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.)
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.
Heads up, y'all. In case you hadn't been paying attention, Chicago has become something of a hotbed for "hipster rap" in the past few years. This week's edition of the Reader, hitting the streets on Thursday, features an intriguing "Sharp Darts" feature by Miles Raymer on a new wave of haterisms – prompted by a couple of webzine articles that have recently stirred up some debate and are landing a number of Chicago hip-hop artists at the top of a couple of shit lists (see here and here).
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.
- As noted in Merge, Chicago-gal Liz Phair will perform Exile in Guyville live in honor of the album's reissue, along with three unreleased B-sides and "Guyville Redux" DVD. Chicago concert date/location TBA.
- Final lineup for the music end of the Taste of Chicago has been announced. It's going to be Gomez and Alejandro Escovedo on July 4th, Bonnie Raitt and on July 5th, and Aly & AJ, A Cursive Memory, and Keke Palmeron on July 6th.
- And speaking of music at the Taste, if you want to participate in the Battle of the Bands during the Taste of Chicago there's info here [PDF] and the application here [PDF].
In what can only be described as a myopic attempt to head off disasters such like E2 tragedy in 2003, Chicago lawmakers are attempting to pass legislation that will make it extremely difficult for promoters to put on concerts at established venues. The legislation would require independent promoters to acquire a license costing between $500 and $2,000 every two years, get fingerprinted and get a criminal background check, and secure as much as $300,000 in liability insurance and be 21 or older.
Adding another bureaucratic and economic hurdle to presenting live music in the city, this ordinance should be put in perspective by the fact that Chicago already has some of the strictest laws on the books in regards to promoting concerts. Given the recently published study outlining the economic impact of the Chicago music scene undertaken by the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Cultural Policy in conjunction with the Chicago Music Commission, one would hope the city would be doing things to encourage the arts rather than further constrict the ways in which promoters operate.
*UPDATE*: Apparently all the noise being made about the ordinance has had favorable results. For now the legislation is being "tabled" so it can be fine tuned for future proposal. We'll keep an eye on it when it resurfaces, but for now we can rest easy.
Only a couple years after Daniel Barenboim's departure from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Riccardo Muti has been named as music director. He will officially take over the position for the 2010-2011 season. Muti's most notable tenures have been with the Philadelphia Orchestra and La Scala. He has also been a guest conductor with numerous European orchestras, as well as the New York Philharmonic.
Perhaps taking a dig at Barenboim's displeasure with the music director's role in fundraising, Muti remarked on his openness to community relations, stating, "This is the most exciting part of the position of the music director." Although, Muti himself arrives with some baggage following his late turmoil at La Scala that effectively ended after a no-confidence vote from musicians and staff.
"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.
The announcement earlier this month that Sly & the Family Stone would play at the Vic this Saturday evening was greeted by potential concertgoers with emotions ranging from absolute glee to serious hesitation. Not surprisingly, considering Sly's erratic behavior over the last, oh, nearly 40 years, Saturday's gig has been cancelled "due to health reasons." Whether that is actually the case or not may remain a mystery in the same way that the Minneapolis cancellation the night prior is due to "scheduling conflicts." Reviews from last weekend's shows in Los Angeles (here and here) indicate inconsistent performances highlighted only by moments of greatness among many of mediocrity.
In other news about events that aren't happening, this weekend's rescheduled grand opening of the new Bottom Lounge has been postponed. Last weekend's Earth show had been moved and this weekend's shows by Urge Overkill and MU330 (They're still around?) have simply been postponed. Hopefully, the proper Ts and Is are crossed and dotted before next weekend's shows.
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.
Perhaps you've seen the date listed in the Reader, and today Pitchfork has confirmed as much -- Sly & The Family Stone will be playing four select cities in the U.S. next month. This abbreviated tour includes a stop in Chicago, where they'll be playing at The Vic on the evening of Saturday, May 3rd.
The news comes after many months of speculation and hearsay about a possible comeback for Sly and the band. First, there was the 2006 performance at the Grammys that featured a majority of the Family Stone joining Sly onstage; with a feature-length profile in Vanity Fair that followed some months later. Rumors about the Family Stone reuniting to record and perform began circulating, and were (somewhat) substantiated when Sly played a European mini-tour in the summer of 2007. A handful of shows in New York this past November and December helped kick the talk of a possible comeback effort into high gear.
We’ve told you about the apocalypse that may be coming in Lollapalooza, now, we’re gonna warn you about impending ticket apocalypse. Just part of our public service here at Transmission.
Ah, neo soul. This ain’t your sister’s funk cassettes, your aunt’s Stax eight-tracks, your granddad's original pressing Motown vinyl. The game has changed, and so have the names. The first name basis we were on with Aretha, Gladys, Anita, and Sharon are being phased out by the pop machine to clear the floor for contenders to Top Diva status.
There are a few contenders to the throne, and two have made Chicago a stop on their tours recently. Jill Scott, aka Jilly from Philly, stopped by earlier this month, and the tickets to her appearance sold out in less than an hour. Hence our PSA to you.
Erykah Badu, on tour supporting her latest musical opus Amerykah, comes to the Chicago Theatre with The Roots on May 30th, which promises to be an absolutely electric show. One of the music world’s best live acts, along with the bohemian soul sister? Perhaps a "You Got Me" or at least a Roots accompaniment through a few of Ms. Badu’s songs. Add to that the fact that the Roots’ next sound experiment is due to hit at the end of April and they’ll have new music to showcase to prove, leads one to predict that a lot will be brought to the table in what will most likely be a three hour break from the mundane. Could Fall Out Boy’s Patrick Stump (who is featured on The Roots' leaked Birthday Girl) show up for a surprise cameo?
This show will probably sell out with impressive speed. The internets are already spreading rumors that all that’s left are balcony seats.
The pre-pre-sale is past; today begins the official pre-sale. Tickets go on sale today (Friday) at 5pm, both online and at the Chicago Theatre ticket office. So go on over after work, or post up at our absolute favorite ticket broker’s site and prepare to take on $15 on top of $45.50-$65.50 tickets.
When I was a kid, I was certain that the apocalypse was right around the corner. The constant sabre-rattling of the nuclear arms race with the Soviets, a steady diet of evangelical dogma about the imminent approach of Armageddon; it all pointed to total annihilation occurring within my lifetime, or (more likely) before I even saw adulthood. What's more, in the spring of 1982, an ominous celestial event was to occur -- that being the rare phenomenon of syzygy, when all of the planets of the solar system were to briefly align in their orbits around the sun. Some theorized that the effects of this freak occurrence would create all sorts of seismic and tidal catastrophes on Earth. I recall a summer camp playmate telling me that, as he understood it, the event would result in the destruction of Earth; our planet would be ripped apart when it was caught between the dueling gravities of Jupiter and the sun. Yep, we were all gonna die. And soon.
Needless to say, the spring of '82 passed with nary a tremor; so obviously my campmate was wrong. This summer, however, might be another thing altogether. Thanks to the organizers of Lollapalooza, another ominous alignment might be in the offing. In recent weeks, some hearsay's had it that big-namers like Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, and Bloc Party have agreed to play. But the big rumor that's been pinging around the internet the past few days is that the festival has scheduled the polar entities of Miley Cyrus and Nine Inch Nails to headline on the same evening -- with Cyrus appearing on one stage while the NIN crew play on other end of the festival grounds.
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.
So it got above 50 degrees yesterday, which was awesome for those whose natural instinct is to come out of hibernation at temps above 40. Also, it's when the Ravinia Festival released their spring calendar.
Sure, you can look at the highlights they spotlighht on the main page - Robert Plant and Allson Krauss, Feist, Willie Nelson - but they make it almost impossible to look at one big list of shows, choosing to make you go through the calendar list view. If you page through the months (June, July, August, September, for your quick-click pleasure), odds are you'll find something to your liking. Issac Hayes. Donna Summer. The Backstreet Boys. Kenny Loggins. UB40. Dave Brubeck and Ramsey Lewis. And with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra making Ravinia their summer home, they'll be out there, too.
Getting there is easy, tickets are affordable, and the experience is unique. Tickets officially go on sale April 17th, so it gives you some time to plan out your summer outdoor concertgoing.
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.
Venus Zine, the local Chicago music zine covering women in music, launched a huge project in it's current spring issue (available on newstands and online), nominating it's picks for the best female guitarists in the world. "The world" may be a stretch, but the list, a partial response to Rolling Stone's own estrogen-lacking guitar greats list from 2003, certainly does include the mainstays as well as some interesting inclusions. Bonnie Raitt, Polly Jean Harvey, Christina Billotte, and Joni Mitchell are all featured among the 46 "best", chosen by a panel including Amy Phillips, the senior news editor for Pitchfork and Jaan Uhelszki, writer for NME, USA Today, and Spin.
"Our original goal was to write a couple of paragraphs on each guitarist, but once we got started, we felt like we couldn't stop, there was just so much to say about all of the artists," Venus Zine Editor Amy Schroeder expresses. The comprehensive work that went into this project shows on the online version which kicks it up with video performances and other links.
The zine itself proclaims to cover the intersection of music, pop culture, fashion, art, and DIY for women and does it rather well in this latest issue. Check out the list for a good read and some contemplative commentary on that other part of the rock world.
Tuesday night, the Hoffman Estates Village Board approved building an outdoor amphitheater called Prairie Creek just west of the Sears Centre Arena and in the shadow of the old Poplar Creek Music Theater, which closed in 1995. Residents near the proposed site have been vocal in their concerns over noise pollution from the amphitheater, but experts examining the design claim that it will comply with the regulations on noise limits. Also, perhaps in part to cater to the suburban residents' musical tastes, the acts to be booked at the venue won't exactly be of the thrash metal ouvre. Jerry Mickelson, a developer and co-founder of JAM Productions, remarked that Prairie Creek will book acts like Jimmy Buffett and James Taylor, who don't crank it to 11, if you know what I mean. Now, if your parents get a little boisterous singing along to "Cheeseburger in Paradise"... well, that's a whole other issue, isn't it? The 9,000-seat Prairie Creek amphitheater is slated to open in May 2009.
The Police will be back in Chicago May 10, on the second leg of their reunion tour. Tickets for the Allstate Arena show -- for which Elvis Costello & The Attractions will be the openers -- go on sale Feb. 25. There's a four-ticket limit.
In other coming soon news, tickets go on sale this Saturday, Feb. 16, for the Breeders at Metro May 31 and The Mars Volta at the Aragon April 20.
In another Grammy-related item, Kanye West won a number of awards tonight, including best Rap album of the year for Graduation -- beating out Nas, T.I., Jay-Z, and hometown colleague Common. As far as compulsory self-aggrandizing goes, he didn't disappoint in not letting the moment pass without pointing to himself as evidence to refute Nas's claim that "Hip-Hop Is Dead." But those who were waiting for another classic Ye tantrum may have to wait a few more days.
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.
Before there was Dan Deacon and his battery of patchworked electronic gear, Chicago long ago embraced Quintron and his home-constructed Drum Buddy. The Drum Buddy, a custom-built light-activated analog drum machine of the artist's own patented invention, has long been a part of Quintron & Miss Pussycat's musical act.
In yet another music-related eBay story, the New Orleans-based entertainer is auctioning off the last model in a series of ten Drum Buddies via eBay. Recent purchasers of the Drum Buddy have included Laurie Anderson and Wilco's Nels Cline--the latter having reportedly bought two of the contraptions. Chances are that Quintron and his wife Miss Pussycat could use the profits, given that their 9th Ward home/business, the Spellcaster Lodge, was wiped out by post-Katrina flood waters back in 2005.
The auction of the last Drum Buddy kicked off with a starting price of $999, and is scheduled to end on February 5, the first day of Mardi Gras celebrations. After that, Quintron and Miss Pussycat will be hitting the road to serve as the opening act on Black Lips' nationwide tour. Both bands will be arriving in Chicago on March 1st to play a show at the Logan Square Auditorium.
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.
Nestled amidst all of the recent development in Printers Row, the loft venue and recording studio The Shape Shoppe has been an intimate, off-the-path hub for fractured pop and DIY experimental merriment. Aside from being a local nexus in the Elephant 6 network, a number of fringe-dwelling luminaries have either played or recorded on its premises over the past few years—including Dan Deacon, Beirut, Man Man, Icy Demons, Pit er Pat, the Bird Names, and Akron/Family.
But this past spring, proprietor Griffin "Blue Hawaii" Rodriguez began renovating the recording studio in order to give it a much-needed upgrade. To help offset the costs of the undertaking, the Shape Shoppe will be throwing a big ree-raw benefit show at The Hideout this Friday. The Killer Whales, who recently reformed after a lapse in activity, are scheduled to play. Also on the bill are ramshackle pop-folksters The Bird Names, Michael Columbia, and swingin' 70's west-coast groove revivalists Bronze. Given the line-up, its' the sort of show that'll provide non-stop opportunities to shout, sing, and dance along. DJs Hologram Trav and White Lightning spin between sets. 1354 W. Wabansia, 9pm. Admission is $10.
After being kidnapped in southern Mexico on Sunday night, Chicago-based K-Paz de la Sierra bandleader Sergio Gomez was found dead in Michoacan on Monday. The group had spent extensive time in Mexico recently, although they made their homes in the Chicago area. Leaving a concert Sunday morning, the band and promoters were kidnapped. Everyone except Gomez was soon released. It's been a difficult year for K-Paz de la Sierra with many members leaving to form a new band, AK-7, in the spring.
The last few years have been quite brutal on Mexican band members who play a style of music based on drug trafficking drama known as narcorrido. Many have died in drug-related violence that puts them far too close to the environment that they sing about for entertainment. What makes the news of Gomez different is K-Paz de la Sierra's style is duranguense, a form of upbeat romantic music that does not glorify the drug trade. Also killed over the weekend was Zayda Peña, another Mexican singer whose songs were not related to narcorrido.
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.
Somehow the very avant Chicago-based label Locust Music has scored the most blogged about record of the 4th quarter. Hello, Blue Roses is a duo from Canada made up of Dan Bejar (New Pornographers, Destroyer, Swan Lake) and his girlfriend Sydney Vermont. Their new record arrives on Locust on January 22. In typical Locust fashion (it's a small label and probably run by it's bootstraps) there is no info on their website about this release despite the fact that it's the #1 track at the music blog aggregators Elbo.ws and Hype Machine.
The first song released is the surprisingly low-key synth pop ballad "Shadow Falls". Most blogs I found were content to just cut and paste the press release, although it seems a few bloggers actually listened to the track and have called it "pleasant", "a fairly ordinary lullabye", "most austere" and "delicate sounding". So without further ado here's "Shadow Falls".
(Alice Peacock on the right talks with Republican senator John Coryn from Texas)
Alice Peacock, one of the few Chicago artists of late to be signed by a verifiable major label, headed to DC yesterday to testify in front of Congress in an attempt to get musicians who perform on recordings residuals from radio airplay. She joined Lyle Lovett and Ray Benson of Asleep At The Wheel. She even played her song "Bliss" as part of the proceedings. Way to go Alice! Don't forget the little guys/gals. (via USA Today)
News is out this evening that Kanye West's mother, manager and longtime Chicago resident Donda West, has died of undisclosed causes in Los Angeles. Anyone familiar with Kanye's music knows how influential his mother was not only in his decision to become a rap artist, but in the success of his career as she acted as his manager and the chair of the Kanye West Foundation. Donda West was also a noted scholar and former chairwoman of Chicago State University's English department. She was 58 years old. Our heartfelt condolences go out to Kanye and his family.
Buried in this morning's headlines about ex-Disney stars being arrested are hot-off-the-press raving reviews of Lyric Opera of Chicago's "Julius Caesar," which opened this weekend. The former are about the kind of "stars" that probably had little talent to begin with. The latter focus on lead Danielle de Niese (pictured above as Cleopatra), who will probably remain a star of the opera world for years to come -- and not for being arrested in Walgreen's or any other way for that matter.
In fact, the whole thing is a kind of lesson in praise:
The Tribune writes "where do you begin cataloging the delights of Handel's 'Julius Caesar,' now gracing the stage of Lyric Opera of Chicago?" The Sun-Times starts off describing Caesar as "one of the most exciting, insightful, successful and audience-pleasing productions at the Civic Opera House in many a moon."
Amazingly, there are some tickets available -- even nose bleed seats, which are the cheapest at $31. Buy online at lyricopera.org and also visit the site for audio and video clips.
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"
For three consecutive evenings in the second weekend of November, Plastic Crimewave and the Empty Bottle will be hosting the fourth annual installment of the Million Tongues Festival. That means three nights of "acid folk," New Weird Americana, and a cross-spectrum array of experimental music. As of Tuesday evening, the final roster for the festival has been announced, and it looks like (once again) some additonal support is being contributed by the folks at Arthur magazine.
We're passing along the full schedule below. Note that, due to an especially packed billing and some resulting spill-over, all shows start at 9pm at the AV-Aerie except the Valerie Project. Check the Empty Bottle's website for more information regarding scheduling and tickets.
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.
Lyric Opera of Chicago made international news last week when they sacked star soprano Angela Gheorghiu just a few days before the début performance of La Bohème last night for behaving too diva-ish. Gheorghiu missed 6 of 10 rehearsals, including both rehearsals with the first orchestra, and is apparently known (along with her opera singer husband) for throwing tantrums.
But this was great news for her understudy, Elaine Alvarez, who received a stellar review in the Chicago Tribune today. Before last night, she had never performed with a major opera company.
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."
Wasn't Lollapalooza not even two months ago? Well, yes, but that doesn't mean you can't plan for next year already. The festival will be held August 1-3, 2008 throughout Grant Park again. So let's start speculating about who'll headline!
Tickets to the Chicago Humanities Festival are on sale to the public starting today (members of the CHF were able to start buying two weeks ago) and the program includes a few musical events that relate -- or kind of relate -- to the grand theme of global climate change.
According to an email from organizer Michael Patrick, the “Power to the Peaceful” festival will be happening in Chicago. “It most certainly is happening. . . most of our press has been very underground. Kind of artist for artist sake kind of thing,” said Patrick. This grass-roots, separate and smaller version of the original San Francisco Festival will happen next weekend, September 28 and 29. Proceeds will go to Amnesty International.
An occasional browse of the musicians' section on the Chicago Craigslist can sometimes prove to be a useful endeavor.
Yesterday, for example, one post called for volunteers to perform at an after party of a Chicago version of the Power to the Peaceful Festival, a San Francisco-based all-purpose peacenik music festival that just completed its 9th run a couple of weeks ago in Golden Gate Park.
The what??? If there is such a festival, they forgot to tell anyone, because other than an afterthought-looking MySpace page, little information exists for this event on the web, organizers could not be reached for comment (yet), and the supposed venues haven't publicized anything.
Transmission mourns the death of Lydia Tomkiw, former vocalist for the Hyde Park duo Algebra Suicide. In the late '80s and early '90s, numerous Algebra Suicide tracks (especially the enduring classic "Little Dead Bodies") made it to mixtapes everywhere. Tomkiw's spoken/recited poetry over Don Hedeker's (later of the Polkaholics) guitar and drumbox recreated that realm of cool first initiated on record by Patti Smith ("Piss Factory" 7") and seldom seen in such pure form since. The group was short-lived, putting out only a few full-lengths and 7"s - arguably, their best work can be found on the out-of-print (but worth searching out) LP/CD titled The Secret Like Crazy (RRR/Dom Records).
Also, the band's Myspace page has a few more songs for you to listen to.
Check out the video for "Little Dead Bodies," a track grown all the more poignant for the author's passing, here: (sorry, YouTube claims that embedding was "disabed by request")
Sorry no pictures this week -- damn if we didn't get our asses rained out last Thursday. But we're back with a vengeance, for the last weekly TX Thursday of the summer. That's right, summer's kiss is over, baby. We're going monthly from now on. Either way, we'll be drinking the sunshine away tonight, starting at around 930 or so, come on out and say hi! Five Star is at 1424 W. Chicago, just east of Chicago and Ashland.
PS. As an added bonus, it's Drive-Thru staffer Andie's birthday tonight, and I've promised her a cake made entirely of frosting. Will I deliver? Only one way to find out.
Hey, we'll be at the Five Star as always tomorrow, but not until after we hit Rock For Kids -- so ditch work in time to make it to Smart Bar by 6 and make a night of it with TX. Last week at Five Star featured an array of social relationships, including one table of undercover lovers, one young woman who swore her love to my until I let my football allegiances known, and at least one nipple sighting. Pretty standard. We'll be back around 1030 to cause our usual ruckus, come out and say hi! Five Star is at 1424 W. Chicago, just east of Chicago and Ashland. Pics from last week after the jump, as always.
After a one-week absence we're back at the Five Star to drink with you, our loyal readers. The Five Star has gotten even cooler than before in that time -- check out this sick photo of the owner, Lyle, floating in space above Iggy Pop's head at Lollapalooza. Crazy. We'll be there to interrogate him about the experience, along with DJ Brad Owen and the finest in moderately-priced drinks. Five Star is at 1424 W. Chicago, two blocks east of Chicago and Ashland, we'll be there around 930. Come out and say hi! Pics from last time after the jump.
As you may have heard, the Beastie Boys recently released a new album. Entitled The Mix-Up, it's another sans-vocal outting from the guys; and to support the thing, they've kicked off a global tour. Reportedly, they've been booking mostly smaller venues this time around and are playing instrumental sets (or "mostly instrumental" sets, it turns out), with drummer Fredo Ortiz and DJ Mix Master Mike accompanying the band on stage.
The final stop of the tour finds them hitting Chicago to play the Riviera theater on September 26. Due to limited seating, a good many dates on the tour have already sold out. As of this writing, tickets for the Chicago show are still available. Tix are $48, plus (one expects) the standard add-on fees from...well, you can probably guess.
Update!: It now looks like a second Chicago date has been added. According to the Ticketmaster website, the Beasties will also be playing the Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island on Thursday, September 27. Tickets for the event are, at present, not yet available.
After the heat of summer and before the freezing of winter, the local hip-hop scene seems absolutely packed with good shows and the normal ramp-up to some artists' commercial efforts, seasoned with online tidbits and maybe a download or two.
-EstroJam is coming, and on the bill is an entire night of great indie and underground hip-hop. EstroJam in general will get Transmission love, but Friday night is sure to be a banger, as Transmission favorites Yo Majesty rock the house with an assortment of ladies who rock the mic right. Show love for reclusive (not by choice) Philly native Bahamadia and local heroine Rita J from the All Natural family. It's not until the middle of September, so you got time, but mark that down now.
-Courtesy of Spine Magazine, Rhymefest teams with Little Brother and T3 of Slum Village on Get Plugged". Production here seems understated, in order to draw attention to the lyrics. Hopefully the buying public will dig on that notion, but that may prove to be too much to expect.
-You love the Ye. You may hate the Ye. But you'll be hearing more of Ye in the coming months in the warmup for his Graduation album. On "Barry Bonds, he hands the production duties off and teams with Lil Wayne, who, if you don't know him now, you will if you listen to anything remotely commercial.
Stay tuned for more Chicago hip-hop; the next few months are going to see a couple of high profile albums and a number of concerts that hit before cruel Old Man Winter drives artists to seek warmer climes to tour. Enjoy!
The band's AT&T Blue Room live stream had a few second delay during their recent Lollapalooza performance, but that was apparently enough time for a content monitor to decide that the lyrics "George Bush, leave this world alone" and "George Bush, find yourself another home" during a performance of the song "Daughter" were as offensive as dropping a couple of F-bombs. Officials from AT&T say that the "overzealous" cut of these lyrics from the live show stream was a mistake, but the fans, and the band aren't taking the accident so lightly. Pearl Jam, in a statement on its website, calls the incident a "wake up call" and "about something much bigger than the censorship of a rock band". The band ponders in the statement about "the public's concerns over the power that corporations have when it comes to determining what the public sees and hears through communications media". They're asking fans who have "examples of AT&T censoring artist performances around political content, to post examples on the official Pearl Jam Message Pit".
Thursday Thursday and what better way to get ready for the the scorching heat of Lollapalooza than by shooting some Old Crow with the TX crew at the Five Star? We're entering the final summer month of liquid festivities, so your opportunities to do something silly with a sticker are dwindling. Last week featured an unmistakable shift in focus from bare skin to alcohol-related antics, and we look to continue the trend tonight. DJ Brad Owen will be there as always, spinning New Wave, old-school punk, and other indie faves, and the Five Star is always good for some cheap drinks. We'll be there around 930, come say hi! Five Star is at 1424 W. Chicago, just east of Chicago and Ashland. More pics from last week after the break.
Thursday again, and you know what that means: We'll be at the Five Star celebrating one long year of providing you, the discriminating post-hip hipster, with the best in Chicago music news and events. It's our birthday, so forgive us if there's a little extra nipple exposure involved -- you know how these things go. We'll be there around 9:30, we're the group with the tiaras and noticeable lack of self-restraint. Five Star is at 1424 W. Chicago, just east of Chicago and Ashland. Come help us celebrate!
Update: Sorry, I forgot to add in last week's photos! I blame alcohol. Click on to see our usual debauchery.
Thursday again, and what better way to slip into the warm embrace of a boozy summer weekend than to spend a night with your favorite music site at the Five Star? We'll be there around 930, along with our main man DJ Brad Owen and $3 beers, come on out and tell us about how the mean ol' hipsters at Pitchfork stole your hemp bike. Sorry for so few photos this week -- I had to be in a super awesome legal seminar the next morning and took off a little before the prime witching hour set in. Even still, friends were made, enemies were conquered, and sobriety was made to beat a hasty retreat. Success! Five Star is at 1424 W. Chicago, just east of Chicago and Ashland. Shot of last week after the break -- come on out and Daddy gon' make you a star.
In a very hard-to-imagine-why-move, the city's Committee On License And Consumer Protection is meeting to talk about laying down so pretty harsh rules for medium and small size nightlife promotors. The amendments contain some positive provisions, but others that can't be met by anyone without serious bank. They are asking all promotors to pay $1000 per year for a license, notify police of all events, have a liquor license and adhere to a slew of other rules that even the mega-clubs avoid. Why local government needs to get into the regulation of small time parties is beyond me, but if you attend these events or work in this field, you may want to contact your alderman or head down to City Hall Rm. 201-A at 11:00 a.m on Wednesday and have your voice be heard on the matter.
Thursday again and what better way to warm up for the jangly drone-rock of Pitchfork than by drinking your ass off? Exactly. We'll be at the Five Star as always, sucking down $3 beers and aiming the camera at anyone who can either 1. smile or 2. do something inappropriate with a TX sticker, so come on out and try your best. Five Star is at 1424 W. Chicago, just east of Chicago and Ashland. Click on for last week's pics. Word up, sister.
This weekend, there'll be no shortage of clubs hosting afterparties for the Pitchfork Music Festival, but it looks like the Empty Bottle has pulled out all the stops by stepping up with the most ambitious of all. Entitled "We ♥ Chicago," the Bottle's series of afterparty events offers three straight nights of merrymaking and dancing with a top-shelf selection of bands and DJs.
Looking down the schedule for the series, you probably notice a lot of exclamation points. And hey, that sense of excitement is perfectly appropriate because the whole affair is poised to be one of the biggest party events of the year. In case you missed it, here's the whole swoll package:
We'll be there, 930pm. 1424 W. Chicago, just east of Chicago and Ashland. God bless America. You're all a bunch of communists. Consider this your punishment. (Click to see original, amazing NSFW version)
Religion, Rap music and politics is a combination that shouldn't be lumped together. But recently a church on the South side of Chicago purchase of billboard space calling some contemporary rapper's music trash seems to have broached the subject. While the move has been met with praise, it is in fact moralistic grandstanding and false artistic interpretation. And while the moral and artistic shortcomings of the church's ploy could be deconstructed in detail, we find a historic angle that deserves commentary as well. Music, more specifically black forms of he auditory art, have oft been criticized by the holier-than-thou types for it's ability to turn the good to evil or the passive to aggressive. Blues music found detractors in both white and black judgment as it rose to popularity and was being co-opted into Rock and Roll. Blues in its earlier forms had been called the devil's music and was cited as a cause for violence, inappropriate race mixing and sexual freedom. Similarly, years later Disco (which was basically co-opted Funk) was lambasted by conservative types for many of the same negatives supposedly found in Blues, with drug use also included. Today Rap has found itself facing similar detractors
It's Thursday, so the TX staff will once again be rolling into the Five Star to listen to New Wave while the adorably annoyed staff serves us well liquor and watches us drop bleary-eyed game on strangers. Last week involved cupcakes, a birthday girl, and Guitar Hero, not to mention the charming asshole who tried to pick up my girlfriend by telling her how much his watch cost. (Answer: his dignity.) We'll be there again tonight, along with DJ Brad Owen and his uncanny ability to take hits from the 80s (yeah yeah) and make it sound so crazy (yeah yeah). Five Star is at 1424 W. Chicago, just west of Chicago and Ashland, see you there after about 930. Also make sure to join our Facebook group -- how else are you all going to keep the flirt alive between Thursdays? Pics from last week after the jump.
According to TimeOutChi and a few other sources, the South Loop nightclub and music venue HotHouse issued a press release this week that confirms the uncertainty of its future. Due to an ongoing lease dispute, the club's schedule will be suspended as the owners look for a new location. For those who've paid attention, HotHouse has encountered its share of problems throughout its history, perhaps none so public as the recent shake-up on its board of directors. Over the years, the place has served as one of the city's most indispensable venues for world music, poetry slams and spoken-word events, local hip-hop, jazz, and plenty of top-shelf DJ appearances. No word yet as to where it plans settle next.
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.
If you're not hearing anything on your favorite Internet radio station today, it might be a silence you'll have to get used to -- Today, online stations like Accuradio and Pandora, along with terrestrial, taste-making stations like XPN and WOXY, have stopped streaming in protest of a royalty rate hike for online radio stations that's set for July 15. Some stations say that the 17 months of back royalties that need to be payed up next month could put them out of business, therefore making today's planned silence a permanent vacation. For more about how the rate hike could affect Internet radio, and how you can still contact your representative in support, read up in May's Transmission feature.
Thursday again, and you know what that means: drinks, New Wave, and TX editors mounting a stripper pole against everyone's best judgment. Summer arrived in full force last week with an almost alarming display of skin, including the antics of a couple, shall we say, "busted looking Eurotrash hookers," but that didn't stop anyone from having a Time. $3 drafts will do that for a crowd. The TX crew --including Dear Leader Anne Holub -- will be back at the Five Star in full force tonight, stop in and say hi! The Five Star is located at 1424 W. Chicago, just east of Chicago and Ashland. Pics from last week after the jump -- and join our Facebook group here.
As Andrew mentioned over in Merge, yesterday marked the official end of an era in beloved music publication: Punk Planet is no more. Their current issue (No. 80) will be the magazine's last with interviews with the G7 Welcoming Committee, Andre Schiffrin, and The Steinways. In their 13th year, the magazine lost the struggle over issues with a bankrupt distributor (issues that are also plaguing other indie publications like McSweeney's who also are sending up the warning flags). As PP puts it in their farewell note, "Benefit shows are no longer enough to make up for bad distribution deals, disappearing advertisers, and a decreasing audience of subscribers." The website will remain up and active, as will the Punk Planet books division, and we can all help to support them (*cough* buy something! *cough*) so that some day, some way, they can return to us.
Also in the Chicago music newswire, local label Contraphonic has cut the ties to its parent label, the No Karma Music Group (which also includes Loose Thread Recordings and Brilliante Records), and has struck out on its own, bringing a few bands along with. They've already signed Branches, Crush Kill Destroy, The Lesser Birds of Paradise, Joshua Marcus and The Thin Man over from No Karma. Joining them as well is former Jagjaguwar recording artist Bevel (aka guitarist Via Nuon of the bands Drunk and Manishevitz).
We wish you luck, little music label and remind everyone to support all of your local labels along with your local record stores (and favorite music publications) every day.
With the advent of digital files, p2p and a one world economy I find it strange that there are still different release dates for the same record in different countries. Case in point is last years electro pop record by Firefox AK. The band had a high profile release in Sweden called Madame, Madame. Now it seems Minty Fresh will be releasing the record in September in the states. Don't get me wrong this is a great development and I hope it's a success for Minty Fresh (then they can sign other Razzia Record's artists like Hello Saferide and Maia Hirasawa).
Video for "Madame, Madame"
Bonus Mp3's from Razzia Record's recording artist Hello Saferide
It's Thursday once again and you know what that means -- TX will be at the Five Star for another night of drinks, music, and poor decisionmaking. Last week's one month-iversary was a lot of fun -- or at least it looks that way from the photos. At this point we've handed out so many stickers and taken so many pictures that we've started popping up in other people's Facebook albums, so it's hard to tell exactly what was happening when. I think that means we're doing well, right? (Speaking of which, join our Facebook group here.) Come out tonight and see for yourselves -- we'll be there from 9ish onwards, along with DJ Brad Owen, most of your favorite tunes, and the devastating whiskey specials. Five Star is at 1424 W. Chicago, just east of Chicago and Ashland, see you there! Photos from last week after the jump.
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.
Right. Let's face it: Some things just don't cross the pond, don't transplant to these shores. Some things are just too, uh, British. Case in point: grime and dubstep never really caught on here outside of a fringe listenership. And nobody here knows quite to make of all that "chav" and "tikkiny" slang biz. Which explains why Lady Sovereign has yet to really catch on with American audiences. Jay-Z thought he had a hot item on his hands when he signed her to Def Jam a couple of years back (after her first EP appeared on the Chicago-based Chocolate Industries label). And Def Jam's tried to throw some industry push behind her. First there was the guest appearance from Missy Elliot on the remix of "Love Me or Hate Me," and the new single "Those Were The Days" sports some mainstream hip-hop production that's clearly geared for the U.S. radio market. And now, as you probably heard, she's been touring with Gwen Stefani--meaning that she'll be appearing with Stefani at First Midwest Bank Ampitheater in Tinley Park on Friday evening.
Lady Sov will, apparently, also be appearing at The Underground in Chicago proper later in the evening, kicking out a short set at an RSVP aftershow engagement. Some buzz has culminated around the online video diary she's been keeping as she tours the States. And given the exhaustion she's reportedly been suffering on tour and the drama that transpired during her recent appearance in NYC, it may all be a wait-and-see affair. If you feel like taking your chances to see if she makes it or not, you can RSVP here. 56 E. Illinois. 10pm until whenever.
[mp3]: Lady Sovereign – "Hoodie" (SpankRock remix)
On Tuesday, Touch and Go Records officially launched its digital store, which offers DRM-free MP3s as both full albums and single tracks. It's also the only place where you can purchase the digital version Shellac's latest (and its return after a seven-year sabbatical), Excellent Italian Greyhound. T&G promises more digital-store exclusives in the future -- but in the meantime, I'll be DLing all the Killdozer my little heart desires.
Hot damn, it's already been a month. Last week's TX Thursday was about as wild as they get -- 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett showed up and eventually confided in me that he found Indian women attractive, several miscreants removed their clothing, and some dude offered me a press pass to Lollapalooza. Crazy -- but not enough. We're aiming to top all that tonight for our one month-iversary. DJ Brad Owen will be there as usual, spinning punk and New Wave hits, as well as other indie faves, and the Five Star is a bastion of cheap booze -- $2 drafts and $2 shots usually cause plenty of trouble. The Five Star is located at 1424 W. Chicago, just east of Ashland -- we'll be there after 9, come out and say hi! Pics from last week after the jump.
A brand new 25-track Kanye West mixtape entitled "Can't Tell Me Nothing (The Official Mixtape)" hit the Internet in the last week. Get the details and download it via illRoots. Make sure you check out the song "Us Placers," which features fellow Chicagoan Lupe Fiasco and Pharrell Williams under the moniker "CRS."
Well, it's Thursday again, and you know what that means -- TX will be at the Five Star. DJ Brad Owen will be there as always, spinning your favorite punk and New Wave tunes, as well as some newer indie faves, and the Five Star will be pouring as many $2 drafts as space and time will allow. Last week was pretty wild for a rainy night -- many strangers were accosted, a few unfortunates took to the stripper pole, and eventually the barstaff just started handing out free shots. All in all, a TX kind of night -- check out the pics after the jump. We'll be back again this and every Thursday, see you there! (The Five Star is at 1424 W. Chicago, just east of Chicago and Ashland.)
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:
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.
Tranmission's first night hosting Power, Corruption, and Lies at the Five Star Bar and Grill last Thursday went great -- thanks to those of you that stopped by to say hello. DJ Brad Owen (former music director of the Metro) threw us a couple musical shoutouts in between his usual punk, new wave and Britpop tracks, I got into a couple heated arguments about Sky Blue Sky, and the Five Star served a lot of $2 drafts and even passed out free whiskey to everyone at the bar when the Bulls lost. We'll be there again tonight, like we will be every Thursday this summer, and until we get comments enabled, there's no other better way to tell us that we're totally wrong about your favorite band. Plus, a beer and a shot of whiskey costs all of $4. What's to lose? The Five Star is located at 1424 W. Chicago, just east of Chicago and Ashland. Come join us! Pics from last week after the jump.
Hey, summer's here and to celebrate we're pleased to announce that Transmission will be hosting Power, Corruption, and Lies at the Five Star Bar and Grill every Thursday night. DJ Brad Owen (former music director of the Metro) will be on the decks, playing punk, new wave, Britpop and other indie faves, various TX staffers will be roaming around with cameras and conversation topics, and the Five Star has graciously proffered up a dizzying array of drink specials, including $2 drafts. We'll be posting photos every week, and there might even be a contest or two in store at the end of the summer if we like you enough. What's to lose? The Five Star is located at 1424 W. Chicago, just west of Chicago and Ashland. We'll be there every Thursday from 9 till late, come join us! Pics of previous Thursdays after the jump.
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.
The Smashing Pumpkins have announced long residencies for two locations. Eight nights at the Filmore in San Francisco and nine shows at the Orange Peel in Asheville, NC. That's right nine nights of the Pumpkins in Asheville, hippies beware.
The Reader reports that Lupe had a few tracks leaked to the Net again. Looks like he needs to keep his studio on extreme lock down.
Flavorpill offers the skinny on Critical Metrics, a site with recommended music from industry and media people. Rankings of what's popular in I-tunes, Youtube and all the other music players, make the site a worthy visit.
The city of Chicago and it's citizens play prominent roles in the latest online music retailing brouhaha according to an article published on Yahoo. It turns out that at last week's NARM meeting (held in Chicago) there was the start of a mini revolt against eMusic. It turns out some record labels aren't that thrilled with the pricing policy/profit payout that eMusic has put into place. In a nutshell that policy is to keep costs low, sell songs on the cheap and pay out a smaller percentage than iTunes and other digital sites. According to CEO David Packman, "There's no question that eMusic pays less on a per-track basis than other a la carte digital services," Pakman says. But "it's not clear that 99 cents a song is the right price ... Music is an elastic good. If you lower the price, you'll sell more, and if you raise the price, you'll sell less." The hope was that eMusic would sell songs in such high volume that labels would be happy with the service. But with iTunes paying out $.70 per song vs. eMusic's paltry $.12 per song that arguement doesn't seem to be flying with certain labels.
Chicago's Victory label was the first to bolt, but now 6 more labels are rumored to be leaving eMusic. Despite being a fan of the service, Drag City's digital guru, Rian Murphy, also sounds the alarm, "I'm a subscriber of eMusic, and I love it," says Rian Murphy, head of digital sales for Chicago-based Drag City, who says he has no plans to leave the service. "But from the point of view of the label, the profit margin is greatly constricted, and it's a concern to anyone selling records. They would be better off being more equitable, or they will probably lose some labels. Everyone has to live."
This may be a case of the labels looking to pressure eMusic to re-negotiate or it may be the beginning of the end of a popular online destination for independent music.
Tranmission's first night hosting Power, Corruption, and Lies at the 
Hey, summer's here and to celebrate we're pleased to announce that Transmission will be hosting Power, Corruption, and Lies at the 
