesus Lizard Returns
Considering today's relatively paltry options in the rock music category, you may have been seriously in need of some really good (maybe old?) music. So much so that you may have even resorted to listening to old albums like, say, the Jesus Lizard's classic, Shot. Now, it's been announced that the classic band from Chicago is, in fact, being resurrected. For the first time since 1999, the original line-up of David Yow, Duane Denison, David Wm. Sims and Mac McNeilly will reunite for a handful of shows. They've announced that the tour will include Chicago at some point, but will begin in England at the All Tomorrow's Parties Fans Strike Back festival in May of next year. The dates and prices of any of the shows on the tour (including the festival) are still unannounced, but we'll keep you posted.
Not content to make things happen simply by performing live again, their record label, Touch and Go, will be remastering and re-issuing their albums; Head, Goat, Liar, and Down. Color me excited.
— Gavin Robinson / Comments (0)
Album Tue Nov 25 2008
Jay Bennett Releases Solo Album
Yesterday former Wilco member, Jay Bennett, released an acoustic solo album, Whatever Happened I Apologize. Having read the liner notes on the website first about a former relationship with a girl in school, I was already put in the mindset that it was going to be a diary of sorts. The raw, stripped down recording is appropriate as it really captures the rawness of young love. You can't help but think, though, that revisiting these emotions as a more experienced adult brings with it some regret and a realization of naivety. This theme is prevalent throughout the album but was especially evident on "I Don't Have the Time," where he basically says he's too busy to show his love for the girl.
All I previously knew of Bennett was what I saw in I am Trying to Break Your Heart, a documentary about the making of Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, where he quits/is fired from the band. While he is made out to be the bad guy in the documentary, it still shows that he can be a whiner, and this highly personal album affirms that. But, an album you'd want to have on repeat through a break-up, or while reminiscing about lost love, is the perfect mode for him to express himself.
You can download the album for free on rock proper.com, a Chicago based website that distributes album-length downloads for free (with legal consent of their creators, of course).
— Michelle Meywes / Comments (4)
Concert Fri Nov 21 2008
Kid Sister Gets Fresh
Female rappers have always received a lot of flak. Despite the effort of many artists to reform the hip hop scene, misogyny and aspersion still remain commonplace. Perhaps that's one of the reasons Chicago rapper Melisa Young is such a breath of fresh air. Instead of grumbling about beefs, she'd rather have everyone going wild on the dance floor. Known as Kid Sister, she blew up on the radar almost overnight after the release of her single "Pro Nails". Also featured in the single is Chicago's own Kanye West, whom you may have heard of. Since then, she's been busy popping up on magazine covers, getting interviewed, and working on Dream Date, her debut album.
Getting your fingernails done, telephones, and beepers--these are just some of the finer things in life that Kid Sister focuses her rhymes on. They help define Kid Sister as a carefree party starter rather than just another female rapper people compare to Missy Elliot. Fans love her upbeat personality, hip fashion sense, and catchy beats. To an extent, Kid Sister is a throwback to old school hip hop acts that focused on having fun as opposed to east coast-west coast rivalries. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince immediately come to mind.
— Raf Miastkowski / Comments (0)
Artist Wed Nov 19 2008
Andrew Bird Announces US Tour Dates
At his show at Pritzker in September, violin-playing-loverboy Andrew Bird told us that he had just finished recording a new album. Today he announced new dates for a US tour early next year, presumably in support of this new album, Noble Beast (out in January). One question though--how could he not play in hometown Chicago? And where the heck is Murray? (okay that was two questions...)
Tour dates after the jump.
— Michelle Meywes / Comments (2)
Album Wed Nov 19 2008
Golden Birthday - Infinite Leagues
I have to admit something. I've lived in Chicago for nearly three years now, and I still haven't listened to any local music. I usually arrive late to concerts when I know a local band is warming up. I would even go so far as to say that I have avoided the local scene here. That all changes now.
I've been listening to Golden Birthday's "Infinite Leagues" pretty steadily ever since Andrew handed it to me at our Meet-Up last week at Billy Goat Tavern. I knew absolutely nothing about the band when he handed it to me, and now (due to their major lack of web presence) still feel as if I know very little. But, the music. The music is simple, yet highly engaging. There is an honesty involved that many musicians try to stray away from that Golden Birthday gleefully embraces. Blending together drum loops and guitar hooks that aren't much more advanced than a high schooler with a 4-track, the music somehow finds a way to work. Synthesizers help. As do Ryan Sullivan's lyrics.
— Gavin Robinson / Comments (2)
Artist Tue Nov 18 2008
There is more to Glenn Kotche than Wilco
Glenn Kotche is the drummer for a little Chicago rock band you might have heard of called Wilco. What you may not know, is that Wilco is just one of Kotche's many projects.
Kotche joined Wilco in 2001, right before the band went rogue (sound-wise and label-wise) with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Its no surprise that Wilco took an innovative turn at that time, when you consider Kotche's background and other projects. He was in the experimental rock trio Loose Fur with Jeff Tweedy and Jim O'Rourke when Tweedy asked him to join Wilco. Currently, he makes up half of the jazz experimental duo On Fillmore with Darin Gray. He also recently collaborated with fellow local Andrew Bird for one of Bird's upcoming albums. And on top of all this, right now he is busy recording a new album with Wilco.
As if that wasn't enough to keep your plate full, Kotche has a burgeoning solo career of his own. In 2006 he released his third solo album, Moblie (Nonesuch Records). His creative exploration of rhythm and the space between is nothing you would expect and incredibly intriguing. It's also diverse, from the ambient title track "Mobile Parts 1 & 2" to the intense jam beats on "Projections of (what) Might."
Tonight he appears with indie classical group eighth blackbird at Harris Theater (205 E. Randolph Dr.), where they will perform works from Mobile, and Kotche himself will perform a solo set. What can you expect? Lots of unorthodox percussion instruments and a departure from rhythm you're used to hearing.
The concert starts at 7:30pm and tickets are $30.
— Michelle Meywes / Comments (1)
Artist Mon Nov 17 2008
Stick With It, Champ
Two-thirds of Hey Champ originated from Rockford, therefore dooming the trio to a lifetime of Cheap Trick comparisons. Perhaps that's a small price to pay when considering their newfound success. Hey Champ was recently signed to Lupe Fiasco's 1st and 15th label, instantly catapulting them to "up-and-comer" status. They've also been touring with Lupe and blogging about the difficulty and excitement of it all.
So what's the big deal about these guys, anyways? For one, their music is a refreshingly catchy mélange of indie pop, rock, and dreamy synth sounds. Hey Champ manages to capture the "I just want to boogie" synthesizer sound and fuses it with a sleek guitar and drums that get your head bobbing. The end result will get just about anyone dancing in no time, including your grandma. Additionally, Hey Champ continues to work on their DJ skills. It's a safe bet to assume that their experience with banging dance anthems contributes to their musical versatility. Expect for these guys to remain cutting edge for a while.
— Raf Miastkowski / Comments (1)
Concert Thu Nov 13 2008
Tom Schraeder wears His Ego on his sleeve
Tom Schraeder is 24 years old, but sings with the sorrow of a man twice his age. Upon first listening to his new EP, Lying Through Dinner, I found it a nice little Americana album, but it wasn't until a few more listens that I was really gripped by the heart in his songwriting. There is some real emotion in this album. There is heartache, a couple of foot-stomping singalong moments, and some passages that can make you feel the lost hope of someone drinking alone in an empty bar at closing time. Tom has a talent for evoking the feeling you've been there before, even if you haven't. He is such an excellent songwriter, that while you feel the hurt and yearning in his songs, he is still a joy to listen to. And somehow, with all the pain experienced in his lyrics and acclaim he's received, he still manages to keep a cool head.
Tom Schraeder & His Ego are back in Chicago for one show this Saturday at Schubas before heading out on tour. It's a record release show and everyone will receive a free copy of Lying Through Dinner with the purchase of advance tickets. Watch the promo video after the jump to get a little preview of the first song on the album, "Needle Will Bite."
The show starts at 10pm. Mark Pickerel opens and Pretty Good Dance Moves DJ. 3159 N. Southport. Tickets are $10. 21 & up.
(Photo from Tom's MySpace page--Amber Meairs Photography)
— Michelle Meywes / Comments (0)
Artist Wed Nov 12 2008
Ahoy, mate (from Humboldt Park)
Frigates, recently out of Humboldt Park, like the words "compact" and "staccato" to describe their style of bass/drums/clean guitar punch; those are about as good as any adjectives in my bag. Evidently, they've been in the studio recently. There's only one track on the MySpace site with a little studio polish, the catchy "Damage and Liability", which has an undeniably likable Talking Heads thing going on. (Eno, Bowie and David Fripp all get shoutouts in their Influences section, but no Heads. Hrmph.) The other two tracks sound an awful lot like rehearsal takes - boxy acoustics and no audible vocals to speak of - but they're good rehearsal takes, and suggest some serious live show promise. There's plenty of energy here, and it's hard to go wrong with catchy guitars and smashing drums. Frigates plays Ronny's, Thursday 11/13 at 9pm with Story of the Sea and Mako Sica; Edie Sedgwick (Dischord) headlines. Frigates will also appear live in the WHPK studios on Pure Hype, Friday at 9pm.
— Erik Cameron / Comments (1)
Review Mon Nov 10 2008
Girl Talk @ Congress Theater, 11/8/08
Imagine the biggest house party you've even been to, and the best DJ you've ever heard is playing every single one of your favorite songs and guilty pleasures. Now multiply that by a gazillion. That might come close to matching the excitement at Congress Theater on Saturday night.
Girl Talk (aka Gregg Gillis) is not a DJ, he's an artist, a master at mixing together snippets of songs that already exist, and that you've already heard into a new, completely different animal. His latest album, Feed The Animals, is a mashup of samples running into and over each other from Nirvana to Roy Orbison (?!?!) along with over 300 others.
It was a party from the moment you walked in. There was a DJ set up in the lobby blasting you in the face with music and stage smoke right as you entered. It was a bit of a shock at first, coming in from 30-degree temperatures outside, but it quickly wore off once you got into the theater. I noticed once inside, that all the seats on the floor level had been removed making for maximum dance-floor. A couple of minutes after Gillis took the stage and introduced himself, the confetti popped and ridiculousness ensued. A mass of party-goers rushed on to the stage, and there were guys running across the stage shooting toilet paper streamers into the audience. Gillis mixes his shows live in the midst of fans dancing almost on top of him, this time playing a lot of familiar clips from Feed the Animals, with a lot of new, impromptu mashup material as well.
— Michelle Meywes / Comments (0)
DVD & Video Wed Oct 15 2008
This is Thriller
A nicely produced video of Rhymefest and Robbie Fulks' Thriller cover at the Hideout Block Party last month, put together by KoneeROK.
— Andrew Huff / Comments (0)
Album Wed Oct 15 2008
Going off, getting High with Pit Er Pat
Local trio and thrill Jockey recording artists Pit Er Pat aren't averse to playing home-town gigs, so chances are you might've caught them playing at the Hideout or elsewhere lately. In case you haven't, the word on the streets for a while has been that they've altered their sound recently -- specifically that frontwoman and vocalist Fay Davis-Jeffers has largely set her keyboard aside in favor of a guitar, and that the band's moved into territory that bears a "dub reggae influence." Judging from the band's new High Time CD, which releases on Thrill Jockey this week, there's more than a little truth to the rumor.
Yes, Pit Er Pat has largely abandoned their prior post-rock/fusion cocktail lounge sound; the one so richly crafted and fleshed-out via John McEntire's production of the band's last LP, 2006's Pyramids. What chiefly remains, however, are the band's frail, elusive melodies -- except now they're intertwined with some roots-rocker grooves that give drummer Butchy Fuego and bassist Rob Doran something meatier to tuck into. And the pair seems to enjoy themselves on tunes like "Evacuation Day" and "Copper Pennies" as they tie and untie various rhythmic knots and guide the tunes through unexpected and crafty transitions.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Artist Tue Oct 14 2008
Mahjongg release protest song. Sort of.
Now in the midst of a new European tour, Chicago's electro-tribal "irritainment" pioneers Mahjongg are releasing a new single via the K Records label. The a-side, "Free Grooverider," features a different sound from that of their recent album; with the group serving up some a dose of bouncy, Kraftwerkian synth-pop. The track's title, however, is intended as a topical protest and homage devoted to one of techno's leading innovators, DJ Grooverider.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
mp3 Mon Oct 13 2008
Mashit "Mas" mix-up
More recently, C relocated to Chicago about 18 months ago. He frequently spins around town at clubs like Lava and Subterranean, hosts a radio show on WLUW -- all the while continuing to run his own Mashit label from his new home base. Now via the Mashit label site, Trussell's serving up the free downloadable "Mas Hits" collection; a selection of assorted remixes, mashup antics, and a few assorted web-only remixes that's he's leaked through various sites over the past year or so.
As a seasoned junglist, C has an expert sensibility for craftily chopped beats and depth-charge bass, making a good portion of the tracks far more serviceable for dancefloor purposes that the standard mashup fare. And while there's a fair amount of prankish whimsy and silliness throughout, Trussell manages to bring some top-notch bouncement on some of the selections; especially with the bhangra/jungle/Timbaland bump of "Ooh Wadda Doo Dadda" and the Bmore/dancehall jawn "Prerogatives Change." The download also features a few bonus tracks that includes a couple of full-on jungle rollers, as well as his remix for MIA's "U.R.A.Q.T."
To get a sample or to download the whole of "Mas Hits" for free, go to the Mashit website (or just go here).
— Graham Sanford / Comments (1)
Album Thu Oct 09 2008
Brilliant Corners
Make no mistake, the Chicago quartet Chandeliers are enamored with keyboards and tricky beats in a big way; but thankfully they don't have much truck with the sort of electro or that chincey, flat blog-house fare that's so glutted the indie market these past two years or so. Comprised of various members of local outfits like Icy Demons, Bronze, and Bablicon, they're one of many local projects that's spiraled out of the South Loop-based Shape Shoppe network. After numerous appearances about town and putting out a 3-song EP, Chandeliers have made their full-fledged recording debut with the recent stateside arrival of their debut LP, The Thrush.
With the opening track "Mr. Electric," Chandeliers lay their aces on the table, giving the listener a strong sense of what's in store. The music glides on a spacey shimmer inspired by vintage Italo-disco, with slight electro and synth-pop nuances billowing to the fore every now and again. The more crafty and complex underpinnings of the band's em-oh, however, reveal a deeper debt to early 70s jazz-fusion and astro-funk (a la Headhunters-era Herbie Hancock). Beneath all the sheen and shimmer, Chandeliers delight in the interplay of contrasts and balances -- the interplay of playing warm tones off versus cold, luster over grit, hefty riding shotgun with lite, and often floating crafty rhythmic shifts and sleights-of-hand against stark drones and subtle modulations.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Music & Film Tue Oct 07 2008
Undiminished echoes: The life & music of Arthur Russell
At the time of his death in 1992, the 40-year-old cellist, composer and experimental dance-music auteur Arthur Russell left behind an enigmatic musical legacy -- one that included a few (largely overlooked) albums of songs and compositions, a string of quirky disco tracks, and a backlog of some 1000 tapes of unreleased and unfinished recordings. Having connected the dots between American minimalist composition and disco's dancefloor permutations, Russell created music that rode on chromatic shifts and dislocated rhythms -- a music that seemed at the same time both insular and expansive in mood, that existed like a lover's whisper that fills your head, like the melodies of a man singing softly to himself as he drifts across an ocean of sound on a boat of his own making.
It would take much of the rest of the music world a decade or more to catch up. Thanks to the recent efforts of the Audika label, more of Russell's work has become available in the past five years. Still, so long after the fact, Russell's music continues to amaze and baffle listeners; influencing a new generation of songwriters, while leaving fans and critics alike wrestling with descriptives.
And now comes Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell, the new documentary by filmmaker Matt Wolf that arrives in Chicago this weekend for a limited run. The film offers an overview of Russell's life and work, featuring rarely-seen archival footage and interviews with various friends, family, and collaborators who knew and worked with Russell throughout the years. Also among the interviewees are Jens Lekman, composer Philip Glass, as well as author and sound artist David Toop.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Artist Wed Sep 24 2008
The Sea and Cake Announces New Album, Tour Dates
It seems that the guys in The Sea and Cake have made a big turnaround in productivity. After sporadic recording and the four-year lull in activity that preceded the release of 2007's Everybody, the band has hit a newfound stride and already has a new album on the way. On returning from a tour of Australia this past spring, they immediately set to recording new material, reportedly polishing off an album's-worth of tracks in a scant three months.
The band has announced that the resulting album, Car Alarm, will be released on Thrill Jockey on October 21. The Sea and Cake will also be embarking on a national tour in early November; a circuit that'll feature two shows (an early and a late set) at the Empty Bottle on November 15. The list of tour dates can be found via a recent blog post on the band's Myspace page.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (1)
Artist Tue Sep 16 2008
New Rachel Yamagata Video
Rachel Yamagata, formerly of Chicago's Bumpus, just released this video for her song "Elephants."
— Andrew Huff / Comments (0)
Artist Thu Sep 04 2008
Liz Phair vs. the Matrix
I don't know what pills ex-Chicagoan Liz Phair is on, but maybe she should change the dosage. This is a video she made about deciding to stop working with power-pop producers The Matrix. [via]
— Andrew Huff / Comments (3)
Benefit Fri Aug 29 2008
Bid and Win a Meet n' Greet with the Bird
Sure, you could sit out all in the Millennium Park glory that is the Pritzker Pavillion on Wednesday, September 3rd along with every other indie music lover in the midwest and wait for Andrew Bird to take the stage for a free show, or, you could put your money where your mouth is, and do some good for the children at the same time. Rock For Kids, the same awesome non-profit organization that helps at-risk youth in Chicago through a variety of music-oriented programs is auctioning off not one but two chances to meet Mr. Bird and sit your butts in some cushy premium seating at his upcoming event downtown. Bid here or here, but do it soon — the auction ends on Monday, September 1.
— Anne Holub / Comments (0)
Album Thu Aug 28 2008
Slow Gun Shogun's Red-Dirt Delilah Blues -- A Review (of Sorts)
We here at Gapers Block Transmission aim to cover the local music scene and emerging Chicago artists as much as our resources permit. What follows is the transcript for a proposed review of the new CD Eve, Adam & the Apple by Chicago-based artist Slow Gun Shogun. The editors fanned the CD out to a potential contributor (PC) and an unaffiliated party (UP) in a focus-group styled experiment. What follows is a transcript of the results. Believe it or not, the transcript that follows was heavily edited and abridged in order to remove the more pedantic, digressive, and profanity-strewn passages. Needless to say, we will not be hiring either party for any future assignments.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
PC: You want another beer?
UP: Yeah, but I don't feeling like getting up to get it just yet. What have we got?
PC: Some new CD by an artist who calls himself Slow Gun Shogun.
UP: Can't say I'm familiar.
PC: Local guy, apparently. It's a seven-song EP called Eve, Adam and the Apple. Judging from this, he plays a lot of the instruments himself -- one-man band style -- with the help of one "Miss Palanti" on drums. Appears to be self-released, on a label called Devil's Bedpost.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Artist Wed Aug 20 2008
An Ode to the Suburbs ...Sort of
Emo Philips performs "Downers Grove."
— Andrew Huff / Comments (0)
Artist Thu Aug 14 2008
Follow-up: Rhymefest Releases "Stolen" Video
As we told you about last week, Chicago indie hip-hop emcee Rhymefest issued a pretty bold statement when he was prepping listeners for the release of his new video. The video, which is for his new track "Stolen," stated officially circulating this past Tuesday, and here it is:
Civil war...genocide...refugees...blood diamonds. Yep, Rhymefest definitely isn't treading lightly with the narrative this time around.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Artist Sun Aug 10 2008
Taking You There: Anti- Records Announces Release Date for Mavis Live @ The Hideout CD
Location can be everything, indeed. The best live recordings come from such circumstances, occasions where an artist finds herself at home with a warm, and responsive crowd, and the result is a friendly and intimate interaction between performer and audience. Live albums like Etta James Rocks The House and Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison and Roland Kirk's Kirk In Copenhagen leap to mind, but there are plenty of others in the history of recorded music that serve as evidence to this effect.
Better yet, there's nothing like returning to a welcoming fold of friends after a long journey. Such was the case when Mavis Staples played a homecoming show at the Hideout this past June. Alighting from an extensive tour, Staples and her band played a 14-song, career-spanning set to a sold-out house. Given the Hideout's modest digs, the crowd topped out at about 200 attendees, making for a cozy and up-close show. Reviews and reports of the performance were radiant across the board, and the Anti- label was on hand to document the whole thing.
And now from the Hideout and the artist's website comes word that the resulting disc, Mavis Staples Live: Hope at the Hideout, is scheduled for an official release date of November 4th. Check the Hideout's website for the full tracklisting, links to reviews, and photos.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Artist Fri Aug 08 2008
Recent Chi Hip-Hop Roundup
Via the community aggregations over at Fake Shore Drive comes word of recent drops and flips from the local hip-hop scene. In recent days, the diligent and indefatigable FSD crew has passed along the following...
- Rhymefest delivers a advance caveat to listeners before the release of the video for his new track "Stolen":
"First of all, dumb ass n******s that can't think past the club, the block, or fat booty b******s, DO NOT WATCH THIS! Your brain will explode. Second, self-righteous hip-hop nerds who expect to hear me go line for line in a metaphorical circus, DO NOT WATCH THIS! You will be sorely disappointed."
It gets deeper from there. Read the whole statement here. Also, catch the new leaked 'Fest tracks "In Between" and "Forces of Nature" over there.
- Elsewhere, Lupe Fiasco leaks the rare track, "Gangsta (Up In Here)." Check it.
- From the "Hold Me Closer, Tony Danza" Department of Misheard Lyrics comes a live clip of The Cool Kids kickin' it on the Rock The Bells tour. At first it seems everyone was reporting the new track as bearing the title "The Sound of Panties Hitting The Ground." It turns out the track is actually called "Pennies." That's p-e-n-n-i-e-s hitting the ground. But here's to wishful thinking, right.
- In case you hadn't glanced over the magazine racks in the past month, Kid Sis Melisa's one of URB magazine's "Girls of Summer."
- And hey, just as we might've guessed: Kanye sure is one cla$$y dude.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Artist Wed Aug 06 2008
Catching Some Static
Yea Big & Kid Static's first music video, "The Life Here," hit the front page of YouTube, resulting in 250,000 views in two days. Along with those views came a whole lot of negative, often racially charged comments. The duo talk about it on Current.TV.
— Andrew Huff / Comments (0)
Venue Tue Jul 15 2008
Mahjongg, HEALTH, others play Hideout Pfork after-parties this weekend
Drums and wires: Mahjongg
The guys in the L.A.-based noise-rock outfit HEALTH haven’t exactly made things easy for anybody, least of all themselves. First there’s their choice of a Google-that-again name, and the fact that their debut album of last year threw the trend jockeys for a loop with all of its abrasive jolts, asymmetrical arrangements, and spectral vocals. Throwing another curveball into the mix, the band managed to somewhat placate pop-minded listeners when they recently released the follow-up HEALTH//DISCO -- a bubble-wrap remix affair in which artists like Crystal Castles, Acid Girls, and Drop The Lime gave the band’s debut a club-oriented workover.
HEALTH will be playing this Friday night at the Hideout. Better yet -- in an act of astute matchmaking for the evening’s billing, they’ll be appearing alongside Chicago’s own electro Afro-funk experimentalists Mahjongg. Both groups will be performing early on the Sunday schedule for Pfork Fest; but if you’d rather experience both groups in the more cozy and conducive confines of a club, Friday’s show makes for an ideal opportunity. Alex & the Drummer are also slated to play. Doors open at 10 PM and tickets are $10.
For Saturday night’s post-Pfork soiree, the Hideout will be hosting a special edition of their Saturday night dance party event. To celebrate being named “Best Dance Party” by the Chicago Reader, the Hideout’s throwing a big eight deejay pile-up of a throwdown. Scheduled to spin for the evening (in order of appearance) are: DJ Treetop Lover, the East of Edens Soul Express DJs, Gutterbutter DJ Logan Bay, Bald Eagle and Mother Hubbard of the Life During Wartime DJs, and Smashing Time DJs Mary Nisi and Carrie Weston. It all gets underway starting at 9 PM and admission is free.
For further details, see the Hideout’s website, and our own feature run-down of this year’s Pitchfork lineup.
[video]: HEALTH - live (via Pitchfork TV)
[video]: Mahjongg - "Teardrops"
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Concert Thu Jul 10 2008
The Power of Three
American Ghost Dance: These Are Powers
The hometown three-piece Pit Er Pat will be poking their heads up to play a headlining set at the Hideout this Sunday evening. No doubt that they'll be treating everyone to some selection from their forthcoming album High Time, which is due out on Thrill Jockey in October. Word has it that the band has (once again) been exploring new territory with the music lately, gravitating to a more guitar-oriented, dub-inflected sound. Here's your chance to get a preview dose.
Another great reason to catch the show, however, would be the self-described "ghost punk" trio These Are Powers, who'll be playing a supporting set on the billi. For the second summer in a row, These Are Powers are taking a summer off from their usual Brooklyn haunts to hiatus in Chicago. After last year's summer stint, they took Brenmar Someday drummer Bill Salas into their ranks before heading back to home base. Judging from their new Taro Tarot EP, Salas was the ideal candidate the position. Bassist Pat Noecker and guitarist Anna Barie have crafted a bewilderingly intense and inexplicable sound -- filled with spark-spewing noizoid fret-firings and harrowing caterwaul -- that made their freshman album Terrific Seasons one of the most impressive (if not slightly amazing) underground debuts of 2007.
All of this'll be happening at the Hideout this Sunday evening. Pit Er Pat are headlining, with These Are Powers playing just beforehand. Waterbabies opens. Admission is $10 and the doors open at 9 PM. 1354 W. Wabansia.
[video]: These Are Powers - "Chipping Ice" (video shoot)
[video]: These Are Powers - "You Come With Nothing" (live)
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Artist Tue Jul 01 2008
Let's Get Stupid
Even though it's only been a matter of weeks since they dropped the hardcopy of their debut EP The Bake Sale, Chicago's indie-rap sensations The Cool Kids aren't taking a breather or kicking back on their laurels. The duo's just released a new downloadable summer jawn mixtape EP entitled That's Stupid. Six tracks deep, the mixtape shows that the Kids are keeping it moving. On cuts like "Oscar The Grouch" and "That'll Work," they're flexing in a slightly different mode from what we've been hearing from them over the past year or so. (And if I'm not mistaken, Chuck's flow is sounding a little bit more like that of Gift of Gab from Blackalicious.)
Download That's Stupid here. And then bump that.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
News Sat Jun 21 2008
Girl Talk Feeds Fans, Critters
Between his quickly sold-out 2007 New Years Eve appearance at the Empty Bottle and the overwhelming crowds that swamped his third-stage appearance at the Pitchfork Festival last summer, it's fair to say that Pittsburgh-based mashup maestro Girl Talk (aka Gregg Gillis) has a solid fanbase in this town. And in case you were too busy to catch the news as it spread across the web yesterday, he's now making his forthcoming album, Feed The Animals, available in advance by way of a pay-what-you-want download via his own website and label, Illegal Art.
As far the download is concerned, Gillis is giving his fans three options. For the interested, any price will get you high-quality mp3s of the album, five bucks will get you the same plus one additional continuous-track version of the entire album (which is how Gillis claims he'd prefer people listen to it), and ten dollars gets you the downloads plus a physical copy of Feed The Animals when it's officially released in September.
Since the Illegal Art site was inaccessible at the time of this writing, it appears that traffic might be heavier than the site can handle. Whatever the case, it looks like there's now a mirror link for the download here.
Girl Talk hits the road later this summer and will be making his appearance in Chicago at Lollapalooza on August 3. Feed The Animals will see hardcopy release on September 23.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Artist Thu Jun 19 2008
The Black Angels Deliver Neo-Psychedelic Rock to the Masses
I first learned the word chiaroscuro in a poem written by an architect. It has to do with a notable use of light and shadow, and I think it's a lovely way to describe the album built by Austin-born Black Angels, Directions to See a Ghost. Yes, they've got the guitar drone thing going on, but it's delivered in that appropriate ethereal way that comes along with the moniker of neo-psychedelic rock. Even their name, derived from the Velvet Underground's "The Black Angel's Death Song" is appropriate, given their dreamy, far-away lyrical delivery, and the way their songs conjure up of some Warhol Factory-esque room with too many pillows and not enough ashtrays.
The Black Angels psychedelic voice is stronger and more developed than their cousin — the indie shoe-gaze band. They've played Lollapalooza ('07) and SXSW ('08) to critical acclaim, and they're just perched (absolutely perched) on the verge of something big here. You're not likely to catch them on the radio, as most of their tracks span well over four minutes, but you get the feeling from the album that this band is just not all that into radio play. This is the album you're going to break out at 2am and groove to on your futon. It's the one you're going to play while you drift off to sleep (and likely have some pretty amazing dreams with this as your soundtrack). The album itself, plays like a oil wheel light show, infused with sitar ragas and some really interesting percussion work. The Black Angels are delivering psychedelic rock that not only honors its roots, but provides listeners with a cleaner, more delicious sugar cube.
[mp3]: The Black Angels – "Doves" (from Directions to See a Ghost)
[mp3]: The Black Angels – "The First Vietnamese War" (from Passover)
The Black Angels play Logan Square Auditorium, 2539 N. Kedzie Ave., Friday, June 20. The Warlocks open at 9pm. Tickets are $15.
— Anne Holub / Comments (0)
Artist Mon Jun 02 2008
Sybris Releases Second Album, New Video
It's been nearly three years since Chicago indie-rockers Sybris put out their debut album. In the interim they've toured, played a lot around town, and taken their time crafting new material to their own satisfaction. Apparenly it was all time well spent, because in the past year, the group's managed to earn a reputation as a local Artist To Watch for 2008.
Sybris's sophomore album Into The Trees was just released on the Absolutely Kosher label. The video for the album's lead single, "Oh Man!", started circulating a few days ago and is now up on Youtube (or just see above). Currently, they're taking the new album on the road on a coast-to-coast tour. The bad will be winding returning to home turf in late June, just in time to play a set at the Belmont Arts Festival on June 28th.
[mp3]: Sybris - "The Best Day In History In Ever" (2005)
— Graham Sanford
mp3 Tue May 27 2008
Chi-town Mixdown
And what were we just saying about summer mixes?
Come hell or hot weather (whenever that might be), it looks like it's time to just call it -- break out the grill, take the winter coats to the dry cleaners, and just get on with business.
And here here we have a little something to help soundtrack the transition. Local mash-up misfits The Hood Internet keep busy when it comes to crafting and cranking out tracks and mixes, and this week they've added yet a new mixtape to the stack. Entitled "The Hood Internet vs. Chicago," it's a 24-track fat sack of downloadable "bastard pop," sporting an exclusively hometown theme. As in: Juice vs. Liz Phair, Cool Kids vs. Frankie Knuckles, Twista vs The Sea and Cake, R. Kelly vs. Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, and a bunch of other such business (one of which manages to slip in a bit of the "Superbowl Shuffle").
So go and get it via download from The Hood Internet's website. Get a peep of the tracklisting on the other side of the jump.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (1)
Event Thu May 15 2008
Between Descartes and That "Dirty Old Egg-Sucking Dog"
It's been said that those artists who possess the highest degree of creative genius are often those who carry within them the greatest unresolved paradoxes. Kris Kristofferson might've had something similar in mind when he said of his friend and fellow artist Johnny Cash, "He's a walking contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction."
Truth, of course, is the end concern of philosophical inquiry – getting at the brass tacks of life, human knowledge and experience, the nature of the world. As the latest in a series of titles from their Popular Culture and Philosophy line, Chicago-based scholarly imprint Open Court Publishing has just published Johnny Cash and Philosophy: The Burning Ring of Truth. In a collection of academically-inclined essays, eighteen deep thinkers and die-hard Cash fans offer a variety of perspectives on the metaphysical, social, and spiritual aspects of the Cash's music – the whys and what-fors of how Cash's lyrics connect with the singer's own life and speak to a large and varied audience on so many levels. The contributing authors examine the man's music from a range of perspectives. You get Cash on crime and the American penal system, Cash on sin and redemption and the many pitfalls of human nature, Cash on the value of honest labor and making what you can of what you've been given, Cash on the matter of love as examined in light of his relationship with June Carter, and a number of other topics.
The volume of essays was co-edited (along with David Werther) by former Chicago musician and current philosophy professor John Huss, who contributed the chapter "Johnny Cash and Justice." Before he vacated town to pursue his career in academia, Huss used to play around the Windy City as the frontman for the John Huss Moderate Combo back in the 1990s. Next weekend, the Moderate Combo will be reuniting to play a couple of shows in town to celebrate the book's publication and to pay tribute to the Man in Black.
— Graham Sanford
Concert Wed May 07 2008
"Station" Identification: Russian Circles Release New Album, Take It On The Road
Considering that they've only been active for just over three years, the Chicago-based trio Russian Circles has managed to rack up a high ratio of praise throughout the webzine community in a short period of time. It seems there's something unique about the group's music that resonates with those who've heard it. The band's 2006 debut album, Enter, met with enthused accolades across the board, and quickly the landed them a slot on the top of the bill at Drowned In Sound's End-of-Summer festival in London last August. With the pending arrival of their sophomore LP, Station, Russian Circles are set to kick off another tour, beginning with a record-release party and a headlining set at Subterranean this Saturday evening.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Artist Sat May 03 2008
Wake & Bake, Yo: The Cool Kids Announce Release Dates for Debut EP
"Kickin' it like kickstands": Cool Kids emcees Mikey Rocks and Chuck Inglish
Those who've caught local hip-hop duo The Cool Kids at their shows around town in the past year will be quite familiar with a number of their signature tracks already; especially "Gold and a Pager," "Mikey Rocks," and "Black Mags." It appears that now -- many, many months after the announcement of it's pending release -- the Kids' debut EP The Bake Sale is finally slated to hit the streets. Running ten tracks deep, the EP will see an exclusive electronic release via iTunes on May 20, with the hardcopy version properly dropping on June 10.
From the looks of their schedule, The Cool Kids will be keeping busy for the summer. As of this writing, they're going out on the road, kicking off a tour that'll include the U.S., Europe, an appearance at Lollapalooza, and dates on this year's Rock The Bells roster.
As far as local, non-Lolla dates are concerned, The Cool Kids will be playing at the University of Chicago's outdoor Summer Breeze festival on May 17, as well as sharing the bill with All Natural for the Darfur Now benefit show at The Abbey on May 21.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Random Thu Apr 17 2008
R. Kelly (allegedly) wants to see what you've got...
Not only that, he wants to know how tight it is.
In a promotional campaign for his new single "Hair Braider," Chicago R&B crooner R. Kelly is propositioning fans to send him pictures of themselves. Pictures of themselves sporting their braids, that is. Zig-zags, cornrows, dookies, whatever -- he wants you to show them off by uploading your snapshots his site.
The song is the advance single off of Kelly's forthcoming album, 12 Play: Fourth Quarter, which is slated to be released this summer. Since the contest is being hosted via a Song BMG/Jive's webpage, we're assuming that the promo campaign cleared the label's legal department before going live.
Fans and visitors to the site are invited to vote on the entrees' photos. The contest's judges, however, may have a tough row to how, as it appears (after Gapers Block hit refresh about 20-something times) that people are randomly uploading pictures of their bald, buzz-cutted, be-hatted, coiffed, and mostly non-braided selves to site -- perhaps having mistaken it for just another internet social network opportunity. So, as expected, the jury might be out on this one for a while.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Review Fri Mar 28 2008
Singer minces words, music on debut album
Composed of seasoned veterans from Chicago's avant-rock heyday of the mid-late 90s, the band Singer has just this week released their debut album, Unhistories, on Drag City. And if there's one thing that should be established from the start, it's that Singer don't "do" linearity.
This should come as no surprise, given the band's collective cee-vee. Bassist Robert A.A. Lowe was previously a central member of math-rock/no-wave/prog-revisionists 90 Day Men, currently performs and records under the moniker Lichens, and has -- as a studio and touring sideman -- contributed keyboard work to TV On The Radio. Ben Vida was formerly part of the minimalist chamber ensemble Town and Country and has recently been producing work as Bird Show; while Todd Rittman and Adam Vida are erstwhile members of the defunct Chicago "rock deconstructionist" unit U.S. Maple.
Much of Unhistories unfolds by way of country-blues(ish) guitar riffs that sidewind and meander, sometimes get bogged down in briars, but are more often striking ahead in a hunting or explorative mode. With Singer, songs don't develop or progress so much as charge up to a threshold, pause, and double back to strike out on alternate courses. Theirs is a music that involves the tightening and release of torques and tension, always playfully teetering on the edge of clamor and collapse. But the guitars never roam too far from the campground, so it ends up being drummer Adam Vida who probes at the outermost perimeters, his kitwork often dancing around a rhythmic center of the song without engaging it directly. While the whole band routinely steps in with some woozy harmonizing, bassist Robert Lowe's vocals -- often straining into the upper registers in a faux-falsetto that suggests mimicry or mockery -- drape the tenuous melodies like lilies wilting under a blistering sun.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Concert Mon Mar 17 2008
Stop Watching TV!: The Boredoms' Circular Logic
Since they first came together on the Osaka noise scene of the mid-1980s, The Boredoms have always been one of the music world's most unwieldy and inexplicable acts. Starting out as an outfit of frenetic, genre-mulching rawk'n'roll destructivists, they've since undergone a circuitous musical evolution over the past decade. Like a supernova constricting into a neutron star, the band refocused its musical energy to become purveyors of dense and droning space-rock in the late 1990s before finally arriving at their present trance-inducing, tribal incarnation as the most apeshit drum circle on earth.
Boredoms fans will have a chance to see the band play a special "in the round" performance at the Congress Theater next Wednesday evening. The show will be one of the few dates on their current U.S. tour where the group will be able to perform the way they want to -- interfacing in a circle in the center of the venue while the audience will be free to gather around on the periphery.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Artist Thu Mar 13 2008
Hit Her on Her Beeper
Kid Sister is the featured star in this dance video for The Count & Sinden's "Beeper."
"Beeper" - The Count & Sinden ft Kid Sister from joseph monish on Vimeo.
As Andrew Gill points out, she and her crew walk into Uptown's Shake Rattle & Read and descend into Al Capone's escape tunnels before emerging in a thumpin' club where Flosstradamus is laptop-spinning.
— Andrew Huff / Comments (0)
News Fri Mar 07 2008
Shellac announce globe-trotting mini-tour
Word went out earlier this week that Shellac will be launching a brief series of mini-tours over the next few months. The itinerary has Albini & co playing a number of dates in South America, continental and Eastern Europe, Turkey, and Macedonia.
As usual, the tour (reportedly) bears no correspondence to the band's schedule for recording and releasing new material. There's no word, at present, if stateside dates are to follow; but if you find yourself a stone's throw from Ljubljana or Zagreb in early May, tailor your travel plans accordingly.
See the band's page at Touch & Go for the list of dates and locations.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Artist Wed Feb 27 2008
Mahjongg & The Weeping Eye Of Providence
Trailing the release of their new album Kontpab by just a few scant weeks, the Chicago electro-punk outfit Mahjongg recently started circulating a video for their tune "Teardrops":
Posted on YouTube just over a week ago, the video appeared with the foreboding caption: "Cycle of the Symphony of Destruction." The tagline might either be an ironic salute to Metallica, or it might have something to do with the clip's artistic indebtedness to Kenneth Anger's cult film Lucifer Rising. Or perhaps neither.
To see Mahjongg operating in a somewhat less shadowy manner, you can also check out their old appearance on Chic-A-Go-Go here.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Concert Thu Feb 14 2008
When Carnivores Attack
For the handful that heard it, Food For Animals' first EP, Scavengers, was one of the boldest musical debuts of 2004. Throughout its blitzkrieg 22-minute stretch, emcee Vulture Voltaire kicked bellicose verses about the current political climate and contemporary hip-hop while deejay Ricky Rabbit served up a fragmented blizzard of samples and sonic schrapnel punctuated by punchy, thuzzed-out beats. It was noisy, boisterous, incredibly exciting -- a speaker-shredding monster. And given all that, it wasn't surprising to learn that the two guys responsible for it were veterans of the D.C. hardcore punk scene.
The duo took a brief hiatus in the intervening three years. Recently, they've relocated to Baltimore and taken in a third member when emcee HY came aboard. The release of their new debut full-length, Belly, finds Food For Animals broadening their musical palette, both musically and lyrically. Vulture V has largely sidelined his penchant for socio-political rants this time out, and HY brings some welcome humor and stylistic balance to the mix. The two emcees sling rhymes that don't so much ride the beat as tease it out of Rick Rab's digital onslaughts. And yeah, while there's the juked beats on "Virgogo" and some slo-mo skrewd vocals hooks on a couple of tracks, a majority of Belly's content falls in the most outbound orbit from contemporary hip-hop. Fair to say that it's an animal that eats backpackers for breakfast.
Food For Animals will be appearing at the AV-aerie next Saturday, February 23. They're currently touring with Bay Area freeform skronksters Mi Ami, who are also on the bill. Chicago's Pit er Pat headline for the evening, Scalpels open, and DJ Mayor Aspirin spins between sets. (Now how's that for a diverse billing?) 2000 W. Fulton. It all gets underway at 9pm and admission is $8. All ages show.
[mp3]: Food For Animals - "Cut and Paste" (2004)
[mp3]: Food For Animals - "Swampy (Summer Jam)"
[mp3]: Food For Animals - "Mutumbo"
— Graham Sanford
Concert Tue Feb 12 2008
Those Powers That Be
While it seems that poise, a modicum of polish, and a few thin ideas are all it takes to pull an act together in Williamsburg these days; it requires a unique degree of creative and collaborative chemistry to transcend the "just another band from Brooklyn" syndrome. Such is the case with the noise-punk trio These Are Powers. Guitarist Anna Barie and bassist Pat Noecker first came together to form These Are Powers back in 2006 -- Noecker having formerly been a member of Liars, and Anna was then working in the band Knife Skills. The rest of the equation fell firmly into place when the pair took on Brenmar Someday drummer Bill Salas while summering in Chicago this past year. Salas returned with the band to New York in time for them to complete work on their debut LP, Terrific Seasons.
Much of These Are Powers' musical energy takes its cue from classic NYC no-wave precedents, the sort of tribal noise that the likes of Mars, 8-Eyed Spy, and (a then appropriately named) Sonic Youth were churning out in the trash-strewn Lower East Side back in the mid-1980s. Onstage, Barie's a dynamo, a one-woman maelstrom of daemonic vocals and frenzied slide-guitar, as she and Noecker whip up a delirium over gnarled, interlocking rhythms. Their music could be considered "heady" stuff, but its jolt is mainly visceral -- often dizzying, sometimes harrowing, and urgently rhythmic to its core.
These Are Powers will be playing the AV-aerie next Wednesday evening, February 20th. Local naïf-savant popsters Bird Names will also be on the bill. Adam Griffin and Laromlab open. 2000 W. Fulton. Admission is $8 and the show starts at 9:30pm.
[video]: These Are Powers - "You Come With Nothing" (live)
[video]: These Are Powers - "Peel Some Off" (live)
[mp3]: These Are Powers - "Little Sisters of Beijing"
— Graham Sanford
Concert Fri Feb 08 2008
Russian Circles' New Notes From the Underground
While the world has waited for the release of Chinese Democracy, metal has undergone a lot of changes. It's responded to the backlash against its hair-hopping halcyon days by absorbing influences and ideas from across the rock spectrum, splintering off into a number of enclaves that probe the perimeters of the genre's creedal heaviness.
Case in point, the Chicago instrumental trio Russian Circles. The band's 2006 album Enter received a lot of glowing praise via print and online venues that cover the heftier ends of the musical spectrum, and it sent critics scrambling for labels to sum up the the band's sound. If you were to string all the resulting desciptives together, then Russian Circles are reputedly a math-/prog-/post-rock metal trio with melodic, neo-Mahlerian shoegaze affinities. Or something like that.
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Artist Thu Feb 07 2008
The Return of Airiel
Airiel had quite a major 2007 between a lot of touring, recording and releasing a new album (The Battle of Sealand), and losing a couple members near its end. On Friday they'll make their 2008 live debut with both a new drummer and bassist at Darkroom. It should be business as usual for Airiel, though, as they pummel ears with layers upon layers of heavy guitar sound and delight eyes with trippy visuals. The show with Apteka precedes the Chicago shoegaze/psychedelic rock band's sold out gig with A Place to Bury Strangers and Holy Fuck at Schubas next weekend. Later this year they'll tour the west coast with Film School and the UK with Ulrich Schnauss. DJs open the night at 9PM. The cover's $7. Bring ear plugs.
— James Ziegenfus / Comments (0)
Artist Wed Feb 06 2008
A.A. Bondy Is One Old Soul
On first listen, the acoustic blues based songs off of A.A. Bondy's new record do not sound like they're coming out of the mouth of a twenty-something, indie-rock slacker kid or from the former leader of the rock band Verbena. In fact, his style of folk blues is most reminiscent of the gentle finger-picked blues of the Piedmont (but most will just throw him in with Dylan et al and hope for the best).
The song "Vice Rag" is just that: a long list of all the things one shouldn't be doing. It's sung in such a beaten down tone you wonder if Bondy himself has been down that road and lived to tell. Either way, and no matter how you slice it, A.A. Bondy will become one of the new voices in roots music over the next 5 years. Here's his song "Vice Rag" off of his 2007 release American Hearts, plus a video of an impromptu jam session with rising stars The Felice Brothers and The Pines.
A.A. Bondy is the second act on a nice little lineup featuring Kevin Devine and The Jealous Girlfriends at Beat Kitchen on Feb. 14. Buy tickets here.
[mp3]: AA Bondy - "Vice Rag"
[video]: AA Bondy - "American Hearts"
— Craig Bonnell
Artist Thu Jan 31 2008
I guess that makes it a 'supergroup'...
The Chicago-based Drag City label recently announced an upcoming release by the recently-formed outfit Singer. The group involves an uncanny convergence of local underground talent, with a lineup featuring Robert Lowe, formerly of 90 Day Men and currently of Lichens renown, and Ben Vida of Town & Country/Bird Show affiliation. Rounding out the ensemble are Todd Rittmann and Adam Vida from U.S. Maple.
The album, entitled Unhistories, is slated to release on March 25. In the interim, Singer has lined up a couple of in-town gigs. They'll be playing this coming Monday night at the Hideout; and on Friday, February 22 at Subterranean. To get an idea what the crew's got going, here's an intriguing preview track (below), and there's an additional two songs currently up on the band's Myspace page.
[mp3]: Singer - "Dumb Smoke"
— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)
Concert Mon Jan 28 2008
Mahjongg: Love means never having to apologize to the police
The Chicago outfit Mahjongg recently went on tour, aiming to round up converts to Kontpab--which is both the title for their new album that's now being released on K Records and the name of a post-millennial cult that the band recently started. Actually, the stuff about the cult's just a bunch of presskit monkeyshines; but the album's for real, and Mahjongg will be returning to home base to play a record-release party at Subterranean this Thursday.
If you threw a party and invited Suicide and Konono No1 to play in your basement, what would it sound like? Kontpab probably best answers that question. In the time that's lapsed since their prior LP, Raydoncong2005, Mahjongg has undergone some slight personnel changes. Their sound has changed a little, as well. Save for bass, guitars are largely out and keyboards dominate -- specifically keyboards of the gritty, pulsing electro-punk variety.
— Graham Sanford
Artist Fri Jan 25 2008
People Who Don't Do Anything In Pretty Good Bands, Vol. 1
Do you remember that the Mighty Mighty Bosstones had one guy who didn't really do anything? His name's Ben and he danced during their shows, sometimes joined in on choruses, and was officially titled "Bosstone" in their credits. There's a guy in Chicago's Ultra Sonic Edukators who seems awfully close to that description, except more annoying. He's probably an integral part of the band away from the stage, but his antics are reminiscent of a middle child seeking attention from anyone and everyone. Unfortunately, he's rather hard to miss live.
Otherwise, this band is pretty good. Even though they refer to Super Furry Animals and Blur as major influences, they often sound more like Oasis stealing a chapter from the Weezer book of hooks. (And, coincidentally, they'll be recording their first album with Weezer's Brian Bell.) They have an EP out now called Bad Blood and have played Schubas each Monday in January. Next week's openers are Maradona and the Loyal Divide. The show is 18+ (beware of a young crowd), starts at 8:00 PM, and the cover's $6.
— James Ziegenfus
News Thu Jan 24 2008
Flosstradamus builds bomb, sells the tools
Word has officially gone out that Flosstradamus are aiming to release a debut album sometime this Summer. Floss DJs J2K and Autobot are reportedly handling all of the production work, laying down beats and crafting tracks to put behind appearances by Chicago cohorts Kid Sister and The Cool Kids. Also guesting on the album will be Philly femme-cee Amanda Blank, who you might've heard via her past guest spots on tracks by Spank Rock and Plastic Little.
Meanwhile, Josh (aka J2K) from Flosstradamus is presently auctioning off some of his own DJ gear on eBay. Up for grabs among the lot of mixed goods are a number of items autographed by the Floss guys--including mix-CDs, a Vestax portable turntable, and Josh's recently retired iBook G4 (complete with audio programs like Serato, et al.).
And speaking of The Cool Kids--they're getting mad love from the crew over at IHEARTCOMIX! Check out the site's pics and vids from the Kids' recent appearance in L.A. here.
— Graham Sanford
Artist Thu Jan 24 2008
Boredoms Sign to Thrill Jockey
After years of representing Yoshimi and her OOIOO gals, Bettina and the band have finally lured over Japan's other crown jewel of freak-out electronic drum circle music - The Boredoms have signed to Thrill Jockey. They will be releasing the 9th volume of the Super Roots series and first-ever live disc: a concert from Christmas Eve 2004 with a full choir. The album will have forty pages of EYE artwork, musical scores & notation. The band is also planning a North American tour "In The Round" - including a date at Chicago's Congress Theatre on March 26th. No word yet on whether you'll need to bring a drumset up Milwaukee for the show...
Link: 77 Boadrum video.
— Dan Morgridge
Concert Sat Jan 05 2008
Dial Radio M for OFFICE
We'd like to thank Chicago Public Radio for sponsoring Transmission. They've been advertising an upcoming event that's right up our alley: Tony Sarabia of "Radio M" will be hosting an evening with OFFICE, one of Chicago's up and coming bands, next Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 8pm in the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln. The band will be sharing anecdotes and stories, and playing songs from their latest album, A Night at the Ritz, and prior. Tickets are just $15 -- $10 if you're a CPR member.
— Andrew Huff
Concert Tue Dec 18 2007
No, They Don't Do "A Love Supreme"
What's in a name? Everything and nothing, maybe. But if you're in a band, at some point you have to collectively decide to call yourselves something. That in itself can be a creative hurdle that some aspiring music artists never successfully overcome. In the end, does it matter if you call yourselves the Caveat Emptors or the Not Dead Yets or the Dirty Merkins or We Came To Wreck Your Pity Party or whatever? Not sure, but how different would the legacy of Joy Division have been if they'd stuck with their first adopted moniker, the Stiff Kittens? So yeah, names can be tricky.
Take Coltrane Motion, for example. Coltrane Motion are not a jazz ensemble. The trio started out as a bedroom-recording DIY outfit in Ohio before they relocated to Chicago about four years ago. And while there's exactly eight seconds of squeaky soprano sax smear during the opening of their tune "Ex-Girlfriend In A Coma," the band bears no musical resemblance to their venerated namesake, but instead play what they call -- for lack of a better label -- electronic indie-pop. After numerous releases on their own Datawaslost label, the band released their latest album, Songs About Music, earlier this year.
From start to finish, Songs About Music is a fun and enjoyable listen. The guys definitely aren't hook-averse, offering up tunes that are sometimes breezy and wistful and sport catchy choruses. At other times they dig into darker, droning domains that fit snuggly into orbit around planet Shoegaze. In terms of songwriting styles, the cover a lot of bases and thread it all together with a thick sound that's heavy on buzzing, textural keyboard and guitar washes, all laid atop funky, punchy rhythms that all but mandate hip-shaking. And while it may epitomize something akin to a new "indie-pop sensibility," the core of its charm and catchiness is about as new-school as The Seeds or Question Mark and the Mysterians.
You can catch Coltrane Motion at Schubas this Wednesday evening. Hearsay has it that they throw a lot of energy into their sets and put on a good show. Butterfly Assassins and Let's Get Out Of This Terrible Sandwich Shop open. 3159 N. Southport. Show starts at 9pm and admission is $5.
[mp3]: Coltrane Motion - Twenty-Seven"
[mp3]: Coltrane Motion - "I Guess The Kids Are Okay"
[mp3]: Coltrane Motion - "How To Be"
— Graham Sanford
Concert Mon Dec 17 2007
New Year's Eve With Umphrey's McGee
Those with holes left in their end of the year social calendars could do much worse this NYE than to catch local band done good Umphrey's McGee at Uptown's Aragon Ballroom. The 2007 installment of what is becoming a traditional Chicago year ender also serves as a celebration of the band's 10th anniversary.
Formed in 1997 in South Bend, Umphrey's McGee have become summer festival staples and, in the mind of some, inheritors of the Grateful Dead, Phish jam band mantle. While there are some parallels to be drawn — ever-changing setlists, a rabid fanbase apt to see multiple shows and dissect the nuances on forums such as umphreaks.com, and a firm foot in improvisational rock — Umphrey's has a lot that separates it from the pack of current and recent jam-rockers. First, the band seems to draw from a deeper musical pool, pulling from Zappa, King Crimson, and Yes as much as from the Dead or Phish. With tongue planted firmly in cheek, the band has been known to cover everything from Toto to Radiohead to Snoop Dog.
Tickets to all three nights of Umphrey's Chicago stand are still available, with The Wailers opening Saturday 12/29 and Chicago's Tortoise providing support Sunday 12/30. Monday's NYE show will feature a video tribute for the band's 10th anniversary.
— Dan Snedigar
Concert Wed Dec 05 2007
Hideout Gets Heavy
I'll confess to have had my flings with noodly hippy jam rock and precious art pop, but lately, I have been developing a new theory centered on the basic premise that heavy metal music may be why God saw fit to send man the electric guitar. Chicagoans will have a chance to put that theory to the test this Saturday as the generally mild-mannered Hideout presents Hideout Gets Heavy, featuring three up-and-comers in the increasingly interesting Chicago metal scene. Leading the bill is Indian, celebrating their second release on local label Seventh Rule. Also appearing is Rabid Rabbit, something of a local super group featuring former members of Frontier, Camaro Rouge and Galactic Inmate and Den of Vipers and their sludgy grind.
A late night DJ set by Bruce Lamont of Yakuza winds things up.
More information and tickets at the Hideout's website. Show starts at 9pm, Saturday 12/8.
— Dan Snedigar
Artist Mon Dec 03 2007
Fancy Knucklework
As Miles Raymer recently detailed in the Reader, Kid Sister and crew recently produced a video for Sis's track "Pro-Nails." The video's now been released via Youtube, so check it out...
Made here in town (at the Nails R Us on Western Ave) for a modest $3K, the song and video features a cameo from Kanye West, who stopped by the shoot to join in on the some finger dancing.
— Graham Sanford
Artist Tue Nov 20 2007
Slashing the Suburbs
Just when you thought the re-united New York Dolls were too much, when Of Montreal's commercial was making you cringe, when Fergie having a sex tape had you out on the ledge, peering down 38 stories: this happens. Slash, the guitarist so bad-ass he had to leave his friend's wedding mid-ceremony to jam out a bad-ass helicopter-friendly guitar solo, has now written a book to sum his life. Why he did this instead of a week-long guitar solo is beyond this author, but we can only assume the autobiography, Slash, is a mildly more comprehensive (if less headbang-tastic) format. What's more, he will be signing this book in the Oak Brook Borders on Tuesday, Nov. 27th, at 7:30 PM. Borders? For real, Slash? And just in case you thought you could at least get that Use Your Illusion poster signed for the trip, think again: Slash will only be signing copies of the book due to the "popularity of this event". Our only hope is that if enough people smuggle in lighters, we can raise them all at once and trigger a Pavlovian response to shred in the erstwhile king of rock. At least he's still more productive that Axl.
— Dan Morgridge
Concert Tue Nov 20 2007
M.I.A/Low B, Cool Kids @ HOB and Vic
Chicago's hip-hop fans definitely have something to give thanks for this week, with two holiday bookend shows from insurgent rap superstar M.I.A. and Chicago's hometown heroes Cool Kids.
M.I.A. (real name Maya Arulpragasam) is the British-Sri Lankan artist whose melange approach to music blends everything from ragga to dancehall and back to hip-hop. M.I.A. became a critical darling in 2005 on the heels of the release of her debut album Arular and North American concerts at the sold out Bowery in New York and a stellar set at the 2006 Coachella festival.
Accompanying M.I.A. on this tour is DJ Low B (formerly Low Budget) who is one half (with Diplo) of the duo Hollertronix. This influential Philadelphia-based duo was at the forefront of the current trend towards eclectic DJing, mixing and mashing everything from indie to soul to old school rap in one frenetic mix. Low B himself is definitely a product of the age of rap. His personal sets draw heavily on classic rap platters and crate-digger soul numbers. There is also news from the Hollertronix camp that there is another M.I.A. mix tape in the works, a sort of Piracy Funds Terrorism part 2.
As if the headliner alone weren't enough to get you out of the house, M.I.A.'s opener is none other than Chicago's own up-and-comers Cool Kids. Touring in advance of their debut album and on the heels of a standout set at this past summer's Pitchfork Festival, Cool Kids seem on the cusp of well deserved wide recognition.
M.I.A with DJ Low B and Cool Kids play two shows this week, Wednesday 11/21 at the House of Blues and Friday 11/23 at The Vic.
Really Cool Contest! We've got a pair of tickets to give away to one lucky reader to the show tomorrow night (11/21) at the House of Blues. The first to email contests (at) gapersblock.com with the subject line "I'm Cool" gets the pair! UPDATE! We have a winner! Congrats to Eric!
— Dan Snedigar
Artist Mon Nov 19 2007
Thanksgiving with Percolator
If you thought the Get Up Kids were good and gone, you can put an end to your angst-ridden moping, and leave the dark corner for at least an evening to see a reincarnation, Percolator, play Ronny’s Bar this Wednesday. In preparation for having to spend all of Thursday with relatives, these Chicago locals will help you get one last whine out before the turkey and family values. Self-described as “pretty raucous” when it comes to live shows, they say they just want to “entertain and surprise people.” And with hooks that evoke Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, and an enthusiasm heard genuinely through their tunes, it should promise to do at least that. They’ve just finished recording their first record, Man is Not a Bird, which is streaming on their website for your listening pleasure. In addition to Thanksgiving, they’ll also be around the southside Dec 6th for a show at Reggie’s Rock Club.
Percolator @ Ronny’s Bar, Wed 11/21, 9 PM, 21+
@ Reggie’s Rock Club, Thurs 12/6, 8 PM, $6, 18+
— Emily Kaiser
Concert Mon Nov 19 2007
B1g t1me fun
Chicago seems to be breeding an entire sub-genre of well executed high-concept, low-brow theatrical rockers. In the past year or so, on the advice of friends, I have been introduced to the oddball exuberance of The Bitter Tears, and the peculiar camp of Let's Get Out of this Terrible Sandwich Shop. I must admit, however, that I was blindsided by the sheer weirdness of b1g t1me.
Last summer, I met some friends for drinks at Simon's in Andersonville on a Sunday. An interesting looking quartet was setting up in the corner. I asked what they did and the bartender summed it up; "They do '80's one-hit-wonder songs in the style of Tom Waits."
And that they do, more or less. What followed was two hours of pure fun, easily the most interesting accidental concert I've seen in years. The band manages an uncanny mimicry of Waits' style, wringing new meaning from songs that we've all heard a thousand times. Tom Petty's Don't Come Around Here No More takes on a decidedly threatening tone. Dio's Holy Diver is transformed from slapstick metal to a gospel-like call-and-response number. While the concept seems dubious on paper, there's definitely something else going on. By mixing a spot-on homage to Waits' innovative style with classic material that has subtly begged from day one for reinterpretation, b1g t1me manages to create something that easily stands on its own.
B1g t1me plays this Wednesday 11/21 at Quenchers Saloon, corner of Fullerton and Western.
— Dan Snedigar
mp3 Wed Nov 14 2007
Southside Beatdown
For over two decades, J. P. Chill's Friday Night radio show on WHPK has been a cornerstone of the Chicago hip-hop scene, and the show's hosted its share of top-tier guest appearances over the years. I myself used to have a cassette that I'd recorded from his show one evening back in early 1994 -- a show that included an incredible 20-plus minute freestyle battle between Masta Ace and his posse, a pre-Resurrection Common Sense(or Common, as we know him now), and the guys in the Southside crew East of the Rock.
Apparently I wasn't the only one recording some of these shows. Courtesy of an mp3 that was recently posted over at Exclusive Trax, we get to hear Common battle a young Kanye West on an edition of Chill's show from 1996. Check it out and get treated.
— Graham Sanford
Concert Tue Nov 13 2007
Mission of Burma @ Abbey Pub
F. Scott Fitzgerald once said that "In American lives, there are no second acts." I'm pretty sure that that theory doesn't hold water, and if you want to see direct evidence in the contrary, Mission of Burma will make a strong case at the Abbey Pub this Friday.
Mission of Burma formed in Boston in 1979, part of America's burgeoning post-punk/new wave movement. Unlike many punk groups, the members of M.O.B. (Roger Miller - guitar, Clint Conley - bass and Peter Prescott - drums) were well versed in their instruments and grounded in a sense of history that encompassed late '60's proto-punks such as the MC5 and The Stooges. Burma's songs were driving, angular rockers with intelligent, acerbic lyrics; audio pastiches of swirling guitar filtered through the soundboard by original audio engineer and tape loop artist Martin Swopes. In their first iteration, Burma's impact was limited to a single studio album Vs., one EP Signals, Calls and Marches and a couple of singles, all originally released on the Boston label Ace of Hearts. While their output was critically acclaimed, the band disbanded in 1983, in part due to Miller's worsening tinnitus.
1983 may have seen the end of the band's first act, but Michael Azzerad's 2001 punk rock paean This Band Could Be Your Life featured a chapter on the group, introducing them to a new audience. After some exploratory touring in 2002, with Bob Westen of Shellac manning the console and tape deck, Burma released two new studio albums, 2004's ONoffON and 2006's The Obliterati, effectively tripling their original output. Both albums ended up on year-end lists, and the band's live shows seem to maintain more vitality than a band off a 20 year hiatus has a right to possess. While it would be tempting to compare them to their early '80's heyday, it may be closer to the truth to say that their heyday is now.
Mission of Burma plays Chicago's Abbey Pub Friday, Nov. 16 at 9:00 PM with Weber Club, Helicopters, Comasoft and Fun Club opening.
— Dan Snedigar
Concert Fri Nov 02 2007
Some Things Not Lost In The Fire...
The press kit for the North Carolina outfit The Annuals would have us believe that the band is of the "should appeal to fans of Arcade Fire" stripe. Such reductivism and coattail-riding is the bread and butter of music industry blurbsters and hype merchants. Granted, there's plenty on the band's latest EP, Frelen Mas, to give teeth to the comparison. But fortunately, the Annuals know to pare back on the storm and stress and end-of-the-worldness much of the time, allowing more space for the listener to cozy into. And they prove that they're (thankfully) capable of bringing a little much-needed humor and whimsicality to the table.
On Frelen Mas, instruments and leads get passed around quite playfully, and the Annuals actually sound like they know how to enjoy themselves and keep the caterwauling and histrionics within reasonable limits. While their version of "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" doesn't really do the band or the songbook staple any great favors, there's still a fair amount of lush and capacious prettiness to be found throughout. Not to mention that they manage to pull together something that's damned near sexy with “Such a Mess.”
And, oh yeah, Sneak Attack Media is currently hosting a contest where fans and listeners are welcome to mashup an Annuals’ tune with some material by labelmates The Manchester Orchestra. Which, given the similarity between the two artists, ain’t exactly like mixing anchovies and ice cream. (Check the links below to hear the two bands covering each other's songs.)
The Annuals will be playing at Subterranean this coming Tuesday evening. Manchester Orchestra and The Nevers are also on the bill. 2011 W. North Ave. Doors open at 6;30pm, show starts at 7; and tickets are $10 in advance, $12 the night of.
[mp3]: The Annuals - "Where Have You Been?"
[mp3]: Manchester Orchestra - "Brother"
— Graham Sanford
DVD & Video Mon Oct 29 2007
Of Poor Gods and Unclad Emperors
Okay, Chicago Punk Rock 101 time. Anyone with a sense of this city's indie music history knows Naked Raygun. Formed in 1980, they were once this city's most formidable reps on the national punk scene, banging out their own brand of "blast furnace monomania" and influencing the sound of countless bands around the country. Strictly textbook, as they say. And by now, even the half-attentive know that the band has reunited "for good"--back in action for the past year or so, playing occasional in-town shows and doing a little touring from time to time.
This month Naked Raygun will be playing Riot Fest at the Congress Theater for the second year running, headlining on November 17. But next week sees the release of What Poor Gods We Make, a DVD overview of the band's history. An exclusive screening of the documentary will be held at Reggie's this Sunday evening, with copies of the two-disc set will be available for sale before the thing properly hits the streets on November 6. The band will reportedly be on hand for some hobnobbing, as well. An afterparty featuring a bunch of other noisy young things will follow. 2105 South State Street. 7pm. The screening is all ages, the afterparty is 18 and up. (312) 949-0125.
[video]: Naked Raygun - "Rat Patrol" (from What Poor Gods We Make)
[video]: Naked Raygun - "Surf Combat"
— Graham Sanford
Artist Tue Oct 23 2007
Cool Kids debut release announced
For the past few months, the rumor's been that the southside rap duo The Cool Kids were aiming to release their debut EP, Bake Sale, at some point in the unspecified future. Now the word goes out that the EP has been picked up for release by the crafty Chicago-based label Chocolate Industries. The hardcopy product of the EP is slated to hit the streets sometime in January.
In the meantime, the “Black Mags” single is due to drop sometime next month–which means it’ll start circulated while The Cool Kids are on tour opening for M.I.A. The tour arrives in Chicago for a pair of shows on November 21 and 23, at the House of Blues and Vic Theater, respectively.
— Graham Sanford
Artist Tue Oct 23 2007
Words Cannot Describe
On the same day that Radiohead released their newest studio album In Rainbows online at the always alluring whatever-you-feel-like price, a local group called The Lickets did the same. Through their captivatingly mysterious label International Corporation, the Chicago experimental outfit released not only their new album Journey In Caldecott online at consumer-decided prices, but their entire 4-disc discography. Set your own price here.
So just who are The Lickets? Spacey, other-worldy, and unsettling, theirs is the music that Alice would play on her iPod if she had remembered to grab it before heading into Wonderland. Journey In Caldecott is more than the name for this album, its also the concept. This is a trek, an epic journey through forgotten lands, emerald forests, and unholy temples. Tracks like "Jero" and "Rabbit Moon" emit Old World instrumentals and sensibilities, while remaining in the world of the fantastic. The band is made up of Mitch Greer and Rachel Smith, who "deploy a mini-orchestra violin, cello, guitar, double bass, flute, Farfisa, mellotron, vibraphone, Theremin, Mini-moog, chimes, xylophone, and percussion to create their thoroughly trippy travelogue."
For more fun, head to The Lickets' website to actually travel through Caldecott (it's sort of like a Victorian Myst).
— Michael Schmitt
Artist Tue Oct 09 2007
"You got BBD up on your bedroom wall/ But I'm above the rim and this is how I ball."
Lupe Fiasco has prompted, well, a fiasco.
Charged with performing a verse in a tribute to honorees Tribe Called Quest at last night's VH1 HipHop Honors show, Lupe went out...and forgot a quarter of the lyrics he was supposed to do. Compounding the disaster was the fact that he was performing for an audience full of people who knew the lyrics, and on stage with Pharrell WIlliams and Common apparently set the bar too high.
Afterwards, he blamed the incident on not growing up on Tribe's material and not having actually LISTENED to the albums Tribe's catalog is comprised of. What began as simply forgetting the lines at an awards show ballooned into a PR nightmare when one of hiphop's up-and-coming artists admitted not really giving a damn about it.
— Troy Hunter
Artist Fri Oct 05 2007
There's No Love In This War
Matt Arbogast is essentially The Gunshy. When he hits the road in support of his new record for Latest Flame, There's No Love In This War, he'll be touring with a group of like minded musicians but it's Matt's songs and his intensity that will bring the show to life. The new disc (out October 30) is a concept record based on the letters his grandfather wrote back from World War II.
Like any great art dealing with war, these songs illuminate the horrors, banality and just sheer ridiculousness of such a thing. Matt's grandfather died of a heart attack at the age of 39 due mainly to the shrapnel still embedded in his chest from wounds received in Anzio in 1944. You'll be able to pre-order this release from Latest Flame on October 16. The full band will be playing Oct. 12 at Ronny's.
[mp3]: The Gunshy - "May 14, 1943, The Khaki-Whacky Girls"
— Craig Bonnell
News Thu Sep 27 2007
We Roll Econo
Breakout southside hip-hop duo The Cool Kids have a new video out for their track "Black Mags." It's currently up on MTV.com, and you help represent the the new Chi scene by voting to push the Kids up on the network's "Freshman 5" contest. Maybe I missed some stuff, but this may be the first appearance of a rap act proudly spotlighting shortie lo-buck rides since Another Bad Creation's "Playground."
In related news, Cool Kids associate Hollywood Holt became something of a international phenomenon a short while back when he dropped his video for "Throw a Kit." The clip was instantly relayed to moped-enthusiast websites and chatboards the world over, and -- for lack of any opposing candidates -- became something of a mopedder's hip-hop anthem. But word has it that Holt's moped was stolen a few days ago. Apparently the theft took place somewhere in the vicinity of Jackson and Western.
UPDATE: Reached for comment after presstime of the above, Mr. Holt reported: "Yeah. My cousin caught the dude. Thanx though man."
— Graham Sanford
Artist Mon Sep 24 2007
These Kids Can Gaze
Too many high school bands are punk-pop, teeny-bopper-pleasing pretty-boys. Perhaps I'm opinionated, but the fact remains that teenage bands lack the variety found in older acts. So, a band like Anon, Good Nurse is a special find. Why? Anon, Good Nurse is a young local band with serious shoegaze chops.
Yes, that's right: a (mainly) teenage shoegaze group. If your mouth isn't watering as much as mine, something is seriously wrong with you. Despite some sketchy recording, their MySpace page provides two explosive instrumental tracks that ring with the same sort of musical climaxes as Explosions in the Sky, but with guitar influences closer to Sonic Youth at times (more on them later).
Running truly DIY out of their MySpace page, Anon have already played with notables Sunny Day in Glasgow, Knife, Caspian, and are scheduled to play with Tulsa...just to name a few. Additionally, the band just announced the completion of their debut record, which should be released and available at their shows through Mouthstatic Records (and in Japan through Friend of Mine Records) in November.
— Michael Schmitt
Artist Mon Sep 24 2007
Wilco in Your Pocket
For the price of a concert ticket, the whole band could be yours.
— Andrew Huff
Artist Wed Sep 19 2007
School of Language Enrolls at Thrill Jockey Records
Thrill Jockey Records, the local label that recently brought you such works as ADULT.'s Why Bother? and Everybody by The Sea and Cake, recently announced signing School of Language. Why should you care? Because David Brewis, previously of Field Music, is heading School of Language.
Back in April, just after the release of their critically acclaimed Tones of Town, the Sunderland chamber-pop act Field Music announced that they weren’t breaking up…but kind of putting the collective music-making on hold. Instead of a band, Field Music is until further notice a support group of sorts for the three "core members." The first work to come from this new arrangement is Ships (working title) from songwriter David Brewis under the moniker School of Language. The album is nearing completion, and will be released next year.
— Michael Schmitt
Concert Sun Sep 09 2007
Juke Crewin' Uptown
“I have this horrible feeling," Flosstradamus's Josh Young recently admitted to Fader, "[That] we might get hated on super hard.” Young was referring to Flosstradmus's role in helping spread the juke sound to "outsider"/non-Southside audiences. And yeah, given how territorial folks get about such things, that could conceivably happen. But whatever the case, it looks like the popularity of jukin' might be destined to break out -- be it on a crosstown or nation-wide level. Case in point: Check Sasha Frere-Jones's three-paragraph writeup of "Watch My Feet," the breakout track by southside Chi hip-hop artist Dude 'N' Nem that appears in the front pages of the latest New Yorker.
"Watch My Feet" has not only become the definitive juke tune of the season; but might be the track that puts the southside juke music scene (and the footwork that goes with it) on the map. And small wonder, because it's a helluva summer party joint -- deftly anchored with a steady, slow-rolling bass thump that keeps the whole thing on cruise control while the beats and verses flip into triple-speed juke mode. And the accompanying video (see above) complements the cut perfectly.
You can check out Dude 'N' Nem this Wednesday night, as they'll be kicking it with -- surprise, surprise -- Flosstradamus at Subterranean. Willy Joy opens. 2120 W. North Ave. Doors open at 9:30, show starts at 10. Admission is $5.
— Graham Sanford
Artist Fri Sep 07 2007
Music as a Business
Crain's Small Business' Entrepreneurs in Action video series this week features Chicago jazz and classical arranger Cliff Colnot. Worth checking out.
— Andrew Huff
Concert Tue Sep 04 2007
The Sounds of Signage
Signing Choir is the solo effort of Joey King, bassist for the Chicago glam-/psych-pop outfit The M's. The Choir's self-titled debut, to be released this week on Brilliante, is the culmination of of five year's worth of sideline songwriting and recording. Left to his preferences and devices, King cozies into low-fidelity space quite comfortably and furnishes it well; exploiting the four-track, bedroom recording aesthetic to maximum effect. Throughout there's plenty of fuzzy and bottom-heavy riffs, amplifier hum, and the grain of the voice cloaked in varied degrees of distortion.
Despite these deliberate rough edges, King proves himself an astute craftsmen when it comes to tailoring his songs with subtle, contrasting sonic details. He gravitates toward a post-mod mish-mash of pop stylings, and the Signing Choir sound is more pointedly "rockish" (in an early-90s college-radio way) than the Anglophilic hookiness of The M's usual material. He cranks things into bouncy mode on "Comb Your Hair" and "The Beths," and King proves himself consistently pop-savvy in the offing. But in its later stretch, the album settles into more shadowy terrain that's reminiscent of the shoe-gazing languidity of Dinosaur Jr. -- moody and ruminative, it's the sound of thoughts and feeling turning themselves over to see how their undersides fare against the light of day.
Brilliante Records and Schubas will be host a record release party for the Signing Choir CD this Saturday night, with Signing Choir -- featuring King with friends and The M's guitarist Robert Hicks -- headlining. Rock Plaza Central and Casey Dienel are on the opening bill, and DJ LA*Jesus will be spinning some tunes between sets. 3159 N. Southport. 10pm, admission is $8.
— Graham Sanford
Artist Thu Aug 30 2007
One Flew Over the Cuckold's Nest
What was it that André Breton said in one of his Surrealist manifestos, that "Beauty will be compulsive, or not at all"? Or wait…maybe he said that it would be convulsive. It's been misquoted so often that I can't remember which it is. But anyway, nevermind -- it's neither here nor there. For the Chicago band The Bird Names, the answer is that it will be both.
The Bird Names are about to release their third album, Wooden Lake/Sexual Diner, and chances are this is the first you're hearing about them. They've been around for about four-plus years, and have been playing in lofts and art spaces and clubs around town since the start. At first, they changed their own name many times over; and have had a number of members, friends, and valued contributors pass through their ranks all the while. On some evenings there's only a core group of about four or five people on stage when they play, on others so many of their extended family show up and join in that they can barely fit everyone on the stage. Sometimes they play plugged-in and very loudly, and on some occasions they perform much more subdued acoustic sets.
— Graham Sanford
Artist Mon Aug 27 2007
Your Annual My Bloody Valentine Reunion Rumor
My Bloody Valentine was hugely influential, having pretty much defined the shoegazing genre, and their mystique was only heightened by their dissolution after only two albums and the famous reclusiveness of Kevin Shields, the band's frontman and occasional Chicagoan. So it's no wonder that rumors surface every so often about a reunion show, tour, new album or some such thing.
The latest is this: MBV may get back together to play Coachella next year. The Daily Swarm has pulled together various reports from Shields interviews over the past few months in which he's mentioned a new album (and a retrospective), an '08 tour and other juicy hints. This coupled with a brand new MySpace band page and mybloodyvalentine.co.uk has recently been registered, and the Swarm thinks it all points to Coachella. Hmm...
At any rate, take the rumor with a grain of salt, but evidence certainly has been mounting. Time will tell.
— Andrew Huff
Review Sun Aug 26 2007
Dog-Paddling Through Domesticity
For some time now, Marvin Tate has been keeping a diminished profile on the local music scene. As of this month, that appears to have finally ended.
Those who've been around a while might recall his appearances at the Hot House and other venues around town with his former bands Uptighty and Marvin Tate's D-Settlement, or they might know him as a denizen of the city's spoken-word circuit. Since the break-up of D-Settlement, Tate has spent the past few years dwelling of the periphery; but now he's returned with Family Swim, his debut CD as a solo artist.
— Graham Sanford
Artist Fri Aug 24 2007
GIANT SOF' BOY!
After watching this very bizarre yet utterly hypnotic video for a giant figurine of Archer Prewitt's Sof Boy, one either comes away desiring one immensely, or being mildly creeped out. As soon as you give in to the desire to own one of these rapscallious marshmallow men though, be warned - with shipping included this baby will set you back a few hundo.
— Dan Morgridge
Artist Tue Aug 21 2007
The Lonesome Organist and Leaves
Tap shoes clacking across the Schuba's floor in time, accordion billowing, and his face a faraway grin - that was how the Lonesome Organist left us last time. Over a year and a half later, Mr. Jacobsen returns from his Fortress of Solo Simultaneous Instrumentalus to play a show at The Hideout this Friday with the lovely Leaves of local label . Expect the former to play more simultaneous instruments than you ever thought possible, and expect the latter to perform some of Chicago's finest "autumnal jazz". If you want a sneak preview, Leaves will also be playing a live set on WNUR Wednesday night.
— Dan Morgridge
Artist Mon Aug 13 2007
El Che goes to Philly.
Rhymefest is cooking up some great-sounding collaborations for his second album, El Che, as well as showing a flair for the funny, as he works with DJ Jazzy Jeff in Philadelphia. Most of you haven't heard or seen Jeff since Fresh Prince, but DJ Jazzy Jeff is internationally reknown at being damned good at what he does, namely DJing and production. (Check the video to get a sense of just how busy he's been.) It seems that 'Fest is about due for, at the very least, a solid album. Check the other videos to watch the wordsmith at work.
— Troy Hunter
Concert Wed Aug 08 2007
Throw A Kit On That, Get Caked...Holla!!
Maybe you've seen him crowd-surfing during sets by The Cool Kids, or maybe you've seen him and his Murder Gang moped crew cruising around the city, or maybe you've actually caught one of his recent appearances around town. Who I'm talking about is up-and-comer Southside emcee Hollywood Holt. So far, Holt's only released about a half-dozen or so unproduced, demo mp3 tracks; but the YouTube-circulated video for "Throw A Kit On That" recently made him something of an instant cult hero with moped enthusiasts the world over. He flexes with a definitively Southside sound, mixing buttery "diamond in the back / sunroof top"-styled elegance with a booty-rolling bump that's deeply rooted in a red-dirt, down-yonder party groove. And while "Stuntin' In My Caddy" probably won't displace Masta Ace's "Born To Roll" as the ultimate (s)low-rider's anthem, it sports its share of back-to-basics cold-diss verses that are just as hilarious.
And this Saturday is a good chance to catch him in a tight, lively environment at this month's installation of the Life During Wartime DJs' Hideout dance party. Aside from the mainstay crew of DJs Bald Eagle and Mother Hubbard, there'll be a live set from Hollywood Holt, who'll be kicking it along with his DJ and producer Million Dollar Mano. Also up on the bill is a special DJ set from the Chicago mash-up crew The Hood Internet. Much of the Hood's rollin' modus of late has been matching hip-hop hits to "alt-rock" staples, resulting in such hybrid mutations as R. Kelly vs. Broken Social Scene, Shop Boyz vs. Polyphonic Spree, and UGK vs. TV On The Radio. So go and get treated. 1354 N. Wabansia, Saturday August 11, 9pm-close. Admission is $8 ($5 after midnight).
[video]: Hollywood Holt - "Throw A Kit On That"
— Graham Sanford
Artist Fri Jul 13 2007
Emily Jane Powers Is A Punk Rocker
Emily Jane Powers is a mystery surrounded by a conundrum. She's been making lo-fi music here in Chicago and up in Michigan for a couple of years now. Her DIY homepage seems defunct, her MySpace page has no character or soul, and the only recent info I can find is a one sentence bio on a Virb profile she seems to be barely keeping up to date.
So I was surprised to find her on a new compilation of bands doing classic punk rock covers (Pants Yell, Boyracer, The Lucksmiths) being put out by the Swedish label Yellow Mica Recordings. I really like her rambling, folk-tinged cover of The Ramones classic mind-meld of surf rock with punk - "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker". Full track listing and more about the record here.
[mp3]: Emily Jane Powers - "Sheena Is a Punk Rocker"
The original in all it's ragged glory:
— Craig Bonnell
Artist Tue Jul 03 2007
Vassar Girl
There are three or four types of demo songs. The first one is just you and your friends goofing around with an eight-track and that's the end of that, the second is a stripped down version of a song that will need a lot of work to someday see the light of day, the third is overproduced schlock vainly trying to catch the ear of a major label A&R type, and the fourth is the demo that strikes gold sounding like a completed, mature work. To my ears Judson Claiborne's "Vassar Girl" is most like the last. Although he may beg to differ.
Judson Claiborne is an unsigned artist from Chicago who, according to his MySpace profile, is friendly with the Chicago bands Palliard and Low Skies. "Vassar Girl" sounds like the work of a much more established singer-songwriter. Judson's confidence in his use of strings, piano and guitar, as well as soaring vocals a la Jeff Buckely, shine through in this his first recorded output. You can see how this song and others translate live on July 31 when Judson opens up for Joan As Police Woman at Schubas.
[mp3]: Judson Claiborne - "Vassar Girl"
— Craig Bonnell
Artist Fri Jun 29 2007
Marky Ramone Is Getting Around
The Ramones earned their place in music history and Marky Ramone was there for much of the band's hall of fame career. Recently the band's drummer has been involved in many projects including producing a DVD about the Ramones, a satellite radio show, a spoken word tour and gigs with many punk superstars. You can throw DJing into the mix as well. Catch him this Saturday at Debonair Social Club with Jordan Z and Mat Devine of Kill Hannah. RSVP for free entry.
— Brent Kado
Concert Tue Jun 26 2007
A Basket Full of Mallets and a Yard Littered With Limbs
Tortoise pops its head out of its collective shell to make an in-town appearance at the Metro this weekend. Granted, it's been three years since they released an album of new material, but expecting a regular schedule from an entity that never fully behaved like a "band" in any conventional, rock-wise sense would be like asking Jackson Pollock to color between the lines. And it isn't like the band's their activities have been slack in the interim. Recent efforts have seen them all busy with their various side projects, be it the recent effort from The Sea & Cake, Doug McCombs continuing work under his Brokeback pseudonym, or guitarist Jeff Parker being the indefatigable and multi-skilled musician about town. Not to mention that this past week saw the release of the Bumps LP--a one-off project by drummers John McEntire, John Herndon, and Dan Bitney.
Despite all of the tangential bustle, Tortoise has reportedly been working on new material, and recently contributing some music for an upcoming documentary on Robert Moog. They're making a quick excursion of touring through major cities across North America. Sunday night will find them making a quick stopover at home base to play the Metro. Touring with the band and featured on the opening bill is Joan of Arc offshoot Make Believe. Somewhat newsworthily, the occasion marks one of Tim Kinsella's final performances with the group (in case you missed it, story here). So catch that while you can. First up on the billing is David Daniell. 3730 N. Clark. Tickets are $19. Doors open at 7pm, show starts at 8. 18 & over.
— Graham Sanford
Artist Fri Jun 22 2007
Tim Kinsella Quits Make Believe
In a strange, un-forseen turn of events, Tim Kinsella has announced that he is quitting his most recent, well-loved, full-time band Make Believe.
You can read Kinsella's full explanation here, as it appears on the band's official website. It's difficult to discern why this decision has been delivered now, with the new record fully-written, but it seems like "Being a sort of bizzaro David Lee Roth or whatever is kind of fun and fulfilling in some sort of way, but not something I have it in me to prioritize enough to commit the time to..." kinda sums it up.
The band's two remaining shows with Tortoise (the last at Metro on 7/1) will be Kinsella's last.
— John Lombardo
Artist Wed Jun 13 2007
The tension mounts...
So, it seems to be set. Due to drop July 31st, Common drops "Finding Forever," his seventh album in fifteen years. (Man, I feel old.) Some of the album's tracks can be sampled at his site. Production handled by will.i.am and Kanye West.
— Troy Hunter
Artist Sun Jun 10 2007
Rivers Known & Oceans Crossed
This week sees a pair of events celebrating the release of the new album from two Chicago jazz titans, tenor saxophonist Fred Anderson and percussionist Hamid Drake. Entitled From The River To The Ocean, the album was recorded by John McEntire at Soma Studios and it's a full-ensemble affair that features outstanding accompaniment from multi-instrumentalist Harrison Bankhead of 8 Bold Souls affiliation, bassist Joshua Abrams, and AACM guitarist Jeff Parker (of Tortoise, Chicago Underground Quartet, et al.) who steps in for three of the album's five tracks. Tuesday night, the full ensemble will be playing at an RSVP event at the headquarters of Stop Smiling magazine. The performance will be hosted by local author, curator, and musician John Corbett, who'll be conducting a public q&a with the band throughout the set. And on Wednesday night, the band will playing a regular evening set at Anderson's Velvet Lounge.
— Graham Sanford
Artist Fri Jun 08 2007
Just In Time For Summer, Furnaces Return Home
The Fiery Furnaces grew up as natives of Chicago suburb Oak Park, and now they're finally returning home - they've just signed to Thrill Jockey! According to the label, the sibilant siblings have just wrapped up recordings for Bitter City, which will be released on October 23rd. Feel free to give them a hearty slap on the back when they hit town for a show on June 22nd at the Empty Bottle.
— Dan Morgridge
Artist Thu May 31 2007
He really is rocking over London, Chicago now
Today marks what would have been the 44th birthday of the late great Chicagoan Wesley Willis. A staple of Chicago in the way that Thax Douglas or Gene Le can only hope to aspire to, Wesley was a prolfic artist and composer, albeit one with a crude style and monomaniacal sound. His profane lyrical titles, completely untrained style of singing, and recurring theme of product pitching at the end of each song was the perfect formula to win over Chicago youth - as well as a curious and burgeoning Napster. Wesley's schizophrenia was always a point of contention in the sincerity of his audience, but Wesley's big-heartedness and the blossoming trend of low-brow to no-brow humor appreciation seemed to truly delight most fans. Grab a friend and give them two headbutts for Wesley today.
— Dan Morgridge
Artist Wed May 30 2007
With Hearts All Aflutter...
This has been a whirlwind month for Chicago’s Pit er Pat. They’re in the final stretch of a tour that’s had them playing 28 cities in as many days. It's their second — or is it third? — such excursion playing out to support their most recent LP, the John McEntire-produced Pyramids, which was released on Thrill Jockey this past fall. This Friday has them playing their final gig of the country-wide circuit, winding down with a homecoming set at the Empty Bottle. The show involves a meager $8 admission and kicks off at 10pm.Touring companions Priestbird are also on the bill, with local psych-folk trio Scalpels scheduled to open.
As a special bonus for fans, Thrill Jockey recently posted a page featuring Pit er Pat performing covers of some of their own cult fave songs. Featured are the band’s interpretations of tunes by Yoko Ono, Oneida, Sade (yeah, you read that correctly), and the perennial classic “Underneath the Arches.” Check ‘em out:
[mp3]: Pit er Pat - "Dogtown"
[mp3]: Pit er Pat - "Sheets of Easter"
[mp3]: Pit er Pat - "Feel No Pain"
[mp3]: Pit er Pat - "Underneath the Arches"
— Graham Sanford
Concert Tue May 29 2007
In Case You Didn't Get The Memo...
Bouncy, synthy, power-pop hook-slingers Office pop their head up out of their cubicles to play a show at the Empty Bottle this Sunday. The up-and-coming local darlings, who've generated no small amount of buzz for themselves with their appearances at SXSW, are reportedly taking an extended breather for a few month until the release of their sophomore album that’s slated to drop in September. Their local gigs have been few and far between lately, so Sunday’s the night to go and catch them. Supporting them on the bill is the Detroit combo Freer, who are accompanying to promote their self-release debut CD, Secret Chorus. Favourite Sons also open. Show starts at 9:30, tickets are $8.
— Graham Sanford
Artist Wed May 16 2007
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Dancing
Four more years!!!: DJs Bald Eagle and Mother Hubbard
It's been four years since the Life During Wartime DJs crew came together and started spinning at clubs in Chicago. They're still at it, and their chosen moniker is, unfortunately, still relevant. The duo of DJs Bald Eagle and Mother Hubbard currently bills its homebase monthly appearance at The Hideout as “Chicago’s Dance Party.” While that may sound like a bold claim, it’s certainly apt. The past two years have seen LDW move to the top of the local popularity index, having proven themselves to be one of Chicago’s most reliable homegrown party-sparkers. This weekend sees them celebrating their four-year anniversary with a two-night dance party at The Hideout.
— Graham Sanford
Concert Fri May 11 2007
Life in a Few Stolen Moments
(photo courtesy of Robert Loerzel)
No two ways about it, John Lennox is a singer-slash-songwriter. He’s the kind that some might lazily label "alt-country" or some such animal. But for Lennox, such pigeonholing doesn’t amount to much. He started out playing guitar in various indie and experimental rock combos in his native Ontario years ago before gravitating toward his current musical modus. Ultimately, for him it’s more about the song than any stylistic conceits, and he has sense enough to know that a picture only mumbles if it’s craftlessly hung in the dimmest of lighting. Admittedly, the country-blues-folk-etcetera rubric fits for the way Lennox’s songs deal with the universalizing stuff — with love, loss, yearning, fond reminiscences, obligation, regret, and of the hard-won emotional insight and perspective gained from such things. In the end, the impression his 2005 album Into The Bull's Shoulder leaves isn't unlike that of a long cross-country drive, the sort you undertake with the purpose of being there for a certain someone in an hour of need. It manages to capture the gravity of those moments when you're aiming through those sparser stretches, when the radio goes laconic and you instead listen inside yourself, briefly allowing yourself to think of the why and whatfor of what you're doing, of the reasons for the journey taken.
Lennox also seems to have an exceptional knack for pulling together a good band. His last album demonstartes as much, and judging from his recent performances around town, he's managed to do it a second time after relocating to Chicago this past year. His current band features a collection of local musicians who usually gig on the local jazz circuit, including drummer Daniel Groll, who can bang out some fat Southern soul-styled licks when the occasion calls for it. On the more uptempo numbers, the crew deals out some country-blues swing that can get your foots scooting and hips swaying. His songs are varied in mood and feature arrangements that are astutely tailored to match. A faint tinge of Blonde on Blonde-vintage Dylan colors some tunes. And on the slower numbers, you sometimes catch a Willie Nelson-ish lilt creeping into his voice. Lyrically, he's fairly plainspoken, but the occasional poetic twist turns up. Such is the case on the aching duet "No One Loves You," with its opening verse: “I can hear voices / I can see devils / and counterfeit rebels in the street. / Chinese flowers / Gloves made of powder / And infrequent showers relieve the heat.” Recent material reveals Lennox moving in a slightly more rock-ish direction on some tunes, proving that he’s not limiting himself to balladeering and honky-tonkness.
The John Lennox Band will be playing at the Empty Bottle next Tuesday night, so this is a good time to catch him. He’s in the opening slot on the bill, warming things up for Merle the Mule and Barely American, meaning that this is one instance when you’ll want to get there by opening time. Show starts at 9:30 pm, and admission is $7.
[mp3]: John Lennox - "You Got To Move"
[mp3]: John Lennox - "Pretty Green Eyes"
— Graham Sanford
Artist Tue May 08 2007
Paribus Records - A Local Label To Know
Chicago is a city briming with little-record-lables-that-could, mixing what this city does best, hard working Midwestern drive with an eye on the cutting edge. One such label that has steadily built up a strong group of artists, is now showing they're ready to begin buidling an equally strong catalog. Paribus Records artists generally offer up dreamy (dreary) electronic rock, but they all have a delightfully unique sound. Menowah, whose recent EP After Everything, is a record all the art kids and grungy post rockers need to pick up. It's perfect gritty chill out music or gradual party starter. Menowah strikes a balance between Boards of Canada-esque reflections and more energetic, pulsating, hip-shaking pieces that offer a middle ground that makes their form of electronica easily digestable. Paribus also has upcoming releases from LMNOP (sexy, hypnotic beats) and Sally. (music is an action and Sally is halluconaginic desire) With these new releases Paribus seems to have graduated from upstart label to rising player in Chicago's impressive record label field
— Brent Kado
Artist Mon May 07 2007
CocoRosie Get Put in the Pokey
Touch and Go artist CocoRosie made an announcement on their MySpace (now since removed) earlier today that they were forced to cancel several upcoming tour dates including a Saturday stop in Chicago. A comment on and AbsoutePunk message board seems to indicate that band member's work permits may have been the culprit. The sisters are presumably fine, as prisoners are not yet allowed to swap their one phone call for one blog post. Yet.
— Dan Morgridge
Artist Wed May 02 2007
Lupe wants you to Cool out.
Now that the ebb from Food and Liquor has died down, Lupe Fiasco is concentrating on the followup album, Cool. Tentatively, the album will see the light of day in late October.
Lupe has big plans for the album, including reuniting Pink Floyd for an appearance. Sounds as if he should at least get points for trying something new.
— Troy Hunter
Artist Mon Apr 30 2007
Cornbread warming up...
The Fader sits in with Common and Kanye West for a listening session for a rough draft of Common's album Finding Forever. Track by track synopses, including appearances from Lily Allen, Bilal, and - what's this? - D'Angelo.
— Troy Hunter
Artist Sat Apr 28 2007
Way down...
She's part of a legendary musical family, a Rock n Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and is set to take the stage at Harlem's Apollo Theatre 40 years after she first stepped onto it. Chicago native Mavis Staples' new album, We'll Never Turn Back was released last week, and it certainly does not disappoint fans of her earlier work, and it may be a good starting point for those of a younger generation who may not be aware of her talents.
- Video - "Eyes on the Prize" - first single
— Troy Hunter
Artist Fri Apr 20 2007
Never on schedule, but always on time.
Only in rare cases can an artist be called out and called a savior in the
same year. Only rarer in hip-hop, where entire careers can be summarized by an artist's choice of adversaries and the resulting verbal sparring match and the inevitable "who won/who got sonned".
Nas’ career trajectory started high in 1994 with Illmatic and had sunk pretty low amongst hip-hop followers with a number of iffly projects, spotty albums, and Jay-Z’s verbal barrage “Takeover”. The resulting responses seemed to have stirred up the sleeping giant.
With last year’s “Hip Hop is Dead,” fans and critics were faced with the fact that an insider, a pioneer of the genre, had essentially called it over, that the show was done, pack up and go home. He then spent the album revitalizing the art, garnering critical acclaim and healthy album sales. Couple the popular response to the album with the “street” response of his release of three remixes of “Where Are They Now?” The album version mentioned various 80s and 90s artists and asked where they were. The remixes brought some of those artists out to shine once again. This goodwill gesture was just the latest to endear himself to an audience that wasn’t really paying attention much his recent output, or at least since Illmatic
He comes to the Congress Theater tonight as part of his “Hip Hop Is Dead Tour”. More info available here.
-
Where Are They Now? remix - courtesy of Soul Sides
Can't Forget About You - video
— Troy Hunter
Artist Wed Apr 11 2007
Filled With Radio Cures
Glenn Kotchke discusses Wilco's upcoming record Sky Blue Sky, with X-Press Online. Glen weighs in on file-sharing ("They are supporting the band"), catchy songs versus album continuity ("I’d rather have a good complete record") and the possible pigeon-holing of his solo record ("I am not playing drum clinics, I am playing rock clubs" {this author's new catch-all phrase of the day}). Wilco will be playing at Bonnaroo (June 14th-17th) and Sky Blue Sky comes out on May 15th.
— Dan Morgridge
Artist Tue Apr 10 2007
Play. Repeat. Play.
Touch & Go favorite Ted Leo's latest single off of the recently released Living With the Living, carries a video from first time director Sara Grady that drives home Leo's message well. On "Bomb. Repeat. Bomb." protestors carry placards that serve as windows to the depressing reality of war and exploitation that Leo perpetually strives against. Hmmm, thoughtful stuff. On a lighter note, drummer Chris Wilson continues to sport a kick-ass beard.
Ted Leo and his pharmaceutical team sell their own brand of aural drugs at the Metro on Saturday, April 28th.
— Brandon Forbes
Album Mon Apr 09 2007
Roots Control
It's to no small degree of anticipation that Chicago's The Jai-Alai Savant released its debut LP, Flight of the Bass Delegate, this past week. Equally due to the take-notice served with prior EP Thunderstatement and to frontman Ralph Darden's sidework as DJ Major Taylor, the band has netted a fair amount of attention, both here and elsewhere. And here's to making a grand entrance.
By way of an opener, Jai-Alai get things rolling in a dark and heavy mode with "Datamassagana" — a tune that plays off both the title and primary melodic riff from The Abyssinians' classic Trench Town devotional, "Satta Massa Gana." The track's swollen, plaintive horn chorus sets a haunting, ominous tone for what’s to follow, its skulking bassline connoting dread in both senses of the word. No sooner does it fade, then the band strips gears by launching into a whiplash-inducing trio of tunes of punk-pedigreed pop. This back-and-forth manner of navigating between styles — from rock to dub and then back again — plows a twisting path, lending the album a varied sense of balance and pacing.
— Graham Sanford
Artist Mon Apr 09 2007
Find yourself some Forever
So, you may have heard that Common has an album coming out later this year. You may even have heard that the kids say that it's "highly anticipated." Now, a bit more information has popped up.
Kanye West looks to take a lot of the production duties, and this is shaping up to be a J Dilla tribute album, for better or for worse.
— Troy Hunter
Artist Fri Apr 06 2007
Who are the Swimmers?
Starting anew can be risky, especially when things seem to be on the upswing. But that's exactly what Steve Yutzy-Burkey did when he disbanded Philadelphia's One Star Hotel to start the Swimmers. On Thursday night they visited Schubas for their first Chicago show. Beginning with "It's Time They Knew", which has been a hit across the MP3 blogosphere, the Swimmers played an energetic 40-minute set rawer than the album, in which influences from all over could be heard - notably, Yutzy-Burkey invoking a bit of James Mercer's vocal style, the drumming of the Beach Boys' "I'm Waiting for the Day" on "Heaven", and a cover of "Mr. Blue Sky." Don't be surprised if they're headlining Schubas when they next come to town.
Last week before they left for this short Midwestern jaunt, I had a chance to talk with Steve Yutzy-Burkey about the Swimmers, his day jobs, and playing in a band with his spouse. Read it under the cut.
— James Ziegenfus
Artist Wed Apr 04 2007
Happy Birthday Mr. Waters
Today is the birthday of one McKinley Morganfield, who decided that name was slightly not awesome enough and so endeared himself to us as Muddy Waters. Not a Chicagoan by birth, Waters came here in 1943 at the age of 30 to try and become a full-time professional in the most competitive Blues market in the country and possibly world. With the help of Big Bill Broonzy and the Chess brothers, Muddy far exceeded his expectations.
— Dan Morgridge
Artist Fri Mar 30 2007
Dear Twista,
K-Town native Twista has had many many great titles: World's Fastest Rapper, Platinum-selling Artist, Kanye West Collaborator - and now he gets to add Newspaper Columnist to the pile. Twista will be answering reader mail and questions in his own column with the Redeye. It will appear once a week as a promotional tool for his upcoming release Adrenaline Rush 2007. Hopefully they'll stay true to his speaking pace and print it without spaces.
— Dan Morgridge
Artist Sat Mar 17 2007
With A Face Like That
The Birdman is everywhere. No, not Larry Legend or the Cash Money Hip Hop Mogul. It's Andrew Bird, and his amiable mug appears on both Time Out Chicago and New City's cover this week. Bird's current media deluge comes at the forefront of his soon to be released album Armchair Apocrypha. It's not just hype though, the eclectic artist has been laying a solid foundation of musical mastery and personal style that predicated his ability to be a media darling. And now all that groundwork is displaying itself on Chicago's alternative press. But maybe you want to hear something from Mr. Bird and not just look at his introspective guise. NPR has a stream up from his SXSW WXPN Showcase performance in which you can hear 20 minutes of Bird's genre fusing elegance. Now you have some fresh music of Bird's to listen to as you read over the many recent articles devoted to him.
— Brent Kado
Artist Thu Mar 15 2007
The Prides of March
If you're having a baby this week, break out the Baby Mozart tapes: mid-March is apparently a good week to be born a Chicago musical genius. On Tuesday, velvet-tongued rap standard-bearer Common turned 35. (That means it's been 13 years since he lost his Sense — ba dump ching!)
A little higher up the legend status ladder is the inestimable Quincy Jones, born in the Windy City 74 years ago as of yesterday. Aside from producing the albums that made Michael Jackson a musical legend, he also organized "We Are The World" — one of the greatest charitable moments in music, if perhaps not the best-aging collaboration.
And last, but barely least, Grand Poobah Pumpkin Billy Corgan will turn the big 4-0 this Saturday — in honor of his forthcoming new release, let's dye the Chicago River green like a ripening pumpkin in his honor!
— Dan Morgridge
Artist Mon Mar 12 2007
I Guess This Makes It Official...
The April issue of URB will feature the magazine's annual picks for anticipated blow-ups of hotness for this coming year. And -- padow! --judging from who made the cover of the thing, it looks like what a fair number of us have suspected for some time is now nationally confirmed. Kid Sister and Flosstradamus, ya'll. Hopefully this means there's still time to catch 'em at some of the smaller local venues in the near future.
— Graham Sanford
Artist Sat Mar 03 2007
Ears Ring
Ten years ago, Princeton Scheide Professor of Music History and Gregorian chant expert Peter Jeffrey went to a rock concert for the first time in his life to watch/pick up his son. Eight years ago today, he went to court to sue the Smashing Pumpkins, Fountains of Wayne, the Frogs, the New Haven Coliseum, Virgin Records, and earplug manufacturer Siebe North for 150,000 dollars, claiming the single performance, even as heard through the protection of the earplugs, had caused irreparable damage. His lawyer stated Mr. Jeffrey "has chronic tinnitus and also suffers from sleep deprivation". At one point he even appeared on the Today Show - you think he was trying to make a point about that loud rock music?
— Dan Morgridge
Artist Fri Mar 02 2007
And still more yet to do...
Ye, Common, and Twista are flag-bearers for Chicago hip-hop, and Rhymefest wants to join that rarefied air. He's battled Eminem, he's won a Grammy, and he's preparing his second LP effort. His new album, El Che is said to feature Kanye, DJ Premier, and Ghostface. He sits for an audio interview and speaks on touring, the new album, and battle rhyming, among other things.
— Troy Hunter
Artist Mon Feb 19 2007
Historical Gangsta Rap
Just in time for President's Day, local writer and comedian David Wolinsky has released Abe & Ben: History's First Thugs, the first entry, to our knowledge, in the new genre of Historical Gangsta Rap. A genre that will soon be burgeoning with new, er, old, talent.
Learn marginally more here.
— Andrew Huff
Artist Thu Feb 15 2007
Dave Fischoff Continues Low-Level Flight, Thanks You For The Add!
Dave Fishoff has got to be wondering where, exactly, the radar is located, because he's been skimming the bottom of it for a while now. After being picked as Spin's Artist of the Day back in December, being written up by PopMatters and even getting some local love from TimeOut Chicago, it looks like he's finally hitting the mainstream by getting picked as a MySpace.com Featured Artist.
Okay, maybe not. But that's a crying shame, since Fishoff has picked up the blip-pop cause in convincing fashion with The Crawl, the sort of basement recording that makes Ukranian Village basement apartments seem far more appealing than they actually are. Full of samples culled from the Chicago Public Library's sound bank and lush vocal layering, Fischoff has made a strong play towards replacing that one Postal Service song on your go-to first date makeout playlist. Now we just have to convince you to drop Lady In Red and our work here may finally be done.
[MP3]: Dave Fischoff - "Ghost Of An Afternoon"
— Nilay Patel
Artist Sat Feb 10 2007
Bloc Party Listening + Free Bushmills = RSVP Right Away!
There's a listening party at the Subterranean, 2011 W. North Ave., tonight (Saturday) for Bloc Party's new album, A Weekend in the City, and there's free Bushmills whiskey from 10pm to midnight if you play your cards right at RSVP to rsvp@enpriseentertainment.com. DJs Mother Hubbard and DU4Play also spin. No cover, 21+.
— Andrew Huff
Artist Fri Feb 02 2007
If Only This One Had Christopher Walken In It
There's a new Deerhunter in the culture lexicon, but instead of a harrowing tale of war and Russian Roulette, this one's a pleasantly avante-garde band from Atlanta. Now here's the question: they're out on Chicago label kranky, they're booked by Chicago bookers The Windish Agency, they've even given a glowing review from local scene-setters Pitchfork. So why don't they have a Chicago tour date yet? Show some love for your home-away-from-home, fellas!
In the meantime, we'll have to make do with enjoy this video for Strange Lights:
For the truly brave, you can check out their other video for "Lake Somerset", but I'm warning you - it's creepy.
Update: Psst: Windish says Deerhunter will be playing here on April 4th at the Empty Bottle!
— Dan Morgridge
Radio Wed Jan 03 2007
A Musical Resolution & The End of Jazz
Eight Forty-Eight interviewed musician and teacher Michael Droste this morning about his just-completed One Song Every Day project , which began as a New Year's resolution in 2006. Listen to the interview here (mp3).
Later in the show, Chicago Public Radio's decision to kill its nighttime jazz programming was defended by music critic John McDonough (mp3), who pointed out that many of the most vocal opponents of the decision don't actually listen to jazz on the radio.
If you do listen to jazz on the radio, your last chance to do so at 91.5 on your FM dial is tomorrow (Thursday) night beginning at 8pm, when Dan Bender, Richard Steele and Sarah Toulouse will host the final eight hours of jazz programming as a team.
UPDATE: Here's Peter Margasak's take on the McDonough piece.
— Andrew Huff
Artist Tue Nov 07 2006
OK Interview
Good interview with OK Go bassist (and choreographer) Tim Nordwind over at Chicagoist, talking about the band's wildly successful videos, songs about bad relationships and the price of fame before devolving into a discussion of ping pong.
— Andrew Huff
Artist Mon Sep 25 2006
Hotel Intercontinental Drops Jazz
The Hotel Intercontinental abruptly ended its 15-year-old jazz program last week, the Tribune reports, leaving featured performer Judy Roberts without a Chicago venue. Roberts had played piano in the hotel's streetside lounge since 1991, except for 2001-2003, when other musicians regularly filled in. Her last performance was Friday.
No replacement plans have been announced by the hotel. Fans can only hope that some other hotel or venue will pick up where the Intercontinental dropped off, and Roberts will be back to playing Thursday through Saturday every week. She still has a regular gig at Chambers in Niles; check her website for news of future shows in the city.
— Andrew Huff
Artist Thu Sep 21 2006
Need Them Around?
It's tantamount to sacrilege around these parts, but I fail to be enthralled by the return of the Smoking Popes. Still, they've made a triumphant go of it this second time 'round, and the crowd at Lollapalooza certainly showed some love. If you missed that set, you can now hear it at home: Thetripwire reports the band has released the live material on iTunes.
—
Artist Wed Sep 13 2006
The Nouvelle Vague Are Copycats
The French band Nouvelle Vague has found a nice niche with the indie rockers by playing lounged-up bossa nova covers of classic alternative songs, like "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and "Guns of Brixton." But I can't help but think that Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux must have come up with the idea after hearing a copy of Prozak for Lovers.
Chicago studio musician Bruce Lash recorded "Prozak" in 1998, covering popular songs from the '70s and '80s, including, yes, "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (a cleaner, more soothing version than Nouvelle Vague's), "Don't Fear the Reaper," and "London Calling." The self-released album disappeared for a few years before becoming available through CD Baby in 2001. Lash released a follow-up in 2004, covering alt-rock hits from the '80s and '90s, such as "Black Hole Sun," "Lithium" and "Psycho Killer."
I find the first album more satisfying than the sequel -- the latter is a bit more formulaic, while the former shows more of the creativity of experimentation. Both are worthwhile if you're into covers, even moreso if you're looking for something to surprise your friends with at parties. (You might also want to explore Lash's site -- he's got lots of mp3s of his other work, which ranges from folk to psychedelia.)
— Andrew Huff
Artist Fri Sep 08 2006
Lollapalooza: a Curse and a Blessing?
If you caught Nickel Creek's set at Lollapalooza last month, count yourself lucky. The band has decided to take a "break of indefinite length" (at the end of 2007). Mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile is going ahead strong with his solo career with a new album out soon, and it seems the break is relatively amicable. (With the "never say never" vibe coming out of their press statement, I wouldn't say it's goodbye forever, but you just never know.) Another Lollapalooza act with some good news is local bluesy rockers Catfish Haven who'll stop back in town next weekend while they promote their first full-length album Tell Me (out 9/12). Each Note Secure has some kind words and some mp3s available.
— Anne Holub
Artist Sun Sep 03 2006
We're Promised to Hear What is Making Him "So Angry"
The Thax Douglas "Farewell, Chicago" Tour 2006 continues Tuesday night as he appears on WLUW's "Think Pink." Billed as "Chicago's only all-music radio show for the queer community," the program airs from 6-8pm on 88.7FM. (See Anne's Really Quick Interview for a preview.)
—
Artist Fri Sep 01 2006
YouTube Has Neko, OK GO (x3)
YouTube is all over it: Neko Case & The Sadies perform "Hold On, Hold On" on Conan from Wednesday; OK Go rocks the treadmills at MTV's 2006 VMAs last night, plays live on Letterman Wednesday, and, most curiously, films themselves getting a pre-VMA performance pep talk from N'Sync's JC Chasez in the bathroom Thursday night. Viva la YouTube.
—
Artist Wed Aug 30 2006
Late Night with Neko Case & Kelly Hogan
To Tivo: Neko Case and Kelly Hogan will perform on Late Night with Conan O'Brien tonight.
— Andrew Huff
Artist Mon Aug 21 2006
Devin Davis is Floating
Good interview with Devin Davis over at I Guess I'm Floating.
— Andrew Huff
Artist Sat Aug 19 2006
Sextet seeks guitarist for lush melodies, romantic dinners
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.
— Kris Vire
Artist Mon Aug 07 2006
Berman, Lekman & Grier Interviews
Chicago Public Radio music producer Andrew Gill interviewed David Berman, Jens Lekman and Josh Grier of Tapes 'n' Tapes who all played Pitchfork last month.
— Andrew Huff
Artist Fri Aug 04 2006
Here it OK Goes Again
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.
— Andrew Huff
Artist Thu Aug 03 2006
Frolicking in the Ether
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.
— Andrew Huff
Artist Tue Aug 01 2006
Deathcabapalooza, Part 2
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.
—
Concert Thu Jul 27 2006
A Revival in her Own Right – Jolie Holland
I’m a big fan of the ukulele. It’s an instrument that can bring a touch of old-timey tradition while being a little kitschy. I love that. These days I feel like the musician who plays it has taken a little extra time to master their craft, and to expand far past the likes of Don Ho. A more recently recognized ukulele player and indie songstress from San Francisco, Jolie Holland is on tour and performing tracks off of her new album, Springtime Can Kill You released from Anti Records. Jolie sound is straight out of the depression era basin, filled with roots and gospel even if she never had to survive the stock market crash of the century. Her lyrics are sweet, soulful and modern, however, she uses her voice to conjure spirits of a lost generation, telling tales that sound like they’ve been passed down from years long ago. Jolie Holland can be seen performing at Schubas tonight, at 7 and 10pm.
— / Comments (0)
ADVERTISEMENT
Feature Thu Jun 18 2009
TTTTotally Dudes Explain It All
By Dan Morgridge
A DJ duo by the name of TTTTotally Dudes has formed, intentionally or not, to address these grave issues of the day.
Blogroll
Chicago
Alarm Magazine
Atavistic
Avant/Chicago
Big Rock Candy Mountain
Bloodshot Records
Can You See The Sunset From The Southside
Crickets
Post No Bills
Chicagoist Arts & Events
CHIRP
Cream Team
The Deli Chicago
Delmark Records
Jim DeRogatis
Do Not Follow
Empty Bottle
Fake Shore Drive
The Hideout
The Hood Internet
Jam Productions
Little White Earbuds
Live Music Blog
Loud Loop Press
Metro
Minty Fresh
The Morse Theater
mP Shows
Oh My Rockness
Old Town School of Folk Music
Paste Local
Pitchfork
Red Threat
Resident Advisor
Schubas
Songs:Illinois
Sound Opinions
Stereogum
Stop Being Famous
Subterranean
Theft Liable to Prosecution
Touch & Go/Quarterstick Records
Turn It Up (Greg Kot)
Uncommon Ground
UR Chicago
Victim Of Time
WFMU's Beware of the Blog
What to Wear During an Orange Alert
Further Afield:
Analog Giant
Art Of Rhyme
BBQ Chicken Robot
Beats Per Millennium
Brooklyn Vegan
Bust The Facts
CMJ
Cocaine Blunts
Coke Machine Glow
Coolfer
The Couch Sessions
Count Me Out
Culture Bully
Daytrotter
Donewaiting
Fluxblog
The Futurist
Gorilla Vs. Bear
Hear Ya
Heave Media
Hot Biscuits
Hooves On The Turf
The Hype Machine
Idolator
Indie Ear
Killahbeez
Largehearted Boy
Leaders 1354
Market Frenzy
Moistworks
My Old Kentucky Blog
Music for Robots
NPR: All Songs Considered
Okayplayer
The Onion A.V. Club
Paste Magazine
Said The Gramophone
Shake Your Fist
Spin Magazine
Soul Sides
You Ain't No Picasso
Events
Sat Jul 4 2009
Drive-By Truckers @ Taste of Chicago
Sun Jul 5 2009
Taste of Chicago's Last Day @ Grant Park
Mon Jul 6 2009
Edible Audible Picnic: Experimental Sound Studio
Tue Jul 7 2009
Tuesdays on the Terrace : Corey Wilkes @ MCA
Thu Jul 9 2009
Fiery Furnaces @ The Hideout
Featured Series
Transmission on Flickr
Join the Transmission Flickr Pool.
About Transmission
Transmission is the music section of Gapers Block. It aims to highlight Chicago music in its many varied forms, as well as cover touring acts performing in the city.
Editor: Anne Holub, ash@gapersblock.com
Transmission staff inbox: transmission@gapersblock.com
Subscribe in a reader.
