That was worrisome.
Appearing: 7/1-2 at House Of Blues (329 N. Dearborn) in Chicago.
Intonation Music Festival
Union Park, Chicago
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Slayer, Lamb Of God, Mastodon, Children Of Bodom
Aragon, Chicago
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
There’s an episode of “Seinfeld” where George Costanza, while talking to his date, suggests toilet paper hasn’t changed in his lifetime and never will. In fact, he claims, everything has and will change, but not TP. His bubble is later burst, though, when Elaine and Jerry inform him that in reality, a number of advances (softer, more sheets per roll, variety of colors) have been made in bathroom-tissue technology.
Hello, My Name Is Ramblin’ Jack
Q&A with folk legend Ramblin’ Jack Elliott
IE: You were just in England with Devendra Banhart?
Ramblin’ Jack Elliott: Well, I did one show with him. I wasn’t really with him; he was in one theater and I was in another theater at the same festival [All Tomorrow’s Parties]. Can’t really call it a music festival. I think myself and one other person were the only real musicians in the festival.
Appearing: 7/21 at Abbey Pub (3420 W. Grace) in Chicago.
Rhymefest is no ass-kisser. In addition to having come up in the formerly overlooked Chicago market, his refusal to bow to anyone in the music industry is largely why it has taken this animated MC so long to get heard. It also explains why he has been fired from most of the 50-plus jobs he has held while trying to make music. But his stubbornness is precisely what helped turn ‘Fest from rapper by night to full-time recording artist.
At first glance, every musician residing in Sunderland, England is in one of three bands: The Futureheads, Field Music, and Maximo Park. (Actually, it isn’t true, and Sunderland has veritable pop music pedigree up there in the shadows of Newcastle, including Roxy Music’s Bryan Ferry and Eurythmic Dave Stewart). But, as in the United States, British protocol dictates you move to the cosmopolitan areas (Manchester, London) to get your crew noticed.
Despite their personnel issues and disabling encounters with the vast and varied exigencies of the record industry, The Jayhawks produced, both live and on record, perhaps the most consistently fine pop music of their era (with or without Mark Olson).
It’s shockingly easy to record and distribute music in this digital age, but it’s still like finding a needle in a haystack to come across music that is worth a listen. Even more difficult is finding a band who can make devoted fans out of those listeners.
BUILDING A BETTER RECORD COLLECTION
Music is being released at an extraordinary rate nowadays. Besides the onslaught of new material (lagging sales haven’t met a decline in product for labels) there is also the constant barrage of re-releases for music fans to contend with. It’s hard to keep up. With that in mind, IE raided the bookshelves and dug up a few titles that can help with those ever-growing back catalog needs.
THE HARDER THEY COME
Enticed by promises of free beer and taquitos, we headed to Chicago’s Hard Rock Cafe for their 20th anniversary party on June 12th. Yes, it was a Monday, but Styx were there, rotating keyboard stand and all.
SYRIANA
Warner Bros.
For Rio Grande Blood (13th Planet), Jourgensen figured if the Bush family gets to act like it’s 1991, then so does he. Corralling Tommy Victor (Prong) and Paul Raven (Killing Joke) for the reoutfitted sect, they cannon through 10 tracks in the spirit of Psalm 69 with hyperspeed drum fills, terrifying thrash riffage, Jourgensen’s flesh-eating vocals, and of course, a bevy of doctored George W. Bush samples, going a step beyond what he did to Bush Sr. on “N.W.O.” While some might say Ministry are preaching to the converted and recycling ideas, Jourgensen is adamant he and they are not.
But as he said earlier, ideological freedom was the least of his concerns. If he wanted to smoke dope with college kids and protest world trade injustices, he’d move to Portland. Texas has land, perfect for 13th Planet. Having room for his record label complex also helps him find his way home following long nights in the studio, since house and business are on the same piece of property. The curious thing is the timing. “As is typical in my career, I do everything bass-ackwards. I sold out before I started. And here I am starting a record label in the time when the record business is in shit. It just seems to all fit.
The Blues Foundation held its annual Blues Music Awards (formerly the W.C. Handy Awards) on May 11th in Memphis. Congrats to Chicago awardees Buddy Guy (B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year), Mavis Staples (Soul Blues Female Artist Of The Year), Eddie Shaw (Instrumentalist – Horn), and Willie “Big Eyes” Smith (Instrumentalist – Drums). Hubert Sumlin, who underwent lung removal surgery in 2004, won awards for Traditional Album Of The Year for About Them Shoes (Tone Cool) and Instrumentalist – Guitar. Although he moved from the Windy City, Sumlin remains the quintessential Chicago bluesman due to his association with Howlin’ Wolf. Little Milton won posthumous awards in four categories including Album Of The Year for Think Of Me (Telarc) and Song Of The Year for that record’s title track.
