Chicagomuzik

Shhh...

2005-12-21T23:16:00.000-06:00

Don't wake the baby.

What's Chicagomuzik without Wilco?

2005-09-26T07:50:00.000-05:00

Popdork reports today that Wilco has shelved the live DVD taped over four nights at the Vic last May. According to a press release from the band, however, the accompanying two-disc concert album Kicking Television: Live In Chicago is scheduled for a Nov. 1 release. Tracklist: Disc One - "Misunderstood," "Company In My Back," "The Late Greats," "Hell Is Chrome," "Handshake Drugs," "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart," "Shot in the Arm," "At Least That's What You Said," "Wishful Thinking," "Jesus, Etc.," "I'm The Man Who Loves You," "Kicking Television." Disc Two - "Via Chicago," "Hummingbird," "Muzzle of Bees," "One by One," "Airline to Heaven," "Radio Cure," "Ashes of American Flags," "Heavy Metal Drummer," "Poor Places," "Spiders (Kidsmoke)," "Comment" (Charles Wright).

In other news the Mini-Tweedies, Spencer and Sam, are appearing in a national TV ad campaign for Quaker Oats, and Daddy T has slated a gang of solo dates commencing the first week of November. There's no Chicago engagement scheduled at this point, but we're wondering if a pre-tour Abbey Pub gig might not be possible. The club's calendar is now blank on Nov. 2 and 3. (Just to tie it all together, the Quaker Oats ad was filmed at the Abbey.)

The M's announce new label

2005-09-23T08:40:00.000-05:00

Local garage-glam rawkers the M's have attracted an outsized amount of attention for their meager recorded output - to the point that we were getting a little tired of them, frankly. With put-up-or-shut-up staring them straight in the face, though, the quartet has finally, formally announced its long-rumored signing to the Champaign-based Polyvinyl Records. A new album is expected in February. Congratulations, fellas - now bring it on.

Can I get an amen?

2005-09-22T10:05:00.000-05:00

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Long time no blog

2005-09-22T10:02:00.000-05:00

Chicago people, what is up. After an extended summertime hiatus, the calendar tells us to get back to the blog, so here we are again. Welcome us back with cards, letters, tips, gossip and muckraking in the comments or privately via e-mail.

Taking a break

2005-08-22T11:52:00.000-05:00

Chicagomuzik is on summer vacation. Comments will be turned off until we return. Now stop wasting your life in front of a computer and go outside and play.

Quote of the week

2005-08-10T12:09:00.000-05:00

The News: Seeking to shed the baggage of its bad name, Clear Channel Communications announced yesterday that its Chicago concert promotions operation will now be known as Elevated Concerts.

The Quote, from Jam Productions co-founder Jerry Mickelson in the Sun-Times: "I wonder if the new concert company was aptly named due to 'Elevated Ticket Prices'?"

JimDeRo has the whole story.

Concertwatch

2005-08-09T16:11:00.000-05:00

New at Metro: Stellastarr* (9/13), Estrojam presents Brazilian Girls et al (9/24), MIA (9/28)

Schubas: Feist (9/7-8), Dressy Bessy (9/13), Heavenly States (9/28), Earlimart (10/2), John Vanderslice (10/8), Raul Malo (10/22)

Sonotheque: DJs Aesop Rock and John Darnielle of Mountain Goats (8/12)

Update: The 8/11 Marc Cohn/Suzanne Vega show at Navy Pier has been postponed due to (and how often will I get a chance to write this?) the headliner being shot in the head during a botched carjacking yesterday.

New from Jam: Indigo Girls (Park West, 9/18-20), Beck (Riviera, 9/20-21), Doves (Riviera, 9/27), Antony & the Johnsons (Park West, 10/4), David Gray (Chicago Theatre, 10/12), Death Cab for Cutie (Riviera, 10/12), James McMurtry (Martyrs, 10/14-15), Thrice (Riviera, 10/21), Henry Rollins (spoken word, Vic, 11/2)

Chart watching

2005-08-09T09:56:00.000-05:00

Dusted Magazine, the Chicago-based music Webzine, very quietly and consistently puts together some fine writing and reviews without getting the shine of, say, Popdork or even Stylus. In certain circles, though, Dusted is known less for its crit, interviews and frequent artist lists than for its college radio charts, which offer a scrappy alternative to the CMJ goliath.

The local scene figures prominently in the current chart - and, actually, so does Chicago in general, thanks to Sufjan Stevens, whose Illinois album has held down the top spot for three weeks running.

Locals on the latest list include Pelican (#7), Fruit Bats (15) and Smog (30). Others with local connections include Drag City’s Pajo (21) and the John McEntire-produced, Soma-recorded Teenage Fanclub disc (29).

Three Chicago-area college radio outlets - Loyola's WLUW, Northwestern's WNUR, and Triton College's WRRG - are among the 44 stations whose weekly reports combine to form Dusted's Top 40. Though Dusted unfortunately doesn't print each station's report, you can hop to the respective outlets' sites to view NUR's Top 30 and RRG's too. (LUW doesn't appear to publish its report online.)

Sweet nothing

2005-08-05T15:06:00.000-05:00

Have we told you lately that we love you?

Have we told you there's no one above you?

Thanks for making Chicagomuzik yr local-music muckrake of choice, and for making July '05 our biggest month ever.

(Evah evah, evah evah, evah evah ... !)

Zine scene

2005-08-05T14:43:00.000-05:00

Back before there were blogs, kids, there were zines. And they were good.

Recent haps on the Chicago zine scene:

There's a new edition of Galactic Zoo Dossier, mostly authored by Mister Plastic Crimewave (of psych outfit Plastic Crimewave Sound, acourse, and also those way-cool little comix lately buried in the Reader's section four, the ones about obscure old local musicians). You can buy it from Drag City, or at next week's Empty Bottle release party where Oneida, Kinski and the Crimewave are slated to play (8/17).

In other news, the whippersnapper mag Love, Chicago has gone electron. They're taking the local angle on writing about music, fashion, art and drinking (and really, what else is there?) at lovechicago.org.

Finally but not leastly, that low hum you hear is the stealthy approach of Hit It Or Quit It #18. The Jessica Hopper-helmed zine promises to pop off on Miranda July, the Hold Steady and, like, other stuff.

Study hall

2005-08-04T10:38:00.000-05:00

Essay questions:
1. Why does Chuck look for Sylvester under the dresser? How big do you imagine the dresser to be?
2. In chapter four, what does Sylvester mean by “a tear fell up out my eye?”
3. When Sylvester’s wife is describing the string of friends that led to the policeman, who is Tina and where does she fit into anything?

Concertwatch

2005-08-03T11:21:00.000-05:00

Been a while since we did one of these, so let's run down a bunch of new shows. Link to the applicable clubs/venues can be found in the column at right.

Abbey Pub - Black Dice (9/23)

Allstate Arena - Nine Inch Nails w/ Queens of the Stone Age (10/7), Gwen Stefani w/ Black Eyed Peas (10/28)

Black Orchid - Liz Phair (acoustic, 8/24-26 - a surefire series of train wrecks that are already sold out)

Chicago Theatre - Bonnie Raitt (11/4)

Double Door - Eisley (8/18), Institute w/ Gavin Rossdale (8/24), Fu Manchu (9/2), Bob Schneider (9/17), Athlete w/ Matt Pond PA (9/21), Ike Reilly (10/15), the BellRays (10/26), the Detroit Cobras w/ Reigning Sound (11/19)

Hideout - Deadstring Brothers (new Bloodshot signees, 9/10)

Martyrs - Chris Whitley (8/6), Blue Rodeo w/ the Damnwells (9/24), Project/Object (10/21-22)

Metro - The 8/6 Brendan Benson show has been postponed to 9/15. New adds include Hank Williams III (8/16), and Aqualung w/ the Perishers and Tracy Bonham (9/9).

Park West - Antony & the Johnsons w/ CocoRosie (10/4), Tortoise & Daniel Lanois (10/10)

Riviera Theatre - Arcade Fire (9/28), Coheed & Cambria w/ Blood Brothers (10/1)

Schubas - Raul Malo (10/22)

UIC Pavilion - My Chemical Romance w/ Alkaline Trio (9/18)

The long goodbye

2005-07-29T15:11:00.000-05:00

Mo re on the Velvet Lounge, from John Litweiler in today's Sun-Times:

Is there hope for the Velvet Lounge? Yes, indeed. The landlord has offered [proprietor Fred] Anderson a new location nearby on Cermak. The Chicago jazz community has pitched in to raise money to help the Velvet make the move. Several other jazz clubs have held fund-raisers, and several Web sites, most notably www.velvetlounge.net [direct link above], are soliciting donations. ...

Anderson said he needs to raise at least $70,000 to move the Velvet; so far, according to the club's Web site, $17,000 has been raised.

For now, he'll still have music at 2128½ S. Indiana, at least until the next Chicago Jazz Festival beginning Sept. 1, when the club will hold late-show fund-raisers. After that, nobody knows how long it will continue to be open there.

Anderson plays at the club at 8:00 tonight (7/29).

More adventurous

2005-07-27T15:26:00.000-05:00

The Empty Bottle has unveiled the lineup (and very handsome poster) for the Mach2005 version of its Adventures in Modern Music Festival, a series of shows backed by the Wire and set to throw down 9/21-25.

Here you be (click for the bigness):

Lolla '06?

2005-07-27T12:40:00.000-05:00

Greg Kot in today's Trib:

In the next few weeks, Capital Sports and Entertainment executives will be meeting with city officials to review last weekend's events and potentially lay the groundwork for Lollapalooza 2006.
... On Sunday, executive producer Charlie Jones toured the festival site in Hutchinson Field south of Buckingham Fountain and outlined plans to expand Lollapalooza north of the city landmark next year. Earlier in the day, he had discussions with the Dave Matthews Band's management; it's a good bet the headlining slot at next year's festival was a topic.

Wait a second.

Dave motherfreaking Matthews next year?

The professional poo-dumper?

Maybe they could change next year's slogan to "Lollapalooza 2006: And you thought last year was shitty."

Or "Lollapalooza Returns: Chad and Trixie's Excellent Adventure."

If it happens, I will have just three words: Beat. The. Traffic.

The block rockin' beat

2005-07-27T09:34:00.000-05:00

The Ninth Annual Hideout Block Party goes down Saturday, Sept. 17.

The big news is the event will host the first reunion of the original dB's lineup since Chris Stamey, Peter Holsapple, Will Rigby and Gene Holder played a one-off show in May 1988 (and just their second gig since parting ways in 1982).

Other acts on the bill so far: The M's, the Redwalls, the Sam Roberts Band and Nomo.

(The dB's will also play downtown at the House of Blues later the same night.)

Chicagopalooza reviews

2005-07-25T12:57:00.000-05:00

* Lollapalooza "was just a big concert full of up-and-coming modern-rock acts, with a few older legends, very little hip-hop and no truly edgy sounds or messages. As such, however, it was a smashing success: well-organized, fan-friendly and benefitting from the exquisite setting of Hutchinson Field, with the backdrop of the skyline to the west and the beauty of Lake Michigan to the east." - Jim DeRogatis, Sun-Times

* "[T]he event was a success where it counts: The fans, for the most part, loved it. And so did the bands." - Greg Kot, Tribune

* A Lolla journal by New York Times critic Jon Pareles

* Chicagoist: Photos from Saturday and Sunday

* Metromix: Saturday capsules, photos; Sunday capsules, photos

* "The marquee acts get all of the attention, but a mega-event like Lollapalooza couldn't run without hundreds of unsung workers." - Mark Caro, Tribune

Your thoughts? Hit up the comments.

Update:
*"The most significant dividing line between this year's Lollapalooza and its original self [was] the shaving down or complete removal of its roughest edge. The mosh pit days of Nine Inch Nails, Ice-T and Ministry were gone in favor of mostly New Wave fashionistas, garage rockers in suits and jam bands. Not many bands stepped out of the boundaries of their music, and there was the sense that the festival was designed to be free of controversy. The absence of harsh commentary seemed puzzling, considering the volatility of today's headlines. 'Now there's all these things to be really mad about and everybody's just happy,' Patterson Hood, frontman for Drive-By Truckers, said backstage Sunday." - Mark Guarino, Daily Herald

*"Lollapalooza 2005 went out with a whimper instead of a bang on Sunday. Or, given the festival-closing 2-1/2-hour performance by the absurdly self-indulgent jam band Widespread Panic, I should say 'with a burst of flatulence.'"
- Jim DeRogatis, Sun-Times

The doctor is IN

2005-07-20T15:28:00.000-05:00

Are you (a) a resident of the Chicago area, (b) a musician or immediate family member of one, and (c) lacking health insurance?

If so, the Hideout has an important message for you:

Chicago Family Health Center (CFHC) and the Koko Taylor Celebrity Aid Foundation will hold a health fair at the Hideout (1354 W. Wabansia, Chicago) on Thursday, July 21, 2005 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The purpose of the health fair is to provide free health screenings and health education materials to uninsured musicians living in the Chicago Metropolitan area. No appointment is necessary to participate.

The health fair will provide free screening and information in the following areas: vision, cholesterol, asthma, blood pressure, glucose testing, HIV testing and counseling, prostate awareness, health education and KidCare/FamilyCare information and applications.

"The goal for this health fair is to provide the area's musicians, who are primarily uninsured, with health screenings and a link to a community health care facility in their neighborhood that they may not otherwise be aware of," said Joyce Threatt from the Koko Taylor Celebrity Aid Foundation. "Most musicians working today are either uninsured or underinsured, and don't seek regular medical attention due to their financial situation. By holding these health fairs, we [hope to] provide the musicians with the information they need to find a primary health care professional to promote wellness."

Intonation in review

2005-07-18T10:10:00.000-05:00

Coverage of the Pitchfork-curated Intonation Festival: Chicagoist nails the vibe in words and pictures; then there's the Tribune, Sun-Times, Popdork rapscribe Tom Breihan's blog (Day One and Two), and more to come.

Drop your thoughts on the weekend in the comments.

Update: Intonation gets the Kelefa Sanneh treatment. Also, an NYT slideshow with the Wrens, Deerhoof, Broken Social Scene, Out Hud and the Decemberists.

Update II: Fluxblog chimes in. And now for a friendly challenge from your boy Jack Flack to Fluxmaster Matthew Perpetua: What better way to redeem yourself for overlooking the M's (who, Perpetua writes, "didn't get as much attention from [him] as they deserved") than posting one of their tracks to your terrific site? (We recommend "Break Our Bones," by the way.)

Update III: The Sun-Times on Day Two.

Update IV: Pitchfork, review thyself: Parts one, two, three, four.

Update V: Put on your impenetrable-prose nightvision goggles and prepare to reckon wit tha Village Voice.

Update VI: Bloggeration from Stylus contributor/Canasta member John Cunningham, Philly writer/deejay/promoter type Maria Sciarrino, professional Popdork Sean Fennessy ... while some guy named Jon Monteverde cops a Chimzk pose and takes down all three Sun-Times and Trib reviews. (Aside: Where the FUCK is the Daily Herald in all this? I mean Arlington Heights is real far from Union Park and all, but how does Kelefa Sanneh make the scene but Mark Guarino can't manage the commute?)

Devastating news.

2005-07-15T16:05:00.000-05:00

A car accident killed three Chicago-based musicians in Skokie on Thursday. The following was posted by Tim Midgett to the Silkworm Web site:

Here is the sum total of what we know right now:

Michael [Dahlquist] and our friends John Glick and Doug Meis were traveling from Shure to someplace for lunch.

They were behind a car at a light.

A young woman, bent on doing injury to herself, ran into the back of the car at a high rate of speed.

Evidently, all three guys were killed instantly.

I'm sure more details will come out over time. But those are the facts as I understand them presently.

I don't have much else to say. Except, again, thank you, all of you.

Love,

Tim

Dahlquist was Silkworm's drummer. Glick, aka Bobby Lee James Ray, played guitar with the Returnables. Meis drummed for both Exo and the Dials.

Update: Matador Records principal Gerard Cosloy's remembrance of Michael Dahlquist.

Clip-and-save Intonation Festival map

2005-07-12T08:50:00.000-05:00

Pitchfork's Intonation Festival is nearly upon us. As a public service, the Chicagomuzik Blog presents the only festival map you will ever need.

Thin white archdukes set sights on the Chi

2005-07-11T11:54:00.000-05:00

Franz Ferdinand will open its 2005 tour in Chicago, the band's publicist announced today. A monthlong series of U.S. dates begins Sept. 20 at the Aragon, with Midwest, West and New York shows to follow.

The band's second self-titled disc is scheduled to be released to stores via Domino Records on Oct. 4, and to file-sharing networks via a hype-seeking leaker or record-label intern sometime before Labor Day.

Down on the farm

2005-07-11T11:42:00.000-05:00

Farm Aid 2005 will be announced at a Grant Park news conference today. The event is set for September 18 at Tweeter Center in Tinley Park.

Greg Kot:

[Headliners will include] festival mainstays Neil Young, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson and Dave Matthews.

In an interview Saturday, Mellencamp also said that at least one other band has already been confirmed for the lineup. "Wilco is playing," he said.

Tickets for the annual concert, which has helped Farm Aid raise $27 million for family farms, will go on sale July 30 at a still-to-be-determined price. More performers are expected to be announced in coming weeks.

No further details on the Farm Aid site yet.

Some day it will all make sense

2005-07-11T10:02:00.000-05:00

You know we've been having layout issues lately. Apparently this was initially caused by a new Blogger functionality for posting images. We tried all the suggested fixes for this problem and, as you can see (or could, until a few minutes ago) none has worked. So we decided to try a new template, see if nuking the old layout entirely would help. It did, sort of, but created new problems of its own: The links, archive &c. are back, but you'll have to scroll waaaaay down to find them.

Anyway, this is what we've got for the moment. With luck Blogger Support will come through and rescue us from our own incompetence. Cool? Cool. We knew you'd understand.

P.S. We also made the switch from Haloscan to Blogger comments. Let us know whatcha think.

Lady Sov to Greg Kot: I roll on a bicycle

2005-07-08T10:29:00.000-05:00

The scouting report on Lady Sovereign: She's a girl, from London, 19 years old and 5 feet tall. Oh and she signed a big-money worldwide record deal with Universal this year, and if you wanna battle, well, bring it on.

The latest in the line of Brit MCs to fire up the hype machine (Mike Skinner, Dizzee Rascal, MIA, Wiley), Sov makes her debut in the Chi tonight at Sonotheque. The gig is yet another from the Biz 3 promo crew, whose Damon Locks and Ben Fasman will join Johnny Herndon from Tortoise on the tables.

In today's Trib, Lady Sov tells Greg Kot she dropped a portion of her Uni bank on new wheels. Forget the Sprees and 24s, though, Sov's style is Schwinn.

Reggaeton radio

2005-07-07T16:15:00.000-05:00

Robert Feder in today's Sun-Times:

Univision Radio is pulling the plug on "Viva," the Spanish-language pop/rock simulcast on WVIX-FM (93.5) and WVIV-FM (103.1).

As of midnight tonight, the two stations will be transformed into "La Kalle," airing a high-energy version of reggaeton dance music geared to listeners between the ages of 18 and 34.

"We are excited to launch 'La Kalle' to meet the needs of the younger Hispanics in the Chicago area," said Gary Stone, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Univision Radio. "Our research demonstrated a strong desire for a reggaeton-formatted station, and we have delivered."

Reggaeton originated in Puerto Rico and combines Latin tropical sounds, Jamaican reggae music and hip-hop.

On-air personnel is expected to remain the same.

View the Viva page here. Its content hasn't yet been converted to reflect the format change.

Update: I just learned the ugliest new made-up marketing term to befoul the English language, possibly ever: Hurban. Thanks, corporate commercial radio doodz.

Looking Ahead To September...

2005-07-06T13:49:00.000-05:00

...CMJ's 25th Anniversary Music Marathon is taking place from 9/14-17 this year. The first slew of bands have been announced, and Chicago acts include:

Catfish Haven, Devin Davis, Head of Femur, Pit Er Pat, The Reputation, Scotland Yard Gospel Choir and Troubled Hubble

Latest Illinoise

2005-07-06T10:25:00.000-05:00

We're up to 41 listings on eBay. And the new cover has a gaping hole in the skyline

We Want To Feel The Illinoise....It Just Might Not Be Today

2005-07-05T09:55:00.000-05:00

Posted By Lazlo Hollyfeld

See the image below for the reason why. Quoting Sufjan Steven's record label (Asthmatic Kitty), "unfortunately we've had to stop selling Illinois due to an legal issue concerning the artwork." Seems the people at DC Comics (and parent company AOL Time Warner) don't take too kindly to you putting the image of one of their most valued properties (Superman) on the cover of your album without asking.

Since the label has "requested" that retailers cease selling the album until the issue has been resolved, Lazlo plans on ducking out early for lunch to see if he can pick up a copy w/ the original artwork still on the shelves somewhere. It's possible word doesn't travel that fast coming off a holiday weekend....at least that's what we're hoping.

Update: Lazlo was able to find a copy w/ the superhero on the cover on the shelf at a local retailer. And people are already rushing to sell 'em on eBay, like this joker asking for $75 for his copy.

Update II: Below is the copy Jack just bought at an independent record store in the Loop. There were three more on the end cap alone.

Happy summatime, peoples!

2005-07-05T08:51:00.000-05:00

Yeah, we're back from one long hot weekend in the Chi city, hitting it up bloggy style for you this early morning. To start you off slow, tune in to WBEZ's Eight Forty-Eight program today at 9:35 am CDT to hear guest Sufjan Stevens talk about his latest slab, the Prairie State mash note Come On Feel the Illinoise.

2 Things We Know You All Love Are....

2005-07-01T14:45:00.000-05:00

Posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld

....lists & hating on DeRo. So this link provides our holiday wekend gift to you, as it's his Top 10 of '05, mid-year edition (scroll to the bottom).

Good God.

2005-06-29T16:22:00.000-05:00

My lust for this collection is physical.

"Thousands and thousands and thousands of 45s"?

Pop, rock, soul, country?

Good God.

Hide my eBay password and freeze the bank accounts before yo' boy does something rash.

Hype de la Liz

2005-06-28T15:08:00.000-05:00

From a press release:

Liz Phair will preview songs from her forthcoming album, Somebody's Miracle, in a special acoustic tour this summer. Appearing at intimate venues in eight U.S. cities, Phair will also perform material from Exile In Guyville, Whip-Smart, whitechocolatespaceegg and her 2003 self-titled album.

Phair will play Lollapalooza in Chicago on July 23rd before kicking off the acoustic tour in Boston on July 26th. Highlights include two nights at Joe's Pub in New York (August 1st and 2nd) and three nights at Los Angeles' legendary Troubadour (August 10th, 11th and 12th).

Somebody's Miracle, produced by John Alagia (Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, Jason Mraz) and John Shanks (Sheryl Crow, Chris Isaak, Melissa Etheridge), will be released by Capitol Records on October 4th. Phair recorded the album at The Village Studios in West Los Angeles.

"I wouldn't say it sounds like old Liz Phair, but it's definitely more band-driven than pop," Phair recently told Spin. "The last record had a lot more shebang in the production; this has a lot more emphasis on the songs."

Concertwatch

2005-06-28T15:03:00.000-05:00

New at Metro: Sufjan Stevens (performing tha hitz from Come On Feel the Illinoise, 9/16), Royksopp (9/19).

Intonation on the clock

2005-06-27T11:10:00.000-05:00

The Pitchfork-curated Intonation Music Festival has released its daily schedule with set times for all acts on its two stages and in its DJ tent. Cliquez ici.

Wackitude

2005-06-24T09:57:00.000-05:00

You probably noticed we've been plagued by Blogger problems the last 18 hours or so. For the time being the best workable solution seems to be euthanizing the sidebar (where the links and archives reside). Sorry for any inconvenience.

Update: Comments also seem to be on the blink.

Sometimes the Chicago Anti-Social Column just writes itself.

2005-06-23T16:30:00.000-05:00

From Crain's Chicago Business:

Musicians Jeff Tweedy, Mark Mothersbaugh (of Devo fame) and other artists plan to rev their homemade engines at the CHICAGO PINEWOOD DERBY INVITATIONAL. See their artistically-designed cars — they'll put your childhood soapbox to shame — at Architectural Artifacts and help raise funds for Causes Child Abuse Treatment Center. June 24, 6:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. $20 gets you in and access to an open beer bar and live music.
Whatever further imaginable detail you need should be right here. Other participants include the Reader's Liz Armstrong and the Hideout's Tim Tuten.

Newspaper, newsprint ... delicious crack?

2005-06-23T13:28:00.000-05:00

Let's see here.

According to the Tribune, the three best music magazines in the world are, in order:

1. Blender
2. Paste
3. Mojo

Blink. Blink.

Anybody know a good cliff I can leap from?

Desperate times, apparently.

2005-06-21T09:33:00.000-05:00

Maybe you heard about the full-page ad for the new Billy Corgan album in today's Tribune.

Oh but it's not an ad! you say. Well, right. It's a letter! A letter just to you, dear Chicago person, from Billy hisownself. He wants you, personally, to know he's getting back together with Smashing Pumpkins. Maybe. Or something.

Those who missed it can click here to view a PDF of the ad. Or don't, 'cause as a public service to the loyal Chicagomuzikblog readership, we're offering an exclusive synopsis of the ad, helpfully translated from Corganese to English:

Hey! Me! Me! Look at me! Hey! Guys! Over here! Remember me? It's Billy! Guys? Hey!

Flower15 announced

2005-06-20T16:26:00.000-05:00

The Chicago-based Flower Booking agency today announced the dates and initial lineup for Flower15, "a six-night showcase and fundraiser" set for Nov. 8 through Nov. 13 at Metro.

Performers will include Jimmy Eat World, Isis, Ted Leo/Pharmacists, Local H, and a reunion gig from the Promise Ring, plus "many more artists and band reunions to be announced."

The weeklong event is intended to raise at least $50,000 for P.L.A.Y. (Possibilities in Life: Art for Youth), a not-for-profit organization that aims to provide creative outlets for at-risk young people.

Summer Festival Watch

2005-06-17T15:36:00.000-05:00

Posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld

Intonation: Thunderbirds Are Now! are confirmed for Sunday. DJ adds include Diplo, El-P & Reine from Dungen (all on Sunday) as well as Laurent from Pelican (on Saturday).

Lollapalooza: The schedule is now available here (in asp format) & here (as a pdf). Primus has been added to the bill.

Also, organizers of both festivals will be guests on Sound Opinions on 7/12.

Concertwatch (Rarity Edition)

2005-06-17T11:38:00.000-05:00

Posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld

Ahem, now announcing, in a rare US appearance, what the hype machine is referring to as "a historic event"....

Lady Sovereign (7/8 @ Sonotheque)

(That better Jack?)

Concertwatch (Old School Edition)

2005-06-16T09:14:00.000-05:00

7/9: Dianogah at the Empty Bottle
7/10: Shellac w/ Silkworm at Subterranean

Taste: Lauryn out, LL in?

2005-06-15T14:24:00.000-05:00

This nugget was buried in Bill Zwecker's usual celeb-fluff column in today's Sun-Times: "Lauryn Hill reportedly is being replaced at this year's 25th anniversary Taste of Chicago by none other than rapper and actor LL Cool J."

Hill, who was slated to play June 24 at the Petrillo shell, is said to have engaged in some by-now-typical weird behavior last weekend in Atlanta, where her show was curtailed after a "raw, weakened" Hill and her "distorted" band played just four songs.

State budget priority: Celebrate Chicago House!

2005-06-15T09:27:00.000-05:00

Apparently someone with political clout is planning something called the Chicago International House Music Festival - or that's the way it looks, judging by a state budget document revealed today on the Illinois political blog Capitol Fax.

According to the document linked above:
"The State agrees to provide $200,000, in direct funding to the newly formed Chicago International House (Electronic) Music Festival, for the purpose of developing and operating the festival and this funding shall be contingent upon this festival obtaining the support of the City of Chicago and private donors."

The money was requested by State Representative Ken Dunkin, who represents parts of the Loop and the South Side.

That's Dunkin on the left, with the "godfather of house" himself Frankie Knuckles second from right.

Concertwatch

2005-06-13T11:33:00.000-05:00

Posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld

New at The Vic: 6/22 - Joanna Newsom, Handsome Family "plus another guest or two and some futuristic tech stuff from the WIRED people" as part of A Night of Next Music Curated by Jeff Tweedy during WIRED NextFest. Tix are $15 & onsale Wednesday.

Breaking News: Double Door settlement

2005-06-09T17:12:00.000-05:00

Press release:

DOUBLE DOOR REACHES SETTLEMENT WITH LANDLORD, WILL REMAIN OPEN FOR NINE YEARS

Double Door wishes to thank all of our friends and neighbors for their support. We were very pleased we were able to reach an agreement with our landlord Brian Strauss which will allow us to continue to bring the best in live music to Chicago through 2014. Brian Strauss has shown his commitment to proving a home for Double Door for many years to come.

Everyone who came to the court hearing, wrote letters, or signed a petition has our gratitude. We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love for the club, and hope Chicago music lovers will continue to support the many great cultural outlets of our
city.

(context)

All things Waco

2005-06-09T09:26:00.000-05:00

It's Waco World, you're just living in it.

Per Jon Langford:

"Monstrous Dinosaurs of alt-country The Waco Brothers play Chicago's Field Museum [tonight, 6/9] at 7pm. As well as the usual stuffed mammoths and giant clockwork mole crickets, the museum will play host to vast herds of horny young Chicago professionals who will dance, drink, and 'play the field!'"

Then, coming Aug. 16 to ye olde recorde shoppe near you, it's Freedom and Weep, the band's seventh disc.

Per hype that could only roll from the tongue of a Bloodshot flak, it's "a decidedly rockin addition to their formidable canon, a swaggering return to form that hits all your g-spots and leaves you panting." They promise "cuts about crafty little Christians dismantling democracy, going for a drink, golfers disguised as national leaders, appearing stupider than you really are, watching your carbs the night before they strap you to the gurney, election night jitters, and models throwing themselves out of first floor Motel 6 windows."

And, finally, Mr Waco hisownself is pimping a new collab with Richard Buckner via the homegrown Buried Treasure Records - from whence we swiped a toon that tells the tale better than we could ever hope.

(Click the pic and be transported by the miracle of the Internets - that or the hamster wheel that keeps your hard-drive working)

Rhino, DeRo, DeRo, Rhino

2005-06-08T11:43:00.000-05:00

This week Rhino Records announced it will release a seven-disc box set of hits from that long-forgotten era called "the Nineties," with packaging to include "cultural commentary ... from the Chicago Sun-Times' Jim DeRogatis." In '03 DeRo published the anthology Milk It! Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the '90s.

Beat em at they own game

2005-06-06T13:40:00.000-05:00

So Pitchfork tried to get back in the game today with a morsel of Intonation Festival news. Sorry fellas, we're running this one.

The morsel: They've added two bands to the lineup, Pelican and the Hold Steady.

Well we told you the Hold Steady before. So Pelican is legitimately new.

Now as Mike Skinner says, let's push things forward. We'll tell ya that, per the band's site, Thunderbirds Are Now are on the festival too.

Also, the keen-eyed reader will notice that in today's Pee-Fork update, Beans has magically disappeared from the roster.

So near as we can figure them, the current lineups (in order of performance) are:
July 16 - Head of Femur, Pelican, the M's, AC Newman, Magnolia Electric Company, Four Tet, Broken Social Scene, the Go Team!, Death from Above 1979 and Tortoise. DJs: Will Oldham, Jean Grae, more TBA
July 17 - Dungen, Xiu Xiu, Out Hud, Andrew Bird, the Hold Steady, Deerhoof, the Wrens, Les Savy Fav and the Decemberists, plus Thunderbirds Are Now tossed in there somewhere. DJs: Dungen, more TBA

So yeah. Since we're now up to 10 bands on each day, here's guessing that's it, save for the deejay scoop. (If you need: the Intonation site.)

Concertwatch

2005-06-03T14:48:00.000-05:00

Taste of Randolph Street: 6/17 - Cowboy Mouth, Katie Todd Band, Burn Rome Burn; 6/18 - My Morning Jacket, French Kicks, Chris Mills, Catfish Haven; 6/19 - Poi Dog Pondering, John Butler Trio, Casolando, Walt Cunningham Jr.

Door Door: More

2005-06-03T11:54:00.000-05:00

Jim DeRogatis is all over the Double Door story in today's Sun-Times.

After months of downplaying the conflict, operators of Chicago's renowned Double Door rock club said yesterday that landlords are trying to evict them in favor of a national retail chain that might pay more than quadruple the rent. ...

When it opened [in June 1994] in what had been a biker bar at the intersection of Damen, Milwaukee and North avenues, Wicker Park was a neighborhood in transition, with lingering traces of the seediness portrayed in Nelson Algren's famous novel, The Man with the Golden Arm.

Thanks to the forces of gentrification, Wicker Park is now the neighborhood of the golden rents.

[Double Door partner Sean] Mulroney, who is also an attorney, said the fight isn't really about whether club operators gave legal notice to renew their lease, but about the landlords' desire to raise the rent for the space from $9 to $38 per square foot, or from approximately $45,000 a month to $190,000 -- a price that would make operating the club impossible. ...

The landlords were rumored to have been talking to the Banana Republic clothing chain about opening a store at the site. [The landlords' attorney Howard] Golden denied that the Strauss family has a specific tenant in mind. ...

Mulroney said club operators only decided to go public yesterday because they hope Chicago's music community will come to court next week to support the club. "We didn't want to do what Sue Miller did with Lounge Ax; we thought she handled that poorly," he said. ...

Both sides are optimistic that they will prevail in court, but both granted that regardless of the judge's ruling, Double Door isn't likely to close soon.

If the club owners win their case, the lease will be extended for four more years with modest increases in rent, Golden said. If the landlords win, Mulroney promises to appeal, and he said that process could drag on for as long as three years.

In other news, Double Door peeps are mounting a public letter-writing campaign on their own behalf. Late yesterday the club sent an e-mail urging bands, fans and others in the local music community to attend next week's hearing, contact Wicker Park alderman Manny Flores, and send letters to the editors of the Trib, Sun-Times and Reader.

See yesterday's post for text of the Double Door statement that started this ruckus.

War for the Double Door

2005-06-02T12:00:00.000-05:00

Double Door press release:

LANDLORD WANTS TO SHUT DOWN WICKER PARK'S DOUBLE DOOR

On June 9, 2005 Double Door, Chicago's preeminent small music venue, will be fighting for its very existence before Cook County Chancery Judge Billik. The trial, whereby Double Door is seeking to enforce an extension to its lease, is set to begin at 2PM at the Cook County Courthouse, Room 2601 in the Daley Center. The trial hinges upon Double Door's position that it appropriately notified the owners of the building, Harry and Brian Strauss, of its intention to exercise its option in its lease. The Strauss' dispute this claim.

Double Door has become a fixture in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood and an integral part of the cultural and music scene in Chicago since it's opening in 1994. The club has played host to some of the biggest bands in the world including The Rolling Stones, bringing national and international exposure to Chicago. Double Door served as the site for debut material from two albums of Chicago's own Smashing Pumpkins. Artists like Kid Rock, Macy Gray, The Strokes and The Killers have all graced the Double Door stage early in their careers. The club has nurtured the careers of many of Chicago's most successful local artists including Chevelle, Local H and Liquid Soul.

The Strauss family has no interest in preserving the cultural integrity of the neighborhood or the Double Door. It is their intention to force the closure of Double Door and to replace it with a national retail chain.

Double Door filed its suit against the Strauss family knowing that it has met its obligations under the lease. This trial will determine whether the institution that is Double Door will remain a fixture in Wicker Park and a key part of the cultural and musical scene in Chicago.

Chicago's musical landscape will not be the same without Double Door.

(background)

Tribute to greatness: Oscar Brown Jr.

2005-06-01T13:38:00.000-05:00

In music and life, hipsters are a dime a dozen. What set Oscar Brown Jr. apart, and made him a great Chicago original, was his refusal to settle for style. As a jazz artist, he could scat with the best of them and pen lyrics that shivered with jivey cool. But his work always had a serious, questing dimension to it, calling for people to reject racial prejudice and celebrate their commonality, to accept responsibility for their actions and do unto others as they wanted others to do unto them. He was no stranger to anger and could be cantankerous, but the playful spark of classics like "Signifyin' Monkey" and deep humanism of ballads like "Brother Where Are You?" dominated, touching generations of jazz, soul and topical-minded folk singers, rappers and hip-hoppers. Brown, who died Sunday at 78, refused to be locked into categories. During the coffeehouse '60s, he helped break down the wall between jazz and cabaret and later ventured into theater. His musicals, which drew as much from Africa and South America as Broadway, weren't as successful as he would have liked, but that didn't stop him from pursuing the form to further his social activism and broaden the scope of black entertainment. The South Side legend remained productive to the end, committed as ever to the best kind of hipness. - Chicago Sun-Times editorial, 6/1/05

For more, see the "OBJ" Web site, read obituaries from the Tribune and Sun-Times, visit the Hideout's remembrance page, or listen to this segment from the Chicago Public Radio program Hello Beautiful.

Get Behind Me Concertwatch

2005-05-31T14:45:00.000-05:00

The White Stripes (Aug. 29, 30, 31 at Auditorium Theatre)

Thax Douglas launches on Wilco (?!)

2005-05-27T14:07:00.000-05:00

If this is real, it is sad.

Cool event tonite at Open End

2005-05-27T11:47:00.000-05:00

Tonight - Friday, 5/27 - the Open End Gallery hosts Up Our Sleeve, an exhibition of more than 500 unique artworks that use blank 12-inch album covers as their canvas.

Says the project's Web site: "Music memories, paper, paint, ink, ribbons, paste, plastic, photos, metal, vinyl, trains, tape, mannequin heads, and magic. Out of wartime and low cash woes came inspiration for united creativity. We distributed hundreds of blank 12" record sleeves to our artistic friends who passed them onto their pals and on and on. ... Most often album covers are made to match existing music. UP OUR SLEEVE flips this paradigm. The pieces are influenced by music genres and albums while existing free of specific attachment."

Organizers promise lots of deejay goodness in addition to the pretty pictures. More info at the above site, advance tix here.

Concertwatch

2005-05-26T14:11:00.000-05:00

Prepare for sensitive soul overload: John Legend, Common, De La Soul, Rahzel (8/1, HOB)

Concertwatch

2005-05-24T16:43:00.000-05:00

Dear Pop Geeks of Chicago,

I will spin records and sing for you on Thursday, June 30, at Sonotheque.

XO,
Annie

Lollapa-suckage

2005-05-24T14:32:00.000-05:00

Newly added to the Chicagopalooza roster: Derrick Carter, Dandy Warhols, Hard-Fi, Gwendolyn & The Good Time Gang, the Quest Theatre Ensemble, Daddy A Go Go, Candy Band and the DJ Muggs Mash-Up Circus.

Oh yeah. Where do I line up to part with my 115 bucks now?

In other news, this San Diego festival is kicking some Lollapa-Azz. May we suggest a new Lollapa-slogan: Half the talent for twice the price!

Bad People

2005-05-23T16:18:00.000-05:00

Posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld

Even though I have no interest in buying the album, it's always heartening to have Billy Corgan out promoting something....because you get good stuff like this exchange in Entertainment Weekly:

EW: Which of your two bands is more likely to reunite?
CORGAN: Pumpkins. You'll never see Zwan. I'll never go anywhere near those people. Ever. I mean, I detest them. You can put that in capital letters. Bad people. James and D'Arcy are good people. They might be misguided people, but they're good people.

Still here

2005-05-23T14:57:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the dearth of post-age lately. Real life, you know, sometimes weighs heavy on the ol' Interweb persona.

Regular updates will resume ASAP - tomorrow, if not yet today.

2005-05-17T10:29:00.000-05:00

Following on our story of last week about the looming threat to the future of the Velvet Lounge, there was a terrific, in-depth piece on the subject by Tribune jazz critic Howard Reich on the front page of Sunday's paper.

"In a few weeks or a little longer--no one is saying exactly when--a wrecking ball will demolish the last great jazz club on the South Side of Chicago," Reich writes.

"And though the Velvet Lounge, on South Indiana Avenue near Cermak Road, doesn't exactly date to the days when Louis Armstrong and Nat 'King' Cole made the South Side swing, the end of the club's 23-year-run has galvanized music lovers trying to help relocate the club nearby.

"Unfortunately for Velvet Lounge owner and celebrated Chicago saxophonist Fred Anderson, and his fans, the move will cost about $120,000, which to a typical jazz musician may as well be $120 million.

"'I don't have that kind of money, that's for sure, but we're trying our best to try to raise it real fast,' said Anderson, who in 1982 transformed a dilapidated, shoebox-shaped bar into what would become a nexus for cutting-edge jazz in Chicago.

"'I'm just hoping we can get the money together before they tear this place down, so we can pick right up in the new place, before people forget about us.'

"If Anderson, 76, doesn't succeed in keeping the name and spirit of the Velvet Lounge alive, said admirers of the club and the oft-rambunctious music it presents, the cultural import of the South Side and the city at large will be diminished.

"'It would be damaging to say the least,' said Timuel Black, a cultural historian whose landmark oral history, 'Bridges of Memory' (Northwestern University Press), documents the great migration of Southern blacks north to Chicago.

"'The loss of the Velvet Lounge,' added Black, 'would be devastating to the perpetuation of the music the club has presented to all kinds of listeners through the years--black and white and locals and visitors.'

"Moreover, the possible demise of the Velvet Lounge comes on the heels of the closing of the legendary Checkerboard Lounge, a blues institution on East 43rd Street, in 2003, and the shuttering of Gerri's Palm Tavern, a historic music spot on East 47th Street."

And there's much more. The piece is a must-read for those who missed it in print - and the cause deserves a serious outcry from anyone who cares about music, art, our city and its history.

Sunday special: Intonation

2005-05-15T10:20:00.000-05:00

A rare weekend post to note that our dirt-digging on the Pitchfork Intonation festival is finally being followed by the print rags. Jim DeRogatis has this in today's Sun-Times:

Intonation Music Festival, July 16-17
The uber-hip indie-rock Web site pitchforkmedia.com is curating this two-day event in Union Park at Randolph and Ashland (it has moved from the smaller Pulaski Park), with two stages and some of the best names on the current indie underground. The July 16 lineup is, in order, the M's, Beans, Magnolia Electric Company, AC Newman, Four Tet, the Go Team!, Death from Above 1979 and Tortoise; the July 17 lineup is Head of Femur, Xiu Xiu, Out Hud, the Wrens, Deerhoof, Les Savy Fav and the Decemberists. (Previously announced headliners Fiery Furnaces have canceled their summer tour.) Advance tickets go on sale Wednesday via www.intonationmusicfest.com at $15 a day or $22 for a two-day pass, and a portion of the proceeds benefit various local charities.

The news here is that, as we suspected, Fiery Furnaces have canceled - and their headlining spot has been taken by Tortoise. The advance-ticket plan and slightly higher price is also new information.

In other respects, the DeRo report doesn't appear to be as complete as it's made out to be - it fails to mention five acts we've previously ID'd as confirmed, namely Andrew Bird, Broken Social Scene, Diverse, the Hold Steady, and the joint Jean Grae/Will Oldham DJ set.

Update (Monday a.m.): As noted in the comments, the Intonation site has at long last been updated. It adds one act not previously reported here (Dungen) and advance ticket information (on sale Wednesday 5/18 at noon Central via Music Today, cost is $15 per day or $22 for a two-day pass, plus $3 service charge).

Three yards and a cloud of dust

2005-05-13T10:55:00.000-05:00

We just keep running up the gut with this Intonation festival lineup thing (uh Pitchfork where you at??) and we just keep inching forward.

The latest: According to the Biz 3 site, that Will Oldham DJ set will include NY MC Jean Grae. (Um, Will? The Sage Francis collabo, this, what's next?)

Tangentially, tonight's Biz 3 throwdown at Sonotheque stars Stones Throw kingpin Peanut Butter Wolf (no, you're not losing it, 'cause yes, he's done this gig before) and local boy Dante Carfagna. (June party info here.)

Mas de Intonation

2005-05-11T09:16:00.000-05:00

Fleshing out-slash-amending yesterday's scoop on the Pitchfork-curated Intonation festival:

July 16 and 17 at Union Park (not Pulaski) is iron-clad.

A reliable source now claims that, contrary to Pollstar and the Billions site, Prefuse 73 is not on the bill.

The same source says Les Savy Fav is on the bill - though the band's site, label's site and booking agent's site have no mention.

That source also confirms rumors we've heard concerning two Chicago acts: Head of Femur and Diverse are said to be in. No independent confirmation yet available.

Regarding other locals, you can forget Califone. Contrary to a posting on Andrew Bird's site, they are not on the bill.

Finally there is one major cancellation and addition that's soon to be announced. We've heard buzz but aren't ready to go out on any limbs yet.

For those keeping score at home, the list - to the best of our current knowledge - is: Broken Social Scene, the Decemberists, Fiery Furnaces, Four Tet, the Go! Team, the M's, Magnolia Electric Co., AC Newman, the Wrens, Will Oldham (DJ set), Death From Above 1979, Out Hud, Xiu Xiu, Andrew Bird, Beans, Hold Steady, Diverse, Head of Femur.

That adds up to 18 of the supposed 24 acts. It looks like Prefuse 73 is out and Deerhoof may be in, which would bring us to 19. Then there's the one of these 19 who will cancel and be replaced.

You know, it would be easier if they would just announce the lineup already.

Easier, but not as much fun.

Update: Bank on it, Prefuse 73 is out and Deerhoof is in. Regarding the forthcoming cancellation, we're hearing strong rumors that it's the Fiery Furnaces.

Intonation scoop

2005-05-10T09:20:00.000-05:00

Back in the wintry months, we were first to report word of Pitchfork's Intonation Festival.

Following the story we've collected a list of confirmed acts more complete than even the official festival page. (Fourteen of the supposed 24 names have been announced, in one way or another, to date: Broken Social Scene, the Decemberists, Fiery Furnaces, Four Tet, the Go! Team, the M's, Magnolia Electric Co., AC Newman, the Wrens, Will Oldham (Dj set), Death From Above 1979, Out Hud, Xiu Xiu and Andrew Bird.)

Recently however there's been some whispering about the fate of the festival itself. A recent post to the message board for the rock-radio gabfest Sound Opinions questioned whether the festival had been cancelled or relocated - to which Pitchfork staffer Scott Plagenhoef, who frequents that board, replied "it is being moved to a larger spot, more info later."

Now, thanks to some perusing of various other web locales, we can report: The new locale is Union Park on Chicago's West Side. (That's corroborated by the Magnolia Electric Co. and Death From Above 1979 sites.)

According to those band sites and Plagenhoef on the Sound Opinions board, the dates, Saturday, July 16 and Sunday, July 17, will be the same. (Oh and the Chicago Park District site says Union Park, at 13 acres, is in fact more than three times larger than Pulaski Park at 3.8 acres.)

We can also reveal three new confirmations that Pitchfork and Intonation have yet to report. According to Pollstar and the Billions booking agency, Prefuse 73 and Beans are on the festival. Per the French Kiss Records page, the Hold Steady will play as well.

Those who click to the Sound Opinions board post will notice some coded speculation about two additional bands: Les Savy Fav and Deerhoof. Plagenhoef's posts confirm that both bands were "approached" but he doesn't say whether they're playing - and we can't find any word, one way or another, elsewhere on the web.

Weekend in reviews

2005-05-09T13:10:00.000-05:00

U2 at the United Center (Saturday)
"It appears U2 is falling into the same trap as the Rolling Stones: Charging big money for a stadium show obligates the band to turn into a hits jukebox. ... Now the band sounds like it believes less in its ability to surprise and dazzle with its new music, and more in the necessity to recycle its past." Greg Kot

"As a fan who's seen the group a dozen times and who ranks 1992's Zoo TV tour on the short list of the best concerts I've ever experienced, U2 has never seemed as pointlessly pretentious and preachy." Jim DeRogatis

"They remain a global band shouldering great weight in every move. But nesting on the inside track, they feel compromised, tired and confused." Mark Guarino

Coldplay at Metro (Friday)
"What a band." Greg Kot

"It is easy to see what Gwyneth and so many others love." Jim DeRogatis

"Martin often made a point of singing his most romantic lyrics directly up to Paltrow. ... the chance to be the couple’s voyeur for a night was a rare treat." Mark Guarino

(Yeah, the lads really brought out the best in our scribes.)

Nine Inch Nails at the Congress (Friday)
"[T]he venue's sound system failed, reducing the band to an awkward pantomime and leaving all but those closest to the stage monitors scratching their heads, confused. Reznor expressed his dissatisfaction with a string of expletives before he and the band stomped off.

"The set resumed after a 20-minute delay, and the imposingly buff Reznor — rarely in the best of moods when stalking the stage — was seriously annoyed. Rather than start where they left off, the group plowed into 'Wish' and 'March of the Pigs,' two of the angriest songs in Nine Inch Nails' vast catalog of angry songs, while Reznor, white shirt stained with what looked like blood, took his aggression out on various roadies, instruments and himself." Josh Klein

"Though major technical difficulties ensued after only one song, Trent Reznor's 2005 version of Nine Inch Nails persevered" Dave Hofer

AACM turns 40; Velvet on the move?

2005-05-09T12:51:00.000-05:00

The past weekend was full of festivities marking the 40th anniversary of the Chicago-based Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), including several concerts. Check out John Litweiler's Sun-Times overview of these giants of jazz and their group's anniversary, or see the AACM's page for general info.

In related news, the Velvet Lounge (the near-south side club owned and operated by AACM stalwart and tenor sax master Fred Anderson) is soon to close at its current location. Anderson has identified nearby space to relocate, but estimates he needs $100,000 to make the move and reopen. A pair of benefit shows (scheduled for the old club on May 22 and 27) are the first, modest efforts to begin to gather those funds. See the club's site for info on the fundraisers or to make a donation via PayPal.

(Note to local jazz writers, arts grantsmakers, city brass and wealthy philanthropists: This community institution needs your attention.)

Update: The Trib's Howard Reich on the AACM's Great Black Music Ensemble's Sunday night performance: "If there's a band that can match the sonic brilliance, tonal splendor and creative inspiration ... it has yet to be heard." Full mega-rave here.

Concertwatch

2005-05-03T12:49:00.000-05:00

New at Metro: Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks (6/11), Stars (6/18), Redwalls (CD release show, 6/24)

Look out you rock 'n' rollers

2005-05-02T09:04:00.000-05:00

You'll notice we added a gang of links to local venues over the weekend. The veteran readers among you will recall we once had a fairly comprehensive set of links to not only concert spots but local-music-related publications and other sites of interest.

Those links were nuked by a Blogger glitch when we changed templates some time ago, but now - after a month of April that positively blew away any previous month in terms of readership numbers - we're putting in the time to build the resource back up again.

This post, then, serves three functions: To draw your attention to the new links, to thank readers old and new for lending us their eyeballs, and to solicit your ideas on what you'd like to see in the links section. Post your thoughts in the comments thread.

Happy birthday LDW

2005-04-29T13:50:00.000-05:00

Tonight and tomorrow at the Hideout, DJs CB, Mother Hubbard and J2K celebrate the second anniversary of their Life During Wartime series of politico-dance parties. Besides spinning the hott waxx to get your consciousness up and your ass down, they promise Super Secret Special Surprise guests.

For more on LDW, clickety-clack to our previous coverage or the Life During Wartime Web site.

Slint sell out

2005-04-27T09:44:00.000-05:00

Admit it, it was never enough to just worship Spiderland. There you were in the basement, slaving to get that tone, man.

Well, now you can own "equipment purchased by the legendary independent rock band Slint and used on their historic reunion tour". What's more, the "items will be autographed by the individual band member(s) who used them".

Now that's no skin condition, it's your credit card burning a hole in the ass pocket of your meticulously ripped jeans. So hie thee over to ye olde E-bay and it'll be just like 1991 again.

Concertwatch ("Guerrilla" Version)

2005-04-27T09:40:00.000-05:00

As part of what the band is calling a "whirlwind 10-city guerilla tour" of small venues, System of A Down will headline Metro on Tuesday, 5/3. Tickets go on sale noon Saturday at the club only.

Festivals update

2005-04-26T16:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, buried in a preview of summer music festivals, Pitchfork let slip with the names of a couple more acts confirmed for their own Intonation fest: Death From Above 1979, Out Hud, Xiu Xiu and Andrew Bird have been added to the list.

Not to be outdone, Chicagopalooza has added ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead, the Drive-By Truckers, Mark Farina, the (International) Noise Conspiracy and the Ponys. And they have hiked ticket prices to $100 for the weekend (they started at $35, went to $85, and will go to $115 at some future date).

Jus Biz

2005-04-26T09:34:00.000-05:00

Pencil in June 10 for the next in the series of Biz 3 DJ nights at Sonotheque. David Cross and Death From Above 1979 on the ones and twos, bwoy!

Must-read

2005-04-26T09:26:00.000-05:00

If you haven't already, pick up the current (4/22) issue of the Reader. The cover story is a meticulously researched retelling of the sordid, tangled tales behind '70s Chi soul label Bandit, which catalog was reissued last year by the local Numero label. All propers to Bob Mehr for the fine piece.

Rock Talk Alert

2005-04-26T09:14:00.000-05:00

Tonight on Sound Opinions, Kot and DeRogatis discuss Joy Division and New Order. The latter act plays a sold-out show at the Aragon next Tuesday (5/3) - its first Chicago gig in a decade. (Smart Bar will host the after-party. There's also a launch party for the band's new disc slated for this Friday, 4/29, at Berlin.)

Lolla list

2005-04-22T09:48:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Jim DeRogatis reported that Liz Phair and Tegan & Sara are confirmed for Chicagopalooza, and today MTV added the Killers to a list we've previously gleaned to include the Pixies, Dinosaur Jr, Weezer, Widespread Panic and the Kaiser Chiefs.

Update: The Pixies, Weezer, Widespread Panic, the Killers, the Arcade Fire, Liz Phair, the Black Keys, Death Cab For Cutie, Cake, Dashboard Confessional, Dinosaur Jr, Kasabian, Kaiser Chiefs, Louis XIV, Tegan & Sara, M83, Los Amigos Invisibles, Blue Merle, the Redwalls, the Changes, Dandy Warhols, Digable Planets, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Billy Idol, the Bravery and Blonde Redhead. (Billboard)

Update II: Also G. Love, the Walkmen, VHS or Beta, the Warlocks and a few others are now on the Lolla site.

Tix start at $85 for the two-day pass.

Update III: In their own words.

New Kanye on the way, supposed first single leaks

2005-04-21T10:44:00.000-05:00

The net started buzzing yesterday afternoon with a leak of "Diamonds," the reported first single from Late Registration, Kanye West's sophomore disc and follow-up to last year's crossover blockbuster The College Dropout.

A few hours later, MTV.com posted a story that verifies the single and quotes Kanye saying the album will be out July 12.

As for the cut, it's built around a sample of Shirley Bassey's "Diamonds Are Forever." The verse is structured similar to "Heavy Hitters," the lead track on the old I'm Good mixtape, and the hook is the same ("Throw your diamonds up"). Basically it's Kanye hyping the Roc, taunting the haters and goofing on himself too (about the AMA meltdown, among other things).

For local flavor, turns out K-West spit most of the "Diamonds" verses while freestyling with Common on WGCI back in January. You can hear it on the new Mike Love mixtape "Hardcore Beats and Bustdowns."

Oh and one of the funniest rhymes on the single is quoted wrong in the MTV piece: "All I need is y'all to pronounce my name/It's Kanye, but some of my plastic still say 'Kayne.'"

IPO redux

2005-04-20T16:27:00.000-05:00

Last week we offered a scouting report on the first half of the fortnight-long local incarnation of the International Pop Overthrow festival.

As promised, here's part two. As before, all picks come courtesy of Michael Bennett, who publishes the weekly Chicago Pop Show Report and reviews records for Fufkin.com.

April 22 - Beat Kitchen. Perhaps the best bill of the fest, featuring artists from the Rainbow Quartz label. Andy Bopp of Myracle Brah opens, followed by the Lackloves (pure jangle circa 1966), the Telepathic Butterflies (an incredible psych-pop band), and the Grip Weeds (a great live act, they mix Byrds guitar shimmer with the rhythm power of the Move).

April 23 – Gunther Murphy’s. (evening) With a major-label album to their credit, Admiral Twin are pro popsters; the Cells keep on rolling with a hard pop sound.

April 24 – Beat Kitchen. (evening) A lineup of Canadian artists on Bullseye Records. The two best acts finish – they are the Kings (a really fun band known for “This Beat Goes On/Switchin’ To Glide”) and Dave Rave (formerly of Teenage Head and a great pop artist in the vein of Paul McCartney and Matthew Sweet--though not quite like either, I suppose).

April 27 - Schubas. Dolly Varden, who haven’t played out in a while, will provide their usual alt-country brilliance, but David Singer and the Sweet Science are the highlights.

April 28 - Schubas. One of the strongest lineups of the fest, it includes Van Go (an energetic, meat-and-potatoes power pop band), the Scotland Yard Gospel Choir (twee, Chicago style), Canasta (hard to categorize, but one of the most promising local acts I’ve seen in a while), and Epicycle (a psych-pop band featuring Ellis Clark, who has worked with David Roth, Kevin Tihista and others).

April 29 - Abbey. In what's becoming a Chi-PO tradition, stalwarts E’Nuff Z’Nuff and Off Broadway top the bill. Other nice locals include the Mark Watson Band (total heartland pop) and Million Yen (who pack a sleeker, Cheap Trick-meets-Bends-era-Radiohead style).

April 30 - Gunther Murphy’s. (evening) The Goldstars are one of Chicago’s best garage rock bands. And look out for the Breakup Society, a rocking power pop outfit led by a former member of the Frampton Brothers.

May 1 - Wise Fool’s Pub. (evening) Dave King is from the Canadian band the Cloudsmen, and his music is adult pop in the vein of latter day XTC and Crowded House. The Oohs have ace vocals and play a mix of skinny-tie rock and Jellyfish sophistication. And while I haven’t heard the Injured Parties yet, front man Larry O. Dean has a good track record.

If you're free tonight

2005-04-19T17:10:00.000-05:00

Last minute notice: The members of Tortoise are slated to spin records tonight at Rodan (1530 N Milwaukee) from 10p to 2a.

Rock Talk Alert

2005-04-19T11:31:00.000-05:00

This week it's also a local band alert - Scotland Yard Gospel Choir is tonight's in-studio guest on Sound Opinions.

What'll they think of next

2005-04-19T09:40:00.000-05:00

Albums, import-only tracks, download-only tracks, shows, solo shows, benefit shows, festivals, movie, bio, coffee table book, poetry book, side projects ... what could possibly advance the Wilco brand now?

Give up?

How 'bout a concert DVD?!

Indeed. The band will be playing, Sam Jones filming, and Wilcolytes hollering for "Passenger Side" for four shows at the Vic, May 4 through 7. More info's at Jeff Tweedy Omnimedia.

... and the livin' is easy.

2005-04-18T13:31:00.000-05:00

Keep your new tulips and first robins; fat squirrels, fresh graf and professional squeegee guys Spidermanning it up and down your office tube are the surest signs of spring in the Windy.

Well, that and the street-corner hottness of the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, spotted today kicking it for a crowd at State and Madison.

(old photo swiped from some tourist's blog; thanks tourist - and G00gle)

The fellas are selling the same CD as ever and they've got no club gigs booked, but say that now the nice weather has arrived, they'll be busking on the regular - "every day 'cept Sunday."

(Hypno-tizing profiles here and there.)

Punch & Judy -- and Paul

2005-04-18T09:47:00.000-05:00

"I haven't had this much fun at a rock concert in months," Tribster Greg Kot says of seeing Paul Westerberg on Friday at the Riv. "[T]his was the kind of spontaneous combustion that used to be called rock 'n' roll: Kids in garages wired on electric guitars and whatever they could find in their parents' liquor cabinet, making it up as they go along."

In the Sun-Times, though, Jim DeRogatis goes bananas on the performance, scalding Westerberg's approach, his band and his antics. Those antics - "pathetic bursts of stupid playacting," in Jim's parlance - included "attack[ing] a television set with a guitar, destroying both the TV and the Fender axe. He later reprised the bit by smashing an old telephone.

"At least," DeRo concludes, "he could have updated the Who routine to include an iPod, laptop and cell phone. And he should have tipped the stagehand who dutifully swept up his mess."

Here's the whole piece. It's definitely an entertaining read - or it is until the conclusion, which underscores exactly why I tend to avoid this sort of show. "Delivering more than two hours of utter mediocrity from the 15 years that followed his heyday isn't a brave step forward," DeRo writes. "[I]t's a sad reminder of a great talent that has either been squandered or lost to the passage of time."

If you went, what did you think? Do you come down on Greg's side, or Jim's?

Might note that Kot also checked out Elvis Costello at the Auditorium Theatre, finding him "in amphetamine power-pop mode .... It was a throwback to the British singer's new-wave era, when words somersaulted across dense, speedy arrangements that conveyed the restlessness and anxiety of younger men deprived of sex, sympathy and cash."

That's nice writing, no doubt. But Greg's similar thumbs-up to Westerberg's similarly retro show - and DeRo's pie-in-the-face routine following same - beg the questions: Is Kot being too soft on a couple of increasingly irrelevant oldsters? Or is Jim too eager to bash?

Have at it in the comments.

Update: "Old geek" Dave Hoesktra on Elvis Costello in the Sun-Times.

Two down, 68 to go

2005-04-15T09:22:00.000-05:00

It's looking more like Chicagopalooza will actually get a permit. They've sold 2,000 weekend passes already. And now we know of two (count 'em) acts the fest has apparently booked: Widespread Panic, who let slip word of the gig on their Web site, and the reunited Dinosaur Jr, whose publicist included a July 24 Grant Park date in a tour announcement released this morning.

For those keeping score at home, the identities of just 68 other Lolla acts remain unknown. (And for those placing bets on the very active Chicagopalooza futures market, Chimzk's own Lazlo Hollyfeld recommends the Pixies and the White Stripes.)

Update: According to the band's Web site, Weezer is in.

Also the Kaiser Chiefs.

Four, 66.

Ear to the ground

2005-04-14T13:21:00.000-05:00

The hip hop MP3 blog We Eat So Many Shrimp has a nice piece on Chi MC Swing, placing him in the context of near-north gentrification and the city-sanctioned razing of Cabrini-Green. Apparently his track "Push On Em" (which you'll find posted to the Shrimp) is blazing up some mixtapes. Beyond that, though, we don't know much (okay, anything) about the guy. Readers?

IPO on tap

2005-04-13T14:46:00.000-05:00

Chicago's annual incarnation of the International Pop Overthrow festival starts this Friday, 4/15, and runs at various local clubs through Sunday, 5/1.

To help us get a handle on some of the cream of this more-than-170-act crop, we're pleased to present the picks of professional pop handicapper Michael Bennett. As we've mentioned here before, Mike publishes the weekly Chicago Pop Show Report, to which you may subscribe and receive in your e-mail gratis, and he also reviews records for Fufkin.com.

We'll publish Mike's recommendations in two parts, one now and another next week. Take it away, Mike:

April 15 – Beat Kitchen. Kelly’s Heels are a splendid British power pop band whose most recent release is a sparkling compilation. Former Material Issue bassist and a reliable performer in his own right, Ted Ansani headlines.

April 16 – Gunther Murphy’s. (evening) Highlights include a reunited the Sun Sawed in 1/2, who are in the vein of Jellyfish; Sparkwood, a Texas band that plays sweet pop with clever lyrics a la Fountains Of Wayne, the Orange Peels and Cherry Twister; and the Elms, who tour incessantly playing basic power pop with both Who and Tom Petty overtones.

April 17 – Subterranean. (evening) Heathrow seems to have been weaned on Oasis and Pulp. Localite Dag Juhlin is always a safe bet. Trolley is a solid mod-rock outfit from Milwaukee.

April 18 – Schubas. Arthur Yoria’s stuff is similar to David Garza’s sophisticated pop-rock. Cameron McGill is a local up-and-comer [Ed.: Isn't that what they've been saying for years now?], and My Record Player is fronted by Dolly Varden guitarist Mark Balletto.

April 19 – Wise Fool’s Pub. Classic power pop with strong vocals from Chris Richards and the Subtractions. Phil Angotti and the Idea have a heavy ‘60s Brit-pop orientation. Jeremy is both a ball of energy and a great guitarist.

April 20 – Wise Fool’s Pub. This night features ‘90s pop vets 92 Degrees, the pub-rock pop of the Webstirs and Angeleno Barry Holdship, an ace vocalist with a ‘50s bent and a pedigree--his brother wrote for Creem back in the ‘80s.

April 21 – Beat Kitchen. A tough night, since one of pop's patron saints, Chris Stamey, is playing a non-IPO show at the Abbey. But on the festival side, Frisbie is the highlight--I’ve heard two new demos, and they sound as good as ever.

Look familiar?

2005-04-12T13:51:00.000-05:00

The Internerds of I Love Music give us Album Covers Shot on the Streets of Chicago.

Time Out: One-month report card

2005-04-12T09:36:00.000-05:00

Time Out Chicago's been on the street for roughly a month now, and we're curious: Have you bought a copy yet? Checked out their Web site?

If so, what do you think of the music coverage?

Jump in and discuss in the comments section. We'll see how the chatter goes and post some thoughts later on.

More Pitchfork festival details emerge

2005-04-11T09:14:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday the Sun-Times revealed a handful of bands set to play the July 17-18 Intonation Festival curated by Pitchfork, and on Friday, Pitchfork itself revealed a half-dozen more acts.

For those keeping score at home, 10 of the bill's reported 24 acts have now been announced. They are Broken Social Scene, the Decemberists, Fiery Furnaces, Four Tet, the Go! Team, the M's, Magnolia Electric Co., AC Newman, and the Wrens, plus a DJ set by Will Oldham. Several of the acts still TBA are expected to be DJs.

Your Daily Lollapalooza Update

2005-04-08T13:57:00.000-05:00

Posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld

Bot Kot & DeRo have a quote from a Park District spokeswoman stating "we are comfortable with what they've proposed to us, and we don't see any reason why the concert won't be permitted." And both put the amount on the table at a proposed $200,000 donation for park improvements. Once that was agreed to, the Parkways Foundation went ahead and applied for the city permit on behalf of the promoters this past Tuesday.

To Do Tonight

2005-04-08T13:35:00.000-05:00

Posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld

It's the latest installment of the Biz 3 events at Sonotheque. On tonight's agenda, the guest DJs hail from Fader & Pitchfork.

Oh, and they'll be revealing some more of the lineup for the Intonation Festival...

Chicagopalooza Ticket Update

2005-04-07T13:18:00.000-05:00

Posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld

Well, it appears that Lollapalooza was able to sell all 2,000 of the specially priced $35 weekend passes in around 80 minutes this morning. Not bad for a festival that currently only counts one unofficial, self-confirmed act.

Now my confidence level would grow exponentially if I read a quote similar to the "has secured a city permit" phrase that appeared in this morning's DeRo article (in reference to the festival occurring the prior week).

A trickle of Intonation info

2005-04-07T07:53:00.000-05:00

Lurking at the bottom of a piece in today's Sun-Times on the summer concert calendar, Jim DeRogatis has the first few names we've seen in print of bands confirmed for the Pitchfork-curated Intonation Music Festival:

Fiery Furnaces
Broken Social Scene
The Wrens
The M's

As we've written, the festival goes down July 16 and 17.

Only 5 months away...

2005-04-06T16:14:00.000-05:00

The annual Estrojam festival has launched a new-look Web site to spotlight its 2005 incarnation.

The Estrojam Music and Culture Festival is an annual not-for-profit, community-based event that features internationally acclaimed and emerging musicians and artists, educators, activists, and community leaders in dozens of events, including concerts, workshops, panels, and a film festival presented at Chicago's best venues.
A benefit for the US Campaign for Burma and the Chicago Abused Women's Coalition, this year's event is slated to run September 21-24. Hopefully this won't conflict too seriously with your plans to celebrate the autumnal equinox.

Concertwatch (Boss Edition)

2005-04-06T11:52:00.000-05:00

As part of a two-month tour that includes stops in such locales as Detroit, Denver, Dublin and Dusseldorf, Bruce Springsteen will play a solo acoustic show at the Rosemont Theatre on Wednesday, May 11. The Bossman's new album Devils & Dust is set for release on April 26.

About Those Lollapalooza Tickets...

2005-04-05T11:44:00.000-05:00

Posted By Lazlo Hollyfeld

You may want to consult the Sun-Times as the week goes on (DeRo seems to be providing daily updates to this story) before going ahead and buying one of those Lollapalooza passes they plan on selling (beginning Thursday).

Not that it doesn't sound like fun to plunk down $35 in advance for a 2-day festival with no confirmed acts scheduled for a public space where the permits have yet to be applied for.