Sonic Youth live!
Vic Theatre, Chicago
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Sonic Youth have always seemed like a band who shouldn’t exist. Or, more specifically, should no longer exist. In their embryonic stages, the New York-based quartet (stretched into a five-piece for this tour by adding ex-Pavement bassist Mark Ibold) could barely play their instruments. So they improvised by creating a [...]
Cage preview
Reggie’s, Chicago
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Cage has never really been the typical MC, but within the past four years, the New Yorker has moved further into his own alternative sonic existence.
Sweet Home: July 2009
Whole Lotta Music Goin’ On
The bright spot in an otherwise drab and dreary spring is the group of high-quality new releases that have crossed my desk for review. I am especially pleased to see that Chicago labels are recording local talent — a trend I hope continues. As I have said many times before in [...]
Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood live!
United Center, Chicago
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Considering the nucleus of Blind Faith hadn’t toured together since 1969, it was particularly monumental when Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood performed a short set together at Bridgeview’s Toyota Park in 2007 as part of the Crossroads Guitar Festival. Given that evening’s rave reviews and the pair’s unfathomable chemistry following [...]
Jon Troast interview
Household Name
Having the stamina to perform a hundred shows in a hundred days is a tricky task in and of itself, but finding a competent booking agent to line up that many back-to-back gigs for an indie artist is even more of a long shot. Lake Geneva-based singer/songwriter Jon Troast has plenty of energy and [...]
The Veils interview
The End Is The Beginning
At home in London, Finn Andrews sounds anything but comfortable. The Veils’ driving force says he’s perched on a stool, but in truth it sounds as if he’s upstairs in a closet with the lights off, clutching his cell phone so closely his voice sounds muffled.
Appearing: Thursday, July 23rd at Empty [...]
Cover Story: Aerosmith
Back To The Edge
For one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most treasured groups of “bad boys,” Aerosmith haven’t done much rockin’ or rollin’ lately. The mechanics of mobilizing their aging machine have proven more difficult than imagined, as age, health, and stop/start productivity have given the band fits. The marketing arm has no problem functioning – Aerosmith [...]
Koko Taylor, 80
Queen Of The Blues dies in Chicago
The Chicago Tribune is reporting that blues dynamo Koko Taylor has died at Northwestern Memorial while recovering from surgery on a gastrointestinal bleed after what was believed to be a successful procedure. She was one of the few women in the male-dominated Chicago blues world of the ’60s heyday, [...]
Phoenix live
Park West, Chicago
Saturday, June 13, 2009
I admit to having hesitated seeing Phoenix in concert. Bringing their artful, yet precise studio pop to the performance stage seemed as wise as transporting a world-war-trending Risk board from the kitchen to the basement mid-match.
PJ Harvey & John Parish live
Riviera, Chicago
Friday, June 12, 2009
PJ Harvey has never shied away from the dark spaces. In fact, they almost seem to define her work. So it wasn’t at all unusual to find her singing “When you call out my name in rapture/I commit my soul to murder” during the opening moments of Friday night’s show at [...]
Q101 Block Party review
Charter One Pavilion, Chicago
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Mother Nature made a lot of people happy Sunday night, as she gave Q101, 311, and a whole slew of music fans a perfect night of weather for Q101’s annual “Block Party.” The not-quite-sold-out crowd enjoyed a beautiful summer night of quality live music, and judging by the endless [...]
File: July 2009
God Bless The Queen
The blues world has lost its Queen. Koko Taylor, whose raw-edged, impassioned vocals won the hearts of fans worldwide for five decades, passed away at 80 on June 3rd of complications from gastrointestinal surgery.
Around Hear: July 2009
Local Band Reviews
Lubriphonic
Lock five skilled blues musicians from the heart of Chicago in a room and ask them to jam for a couple of hours, and what do you get? Hopefully an all-out blues-soul-funk experience — and in the case of Chicago newcomers Lubriphonic, that’s exactly what’s delivered. The quintet lets all its influences — [...]
Media: July 2009
Live Local Bands Get Their Own Free Weekly (Free) TV Show
“We’re encouraging local bands to support each other in a grassroots way,” says John Sink, executive producer of “Chicago/ Live,” a new live, weekly music performance series that airs Wednesday nights at midnight on WJYS TV-Channel 62 — just after “JBTV.”
Caught In A Mosh: July 2009
Master’s No Puppet
As if Master wasn’t enough of a reason to like Paul Speckmann, the dude credits this humble little magazine with boosting his career! In early 1984 Speckmann had just left War Cry (which, along with fellow Chicago doomsters Trouble, was a major influence on the mighty Cathedral) and craved something faster, more aggressive, [...]
DVD Zone: July 2009
Iron Maiden: Flight 666
UMe
If Bruce Dickinson isn’t the coolest person on the planet, I’d be hard-pressed to tell you who is. Not only is he still one of the best and most charismatic frontmen in the business at age 50, but if he needs to catch the afternoon shuttle from London to Cardiff, he can [...]
