Illinois Entertainer

The 25 Essential Local Albums Of The Last 10 Years

The January 2001 Illinois Entertainer cover story was “25 Essential Local Albums,” a difficult task if there ever was. Prone to being picked apart. No Little Walter? Elmore James? Technically, Donny Hathaway was born here. Herbie Hancock completely changed jazz in his own way, but we’re not really a jazzbo mag. Miles Davis was likewise born in Illinois and he dabbled in rock — but was he more in St. Louis’ sphere down in Alton? Where were Tyrone Davis? Big Black? Disturbed?

• Read more: Cover Story: Essential Local Albums ‘96-’06

THE BEST OF 2006

Here’s our staff’s lists of the best the past year had to offer in albums, singles, concerts, and DVDs!

• Read more: File: January 2007

Headlights
And Then There Were Three

Somewhere along the path less traveled most people get turned around, detoured, or just get off altogether. For Erin Fein, 24, of indie pop group Headlights, after the breakup of the band’s prior incarnation, she almost became one of those people. “The last year before Absinthe Blind broke up I was in school at the University Of Illinois [at Champaign-Urbana] and I was considering quitting because I thought I should finish school and I was really confused about how it would be possible to survive as a musician.”

• Read more: Headlights interview

Hush Sound
Burbing Over

The suburbs can be a dismal place to hang out from the teens to early 20s, but then again, they can also be the perfect grounds for a band hoping to beat the boredom. Though members of The Hush Sound had already experimented with other musical entities before teaming up, their pop/rock/folk fusion has already added some spice to their respective towns of Bensenville, Oak Brook, Bloomingdale, and Glen Ellyn.

• Read more: The Hush Sound interview

Iomos Marad
Schooled

“I call myself the social worker of rhymes.” These are the words of South Side native Iomos Marad (born Marcus Singleton), the MC who introduced himself to the public by rapping and drumming on CTA platforms. Ever since he officially entered the rap game with his anti-materialistic single, “Deep Rooted,” in 2000, it has been no secret this pensive MC creates hip-hop to make a difference. Although instead of recording raps for the past few years, Iomos has literally been carrying out social work in the classrooms of middle schools throughout the notorious West Side neighborhood of K-Town (aka North Lawndale).

• Read more: Iomos Marad interview

Psalm One
Droppin’ Science

“What was the question again?”

Cristalle Bowen, known to hip-hop heads as Psalm One, asks this more than once while being interviewed in the Abbey Pub’s basement. It isn’t because the Englewood-raised rapper is absent minded. It’s more that, luckily for IE, she truly attempts to answer each question as thoroughly as possible, which sometimes leads to tangents that lure her from the the initial topic.

• Read more: Psalm One interview

Russian Circles
The Heavy

To ask Mike Sullivan who his fans are is like asking him if he went to prom in high school. “We don’t get rabid young girls screaming at us because we’re hot dudes. That’s not the case, unfortunately,” he says. The 26-year-old guitarist of Chicago’s Russian Circles is the kind of guy who spent his prom night at home practicing Van Halen’s “Eruption” in the basement. A guitar aficionado since 11, Sullivan puts music before everything else. It’s now his career. And a Gibson Les Paul Classic Double Cutaway is the love of his life.

• Read more: Russian Circles interview

Little Miss Sunshine
Fox Searchlight

We’ve all been on road trips with the family. And, as one gets older, nine out of 10 people will probably tell you there’s hardly anything more taxing. That’s why the cross-country trek with the relatives is such fertile ground for filmmakers.

• Read more: DVD Zone: January 2007

There was a time when live recordings were considered inferior to studio sessions because of the poor sound quality, the somewhat annoying concentration of applause, and the possibility the artist would turn in a less-than-perfect performance.

• Read more: Global Blues – Live!

At ARS STUDIOS in Alsip, Maurice Jackson cut new tracks for his current project. ARS engineer Larry Schara worked with producer Mike Logan to capture Jackson’s performances . . . Mexican/ Duranguense band Herrantes De La Sierra mastered their new album with producer Eric Herrera of ASI Music/EMI Latin and ARS engineer Andy Padayao . . . Rico Collins mastered his new material with Schara, who also mastered Jason Sheedy’s new album . . . Gary Cobb worked on a live show for The Radio Hall Of Fame. He was assisted by Bob Gilmore, Will Stadtler, and Aaron Govert.

• Read more: Studio Happenings

“You cannot make friends with the rock stars,” Lester Bangs insists, talking to the budding rock crit in Almost Famous. “They’ll buy you drinks, you’ll meet girls, they’ll try to fly you places for free, offer you drugs. But they are not your friends.”

• Read more: Celebrity Helper

Few things are more satisfying to the ears than hearing Robyn Hitchcock unveil a new song played live with Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey on free radio, then listening to them explain its context and spin some of their favorite records.

• Read more: Rockin’ Rock ‘N’ Roll Radio – Let’s Go!

In honor of our January ‘07 “Best Of” issue, we’ve compiled our favorite pieces of “Gear” from the past year.

Gretsch
G400JV Archtop Guitar

Let’s call it a comeback. No need to mince words. Colombia’s premiere rock en español group were on a scary path toward losing the essence of their Latin alternative roots.

• Read more: A Velvety Listen

Prior Ahab Rex CDs have been praised in this column and the latest, Blood On Blonde, earns similar thumbs up (even though they, once again, retread four tracks from an ‘04 disc). That leaves six great new tunes that bend the caustic with the sweet, bobbing and weaving from jazzbo to agit/agro and all points in between. Inspired guest drumming by Martin Atkins on “The Queen Of Softcore” is worth the price of admission alone. Now if they would only stop repeating themselves so much. (wwwahabrex.com)
– David C. Eldredge

• Read more: Local CD Reviews